#Rated K+ / PG

[jimilter]

the ferrari guy | jjk.

You hire an assistant – and Jeon Jungkook loses his mind. Is that irrational of him? Not when the guy you’ve chosen flirts like a hooker, looks like a runway model and dresses like he’s Giorgio Armani himself. 

pairing: jungkook x reader rating: pg-15 genre: humor | fluff | chaebol!au | fwb!au | ceo!jungkook warnings: swearing + implied sex + jealousy + insecurity + a certain loml charming everyone’s pants off <3 word count: 3 k note:  helloooo fam! i am alive and still writing apparently lmao. jimilter is still a safe space, a wonderful escape from real life and i have no plans of quitting this in near or far future (: no comments on the occasional disappearances tho bec real life has been hectic af! anyways, enjoy this humorous lil drabble from jk's pov (set between part 3 & 4) while i work on the massive angst in part 5! <3

— masterlist | feedback!

↝ the damsel & her knight ⁘ 01 02 03 [3.5] 04 05

On Thursday evening, while leaving work, Jeon Jungkook finds a flashy, bright red Ferrari convertible blocking his car in the parking lot of his office. An office in a building his father owns. 

Needless to say, he is beyond mad.

"Who the heck even drives a Ferrari in our company?" he barks into the phone, scowling when his secretary gives an exasperated sigh.

"President ma'am interviewed some people today, sir. Maybe it's one of the candidate's cars?" 

"What kind of a douchy person comes to a job interview in a convertible?" Jungkook is still scowling at the vermillion vehicle when his brain catches up with the rest of the information Haeri imparted. His mouth dropping open, he raises his free hand up in front of his face, as if to stop time. "Hold on – did you say President ma'am?"

"Uh, yes, si—"

"She interviewed people? Why? What for?" he cuts his secretary off, frowning.

"She is hiring an assistant, sir."

"Wha—why does she need an assistant?"

Haeri is quiet for a while. Then she clears her throat. "I would suggest you to not ask her this, sir."

Jungkook sighs. Haeri is always so straightforward with him. Sometimes a bit too straightforward. But she’s always guiding him around making stupid decisions, and maybe that is why he's had her in his office for nearly two years now. The longest he’s had a secretary ever since he joined the company as the CEO. 

There’s also the fact that Haeri actually has a boyfriend and is immune to all of Jungkook’s charm… Not that he’s actually tried them on her, per se. He’s been otherwise occupied in that department for a while. Very happily and proudly so. 

Clearing his throat, "Yeah, sorry," he grumbles to the girl, turning around to eye the offensive car again. "I'm texting you the license plate number, will you make an announcement on Prez's floor?"

"Sir, I—"

"Good. Thanks, Haeri, you're a gem!"

Even as a security guard comes and removes the obstructing vehicle within minutes and Jungkook is free to leave, his mind doesn’t feel settled. At all. He isn’t sure what it is that irks him about you hiring an assistant, but it is something for sure. Maybe he fears you’d pay him even lesser attention at work than the scant amount you do now. Maybe he thinks you won’t need his help with the integrated Firewall-VPN project anymore. Maybe he… Well, he isn't sure.

But something about this just usettles him. Which is what has him texting you close to midnight, casually dropping his question without offending you with a ‘why’ just like Haeri instructed him to.

↪ hey prez ↪ heard you’re hiring an assistant?

Your reply comes exactly ninety-four seconds later. Yes, he counts.

You heard that in the middle of the night?

He bites his lip, rubbing his reddening cheeks against the cold cotton of his pillow in embarrassment, but doesn’t lose hope because you’re still typing.

I have actually already had the interviews today The guy joins tomorrow You wanna drop by with a welcome gift basket? :)

His glare stays fixed on the little, taunting smile for a long while, before it moves to the word ‘guy’ in your text. You’ve hired a guy assistant.

Jungkook wonders if the bile suddenly roiling in his stomach has any correlation with the explicit images his brain suddenly conjures up of you and a faceless male making out in your office.

God, he’s going insane.

The next morning, Jungkook is barging into Yoongi's office with a frown. "Prez hired an assistant."

Min Yoongi very slowly looks up from his computer screen, gaze wary. "Good morning to you too, Jeon. I’m doing well, thanks for asking.”

Jungkook ignores the man’s sarcasm and instead drops into one of the couches placed on one side of his office, groaning. “It’s a guy.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Head whipping up faster than the blink of an eye, Jungkook gapes at your Creative Director. “You have heard?”

Yoongi gives him a tired look. “My office is on the same floor as hers, Jeon. I have more than just heard.”

“Have you seen the guy?” he quickly rushes out, wide eyes boring into Yoongi’s disinterested ones.

“Met him. Kid’s jovial and efficient. She’s gonna love him.”

What? Jungkook stalks up to Yoongi’s table with a scowl. “Kid?”

“Oh, he’s probably older than you.”

“Jovial?”

“Yeah, always got a smile on his face; not a word out of his mouth without giggles.”

Giggles? Jungkook's pinky finger twitches in irritation because giggling is supposed to be his thing. How dare you.

“And he's really freaking efficient too, man." Yoongi continues when Jungkook has stayed quiet for too long. "He's got a typing speed of 96 wpm, can speak five languages, is capable of charming every guest with a grin and some sweet words—oh! And he’s quick on his feet! Delivered five coffees on two different floors with the steam still coming out of the cups.” Yoongi has a fond, dreamy look on his face, and if it wasn’t for the wedding band on his finger, Jungkook would have assumed the guy has fallen in love with your new assistant.

Which doesn’t sit well with Jungkook at all. Teeth gritted and fists clenched, he gazes out of the glass doors of Yoongi’s office to yours. 

You aren’t in, yet. Should he pay your oh-so-wonderful assistant a visit before you are?

You’d surely have his head if you catch him threatening the dude – not that he plans on it; he just feels like he might – but it’s a risk he is very much willing to take.

And so, over Yoongi’s protests, Jungkook marches out of the guy’s office and, crossing the long corridor, lands at yours.

There’s an additional table placed perpendicular to yours within the glass cabin and Jungkook wishes he had laser vision so he could incinerate the damn thing in its place. He looks around the office for the guy of the hour, grunting at the small trinkets he finds adorning the new table.

Who keeps a freaking potted plant on a desk? What if it fell off and died?

Jungkook doubts this guy is as efficient as Yoongi talked about him being. He chokes in the middle of the accompanying scoff, though, because his eyes suddenly locate, well, keys.

Sleek, black, no bigger than a matchbox, with a silver, galloping horse engraved on the obviously custom made leather surface. Keys to a Ferrari. What are the odds?

“Ma’am, you’re in earl—oh…”

Jungkook twists on heels at the voice, coming face to face with a guy that honestly doesn’t look much older than him despite what Yoongi said. His eyes are wide and lips rounded, brown hair brushed off his forehead to display the perfect arch to his thick eyebrows. He wears a – Jungkook hates to admit – gorgeously tailored dark brown suit that Jungkook knows to be Armani because he just made the same purchase a week back.

The guy, simply put, doesn't look assistant-material at all. He could be on Vogue's cover with those plump lips and shapely eyes of his. Or perhaps pose for swimsuit commercials with that bubble butt. Or walk the ramp for Armani, Patek Philippe or Chanel, given the brands Jungkook can spot on him.

But he isn't in any of those places – he is here, in your office, as your assistant.

“Good morning, sir!” he suddenly exclaims, and here’s the jollity Yoongi talked about. “You must be Mr. Jeon, the CEO?”

Jungkook gives him a jilted nod, hating the flawless mannerism the guy displays and the accompanying subconscious twitch his lips give in response, and inches back towards the door. “Um, yeah… I was just leaving…”

Your assistant’s smile falls and a concerned look overtakes his face. “But you just got here?”

And something about the innocent pout with which he looks at Jungkook has him rooted to the place. In wonder? Confusion? Shock?

Awe?

He can't freaking tell.

“I can get you some coffee, if you’d like? Everyone’s been telling me I brew a killer espresso!” He flashes a proud smile while Jungkook just helplessly gapes. “I can also get you some snacks? Sandwiches? Cookies? Ooh, would you like some pastries? Our office canteen has some amazing Danishes, would you like one? Ah, your forehead is all misty. Here!”

Before Jungkook can react, the guy is in his face with a tissue, dabbing the sweat away from Jungkook’s arched eyebrows. His smile is blinding, dear God, Jungkook cannot articulate a single word out of the storming confusion in his head. Since when do men have such pouty lips? 

When he steps back, he immediately gestures to a couch. “Make yourself comfortable, sir! May I lower the temperature? You still haven’t said what you need.”

Finally, finally able to collect his thoughts, Jungkook releases a long exhale. 

Who the actual fuck is this guy? A witch? A siren?

Jungkook needs to get out of here and he needs to talk to you.

“Uh, no, thank you, none of that. I, um, I’m good.” Quickly flashing the guy a tight lipped smile, Jungkook slips out of the doors. “I came to see Prez, but she's obviously not here, so… I’ll – I'llcome back later. Good day.”

Even as Jungkook immediately storms out of the office and rushes to the elevators to hurry back to his own floor, your assistant calls out a very happy sounding, “You have the best day, sir!”

Well-mannered, fashionable, charming in a very alarming way. Dude literally had him gaping for a whole minute with his head pretty damn empty. Jungkook's head is never empty.

This guy is so weird and… dangerous. Where did you find him?

And, in fact, why did he come here?

The guy's obviously rich, given all the brands he wears like second skin, so why the heck does he want to work as your assistant? In the same office as you?

Jungkook roughly swallows as the images he conjured last night make a return to his head – this time, with your assistant’s regrettably very handsome face on the previously faceless guy you were making out with. 

He wants to punch a wall.

What he does, instead, is shoot off a text to his secretary, telling her he isn’t feeling well and is going back home. And then another one to you, asking you to pay him a visit tonight. And possibly stay the night because he bought some extra alcohol.

He hasn’t, but the first stop he makes after leaving the office will be to pick up some expensive red wine.

Everytime Jungkook pulls out of you, spent and sweaty and satisfied, after the deed is done, he is left in disbelief. Every single time. Is this really happening? Are you really sleeping with him? Do you actually feel attracted to his body?

He is smart enough to not delude himself into thinking there's more to it, but it doesn't matter because whatever there is between you both is enough to astound him every time the two of you have sex.

Right now, as you sit with your back to him, pulling on his t-shirt over your bare frame – Jungkook's mind is caught onto something a little different than his usual daze of disbelief, though.

And even though he’s risking it by questioning the ‘why’ despite his secretary’s warnings, Jungkook can’t help it when he brings it up. "So… Hiring an assistant. Why so suddenly?"

You hum and give a noncommittal shrug. "I can't be in the office all the time. It's high time I hired one, don’t you think?"

Jungkook doesn’t think so. But he’d definitely be dead meat if he said it out loud. “Sure… What tasks will you give him?”

That earns him a confused look from you over your shoulder. “Do you wanna tell me something, Jeon?”

Wide-eyed, he gapes at you. “What?”

“Did something happen with Haeri? Is that why—”

“Oh, no,” he exhales, beyond relieved, then shakes his head with a smile when you continue to eye him suspiciously. “I just… Well. I’m always making Haeri pick up after me as if she’s a babysitter and not an office worker, you know? So I thought I could use some tips from you…”

You nod at that, turning back around to pull on your panties, and Jungkook breathes easier. He has sold his lie and you’ve bought it. “That’s actually thoughtful and mature of you. Where was this maturity when you had me running after you, though?” you grumble with a playful glare, and he just laughs. 

“It is because of all of that that I’ve finally learnt to be mature, Prez.”

Straightening after having covered your lower half, you inch back on the bed and rest your back against the headboard. “Well. To be fair, he has been running around for tiny errands for the two days he’s been here, so I can’t really lecture you, right now,” you admit. “But I wanted someone in the office for the meetings-season that is about to arrive as we near the launch, you know? Both you and I will be busy with the project. Poor Yoongi will need all the help he can get.”

Jungkook frowns. “Why doesn’t Yoongi hire an assistant then?”

You snort at that and gesture to the bottle of wine on the nightstand. “Why’re you pressed about it? You said you need tips, right?”

“Ah, yes, of course. I just want some tips.” Quickly catching his slip, Jungkook pours you a glass and settles next to you, bare, with the covers thrown across his lap for modesty. “So… will he be accompanying you to meetings, then? Or fill in for you while you’re busy with other stuff?”

“Well, initially he will shadow me for a week or so. And then when I get busy overseeing the launch event and coordinating with the Lims and other investors, he can switch between locations around the city to ensure everything is in order because Yoongi can’t be doing everything, you know?” You take a sip from your glass of wine and shrug a shoulder. “He’s our Creative Director, he needs to hold the fort while everyone runs around like headless chickens.”

Jungkook sips at his wine and musters a thin smile. Because yes, it definitely makes sense why you needed to hire an assistant. Speaking of, Yoongi probably needs one as well. 

Damn, when he used to work as a Software Analyst at a different company, he had no idea the executives of a company had so much to do. It always looks like an easy life looking in from the outside. But as CEO, he has come to learn that if someone in a higher up position makes a mistake, they initiate a dominoes’ fall all the way down.

“You met him, didn’t you?”

His surprised eyes fly to yours at the question. You’re looking at him with a smirk, and Jungkook’s heart gives a thump at how sexy you look. Your question, though, throws him off. "I… How did you—”

You roll your eyes. “He told me you came in to see me and then left. I checked in with Haeri and she said you weren’t feeling well.”

