#OOF this is late - apologies for that!

[little-pup-pip]

25 Days of Agere Moodboards! Day 3: Favorite Kids book!!

[daz4i]

at an emergency medical thingie BUT! the guy at the reception had naruto pins holding his name tag in place, so i'm feeling fine.

[ladye-zelda]

OOGA BOOGA

Hi Windy!!!

[maplesunflowers]

Thanks for helping me get the booper breaker badge! Your sacrifice is appreciated lol

Happy to have helped!!!!

[cxpperhead]

💜 friendship, 🕴 partners in illegal activities, maybe even 💗 slow burn if that would work @question-marked

RELATIONSHIP TYPES! (Send one or more emojis + descriptions for the kind of ship/dynamic you’d like to write with my muse!)

Agreed with all of these! They're both criminals so working together as partners in illegal activities is not only welcome but full of potential? Like we've discussed before, there's a lot of possibility between these two - Edward lacks the unpredictability of the Joker and his ideas are more sound, focused on achieving actual goals and results over spreading mayhem and lawlessness. Copperhead would also appreciate Edward's keen intellect and penchant for riddles; he's a loner that struggles to get along with people due to his appearance but it doesn't mean he's not lonely, and I think he'd genuinely come to like Edward, quirks and all? So yeah, there's definitely a ton of potential between Copperhead and Edward, not only working together as efficient partners for whatever schemes Edward has in the works! Copperhead can provide the muscle, content on doing while Eddie does the thinking. As for a slow burn, there is absolutely room for that too! These two have issues - from your side, Edward wants desperately to be loved and Copperhead wants to be useful, so whether those feelings turns out to be genuine or these two are subconsciously using one another to fill some sort of void within themselves, it's a match made in Hell and Gotham would have all sorts of problems in the event that these two team up. :') Love it, accept it and would very much like to explore these ideas with you! 👌

[sketchy-scribs-n-doods]

ughh ty for ur amazing tags it was so disgusting how they were 1. telling on themselves claiming poc and fat people aren't attractive and 2. wishing racism and body shaming on an actor in the name of justice(??). not that im surprised anyway their crowd was the one that demonized lucas and ignored caleb for years. one of my favorite characters is patrick and he wasn't allowed even a nightmare sequence he was just forgotten by the narrative and brushed off. a Black victim of abuse not even given a voice, just forcibly suppressed and used to move the plot along to fuel jason's satanic bullshit. he is ignored by the large majority of the fandom that focuses all their attention on white boy of the week but think hating billy is enough to compensate for their favouritism and racism. i hate how poc are treated in this show but its not enough for ppl to just direct all their performative criticism on a character they want actual racist harassment directed at them too. so disgusting.

i don't normally beef on the internet (i much prefer throwing hands irl actually, but ppl seem to enjoy hiding their shit behind a screen lol), but i really did such a hard double take at those tags.

i really can't fathom tearing down another character because your fav gets shit. i fully understand that characters like lucas and argyle don't get a lot of attention and that's likely a combination of a) the duffer's own bias sidelining those characters, and b) fans' bias in ignoring poc. that doesn't mean i'm gonna throw hands with your average eddie or steve stan or whatever, i don't find that productive. i'd rather engage with fans that already enjoy my fav or are open to consuming content about them and encourage (in this long winded example) eddie stans to enjoy argyle content without making them feel guilty about their blorbo.

same goes for every time i see someone thinking that if they kick down billy it will elevate nancy or lucas or max or eddie or steve. it's petty, it doesn't work, and the only things that result from it are a) an echo chambers where all your fellow salty mutuals will yes man you, or b) ppl who like what you just talked shit about are gonna roll up asking what your damage is. lo and behold.

even putting all of the dumb nancy vs billy nonsense aside (and for the record i think the duffers badly wrote both characters in different ways), those fucking tags were just. SUCH an accidental slip reveal of what that person really thinks. i don't think they're a horrible person or whatever but they're definitely a dick and think that as long as they hate the right character they're correct and good.

like you said, wishing bigotry on a person/character just because you don't like them is a weird fucking thing to say. at that point i barely care what the context of the post was. can you imagine saying that out loud in a room full of fat ppl/poc? i don't think any of them are gonna come to the conclusion that you mean it as a roundabouts insult against a popular hot white actor/character and go 'oh yes haha you're so right i totally think fans hating him for being brown/fat is preferable'. i personally would have torn down whoever said that shit to me irl, that's some white ass performative activism i don't have time for, but it seems like ppl don't think about how the shit they say would sound out loud irl to the very ppl they seem to be trying to support

nevermind that any given piece of billy fanfiction and an awful lot of fanart explores the trauma billy has gone through more than it goes 'ah yes blonde boy hot'. we can have tho conversations without being pricks saying shit in bad faith about it. like, most billy fans i see are huge fans of patrick and mourn his lost potential. because we know how the duffers treat their abused characters.

this shit isn't a contest, but often the shit you say about a character affects ppl who are similar to/identity with that character. if in your pursuit to hate and spit about a character, you say shitty things that make poc, fat ppl, abuse victims, etc., feel like you're insulting them or just using them as props for your wokeness, then you need to take a step back and ask yourself if maybe you needa chill and reevaluate what you're doing. it's not a good look, and neither is the mindset that revenge and punitive 'justice' should be prioritized above healing, growth, and connection.

(like c'mon we can redeem fictional war criminals but we can't let an 18 year old being abused by his dad work through his racial biases? like the latter isn't a much more common situation that happens irl to real abused teens with bigoted parents? alright)

anyway, i'm glad you appreciated my tag rambles, i really was just word vomiting in a fury lol

if you love patrick and enjoy the idea of patrick and billy interacting, i have a # patrick mcckinley tag and a # kingr*ve tag for each respectively (i lump all my patrick and billy stuff under their ship whether platonic or romantic bc patrick stuff is scarce enough as it is). cheers!

[serialreporter]

@solitarysurvival said: ❛  sometimes i wonder why this is happening.  ❜ perhaps to survivor danny...

IT WASN'T... THE WORST CASE SCENARIO. At least for him. But Danny can't lie, he was not a fan of having his work interrupted like this. He harbors almost an envious attitude towards the killers that hunted them down every waking moment, he sees no reason why he can't be one of them too. Instead, he was stuck with the short end of the stick, much like the rest of these people.

" Karma, maybe .. " the journalist murmurs softly from across the campfire, black eyes only trading glances with Jake for a brief moment before looking away again, out into the trees. It's not like he was lying, and it's not like he wasn't a little self aware. They didn't know that about him, though. So he shrugs, letting go of a little laugh.

" Or just plain bad luck. "

[rhysdasiorarchive]

The affection twinned with the frantic pace of Mateo’s hips brought a smile to Rhys’ face immediately. It was a touching addition given the thunderbird’s current state – the fact that he was still willing to be so tender with him despite the daze he undoubtedly found himself trapped within was surprisingly endearing. The witch took a moment to properly catch his breath before daring to speak again, shifting his gaze to focus on the ceiling for a moment to rid his mind of all immediate distractions. “Where’d you wanna finish?” He carded his fingers through Mateo’s hair again as he spoke, absentmindedly twirling a few strands as he fought to keep his breathing level despite it growing increasingly challenging to do so. “I’m not picky. ‘s up to you.” Given that it was all for Mateo’s benefit anyway, the least Rhys could offer him was the privilege of choice. 

"Doesn't mean I...forgot." Why were they talking again? It seemed pretty unimportant in the grand scheme of things and it was hard to do, besides. Maybe they could stop now and focus on the important things, which had a lot more to do with their bodies. Rhys seemed to be getting more out of it now as his back arched and Mateo was glad of it, managing to notice even through the pleasure haze he'd sunk into. The fingers in his hair made him groan on top of everything else and he kissed Rhys until he was dizzy and had to break away for air and he wasn't the one being choked. He let up a little, just so Rhys could maybe get his breath back, though Mateo wasn't having very good luck with that. It was hard to get enough air when he was gasping and moaning and keeping up such a frenzied pace. He doubted he'd last long, at least not for this round, given everything Rhys had put him through before and the relentless pounding of Mateo's hips now. "Close...fuck..." Apparently there was a use for words still, at least a few, before he was pressing kisses to Rhys' shoulder and chest, his free hand trying to touch him everywhere and be as close as was physically possible in every way they could be.

[mythvoiced]

@guttersniper | the great beta editor pilgrimage

---

Some might say that, given whatever you work in, there's a clear, visual distinction between who you are when you're in that field, in that situation, in that mindset, and who you are when you get to disrobe from the metaphorical (or not) uniform and return to your private life.

Personal v business, for example, the difference between how a therapist treats you out in public depending on whether you're a patient or not.

Seok-ju has never stopped to entertain the possibility that he has something similar, too. That there's a difference, a clear-cut one at that, between who they are when making idle conversation or when performing the easier, more routine-adjacent aspects of being a person working in law enforcement, and who he is when things get serious.

When he sees or hears of something that reminds him of why exactly he's a police officer in the first place.

Distracted tapping of the back of their pen against the paper beneath it comes to a near-instant halt. He's a careful speaker, when he needs to be. They entertained Mutt's standoffish attitude because what else does a kid have to offer to a figure of authority and because they've learnt stopping to scold someone for their tone of voice won't make them more likely to offer useful info.

But now his attempt at a non-chalant, albeit consequential, disposition falls off kilter, tumbles off their features like a walk broken in by sledgehammer. Gone is the 'come on now, that wasn't nice' adult.

This is the Seok-ju who nearly died out on a mountain just because they wanted to do the right thing.

He leans forward slightly, weight shifts on his elbows, they look as though Mutt had exactly said what he'd just said and Seok-ju is regretting not having sliced that man's throat.

"Could you elaborate a little on that."

[iilahalzili]

     @kingofblueeyex​   ♕ ∞            ♕ Shadow’s Thoughts on Your Muse  ♛

If I Think They Are: Ugly || Plain || Alright || Cute || Freaking Adorable || Pretty || Beautiful || Hot || Stunning If I Would Go On A Date With Them: Not even if we were the last two one earth || No || Maybe || Eh….Sure || Yes || WILL YOU MARRY ME If I Trust Them: Not At All || Not Really || Kind of || Yes || With My Life If I Care About Them: Not At All || Not Really || Kind of || Yes || Deeply If I Would Sleep With Them: Not Enough Alcohol in the World || No || Maybe if I were wasted || Maybe || Eh…Sure || Yes || TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF NOW! My Comfort Level With Your Muse: Keep a Distance || Okay You Can Stand There, But Don’t Touch Me || Let’s Get Coffee and Talk || Let’s Cuddle || I Can Change In Front of You || Let’s Take a Bath Together If I See You As: A Stranger || An Acquaintance || A Friend || A Close Friend || My Best Friend || A Crush || The Love of My Life

[oddinary4bts]

Chasing Cars | ch 3 (jjk)

☆summary: when your brother goes to study on a semester abroad, your life collides with his best friend Jeon Jungkook, who's coincidentally your roommate. Will you survive the collision, or will you crumble into dust?

☆pairings: brother's best friend!Jungkook x younger sister!female reader

☆rating: 18+ (minors DNI, this chapter contains mature content)

☆genre: forbidden love?au, college!au, slice of life!au, smut, angst (as usual a lot of it), fluff

☆warnings: a power outage, Jungkook being a menace as per always, getting stood up for Valentine's Day, falling on a patch of ice, alcohol, curses, peach, OC gets a little jealous, explicit content: teasing?, dom!Jungkook, big dick!Jungkook, sex toy (vibrator), male and female masturbation, praising, cum play (don't be stupid), fingering

☆word count: 13.2k

☆a/n: this is like one of my fav chapters in this whole series, and also the one inspired by jungkook's iconic live with the candle and the white dress shirt and oof :') hope you enjoy it!! Thank you to @moonleeai and @jessikahathaway for beta-ing, you guys are the best <3

☆series masterpost

☆add yourself to the taglist here!

☆☆☆☆☆

If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol

☆☆☆☆☆

Thursday, February 14th 

Sometimes, the universe aligns to create such a shitty day that you think your life is a joke. A cruel joke, and you’re just the sitcom character that people use to make themselves feel better.

Today has been one of those days. You woke up late, somehow not hearing your alarm, and got to your midterm so late you didn’t have time to finish. At least you were confident in the answers that you did write down, so you think there’s a chance you’ll still pass. 

Then, you forgot your student ID, and the lady at the cafeteria refused to let you eat even though she’s seen you almost every day of the semester so far. Nabi offered you some of her salad, but you felt bad and barely ate.

Then the rain started – freezing rain at that – and you had to run to the other building for your genetics class, ending with your hair half frozen and the knowledge that you’re going to get sick by tomorrow.

Genetics class in and of itself is fine. Your stomach gurgling all through the class isn’t, and you’ve noticed people looking at you where you’re sitting, every time your stomach thinks it’s a whale and it needs to sing to its fellow mates.

During break, someone offers you a protein bar, and you take it with cheeks burning, thanking them profusely. Though you hate the taste of protein bars, and you struggle to finish it without puking on the desk. You power through, and then the class resumes, and you try to focus. It’s hard, and when you receive a text from Hoseok, you stop pretending that you’re listening.

[2:47 pm] Hobi: have u seen the weather outside? [2:47 pm] You: yeah it’s trash. I think I’m still half frozen [2:49 pm] Hobi: don’t have power at my place anymore [2:50 pm] Hobi: and it looks dangerous to drive

You know exactly what’s coming. It shouldn’t even come as a surprise – you don’t know why you agreed to meet up on Valentine’s Day. Yet, you’ve been looking forward to it all day, perhaps because it’s been so shit even hanging out with Hoseok on this day of celebration of love seemed better.

[2:50 pm] Hobi: any chance I can get a raincheck?

You want to bash your head on the desk, and of course, the professor chooses this exact moment to call you out for being on your phone. You flush a deep red, mumbling an apology as you put your phone face down on the desk. Everyone’s looking at you, and from where you’re sitting at the back of the class you can see that half the people aren’t even taking notes. You think they’re full of shit for glaring at you, but you can’t help the way you turn crimson, and Nabi stifles a laugh next to you.

“Shut up,” you whisper through gritted teeth, elbowing her in the ribs. 

She shrugs innocently, and then her eyes slide back to the professor as he resumes the class. Not wanting to risk it, you focus too, and it seems the shame is what you need to finally concentrate because you find yourself typing away on the computer, describing the pictures in the PowerPoint slides so you can understand them later.

The lights go out five minutes before the end of the class. The projector shuts down in time, a clear indication that the college has run out of power too – something that rarely ever happens unless it’s the end of the world outside.

There’s a series of gasps, and the professor looks so jaded at the front of the class that you wouldn’t be surprised if he’s made of the actual precious stone. He looks towards the door, where you can see that the light has also gone out in the hallway.

Without even a glance at the class, he slams his laptop shut, heaving out a sigh.

“Class dismissed for today, we don’t have enough time left to wait for the power to come back on.” 

It doesn’t even take half a second before everyone is starting to put their stuff away, the class suddenly overcome with a cacophony of sounds, and Nabi turns to you.

“Who were you texting during class?” she asks, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Shut up.” You put your laptop in your bag, chugging the rest of your water bottle before you stuff it next to the laptop. “Hobi cancelled on me.”

Of course the whole friend group now knows about you two. You have Hoseok to blame for that, and his incredibly good idea to have sex at a party last week, where Yoongi walked in on the two of you. You’ve never seen Yoongi look more uncomfortable before in your life and, to your surprise, he’s been teased about the situation a lot more than you or Hoseok. It’s still a relief because you were afraid the friend group would go to shit if people knew, but now it seems it’s only solidified it even more.

“Bruh,” Nabi lets out. “Why?”

You motion to the dead neon lights over your heads. “The weather. He doesn’t have power anymore.”

“Shit.” You finish packing your stuff and you’re walking out of the class when she continues, “That’s wild though, didn’t think the freezing rain would hit that bad.”

A girl in front of you turns as if summoned. “They’re saying it’s going to be the worst storm of the century.” She points her phone towards you and Nabi, screen first. “Look, tons of trees have already fallen.”

Your eyes widen, because indeed she’s showing a picture from a group chat, of a tree having fallen on someone’s poor car. You wince in time with Nabi.

“RIP to whoever’s car that is,” you answer.

The girl nods, a wistful expression taking over her features. “That would be my boyfriend’s.”

You don’t talk more after that, and she jogs to join her friends closer to the stairs. You take that as an opportunity to finally reply to Hoseok, grabbing your phone out of the pocket of your coat.

[3:59 pm] You: power even went out in college so yeah, np!

Hoseok is quicker to reply than you’ve expected, saying that he’d like to meet up some time this weekend if you can. You don’t promise him anything, though you don’t really have plans as of right now.

You’ve just got a feeling that, if the storm is going to be the storm of the century, you won’t be hanging out for at least a few days. And the moment you step outside, you realize that it might even take more than a few days.

Trees have fallen everywhere. The sidewalk is entirely iced, and just by the time you’ve made it to the bus stop in front of the building, you’ve seen a car accident, both cars unable to stop at a stop sign. You figure taking the bus would be dangerous right now, and you settle on aiming for the pedestrian trail that leads to a park near your apartment, while Nabi parts to head towards the dorm, where apparently the power is still on. She tells you to let her know if you have power at home, and then you turn to head towards home, fishing your phone out of your pocket.

At least it’s not raining heavily as you walk. It’s the only positive thing in your day, and you hold onto your phone, sending a text to Taehyung to inform him of the situation.

You’re two minutes from home when you slip on a slab of ice, and you fall in a puddle of mud that stains your pale pants. You don’t even know how there can be mud when everything else is frozen, but of course, you had to fall in it. You assess yourself for a second, making sure nothing hurts too bad and then you mutter, “Of fucking course.”

You don’t even feel like getting up. If it wasn’t for the fact that the mud in which you’re sitting is freezing, you think you’d sit there until you died. You feel drained, and the weight of the day finally hits you head-on, bringing tears to your eyes.

Or maybe it’s just the embarrassment of walking home with your favourite pair of pants ruined. You don’t even know anymore; too much has happened in just a few hours for your brain to accept to be working anymore. You angrily blink the tears away, knowing you’ll break down the second you step inside your own home.

You can only hope that Jungkook is not going to be there. You hold onto that hope as you get to the building, and when you see the lights are out, the tears win against you. You carefully walk up the stairs – even they are covered in a thick sheet of ice – and surprisingly, you make it to the top unscathed.

You try to unlock the door with shaky fingers, struggling to find the hole through the blurriness of your tears, and you almost consider breaking the door down when it suddenly swings open in front of you.

“Peach?”

You’re aware that you’ve got fat tears rolling down your cheeks. You’re aware that you probably look a mess – you are a mess – but all you can do is stare at Jungkook.

“Is something wrong?” he asks, voice laced with concern as he steps aside to let you in.

You put your bag down, shrugging as he shuts the door behind him carefully, eyeing you as if you’re a specimen of a rare animal that’s going to run if he startles it. You refuse to meet his gaze, refuse to speak lest you embarrass yourself with crying even more. All you do is angrily wipe your cheeks with the back of your hand.

“Hey,” he says, and he puts a hand on your shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

You motion around. “What’s wrong?” You scoff, and out of spite, you force down the wave of tears that is threatening to meet the ones you’ve just dried on your cheeks. “Everything is fucking wrong.”

You glance at Jungkook, and he’s just watching, eyes widened. He seems startled by your outburst, and you think you see him gulp.

“Do you…” he trails off, glancing at the door. You only then realize that he’s clad in his winter coat, and he was probably on his way out when you arrived. “Do you want to talk about it?”

You shake your head no, hating yourself for the way your bottom lip trembles. 

His hand is still on your shoulder, and it slowly slides to your arm. “Did you hurt yourself?” he asks.

He’s only then realized that you’re half-covered in mud.

“I fell on a patch of ice,” you answer.

He makes you turn, assessing the damage. “If you soak your pants in water, I can get the stain out.”

“There’s no power.”

He turns you back around, offering you a small smile as he cocks an eyebrow arrogantly. “Astute.”

You want to punch him so bad, but what you do is laugh, which makes you think you’ve gone crazy.

“Water still runs, though,” he points out. “I’ll take care of it when the power comes back on. Doesn’t even need to be warm. You can save what’s left of the hot water for a shower if you want?”

He says it like a question, and you shrug your shoulders. A new tear rolls on your cheek, and to your surprise, Jungkook dries it with his thumb. He then points to your shoes.

“Take these off. You’re going to take a shower before the neighbours steal the water.”

“I don’t…” you trail off, as he’s just staring at you as if what you were going to say was going to be the stupidest shit he’s ever heard. As much as you want to hate him right now, the way his hand feels on your arm is making the anxiety lessen, until you realize that it’s going to be okay.

You can head to Ria and Nabi’s dorm right after a quick shower.