Wow. They both snitched on him. Just great.

And now you're looking at him with barely contained laughter as if you know how jealous he feels. Who is he kidding, of course you know how jealous he feels. You always know this kind of stuff, ugh.

“Don’t be getting insecure, Jeon, my assistant will remain only an assistant.”

He doesn’t know why you say that, but he appreciates it all the same. The twinkle in your eyes expresses playful adoration and the way it makes his heart race kinda scares him.

But then you lean in with an exaggerated kissy face to press a wet smooch on his mouth. When you pull away, he looks at you with a slight pout on his lips. You tilt your head to the side with a squint.

"What?"

"It's… Why did you pick the Ferrari guy?" Jungkook sounds a little whiny, but he can't help it.

You look at him over the rim of your glass, eyebrows nearing your hairline, amusement spilling from your gaze. "Uh, what's wrong with the Ferrari guy?"

"Nothing, of course, that's not what I meant," he tries to amend with a chuckle, but given the way you narrow your eyes at him before putting your glass away to cross your arms, you probably don't buy it. So he speaks on. "It's just that he doesn't look like an assistant, you know?"

"I… don’t actually. What does an assistant look like?"

Are you being purposely difficult or is Jungkook being completely weird? He's not exactly sure how to explain it better, but he's definitely sure that any other way would have been better than what comes out of his mouth next. "I mean, a bit… less… flirty, I guess?"

"What? What the hell did he do to you?"

He groans at your excited expressions. "Dude had me gaping at him for fifteen minutes while he talked about God knows what, because I couldn't focus on his words! I don't even like men like that!"

You give a loud snort and then break into loud peals of laughter. "Well, Jungkook, maybe you do! Maybe you just haven't had your awakening yet!"

"Not funny," he grunts, even as a humored smile slips on to his face at your loud giggles. "What did you say his name was, again?"

You raise an eyebrow. "I didn't."

He rolls his eyes. "Well, my dear Prez, what is your new assistant's name?"

"Park Jimin." Your smile turns goofy and eyes almost dreamy. "Pretty name for a pretty man. Right?"

He rolls his eyes at your suggestive wink, grumbling as he finishes his glass of wine in a large gulp.

You give a small sigh. "He's a nice guy, give him a chance. Heart of gold, or whatever they say."

Jungkook decides that he, for reasons way beyond his supposed homoerotic awakening, absolutely hates Park Jimin's guts. He's going to convince you to fire him. And soon.

© jimilter | 2024

[itstheghostofmypast]

A Goodfella's Moondance

Mafia AU Choi San x Reader

Summary: He waited for her to waltz into his arms, and she did. He felt her jitter and shiver under his touch, much like how he did the same on her love. He had found someone to love and cherish, someone who kept his fragile morality in check, someone who he could call a lover, a wife, a weakness.

Genre: Hurt Comfort

Rating: PG- 13

Word Count: 2.4 K

Est. Read Time: 12 min

Warnings: Blood, kidnapping, murder, guns.

Networks: @cromernet @k-labels @illusionnet

Song: Moondance by Micheal Bublé

“Do you feel better?” His soft whisper gently pulled her back to consciousness, back to the comfort of the warm, soft, cotton that they were cocooned within, succumbing to the sleep that lay heavy in their bones.

“Mhmmm…” 

Ever so slowly, her body turned to the other side, her back that was once pressed against his warm chest, grazing the subtle cotton of one of the many blankets he had heaped upon them in his frenzy of bringing her some form of comfort, trying to suppress the jitters that rocked through her even though she said she was fine. Hands pressed against his chest, vibrating with each beat of his ever loving heart, her head tilted up on her pillow, meeting his tender gaze, eying the small smile that only she got to see, that too behind closed doors.

“Good.”

With that hanging above them, the man wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him, forcing her to become one with him, though he could tell by the way her arms had looped around his slender waist, his action was more than welcome. 

Little did he know this side of his, this gentleness, this care, this attentiveness was what had her losing her grasp on the bitter reality of the world, perhaps that's why last night she was unable to figure out how the guy asking her for directions was actually going to kidnap her. 

One moment a man approaches her while she sat at the bus stop, after her lover had texted her how he would be unable to pick her up from the hospital tonight, also canceling their date because of some ‘Urgent Business.’ The next thing she knew was how she woke up in the trunk of the man who had approached her at the bus stop, asking her the directions to the hospital as he had to go see is sick wife- sue her for being a caring person, nurse or not, it's not like she wasn't going to help him. 

The fallacy of rationality lies within situations such as these, while he had taught her a variety of methods of escaping, a contractual instruction enforced by Park Seonghwa himself, in the heat of the moment she had forgotten it all, her core memory allowing her to do no more than to whimper out his name, “San.”

It wasn't till she had felt the car stop that her anxiety morphed into aggression kicking against the roof of the truck, while she tried to move her tied hands, removing the blindfold to look around, only to freeze when the trunk opened, staring up at the man in horror.

“Well, aren't you in a lot of trouble, missy.” The fox featured man smiled at her, one that had her let out a relieved sigh, though she tried to ignore the splatted red across his face, dripping down his chin and onto his crisp white shirt, which was evident when he helped her out, pulling her closer to have her sit on the closed trunk, “You okay?”

She could only nod at the fact that, physically, perhaps she was, but she wouldn't be so sure about her mental status, never had this happened before and truly, for the first time in her life had she felt afraid and alone, a feeling her husband had long rid off from her mind, body and soul.

“Good, because San isn't, he's furio-”

The loud bang cut him off, for a split second his eyes flickered to the man who was standing across the car, in front of it, staring at something, or someone on the ground, before moving back to the shivering woman. With a loud sigh he shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shaking shoulders, and called out, “YAH! DID YOU REMOVE YOUR SILENCER?”

The taller man grunted in response, pushing up his glasses, not bothered by the spots of blood staining the glass, in fact the red calmed him down a bit, a reminder of him punishing the bastard who thought this woman was an easy target. 

Wooyoung watched his friend walk over to them, fully aware of how San had removed the silencer on purpose, wanting everyone in the vicinity and the perpetrator to know what happens when you try to come into his personal life.

With a nod he motioned for Wooyoung to sit in the car, disposing the body wasn't part of the plan, Seonghwa had agreed when San had requested to “let me make an example out of him”, so much so that the husband of the woman who was shaking like a leaf currently, had also brought his infamous bat with him, which only reminded his friends of how this was personal was him.

With each gloved hand placed on either side of her on the trunk, he looked down at her, she peaked up at him through her lashes, unsure of what he was going to say or do, perhaps he would be upset with her, disappointed by how she was unable to fend for herself even though he had prepared her for a situation like this, his friends had prepared her for a situation like this. At the end of the day, they were from two different worlds, she would heal people and well he would…what if tonight he finally realised that and-

“I'm sorry.”

Taking off his gloves he placed them beside her before pulling out a pocket knife from his breast pocket, flicking it open as he began to work on the ropes around her wrists. He frowned at the roughness of the threads, mumbling things like, “This may bruise”, “The f*cker didn't need to tighten them so much.”, “Wish I could kill him all over again.”

Once he was done, he tossed the rope aside, gently taking her scratched wrists in his hands, before lifting her wrist up to his lips as he placed a tender kiss on the reddened skin, repeating the motion of love with her other one before looking at her with a somber flare in his eyes, “I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time.” He should have been more careful, he should have ensured she was safe, it was his job to keep her safe. And he stood there, in blood and tears, seeking her forgiveness, unaware of how the woman was falling even more for her gentle giant of a husband.

“Seonghwa said you can't leave the house without protection anymore.” He mumbled, the bass in his sleep lusted voice making her squeeze him closer, not that he would mind. 

His own hand had begun to aimlessly trail down her spine, only to slide back up to complete the cycle, thinking to himself a moment before he continued, “Hongjoong has assigned a few men…though I'll be around you whenever I'm free. The shipment is late anyway, and he's having Yunho and Mingi deal with it, so I'm all yours for the coming few days.”

“Okay…”

San blinked at her hushed response, it was evident she was elsewhere, or she was still a bit too shaken to respond coherently. Either way, with the gun stashed beneath his pillow and his lover in his arms to protect, he began to formulate a way of protecting her 24/7. Naturally, he couldn't always be there himself nor could his brothers. How much did he trust his men? What if he got her a personal gun or a-

“Sannie?”

His train of thought derailed at her calling, pulling back a bit to glance down at the only reason why he hadn't tipped off the cliff of his primitive instincts, hand pressing flat against her back as he nodded, “Yes, dove?”

“Can you sing for me?”

Could he sing? Of course he could. Did he sing often? No, not really. In fact, she was the newest addition to the only other people who knew his secret, that the right hand man of Ateez, the cold blooded killer trained and raised by Park Seonghwa himself could harmonise with the very same angels that stood at the gates of Heaven, waiting to reject his entrance.  

“What would you like to hear?”

Giving her a small smile he slowly pulled away, sitting up and resting his back against the cushioned headrest of the king sized bed, picking up his glasses from the nightstand and placing them on the bridge of his nose. He turned to glance at her, admiring the way she looked up at him with awe, it was truly a blessing to have an angel such as herself admire a creature like him, willing to bathe in the simmering blood of his brutality, willing to swallow the bitter truth of his existence, willing to embrace the carcass in which once his humanity once flourished. 

“Umm…” slipping the covers off herself she sat up, tugging at the strings of his hoodie that she wore, slowly moving closer and straddling him, looking up at him with a blush ever so subtle, “Moondance?”

A hearty laugh broke past his pout, the bass of his laughter bouncing off the cold walls of the room, blocking out the soft chippers of the early birds outside. If she was being honest, she's sure everyone who was trying to sleep could hear him right now, considering everyone did retire to their rooms after she had come home; have Jongho check her vitals, watch her husband get verbally abused by Hongjoong for being careless, have Seonghwa make her promise to never use public transport again, give Yeosang the entire details of the night so he could ‘take care of the mother company’, eye Yunho who took her husband aside to give him a pep talk after his sulking and be force fed by Mingi who insisted that “You burn more calories being kidnapped than an hour on a treadmill”, all the while having Wooyoung make dinner and yell at them for being noisy- ironic. 

“What's so funny?” She asked, her hands cupping his face before she slipped off his glasses, frowning at the blood splattered on the glass, why didn't he clean this off. And just like that she tilted to her side, reaching over to grab a tissue from the nightstand, feeling him quickly grab her by the waist so she wouldn't fall over.

“Careful there, dove.” He mumbled pulling her back up onto him, watching her try to clean off the dried blood, trying to hold back the urge to crush her with his love, “It's fine- oh.”

“It's not, dirty glasses stress the eyes,” cutting him off she gently slipped the glasses back onto the face of the owner, giving him a smile before getting comfortable on him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she placed her head on the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath, the lingering memories having her latch onto him for comfort. 

San watched her go about as she pleased, much like how she often did, not that he'd ever mind. Once she was settled, nestled against him, he wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his against the headboard as he sighed. It was evident that last night had taken a toll on her, but what he learnt from experience was that eventually you get over it, become numb to the bitter memory, usually with the help of a distraction or a friend or two. It was never his intention for her to feel this way, in fact, from the moment he had left his heart in her hands at the ER, he had decided to keep her safe, even before she chose to accept his invitation of love, he had decided to keep her safe from all the grotesque wonders he had been blessed to bear witness to since his childhood. Though at the very moment he wondered if that was even worth it, if dragging her into his life was worth it, ruining her chances of living a mundane, peaceful-

“Are you this slow when Seonghwa asks you for something too?”

Her snarky remark caught him off guard, trying to get a better look at her but she just giggled and buried her face in his neck, the only form of compensation given to him was the tender press of her lips against his pulse, only to have it increase two folds. 

San's arms squeezed her, earning a contented sigh from his wife, much to his pleasure as he stared out the window, watching the pale winter sun cast a chalky hue among the cloudy scapes of the sky. Taking a deep breath he whispered into the still of their room, 

Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance

With the stars up above in your eyes.

A fantabulous night to make romance

'Neath the cover of October skies

Knowing nothing more mattered to him at this point but the woman that clung onto him, her heart beating with his, waltzing through harmony. 

And all the leaves on the trees are falling

To the sound of the breezes that blow

You know I'm tryin' to please to the calling

Of your heartstrings that play soft and low

He felt her hold tighten, mumbling something that he couldn't make out, but the way her body fell lax against him assured him it was some form of positive affirmation. Indeed it was, for before tumbling back into the depths of slumber, swaying in the melody of her husband's voice she had whispered, “Thank you, my love.”

You know the night's magic seems to whisper and hush

You know the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush

He wondered if she was as smitten for him as he was for her- it amazed him how she'd tell him that she knew he'd always protect her, when the fact of the matter was that it was indeed her who was protecting him, from the insanity of the world that had bruised and battered him inside and out, from the wrath of Park Seonghwa who wanted to end him for choosing to start an affair with a civilian, as pure and naive as her and from himself, the one that he too feared, knowing that if that Choi San was to resurface, only she could stop him. It was fine though, he was going to protect her from the cold, from nature and man. It's what a dutiful goodfella does, what a dutiful husband does.

Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?

Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love?

Taglist: @edenesth @skteezcursed @mlysalt @the-kpop-simp @spooo00oky @bunnyluvr25

@s-h-y-a @ateezwonderland

[kmgkmg]

BOYS FROM MARS - CHOI SEUNGCHEOL

word count: 2.9k…

pairing: seungcheol x gn!reader

synopsis: you've sworn off men for the month of february, but you also might've fallen for the local cafe's baker two weeks into the month.

genre/s: fluff, non-idol!au, baker!seungcheol, ceramicist!seungcheol, strangers-to-lovers

warnings: does include mentions of wonwoo and dino together, but nothing happens.

rating: pg

a/n: dedicated to my favorite scoups stan @jasminecha <3 also a submission for k-vanity's love in the mix event! the full playlist can be listened to here. songs that inspired this fic the most include:

saturn by sza // universe by thủy // lucky by raveena // sunny days by wave to earth // never tell by luke chiang

“I swear,” you sigh to your friends, “life’s got to be better on Saturn.”

Between the messy situationships you got trapped in and the endless amount of male celebrities that got involved in scandals, you realized one thing. Well, you knew it a long time ago, it’s just been re-emphasized as of late. Men aren’t shit! 

Valentine’s Day weekend came and went, with you successfully continuing your man-detox.

Your form of treating yourself on the Sunday after was grabbing boba with your friends. Jasmine tea with herbal jelly always healed you, and after the crappy week you had you were ready to recharge. Some sweet treats to go along with the drinks were an obvious choice as well, including the cafe’s famous egg tarts.

“Boys are from Mars, blah blah. You say all that but haven’t you been looking towards the kitchen since we sat down…” your friend Yeri observed, causing you to snap your head in her direction. 

“Okay, but he is uncharacteristically hot for our town, right?” You frown, looking back at the man who hadn’t yet noticed your burning gaze.

A cafe recently opened downtown and you wanted to check it out ever since their TikToks worked their way into your algorithm. Who could turn down cronuts (croissant donuts) with fillings sounding as yummy as ube pandan, black sesame oreo, and dark chocolate rose? You ordered roughly fifteen minutes ago, but knew you were going to have to wait due to the amount of people in the store. What you didn’t expect was for the baker to be so attractive. Sure, the baristas and other staff are also very attractive, but something about the baker and his arms being so muscular made you lose focus. Not only that, he somehow managed to be so attuned to his work that he was oblivious to the amount of people drawn to him. He has to be from out of town, you think to yourself.

You finally shifted your gaze from the poor man just doing his job as he kneaded more dough, turning back to your friends. Your childhood friend, Wonwoo, was still stuck on the barista who greeted y’all. Yeri scuffed at the two of you, unable to believe her friends’ lack of self control.

“Some detoxes aren’t meant to be completed.” Wonwoo shrugs, getting up from his seat after hearing his name called by the barista who took your names earlier, Chan. He seemed similar to your ages, definitely the youngest of the people working at the cafe. He was definitely the type Wonwoo went for. Wonwoo flashed a bright smile, shifting his weight to lean closer to Chan. As he handed his phone to him, your friend and you rolled your eyes at his predictability. And then there were two…

The three of you had sworn off men for the entire month, a feat that would usually be completely achievable. Yet, after finishing your boba you were wavering ever so slightly. The mystery man continues his work, now sporting some flour on his face. Certainly that was an accident, but it only made him look hotter than before. After another five minutes Wonwoo’s and Yeri’s cronuts came out and you stared at your plate where only crumbs remained. Ordering another dessert to share isn’t the worst idea, you nod to yourself, eyes glued to the giant fruit tart in the display case. You ask your friends if they’d be down to share and they agree instantly. Almost too eager. You push your chair from the table, heading towards the counter to order. You turn back to Wonwoo and Yeri, wanting to confirm the order but see them giving you thumbs up and winking. Your face twists into confusion, before turning back as the hot baker walks to the cash register to take your order. You need to get out of this cafe.

Avoiding the cafe proved to be much harder than anticipated. The night you first visited you brought home some egg tarts, happy to share with your loved ones. Little did you expect that your entire household would fall in love with the tarts as well. You became the assigned tart buyer, stopping by the cafe to grab a four-pack nearly every day. A four-pack only cost $6, something that was unheard of in this economy. Besides the inexpensive tarts, frequenting the cafe so much did have its perks. One, for example, was that you were fast in filling up the punch card and now were two visits from a free drink. Another, coincidentally, was interacting more with the cafe’s baker, whose name you learned is Seungcheol. 

“Did you see we’re supposed to get more snow next weekend?” He attempts to make small talk, grabbing the tarts for you and packing them away. 

You hum a ‘mhm’ before reaching into your bag for your wallet. You were attempting to distance yourself from him, to let a crush die out as a crush, but he made it more difficult each time with his efforts in small talk. Why did his voice have to be so nice to hear?

“You’re good, Y/N, it’s on the house.” The familiar angelic voice interrupts your thoughts.  

You felt your face heat up as you heard him say your name. You shake your hands fervently, “No, it’s okay I can pay.” 

“I know you can, but at this point I think you’re the number one customer for these tarts. Are they that good?”

Your brows furrow at his question, “Are you kidding me? They’re so delicious, I mean the custard filling itself is not too sweet but still has a hint of vanilla in it and I taste the smallest amount of… almond?”

“Yes! That’s my secret, it’s like a few drops to each batter, but I didn’t know others could taste the difference as well.”

“It definitely makes a difference! Not to mention the crust is absolute perfection, it’s sturdy enough to last multiple bites but still soft to bite down on…” You trail off, becoming self-conscious of your food ramblings. 

Seungcheol doesn’t notice your inner turmoil, but his eyes light up at your words. “You’re so much better than Chan or Mingyu when it comes to expressing your thoughts on the food! I will spend hours working on a new recipe for them to take one bite and say, ‘it’s tasty, Cheol’. It drives me insane!” 

You nod, surprised by his extroverted personality. Unable to match the energy on this Wednesday morning, you do your best and manage to give him a faint smile before grabbing the bag that sat on the counter. 

“Well, thank you for the free tarts, Cheol.” You hold up the bag, before leaving the shop. 

“Anytime!” 

As the bells at the top corner of the door rang out, Seungcheol watched your figure walk away from the cafe. He let out the breath he had been holding, placing his hand on the countertop. With his free hand, he grabs his half full cup of coffee, taking sips to cool down. Anytime? Wait did you just say Cheol?

“He’s single, you know?” Chan raised his eyebrows your way, as he whispered Seungcheol’s dating status for the table to hear. Chan’s shift ended thirty minutes ago and he and Wonwoo were already extremely cozy and used to each other’s presence. Wonwoo would not stop blowing up the group chat to give every update to their relationship as the days went on from the fateful first day y’all visited the cafe. 

“It’s still February, you know?” You retort, eyes still glued to the baker. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Yeri dismisses you. 

She knew it was only a matter of time for the two of you to get together. Chan made a separate group chat excluding you to devise a plan to get the two of you together. He revealed Seungcheol would check the door each time a customer came in, then look dejected each time it wasn’t you. Not to mention, he usually only worked one or two days of the week, but his hours increased in hopes of seeing you again. Long story short: neither of you were making the first move and it was driving everyone insane. 

A familiar melody played through the cafe’s speaker’s, causing your ears to perk up. wave to earth? Your favorite band, the band whose concert is ingrained in your bones, wave to earth? Taking a picture of your uneaten egg tart, you vowed to upload a story with wave to earth as the background music when you got home. You continued the conversation with your friends, reducing the glances Seungcheol’s way to a minimum of once every five minutes. 

Around two hours passed, most customers cleared out leaving just your table and Seungcheol in the cafe. Your friends convinced you to talk to him once again. Before you could say anything, Seungcheol began the conversation. 

“Sorry. I, uh, noticed how excited you were when wave to earth’s music came on. The playlist that was playing all night was mine and I loved seeing your reactions to the music. I’m careful in asking this, but would you want to grab a meal sometime? You know, outside of this cafe and all.”

Your eyes softened as your body slowly let go of the tension you were unaware that you had. 

“I really enjoy running into you, Seungcheol. But, I am doing this ‘man detox’ where I’m trying not to be with anyone in February. I fall for people too easily and hopefully things will change.” You confess, grabbing your straw’s wrapper and throwing it in the waste bin on his left.

You wished he would go over this moment quickly, not wanting to fight his temptation and your true feelings for much longer. Sipping on your drink, you try your best to act nonchalant despite the butterflies in your stomach. 

“I don’t think you can fall for people too easily, it just means you love people sincerely. And that’s not anything that needs to be fixed.” He counters, jogging back behind the counter at the sound of the oven’s timer. 

You see Wonwoo, Chan, and Yeri walk out of the cafe, content with you finally having a long conversation with Seungcheol. Before you could reply, he continued speaking. 

“The bit about swearing men off for a whole month I understand. Lucky for me tomorrow’s the first day of March though.” He slyly informs, not breaking eye contact as he puts the hot pastries on the cooling rack.

You scrambled to find your phone buried in the bottom of your bag. Once you finally fished it out, you checked and double-checked the date…February 28th. Why are the days going by quicker and quicker?

“I didn’t mean to make you so flustered when I thought about asking you out, we can pretend this never happen-”

“No!” You surprise the two of you from your increased volume. 

Seungcheol chuckles before grabbing the ingredients to make frosting for tomorrow’s desserts. “Good, then how does next weekend work? I have a workshop to attend so I won’t be at the cafe for this next week. If you think it over and decide you don’t want to go, no worries. We can go back to a regular customer and baker relationship. If you do want to go out with me, here’s my number.” He explains, wiping his hands on his apron before grabbing a pen and writing his number on a blank punch card. 

“O-Okay, let me think about it,” you muster out. Tucking the card with Cheol’s number written on it in your pocket, you left the cafe. Confused was an understatement. 

You returned home and placed the tarts on the kitchen table before heading to your room. As you got ready for bed, you grabbed the punch card from your coat pocket. As if your hands had a mind of their own, his number was added to your contacts before you had time to think. Throwing yourself on your bed as you looked at his contact, you couldn’t help but feel giddy for next weekend. Tomorrow was the start of March after all. 

“So, you don’t just work at the cafe then.” You look around in amazement at the ceramic studio you were standing in, unable to imagine him as anything else than a baker. Now his muscular arms were making more sense.

“No, not at all. I only help out there since Mingyu is on vacation visiting his family. Oh, Mingyu is the shop owner by the way. But, if you look under any of the plates at the cafe, they have my initials on them.”

“Wait, so why are you such a good baker?”

“Lots of part-time jobs to support my family. You pick up a few things here and there.” He explains, grabbing a collection of ceramics for you to choose from.

Seungcheol treated you to lunch and the conversation flowed like the two of you knew each other for years. The date was going well, suspiciously well. But you tried to withhold your default thinking, wanting to believe in whatever connection the two of you had. 

“Would you like to try to make anything? A flower vase? A plate? A mug? It will take a while to get back to you since I share my kiln with another studio member, but I can expedite it.” He informs you, showing the different models of ceramics you could make. 

You look at your options, unable to decide as they all looked cute. 

After thinking for a while, you break the silence, “I do love flowers…” You decidedly point at the vase. 

“Flower vase it is.” He nods, sitting down and throwing clay onto the wheel before shifting and letting you take over. 

You could’ve sworn there was some reluctance in his movements. But once you looked back up at him, he moved his hands over yours to help you mold the vase into the shape you wanted. 

The two of you spent over an hour in the studio. Seungcheol was a good teacher, not getting frustrated at your mistakes, even though you knew he could sense your embarrassment. He’s kind. Realizing the sun was setting, he did the finishing touches on the vase, before running into a back room, telling you he had something to give you. 

As he left you alone for the moment, you looked outside to notice small white flakes falling from the sky. After admiring the view for a moment, his footsteps enter the room again, now he appeared with both of his hands behind his back. 

“Choose a hand.” 

You gesture to his left, to which he reveals a white rose. Seungcheol holds it out to you and you promptly wrap your fingers around the stem. 

You tilt your head trying to see what else he was hiding, “What about the other hand?”

He holds out another white rose, before looking outside and also noticing the snow. “Shoot,” he murmured under his breath before grabbing his messenger bag from the worktable. 

“It should be okay, the snow doesn’t look too heavy just yet,” You comfort him. Your eyes stay fixated on the flowers you’re holding, gently bringing them up to your face to smell them.

His voice calls for your attention, “Y/N.” 

As you look up to him, you feel shy once again as he puts the scarf around your neck. Instantly, you feel warm. Although, you are unsure if it was due to the scarf or the actions of the man in front of you. 

“It’s getting late, may I walk you home?” He asks, already putting his coat on and preparing for the cold. 

You look at him with surprise, not used to men with actual manners. You put your coat on as well, walking through the studio’s doors as he held it open. 

“That’s really sweet of you. If you do that though, I will never hear the end of it. Suddenly you’ll become my boyfriend and we’ll need to start planning our wedding out-”

“Our wedding, huh?” He smirks, holding his arm out for you to lean on as the sidewalk the two of you walked on became covered in ice. 

“I did not mean to say that part out loud.” You purse your lips together, mentally hitting yourself for unnecessarily rambling. 

“Let me at least walk you to the traffic lights then.”

“Deal.” 

The lights came far too quick, and you found yourself disappointed by the lack of distance between your house and the intersection. There were barely any cars outside. Everyone must be at home preparing for the weather, you thought to yourself. Soon enough, the two of you reached your agreed destination. Yet, you found it hard to let go of his arm. 

“Are you sure I can’t walk you home?” He softly offers again. 

“It’s truly okay! My house is not even a ten minute walk from here.”

He squints his eyes, slightly skeptical. “Then text me when you get home safe, okay?”

“Okay, I can do that! Thank you for everything today Cheol, I had an amazing time.” 