“M’kay,” you finally accept. “But you can go, you don’t have to stay.”

He shrugs, and when he lets go of your arm, you almost want to grab his hand and put it back there. “I was just going to charge my phone in my car. It can wait.”

You hold his gaze, feeling swallowed by his big doe eyes. It finishes drying the tears on your waterline, and you take a deep steadying breath. “M’kay,” you repeat.

At that he smirks, nodding his head once. He kicks off his shoes as you carefully take yours off, and then he makes grabby hands at you.

“What?” you ask.

“Your coat,” he answers. “I’ll put it in the closet for you.”

You slightly frown. “Why?”

“Because I’m trying to be nice?” When you remain silent, he chuckles. “You think I’m just going to let my best friend’s sister cry when she gets home?”

The words hurt, even though they’re just a statement of what you are to him. “You’re so random.”

He looks somehow offended. “Just give me your coat, peach.” He’s stern, and you have half a thought to mimic him, but you resist. When you hand him the coat, he offers you a grin. “See, that wasn’t so hard.”

Once again you surprise yourself by laughing, and the grin on his lips softens in a way that makes you warm inside.

“You’re annoying,” you whine.

He shrugs as he opens the closet. “Just go take a quick shower. Make sure to soak the pants too.”

“Yes, mom.”

He chokes on a snort. “Oof, no, don’t call me mom.”

You stifle a laugh, but a smile tugs at the corner of your lips. He faces you again, and you startle as he pinches your cheek. You push him off, as all he does is offer you a wide grin that makes dimples appear on his cheeks.

You’ve never really seen those dimples before, not while he’s smiling. You have to force yourself to look away, and as entrancing as they are, you manage to have your gaze drop to a random spot on the floor. “Alright then, I’ll grab my stuff. You can charge your phone while I’m in the shower.”

“All good, I’m at 65%,” he says. “I just checked online, and the power outage will likely last through the night so… figured I didn’t have anything better to do.”

You purse your lips. “Oh.”

There’s an awkward silence before he motions to the bathroom. “Aren’t you going?”

Your cheeks burn, and you nod once before heading towards your room as he snorts behind you, evidently laughing at you. You ignore him, quickly grabbing a change of clothes and bringing them to the bathroom. Jungkook’s moved to the couch, and to your surprise you see him with a book in hand.

“You read?”

The question is out before you realize, and Jungkook’s head snaps in your direction.

“It’s for a class.”

You nod once. “Right.” You then scrape your throat, glance at the bathroom and then settle your eyes on him again. “I’ll be right back.”

He smiles at you, and it’s the last thing you see before you walk into the bathroom, softly shutting the door behind you. Luckily enough, it’s still light enough outside for you to be able to shower without being in the dark, and as Jungkook advertised, there’s still hot water.

You take the fastest shower of your life, not wanting to risk running out of hot water, and then you put your dirty pants in the sink, soaking them in cold water. You put your clean clothes on – nothing impressive, just a pair of black sweatpants with a white t-shirt. You take one look at yourself in the mirror – you look like you’ve gone through hell, but at least you’re refreshed. 

With a steadying breath, you walk out of the bathroom, and your eyes immediately find Jungkook where he’s still sitting on the couch, looking like he hasn’t moved an inch. He glances at you before resuming his attention on his book. You feel awkward, yet you still walk in his direction because, frankly, what else is there for you to do when there’s no power?

“What’s the book about?” you enquire.

He raises it for you to see as you sit next to him. He moves too fast, and all you can see is something about trickle-down economy before the book is back in his lap.

“Looks boring.”

He laughs. “It is. Plus, trickle-down economics is bullshit.”

You nod wisely, even though your knowledge in the economy and business field is little to zero. All you know is that trickle-down economics is what rich people use to defend their actions, which immediately makes it so you don’t trust it one bit.

Eat the rich and all that.

“Right,” you let out.

Jungkook throws you a glance. “Feeling better?”

You don’t know how to answer. Because, yes, you feel somehow better now that you are clean and warmed from the shower, but you’re still very aware that the power is out, you’ve likely failed a midterm, and your date was cancelled.

“Sort of,” you answer, shrugging your shoulders. “Today was just a shitshow.” 

He says nothing, but his big eyes on you entice you to open up to him, making you feel more at ease than you’ve ever been around him.

Maybe because you just need someone to vent to after all.

“Like… I woke up late this morning,” you tell him. “Arrived so late to my midterm that I couldn’t finish. Then realized that I forgot my wallet here and couldn’t eat lunch. Got stood up for a date tonight, and now no power here? This day has been the worst.”

You sit back on the couch after you’ve finished your tirade, and Jungkook just looks at you curiously. You don’t register you’ve called hanging out with Hoseok a date until Jungkook says, “You had a Valentine’s Day date?”

You shut your eyes, pinch the bridge of your nose and exhale loudly. “Sort of. Not really a date.”

“How can it not really be a date?”

You entirely miss the teasing in his voice, mostly because you’re appalled at yourself for the slipping. “It’s just… my friend with benefits, so not a date.”

“Damn, peach,” he says, and he bursts out laughing. You crack an eye open, your heart feeling like it’s been stabbed as Jungkook grins at you. “Didn’t think you were one to have a friend with benefits.”

You narrow your eyes at him. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs, and his gaze slides away from you as his brows furrow slightly. “You’re Tae’s sister, and the way he talks about you I just… I don’t know.”

Annoyance creeps into you as you cock an eyebrow. “You shouldn’t listen to what Taehyung says about me. He still thinks I’m twelve.”

Jungkook snorts, and to your surprise, it makes you smile, right as he glances at you. 

“Are you not?”

“Yah!” You punch him in the shoulder, and he laughs as he massages the spot. “I’ll have you know I’m an adult.”

His features turn somber, and he plays with his piercing for a time before he answers. “I’m starting to realize it, trust me.”

In the somberness of his eyes, a spark ignites, and you feel as if electricity is running on every inch of your body. You wish it would run into the building instead, bringing the power back on but unfortunately, you’re the only victim, and all you can do is hold his gaze.

The moment stretches until you grow uncomfortable, and your eyes slide to the Switch under the TV, as if it’ll find solace there.

“Anyway,” you say, scraping your throat. “Apparently there’s still power at the dorms so I think I’ll head over there.”

“You’ll abandon me?” he says, faking offence. “Right when I offered to take care of your pants? The nerves on you.”

You roll your eyes as the awkwardness fades to be replaced by the annoyance Jungkook usually brings out of you. “You’re a big boy, you don’t need me.”

“You sure you want to walk all the way there though? What if you fall again?”

You push him as he smiles wickedly, satisfied that he’s annoyed you. “I hate you.”

“You know what you hate even more than me?”

Your brow creases in confusion. “What?”

He shrugs his shoulders, a smirk growing on his lips. “You’ll have to stay for me to answer.”

You sigh deeply, folding your arms on your chest. You gauge him, watch as his smirk only widens while you ponder staying here. And you don’t even know why you’re considering it in the first place. There’s just something about being able to talk to Jungkook like this, about being comfortable next to him that makes you want to stay.

“Name a single reason why I should stay,” you finally say.

His smirk turns victorious. “I’ll cook something for you.”

“The power is out,” you feel the need to remind him. 

He throws you a no-bullshit look. “Really, peach, you need to find a bit of creativity in your life.”

“What?”

“The stove doesn’t run on electricity, it runs on gas.”

You look up at the ceiling. “How was I supposed to know that, I barely ever cook.”

“I cook!” he bursts, waving the book around. You didn’t realize he was still holding it, and you laugh as the pages flutter around.  “And you usually steal my food, so just let me make something for you tonight.”

You purse your lips, meeting his gaze as he looks at you, faking annoyance. “What do you want to cook?”

“I have chicken that I need to cook tonight if I don’t want it to go bad,” he says. “I can make noodles with it.”

It takes you all but two seconds before you realize that there’s no way you’re going to leave when Jungkook is suggesting to cook for you. “Alright.”

“Yeah?” You nod, and Jungkook beams. “You won’t regret it.”

You laugh, slightly shaking your head as he puts the book away and gets up. He offers you his hand, the one with the tattoos on the back of it, and you furrow your brows. “What?”

“Go get changed,” he says, hand still extended between you. “I’ll give you a Valentine’s Day date, but you’re going to have to play the part too.”

Something stops in your chest – your heart, most likely – and you’re hit with the thought that this is a bad idea. That whatever Jungkook means by that is going to be the mistake of the century, yet you still find yourself accepting his extended hand.

He pulls you to your feet, and he doesn’t let go of your hand for a moment, big doe eyes widening slightly as he looks at you.

“You…” you trail off, scraping your throat as you look away from his eyes.

It’s all you can do not to get lost in his gaze. 

“I?” he presses, voice low.

“You should dress up too,” you mumble, cheeks burning. “So I’m not alone.”

He lets go of your hand, and your fingers twitch as it falls to your side. When his index finds your chin, you think your blood stops in your veins. He makes you tilt your head back, enough so that you’re forced to meet his gaze.

“I will.” His voice is grave, and you don’t miss the way his eyes dart to your lips once as they part. “I’m going to make this worth it. You deserve it after such a shit day, don’t you?”

You gulp. “Yeah?”

He pats your cheek. “Yeah, you do.”

And then he’s walking away. You’re left standing there, heart racing in your chest, feeling so warm you think you’re about to catch fire. You watch him disappear into his room, and it’s only when he’s out of sight that you manage to move, making your way to your own room.

You shut the door behind you, resting against it as you take deep breaths to calm down. You’re not sure if it’s doing you any good, because this is Jungkook. Jungkook, with his tattoo sleeve and piercings, your older brother’s best friend. Your roommate, the man that’s been playing with you for weeks, for months, like you’re just some playdough. You think he’s doing it on purpose. He has to – he’s trying to make your life miserable because you’re Taehyung’s sister. You don’t see what else it could be. Because why the fuck would Jungkook act like this with you?

You’re not stupid enough to believe it isn’t your fault. Because you were there the night of The Incident, and you reckon things have changed with Jungkook since that night. 

You take a deep, steadying breath before pushing up from the door. No matter what it is that is making Jungkook act like this, you’re still curious to see what he’s preparing for you. Spending time with him like this, with no power and nothing else to do than talk…

Maybe it’s going to help you understand what’s happening in that thick skull of his. So you search for something to wear, something warm since the heating is also down. You settle on brown dress pants that you know make your ass look amazing, and you pair them with a pale beige wool turtleneck. You tuck the shirt in your pants, putting a belt on to make sure it stays in place, and then you take a good look at yourself in your standing mirror. Satisfied with your outfit, you make to move out of your room, but you stop with your hand halfway to the knob.

You can hear Jungkook humming in his room, a soft melody that’s making you think he’s taking a long time in there. Is he actually dressing up? It makes something terribly warm and soft settle in your chest, and you turn back around, grab your makeup pouch and head to your desk.

If this is a date, or whatever it is that Jungkook considers dates to be, you want to look good for it. So you put a little bit of makeup on, trusting your instinct to make it look great even though the light of your small mirror doesn’t turn on since there’s still no power. You hear Jungkook get out of his room before you’re done, and you hope he doesn’t decide to come here.

You doubt he would, but you somehow feel awkward as you’re getting ready. Because he’s your older brother’s best friend, because he’s a college fuckboy, because he’s been making you feel too many things lately – most of them you repress as if your life depends on it. And you think, your life does depend on it. Because nothing can happen between you and Jungkook; you wouldn’t do that to Taehyung. And mostly, you wouldn’t do that to Jungkook, because you know Taehyung would hate him if something did happen.

You sigh. It comes out shakily, a clear indication that you’re growing anxious, and you almost want to laugh at yourself. You want to tell yourself to get a grip, to just play along for things are bound to go back to normality when the power comes back. 

You only stop feeling anxious when Taehyung texts you, your phone lighting up where you’ve put it down on your desk.

[5:02 pm] bröther👽: jk texted me the same thing! Glad u won’t be alone tonight [5:02 pm] You: he’s gonna cook dinner [5:03 pm] bröther👽: lmao, jk doesn’t cook for girls, feel lucky

With that you realize that, indeed, you should feel lucky. Because Jungkook can be a friend, if not anything else. It’s reassuring, and you finish getting ready feeling lighter than you’ve felt all day, as if the hell that today was is all forgotten. 

You spray some perfume on the inside of your wrists, dabbing it on your neck before you finally declare yourself ready to head out of your room. You hope Jungkook won’t make fun of you – he’d be the kind of guy to make fun of you for this, you just know it – and you make your way to the kitchen, where you can hear him busying himself.

He’s brought his portable speaker out of his room. The one that also has a projector in it, and it shines northern lights on the walls and on the ceiling of the kitchen, giving it a cozy atmosphere. No music is playing as of right now, yet Jungkook is still humming, voice low yet melodious.

You rarely hear him sing, but anytime you do, you feel like your ears are blessed by an angel.

He reappears from where he was hidden in the fridge, and his mouth falls open as he catches sight of you. 

He’s wearing a white dress shirt. You think it’s made of linen – it doesn’t look particularly fancy. Yet the way he’s rolled it on his forearms is weirdly attractive, even though he’s only wearing grey sweatpants with it. It’s a look, a look you think only he can pull off. He’s taken the time to style his hair back, and he’s put on earrings you’ve only seen him wear a couple of times during parties.

He eyes you up and down, his doe eyes crinkling in appreciation. “You look good, peach.”

The compliment makes you blush, and you offer him a small smile. He echoes it right away, and he holds up a bottle of rosé that you bought two months ago and forgot all about since then.

“Wine?” you let out as you stop in front of him. You feel awkward because, obviously, it’s wine, but you still hold his gaze as he nods.

“It’s yours but…” He shrugs, glancing at the label. “I figured it’d work well with the chicken.”

You nod once. “Sure, we can drink it.”

It makes him happy. You can see it in the way he beams, and then he puts it down on the counter with the rest of the ingredients. When he moves, you catch a whiff of his cologne, and you feel your cheeks burn again. You glance outside – the rain has stopped, but grey clouds are still looming in the sky as the world slowly darkens. You wonder if they’ll go away some time tonight – without the light pollution, you reckon you’d be able to stargaze.

You end up helping Jungkook with the cooking, chopping some vegetables as he takes care of the meat. You’re not particularly hungry, so you take your time, talking about everything and nothing. Jungkook is good at this, you realize. He’s good at changing your mind, at making sure it doesn’t wander back to your midterm and to the rest of your shitty day. He makes you laugh, cracking stupid jokes whenever you do something, smirking at you when you roll your eyes.

Being with him like this also makes you understand why he’s Taehyung’s friend. He feels more natural this way, less fuckboy-ish, and it’s a side of him you’ve never really seen before.

You sit at the kitchen table, sharing a glass of the rosé wine while the food simmers on the stove. Jungkook’s put on an indie music playlist before you started cooking – something you teased him about. Who knew Jeon Jungkook likes indie music?

“How was Tae before college?” Jungkook asks all of a sudden when there’s a lull in the conversation. “He barely talks about high school.”

You know the exact reason why, and her name is Youna. Taehyung’s ex, his high school sweetheart. The one that moved to the other side of the country without ever once looking back.

“He was an idiot,” you answer, and Jungkook laughs. “No, seriously. He dated the same girl all through high school. Was convinced he was going to marry her.”

“That sounds on brand with Tae,” Jungkook says, nodding his head wisely. “He said that about every girl he’s dated in college, but most of them don’t last more than a few weeks.”

You wince. “Remember Hailey from last semester?”

She lasted about three weeks, but she spent most of those at the apartment. It was the only three weeks where Jungkook and you had talked more than just small talk – or his usual teasing. Mostly because you kept complaining about her, and Jungkook kept saying you were cute when you were mad.

Come to think of it, it still was teasing.

“Fuck, her voice,” Jungkook lets out, shaking his head. “I’m sure she was faking having such a high voice. I don’t know how Taehyung could deal with that.”

It’s your turn to laugh, and Jungkook smiles as he watches you. “I swear to God, I was about to kick Tae out of the apartment,” you say. “I’m glad she didn’t last.”

“Agreed.”

There’s another silence as the song switches on Jungkook’s speaker. You take a sip of wine, appreciating the taste, and Jungkook gets up to check the food on the stove. He comes back a moment later, sitting back next to you.

You think he’s closer. He feels closer, and the smell of his cologne fills your nose again. 

“You put on some cologne,” you state, and it startles you somehow. You weren’t expecting to say that and, clearly, Jungkook wasn’t expecting it either.

“Yeah.” He looks down at himself as if the cologne is visible on him. “Do you like it?”

You gulp. “Yeah, you smell good.”

He smirks, nodding his head. “You too, peach. I love the vanilla scent.”

You don’t know what to do with the compliment. You mutter a thank you before taking a large sip of wine, and Jungkook chuckles before following your lead.

“Do you think Tae and that girl in France will last?” you ask. “He still hasn’t told me who she is.”

Indeed, he’s remained evasive whenever you’ve asked. You stalked the people that are with him on the semester abroad, and you think two of the girls could be your brother’s type, but it’s hard to tell.

“Oh,” Jungkook lets out. He grabs his phone, resting his forearms on the table as he opens it. He goes on Instagram, and as it loads, he glances at you. “He’s told me. Let me show you.”

“What!” you exclaim. “How come he told you and not me?”

Jungkook chuckles. “No idea. But here.”

He shows you the girl’s profile, and you take his phone as you scroll through the pictures. To your surprise, she’s not one of the two girls you stalked. She looks shy, barely showing her face in her pictures, most of them being of nature anyway. Come to think of it, you do get a romantic vibe from her feed, and you reckon that would work well with Taehyung. 

You’re about to give Jungkook his phone back when it vibrates in your hand, a notification appearing at the top. 

[6:05 pm] Shelly 💦🍒: are u gonna be here soon?

It’s not your fault that you read it, and your gaze widens as you look up from the device. Jungkook hasn’t noticed, and he smiles at you, seemingly expectant.

“So?” he asks.

“You had a date tonight?”

His mouth falls open. He looks guilty, eyes widening and taking a sheepish expression. He remains silent, and you can almost see the cogs turning in his head as he thinks of what to answer.

You don’t know how to feel. You feel bad for the girl – Shelly – who’s clearly waiting for Jungkook somewhere. You feel bad that he chose to stay with you because you were upset, but mostly you feel strange that he’s doing all of this for you when there’s someone waiting for him. 

The emojis next to her name are enough of an explanation of what she is to Jungkook. Still, you feel increasingly uncomfortable, even more so as he says nothing.

“What the fuck, JK?”

“She’s no one,” he says when you get up. “Trust me, I’ve only hung out with her a couple of times.”

You laugh, and it’s somehow void of joy. “Why would I care?”

He looks at the glasses of wine, and then at the food on the stove. “I don’t know… because we���re…” He motions between you, and then at said glasses of wine and food. “I just forgot to tell her I wasn’t going to come over.”

It’s enough of a reminder that Jungkook, for all his current kindness, is a renowned college fuckboy. It reminds you of all the times you’ve heard him fuck – was Shelly one of the girls? You feel disgusted, and you walk out of the kitchen, not wanting to look at Jungkook right now.

“Peach,” he says as he follows you out in the darkness of the living room.

The living room is also strangely cold, and you shiver as you turn towards him. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “But why are you even reacting like this?”

You scoff. “I don’t know, Jungkook, you tell me.”

You can’t see his expression. But when he takes a step closer to you, you feel the heat of his body radiating in the space between you.

“Are you jealous?” he asks, and you hear the smirk in his voice.

“No,” you say, and you scoff again. “I’m weirded out.”

“Because I was going to fuck someone tonight?” It’s his turn to scoff when you remain silent. “Weren’t you going to fuck that dude? Hoseok?”

You don’t know how he remembers Hoseok’s name, but he’s got a point. You wet your lips, tongue poking your cheek next. “Right.”

“Come on, peach, just come back in the kitchen,” he says. He grabs your hand, and your breath gets caught in your throat as he escorts you back to the chair where you were sitting. You begrudgingly follow, and when you’re seated he towers over you.

You tilt your head back. “What?”

He flicks your nose, and you dodge a second too late. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“Fuck off,” you grumble. “I wasn’t jealous I was just weirded out.”

He smiles at you wickedly. “Of course, peach. Of course.”

He sounds so cocky you want to hate him, but all you can do is glare at the table. He pushes your wine glass towards you as he sits back next to you and you wordlessly take it to chug it.

“Now that that’s done,” he says once you’ve put it back on the table, “what do you think of Tae’s girl?”

You had all but forgotten why you were holding Jungkook’s phone in the first place. You recall her Instagram to the forefront of your mind, pursing your lips. 

“She looks chill,” you answer.

Jungkook pouts. “Just that?”

You shrug. “What else am I supposed to say?”

“Well,” Jungkook starts. “For one I can’t believe she’s Tae’s type. She looks nothing like the girls he dated here. Like just think about Hailey?”