“Me too, Y/N.” 

The crosswalk light turns white, indicating you could walk. You wave goodbye, crossing before realizing you were still wearing his scarf. He was still watching you from the other side as the light began to flicker. 

“What should I do with your scarf?” You cup your hands around your mouth to project your voice. 

He grins big before mirroring you, “Just give it to me on our next date!”

[lo1k-diamonds]

Unique | KNJ | Masterpost

PAIRING: idol!Namjoon x OFC

SUMMARY: Namjoon dedicated his whole life to being a diligent idol, putting the music and group above his individual needs and desires. He believes he's doing the right thing until an unexpected meeting shifts how he sees the world. But life isn't easy, and even a unique connection can't change fate. Or can it?

WORD COUNT: 81.1k (ongoing)

GENRE:  Idol AU, strangers to lovers, time jumps, star-crossed lovers, angst, smut

RATING: R (explicit) (not all parts)

WARNINGS: (check each individual part) explicit smut, one-night stand but not really, angst, protected sex, oral, fingering, handjob, toys, sapiosexuality, body worship, dirty talk, mouth riding, switching, making out and dry humping in a moving car without a seatbelt on, BTS being chaotic around Namjoon and making him all embarrassed, alcohol, getting drunk, arguments, smoking, parallel Yoongi x OFC

A.N. Unique has a really special place in my heart. It was never supposed to be more than a one-shot with a bittersweet ending. All I wanted was to portray Namjoon as accurately as possible. Then, a year later, I decided I wanted Yoongi (yes, him) to have a chance at a different outcome, and now, another year later, I want Namjoon to have it, too. It's peculiar that every part has been written with the same time intervals as the story, and I'm contemplating keeping this tradition for future parts. Since @eerieedits already created wonderful visuals, it only makes sense to show them! (thank you!) I hope you all enjoy this star-crossed lovers story featuring our incredible Joonie 💜

Masterlist | AO3 | Wattpad | Schedule and WIPs

He was in love with their time, place and interaction, but it was limited. There was no heartbreak because of that agreement. Seeing her again was not part of the deal, but who was he kidding? That chance was too sweet to miss, too tempting to refuse.

SUMMARY: After overhearing something he shouldn't have, Namjoon promises to make it up to the bride by keeping her bridesmaid company during the rehearsal dinner party. What was supposed to be an unremarkable night became something so much more.

WORD COUNT: 20.8k

RATING: R (explicit)

I wanted to be the guy you chose to come and find and chat with, not the one Hyejin asked to babysit you and that you didn’t want to meet.

Read here 👉 [Tumblr] [AO3] [Wattpad]

SUMMARY: It's a year later when Angie decides to visit Hyejin, both women looking to get away from their problems. But a certain group is just pausing their tour, and old feelings are rekindled when their paths cross.

WORD COUNT: 60.2 k

RATING: R (explicit)

Be the person I was searching for and found, not the one I have to let go of.

Read here 👉 [Tumblr] [AO3] [Wattpad]

Chapter 1 [Snippet 🚀] [Post ✍️]

Chapter 2 [Snippet 🚀] [Post ✍️]

Chapter 3 [Snippet 🚀] [Post ✍️]

Chapter 4 [Snippet 🚀] [Post ✍️]

Chapter 5 [Snippet 🚀] [Post ✍️]

Chapter 6 [Snippet 🚀] [Post ✍️]

Chapter 7 [Snippet 🚀] [Post ��️]

Chapter 8 [Snippet 🚀] [Post ✍️]

Chapter 9 [Snippet 🚀] [Post ✍️]

Chapter 10 [Snippet 🚀] [Post ✍️]

SUMMARY: (coming soon...) Now that the PTD tour was coming to a close, Namjoon dreamt of meeting the one lover he couldn’t forget. Unfortunately, things have changed.

WORD COUNT: 11.7 k

RATING: PG-13

Isn't that what we're made of? Our dreams and regrets.

Read here 👉 [Tumblr] [AO3] [Wattpad]

(coming... March 2026?)

I wanted all seasons with you, but in the end, I got none.

(coming... September 2026?)

Is it finally time?

[kithtaehyung]

bet wrong (3tan717) | myg

drabble: bet wrong pairing: 3tan!yoongi x reader(f)  series: masterlist | three tangerines | 3tan717 | one  rating/genre: pg (18+) ; angst , fluff ; brother’s best friend au, implied age gap au summary: after seeing how comfortable yoongi is in his place with your brother and their friends, it’s hard for you to leave… but it’s also hard for you to stay. note: apologies for all the late postings! but kim yeji’s aura was so strong it made me write about her so here we are hahaha. it's not really edited cus i just wrote this up and posted so apologies for any mistakes! note 2: this is in a pocket universe in the three tangerines series, so if you haven’t read the series yet, these characters would make more sense if you did hehe. even though this is very heavily influenced by the olympics, i’m keeping it as easy to read as i can. you can imagine them watching any of the events happening lol warnings: 3tan yoongi as always, angst, olympics talk, yoongi fights back??, the Yearning is Strong, reader is a tease, shiv is back!, brother and jimin are dorks, but so is everyone else, yoongi on the phone, he's so down bad y'all i wanna cry :(( drop date: august 1st, 2024, 7:17pm est word count: 2.3k (just like the first drabble omg?)

—

—

“Hey, you made it!”

“Oh, shit, look who’s here!”

After a quick greeting to everyone in Yoongi’s living room, you slip off your shoes with a distracted, “I can’t stay long but, I’m here!”

Even though the handsome devil next to you shoots a look, it’s your brother that speaks up, “Wait, why?”

“I’m meeting my friends in a bit.” You hand a still-quiet Yoongi some snacks you brought for everyone, asking a question with a very obvious answer, “Where should I put these?”

He blinks before forcing out, “Over here.”

“K.”

Sounds of conversation and sports games spring about. Jimin’s clearly in some sort of squabble with your brother and Shiv is fanning the flames. There’s a couple guys you recognize but don’t really know talking on the opposite side of the coffee table, but they’re all watching the Olympics and giving their own comments. 

Hopefully it’s noisy enough to shroud your dizzying thoughts. Because Yoongi looks damn good in his casual fit and his hair speaks volumes. 

What you would give to run your fingers through those waves. Following him through his bustling apartment is already giving you the shivers, so what would a sudden touch feel like? A burst of fire?

“I’ll take those,” he instructs, taking the bags from you and pulling everything out with crinkles. When he sees a certain bag, his blinks make you giggle.

It’s a specific chip he likes, recently divulged during a long night of learning things about one another—like favorite foods, and how fast or slow he likes you riding. 

So of course you threw it in your basket before heading over. 

Commentators make conversation on the television as you shrug, “Don’t ask me, I dunno how those got in there.”

God, that smile always makes you melt. And he proceeds to turn you into mush as he shows gratitude under his breath,

“Thanks, doll.”

“Seriously, I think they just handed me those,” you joke, trying your best to not do any of the million and three things you want to. “Said I was cute or something.”

His laugh is immediate. But it’s shoved away by cheers and yells, and both of you pop out of the kitchen to see what happened on the tv.

Something big must have went down because even Yoongi reacts, scaring you with a delayed reaction,

“Holy shit, what happened? Sorry,” he immediately apologizes at your flinch, putting a daring but comforting hand on your lower back before making his way to the group.

Did he really just…

He is lucky your brother didn’t see from the other side of the couch. 

That was the boldest Yoongi’s ever been and he’s quite literally kissed you in your kitchen. 

“Yeji got silver.”

“What? Wait, run it back!”

“I thought she'd take it!"

Chill out. Relax, relax, relax. Everyone else is clearly entranced by whatever happened and no one is even looking at you. Relax.

But damn, that touch meant a lot more than an apology. 

Seems like the one vocally surprised at the replay wants to do a million and three things, too. 

On your emotional decrescendo, you scuttle back to grab a plastic cup. No use in trying to join them anyway. All you can do for now is get a drink in a kitchen you’re not supposed to know your way around.

Being in his place while your brother is too is quite the experience. 

However. 

This is absolutely the ideal situation you should be in. You would be the one showing up at Yoongi’s at the invitation of your brother, and it would be a small party where you blend right into the background with minimal interaction. 

But of course, the feelings of distance and guilt creep onto your feet, rooting you in place and forcing you to watch from afar. 

They’re all checking their phones and pointing at each other—accusingly? Excitedly?—before switching between different games on the tv and yelling at each other. 

And while you adore them for being such lovable geeks about this, your eyes cannot stop pinning Yoongi with longing. He’s so radiant doing the most normal things, and his eyes have that sparkle they get when he’s comfortable and at home. 

He’s perfect.

Your heart’s warm.

And the cup in your hand never touches your mouth.

—

—

After you take a seat at his dining table—yet another thing you should not know anything about—you cycle between watching them interact and scrolling on your apps. 

At first, you thought you were safe. Staying in the back and letting them have their own time together is good enough for you, especially since you were invited by your brother to stop by.

Really, you were just a courier for food they wanted. 

But it was on the way. And it’s a chance to see someone you’ve been missing.

So of course you faked reluctance to come.

The plan was to do exactly this. Hang back until you had to leave, maybe have a bite or two, and try hard not to yearn for Yoongi too long.

Failed step three.

But also now step one, because Shiv decides to twist around to yell, “Hey! Come join us!” 

“I’m good over here,” you reply, smiling when he gives you a look. 

“Suit yourself!” 

One of the guys you recognize but don’t really know gets off the couch to head into the kitchen, asking a question as he opens the fridge.

Wait, he’s asking you something? You?

You leave your chair so you can hear him better, and when he repeats his question you respond.

“Want a drink?”

“Oh, uhh. Sure.”

“Pick your poison. Yoongi doesn’t have much but it’s all strong.”

He’s pretty cute. But then again, all your brother’s friends seem to end up this way. “Water’s fine,” you say with a light smile. “I have to be somewhere else in a minute.”

“Leaving so soon?” He grabs a cup to fill with your choice before handing it over. Leaning against the same counter Yoongi has smushed you against many times, the man takes a sip of his beer. “You just got here.”

“I was told to bring food.”

“Ah, come on. You can stay a bit.”

Uh huh.

Bold choice to be flirting with the company present today.

But you know what to do. Swerve. “What even happened back there? You guys scared the shit outta me.”

From the creases of his eyes, your plan works. “Oh, Yeji? She was supposed to win gold.”

“Feel like she won anyway.”

You both snap your heads over to the kitchen threshold, and your stomach could win a floor routine with the amount of flips it completes. “How come?” You decide to ask, throwing both guys for a loop.

It’s Yoongi that responds first, “She’s trending from a video back in May.”

“Oh, shit, really?” 

“Fucking boss. But yeah, none of us got that one right,” his friend responds, which leaves you intrigued. 

“Got it right?”

“Mmhmm. We picked her for gold.” Glancing over at Yoongi now crossing between to get to his fridge, he claps his back. “Even this guy bet wrong and he’s usually right.”

“Bet with my heart,” your secret drones as he cracks open a bottle. 

“We all did, bro.”

Fucking hell, that move was hotter than it should’ve been.

But now you’re kinda invested in what they’re all doing, so you ask how the whole thing works.

Which leads you to sitting in the living room with everyone three whole minutes later.

“So all of these are events, and I pick what I think happens?”

“Yup!”

“Good luck.”

“Choose quick, the next games start soon.”

Everyone’s eyes are on your paper as you look at the options, with some laughs and comments as you circle your choices.

“Mm, I dunno about that one.”

“Hey, hey, no help.”

You glance at your brother and Yoongi before laughing, “I have no idea what I’m doing but this is fun.”

Their amusement is noticeable.

“If you get any of those right, I’ll be surprised,” your sibling teases, earning a laugh from Yoongi and a counterpoint from Jimin,

“Dark horse?”

“Nah, no chance.”

Park’s shoulders raise as he smirks. “It's all luck, you never know..”

Huffing, you pretend to have confidence for days, just happy that you get to be involved and not hang back like the initial plan. “Yeah, I have masterclass intuition, don’t you know?” 

Reactions pop and fizz around you.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Master class, huh..”

“We have a hustler here!”

Your eyes drift to Yoongi’s at Shiv's comment, and you both share a quick, mirth-filled, intimate stare.

This really is a lot more fun already. 

Your phone buzzing is the one thing that interrupts, and you immediately feel relieved and saddened by the fact that you have to go.

Finishing up, you hand your brother your picks before standing, heading to the door and saying that you have to leave. 

“Wait, already?”

“Tell them you’re busy!”

“I kinda want to,” you admit, feeling a little shy at all the eyes on you. “But we’re watching a movie and tickets are stupid expensive now.”

Yoongi’s already next to you as he waits to let you out. “You okay to drive?”

“Me? Oh, yeah, I just had water.”

“K.”

Why does he have to be so considerate right now? Now you just wanna stay here instead of sit through whatever movie your friends picked!

“Be careful,” your brother comments from the living room, and you wave goodbye.

“I will. Y’all have fun!”

“Okay!”

Facing Yoongi, you wanna do so many things. Hug him, hold him, kiss the shit out of him for his exuding presence in the kitchen earlier. 

“Thanks for the food.”

But you obviously can’t.

So you settle for giving him a smile. “Thanks for letting me come over,” you decide to say. “Have fun tonight.”

You get a small lift of his lips in return. “You, too.”

“Yeah.. I’ll try.”

Hearing sounds from outside as you walk to your car, you feel the loneliest imaginable. 

But alas.

It’s still not your place to stay.