You just nod, because in truth you fully agree with him. 

“Her Instagram is a vibe though,” Jungkook continues. “Tae is big on vibes so… maybe it works?”

You nod once more, tilting your head to the side as you really think about it. Because frankly you’d like for Taehyung to find someone that lasts. As much as you know he’s been having fun in college, you know his happiness usually lies in a healthy relationship like the one he had with his ex. 

“Hopefully it does,” you finally say. “Tae deserves it.”

Jungkook looks at you, somber expression on his features as he plays with his piercing. It makes your heart cease in your chest, and you busy yourself with refilling the wine glasses as he remains silent.

“He does,” Jungkook eventually replies. “He actually really does.”

He sounds so serious you throw him a questioning glance. “Yeah?”

He blinks once, as if stepping out of a daze before flashing his infuriating smirk at you again. “Definitely.”

There’s an awkward silence, and you watch as he takes a sip of wine before getting up to check on the food. He deems it ready, and makes two bowls, one for you and one for him. He sets yours in front of you, a proud smile on his lips.

“Smells good,” you compliment him as he sits.

He winks at you. “Wait till you taste.”

You have to resist the urge to roll your eyes, and you take a tentative bite, holding his gaze as he expectantly waits.

“Shit,” you let out, and you fan your mouth with your hand. “Why is it so spicy?”

“Don’t tell me you’re like your brother and can’t stand spicy food,” he complains as you take a long sip of wine.

You put your wine glass back down, wincing as it clinks against the bowl. It fortunately doesn’t break, and you push it away from the dish as you chuckle. “What’s wrong with not liking spicy food?”

He pouts. “You guys are so weak.”

You fake-glare at him. “This shit is so spicy it would wake the dead.”

He snorts, stifling his laugh until you meet his gaze and you burst out laughing at the same time. You think it’s the first time you’ve ever heard him guffaw like this. His laugh is contagious, pretty, and you’re convinced it can have healing effects.

You’re convinced it has healing effects. Indeed, in that instant, you finally really forget about the day, the heaviness it left behind dwindling into nothingness. It’s replaced with happiness, and chatter with Jungkook becomes easier, more natural. 

You realize he smiles a lot. You make him laugh a lot too, and whenever he does you feel your heart flutter in your chest. You don’t like the feeling, know it’s a mistake, but with the wine, all you can do is try to make him laugh some more, and smile whenever he does.

You’re on your first beer after finishing the wine – and the overly spicy food, which Jungkook congratulated you profusely for finishing. You’ve talked about every subject that’s come to your mind so far, none feeling taboo with Jungkook. He eventually tells you about Shelly – she is indeed one of the girls you’ve heard him sleep with – and you laugh as he admits he’s really happy he didn’t have to see her tonight.

You can’t help but snort. “Jeon Jungkook, saying no to sex? I’ve heard everything.”

“Bruh.” He laughs, shaking his head. “Is your opinion of me so low you think sex is the most important thing to me?”

His eyes are gleaming with mischief in the light of his speaker, which will apparently run out of battery soon. You both don’t care, and you’ve lit a candle in case it does die. Its sweet fragrance has been chasing the smell of the food away, and it’s been giving the kitchen a homey vibe, even as it’s growing chilly.

“Is it not?” you tease.

He rolls his eyes, shaking his head at you. “Not at all.”

You throw him a no-bullshit look that makes him frown cutely. 

“How long can you go without having sex?” you ask him, holding in a laugh.

He narrows his doe eyes at you. “At least a few weeks.”

“A few weeks? That’s nothing!”

“Yah,” he bursts, and he laughs as you snort. “Peach, just because I have casual sex doesn’t mean I can’t stop if I want to.”

“Then stop,” you challenge him.

He cocks an eyebrow. “Give me one reason why I should.”

“To prove a point?”

His eyes narrow further, but if you’ve understood one thing about Jeon Jungkook, it’s that he doesn’t step down from a challenge. No, as competitive as he is, you’re pretty sure he’ll do it.

“Peach,” he purrs, and it has something warm form in the pit of your stomach. “Is it really about me proving a point, or is it about you being jealous?”

You choke on the sip of beer you were taking, which only makes him laugh. You think it’s a little condescending, but you know he doesn’t mean it in a bad way. You still punch him in the shoulder for it, unable to resist.

“Why would I be jealous?” you ask. “Hobi fucks me good.”

Jungkook shuts his eyes and his nose scrunches. He shakes his head once before looking at you again. “I didn’t want to know that.”

You smile as if you’ve never done anything wrong in your whole life. “Your loss.”

He laughs at that, gaze dropping to the table. Silence grows between you, but it’s comfortable, not like what silence with Hoseok feels like. With Hoseok you feel the need to speak whenever there’s a lull in the conversation but, right now, you’re content with just sitting back in your chair, sipping on your beer.

To your surprise, Jungkook starts singing over the song, gaze lost in his own glass of beer. His voice settles deep inside of you, resonating in your soul, and you just look at him, awe clouding your mind.

You’re not sure he’s realized he’s singing. Because when he meets your gaze, he lets out a small laugh. “Why are you looking at me like this?”

“You have a beautiful voice,” you whisper.

It’s hard to tell in the dim light, but you’re pretty sure his cheeks have turned pink. “Nah.”

“No, I’m serious,” you insist. “I often hear you hum and… you sing really well.”

His nose scrunches up again. “Stop it.”

“Just take the compliment,” you say, laughing as he plays with his piercing.

You reckon it might be the first time in your life you’ve ever seen Jeon Jungkook shy. Because he clearly is, and he looks away from you, running his hand through his hair. It undoes the hairstyle, and a strand falls on his forehead.

You’ve never felt such a visceral need to brush your hand through someone’s hair before. You manage to resist, busying yourself with holding your beer instead.

“M’kay,” he lets out. “Thanks, peach.”

His voice is soft. Softer than the fur of a puppy, and it makes the warm thing in you grow. You gulp, wetting your lips. You don’t miss the way his eyes glance at your mouth, and he looks conflicted for half a second before he smirks again.

“We should have hung out like this before,” he declares.

“Yeah?” is all you can answer.

You feel yourself leaning in. You haven’t even realized how close you’re sitting to him until you’re leaning in. He does too. He leans forward, tilting his head to the side slightly. He looks surprised, even more so when one of your hands finds the back of his neck, pulling him closer until you’ve erased the distance between you.

You both didn’t close your eyes. And you both look startled from your lips touching, so much so that you let go of him, straightening away from him. He, on the other hand, hasn’t moved, and his gaze goes fully serious before he grabs your arm gently, pulling you closer to him again.

This time, when your mouths meet, you shut your eyes, sighing softly as he kisses you. His piercings press into your lower lip, and as his mouth moves against you, you feel the warm thing inside of you grow so big it bursts. It bursts the same way fireworks do – in an explosion of colours that leaves you waiting for more.

He doesn’t disappoint. He tilts his head to the side, deepening the kiss. His hand on your arm moves up until it rests on your shoulder before he decides better and moves it to the side of your neck. His thumb swipes at your jaw, gently, and it’s his turn to sigh in the kiss.

When his tongue darts out of his mouth, you meet it with your own. For a reason unknown, you expect it to make you both grow horny, but the kiss remains soft, slow like you have all of eternity stretched out in front of you.

Even though it’s languid, even though it’s soft, you grow dizzy, head spinning as you taste the beer in Jungkook’s mouth. As his hand moves to the nape of your neck, pulling you closer. You rest one hand on his chest, right above his heart, and you feel the organ racing under your fingers. It makes you grab a handful of fabric as if that will anchor you in the present.

As if that will make you forget that you’re kissing your brother’s best friend. 

It does, though you reckon it might be the way Jungkook shifts in his chair, moving so that you can straddle him. And he pulls you in, softly, tugging on your arm until you let go of the shirt and drape it over his shoulder. You sit on him, legs on each side of him, your toes barely even touching the floor. Still, your mouths move in unison, his lips petal soft against yours. 

Your other arm circles his neck too, until you’re holding him against you. His large hands land on your waist, gently, and his thumbs stroke you, barely even grazing you over the thick fabric of your wool turtleneck.

You don’t know how long you kiss. It just seems like you both don’t want to stop, like you both know the moment you stop will be a wake-up call, one you’d rather avoid while you get stuck in this bubble of eternity with him. The fireworks keep on shining bright, warm summer sun blooming in your heart as if this, this was always meant to be.

Oxygen is futile when you’re kissing Jeon Jungkook. Not needed, as if he breathes air into your lungs. You think he does, and you sigh once more as your hands get lost in the hair on the back of his head.

The next swipe of his tongue is sharper, carries more intent, and you both startle, finally parting from each other. Though you remain a hairsbreadth away, longing for his lips the moment your mouths aren’t connected anymore.

Immobile, you breathe in shakily, and you hear him do it too. He’s still stroking you, gently, and he wraps his arms around your waist to pull you in. You rest your head on his shoulder, breathing in the clean laundry smell of his shirt, along with the scent of his cologne as you turn your face towards his neck.

The moment stretches some more, as you listen to the music. His grip around you loosens as you press a soft kiss on the mole you’ve discovered on his neck. He pushes you back, gently, until your back is against the table. Your gazes meet then, and you wonder if his eyes always shine like this. Do they always hold the light of the universe in them, or did you set fire to his gaze?

He gulps and his mouth falls open. His pupils fill with something you can’t quite put your finger on, yet it has clouds taking over the summer sun in your heart until the beating organ goes cold.

“Now you’ve had a fake Valentine’s Day kiss,” he murmurs, and the fireworks burst into a void that tastes like ash as you interpret his gaze.

He’s regretting this. It takes over all of his features, turning his big doe eyes into hearths of remorse. It finishes dousing the sun in your heart until the star goes to sleep, and all that’s left is the echoes of what once was.

“Fake?” is all you manage to let out.

He shuts his eyes, eyelids fluttering close softly. He looks like an angel repenting as he rests his forehead against yours, forcing your own eyes shut from the proximity.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” he reminds you, reality sinking into his words. 

You nod against him before pulling away. You try to get up, but his hands on your waist hold you in place.

“Let me go,” you whisper. 

He does so, albeit reluctantly, arms falling to his sides in a defeated manner. You try to not let yourself think about it too much, try to forget what just happened as you stand up, moving away from him.

Without his body heat you shiver, and you hate yourself for the next words you say.

“We should share a room tonight. It’s going to be cold.”

His eyes shoot open as he turns his head towards you, surprise replacing the reality. As if he thought he ruined everything, and you think maybe he did. Maybe he did ruin everything, but you don’t even want to be thinking about it right now. You just want to go to sleep, to let the night pass.

Maybe the insanity will go with it.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

You shrug your shoulders. “You know, Taehyung doesn’t have to know everything.”

Jungkook slowly gets up, facing you. You gulp as he pushes a strand of hair behind your ear, hand going to your chin again. He leans in, forcing you to tilt your head back until his lips find yours again.

It lasts a fraction of a second, yet it leaves you scrambling for breath as he takes a step back. He nods as you meet his gaze, an eyebrow cocked in question.

“We can sleep in your room,” he says. “It’s smaller, it’s going to be easier to keep it warm.”

Right as he finishes his sentence the battery of his speaker dies, and silence surrounds you as the northern lights go to sleep. The light flickers in time with the flame of the candle, and you glance at it.

“Sounds good,” you agree, and you wet your lips as you look at him again. His big doe eyes still shine even with just the candlelight, and you wish the world was different. Wish that he wasn’t Tae’s friend, that you could just grab him and have him kiss you stupid again. But he’s right. You shouldn’t be doing this.

Sharing a bed is only practical. Only because it’s cold, and you have to survive the night. A voice at the very back of your mind tells you that you could head over to the dorms, but you don’t want to.

You want to remain here, in this instant outside of the linear timeline of your life.

“Maybe you should get your bed covers?” you suggest. “So we don’t get cold.”

He smiles, so far from his usual smirk and grin that you feel a pang in your chest. “Yeah. Yes, that’s a good idea.”

All of five minutes later, he meets you in your room. You’ve changed into your previous outfit, and he’s swiped his dress shirt for an oversized white Nike t-shirt. He’s holding his bed cover to his chest, just a white bundle that he offers you as if he’s trying to make peace with you. You motion to your bed, and he nods before walking over to it.

You shut the door behind him, turning to look at him as he debates for a few seconds where to sleep in your bed. He starts by putting his bed cover over yours and then chooses to sit at the foot of the bed, on the side that’s against the wall.

He then turns to meet your gaze, his profile cast in the flickering light of the candle from the kitchen and the few others you’ve lit while waiting for him.

“I think this is the first time I’ve been in this room since Jimin moved out,” he tells you, and his lips stretch into that same soft smile.

You glance around, pursing your lips. “Hope it doesn’t disappoint.”

“It doesn’t,” he reassures you as he imitates your action, observing your room. “It feels like you.”

Not knowing what’s that supposed to mean, you cock an eyebrow. “Does it?”

“Yeah.”

He doesn’t explain further, and you shrug it off as you move closer to your bed to sit on the edge. The moment you’re in his vicinity your heart picks up in your chest. It’s hard to believe that Jeon Jungkook is in your bed right now, and you have to remind yourself that it’s purely because it currently is freezing in your apartment. 

“Should we…” you trail off, motioning at the bed.

He chuckles, a sweet sound that forces you to gaze at him, eyes widening as your heartbeat picks up even more. “You want me in your bed so bad, do you?”

You short-circuit, flushing fully red as you struggle to find something witty to reply with. Falling short on words, you end up shrugging your shoulders as you move under the covers, hoping he won’t tease you further. 

You highly doubt you’d survive him teasing you more.

To your relief, Jungkook ends up chuckling again, but he remains silent as he slides in next to you, keeping a safe distance between the two of you. You lie on your back, while he turns to face you, and you feel the weight of his gaze on your profile.

It makes you turn to look at him, and he offers you the same kind smile.

“Shouldn’t we blow the candles out?” he asks, and his gaze darts to where you’ve left the candles on your desk and night table. “Just to make sure we don’t burn the building down.”

“You want to go to sleep right away?”

You hate yourself for saying that. Indeed, a smirk grows on his lips and he jumps on the occasion to say, “You want to do something else?”

Something grows hot inside of you, and it’s not that same summer sun he ignited in you earlier. You wet your lips, burning from the inside out as you remind him, “We shouldn’t.”

He chuckles again. “Didn’t you say he doesn’t need to know?”

You meet his gaze, find the mischief behind his big doe eyes and roll yours. “You’re annoying.”

Right on cue you shiver. It takes you by surprise, because you feel your insides burning, yet the temperature in your room is low, winning against the warmth.

“Are you cold?” he asks, no traces of mischief left in his eyes. Only concern can be found in his pupils, and you want to hate him for it.

“A little,” you admit. “The covers are just cold.”

They actually are, as your bodies have yet to warm them. To your surprise, Jungkook sidles closer to you. 

“I can hold you, if you want. I’m always too hot.”

You burn a thousand shades of red as you wet your lips. “You don’t have to.”

“Come on, peach, I won’t let you freeze while I’m right here.”

Yet he doesn’t do anything, waits until you’ve nodded your head to slide even closer, and he loosely wraps his arm around your waist. His warm breath fans the side of your face, and you do your best to ignore it.

“Better?” he asks, voice low as he whispers in your ear.

You shut your eyes as electricity courses through your whole body. “Yeah.”

“Good.”

Your brain zeroes in on the weight of his arm on you, and when his fingers start tracing random figures on your waist, you let out a small yelp.

“That tickles,” you tell him.

He does it again, and you try to push him away. Only, Jungkook is far stronger than you, and all you manage to do is end up with your back against him as he holds you firmly to him.

“Stop,” you beg, a little breathlessly.

“It’s warming you up, is it not?”

You roll your eyes, though you reckon it is. You don’t feel nearly as cold anymore, and you can feel the heat growing in you again. As an attempt to get away from him, you shuffle, and it earns you a breathless chuckle from him.

Just to make sure you didn’t imagine the whole thing, you move your hips again. Something twitches in his sweatpants and your mouth falls open.

“You’re…”

“Consequences of the position,” he’s quick to say. “Don’t worry about it.”

You don’t know how you possibly can not worry about it. It’s all your brain can focus on as you shift again, and this time he hisses.

“Maybe you should not do that.” His voice is low, husky, and it sends shivers all over your body. 

You bite your lips. “Why?”

He pulls you back in, flush against his chest. His lips ghost on the side of your neck, and you think you’ve been struck with lightning. “Because we can’t do anything about it.”

“Right.”

He rests his head on the pillow behind you again, sighing deeply. His hand holds you against him, forcing you to feel every inch of his hard body pressing into you.

Of his hard dick too, where it pushes into your ass.

“Maybe we should go to sleep,” you say, eyes fluttering shut.

He nods. “We should.”

“I need to blow out the candles.”

His arm loosens around you before he fully lets you go. You prop yourself on an elbow, leaning towards the night table. You blow out the candle you’ve left there, and before you can move you feel Jungkook’s palm resting on your hip.

“Shit, peach,” he whispers.

You look behind yourself. Your position is explicit, as if you’re angling yourself to fuck yourself on him better. It makes you move your hips, and you see the moment something snaps inside of him.

“Why don’t you lie down next to me before we blow the rest of the candles out?”

There’s something stern, authoritative in his voice, and you immediately obey him. 

“On your back,” he adds.

You exhale shakily as you turn, not daring to disobey. His hand lands flat on your stomach, and he starts drawing circles around your navel. You inhale sharply as he nudges your cheek with his nose.

“You look stressed.”

“What are you doing?”

You hear the smirk in his voice when he says, “Helping you fall asleep?”

“Jungkook…”

“Peach.”

You fall silent as he keeps tracing circles. He sighs next to you, almost longingly and he rests his forehead against your temple. His lips are so close you think you feel their softness on your cheek.

“You’re driving me crazy,” he whispers. His fingers still on you, under your navel. Some inch or so over the band of your sweatpants and he pushes your shirt up before resuming his actions directly on your skin.

“We really shouldn’t…” you trail off.

“Are you going to be able to sleep?” he asks.

It’s rhetorical – he knows just as well as you that you won’t. “No.”

“It could help you sleep.”

You don’t want to know what the ‘it’ refers to. “Yeah?”

He wets his lips, or maybe he plays with his piercing. But from the proximity, you feel his tongue and you think you’re going to die right then and there.

“Doesn’t it help you sleep when you touch yourself?”

You’re soaking your panties. You’re burning up, caught on fire by every strike of lightning that Jungkook’s words ignite in you.

“Does it help you?” you counter-back, remembering when you heard him watching porn two weeks ago.

“It does. Always sleep soundly after.”

You slowly nod, gulping as his lips close on your jaw, and he sucks gently. 

He’s danger in human form. And he knows what he’s doing, he knows how to weave words to cause your undoing. You think he’s already started weeks ago, the night of the Incident. 

Taehyung is miles away from your thoughts when you say, “You want to touch me?”

He smirks against you, licks at the spot he just sucked on. “Why don’t you show me how you touch yourself?”

He moves his hand away from your stomach, and you moan softly when he parts your thighs open, resting his palm on the one closest to him as he presses it against his hard dick.

“Shit, Jungkook.”

“I know.”

You hate him. You hate him so much you slide your hand between your legs, pressing a circle on your clit.

“Good girl.”

You moan again, yet you stop your ministrations on yourself. “I want to watch you touch yourself too.”

He grunts, grinds his dick in the side of your thigh once more. “You want to see me come?”

“Want you to finger me with your cum.”

You’ve gone insane. You think there’s an asylum out there for you, yet Jungkook only chuckles manly against your jaw. “Peach, I won’t touch you tonight.” You whine, and he sucks on your jaw again. “You can do it yourself.”

He’s mad. So are you, and you untie the knot of your sweatpants so you can slide your hand in. You moan softly as you find your clit, and you dip two fingers inside of yourself before moving back to the bundle of nerves.

“Jerk yourself off,” you tell him. You try to sound commanding, dominant, but your voice is whiny. It earns you a smirk from him as he turns on his back. He takes off his pants and underwear, clearly not as shy as you. You can’t see his dick when you look down as he’s still under the covers, and you gulp as you imagine it.

Feeling bold, you push the covers off, needing to see him. And the sight doesn’t disappoint. His dick is large. Not excessively long, but the girth makes you understand why he’s got girls screaming whenever he fucks them. His tip is glistening with precum, and he runs his thumb on the slit before spreading the precum on his shaft. Large veins run along the length, from base to top, and you’re struck thinking he’s got the prettiest cock you’ve seen in your life.

“Like what you see?” he teases as he strokes his dick once, slowly but with a firm grip.

“Do you want to see me too?”

You really are bold. Far bolder than you’ve ever been with anyone before. Maybe because all of tonight Jungkook has put you at ease, and you think there’s nothing embarrassing about finally living out your fantasy. Especially not when he’s so pliable to it, willing to follow you into the land of insanity.

Scratch that – he’s the one leading to madness.

“It’s only fair if I see you too, no?” he teases with a smirk on his lips as he looks at you with his dark, intense gaze.

“Yeah.”

It’s all you say before you shimmy out of your pants. You don’t miss the way his eyes go to your hip, where you have a large dragon tattoo. He curses under his breath. “Didn’t know you were tatted.”

“Got it last semester,” you answer with a shaky voice.

He smirks up at you. “Hot.”

You gulp, unable to hold his gaze for longer than a few seconds. Shier than him, you keep the panties on. To your surprise, he sits up, runs his hand on the inside of your thigh before he lies down on the other side so he has a view of between your legs. His feet are next to your head, and you angle yourself away from them so that they aren’t in your face anymore.

“Touch yourself, peach.”

You nod, and you draw circles on your clit through the fabric of your underwear. It’s a plain black thong, yet you feel immensely sexy when Jungkook’s doe eyes narrow dangerously as he watches you touching yourself, stroking his dick lazily.

You watch how he touches himself, heart beating out of your chest. You’re on fire, a wildfire raging through you, and you moan softly as you press harder into you.

“Why don’t you touch yourself under your panties, mmh?” he asks, gaze sliding up to meet yours before he goes back between your legs. “Won’t it feel better?”

You can’t resist him. You push your panties to the side, holding them with one hand as you go back to your clit. Your thighs instinctively want to close together, but he holds them open.

“Put your fingers in.”

You do. You push two digits in, arching them as you rub at the sweet spot inside of you. He watches, licking his lips as he increases the pace on his dick. You moan right as he grunts, the sound making shivers course up and down your spine.

“Why don’t you use your vibrator instead?”

You entirely stop moving, digits deep inside of you. “Huh?”

“I’ve heard you use a vibrator,” he explains. “I want to see you bury it in your tight little pussy.”

Your walls clench around your fingers at his crude words, and it doesn’t take any more for you to roll towards your night table so you can grab said vibrator. When you’re settled back in your previous position, you click it on, and the soft buzzing fills your room.

“Wait,” Jungkook says, stopping you before you’ve pushed your panties aside again. “Take this off.”

He pinches the fabric on your hip, over the tattoo, and all you can do is nod once before you do. He licks his lips, looking at you appreciatively through half-lidded eyes. He looks between your legs, where you just know he can see your juices glistening. Before he says anything else, you put the vibrator on your clit, legs twitching as harsh pleasure courses through you.

To your surprise, he moans, a low sound that has your pussy clench hard. Of course he sees, and he’s quick to say, “Put it in, peach.”

You obey, and you let out a breathy sound as you immediately rub your clit with your other hand. The next few minutes are a world of bliss, of pleasure and of Jungkook’s praises and grunts, entwined with your moans. You think your room is burning hot, or maybe it’s just his eyes on you. His balls are tight as he jerks off harder, faster, eyes never once moving away from the spot between your legs, where your vibrator makes squelching sounds as you push it in and out of you.

“You’re doing so well,” Jungkook tells you after you’ve moaned loudly. 

You’re nearing your high, but for some reason, you haven’t been able to hit it yet. His words bring you closer, yet it remains just barely out of touch.

“So fucking well,” he adds, breathlessly, and you notice he’s gripping his dick harder, moving so fast you barely can see his hand, except when it slows on his head with a flick of his wrist. He moans, grunts loudly. “You’re so hot, I’m going to come.”

“Fuck,” you curse as you watch him push his shirt up, and you catch sight of his defined muscles. They contract as he jerks himself off, and you think you’re drooling.

Maybe because you’re so close to hitting an orgasm that you can’t do anything other than drool.

He glances at your face once. You meet his gaze, blood boiling as you see his eyebrows almost touching over his eyes, his mouth slightly agape as he breathes loudly. His eyelids flutter close as his eyebrows bunch up over his eyes even more, and then he moans out something that sounds like your name.

Not ‘peach’. Your full name. It makes your eyes water as you observe him, as you watch how he looks in pain. And then he curses, and your eyes fall to his dick to see white spurts of cum coming out, covering the tattoos on the back of his hand as he keeps moving, never once faltering.

Your walls clench tightly around your vibrator. You think you’re about to come, but the orgasm doesn’t want to hit, evading you frustratingly. Your motions grow inconsistent, the push and the pull of the vibrator clearly not enough for you.

As Jungkook comes down from his high, he surveys you once more, features blissed out from coming. He watches you struggle as his hand stops at the base of his dick.

“Look at the mess I made because of you,” he says, and you moan. He tilts his head to the side, pulls at his piercing, and then stops you. Puts his hand over yours between your legs as the vibrator rests deep inside of you. “Do you need help?”

You feel some of his cum as it spills from his hand to yours. You keep rubbing on your clit, meeting his gaze as he awaits your answer. “Yes.”

He smirks, and you let him grab your vibrator. He pulls it out of you, watches your juice on it with a hungry look on his features before he hands it to you again. “Put this on your clit.”

You obey, and you sigh in pleasure as he covers two of his fingers with his cum, even picking some up where it fell on his abdomen, decorating his defined abs. You know exactly what he’s going to do before he does, and it makes you curse.

He meets your gaze. “Are you on the pill?”

“IUD.”

He smirks. “Good girl.”

And then he pushes his cum-covered fingers inside of you, arching them to expertly play with your g-spot. You cry out, throwing your head back in pleasure. He fucks you with his digits for a while, and you press your vibrator hard on your clit, as if it’s going to make you come faster.

All it does is make you close your thighs on his wrist. He pulls his fingers out, forces you to spread your legs wide open again, and then circles your entrance with one finger.

“It’s so hot, to watch my cum dripping out of you.”

His digits are in again before you can reply, and he fucks you so well, you crash right into your orgasm, walls spasming around his fingers. You moan, loudly so, and tears prick at your eyes as the waves of your orgasm drown everything in you, making you shake with pleasure.

You ride the high for a long time. Longer than you’ve ever had before, and Jungkook whispers filthy praises to you all through it, until you cringe with oversensitivity and turn off the vibrator. You put it down next to you, and Jungkook pushes in and out twice more before he pulls his fingers out of you.

You remain silent for a while, both of you regaining your breath. Once you stop feeling like you’re seconds away from passing out, you prop yourself on your elbows, watching him. He’s still looking between your legs, and you instinctively close them.

His eyes shoot to your face, and he smirks. “You have no idea how hot you are with my cum dripping out of you, peach.”

You bite your lip, so hard you think you taste blood. “Shit.”

“I know.”

“What did we do?”

He shrugs, sucking on his piercing. “We made sure we’ll sleep well, that’s all.”

You sigh, nodding once before you lie back down on the bed. “Shit,” you repeat.

This time he laughs. It’s a soft sound, something that makes your heart squeeze in your chest. For some reason, it reminds you of the kiss in the kitchen, and butterflies flutter in your stomach.

Even more so as he says, “Let me go get something to clean you up with.”

He pulls his boxers up and then gets up. You miss the way he winces as his feet hit the cold floor, and he’s back with a washcloth before you’ve had time to realize he was gone.

“I’m sorry, there was no hot water left.”

“Oh,” you let out.

He chuckles as he sits next to you. “Do you want to do it or…?”

You nod, and you grab the washcloth out of his hands before cleaning yourself up. It really is cold, and you wince, one eye shutting as you make sure you’re clean before handing it back to him.

“What do you want me to do with this?” he asks, a teasing tone in his voice.

“I don’t know?” 

He laughs, still grabbing it before throwing it in your hamper. “Did you want to pee before going to bed?”

You nod again. “I should.”

“Are you okay to get there?”

You roll your eyes, finally finding some of your usual defiance. “You didn’t fuck me, Jungkook, I can still use my legs.”

“Right,” he lets out before chuckling. “I’ll wait for you here then.”

The trip to the bathroom is the worst you’ve ever experienced, with how cold it is in the rest of the apartment. You’re pleased that your room is warm when you come back, and your heart squeezes in your chest as you see Jungkook lying on his side, looking at you as you enter and shut the door behind you.

He smiles warmly at you. “Better?”

“Why is it so cold?” you complain, which makes him laugh that cute, giggly laugh of his. You immediately look away from him, not wanting him to see the blush on your cheeks.

You blow the rest of the candles out, and in the dark, you make your way to your bed. You slide under the covers, sighing at how warm they are now.

“I’m glad you stayed,” Jungkook says as you settle next to him.

You gulp. “What?”

“You said you were going to go to the dorms,” he reminds you, even though that was an eternity ago. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Oh,” you let out. You’re happy it’s dark because your cheeks burn so much you imagine you’ve turned purple. “I’m glad I stayed too.”

He sighs, and you feel the mattress move as he shifts. “Do you want to cuddle?” he asks. “For warmth.”

You snort, and even though you’re in the dark, you nod. 

“Sure.”

A few seconds later, you’re the small spoon again, and he holds you close to him. He sighs once more, and it ends with a yawn that has you laugh softly.

“Tired?” you tease him.

“Yeah.” He chuckles, nuzzling his face in your hair. “I’m going to sleep like a rock.”

So are you. Even if you shouldn’t, even if you and Jungkook probably committed a big mistake tonight, you still know you’re going to sleep soundly.

Especially as his breathing evens out behind you, interrupted by soft snores here and there. It forms a melody that lulls you to the land of dreams, to a land where you can forget that he’s Taehyung’s best friend, and where you can imagine that he’s yours after all. It’s idyllic, unreal, yet your sleeping form clings to it like it’s a lifeline in a storm.

You just know that reality is bound to hit again soon.

Prev | Chapter 3.5 | Next

☆☆☆☆☆

Oooooof yep. They really did that hehehe. What did you guys think? Did you like it? Let me know!!

All rights reserved to @/oddinary4bts, 2024. Do not copy, repost or translate.

[persefolli]

𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚'𝐬 𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡

𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋!!!!!!!

𝐀/𝐧: 𝐆𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐎 𝐒𝐎 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝟏,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬'𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭. 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲!!!

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭, 𝐒𝐦𝐮𝐭

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡

You looked at Ronal with a sad look as she laughed along with her clique. They were currently laughing at your outfit, which was a little…odd to say the least. What hurt most is that Ronal had picked the outfit for you, and assured you that you looked just fine.

The two of you have been best friends for years, and the older the two of you grew the more…bitchy Ronal became. It got bad in highschool, to a point where you stopped attending for some time. After a huge fallout with her friends, Ronal came back running, and you let the feeling of nostalgia make your decision in forgiving her.

You graduated together and went on a journey of womanhood after turning 18. It wasn’t just you two though, you accumulated a very well known friendgroup in Awa’atlu, and everyone wanted to get in with the crew, but lately they’ve turned you into the punching bag of the group. 

“I’m gonna change.” You mumbled, walking off from the group and heading home, where you were gonna mope the rest of the night.

“Oof-” You grunted bumping into someone. Looking up you made eye contact with Tonowari, the future Olo’eyktan of the clan. “I’m sorry!” You nodded your head towards him and looked at him for approval. 

Tonowari was quiet, popular, but quiet. He mastered a lot of adult-like duties as a teenager, which made him a very tough warrior for his class. All the guys in your age group strived to be like him, if not, they wanted to look like him. He was tall, pretty, had nice hair, and smelled really good. Tonowari was humble. Even though he would lead the clan one day, he still opted to be treated like everyone else. 

God you were swooning again, like every other girl in the clan. 

Tonowari quirked his eyebrow and patted your shoulder. “It’s alright.” He said lowly. “Stay safe.” Tonowari jogged off to the beach, where his friends stood whooping and celebrating his arrival. 

You found yourself staring at him, looking at the way he smiled once he came in contact with his bro’s, but you snapped out of it realizing how wrong it was. 

Ronal had a big crush on Tonowari for a while, and with her popularity it was a slim chance he would reject her. Everyone shipped them together, and although Tonowari has yet to acknowledge her, Ronal relished the title of his future girlfriend and most likely, Tsahik. 

At home you changed your clothes, and began cleaning for the night, getting rid of your dinner bowls and laundry you’d done before you went out today. As the eclipse settled, you waited for the dreaded beast herself. 

“Y/n.” Ronal came knocking at the door. You huffed, folding one of your spare loincloths. You didn’t turn to face her as she approached. It was the same cycle of embarrassing you, apologizing in private, and doing the same thing the next day. 

“You should've come back.”

“I was embarrassed!” You snapped at her. 

“The top was fine, no one has perfect taste.”

You clenched the clothes and slowly turned your head to her. The audacity of this bitch! She was the one who got you the top, and told you that it flattered you compared to your normal clothing. Not wanting to explode, you nodded, turning back and doing your laundry. 

“Remember the bonfire is tomorrow, wear cute clothes.”

“What will you be wearing?” You asked.

“Something that will catch my future husband's attention.” Ronal twirled and chuckled. “Tonowari’s coming, heard from a birdie.”

“Oh.” You said. “Bumped into him today, he was going riding with the others.”

Ronal fell silent, and wasn’t in your line of sight. Suddenly you were spun around, Ronal in your face and nails dug into your shoulders. “What did he say? What did you say to him?”

“I apologized and he told me it was okay and to be safe.” You said swiftly, wincing in pain from her nails. Ronal let go and hissed at you, “Next time just walk off.”

---

The next day you spent inside, sewing decorations onto your top for the bonfire tonight. The bonfire was an annual celebration for the young adults of Awa’atlu, it was the only night you could let loose with no consequences. You and Ronal went every year, watching as guys set fire to large piles of wood and wrastle over stupid banters.

You braided pieces of your hair and pulled the braids back, curating some sort of half-up half down style. You were meeting Ronal at the bonfire, since she opted to show up after everyone else.

When you were ready you waited until the eclipse to leave your home, you merged into another group of Metkayina members who were heading to the other side of the reef as well. You looked into the sky and saw the hue of light coming from somewhere on the ground. Smoke rose from the fire and you sniffed, smiling at the smell of burnt wood spreading across the reef. 

Nights like this were really fun, it was a night you didn’t have to worry about hanging out with just Ronal and her minions. It was also a night you finally got a little attention from guys. 

You arrived at the sectioned off part of the reef with the group, eyes lighting up at the crowds of na’vi dancing and running around. People had already gotten their fix of drinks and rolled around in the sand drunkenly. “Y/n over here!” You heard a voice call you over. You looked and saw a person from you and Ronal’s friend group calling you over. 

“Hi guys!” You walked over and hugged the girl, taking the extra drink she had in her hand. 

“Ronal hasn’t come yet?” You asked. 

She shook her head. “You know how she gets. And look who's already here.” She pointed straight and you followed her finger to see Tonowari. He sat on a large stray branch, looking around at his friends that were chatting. He wore a beautiful necklace and his hair was prettily braided into rows that formed a bun at the top part of his head, the rest of his silky hair flowed beautifully down his back, going past his shoulders. Once again you were staring, but snapped out of it as cheering began. You looked over to see Ronal approaching, wearing a dramatic headdress and jewelry to complement it. 

You began clapping, inviting her over to your large group of friends who waited on her. 

“The queen has arrived.” Ronal twirled in front of you. She glared at you but slowly smiled. “You look nice.”  She commented. 

“Thanks. Wanted to try something new.”

“Better than yesterday's fit.” The na’vi who were there to witness the incident began snickering, causing you to frown. 

You shook your head and raised your empty cup. “I’m gonna go drink.” You made your exit from the crowd and found refuge near the drink table, where all sorts of intoxicated people hung out. “Fill me up.” You slid your cup over to the ‘bartender’ and watched as he filled your cup with a red substance. Nodding at him you took the full cup and began wandering around, looking at the different things people were doing. 

As you stood alone, feet planted in the sand, you felt a pair of eyes watching you. You looked around, attempting to find the source of attention but couldn't. 

“Hey.���

You jumped, looking at the tall Metkayina male next to you. “Hi.” You softly smiled. He'd probably been the source of eyes.

“Remember me? We met last year.”

You quirked an eyebrow and inspected the male one more time. It took you a few moments but you perked up. “Oh yeah! The one from the keg stand.”

“In the flesh.” He chuckled.

“How have you been? I haven't seen you around.”

He sighed, “Busy as fuck. Training to become the general.”

“This young?!”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “I gotta get up there with the rest.” You nodded in agreement. A lot of the Metkayina males were very ambitious at a young age, so hearing what he was aiming for didn't come as a surprise.

“What about you?” He leaned in closer and smiled.

You felt yourself getting nervous, “I-I was thinking about starting a clothing business.”

“Shit, really?” He said hyped up. 

“Yeah.” You pulled at the top you were wearing. “I made this.” You displayed the fancy top you were wearing

“You look good in it.” He smiled, licking his bottom lip as he did so. You turned your head to avoid showing him the large smile that was forming on your face.

“How about we ditch this stand and go dance.” He nodded towards the na’vi that were closer to the fire dancing. “Fuck it.” You exclaimed and grabbed his hand as the two of you ran through the crowd to the dancers.

The bass of the drums boomed in your chest and you began dancing. Holding onto the guy's hand, you smiled as you gracefully swayed to the music. Even though it was a lot of people and it wasn't usually your scene, you still managed to block everyone out and have fun.

You allowed him to dance closer to you, grabbing your hips and pulling you in.

“You got better rhythm than me.” He complimented.

“I've been told.” You said cockily. The liquor began to flow through your system the longer the music went on, making your body grow looser.

“Hey Y/n.” 

You spin around to see Ronal getting a little groovy to the music. Internally you groaned but moved over to pull Ronal in to join. 

“Wassup Ronal.” You greeted.

“Nothing. Just wanted to be close to the action.” She began scooting back a little as the guy grabbed your hand and twirled you again.

“Where ya goin?” You asked.

In a flash, everything shifted. You were spun but pushed towards the empty space, and suddenly you were hit with a big wave of juice. The crowd fell silent and you stood in shock, opening your eyes to see you had been drenched in the jungle juice they created.

You looked at Ronal, betrayed. Everyone began laughing, even the guy you danced with.

“That was too good.” He said looking over at Ronal.

She had set you up.

 Every year there was a prank, usually it would be something silly like pushing someone into the ocean or being chased and chanted on by a group of guys, but this one was harsh. Ronal knew you spent time making the outfit for tonight, and she ruined it.

Slowly, you began treading the sand to make it to the main pathway. Tears escaped your eyes as you waddled away, sticky and cold from the nasty substance that was thrown on you. Ronal had gone too far, and this was your last straw with her.

You made your way away from the crowds, and found yourself at a cove further from the village. Once you got inside you yelled, screams echoing off the cave walls. “I hate her!” You screamed.

You whimpered as you peeled your top off, throwing the ruined design down. You slowly climbed into the cove pool, which was typically warm, and began to rub along your skin to get the stickiness off.

“Y/n?” A voice echoed from afar. You quickly used your arms to cover your bare breasts and sunk into the water. Footsteps approached and you began to rage, thinking Ronal was coming after you, but your eyes widened at who was there.

Tonowari stood on the pool edge, looking at you with somber eyes. “I saw what happened.” 

The two of you stared at each other for a few moments in silence. It was awkward considering you'd never interacted before.

“I'm okay.” You responded. 

A few beats of silence passed before he took a seat, feet dangling inside of the pool.

“Why do you let her treat you like that?

“What?”

“She treats you like shit!” He half-yelled. “You're supposed to be best friends yet she sets you up to be pranked and embarrassed.”

You took a deep breath and came to the edge of the pool, resting your arms on the rock and leaning your head above your folded arms.

“It's harder than you think.” You responded. 

“Even so, you don't deserve that. Have you ever thought of getting her back?”  Tonowari asked.

You snapped your head to the young man, confused as to what he was alluding to. He was always so quiet, smart and level headed, this language wasn't like him at all.

“Just one shot to make her sorry.” He continued.

“Sometimes.” You confessed. You planned out so many routes of revenge over the years, which never went through because you were too pussy to go through with it.

“She has everything that you deserve. Friends, Popularity, Dignity. She took that away from you!” He spoke harshly as if he was done wrong. His passion was attractive, but it made you question why he was so riled up.

He slipped into the water, starling you with the splash. Popping up above water he shook his hair. “Follow me.”

He began swimming down the cove, going deeper and deeper into the elongated cave. It grew dark, and you found yourself growing scared, but the two of you emerged, swimming out to a whole new section of the reef.

“Wow.” You said in disbelief, hopping out of the water and approaching the shore.

“Just a little spot I know about.” He said. Your arms were still crossed as you were still topless, but the residue had washed off and you now stood wet in the moonlight.

“Why did you bring me here?” You were genuinely curious as to why he exposed his secret spot to you.

“So you can take something she doesn't have.”

He approached you with a sultry tone.

You turned to him, finally catching on. 

“You know she likes y-”

“Everyone knows. That's why it's gonna hit her harder.”