—

—

Much, much later, you check your phone after the movie ends and you’re all walking out. While the girls are busy discussing the movie and Taehyung's checking his phone, you're greeted with two very surprising keystrokes.

Yoongi [9:30pm]: :( 

He texted that so long ago. Did something happen?

You [10:34pm]: you ok?

All of you talk for just a little longer. When you finally get into your car, you wave goodbye at everyone before looking at your device again, wondering what the heck warranted this rogue of a text.

Yoongi [10:40pm]: Yeah

Yoongi [10:40pm]: Just miss you

Well, fuck.

Heart clenching, your fingers skirt across the screen.

You [10:45pm]: i miss you too.. i didn’t wanna leave😭

Yoongi [10:45pm]: You did though😔

There are plenty of people in the lot. Many people walking past as you wait in your car. 

And all you can do is stare at your screen. 

Is… Is he drunk?

Yoongi [10:46pm]: So now you have to make it up to me :) 

That catches you so off-guard you scoff at your screen through a smile. 

You [10:46pm]: don’t be a loser!! 

Yoongi [10:46pm]: I’m your loser 

Cheeks hurting from your shy as hell grin, you bite your lip to keep your screams from alerting people in the nearby theatre. 

How dare this man be this bold when your brother is over there! 

If he’s gonna keep this shocking behavior up, who are you to not play into it? You fucking miss him and imagining being there and being yourselves—your true selves—makes your chest clench. 

You [10:46pm]: not today you weren’t :\

And now you have to make the drive to a house that no one's occupying.

This is so hard. So, so hard. 

But you have to keep going until that one day comes. If it ever does. The day you can do whatever you want with the man you’d fight the universe for? No one will know how to react, and frankly you don’t give a shit about that.

And then you wonder.

Does Yoongi feel the same?

Yoongi [10:48pm]: They're still here

Yoongi [10:48pm]: You down to come back?

Oh.

You are.

Yes, yes, yes you are.

Grateful eyes shut, forehead hitting your steering wheel and heart hurting but still burning lovingly.

There’s no fighting how desperately you want to see him. Especially after seeing him so happy earlier today. Of course you’re going to go. You’d cross mountains even if that meant you’d only get to see him from afar. 

Because—and this you know for sure—he would do the same. 

...But that doesn't mean you won't prank him just a little bit.

You [10:49pm]: don't bet on it w ur heart again💕

Buzzing with excitement, you start your car and pull out of the lot, calling your brother and letting him know you’re coming back.

“K! You gonna bring food again?”

Normally, you would say fuck no and hang up. But you’re so elated you get to go back, and imagining Yoongi's shock makes you laugh. “Yeah, yeah, what do y’all want?” 

“Wait, really? Hey! What do we want for dinner—”

“Wait!” You interject, something pinging into your mind and igniting your curiosity. “How are my picks doing?” 

There’s a scuffle on the line, and you can hear your brother complain, Jimin laugh, and a very, very familiar voice answer from your brother’s phone. 

Because Yoongi’s voice drones so beautifully through the speaker, and you can’t stop your cackling when he responds, 

“Turns out Jimin was right.” 

“Damn, I'm the best,” you boast, earning a loud laugh from him and welcoming the way your cheeks hurt with open arms. “Show me that video you were talking about when I get there?”

This is safe to say. It's all you really can say.

There's a little bit of silence before he answers how he can, too.

“Yeah, I will.” 

Mm. Maybe Yoongi does feel the same.

“Nice," you whisper. Lips curved up in hope, you keep your voice neutral, “See you soon!” 

Again, he responds how he's supposed to. And right after, you both hang up exactly as expected.

For now.

“See you soon.” 

—

—

—

fin. :)

-

how did the second 717 drabble go! | join the discord hehe | three tangerines

a/n: love you love you love you. that's really all i can say. but also, here's the video of kim yeji being an absolute badass in may and i cannot stop thinking about her GAHHHHHH and now the guy from turkey?? hello?? this year is so fun and interesting istg!!

[all-about-kyu]

𝑨𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒛 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅

Summary: You've had enough of being at this familial social event... here's how the boys would comfort you. Pairing: Ateez x gn!reader (individually) Tropes: established relationship au Genre: fluff, slight angst Rating: PG Warnings: emotional exhaustion, mentions of illness, crying Word Count: 70-80 per member Note: thank you to @stardragongalaxy @anyamaris and @sanjoongie for looking over this <3 this may be a bit extremely self-indulgent after Thanksgiving

Before You Interact

𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑺𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒘𝒂

Quitely checks in on you

When you just nod silently, he goes to get your jackets and announces that you’ll be leaving

During your trip home, he holds your hand 

By the time you get home, he knows you need a bit of space and lets you know where he’ll be, but still offers little things incrementally that may help out a bit

𝑲𝒊𝒎 𝑯𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒋𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒈

Immediately notices something off with you

He gives you a specific look 

You’re off in space somewhere mentally, and he immediately takes you home

He knows you don’t want to be fully alone, so coexist in your living room together while you recuperate from the day (with added reassuring looks and holding your hand)

𝑱𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒀𝒖𝒏𝒉𝒐

Doesn’t say a word but starts rubbing your back in comforting motions

Knows it’s time to go when you drop your head against his shoulder 

He kisses your hair lightly and lets you know he’s going to collect your things

Doesn’t say a thing but cuddles you as long as you need when you get home

𝑲𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒀𝒆𝒐𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒈

Doesn’t even tell anyone you’re leaving… he just takes you home

He gives you a concerned look and asks if you need anything

You start snapping at him, and he knows you just need some space for a bit

He quietly does little things to help you out, and when you’re ready, you cuddle up in his lap he doesn’t say anything and just lets you relax

𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒊 𝑺𝒂𝒏

Quietly finds one of your family members and tells them you’re not feeling well

It’s not a lie it’s not his fault they think you’re physically ill

He makes you some tea when you get home and cuddles up with you on the couch

Immediately reassures you and validates what you’re feeling

𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒊

Honestly, he didn’t even process you hit your emotional wall until you dismissed yourself

He seeks you out and asks if you’re okay

When you break down, he holds you for a while you cry it out

As soon as you calm down again, he gets the car for you to sit in and relax while he collects your things

𝑱𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒐𝒐𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈

He’s completely unaware of your state because he’s busy talking rather loudly with your cousin

He only realizes when he goes to ask you something, and you’re just not in your seat anymore

He immediately panicked and went searching (he found you on the back porch silently sipping tea)

Made it up to you by cuddling you and let you do whatever you need to recover from the exhausting day with little jokes to try to cheer you up

𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒊 𝑱𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒐

He didn’t even need to do anything he just knew

When you hit your emotional wall, he already has your coat ready, and the car started

He got your favorite blanket and some chill music playing the moment you’re back home

You end up breaking down after everything still, and he just quietly holds you while you do what you need to calm down (which may or may not include a nap or holding you really close overnight)

COPYRIGHT STARLITMARK 2023© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED — reposting/modifying any fic or piece of original writing posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations are not permitted. 

Networks: @cultofdionysusnet @kwritersworld @k-vanity

Tag List: @jaehunnyy @ericssmile @almondmilkeu @shinestarhwaa @northerngalaxy

[yuansie]

a blessed bond, healed by the hands of the breaker

pairing. rafayel x fem! reader

synopsis. at one point, the love you harbored towards rafayel, so pure and beautiful, became tainted by the ink of hatred... that is what you like to believe

genres/aus. angst with a happy ending, reincarnation au (?)

warnings. crying, mentions of death

rating. sfw/pg-13 (bc of the death part?!)

wc. 2.7 k

part 1 here, series masterlist here

a/n. ending could have been better but WHATEVAAA i will be turning this into a series saur 😈 stay tuned 😈

THIS, AND THE FIRST PART, ARE STAND ALONES ! THE SERIES IS (SLIGHTLY/VERY) DIFFERENT FROM THIS !

THERE IS A STARK CONTRAST BETWEEN YOU AND HER; it’s as clear as day and night. you, as the priestess in your first life, were someone of, somewhat, high power. you had to maintain a calm persona in front of everyone, never showing weakness nor fear. lemurians looked up to you, and you did not want to fail them. you are a lemurian, you serve their god and them. for them and your god, you would do anything. so you were always calm and benevolent, never turning a blind eye to the people. and behind closed doors, in front of the god of the tides’ eyes, would you let yourself become weak enough to share your worries with him. but that was the extent of what you showed to him. your purpose is to be there for him, not the other way.

perhaps that is why rafayel was so drawn to her in your first life. she was different: expressive in her ways and words, a curious and innocent soul. she had nothing to tie her down, yet you did. your duties as priestess tied you down and you could never explore your feelings—and those that you harbored towards him. feelings of love are forbidden, but if they are for rafayel then surely it was okay? you used to think long and hard about that, finally coming to the conclusion that your love is just that of a simple priestess that admires the one she serves. you didn’t love him as a person. but why did you try to return the sea witch to her original form? you knew what would become of you if you tricked her into making a potion that would return her to her original state, the one that rafayel fell in love with. and yet, you still tried because for the god of the tides, you would do anything for him. he is needed by the lemurians, and you may be too but not as much as he is.

in your next life as a normal lemurian, you became his neighbor. it was odd, being on equal footing as him… but it was so exciting at the same time. you were given a chance to explore who you are. you didn’t have the title of priestess holding you back anymore. so when you found rafayel blowing out your family’s sea lantern, you took the blame and waited for him to find you. and in the dead of night, he appeared at your window, looking apologetic. it was like an unspoken agreement after that, one where you were his… partner in crime, if you can even call it that. everything was perfect, things were perfect until he disappeared. you knew he went up: rafayel is a curious person whose intrigue can never be satiated. you swam up, and the sight you were met with was horrible. he was rid of all of his scales, crimson blood pouring from his chest as she held him. you cried.

it was a first. the feeling of tears, so foreign, surprised you but it didn’t match the shock you had felt when seeing rafayel die in front of your very eyes, singing his final words. was this unbearable pain something that rafayel felt when he watched you turn into sea foam? or was it akin to that pain he felt when he saw her turn into the sea witch? your heart felt heavy in your chest, aching and bleeding in pain. the man you love died.

it wasn’t your proudest moment… what happened afterwards. you wanted to end her because deep down, you knew she was the cause of everything, but you also knew that rafayel loved her. you wouldn’t harm her because it meant harming him and that was a thing that you could never do.

so you turned your back to them and sang. you sang as you faced the darkening sky, you sang as a storm hit and the waves crashed, taking you down and down. you sang until you no longer could, finally closing your eyes.

and then in your last life, you saw him again. you saw rafayel once more. it was in the desert this time, not in the waters as it had been previously. the ocean had dried up long ago and a part of you dried up along with it. you wanted to leave, to turn away from rafayel and go on your own. you didn’t want to be hurt again, you didn’t want to experience such pain tear your being apart. but rafayel, oh so loveable rafayel, melted your walls. he was still the same: guarded, speaking in ways that confused you yet you would never change that about him, still aloof once he warmed up to you. and you thought, you really thought, that this life would be different. that this life would be the one where he wouldn’t cross paths with her again. then he was kidnapped and when you found him, he didn’t want to restore the ocean.

that was the breaking point.

you were so mad. how could he betray his home? his people? maybe it was the remnants of the feelings you harbored in your life as a priestess, the love you felt for your home and the lemurians, that made you lash out at rafayel. you couldn’t wrap your head around it: the fact that rafayel still chose an ill fate over a promising and flourishing future. he sacrificed the lemurians that believed in him, he sacrificed your home and people. you cursed him and promised to never forgive him, disappearing afterwards. you never saw him after that and you don’t want to see him in this life.

sometimes you wonder if you should have made that promise with the ocean as a witness, maybe then your heart wouldn’t ache so much when thinking of rafayel on cold nights where ocean waves are still.

zayne has a soul that is just as broken as yours and you found comfort in him. an excellent friend and an even better listener. sometimes you feel bad that he just listens when you recount your memories to him, but he tells you that it’s fine.

“you know,” you pipe up, “i think you would have liked lemuria.”

zayne glances at you from the corner of his eye, his eyebrows slightly rising in surprise that quickly fades from his face, a stoic expression settling in once more. he looks back to the front as you both keep walking down the busy street.

“how so?” zayne asks just as you both leave an art exhibition you’ve been meaning to check out under the guise of work. 

“well,” you clear your throat, grabbing onto the arm that he offers you before leading you across a street. “it was filled with many lemurians, obviously. there was a nice ambiance. some… human interaction would have been nice for you. you wouldn’t have been so lonely. though, that is just my personal opinion.”

zayne chuckles at your rambling that continues on. at some point, you both stop as the stop light flashes green, cars resuming their trek down the road and preventing you two from crossing.

“thank you for accompanying me, doctor.” you smile, looking at the scene in front of you. “you really didn’t have to come with me today.”

“it is quite alright, y/n.” he replies, remaining quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. “...you need company around this time of year anyways.”

and your heart aches at the mention of that because it is around this time that a lifetime ago that you said goodbye to rafayel.

you shake the melancholic mood off and instead playfully scoff and nudge the taller man. “zayne, there is no need to be formal with me. after all, aren’t we friends?”

before zayne can even reply, you hear her voice. it makes both you and zayne turn towards the sound and you feel your heart drop to the ground.

rafayel is here.

he is standing in front of you, alive and well. he is breathing the same air as you, walking on the same ground as you. he still looks the same as ever, but he carries a certain air of freedom with him. the sight of him like this morphs your initial shock into rage. how dare he? how dare he be like this after what he’s done?

you two are the last lemurians because of his selfishness to pursue something that was never blessed by the fates.