You looked at him dumbfounded before dropping your arms and smashing into him. The two of you fell to the ground but he recovered by sitting up. You climbed into his lap and kissed him deeply, cupping his face as you did so.  Tonowari leaned back slightly and had one arm wrapped around your back, pulling your lower body closer to him. 

The two of you moaned softly, continuing your attack on each other's lips. Tonowari’s warm hands lingered, before rising to grip at your bare breasts. You pulled away and watched as he kneaded your mounds and pressed kisses along your chest.

“Tonowari.” You said breathlessly. It was surreal to have a man like him under you like this, to actually touch you like this.

“Shhh.” He shushed you and reached for your loincloth, unraveling the back and pulling it to the side. You pushed him away from your chest, reaching for his, but he swiftly flipped the two of you over, so that he was on top and your back touched the sand. He finally allowed you to strip him of his cloth and watch as he sprung free, standing tall and erect for you.

“You see what you do to me?” He groaned.

Slowly you began spreading your legs, and he lodged himself between them, holding the underside of your knees. The two of you shared a moan as he began running his cock between your folds, judging at your clit with every swipe

“Tonowari don't!” You shakily said. You wanted him so bad, so deep, and he was teasing you relentlessly.

“Use your words pretty girl.”

“Don't tease me Wari, I want you.” You moaned out.

He let out a scoff and pulled back, slowly pushing forward and entering your slick hole.

You almost gave yourself a concussion from how hard you slammed your head back into the sand. You dug your nails into his forearms and clenched around him. He was thick, stretching you in ways a normal Metkayina man couldn't.

You held your breath as he continued entering you, pain pulsing through your lower body. Tonowari’s hand trailed to your neck holding a tight grip on you, and using his thumb to pull your bottom lip down. “Breathe for me.”

“Hurts.” You whimpered.  

“Feel me.” Tonowari let go of your thigh and grabbed his braid. 

“Ton-”

“We can worry about it in the morning. Feel how good you make me feel.”

You knew this would be a bad idea, but you connected your braid to his anyway. As soon as tsaheylu was made, you arched off the ground, crying out in pleasure.

“Fuck!” He grunted. Fastening his pace, he let out stained grunts feeling your pain and pleasure mix into one. 

“More! More!” You coaxed him, ready to take him on. The pain was starting to subside but the need for him grew. You spread your legs wider and watched as he drilled into you with his head down, looking right where the two of you connected. 

“You feel so good around m-fuck!” He buried his head into your neck and thrusted faster, enunciating the loud slaps of skin the two of you echoed throughout the beach.

“I'm coming! Wari!!” You dramatically heaved out as you reached your first ever orgasm. 

Tonowari took a few deep breaths before pulling out, and flipping over again. His dick still stood erect, leaking with precum. Your braids were still connected, and you felt his exhaustion, but you also felt his oncoming wave of horniness.

“Make yourself feel good on me.”

You nodded and positioned yourself right above him, closing your eyes and you sunk down onto his length. The both of you let out a moan. “So big.” You stuttered out.

You moved to bounce upon him but he hissed, holding your hips in place. “Take your time with me Y/n.” He leaned back and licked his lips. “Make me work for it.” He began guiding your hips to rock along him slowly. Another wave of pleasure shot through you and you placed a hand on his chest, looking at him with misty eyes.

Tonowari whimpered and panted, driven wild by the way your hips rocked and the way your waist wormed back and forth above him. He wanted you so bad, and boy did you feel it.

You threw your head back and placed your hands on his thighs, giving a full view of his well you were taking him. “M’gonna…” He heaved, “Fill you up.”

This prompted you to lean forward and begin bouncing on him at a faster pace , moaning out his name as you felt him come close to his orgasm. “Fuck Wari!” You yelled out, feeling his orgasm come along. “Shit! Shit Shit!” He let out a long groan as he released into you, twitching inside of you and heaving.

You pulled yourself off of him and threw yourself in the sand next to him, laying on your stomach and panting heavily.

“I'm not finished with you.” 

Your eyes followed him until he disappeared behind you. Tonowari locked his fingers around your hips and pulled your ass up in the air. You waited patiently, expecting him to enter you again, but instead you felt a warm liquid followed by a warm muscle being pressed against your clit. “Oh Wari.” You purred into the sand, gripping at the grainy terrain you laid on top of. 

Tonowari sucked on the nub and released with a pop, groaning and resting his hand upon your ass.  He leaned back in and began running his tongue between your folds, poking and prodding at your fucked out entrance. You throbbed thinking about him licking up his release from your pussy, but your mind quickly blanked as he thrusted his tongue inside of you.

You moaned out loud,  not caring who walked by or who came towards this end of the reef. Tonowari thrived off your noises and began groaning as well, becoming more animated with the slick sounds he was making with his mouth. 

His tongue made contact with your clit again and began flicking at your nub, starting the buildup of tightness that resided in your belly.

“I'm gonna come! Just like that!” You coaxed.

Two of his fingers pressed inside of your hole and he continued to sloppily flick and suck at your clit, holding you steady with his other hand as you trembled.

“Wariiiii!” You screamed as that knot in your stomach snapped. You quivered under his touch. “That's right,” He began rubbing your orgasm out. “Get it out for me, Let it out.”

You clenched your jaw as he began slowing his pace on your pussy, coming to a stop as he knew you were sore by now.  He watched you slump back into the sand, humming out the last bit of energy you had left. You laid with your eyes closed, listening to the thumps of your pulse and the shuffling going on behind you.

“Let's go pretty girl.” Tonowari rolled you over and picked you up, walking you back to your pod with his hands resting on your underside.

---

The next morning you heard nothing but murmuring when you came around. A pit formed in your stomach at the possibility of them knowing what and who you did last night. But you also felt….satisfied. Today you would make it your mission to see Ronal's face, even if it meant a fist would connect to yours.

“Y/n!” You heard someone shout ahead. It was Tonowari. You looked around and pointed at yourself, and he narrowed his eyes.

Last night you remember him cleaning you up with water and a rag and kissing your forehead before he departed. It was a nice gesture, but you had no idea what that meant for the two of you.

Approaching him, he took your hand in his and began walking forward, making a few of the Metkayina members gasp. “I wanted to speak to you.”

“After last night?”

“Especially after last night.”

A pit of anxiety filled in your stomach and you began to stiffen. The two of you continued walking, until you got to a less crowded area of the reef. “I wanted to give you this.” He stopped and pulled out a necklace. You gasped at the aquamarine colored beads, one used for professing love to another. “I should've given you this a long time ago. A long time ago.”

You hesitantly grabbed the beads and looked up at him confused.

“I hope you didn't think last night was just a get back at Ronal. Or that it was a one night thing.” He stepped forward and grabbed your elbow. “I've been in love with you since highschool. I thought it was a stupid crush but…..” He sighed, starting to now stumble over his words. 

“Everyone else might see Ronal, but I see you.”

Your breath hitched. Tonowari, the bravest, handsomest, warrior, to be Olo’eyktan saw you?!

“I know last night was a horrible way of introducing you to the idea.”

“Idea of what?”

“Of being my Tsahik.”

You gasped again, knowing that it was a title that Ronal was expecting. Everyone always said she was the most qualified, so not only did you take her crush, you're taking her future.

“We've made the bond…in an idiotic way, but I wouldn't go back and change a thing.” He confessed.

You smiled softly, and placed the beaded necklace around your neck. Tonowari let out a breath of relief, happy that his love was being reciprocated. “I know that we are still so young, and you can change your mind about me whenever, but for now let me enjoy you, and love you unconditionally.”

You stood on your toes to kiss him deeply, sighing in pure ecstasy as he cupped your face and kissed back.

Just as the two of you finished, an entourage of people came walking straight for you with Ronal leading the group.

“Tonowari.” She nodded sweetly.

“Y/n.” She said blankly.

“What happened? Is there danger?” Tonowari said, a little concerned about the amount of people that stood around.

“No just….a little question. I heard something from a birdie and I hoped it wasn't true. Just wanted to check in.”

“What was said?” He asked unphased.

Ronal coyly rolled her eyes and played the shy act. “That you were planning to choose your future Tsahik soon.” She glared at you, thinking she had the upper hand.

Tonowari caught on. Ronal wanted him to claim her in front of everyone, but little did she know.

“I already did.” He smiled.

Ronal walked forward and shot you a look as she pushed herself between the two of you. “Oh Wari.”

Tonowari scoffed. “We actually made the bond last night. I didn't wanna waste any time.”

Ronal’s face dropped and she backed away, “B-bond?! But I didn't-”

Tonowari looked towards you and Ronal realized, “No.” She said in disbelief. “You're still so young- You don't even know what you want in a woman! No Olo’eyktan should choose on a whim!” She stammered trying to discredit your experience.

“We were all practically raised together. I know who and what I want.” Tonowari declared.

Ronal looked at you with an angry look. 

Normally her glare would make you cower and scramble to apologize, but this time you felt your lips curling up. Smiling at the bitch who no longer had the upper hand.

[frantic-fiction]

May I request some Jealous!Fem!Reader x Astarion? Maybe one where someone from Astarion’s past makes an appearance and while Astarion sees this woman as just a friend, reader can see the woman blatantly flirting with her vampire spawn and she doesn’t like it one bit. ESPECIALLY if Astarion’s oblivious to the woman’s advances and innocently engages (because let’s face it, our boy loves being praised & complimented 24/7). Reader decides it’s her turn to stake her claim on our little sassy vampire and remind everyone who he belongs to ;)

Yes! Yes! Thank you for the request!

Jealous

Astarion x gn!reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.5k

Masterlist

It was nice being back in the city. Yes, there was still the ever-looming threat of the Absolute, but most of the party was back home, and for once, it felt like, for a moment, everyone could breathe. You had a fluffy bed to sleep on instead of a lumpy bedroll. And while Gale always made whatever perversions the party scavenged taste good, the warm, hearty tavern meals you've been treated to as of late were too good to beat.

But the best part of being back was taking any moment to drag Astarion out into the city to wherever he fancies so he can explore Baldur's Gate in the daylight without the darkness of Cazador. He wanted to visit the farmers market today, so you wandered the vendors' stalls, stopping to take moments and smell flowers and sample wares.

Astarion politely conversed with a tailor about the fabric quality used for a shirt he wanted. Frankly, they had been talking longer than your attention span could handle, so when your eyes wandered to a stall full of beaded jewelry, you wasted no time giving Astarion a quick peck on the cheek and telling him where you'd be.

The pieces were beautiful and skillfully crafted—brightly colored beads and gold inlays, gems of various minerals, all catching your eyes. The older halfling woman propped highly on the stool, greets you politely, and gives little details and facts about each one you set aside for closer inspection. Maybe you should get something for Shadowheart and Karlach? Probably not Lae—

"Astarion!"

A feminine voice has you snapping your head back to your partner. A frown instantly settles over your features when you see a tall, elven woman pull Astarion's hug. Her brown hair is intricately braided into a top knot decorated in sparkly chains. Her dress hugs her curves, framing her body perfectly.

Why are they still hugging?

"Oh Gods, it's been too long. You're looking amazing." Her nasal voice filters down the markets. "How are you, love?"

Astarion finally manages to break the hug, giving the woman an automatic flirtatious smile, the tailor long forgotten. "Eleanor, I've been well. I do hope the same can be said for you."

Dropping the beads with little care, you leave the stall, ignoring the halfling. You don't like this woman. You don't like how her hand still lingers on Astarion's forearm or how she leans ever so slightly closer as if daring him to kiss her.

"I've been fine, though I'm upset you haven't visited in quite a while. It's been rather dull without you." She runs her hand up his arm.

Astarion laughs, flicking his hand in the air and clearly enjoying the woman's words. "I could only imagine, my dear. Those brutes are fowl at their best. Who wouldn't miss me."

Your jaw clenches when her obnoxious laughter rings in the air. Pushing past a family of four throwing a half-ass apology, not paying mind, too pissed off. Who does this woman think she is putting her hands on Astarion as if he's hers?

"Astarion, you always knew how to make me laugh." Elenor ducks her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "If I'm being honest, I was always jealous of the ones you took home. But now that we're here, maybe…"

Oh, hell no! You practically jump the rest of the way and run into Astarion's arm. He lets out a breathy oof, arms tightening around your waist to keep you from tumbling to the ground. Pretending you weren't aware of the woman, you capture Astarion into a chaste kiss before beaming up at him.

"I hope you found what you were looking for, my love." Your voice is sickly sweet as you trail your thumb across his cheekbone. Then you turn your head and feign innocence, looking at the elf. "Oh, I'm sorry, Star. Who is this?"

Astarion gives you a look but recovers quickly. Clearing his throat, he speaks, "Darling, this is Eleanor. She owns a tavern I frequented. One of the only decent companies I've had before we met."

Moving away from Astarion's side, you reach your hand out in greeting, giving her your name, "It's a pleasure to meet a friend of my Star,"

Eleanor looks a bit taken aback, staring blankly at the two of you, clearly not expecting this change in her plans. You're internally preening. She takes your hand in a limp shake before dropping it and stepping back. Eleanor quickly wipes her hand on her dress slyly and chuckles.

"That explains why I haven't seen you in a while."

You sneer at her, wanting nothing more than to punch her. Instead, you drop your hand onto Astarion's chest, nuzzling warmly into his side. "Yes, sorry about that. I've been a bit selfish. Sometimes it hard to get out of bed."

"Right…" Eleanor says. Astarion, I never took you as one to settle down, especially someone as… unique as them."

"What is that supposed to mean?" The venom drips from your words, and Astarion has to keep you in place.

Eleanor smirks. "Oh, I meant nothing bad." The mocking tone alone reinforces that she meant this to be as insulting as possible. "I'm just stating you're rougher around the edges."

Astarion's hold on your waist tightens as you move to step forward, hand reaching for the dagger discreetly hidden against your thigh. There is no possible way this woman values Astarion in any way more than as a body to conquer. That thought alone has you practically baring your teeth.

"What the fuck does that mean!"

Astarion steps in before you can do anything extreme, "Eleanor, it was lovely seeing you again. We'll have to come and visit sometime for a drink, but I'm afraid my love and I must make our leave."

"Oh yes, of course!" Elenor says, her voice a bit too filled with fake cheer. Her smile is strained, and her eyes stare daggers into your skull. "I hope I can see you at the tavern sometime soon."

"Yes, we'll come down for a visit sometime soon. " Astarion calls over his shoulder, practically dragging you down the cobblestone. You think about ripping your arm out of his hold and turning back, but you let him pull you along with only a death glare sent toward Eleanor.

As soon as the two of you are in a secluded place, Astarion drops your hand and turns on you. "Darling, what was that?"

Picking at your nails, you shrug your shoulders. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Astarion takes your hand and, with a finger, tilts your chin to force you to meet his eyes. He has a shit-eating grin, and his fangs are even more prominent in his smile. "You were jealous."

Swatting his hands away, you step back. "I was not!" You lie and storm down the alleyway. You didn't get far before Astarion caught your wrist and spun you into his chest.

"You were jealous." He repeats. "But you really shouldn't be."

"She was all over you."

"It was a hug, my dear, from probably the closest normal friendship I had before the tadpole."

"Friendship? She was practically begging you to fuck her." You huff, fiddling with the lapels of Astarion's shirt.

Astarion chuckles deeply and presses a kiss to your forehead. "Gods, you're cute when you're jealous."

"Don't make fun of me, Astarion."

Ignoring you, he continues. "For argument's sake, if she was begging me to fuck her, as you so eloquently put it, who cares? I certainly don't, not when I have this beautiful, strong, incredibly understanding partner who knows all the darkest parts of me and still stands by my side?"

"Well, I am pretty noble for putting up with you when you're hungry." You smile, looping your arms around his neck, all jealousy draining from you like water from a colander.

"How could another soul handle me in that horrid state." Astarion runs his nose against yours. "I love you and don't plan on stopping soon."

You beam and kiss him breathlessly before mumbling, "I love you too," against his lips. "I think we should head back to our room."

Astarion chuckles under his breath, running his hands down the curve of your spine. "Oh, what for my sweet?"

"Well," Crawling your fingers up his chest, you press your lips to his ear and whisper. "If you'll let me, I want to mark every inch of your neck." "Mark me as yours, darling?" Astarion hums.

"Mhmm, we could go further, but" you continue. "Tonight, I want you to show me this tavern Eleanor owns. I think we deserve a date night."

"You are jealous."

"If I agree, will you take me out?" You lean in for a kiss.

Astarion presses forward, brushing his lips against yours. "As long as I have a necklace of your pretty love bites."

"Then yes, my love, I am very much jealous."

I've been struggling with inspiration lately. Moving was super stressful and I had to leave a hostile work environment very quickly so life's been a bit messy. But I've got my kitty cat and don't have to deal with a shitty boss so hopefully things will go up from here.

I'm kinda iffy on how I feel on this one but that might just be my current mindset. I hope you all enjoy it regardless, and stay tune because I plan on have something spicier posted soonish...possibly Astarion discovering his breeding kink 🫣❤️

Taglist: @heartfully10@ayselluna@marina-and-the-memes@anixson@canonicalchaoticneutral @toadsbitch @meulinkitten-blog @ambr4armr @lotusandcrystals @venussakura @synapticjive @skittleabyss@asterordinary@lariatbunny @whispering-depths@butchboi-chihuahua-slumlord@darkest-part-of-the-forest@queenofcarrotflowers-s@sessils @d20bunny@cherifrog@ophelia-ophelian@bgthree@darlingxdragon@mothynyx @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf@babyqnn @mmendez0124@kokoyu-art@lilah-asteria

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[luvvyouforever]

suddenly, neville {n.l. x reader}

↳ three times that neville is there for you when heartbreak strikes and the one time he decides to do something about it.

↳ content: sadness, feelings of self-doubt/insecurities, slander against almost every hogwarts boy, fluff, friends to lovers, pining, neville being a shy sweetie. word count: 1684

1.

"and then he," sniff, "he told me he never liked me. that him and dean were just joking." you wiped tears from your eyes violently and neville felt his heart tearing in two for you. "i thought they were nice! why would seamus lie like that?"

"i don't know," neville answered honestly. he knew that his friends were pranksters, sometimes taking jokes a step too far. but he had never expected his best friend to come to him crying over a stupid idea the two had devised. he felt angry with them. how could they have done that to someone as beautiful as you?

"i just don't get it! why does everyone else get to have crushes and first kisses?" you huffed frustratingly. neville's first thought was that he should have kissed you then but his second thought was much more controlled and much more him. he reached out, patting your back and trying to inject as much comfort into the touch as he could. you stayed like that for a few minutes as your tears subdued. one final sniff and you were rising from neville's bed. "i'm sorry for this. you're the first person i wanted to come to."

neville rose immediately after, coming to stand at your side. even at thirteen years old, he towered above you. "don't apologize," he said in a serious tone. "it's okay. i'm here for you. always-oof-"

neville's voice was cut off by your frame crashing into his, pulling him into a tight hug. he wasn't used to the touch or the affection and after immediately tensing, he relaxed and wrapped his own arms around you. something bloomed inside neville's chest and though he tried to push it down, you couldn't help but hear his heartbeat quicken.

2.

neville's experience at the yule ball wasn't as fun as he had hoped for. ginny was a great date and he danced through the entire night but something in his chest didn't feel right. you weren't there, enjoying the once-in-a-lifetime experience with him. he thought that, at first, you were just late or maybe he couldn't spot you among the crowd. but two hours into the night and he hadn't seen you once.

he left the ball eventually and his first and only mission was to seek you out. he slipped through the halls of the castle, narrowly avoiding snape's patrol, in search of you. his feet took him toward an empty stairwell which echoed with quiet sounds of crying.

"y/n?" he called out timidly. the sniff from further up the stairs told him all he needed to know and eventually, he was standing before you. your dress was beautiful, your hair was done in an intricate updo that he knew must've taken hours, and yet you were sobbing alone. "what's going on?"

"cormac...he stood me up. didn't show, didn't owl me. nothing," you said, voice barely above a whisper. he could tell that you had been crying in this very same stairwell for a while based on the puffiness of your eyes and the rasp in your throat. gingerly, he took a seat by your side.

without thinking, your head leaned on his shoulder and the pins in your hair poked his skin. something about his presence visibly eased your pain and he was so glad that he could offer you that.

really, neville wanted to be the one to take you to the yule ball. to be the one that watched you walk down the stairs in your dress. to be the one that danced with you all night long, breathless and laughing. but he was too nervous to do such a thing and instead asked ginny. neville silently reprimanded himself for not being more brave and said, "you look beautiful, you know?"

he could feel your smile against his shoulder. that was all he needed.

3.

"hey neville...did you hear that y/n broke up with zabini last night?" seamus whispered. "apparently it was a whole big scene."

neville didn't know about that actually and hearing it from seamus first hurt him more than he wanted to admit. instead of answering his friend, he poured his attention in to brewing his potion to hopefully get out of snape's class unscathed.

a few hours had passed until he entered the greenhouse for his advanced herbology practices class which he had begged you to take with him. and there you were, carefully plucking weeds out of a venomous tentacula pot. "hey!" he said, coming up behind you.

you turned and he saw the night's effects on your face. dark circles, puffy eyes, a warm sweater covering your body instead of your usual perfect uniform. something tugged at his heart and if he could, he would've wrapped you up and swept you away immediately.

"hey nev," you said with a forced smile. "i'm assuming you heard the news since you're looking at me like i'm a kicked puppy."

he didn't respond but nodded, pulling on his own gardening gloves to assist you in your task. he knew you'd tell him about it without him having to pull it out of you.

"he was nice and all...but he was really mean sometimes and his friends didn't like me. i figured i was too good to put up with more comments about my hair and my uniform and my house but now i'm not so sure." there was a crack in your voice that you cursed.

this time, neville didn't hesitate to pull you into his arms. he had gotten taller, stronger, braver. he was still a gangly mess of limbs but now he knew how to control them and how to offer the best hugs he could. his arms were tight around your shoulders and a few tears slipped from your eyes. his head leaned down and laid upon yours.

"you are too good for that, y/n. you're too good for all of them. i just wish you could see that," neville whispered against your hair. you took in his words, digested them one by one, and felt slightly better. you pulled away and looked at him with watery eyes. from that moment forward, neville knew he would do anything to preserve your happiness and bring a smile to your face. he knew that he was in love with his best friend of six years.

4.

"i don't know what you want from me, draco! i've tried to please you and make you happy a hundred times but it's never good enough!"

"no, it never is and it never will be! god, can't you see i stopped liking you weeks ago? with your nagging and neediness and crying, i don't think you'd ever be good enough for anyone."

neville stopped in his tracks outside the greenhouses. two voices yelled back and forth at each other and he easily distinguished them as y/n and presumably her now ex-boyfriend. neville's fist clenched at the words draco spat at his best friend.

suddenly, he heard stomping and draco flew by him in a rage. quickly, he rushed to where the voices were coming from and found you on the cold ground, upset but not crying. you didn't even look up when he came over and he took it upon himself to sit down next to you. no words were exchanged until-

"i don't know why i try. i don't know why nothing ever works for me. why i keep crying over boys, stupid boys. i don't know why i feel so worthless when those stupid boys break up with me. the worst thing, i think, is that i believe every word malfoy just said. that i won't be good enough for anyone. i will just graduate, work, live alone in a cottage, and watch everyone else fall in love around me but never with me," you rambled. words of self-doubt kept coming from your lips but you didn't know how to stop them. it was a ever-flowing stream of consciousness that neville bared for you. finally, your lips stopped moving and your mouth stopped producing sound. you took in a shaky breath and began to stand. neville's hand flew to your wrist and pulled you back down to the ground.

there, his eyes met yours with such an unwavering intensity that kept you planted. "listen to me, y/n," he started, "i have watched you cry over too many boys to deal with this any longer. not a single one of them deserved you or your love. you give so much and it crushes me that you get so little. do not believe draco, or zabini, or cormac when they make you feel like you're not good enough because you are. you're beautiful, so beautiful, and intelligent, kind, caring, witty, and anyone would be lucky to have you. i know because i have fallen so in love with you the past seven years and even in your ruined yule ball dress or your messy gardening clothes, i feel lucky to be by your side."

your eyes were wide at neville's confession but he didn't back down or take back his words. in fact, he felt relief knowing that his feelings were in the air now. after seven years of growing, he felt brave enough to admit things like that and do things like this.

"maybe the reason nothing ever worked is because i was always seeking you in everyone else," you finally whispered. neville's hand gravitated towards yours and like a moth drawn to an achingly beautiful flame, his lips found yours.

the kiss was everything you had been looking for. sweet, firm, passionate, but gentle. neville would never be mean to you, never degrade you, lie to you, stand you up, or do anything but offer peace and happiness as long as you live.

after a minute of pulling apart then reconnecting, neville leaned his forehead against yours. "i didn't know you had gotten so cliche, blossom." seven years of holding you had led to this and neville wouldn't change a single part of the journey.

[solarisfortuneia]

— 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

✦ event: freedom is sweet.

✦ for: @zhongrin

✦ info / prompt: “sometimes (read: all the time) i want to just. hug their waist and pepper kisses ( + maybe even nibbles when i'm feeling chaotic >:) ) all over their back!! how do you think they would they react?” (zhongli: modern au. alhaitham: regular au.)

✦ warnings: none, i think. (i did proofread but i may have missed a mistake or two.)

✦ featuring: zhongli, alhaitham.

✦ notes: happy (belated) birthday rin!! my apologies for this being late, i wanted to make it perfect (it's not quite there, but i like it regardless and i hope you will too <3 mwah have a great day!!)

warm rays of sunlight stream in through open windows that zhongli insists on keeping open in the mornings, lighting up the entire kitchen, bouncing off cream colored walls. the plants by the windowsill are certainly grateful for it, considering how they seem to be thriving. they look happier than they’ve ever been.

and in the middle of the cozy scene stands your husband, still in his nightclothes, watering can in hand, amber eyes focused solely on his task. 

the scent of both coffee and tea floats gently to your nose, and you look to the side to see your favorite cup already set atop a warmer. soft, slow music plays through his phone on the table, the notes in harmony with the metallic clinks of the windchime.  oh, you think, smiling to yourself as you lean on the doorframe, arms crossed. he’s finally figured out how to put that song he likes on repeat.

“look at you,” he murmurs to his— well, technically, they’re yours, but at this point he’s practically claimed them as his own with how much attention he lavishes upon them on the daily— plants, affectionately running a finger along a vibrant green leaf. “you’re looking well this morning, aren’t you, little one?” 

an idea sparks to life in your head.

he turns to the right, moving to lightly water another plant, one with pale white flowers blooming happily. “good morning to you, dear,” he coos, gently turning it. “and to you too, madam.” he says to the one with vibrant red blooms. 

opportunity presents itself to you at precisely that very moment, where his back faces towards you and there is no possible chance for him to spot you in his peripherals. your feet, clad in socks, barely make a sound as you inch ever-so-carefully towards him. a brief pause, then a quiet inhale, and you pounce, arms locking around his waist as you pepper kisses all over his backside, quick and mischievous. 

a surprised ‘oof’ leaves his mouth, and he laughs when he realizes it’s you, setting aside the watering can. you lean up, nibbling at the nape of his neck, giggling alongside him. “good morning, my dearest.” he glances at you from over his shoulder, amusement in his expression. “how long have you been up?”

“long enough to see you talking to the flowers,” you tease playfully. “i know you’re an old, old man, but you’re not that old yet, are you?”

he clears his throat, revolving to meet your gaze. he grasps your face in his warm, calloused hands, before speaking. “studies show that talking to your plants and speaking positively to them can augment their growth by a considerable amount, dearest.” his lips quirk into a tiny, serene smile. “besides, i do quite enjoy doing it.”

you laugh, pressing more kisses to the tip of his nose and to his mouth in rapid succession. you feel his smile widen against your lips, which stays on his face long after you pull away.

“you certainly are affectionate today.” he chuckles. “well, then,” he looks to you for silent permission, ever the gentleman, hoisting you up into his arms when you consent, lips brushing over your eyelids, over your cheek and over your forehead.

“let me return the favor tenfold, my love.”

your shoes clack satisfyingly against the polished floors of the house of daena as you walk down the hallway. you pause to wave hello to the man standing near the lift to the grand sage’s office, then walk inside. if your estimates were correct, then you should be just in time for alhaitham’s lunch break.  

you push open the door to his office, forgoing the need to knock. the room is neat, clean and organized; just how he prefers it. you see him standing in front of his bookshelf, eyes scanning up and down, very clearly looking for something, familiar silver hair a little tousled. you walk normally towards him, knowing his headphones muffle the sound of your footsteps, and wrap your arms around his waist.

“boo,” you whisper in his ear, lifting his earpieces a little. “i’m here! did you miss me?”

he sighs contentedly when he feels your touch, book still in one hand, but the other moves to remove his headphones, then grasps your hand firmly. “i did,” he admits, leaning so the back of his head rests against yours. “everything is certainly duller without you around.”

he sighs again, wearily this time, setting the book down to run his fingers over his eyes, massaging the bridge of his nose. “i’d much rather be at home with you than deal with paperwork. it seems as if people can't do anything themselves.”

“i know,” you whisper against the skin of his neck, smiling sympathetically. you hold him tighter, running your lips over his neck and his back, playfully nipping at his earlobe. your lips kiss every inch of him that you can reach, littering featherlight pecks all over.

he shakes his head at your antics, but the red that dusts his cheek (and the tips of his ears) and the barely contained grin on his face portray a different story. 

“why did you stop?” he asks when you pull away. his voice sounds disappointed, and you can’t help but laugh. how cute. “i never asked you to.” 

“i’m sorry,” you smooch his cheek in apology. your eyes fall to the clock on his desk. “ i'm glad i got to see you today, but i’ve got to go now.”

“where are you going off to?” he pulls you closer by your wrist when you start to move away, then intertwines his fingers with yours once again, brows knitting together. “stay. have lunch with me.”

“i only popped in to say hello,” you kiss the frown on his forehead. “i have to get back to work soon. my break ends much earlier than yours, remember?”

“i know, but you can still stay,” he glances at you. “i’ll send a letter to your boss after lunch. they won’t have a problem.”

“grand sage alhaitham!” you exclaim in mock-surprise, holding a hand to your mouth, eyes widening slightly. “are you really going to use your position to get me to have lunch with you? what would people at the akademiya think of this?” 

“acting grand sage,” he reminds you, leaning over to softly touch his lips to your forehead, used to your theatrics. “good thing i don’t care what they think. besides,” he adds, “i’m sure lesser lord kusanali wouldn’t mind, and is she not the boss of us all?”

you laugh. “i suppose that reasoning is sound.”

he extends his arm for you to hold. “then let's get going.”

taglist: @kissedbysilk @ilyuu @xiaosonlybeloved @ineshapanda @soleillunne @supernova25 @vixianne @downwithlean

bold: unable to be tagged! please check your settings or let me know if you've changed urls <3

[honeyhae-svt]

Misdated

Kwon Soonyoung / Hoshi FANFICTION (oneshot)

Afab!READER x Kwon Soonyoung - MDNI!!!

GENRE: Angst., Fluff, Smut, Friends to Lovers, Fem!Reader x Non-idol!Hoshi, r18+ (should've been 16+ but since there's smut. oof)

⚠️ WARNINGS ⚠️: Major red flags on both reader and Hoshi, Smut, Unprotected Sex, Angst., Fingering, Kissing, Dating.

wc: 11'507

(english is not my first language, so i apologize for any typographical or grammatical errors :/)

Synopsis: You've been on date after date, searching for the right one. But something—or someone—keeps pulling you back. What happens when the person you've been trying to avoid is the one you can’t stop thinking about?

>>>pictures are from 📌, CTTO

a/n: enjoy, loves!!!

Nothing beats walking through the rain in your favorite rainy weather outfit, ice cream in hand, while telling your boy best friend about another failed date. Hoshi, ever the good friend, holds the umbrella for both of you, shielding you from the soft drizzle. You’ve just come back from yet another blind date—the fourth one this month—and, unsurprisingly, it went horribly wrong.

"I don’t get it," you groan, shaking your head. "Why is it so hard to find the love of my life?"

Hoshi, your best friend for almost a decade, listens attentively. He always does. Every single time a date crashes and burns, he’s right there with advice, or at the very least, a sympathetic ear. But tonight, he’s laughing at your misery, and you can’t help but glare at him.

This morning, you'd asked a friend to set you up with someone. The guy seemed like your type—at least physically—and he was all too eager to meet you right away. That should’ve been a red flag. But you went along with it. How bad could it be, right?

Well, turns out, very bad. Minutes into the date, things got awkward. He started making inappropriate jokes, the kind that made you chuckle just to fill the silence. "You’d look even prettier without clothes," he had said, his smirk making your skin crawl. When he asked, "Are you good in bed?" you were already planning your exit. And when he tried to kiss you, suggesting you ditch the fancy restaurant and head to a hotel, you didn’t even bother finishing your drink. You just stood up and left.

And now, here you are, telling Hoshi about what is easily the worst date of your life, and he’s laughing.

"Hey! It’s not funny," you scold, narrowing your eyes at him.

Hoshi quickly stops, though you see the amused glint still dancing in his eyes. "I’m just saying… maybe it’s time to take a break from dating?"

His words make you pause. You have been feeling burned out. And he knows it too well, which makes your heart flutter. You’ve always felt this way around him—this soft, warm feeling. But you’ve buried it, time and time again. He’s your best friend, after all. And there’s no way you’re risking that, especially when you know he likes someone else. The thought stings a little more than you’d care to admit.

Sensing your mood shift, Hoshi changes the subject, ever the master of lifting your spirits. "You didn’t eat yet, right? Let’s get some meat. My treat."

Your eyes light up. "I want beef!"

He sighs, pretending to reconsider for a moment, but you know he’ll give in. He always does. It’s you, after all.

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

You watched him grill the meat, the sizzle of beef filling the quiet between you. The way his fingers moved—so sure, so practiced—made you think about how well you knew him, how effortlessly things flowed between you two. It had always been that way.

But lately, something had shifted. You blinked away the thoughts when his hand brushed yours, sending a wave of warmth through your body. It was small, fleeting, but enough to make you feel a bit more aware of him, more sensitive to his presence.

"You okay?" he asked, noticing your daze.

"Yeah," you lied, forcing a smile.

Hoshi didn’t look convinced, his gaze lingering on you as if he could sense something was off. You couldn’t possibly tell him the truth—about the way you’d been feeling lately, about how your heart sped up whenever you were around him. And even if you did (which you wouldn't), he'd probably just laugh, thinking it was some kind of joke.

"You know," he began, picking at his food, "if this whole dating thing doesn’t work out, you could always just... date me."

You choked on your drink, blinking rapidly as if to make sure you’d heard him right. "W-What?"

He laughed it off quickly. "I'm kidding, kidding! Jeez, your reaction." But then his voice softened. "I mean—" He trailed off, and for a second, you thought he might have meant it. And that small flicker of hope disappointed you more than you’d expected.

You felt a sudden rush of heat to your face, but you forced a chuckle. "Yeah, right."

Hoshi took a bite of beef, glancing at you with an expression that made your heart race. "Actually," he said, "I’ve been meaning to ask you something."

"Oh?" You raised an eyebrow, half-expecting another joke, or worse, a reminder of your disastrous date.

"I’ve been telling you about this girl... and I think I really like her." His words hit you like a punch to the gut. Still, you smiled, trying to sound as enthusiastic as you could. "Oh? Who is she?"

You braced yourself as he continued, each word making you feel a little more hollow. "You know her. She’s really cool, funny, great to talk to—"

You nodded along, keeping up appearances, but inside, you wanted to tune him out. You were dying to know who this girl was—partly to see if she was worthy of him, and partly to understand why you felt this ache deep in your chest. Not that you would ever stand in their way, but you couldn’t help but wonder if she even knew how to handle someone like Hoshi—the grown ass man who believed he was a tiger.

"I just... I want to tell her how I feel, lately," he continued, his voice trailing with a hint of uncertainty.

"Yeah, you should totally do that," you replied, shoving more food into your mouth, trying to occupy yourself. Stress-eating, maybe. Or maybe you just didn’t want to think about it anymore. You couldn’t exactly change the subject now—it’d be too obvious, too rude.

Dinner continued, but his words lingered in your mind, making everything else feel like background noise. He talked about her for most of the meal, and you nodded along, your responses automatic. But deep down, you couldn’t shake the sinking feeling.

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

As you stepped outside, the rain had started to pour again. Hoshi was quick to pop open the umbrella, and you both squeezed under its small space, your shoulders brushing with each step. The cool air mingled with the warmth radiating between you, and you couldn’t help but notice how close you were.

"You sure you’re okay?" he asked, his eyes flicking over to you with that familiar concern—the kind that always made your heart skip a beat.

"Yeah," you murmured, though the word felt flimsy, insubstantial. You were hyper-aware of his presence, the way his warmth seemed to envelop you in the cool, rainy night.

"You don’t seem like it," he murmured, stopping in his tracks. The rain poured around you, drowning out the noise of the world, leaving only the two of you standing still in the quiet storm.

You looked at him, confused as to why he had stopped so suddenly. He was looking at you differently now, as if waiting for you to say something. Your mind raced, but all you could manage was a simple, "Thanks for treating me tonight." You nudged him playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "And I’m fine," you added with a forced smile.

He studied you for a moment longer, before nodding. "No problem."

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

Hoshi walked you to your door, his usual playful smile hovering at the corner of his lips. But there was something in the way he looked at you, something softer, something almost... hesitant. Or maybe this is just you being delusional.

"Goodnight," he said, his voice unusually quiet, as if something weighed on him.

"Goodnight," you echoed, a lump forming in your throat. You wanted to say something more—anything that would break through the unspoken tension between you—but the words just wouldn’t come.

You stood there, watching as he turned to leave, the rain falling harder now, watching him as he disappeared into the street.

And for the first time, you felt a sense of dread that maybe—just maybe—things were about to change.

The next day, you woke up the next morning, the soft patter of rain lingering as if it hadn’t stopped all night. The memory of last night hung heavy on your mind—Hoshi's words about dating him, the girl he supposedly liked. It left you confused and restless. He was your best friend, but lately, there were feelings bubbling up that you couldn’t ignore.

You sighed, rolling out of bed. You needed a distraction, something to shake off these emotions. Maybe today, you’d figure out your next move.

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

At work, your phone buzzed during lunch. You opened the message to see your friend who had set you up on the blind date.

Friend: "Okay, I know the last one didn’t go so well, but I have someone new for you! Interested?"

Your thoughts instantly flew back to Hoshi's advice from the night before. Maybe you should stop dating. But that wasn’t the solution you were looking for. You were dating for a reason, after all, a reason you hadn’t fully admitted to yourself.

You were dating because of Hoshi.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you thought that if you dated enough people, maybe you’d stop thinking about him. Maybe you’d find someone who could replace those feelings, and everything would be easier. But that hadn’t worked so far. Maybe this next date would be different.

You: "Okay. Set me up."

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

By the afternoon, you had plans for the weekend. Your friend had set you up with Junhui, someone you had heard about but never really known well. He seemed nice, charming, and maybe, just maybe, this could be the distraction you needed.

But the entire time, Hoshi lingered in the back of your mind.

Later that evening, Hoshi texted you, asking if you wanted to grab dinner. Your heart did a strange flip—like it always did when you heard from him. But this time, you hesitated. You didn’t know how to face him after last night, after everything he said. And now, with Junhui in the picture, it felt even more complicated.

Still, you agreed to meet him.

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

The moment you sat down across from Hoshi at your usual spot, you could tell something was off. He wasn’t his usual playful self, and the silence between you was palpable. Maybe he could sense that something had changed between you two as well.

"So," Hoshi finally said, breaking the tension. "How’s the whole dating thing going?"

You swallowed, trying to find the right words. "I actually have a date this weekend."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, and you couldn’t miss the flicker of something—was it jealousy?—in his eyes. You didn't listen to his advice, which made him feel a little disappointed. "With who?"

"Junhui," you answered casually, but inside, you were bracing for his reaction.

Hoshi nodded slowly, his expression hard to read. One that you've never seen him make before when you told him about the dates you were going to. "Oh. That’s cool."

But it wasn’t cool. You could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his smile didn’t reach his eyes. Something in the air between you shifted again, and you wondered if you’d made a mistake.

As the week passed, the awkwardness between you and Hoshi grew. He was distant, not his usual self. But you tried to focus on your upcoming date with Junhui, convincing yourself that it was exactly what you needed to move on from whatever confusing feelings you had for Hoshi.

Meanwhile, Hoshi was struggling with his own emotions. He hadn’t meant to make things weird between you two, but the idea of you dating someone else—especially Junhui—was driving him insane. And the worst part? He couldn’t even tell you.

Every time he mentioned the girl he liked, he was talking about you. He had never actually said your name in the stories he told, and you were always too wrapped up in your own thoughts to realize it. But how could he tell you now, when it seemed like you were moving on?

So he did the only thing he could think of to forget about you: he went on a date too.

On the weekend

You had a great time with Junhui. He was sweet, funny, and everything you’d hope for in a date. But as the night went on, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t stop comparing him to Hoshi.

Still, you pushed those thoughts aside, determined to make the most of the night.

But then, as you were leaving the restaurant with Junhui, you spotted something that made your heart drop.

Hoshi was across the street—with another girl.

Your breath caught in your throat. So this was the girl he had been talking about all this time? The one he liked? You felt a sharp pang of jealousy, one that you couldn’t ignore.