“oh! doctor zayne, what are you doing here?”

you take this chance to whisper into zayne’s ears that you’re leaving. you hold onto his arm as you leaned forwards on the tip of your toes, leaning back and smiling at him as he gave you a nod. with that, you take off, walking as quickly as you could. the tears that prickle the corner of your eyes makes you mad because you don’t want to cry over a man that never treasured what he had, a man that abandoned his responsibilities. your aching feet take you to the beach and your mind instantly calms down, shoulders relaxing. you kick your heels off and walk down the sands, eyes on the waters.

“y/n.”

your throat tightens, eyes widening as you spin around. rafayel stands not too far from you, seemingly keeping a distance from you so as to not alert you. he’s panting, his purple hair sticking to his head and chest rising and falling. you swallow the lump in your throat and turn your back to him, continuing your path down the beach.

“y/n, wait.”

the desperation in his voice makes you angry, so you quicken your pace. he continuously calls out your name, and each time you can hear his emotions in his pleas. at some point, you find yourself standing with your feet submerged into the water, rafayel still behind you. it’s then that you feel his hand wrap around your wrist and you try snatching it out of his hold.

“rafayel, let me go.” you enunciate each word with venom in your tone, eyebrows furrowed.

rafayel shakes his head and you notice that his hand trembles.

“i’m not letting go,” he mumbles, “how can i let you go after what happened?”

that makes you scoff and roll your eyes, “you didn’t have a problem letting me leave back then.”

he stays quiet and you finally snatch your wrist away from him. "i told you that i was never going to forgive you.”

“you don’t mean that,” he quickly adds, his blue-pink eyes blown wide. “you’re lying.”

“rafayel, i’ve hated you these past 800 years. do you really think i’m lying?”

“you’re bluffing!” rafayel takes a step forwards and you take one back.

“i am not.”

rafayel feels his stomach twist and churn, feels his heart getting squeezed when tears begin to flow down from your eyes. as you’re crying, he slowly realizes that you’re wearing a dress from long ago. to be specific, you’re wearing your dress from your days as his priestess, the one that has flowy, light blue material. your arms are bare and tainted with the same blue markings that he had.

he reaches for your hand again, and this time you let him grab it. you’ve given him this chance, just this chance for him to explain himself, prove himself worthy to you. he won’t let you down.

“i’m sorry.” he says, heart drumming loudly in his ears. the sound gets drowned out by the sound of your crying, the soft sobs that leave your lips. “i’m sorry, y/n.”

“are you?” you question him, blinking, “are you really sorry?”

“of course i am! i’m—”

“then what are you sorry for, hm?” he stays quiet as you ramble to him, “are you sorry for not heeding my advice when i was your priestess to not indulge in her? are you sorry for not listening to me and going to the surface when we were equals? are you sorry for sacrificing the lemurians and our home for her?” you let out a bitter laugh and look off to the side, “don’t you see, rafayel? everything you’ve done was because of her and for her, you’ll do anything. so no, you aren’t sorry.” the next words you mutter makes him want to hurl.

“i know you well enough to know that you aren’t truly sorry.”

he shakes his head, desperately grasping onto your hand and intertwining your fingers together and bringing it to his bare chest where you feel the rapid beating of his heart. you stare at him, confused. tears coat his lashes before they slowly roll down his flushed cheeks. you almost choke not only because he’s crying and he never cries, but also because of how he looks. the blue markings that are drawn onto his pale skin, the gold jewelry, his blue garbs—the god of the tides himself kneels before you.

you’re brought out of your head when rafayel’s lips brush gently over your skin, lips quivering almost as if he was afraid. and he is afraid. he’s afraid that if he leaves a bruising kiss to your hand that you’ll break and disappear. he doesn’t want you to disappear. he wants you to stay, to stay here with him.

“i’m sorry, y/n. i’m so sorry.” he whispers, keeping his head down, “i took you for granted. i don’t know—”

“yes you do, you know that it’s because you love her,” you say, “and i loved you—”

rafayel looks up, eyes wide. you loved him? you loved him? loved.

“—and that’s why i put up with it. because for you… for you, i would do anything. i turned into seafoam for you so that you wouldn’t, i died after i saw you sing your last words,” your voice cracks, “but the final straw was that you betrayed all of us. you betrayed me. how could you even do that?”

“it meant killing her and—”

“i know what it meant! i know what it meant…” you glower at him, lips pursed, “but i thought that you would see it then. how you and her are ill-fated. how does a love like that make you sacrifice everything on a silver platter?”

“i—”

“i hate you, rafayel.”

rafayel shakes his head, voice shaking, “d-don’t say that. please, please don’t s-say that.”

“i hate you,” you repeat, your sobs growing louder, “i hate you. i hate you so much.”

the purple-haired male mutters apologies against your skin and in between kisses.

“i hate you so much because i still love you,” your knees buckle and you fall into the sand. rafayel catches you easily and guides your face to the crook of his neck where you continue to cry and gasp for air in between your words. “i still… i still love you. do you know h-how terrible that feels? to love someone that betrays you and his people continuously? a-and i just… i don’t want to be hurt again.”

“oh…” rafayel now presses his lips to the side of your head, “my pretty pearl…” he pulls away just enough to grab your hand once more, this time his grip is firm as he hooks your pinkies together and then touches the pad of your thumb with his own, pressing a kiss to it and muttering, “i promise that i’ll dedicate the rest of my lives in showing you that i want to cherish you, that i won’t let you go now or ever, that… that i love you.”

“don’t make such a cruel promise,” you huff, “let me go, raf. don’t be selfish and…” you trail off, watching as a little, blue fish emerges from your joined hands, swimming into the air and disappearing shortly afterwards.

rafayel laughs, a sound so joyous that it makes your heart flutter. “see? even the ocean blesses this promise of mine to you.” he leans forwards and you stay frozen, your cheeks feeling abnormally warm when his lips land on them. “i will earn your trust and your love, my pearl.”

the oceans, ever so truthful, know that the god of the tides tells the truth. the oceans know that the promise you made eight hundred years ago was done out of spite, a promise that never held any worth. the oceans also know that the god had finally woken up, had finally realized that what he had been chasing was nothing but an illusion, something meant to take him away from who he is meant to be with.

and the oceans can now rejoice in the god of the tides finally realizing his love to the one he is meant to be with, then and now and forever.

[littlejuicebox]

The wish spell worked.

Pairing: Astarion x F!Reader/Tav

Summary/Setting: 10 years post BG3. Follows my HC for spawn Astarion arc. See my other fics for more information, but otherwise the title speaks for itself. :)

Rating/Warnings: PG / allusions to sexual behaviors / fluff / in-game spoilers / lightest bit of angst if you squint but not really / this is self-indulgent af and idc / so sweet it will rot your teeth

Word Count: 2.2 K

A/N: HAPPY 400 FOLLOWERS POST! Thank you to everyone who likes my stories and provides encouragement. I love you all! I originally wanted to post this as a New Years Eve/Day special, but I couldn't get it quite right by then. After several reiterations, this is what we finally have! Hope it was worth the wait and multiple edits for you guys! :)

-----

If anyone had told Astarion Ancunin a decade ago that he would one day hold Gale Dekarios on a pedestal nearly as high as the one on which he held his darling Tav, the immortal elf might have actually died from laughter. The strange irony and wicked life lessons of fate were not lost on the retired rogue. Unbelievably and annoyingly, Astarion eventually found himself indebted to the wizard in a way he could never repay. 

The wish spell worked.

It had taken years for Gale to feel absolutely ready to cast the spell. Astarion waited — exasperated, impatient, and impetuous — for what felt like the longest ten years of his ageless lifetime to be given the gift of mortality. 

More than once, in the pale elf’s tearful fits of frustration, he accused the wizard of intentionally stringing him along or simply not having the skills to perform such a spell and not wanting to admit it. More than once, you had to calmly remind your husband of the great lengths Gale had gone to find information regarding the act and the even greater risk to both the vampire and the wizard if the spell was not cast perfectly and mindfully. 

It had been a long decade, waiting for that impossible possibility, but the wait had been more than worth it.

Just over ten years after you met that silver-haired rake on the beach, Astarion was miraculously returned to his living, breathing, heart beating, mortal elven form. Surprisingly, not much changed about his appearance. Most notably, his eyes turned a gold-flecked green, and his complexion took on a constant soft pink undertone, permanently tinged by the circulation of his own blood by his own heart. That beautiful undertone caused a delightful blush to creep across his cheeks and ears whenever you teased or aroused him, and you took an even more significant liking to both these behaviors, just to watch that gorgeous rosiness creep across his skin. 

And while you dearly loved that blush, your favorite part of the change had certainly been the steady beating of his heart. You would rest your head on your lover’s chest for hours to savor the sound if he let you, wrapped tightly in the new found warmth of his long limbs.

While you became obsessed with Astarion’s steadily thrumming heart, he’d become obsessed with his reflection. As soon as he’d been able to see himself, your husband had taken to having you sit on his lap while you primped and preened. He would stare into the looking glass with you for long lengths of time, his limbs coiled around your waist and chin often resting on your shoulder as he studied the mirror with a besotted, hazy smile on his face. 

After a few weeks of this, you finally asked your silver-haired husband why he seemed positively obsessed with this new behavior. Astarion’s response had floored you.

“Darling, in my over 200 years, I never imagined I would have a love of my own, nor did I ever imagine what we would look like together. I couldn’t have envisioned such a thing even if I thought it a possibility or wanted to. I simply couldn’t envision myself at all. But now seeing it? I want to commit everything to memory exactly as it is… because it’s the most precious vision in the world to me.”

And really how else could you respond to that apart from kissing your sappy, bleeding heart of a husband and allowing him to continue the practice?

Of course, the two of you behaving as innocent love birds hadn’t been the only thing Astarion wanted to see in the mirror. On more than one occasion, he’d easily charmed you into the throes of passion in perfect view of a reflective surface. Your husband’s darker, more carnal half had become obsessed with watching you two in the act and it certainly thrilled you to know he was trying to commit those sensual sights to memory. You were quite happy to oblige. 

As such, you’d soon found yourself carrying the byproduct of one of your many erotic couplings.

“That was a big one.” Astarion murmurs, and you see a smile creeping across the reflection of his face in the mirror as he glances down and runs his long fingers across the swell of your abdomen. His arms are looped around you as you sit front of the vanity mirror, placing the final touches on your appearance. 

You agree with a gentle hum, moving a hand to your pregnant belly and rubbing circles on the stretch of skin, hoping to calm the young life stirring within. You coo softly to the rolling babe as you finish your primping, “Surely you aren’t thinking about breaking out of there yet, my little love. You have a few more months to go.”

Astarion’s now-warm hands cover yours as the little one seems to do somersaults in response to your voice, causing you to wince slightly as they jolt against your ribs. He presses a tender kiss into your shoulder and chuckles, “This one is strong like their mother and impatient like their father… we may be in for a spot of trouble in a few years, my love.”

You laugh in response as you stand with a pitiable amount of effort and quite a bit of assistance from the supportive arm of your husband. “I believe you’re right… but surely we’ve taken on scarier and more difficult things than a stubborn babe.”

Astarion hums in agreement before pressing a kiss to your swollen stomach, which is hovering just in front of him now, “Surely, darling. Now let us all go say hi to Uncle and Auntie Ravengard. I’m positively famished.”

-----

You are almost out of breath as you walk the final steps toward the entry of the Duke’s home. Astarion had practically begged you to take the carriage all the way through Wyll’s estate, but you waved him off, adamant that a bit light exercise would be good for the baby. The walkway was fully paved, how hard could it be?

As it turned out, you’d severely overestimated your abilities. Though it was just under a quarter mile to the front doors of the manor when you’d decided to exit the carriage, you were no longer the young, lithe woman that traversed the wilds with a petulant vampire a decade ago. The weight of your belly slowed you down more than you would admit. Astarion implored you, more than once and with growing concern and exasperation, to return to carriage. You refused each time, forcing the driver to follow behind at a snail’s pace.

“Gods, I hope this child does not take on your stubborn streak. I will be constantly overrun in my own home.” Astarion huffs, dabbing at the few beads of sweat on your brow with a silken handkerchief as he helps you climb the small flight of stairs at the entryway of Wyll’s home. He rolls his eyes as you laugh, breathlessly, and lean into him for support as he presses a kiss at the meeting point between your cheek and ear. “But, my sweet, as much as I would have preferred we stayed in the coach, you know I adore the way you look with your cheeks all flushed after a bit of… exertion.”

It’s your turn to roll your eyes at your husband as he traces his hand over your flushed cheek, his expression practically brimming with desire. The flush on the tips of his ears is a telltale sign of his salacious thoughts. If he had it his way, he’d be dragging you into the carriage right there for a quickie. But, he knew you two were nearly running late for dinner with the Duke and forced himself to push all desires aside. For now.

Wyll and his beautiful wife, Euphemia, greet you with a flurry of excitement and hugs. Their two twin toddlers run around in the entryway, a nursemaid trailing behind them.

Wyll wears a kind, soft smile as he addresses the both of you, “Dinner should be just about ready… shall we make our way there? I hope you two don’t mind. We are having work done in the dining room — my beautiful flower insisted upon remodeling — so dinner will have to be served in the Great Hall.”

As the four of you head towards the larger of the two dining areas in the Duke’s estate, Astarion wraps his arm around your waist and runs his hand along the side of your nearly bursting belly once again. There is a subtle pause at the doors of the Great Hall, and your husband’s eyebrows crinkle in a silent question before you gently press a kiss into his cheek and whisper, “Happy Rebirth Day, my love.”