Junhui noticed the sudden change in your demeanor and followed your gaze. "You okay?"

You forced a smile. "Yeah, I’m fine."

But you weren’t. Not at all.

The next few days were a blur. You tried to focus on your work, on Junhui, on anything but Hoshi. But the image of him with that girl kept haunting you, and every time you thought about it, your chest tightened with an uncomfortable mix of jealousy and sadness.

You tried to convince yourself that you didn’t care—that Hoshi was your best friend and nothing more. But you couldn’t lie to yourself any longer. The truth was, you had feelings for him. You had for a long time.

But it was too late now. He was already moving on, just like you had tried to.

The following week, the days stretched longer than usual as you and Hoshi tried to settle into your respective relationships. But no matter how hard you both tried, things weren't falling into place. You found yourself smiling through conversations with Junhui, but your mind was often elsewhere—on Hoshi. And Hoshi? He was doing his best to move forward with the girl he was dating, but you still lingered in his thoughts like a stubborn echo.

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

Hoshi sat across from his date at a cozy café, doing his best to focus on the girl in front of him. She was lovely, with a bright smile and eyes that sparkled when she laughed. But despite how nice she was, his mind kept wandering to you.

"So, how was your day?" she asked, sipping her coffee. Her voice was sweet, but it barely registered.

"It was good," Hoshi replied, forcing a smile. But in his head, he kept replaying the last time he had hung out with you. How different it felt now, how everything seemed heavier between you two. He couldn’t help but wonder if you were thinking about him, too.

"Hoshi?" she asked, snapping him out of his daze.

"Sorry, what?" he blinked, trying to refocus. His date gave him a concerned look.

"I asked how your day was," she repeated, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "You’ve been kind of distracted lately."

"Oh, right," he said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I guess I’ve just been... thinking a lot."

She gave him a small smile, though there was a flicker of something in her eyes. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Hoshi hesitated, knowing full well that what he wanted to talk about was you—but how could he admit that? He was dating this girl to forget about you, to move on from whatever was stirring inside him. But every moment with her just made him think of you more.

"Nah, it’s nothing," he shrugged, trying to shake it off. He needed to focus. This was supposed to help him move on, right? So why did it feel like the more he tried, the harder it became?

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

Later that night, after dinner, Hoshi walked his date to her apartment. The entire evening had been filled with small talk, but nothing felt quite right. He couldn't stop replaying the times he had walked you home, the easy conversations, the way your laughter filled the space between you. The comparison was driving him insane.

As they reached her door, she turned to him, smiling softly. "Thanks for tonight. It was really nice."

Hoshi nodded, trying to keep his thoughts in check. "Yeah, it was."

But as she leaned in to give him a quick kiss goodnight, his mind went completely blank. Instead of her name, the one that slipped from his lips was—

"Y/N..."

The moment the name left his mouth, he froze, his heart dropping. His date pulled back, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Did you just... call me Y/N?" she asked, her voice a mix of confusion and hurt.

Hoshi’s face turned pale, panic surging through him. "I-I didn’t mean—"

She stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "Who is Y/N?"

Hoshi stammered, trying to find a way out of the situation, but the truth was stuck in his throat. He couldn’t lie—his mind was so consumed by thoughts of you that he had forgotten who he was with.

"She’s... just my best friend," he muttered, his voice small. But even as he said it, he realized how much weight those words held. "It was a mistake, I’m sorry."

His date studied him for a moment, her expression softening slightly. "Look, Hoshi, I like you. But if you’re still hung up on someone else... maybe we should talk about this."

Hoshi swallowed hard, guilt twisting in his gut. "I don’t know. I just—"

"Maybe you need to figure out what you really want," she said, cutting him off gently but firmly. "Before you keep dating other people."

He nodded, feeling a wave of regret wash over him. "Yeah, maybe you’re right."

With that, she gave him a small, understanding smile before turning and heading inside, leaving him standing alone on the doorstep. Hoshi stared after her, his mind racing. He had tried so hard to push his feelings for you away, but it was becoming painfully clear that no matter what he did, they weren’t going anywhere.

The next day

Meanwhile, things with Junhui were going smoothly—on the surface. You two had a fun day planned, and you were determined to focus on him, to stop your mind from wandering back to Hoshi.

But that morning, when your phone buzzed with a message from Hoshi asking to meet up later, your heart skipped a beat.

You couldn’t ignore how complicated things were getting. Every time you tried to focus on Junhui, Hoshi was there—whether in your thoughts or in reality. And after last night’s date with Junhui, you couldn’t help but feel a weird sense of guilt. As if you were betraying something between you and Hoshi that wasn’t even defined.

When you met Hoshi that afternoon, the air between you was awkward—more than usual. You sat at a café, nursing your coffee, while Hoshi stirred his drink absentmindedly.

"So... how was your date?" he asked, his tone neutral, though his eyes betrayed something deeper.

You shrugged, trying to keep things light. "It was nice. Junhui’s really sweet."

Hoshi nodded slowly, but the tension in his jaw was hard to miss. "That’s good."

Silence settled over you two, and you could feel the weight of unsaid things pressing down on the conversation. You had no idea that Hoshi had accidentally called his date by your name, or that he had been battling the same complicated feelings as you.

But something was shifting between you, and you both knew it.

"You seem... off," you said cautiously, breaking the silence.

Hoshi looked at you, his gaze lingering for a moment too long. "Yeah, well... things haven’t been going exactly how I thought they would."

You raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. Instead, he gave you a half-hearted smile. "I guess we’re both just... figuring things out."

The words hung between you like an unfinished sentence, and for a brief moment, you wondered if there was more he wanted to say. But before you could ask, Hoshi’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at it, his expression shifting as he read the message.

"Sorry, I’ve got to run," he said, standing up quickly. "We’ll talk later, okay?"

You nodded, feeling a pang of disappointment as he left the café. The tension between you was getting harder to ignore, but neither of you was ready to address it.

Meanwhile, as Hoshi walked away from the café, his mind was racing. He had been so close to telling you how he really felt, but something kept stopping him. Every time he thought about confessing, the fear of ruining everything overwhelmed him. After all, you had shown no interest in him, and with your new relationship with Junhui, it felt like the door was closing on whatever chance he thought he had.

As Hoshi stepped out of the café, he felt his phone buzz again. It was another message from Park Woona. He didn’t think much of it at first, just figuring she was texting to follow up on their plans, but something about the message felt a bit… off.

“Meet me at the place we talked about earlier. We need to talk, now.”

Hoshi blinked at the message, glancing back over his shoulder towards the café where you still sat. A flicker of guilt passed through him, but he told himself he’d explain later. Woona sounded urgent, and given the mess his emotions had become lately, he figured it might be time to talk things out.

Still, as he walked towards the meeting spot, Hoshi couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his chest. Everything with Woona had felt different since the last date. She had seemed distant, and truthfully, so had he. It was all just… complicated.

But the complications only multiplied when he reached the café and saw Woona standing near the entrance, her arms crossed and an unreadable expression on her face.

“You’re late,” she said curtly, her eyes flicking over him as if searching for something.

“I got here as fast as I could. What’s wrong?” Hoshi asked, frowning slightly.

Woona sighed dramatically, stepping closer to him. “I saw you with her.”

Hoshi blinked in confusion. “Her?”

“Y/N,” Woona said, her voice hardening as she spat out your name. “The girl you ditched me for back in high school. The one you’ve been pining after all this time.”

Hoshi’s heart sank. He hadn’t told Woona much about you—just enough for her to know you were his best friend. But clearly, Woona knew more than he had anticipated.

“I wasn’t ditching you for her,” Hoshi started, running a hand through his hair. “We’re just friends.”

Woona’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, right. Friends don’t look at each other like that, Hoshi.”

Hoshi opened his mouth to protest but found himself coming up short. *How did he look at you?* Maybe Woona had seen something he was still trying to figure out himself.

“You know, you always had a thing for her,” Woona continued, her voice laced with bitterness. “Even back in high school. She took everything from me. I worked so hard, and she always ended up on top. And now, even you? Seriously?”

Hoshi’s brows furrowed. “Woona, this isn’t about high school. This is—”

She cut him off. “Oh, it’s about high school, alright. You don’t know the half of it. You might have been too busy pining after her to notice, but she stole my spot on the student council, my grades were always second to hers, and to top it all off, she never even noticed how hard I worked.”

Woona’s voice grew sharper with each word, and Hoshi found himself taken aback. He had no idea the rivalry between you two had run so deep. He barely remembered those old high school days, too wrapped up in his own life to notice the tension between you and Woona.

“And now,” Woona continued, her voice quieter but no less intense, “she’s going to steal you too? Not this time.”

Meanwhile, you sat in the café, staring at the half-empty cup of coffee in front of you. The unease that had been gnawing at you since Hoshi left refused to settle. You tried to brush it off, telling yourself he’d be back soon—but something about the way he had rushed out bothered you.

You pulled out your phone, instinctively checking it for any message from him. But there was nothing.

Your mind wandered back to Hoshi’s behavior over the past few weeks. The awkward conversations, the stolen glances, the way he had acted every time you mentioned Junhui. You couldn’t deny that things between you two had been tense lately, but you chalked it up to the complications of growing up, of balancing friendships and relationships.

But now, with him gone and no explanation as to why, something felt… wrong.

As you absentmindedly scrolled through social media, a picture popped up that made your heart drop to the pit of your stomach. It was a candid shot, posted just minutes ago by someone you vaguely knew from work. The picture was of Hoshi—standing outside a nearby café with none other than Park Woona.

Your chest tightened as you stared at the image. *Woona?* The name rang in your ears like an alarm bell. Memories of high school came rushing back—the rivalry, the competition, and the way Woona always seemed to have it out for you, even when you hadn’t noticed her.

But now? Now it made sense. Hoshi had been acting weird because of her. All this time, the girl he liked, the one he had been describing to you, wasn’t just some random person—it was your co-worker, your rival.

*Of course it’s her*, you thought bitterly, your heart sinking as the realization hit you. *It’s always her*.

Woona smiled to herself as she checked her phone, noticing the picture someone had snapped of her and Hoshi outside the café. She knew you would see it. In fact, she had counted on it.

There was a twisted sense of satisfaction that filled her as she imagined the look on your face when you realized who Hoshi was with. You had always been oblivious to her, even when you were taking everything from her—every victory, every opportunity. But now, Woona had something she knew you couldn’t just brush off.

Hoshi.

He was hers now. And she wasn’t about to let you take him away.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” Woona said sweetly, wrapping her arm around Hoshi’s as they started walking down the street.

Hoshi glanced down at her, still feeling unsettled from their earlier conversation, but he didn’t say anything. He just nodded, allowing her to lead the way. He hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, least of all... you. But now, everything felt like it was spinning out of control.

As they walked, Woona’s eyes flickered with a triumphant gleam. This time, she wouldn’t lose. Not to you.

Back at the café, you set your phone down, your mind racing. The more you thought about it, the more it made sense. Of course, Hoshi had been distant. Of course, things had been weird. He had been seeing her.

Your throat tightened as the weight of the situation hit you. This wasn’t just about some silly rivalry anymore. This was Hoshi—your best friend, the one person you had always relied on. The one person you thought would always be there for you.

But now? Now it felt like you were losing him, too.

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

You sat at the café, fingers drumming anxiously on the table. Your mind raced in circles—Woona, Hoshi, everything that had happened over the past few days. It was all too much. The tension in your chest grew heavier, almost suffocating, until your phone buzzed.

Junhui.

Your heart skipped a beat, but this time it wasn’t out of anxiety. It was a small glimmer of relief.

“Hey, you free?” his text read. “Let’s go to the amusement park.”

You stared at the message, feeling a strange sense of gratitude for Jun. He had been so patient these past few weeks, and maybe a distraction was exactly what you needed. If Hoshi was off having fun with Woona, then why couldn’t you do the same? Maybe spending time with Jun would help push Hoshi further from your mind.

You quickly texted back, agreeing to meet him at the park.

The amusement park was alive with the sounds of laughter and music, and as soon as you stepped inside, you felt a wave of excitement wash over you. Jun was already waiting for you by the entrance, his usual laid-back grin plastered on his face.

“Finally, you’re here!” he called out, waving you over. “I was about to go on all the rides without you.”

You smiled, grateful for the lightness in his tone. “Not a chance. I’m not letting you have all the fun.”

He chuckled as he led the way towards the games, the playful energy between you two easing some of the tension in your chest. You spent the next hour hopping between rides and booths, exchanging playful conversations, and trying to win prizes. Jun’s laughter was contagious, and for the first time that day, you found yourself relaxing.

“So, why were you so stressed earlier?” Jun asked casually as you walked towards the next booth.

You hesitated for a moment, not sure how to explain everything with Hoshi and Woona without sounding ridiculous. “Just… stuff,” you said vaguely, shrugging. “It’s been a weird few days.”

“Well, let’s make sure the rest of today isn’t weird,” Jun replied, nudging you lightly. “We’ll have nothing but fun.”

And you did. As you and Jun hopped from ride to ride, you laughed together, indulged in street food, and for a while, it really did feel like you were finally forgetting about Hoshi.

But then, while wandering through the park, something caught your eye—a small stall filled with plush toys. Your gaze landed on a tiger plushy, sitting proudly on one of the top shelves. A wave of warmth surged through you, followed by a sudden pang in your chest.

Hoshi.

You couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of him insisting he was a tiger. He had always been obsessed with them, even claiming he was part tiger on multiple occasions. The plushy looked exactly like something he’d love. The thought made you smile, but that smile quickly faded as you realized what you were doing.

*Shoot. I’m thinking about him again.*

Just when you thought you were finally moving on, his memory popped back into your head, like it always did.

Jun, who had been standing beside you, noticed the sudden shift in your expression. “What’s funny?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, nothing,” you said, shaking your head and forcing a smile. “Just thought of something silly.”

Jun looked at you curiously for a moment, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he smiled and pointed to the plushy. “Want me to win it for you? I’ve got pretty good aim, you know.”

You laughed softly, grateful for his attempt to lighten the mood. “Sure, go ahead. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

As Jun tried his luck at the game booth, you couldn’t help but glance at the tiger plushy again, the memory of Hoshi lingering in the back of your mind. No matter how hard you tried to forget, he was still there—his presence, his laugh, his dumb tiger obsession—it all lingered like an unshakable shadow.

Junhui smiled proudly as he handed you the tiger plushy. "See? I told you I could win it."

You smiled back, but it felt... wrong. A knot tightened in your chest as you stared at the plushy. It reminded you too much of Hoshi—his tiger obsession, his playful growls, the way he’d flash that goofy grin whenever he mentioned it. The last thing you needed was another reminder of him, especially when you were trying so hard to forget.

But you took the plushy anyway, clutching it in your hands. Jun had won it for you, after all. It didn’t feel right to refuse, even though holding it only stirred up the thoughts you were desperately trying to push away.

As you sat down on a bench, the night sky lit up with the colorful burst of fireworks. The crowd around you oohed and aahed, but the dazzling display didn’t pull you from your thoughts. Your gaze drifted to the tiger plushy on your lap, and before you knew it, your mind had wandered—straight back to Hoshi.

You imagined him standing at the altar, Woona by his side in a wedding dress. You were there too, but as a bridesmaid, watching from the sidelines while the love of your life promised forever to someone else. The thought hit you like a punch to the gut, and before you could stop it, the tears began to fall.

First, just one. Then another. Until suddenly, your cheeks were soaked. It wasn’t just a few tears—your eyes had turned into waterfalls, and each drop splashed onto the tiger plushy sitting in your lap. You were sobbing, right in the middle of an amusement park, during a fireworks show, on a date with Junhui.

*Get it together*, you thought, but no matter how hard you tried, the tears wouldn’t stop.

When Jun came back, holding two drinks in his hands, his expression shifted instantly. Concern etched across his face as he hurried over, setting the drinks down beside you. He didn’t say anything right away, but he didn’t have to. He just knelt in front of you and offered his handkerchief.

"Here," he said softly.

You wiped at your face, embarrassed beyond words. *Crying? Really?* But the more you wiped, the more tears seemed to fall. The tiger plushy was soaked now, and so were your cheeks.

Jun sat down beside you, his hand gently patting your back as he let the silence stretch between you. The fireworks crackled and boomed overhead, but it was like they weren’t even there. All that existed in that moment was your racing thoughts, the plushy in your hands, and the overwhelming weight of your feelings.

“I know you like Hoshi,” Junhui said quietly.

You froze, the words hanging in the air like the last firework still sparkling in the sky. You didn’t even look at him, your eyes wide as the confession lingered between you both. Had he really known all along? You tried to say something—anything—but your voice caught in your throat.

Jun smiled, not out of amusement, but a kind, knowing smile. “It’s okay. I knew from the start.”

You blinked, still stunned, and finally looked at him. He wasn’t angry or upset. He just... understood. And that made everything hurt even more.

“I—” you began, but your voice cracked. You wiped away another tear, trying to find the right words. “I didn’t mean to use you, Jun. I really didn’t. I just—”

“You needed a distraction,” he finished for you, his tone gentle and understanding. “I get it.”

You stared at him, trying to figure out how he could be so calm, so accepting, when you felt so torn up inside. “I’m sorry,” you whispered, feeling the weight of guilt pressing down on your chest.

Jun shook his head, his hand still resting on your back in a comforting gesture. “You don’t need to apologize. I’ve always known. I could tell from the first time we met that your heart wasn’t in it. Not with me.”

You opened your mouth to argue, to deny it, but you couldn’t. Because deep down, you knew he was right. From the very beginning, it had always been Hoshi. No matter how many dates you went on, no matter how many times you tried to push those feelings away, it always came back to him.

Jun sighed softly and leaned back on the bench, staring up at the night sky. “This wasn’t really a date for me either,” he admitted, a soft smile playing on his lips. “I just wanted to cheer you up.”

You felt a lump form in your throat at his words. “Jun…”

He turned his head to look at you, his eyes warm and full of understanding. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain anything. I just wanted you to have a good time tonight, to help you get your mind off things.”

You were silent for a moment, letting his words sink in. Jun had always been so kind, so patient, even when you didn’t deserve it. And now, sitting there with him, you realized just how lucky you were to have him as a friend.

“Thank you,” you said softly, your voice barely above a whisper.

Jun smiled and patted your back again. “Anytime. But…” He glanced at the tiger plushy in your lap, his smile turning a little playful. “I’m guessing that tiger isn’t helping much, huh?”

You couldn’t help but laugh, even through the tears. “Not really.”

He chuckled too, and for a moment, the heaviness in your chest felt a little lighter. “Don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll figure it out. And when you do, I’ll be here. Whether it’s as a friend, or whatever you need.”

You smiled at him, genuinely this time, feeling a wave of gratitude wash over you. “Thanks, Jun. Really.”

Jun stood up and stretched, glancing back at the still-bright fireworks in the sky. “Well, how about we forget about all this for now and go win some more plushies? I promise not all of them will remind you of Hoshi.”

You laughed again, and this time, it felt good.

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

Junhui drove you home, and as the car pulled away, you stood at the entrance of your house, watching until his taillights disappeared down the street. You sighed softly, a small smile tugging at your lips. Somehow, even with all the emotional turmoil you’d been through, things felt just a little lighter. Talking with Jun had lifted a weight off your shoulders, but despite that, there was still an unsettling feeling. Hoshi—he was still on your mind.

I have to move on, you thought, turning the key in the lock. He’s with Woona now, and she’s the one he’s meant to be with. You repeated that to yourself, but no matter how many times you said it, it didn’t feel any easier.

Meanwhile, across town, Hoshi was sitting in a dimly lit bar with Woona. The atmosphere was cozy, the air filled with the soft murmur of conversations and the occasional clink of glasses. Woona, looking effortlessly elegant, tried to draw his attention with her playful smiles and lingering glances. But Hoshi, the easygoing guy, was completely oblivious to her attempts. He was a sucker for charm, sure, but only when it came to you.

Woona leaned closer, her voice smooth as she asked, “So, what was your day like?”

Hoshi blinked at her, his thoughts scattered. *What was my day like?* He couldn't even remember. All he could think about was you, and the fact that you were probably off having a great time with Junhui. He chuckled softly to himself at the thought, not even noticing the confused look Woona shot him.

“Uh... Hoshi?” she said, trying to bring him back to the present.

“Hmm?” He blinked and glanced at her, his smile fading as he realized he had zoned out for the hundredth time that night. “Oh... yeah, sorry. My day was... fine.”

Woona bit her lip in frustration, sensing that his mind was elsewhere, and not with her. She wasn’t stupid—she knew where his thoughts were drifting, and it made her chest tighten. It was shitty. But still, she wasn’t ready to give up, not when she had come this far.

She took a sip of her wine, trying to think of another way to engage him. “You know,” she said with a soft laugh, “I’ve always thought it was cute how you never seem to get too drunk.”

Hoshi gave her a half-smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He picked up his own glass and took a sip, hoping the wine would help him relax, but all it did was make him feel more disconnected from the moment.

Woona, sensing the distance growing between them, decided to be more assertive. She moved closer to him, her arm brushing against his. She leaned in, her voice dropping to a low, sultry tone. “You know, Hoshi, we could have a really good time tonight... if you just let go.”

Hoshi felt the heat of her words, but they barely registered. His mind was too full of you—your smile, your laugh, the way you made him feel like no one else ever had. And the more he tried to focus on Woona, the more wrong it felt.

Woona noticed his lack of response and frowned. *Why isn’t this working?* She thought, growing frustrated. She leaned in even closer, this time reaching out to rest her hand on his arm. “Hoshi... are you even listening to me?”

He blinked and looked at her, but instead of Woona’s face, all he could see was you—your bright eyes, your teasing grin, the way you would always joke around with him. It was as if his brain refused to let go, no matter how hard he tried. He chuckled again, this time louder, as the absurdity of it hit him. *I’m sitting here on a date with Woona, but all I can think about is Y/N with Junhui.*

Woona, clearly irritated by his distraction, sighed. “What’s so funny?”

Hoshi shook his head, still chuckling to himself. “Nothing, it’s just... I keep thinking about how Junhui is probably making Y/N laugh right now. He’s always been good at that.”

The moment those words slipped out, Woona’s smile vanished. She stiffened beside him, her frustration boiling over. *There it is again*, she thought bitterly. *It’s always about her*.

But she wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Desperate to regain his attention, Woona moved even closer, her arm now fully wrapped around his. She leaned in, her lips dangerously close to his ear. “Forget about her, Hoshi,” she whispered, her voice dripping with forced sweetness. “I’m right here.”

Hoshi didn’t respond, his gaze drifting away as his thoughts once again wandered back to you. But this time, Woona wasn’t going to let it slide. She grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her, and before he could react, her lips were on his, kissing him deeply.

For a moment, Hoshi didn’t move. His brain short-circuited, overwhelmed by the suddenness of it all. But even in the midst of the kiss, all he could think about was you. It didn’t feel right—none of it did. And the longer the kiss went on, the more wrong it felt.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Hoshi pulled away. His breath was shaky, his heart racing, but not in the way it should have been. He put as much space between them as he could, his eyes wide with confusion and guilt.

Woona stared at him, her chest rising and falling with her heavy breathing. She looked stunned, almost hurt. “Hoshi...?”

He shook his head, running a hand through his hair as he tried to make sense of the mess he had just created. “I... I can’t do this, Woona,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Woona’s eyes widened, her heart sinking. She had seen this coming, but hearing it out loud still hurt. She sighed, a heavy, defeated sound, and leaned back in her seat. “You can’t stop thinking about her, can you?”

Hoshi bit his lip and shook his head, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him. “No... I can’t. I’ve tried, but...”

Woona stared at him for a long moment, her eyes searching his face for something—anything—that might give her hope. But there was nothing there. She could see it in the way he looked at her, or rather, the way he didn’t look at her. She wasn’t the one he wanted. She never had been.

A sad smile tugged at the corners of Woona’s lips. “I should’ve known,” she said softly, more to herself than to him. “I should’ve known from the beginning that there was no place for me in your heart.”

Hoshi looked at her, his heart heavy with guilt. “Woona, I’m sorry... I really am.”

Woona let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Hoshi. You can’t help who you love.” She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. “But it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Hoshi hung his head, his hands gripping the edge of the table as he tried to find the right words. “I... I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know,” Woona said quietly. “But that doesn’t change anything, does it?”

The silence between them was thick with tension, and for a long moment, neither of them said anything. Hoshi opened his mouth to apologize again, but Woona held up a hand to stop him.

“Don’t,” she said, her voice firm but not unkind. “You don’t need to keep apologizing. I get it now.”

She stood up, straightening her dress as she prepared to leave. Hoshi looked up at her, his eyes filled with regret. “Woona...”

But she just smiled, a sad, resigned smile, and shook her head. “Take care of yourself, Hoshi. And... go to her. Don’t waste any more time.”

With that, Woona turned and walked away, leaving Hoshi sitting alone at the table, his heart heavier than ever.

------------------~~~~~~~~------------------

Hoshi stood in front of your house, staring at the door. His breath fogged in the cool night air, but it wasn’t the chill that was making his hands tremble—it was the thought of what he was about to do. What if Junhui was there? That was the question that echoed in his mind, but he forced himself to shake it off. He was here now, and it was too late to turn back.

He had already called a cab for Woona earlier and made sure she got home safely. She had been quiet the whole ride, no more attempts to cling to him, no more words to sway him. In a way, it was a relief, but it also left him with this unsettling feeling in his chest. Guilt, he realized. He didn’t like the idea of leaving things the way they had ended with Woona, but deep down, he knew there was no other choice. He couldn’t keep lying to her—or to himself.

Now, standing here in the dim glow of the streetlight outside your door, Hoshi felt more nervous than he had in years. He rubbed his palms together, trying to warm them, but no amount of friction could calm the nerves buzzing under his skin. His heart pounded as he raised his hand to knock, but for a second, he hesitated.

*What if she doesn’t feel the same?*

It was a real possibility. After all, you had Junhui. And from what he had heard, things were going well between you two. Maybe you were happy. Maybe you had finally moved on. The thought made his chest ache in a way he couldn’t describe, but he swallowed the lump in his throat. Even if you rejected him, at least he could say that he had tried. At least he wouldn’t have to wonder what if anymore.

He took a deep breath and knocked.

There was a long pause. No sound from inside. Hoshi waited, his hands growing colder by the second. The anxious thoughts in his mind started to spin, but before he could talk himself out of it, he heard movement from behind the door.

The door opened slightly, and there you were, standing in the warm glow of your hallway light. You looked surprised, your eyes widening a little as you took in the sight of Hoshi standing on your doorstep.

“H-Hoshi?” you stammered, stepping forward. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled nervously, his hands shoved deep into his coat pockets. “I, uh... I needed to talk to you.”

You blinked, clearly taken aback by his sudden appearance. For a moment, neither of you said anything, the tension hanging heavy in the air. Finally, you stepped aside and gestured for him to come in.

Hoshi hesitated for a second, then nodded and stepped through the doorway. The warmth of your house hit him immediately, but it didn’t do much to ease the chill in his chest. He stood awkwardly in the entrance, unsure of where to start.

You closed the door behind him, your gaze lingering on his face. Something was off about him. You could see it in the way he was standing, the way his eyes kept darting around like he didn’t know what to say.

“So...” you said slowly, crossing your arms as you leaned against the doorframe. “What’s going on?”

Hoshi opened his mouth to respond, but the words caught in his throat. How was he supposed to tell you everything he had been holding in? He had practiced it in his head a hundred times, but now that he was here, standing in front of you, none of it seemed right.

“I... I’ve been thinking,” he started, his voice quiet, almost hesitant. “About... everything.”

Your eyebrows furrowed, and you tilted your head slightly. “What do you mean?”

Hoshi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean... about us. About how things have been between us lately.”

He glanced at you, and for a split second, he saw something flash across your face—something that looked an awful lot like relief. But it was gone before he could really process it, and you just nodded, encouraging him to go on.

“I know I haven’t been around as much,” he continued, his voice growing steadier now. “And I know you’ve been with Junhui, and I—” He paused, his chest tightening at the thought of you and Jun together. “I know I don’t have any right to say this, but...”

You stood there in silence, your heart beating faster with each word. There was something in the way Hoshi was speaking that made your own nervousness grow. You had tried so hard to forget about him, to bury those feelings deep down where they couldn’t hurt you anymore. But seeing him here, standing in your house and talking like this—it was undoing all the progress you thought you’d made.

“But I need to tell you how I feel,” Hoshi said finally, his voice barely more than a whisper now. “I’ve tried to ignore it. I’ve tried to pretend that I’m fine, that I can just move on. But I can’t. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Your breath hitched in your throat. This was exactly what you had wanted to hear for so long, but now that the words were actually coming out of his mouth, you didn’t know how to respond. You felt a knot tighten in your chest as the weight of his confession sank in.

“I know you’re with Jun,” Hoshi added quickly, his hands balling into fists in his pockets. “And I don’t want to mess things up for you. I just... I needed to tell you the truth. I couldn’t keep pretending that I didn’t care, because I do. I care more than I should.”

Silence filled the room, the kind that felt too heavy to break. You could feel your pulse racing, your mind scrambling for something to say, but nothing felt right. The weight of the situation was crashing down on you all at once, and you weren’t sure how to handle it.

Hoshi shifted on his feet, clearly growing more anxious with each passing second. “Look, if you’re happy with Junhui, I get it. I really do. And if you don’t feel the same way, that’s oka—”

“I do.” The words tumbled out of your mouth before you could stop them. Your voice was shaky, your heart pounding in your chest. “I do feel the same.”

Hoshi froze. His eyes widened in surprise, and for a second, neither of you moved. The silence that followed your sudden confession was thick, heavy with the weight of what you’d just admitted. You hadn’t planned to say it, not like this, not so suddenly. But the moment he tried to walk away, something in you couldn’t let him. You couldn’t let him think that you didn’t care—that you hadn’t been feeling the same way all along.

“I do,” you repeated, your voice quieter this time, but no less filled with emotion. “I... I’ve been trying to move on, but I can’t. I tried with Jun, but... it’s always been you.”

Hoshi’s breath caught in his throat. He blinked, still processing your words, his mind racing to catch up. His heart was hammering now, louder than before, and he could barely believe what he was hearing.

“You don’t know how many nights I stayed awake thinking about this,” you continued, your words stumbling over each other, unsure but insistent. “About you. About us. And it scared me because I didn’t want to ruin what we had, but—”

You paused, trying to steady your breathing. Your thoughts were spinning, emotions running wild, but you knew you couldn’t stop now. The truth was finally out, and there was no turning back.

“I didn’t want to lose you, Hoshi. And I didn’t know what to do when I saw you with Woona, so I ran away from it. I thought maybe I could move on, but it didn’t work. It never works, because... because it’s you.”

The vulnerability in your voice cut through the tension like a knife. Hoshi just stared at you, his mind reeling, his body frozen. For so long, he had been holding onto this hope, and now—now you were saying the very thing he had been too afraid to wish for.

“You... you really feel the same?” he whispered, his voice barely audible, as if he was still afraid that this might all be a dream.

You nodded, swallowing the lump in your throat. “Yes. I’ve tried to push it down, but I can’t anymore. I’m tired of pretending.”

Hoshi took a step closer, his eyes locked on yours, searching for any hint of hesitation. But there was none. Only the raw, unfiltered truth that neither of you could hide any longer.

His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but for the first time, he found himself at a loss for words. All this time, he had been so scared of ruining things between you two. But now, hearing you say that you felt the same—it was like every wall he had built around his heart was crumbling.

“I... I don’t know what to say,” he admitted softly, his voice cracking slightly. “I never thought...”

You gave him a small, shaky smile. “I never thought I’d say it either.”

The silence stretched between you, but this time it wasn’t suffocating—it was thick with emotions neither of you had the courage to express until now. There were no words left that could capture what both of you were feeling, but in that moment, none were needed.

The room fell into a deep, comforting silence as the weight of your confession lingered in the air. Both of you were standing there, exchanging soft, almost shy smiles, like two teenagers experiencing their first taste of love. Hoshi took a step forward, bringing himself close enough that you could feel the warmth radiating from his body. His eyes were locked onto yours, filled with a tender mixture of awe and longing.

His hand reached out, hesitant at first, but then gently cupping your cheek. You leaned into his touch without even thinking, the softness of his hand making your heart race. There was something so right about this moment-something you both had been denying for far too long.

Hoshi's voice was low, barely above a whisper as he asked, "Can I kiss you?"

Your breath caught in your throat, but you nodded without hesitation. The answer had always been yes.

Slowly, almost cautiously, he leaned in. The space between you seemed to disappear in an instant, and then his lips met yours in a kiss that was both soft and full of emotion. It was like the release of all the tension that had built between you over the years—every unspoken word, every hidden feeling pouring out in that single kiss.

His arms slid around your waist, pulling you closer, and you melted into him. The kiss deepened, becoming more urgent, more needy as the heat between you grew. His lips moved with yours in perfect sync, as if this had always been meant to happen. It wasn't even the first time you've kissed him. Over the past years of your friendship, you remember kissing him as a dare back then. But this, this was different. It was as if your problems washed away in the blink of an eye.

In the back of your mind, you knew where this was leading, but it didn't scare you. There was no awkwardness, no doubt-only the overwhelming need to be close to him, to feel him in every way possible.

He pulled you gently towards the couch, lips never leaving yours, and you let him. The world outside ceased to exist as you sank down together, his hands exploring your body with a tenderness that sent shivers down your spine. The heat between you was undeniable, and soon, it wasn't just your lips that were communicating-it was every part of you.

He pulled you to his lap, while you straddled on him, the kiss remained, leaving you both breathless.

And little by little clothes fell away, hands roamed freely, and the quiet sounds of your shared breaths filled the room. Every touch, every movement was deliberate, slow, as if both of you were savoring this moment that had been a long time coming.

Hoshi's lips trailed down your neck, his hands never leaving your skin, and you couldn't help the soft moan that escaped your lips. It was as if years of pent-up emotions were finally being released, and nothing else mattered but him.

The way he'd touch your breasts, and suck your neck, and his other hand travelling at your back. He was giving you every attention he could. The way you shared your bare bodies, it felt ethereal.

The love-making wasn't rushed, it was slow, tender, and filled with all the things you hadn't been able to say out loud. Each kiss, each caress, was a silent confession, a way to tell him what words could not. Hoshi was gentle, attentive, as if he was memorizing every inch of you, and in return, you gave yourself to him fully.

His hard cock was bulging from his pants, as his hands found it's way to the fabric of your pajama. He pulled it down and effortlessly removed your panties, his fingers capturing and rubbing your clit. Everything was slow, as if he was teasing you, or maybe it was because he had waited for this very moment. The way his fingers enter your folds, you moaned in delight. He loved hearing those beautiful sounds you make.

With his fingers moving in and out of you, slowly but attentively, you were practically breathless. "You're doing well," Hoshi whispered, giving you kisses on your cheek, trying to show you his love and affection. You were wet down below. So wet that Hoshi's pants were soaked with your fluids. His fingers moved faster, making you bury your face on his shoulder, your moans high-pitched as he felt you walls tighten within his fingers. He continued fastly, his fingers reaching to that one good spot.

Soon enough, you came before you even knew it. "Well done, baby," he complimented as he took his fingers out of your drenched pussy. He gave you a kiss on your lips, and you deepened that. While your hands were unbuttoning his pants. He let you, and as soon as he was also bare naked, you aligned yourself to his cock, you were sitting on his lap afterall, so you shifted your hips, the tip of his cock on your clit. You stroked him with your hand a few times, making him grunt in pleasure. But when you finally sat on him, making you let out a breath you were holding earlier.

This was far from the feeling when you felt him with his fingers. This was larger, causing your folds to stretch. It didn't hurt a lot though, but your eyes watered from the pleasure you were feeling.

"Baby... keep moving," he said, and you did. You thrusted your hips against him, the slapping of your skins and your moans the only sounds heard from the room.

The way your hips are moving like you never thought they do, and you pussy swallowing him well were all too good. The friction was making you come again, but Hoshi stopped you, he wanted to come together. He lifted you up, but his cock remained inside you and he brought you to your bed, laying you there while you were underneath him. He then thrusted his hips onto yours, your sounds loud and lewd and your fingers digging onto his shoulders.

He thrusted hard and fast, almost too desperate, the way you tightened around him made him want to erect right then and there. "Baby, let's have kids," he muttered, grunting and breathing fastly when finally, you both reached your climax. His semen coating your walls.

It was a moment suspended in time, a culmination of everything that had been building between you for years. And when it was over, the room was filled with the soft sounds of your breathing, your bodies tangled together, both of you basking in the aftermath of something that felt so right, so inevitable.

Hoshi's arms were still wrapped around you, and as you lay there together, the weight of your feelings settled comfortably between you. There was no need to say anything—no need to rush. for now, it was enough to simply be with him, to feel the warmth of his skin against yours and know that this was only the beginning.

The soft glow of the moonlight filtered in through the curtains, casting gentle shadows across the room. The air between you and Hoshi was heavy with the events of your shared moment—an undeniable sense of intimacy and relief, yet there was also something fragile in the quietness that followed.

You lay in his arms, your head resting on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Hoshi’s hand absentmindedly traced patterns along your back, and every touch sent a comforting warmth through you. It was peaceful, but your mind couldn’t help but wander, thoughts swirling around the events that led to this.

You could feel his breath against your hair, the rise and fall of his chest, and you knew he was thinking too. Everything between you had changed tonight, and while there was comfort in finally being together, there was also a looming uncertainty about what would come next.

Hoshi broke the silence first, his voice soft and a little unsure. “Are you okay?”

The question seemed simple enough, but the weight of it settled in your chest. Were you okay? You felt raw and exposed, as if all the walls you had built over the years had come crumbling down in a matter of hours.

You looked up at him, meeting his gaze. His eyes were searching, filled with a mix of concern and hope, and you knew he was wondering the same thing as you—whether this moment could be the start of something real or if it was just a fleeting connection.

“I don’t know,” you admitted quietly, the honesty of your words hanging in the air between you. “It all feels like a dream.”

Hoshi’s grip around you tightened slightly, as if grounding you in reality. He nodded, his own expression softening. “I get that. I’ve been… thinking about this, about us, for so long. I didn’t know if it was real either.”

There was a long pause before he spoke again, his voice more tentative. “But it is, right? This is real?”

Your chest tightened at the vulnerability in his question. Hoshi had always been so full of energy and confidence, but right now, he seemed almost uncertain, as if he was afraid you might pull away from him again.

You reached up, cupping his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin against your palm. “It is real,” you whispered, the words feeling both like a confirmation for him and a reassurance for yourself.

He let out a breath, one you didn’t even realize he had been holding, and leaned into your touch. There was relief in his eyes, but also something else—something deeper that lingered just beneath the surface.

But before you could speak again, the reality of everything started to sink in. The complications. Woona. Jun. The tangled mess of emotions you had both been avoiding for so long.

Hoshi must have sensed the shift in your thoughts because he spoke up again, his voice quiet but firm. “I don’t know what happens next,” he admitted, “but… I know one thing. I can’t go back to pretending that I don’t feel this way about you.”

His confession hit you hard, sending a rush of warmth through your chest. But it also brought back the reality of the situation. There was so much to figure out, so many things left unsaid—especially about Woona.

“She’s going to hate me,” you murmured, almost to yourself, as the guilt began to gnaw at the edges of your thoughts. Woona had been your rival for so long, and even though you hadn’t meant for it to happen, you couldn’t help but feel like you had crossed a line with Hoshi.

Hoshi sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know. But… it was never going to work between us. Not when I’ve been in love with you this whole time.”

His words made your heart skip a beat, and for a moment, the room seemed to still. He hadn’t just said he liked you. He said love. And hearing him say it out loud made everything feel more intense, more real than before.

Your throat tightened, the emotions building up inside you. “Hoshi, I—”

Before you could respond, his lips brushed against your forehead, a soft kiss that seemed to hold all the words he couldn’t say. “You don’t have to say anything,” he murmured. “Not right now.”

But the weight of those words hung between you both. There was no escaping it anymore. What you had just experienced was more than just a physical connection. It was years of hidden feelings, unresolved tension, and now, the undeniable truth that neither of you could ignore.

You snuggled closer to him, letting the warmth of his body comfort you for now, even as your mind raced with thoughts of what came next. The night was quiet again, but the complications of reality were slowly creeping back in.

Tomorrow, you would both have to face the world outside this room. You would have to face Woona. You would have to face your own tangled emotions and the fact that moving on wouldn’t be as simple as you had once thought.

But for now, in this moment, you let yourself get lost in the comfort of being with him, knowing that whatever came next, you wouldn’t be facing it alone.

—aeya here!: i made this for like, 2 days and it reached to 11'507 words so like... idk, maybe i should shorten it to make more smut. i figured you all wanted the smut parts sooo.... yeah... nvm, this is more of an angst. lol i hoped yall enjoyed this one. im also a hoshi 🐯 stan so i wanted to make this after the jeonghan ff. (honestly though, you can't have one or two stans in svt. we stan them all 😎)

—your likes/reblogs are very much appreciated because it makes up all the writers block and complications that i've been through while writing this one 🥹, knowing you guys liking the story are making my heart flutter. love y'all!!!

—have you guys heard about the nth room in telegram happening here in korea? stay safe children, 언니, and ladies. and to those who were a victim to this, i hope you all recover from the emotional / trauma. let's spread awareness ♡ 서로 돕자!