Today marked one year since Gale successfully cast the Wish Spell. 

The oak doors burst open to reveal the faces of everyone you hold dear, all of them shouting, “Surprise!” in unison. Wyll and Euphemia are laughing with delight as the four of you enter the room. Astarion is obviously shocked and overwhelmed as he takes the scene in, but a toothy smile is plastered across his face nonetheless. The elf could not believe that the significance of the date had slipped his mind, nor could he believe that you all went through such great lengths to plan a spectacle on his behalf. 

Everyone showered your husband with a plethora of well-wishes and congratulations. The food was heavenly, and the silver-haired elf dined to his heart’s content. Just as Astarion loved to watch you both in the mirror, you adored seeing him eat and savor real food. You’d pursued cooking as a new hobby in the past few months, just to watch the delight on his face as he tasted any number of delectable things you placed in front of him.

“Have you thought of any names for the baby?” Karlach asks through a mouthful of food as she continues to tear into the lamb shank in front of her.

You smile knowingly. This topic has piqued everyone’s interest and they all turn their gazes in your direction, “Yes, actually… Astarion picked it out. It works well for a boy or a girl, and I think it’s an excellent choice.”

The elf smiles shyly, that subtle flush of his cheeks and ears crawling across his face as you turn your gaze to him and urge him on, “Go on, my love, and tell them the gorgeous name you picked.”

“I… I decided we should name the baby Gale.” Astarion reveals, his hand immediately moving to graze against your swollen stomach as he meets the flabbergasted expression of the wizard sitting across the table with a round-eyed, nervous gaze, “If… that’s okay by you.”

Gale coughs in surprise, nearly choking on the wine he’d just sipped from a goblet. For a moment, you watch as he blinks away tears. You are beginning to truly believe he might leap across the table and tackle your husband in a hug when he rapidly nods instead.

The wizard’s voice cracks with emotion as he speaks, “Y-yes. Thank you, Astarion. That is such an honor.”

Ten years of friendship between two men that once seemed entirely at odds with one another, honored by a namesake given to a precious babe. Fate was a truly remarkable thing.

“It’s an honor you are quite deserving of, Gale.” You respond, reaching your hand across the table to give the wizard’s hand an affectionate squeeze. “May our child have just as much heart, wit, and skill as their namesake. We will be truly blessed.”

A cake with candles is brought about at the end of the meal and placed in front of Astarion as everyone sings an off-key birthday tune. While your husband always seemed to thrive on being held at the center of attention, you noticed with a bit of amusement that his ears and cheeks were flushed pink as everyone focused their eyes upon him. 

While the others continue to sing, you lean closer to your husband and whisper, “I know we will never surpass the wish you made last time, my Star. But go on and make one anyway.”

Astarion’s gaze roams around the room, taking in all the friends he collected this past decade. Then he turns to you and grins, pausing to etch every bit of this moment into his memory before closing his eyes and blowing the candles out to a cacophony of inebriated cheers and whoops.

The elf wished for the only thing he could: a healthy child and a long life with his little love. Fate had already gifted him with more than he could have imagined for himself back in those dark, dank dungeons he once called home. Astarion found himself in want of nothing but the health and happiness of the woman beside him and the safety of their offspring. 

Though he knew it was another selfish ask, and he’d been blessed far more than he had ever expected, Astarion prayed to the gods that he once never thought would answer to grant him this last wish. And just in case they did not hear him the first time, he would be sure to make the same wish every year, until his very last. 

[assiraphales]

sundance is being moved from park city utah to boulder colorado after 40 yrs. while no one is outright saying it, utah sentator mccay has been targeting the lgbtq+ community and the festival saying ‘it promotes porn and “alternative lifestyles” which do not fit with Utah��s values.” lowkey love them just up n leaving w/o fighting that hard to stay like oh u red hat soda drinking boring ass bitches don’t want the 20k ppl this festival draws in? k. it’s not like half of u can even watch or appreciate our art / something over a pg rating anyways….. so like, BYEEEEE

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Do we know the rating for Sonic 3 yet?

Hi Hon!❤️✨

The film’s rating for Sonic 3 is a strong “K” for “KNUCKLES!”

I’m kidding, I promise! It looks like the film is rated PG. However, there IS something special for viewers in the UK. Sonic 3/the SCU has partnered up with the BBFC to create a black card rating to promote the film! The contest is open for ages 4–11 with the application to apply HERE. Sonic can explain the contest in great detail for you.

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Eulipotyphla

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next mammalian order is Eulipotyphla, sometimes called the “true insectivores” (as they used to be grouped paraphyletically with some afrotherians, colugos, and treeshrews in an order called “Insectivora”). Eulipotyphla includes the families Solenodontidae (solenodons), Talpidae (“moles”), Soricidae (“shrews”), and Erinaceidae (“hedgehogs” and “gymnures.”) Yes, we have finally come to the true moles and shrews!

Eulipotyphlans resemble rodents with pointed snouts and small or reduced eyes. Scientifically, they are set apart by their lack of cecum in the large intestine. Most are terrestrial insectivores or omnivores, and they have many sharp, spike-like teeth. Some of these animals (solenodons and shrews of the genus Sorex and Blarina) emit clicking noises, the sound waves of which bounce off objects in their vicinity. This form of echolocation helps these nearly blind animals navigate as well as find food. Eulipotyphlans also have an above average sense of smell. Many have unusually high metabolic rates, and need to eat almost constantly. Eulipotyphla contains the majority of venomous mammals, the only others being the Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), 3 species of vampire bat, and Slow Lorises (of the genera Nycticebus and Xanthonycticebus).

Eulipotyphlans are generally solitary, highly territorial animals that only tolerate each other for breeding. Only the mother raises the young. Litter size depends on species. Solenodons only have 1-2 young per litter once a year, while shrews can have 1-11 pups per litter, and can become pregnant soon after giving birth. Baby hedgehogs (called hoglets) are born with their quills covered by a protective membrane which dries and falls off several hours after birth, allowing their sharp quills to emerge.

Eulipotyphla is one of the oldest mammalian orders, having already begun to diversify in the Late Cretaceous, before the K-Pg extinction.

Propaganda under the cut:

Many shrews have a venomous bite. They use their venom to render invertebrate prey paralyzed, caching them for sustenance in the Winter months when food is more scarce. Their venom also allows them to take down prey their size or even larger, such as rodents and lizards. The European Mole (Talpa europaea), and possibly other species of mole, also have toxic saliva that allows them to cache paralyzed earthworms for later consumption. As an added measure, solenodons have grooves in their teeth which allow them to more effectively deliver venom. Fossil records show that some other now-extinct mammal groups also had the dental venom delivery system, indicating that solenodons’ most distinct characteristic may have been a more general ancient mammalian characteristic that has been lost in most modern mammals and is only retained in a couple of very ancient lineages.

The contents of the venom glands of one American Short-tailed Shrew (genus Blarina) are enough to kill 200 mice.

Solendons are often called "living fossils" because they have remained virtually unchanged for the past 76 million years.

The Hispaniolan Solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) (image 4) was once thought to be extinct, due to its secretive and elusive behavior. The Hispaniolan Solenodon and the rat-like Hispaniolan Hutia (Plagiodontia aedium) live in the same habitats and are the only surviving mammals native to Hispaniola.

The Cuban Solenodon (Atopogale cubana) is endangered due to predation from invasive animals like domestic cats, domestic dogs, and the Small Indian Mongoose (Urva auropunctata) which was introduced to Cuba to control snakes and rodents. It is also threatened by deforestation as well as habitat degradation due to logging and mining. The animal can take a long time to recover because it only breeds a single litter of 1-2 young per year. Unfortunately, solenodons are not very charismatic, and very little conservation attention is given to the species.

Desmans (see gif above) are uniquely aquatic moles, though they excavate dry sleeping chambers. They have waterproof undercoats and oily guard hairs, elongated and flattened tails, and webbed paws to aid in swimming.

While the Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) (image 3) is known to share its burrow, other moles are very territorial, and can engage in extraordinarily fast battles.

The Star-nosed Mole is adapted for both subterranean life and for swimming. Star-nosed Moles are able to smell underwater, accomplished by exhaling air bubbles onto objects or scent trails and then inhaling the bubbles to carry scents back into the nose.

A report in the journal Nature gives the Star-nosed Mole the title of fastest-eating mammal, taking as little as 120 milliseconds (average: 227 ms) to identify and consume individual food items. Its brain decides in approximately eight milliseconds if prey is edible or not.

The Small Japanese Mole (Mogera imaizumii) is extinct in central Tokyo, but still found on the grounds of the Imperial Palace.

The Etruscan Shrew (Suncus etruscus) is the smallest known terrestrial mammal, with an adult body length of about 4 cm (1.6 in), excluding the tail. On average, they weigh only about 1.8 g (0.063 oz). Like other shrews, it has a very fast metabolism, eating about 1.5–2 times its own body weight per day.

In some shrew species, exposed areas of the teeth are dark red due to the presence of iron in their tooth enamel. The iron reinforces the surfaces that are exposed to the most stress, which helps prolong the life of their teeth.

Shrews are considered beneficial to humans, as they are voracious predators of many insects and rodents that humans consider pests, such as cockroaches and House Mice (Mus musculus).

Shrews do this really cute thing where the babies will each bite onto the tail of the one in front of them and all follow their mom in a line so they don’t get lost. This is called “caravanning.” I call it a Shrew-shrew Train. (I’d like to see what the people who get upset about those joint child daycare leashes think of this.)

The Dalat Gymnure (Hylomys macarong) gets its species name, macarong, from the Vietnamese word for “vampire”, Ma cà rồng. This is a reference to the animals’ prominent long fangs, specifically the first upper incisors, that distinguish mature males of this species.

Hedgehogs (subfamily Erinaceinae) are one of the many mammal groups to convergently evolve spines from hair. Unlike the quills of a porcupine, hedgehog spines do not easily detach from their bodies. However, immature hedgehog’s spines normally fall out as they are replaced with adult spines. The animal will roll into a tight spiny ball when threatened, tucking in their furry face, feet, and belly. Some light-weight desert hedgehog species with fewer spines are more likely to flee or attack, ramming an intruder with their spines, rolling up only as a last resort.

Since 2000, the European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) population in Great Britain has been declining rapidly, down by 30%-75%. European Hedgehogs are common roadkill in Britain, especially during the breeding season when they are wandering for a mate.

Hedgehogs can suffer from a unique condition called balloon syndrome, in which gas is trapped under the hedgehog’s loose skin from injury or infection, causing the animal to inflate. Trying to research this syndrome can be difficult, as searching “hedgehog inflation” can often yield unintended results.

The Four-toed Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) (image 1) is a highly energetic predator, sometimes covering miles of ground in a single night as it forages for insects, grubs, snails, spiders, some plant matter, and even small vertebrates. It has a high tolerance for toxins and has been recorded consuming scorpions and even venomous snakes.

Hedgehogs are usually a welcome visitor to gardens, as they eat many garden pests such as beetles, slugs, and grasshoppers, and only eat a very small amount of plant matter.

Moles and hedgehogs have natural immunity against some snake venoms due to the protein erinacin in their muscles (though in such small amounts that a viper bite may still be fatal).

[itstheghostofmypast]

Baby Steps

Domestic AU Choi San x (F)Reader

Summary: He wanted to be better- no- the best man you had ever seen.

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 2.5 K

Est. Read Time: 12 min

Warnings: Toxic Father, Abandonment Issues

Rating: PG-17

Type: One-shot

Networks: @k-labels

Banner: @cafekitsune

A/N: GUESS WHO'S BACK!?

“I like it.” You scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest, staring at your husband who was standing there in all his suited glory, all tired and exhausted from a hard day's work, his not so narrow shoulders barely fitting in the small doorframe of your even smaller washroom as he sighed at your persistent banter.

“It's the disco ball isn't it.”

“Of course it's the disco ball!”

That confession and a little pout was all it had taken for the two of you to move from your extremely cramped studio apartment to a slightly better and bigger studio apartment, with more sunlight and surface area- taking with you, your mismatched furniture, potted plants and your LED monitor screen the two of you used as a TV. The two or you had spent your entire Saturday morning moving into and unpacking, setting things where they belonged in your new little home.

“See.” You huffed, landing on your back with a light thump on the mattress next to your worn out mountainous man, staring up at the ceiling, smiling when you felt him lace his fingers with yours.

“All I see is that we finally have a decent sized fridge.”

You smiled at his statement and sat on your elbows, staring at the monitor screen, “Oh~ it'll rain tomorrow!” You exclaimed, ignoring the way he groaned in response, turning to the other side, holding his ground when you pulled on his shoulder to face you, “Shall we have some soup tomorrow!? I'll bring the ingredients on my way back! OooooOo we could make this noodle soup recipe I found!”

San closed his eyes and stood his ground, resisting against your will for him to lay on your back, he just needed a 15 minute nap to recharge, but he had a feeling he was not going to blessed with it, not because of your constant yapping, no he liked your yapping, it rang like the little bells you'd here when Tinkerbell spoke, it was the bubbling guilt within him that had kept him up all night, had him sigh in defeat when you had rested you head against his chest, wrapping your limbs around him, had him frowning while packing, had him zoning out while he drove the two of you to your new home. To be fair, he should have told you but- SMACK

He winced at the smack, his shoulder aching, as the skin of his exposed shoulder stung because of the impact, causing him to sigh in defeat as he closed his eyes to rest for a few minutes. He felt the bed shake as you stood up, your grumbling voice tickling his ears as he rubbed his bare shoulder, wondering if you were upset with him for it too. You had to be, right? Any sane person would be mad at spending their biggest bonus on a rent deposit, something a man usually takes care of, it's not that you had said this to him, no, you'd never say anything like this, but it was true, it was a man’s job to provide, that's what he had promised when he had gotten down on one knee, to protect you, cherish you and give you a perfect life, comfortable life that you had always deserved. It's something he had promised you to make sure you didn't have to live the same life your mother did.

All your life you had seen your mother working, at least that's what you remembered. The memory of your father was a blur, and if you had a say yourself, you'd say your brain had deleted the file. There was no need to remember a man who had chosen his mistress over his wife, especially because his mistress was having a son. So, since that unfortunate night, you had seen your mother work tirelessly, to give you a good life, now, that did not involve luxuries, but she strongly endorsed a good education, healthy meals and a roof over your head.

There were moments in your life where you'd barely see that poor woman, who was busy doing odd jobs after her shift would end at her day job, from bagging groceries to baby sitting to making lunch meals for offices to even working in your school cafeteria part time- did you get bullied for that? Yes, you did, though all that had done was push you to study harder, work harder, and to end up earning a life that would allow your mother to quit all her jobs and then you'd be the one providing for her, giving her a comfortable life.

The moment you had confessed that to Choi San he was whipped, on the floor, down right rolling on the ground for you- the only problem was, that you had told him this as soon as you had rejected his offer on a date, ensuring that you respect him as a colleague and telling him how you do believe that he is a great person, but that you had no time or interest in men, given the lack of existence of a male figure in your and the dire need to give your honest, hardworking and loving mother the life she deserved. Fortunately for you, fate had sent your way a God sent blessing, one who effortlessly had worked day and night to gain your approval, from showing you how your father was not what a “true man” was supposed to be, to lending you a hand once and a while- and let's not talk about how he had to earn your mother's approval.

Whether you'd like to admit it or not, gaining her approval was not as difficult as you had believed it to be, as you had wanted it to be. In fact, the moment Choi San had brought you home, all soaked to the bone and shivering- your bus had broken down and you had to run home, ironically he lived in the same direction- holding you close as the two of you waited for your mother to open the apartment door, you had begun to realise how you had lost this battle, especially when you noticed the way your mother had invited him into your place of residence, urging that he too should stay for warm soup- and even though you had tried to protest, something that had San almost leaping out the window (mind you, only because he wanted to do nothing but make you feel comfortable, and if his absence did so, then he would disappear like Houdini). That night, as you lay next to your mother in your shared bed in your cramped small studio, she had nagged you for the first time, and for the first time you were jealous, especially when she had said, “He's a good boy, no, a good man.” How dare she pay more attention to him than you? She had even ended up giving her portion of rice for him, because he was a “big man”- the hell did that mean?

At the end though, two years in, when you were ever so close to giving up, the people in your team burdening you with their work had you wondering if this was your fate because you were poor, you met the warm embrace of a sun-kissed, mountainous being, one who held you close, letting you silently cry as he whispered in your hair, ever so gently, enough to have you gripping onto him tighter than you could ever imagine, “Let me help you…we can do this together.” Since then, the two of you had been an unbreakable force, especially at work, and let's just say when your mother came to know about him wanting to marry you a year ago, she had urged him to “DO IT TONIGHT!” The poor lad had to convince the potential future version of his wife, “Mother, please, I can't force her yet, after the project.” True to his word, after the project, the man had gotten down on one knee and slipped that ring on your finger faster than you could say yes.

Six months, it had been six months and here he was, having you spend your bonus on your new apartment. If only he had worked harder, done more over time work, maybe taken up another job, where he could work a few hours in the night, he could've done this himself, he could have let you save the money, or spend it on something you like or spend it on your mother, he could have set a better example-

“San?”

He flinched at the closeness of your voice, sighing when felt the tip of your finger gently push between his brows, “Why is my big man frowning in his sleep?”

Huh?

Slowly yawning he sat up, stretching his arms over his head, not noticing how you were smiling at him, he looked just like a cat sometimes. Turning his head to face you, he saw you walk back into the open kitchen, picking up a pot and placing it on the small dining table, “Come on, I made soup, even made side dishes, replenish your strength my little soldier!” Your cherry like voice calming his nerves as he quietly nodded and sat down, staring at the food before blinking up at you, “How…long was I asleep for?”

“Hmmm…I think an hour or so…but you were knocked out cold!” You exclaimed, “I dropped a pan and you didn't wake up.” Your smile faltered when you didn't get a reaction out of him, only to look at him staring at the plate in front of him, was he upset? He had seemed a bit down since yesterday, maybe he was tired, but then again, he'd been agitated ever since you had convinced him to move. Maybe he didn't want to move? Maybe he thought you were taking charge? Maybe he didn't like that- no man likes a woman taking decisions, so why would he-

“I'm sorry.”

Your thought halted at his words, eyes meeting his guilt ridden ones, what was he guilty of? He slowly reached over for your hand, having you sit on the stool that was closer to his chair, as he stroked the back of your hand with his thumb before bringing it to his lips, pressing his warm lips against your skin, whispering, “You do so much for me…I can't thank you enough,” you felt something warm blossom within you at his words as you whispered his name, only for him to continue. San reached for your other hand, now holding your smaller hands in his, though he still chose not to make eye contact, “I'm sorry you had to…pay the deposit with your bonus…it's my job, I promised to give you a comfortable life, to give you everything, and not only are you still working but you had to invest in our move. I know,” taking a deep breath he finally looked at you with a sombre expression, one that had your heart break, you never wanted him to feel this way, “I know, you say you don't mind but, I would rather have you save, or spend on your mother- I'm going to apply at the store nearby for a night shift, I can go there after work, and a morning shift for the weekends, an extra cash flow will-”

“You will do no such thing!” You snatched your hands out of his and frowned, ignoring his gasp as you scoffed, “You think I'd rather have a few extra dimes than be able to spend time with you? What are you stupid or dumb?”

“Both of those words usually mean the same thing, love.”

“That's what you got from what I just said!?” You huffed, gripping him by the front of his vest as you leaned closer to frown at him, “I don't like men, I really don't, you on the other hand just piss me off and I still love you for some ungodly reason! Do you realise I spent my bonus here because I wanted to? Because I wanted to start a happy life with you? Didn't you say we're in this together?”

His hands gently gripped your shoulders before pushing you to sit straight, not letting go of you even when you let go of him, he felt his heart leap with joy at your words, “I just…don't you think you could have spent it on yourself or your mom? I know I said we're in this together…we really are but I-”

“You're not my father, Choi San.”

His breath hitched at your statement, fingers digging into your shoulders by reflex, unsure of what to say at the confession.

“You're not like the man who abandoned me because he wanted a son, you're not like the man who was too busy living another life to even turn to look at the one he had left halfway through…each day I wake up in your arms, grateful to have found someone who puts me before himself, someone who cares about my mother, someone who wants to keep me happy, someone who treats me like an equal.”

You felt his hold on you relax at that, smiling softly at him as you leaned closer, cupping his face to have him look at you before gently brushing your lips against his, “My mother wanted to move back to the countryside, she's happy there, she knows I'm happy with you, I send her enough each month to know she's living the life she deserves…we visit her on weekends, don't we?” he nodded in your hold, his own hands now gripping your waist like you were a piece of him- which you were.

“I spent my money knowing it was a good investment, I did the math Sannie,” You smiled before leaning even closer, “You.Can.Spend.On.A.New.Mattress.” Punctuating each word with a kiss you pulled back, and moved to the chair, leaving your husband sitting there a blushing mess as you began to eat, “Let's get rid of the old thing. Need a new one…” you said before taking a bite nodding towards his food as you swallowed, “Can't give her grandkids with a busted mattress.”

From the tip of his toes to the top of his head the man felt like he was on fire. Did he know that you two were not going to have kids anytime soon? Yes, he did. Did the thought of having a family with you excite him? Yes, it brought him pure joy, enough to have him smiling like an idiot, as he started to eat like the hungry boy he was, not before putting his extra serving of rice on your side, “Eat up, love, gotta keep you strong and healthy for the future baby Chois.”

“Calm down big boy, we aren't having them anytime soon.” You snorted, as you smiled at the thought of your own little family, wondering if your kids would be as hyper as him, or as calm as you- either way, that was for later, for now, you needed to work harder, get a bigger apartment, save up and so much more, and just the thought of it had you frowning for a moment only to lock your eyes with your husband who gave you that boyish smile calming your nerves,

“I know, baby steps, baby steps, one day we change the mattress, get a bigger apartment and then before ya know it, we get our own dozen babies.”

“Sure Mr.Choi, whatever makes you sleep at night.”

[yuyusuyu]

bloody hell — forgive and forget

synopsis. oh, if only, if only she hadn't crossed paths with him. then maybe, just maybe, all of this could've been avoided... except, it was bound to happen by fate. there was no escaping the fate that was given to you at birth.

pairing. ot8! vampire! ateez x fem! reader (not poly! everyone will have their own ending!)

genres/aus. vampire au, suspense, romance, angst, slow burn

warnings. mentions/description of blood, arguing, cursing, jongho about to throw hands oop, mention of k wording someone help. if there's anything i should add, please lmk !

rating. pg-13

wc. 2.6k lol...

a/n. this was nawt proofread... super duperrr sorry for uploading late !! was very busy and am very busy right now but things should calm down next week heh.

send an ask in my inbox or leave a comment to be added to the taglist! reblogs and comments are appreciated! helps with not getting shadowbanned!

YOU ABSENTMINDELY TAP YOUR PEN ON THE DESK, your eyes reading over and over again what you had written down in your notebook.

MIDTERM

Find someone whose first/native language isn’t Korean + do a presentation on the phoneme of their language and choose one interesting phonetic element of that language and do a more in depth look at it

includes recordings + analyzing

MANDATORY TO FIND A SENIOR TO DOUBLE CHECK THE WORK (prof said she doesn’t want to do it and is lazy)

the last bullet point you wrote down makes you snicker—your professor is a prime example of how blunt she is— and shake your head, deciding to finally close it and put it away. the lecture room is empty now, your classmates having left minutes ago after the clock hit one in the afternoon. you remained in your seat to avoid their trampling, and quite frankly, you want to remain there.

but your phone buzzes, vibrating against the table and reminding you that you have to get going if you want to get there in time.

you grab your phone, your finger right over the screen.

jjongs: are you out?

you get up from bed, sluggishly walking to the kitchen to drink a cup of water, walking past jongho as he leans against the wall outside your door. it was when you had filled up your glass cup and brought it to your lips that he spoke softly.

“why didn’t you text me yesterday?”

he remains in his spot, his head hung low while he waits. three gulps and the cup is empty; you turn your back towards him and head to the sink, beginning to wash it. “i forgot.”

“you forgot?” his tone is… weird. not quite mad, but in disbelief? he doesn’t believe you, and you don’t know why. you’ve never lied to him, never given him a reason to not trust you.

“yeah,” you answer, scrubbing the inside of the cup harshly with the sponge, creating a lot of foam. “i forgot. why?” you pause for a second. “you don’t believe me?”

he scoffs, and you hear him walk closer to you by the way his voice gets louder. “did you really forget? you usually don’t forget anything at all.”

“well, this time i did.” you open the tap, staring intently at the water wash away the soap. “why are you asking?”

“i just think you’re lying.”

this time you scoff, finding it absurd that he’s telling you that. “why the hell would i lie to you?” is he really trying to argue with you right now? this early in the morning? the thought makes you angry.

jongho’s eyes widen the slightest bit when you turn around abruptly. you’re glaring at him, waiting for his next words, missing the fact his eyes are a shade darker than normal, like the color of obsidian, no hint of the usual brown in them. “kou told me he saw you with a man by the pharmacy at the corner. did you go on a date? did you even go to work yesterday?” the words spill from his lips before his mind even processes them.

“you’re kidding right?” when jongho stays silent, you dryly laugh. “jongho, are you even listening to yourself? you know i would never skip work: he’s too important. i work for kou, i work so i can pay the damn bills. did i go on a date? please,” the anger fades from your features, replaced by an odd calmness. “don’t make me laugh by asking stupid questions, jongho.”

“it’s not stupid,” he says, his gaze hard. “i was worried the whole time.”

“maybe you should stop worrying.”

jongho falters, blinking once, then tensing. “what?”

you shrug, “you heard me. maybe you shouldn't worry about me anymore.” you lift your hand and point at the door. “you’ve overstayed your welcome.”

you glance away. should you text him? apologize for what happened in the morning? or do you ignore him until you both forget about it? well, the third one isn’t the best to do right now, but—

the phone buzzes again, and you glance down just in time for the screen to show another message.

song mingi (womanizer? co worker): are you clocking in today?

“what?” you squint at the screen. “what is he talking about?”

another message pops up on your phone.

choi soobin (good co worker): i have sumn to tell you today ;/

choi soobin (good co worker): SHIT I DINT MEAN THAT

choi soobin (good co worker): I MEATN ;/

choi soobin (good co worker): WAITTTA3TTT

choi soobin (good co worker): I MEANT :/

you clear your throat.

choi soobin (good co worker): can i have a do over

choi soobin (good co worker): i need to redeem myself

you: have at it

choi soobin (good co worker): i have sumn to tell you today ;/

choi soobin: WAITITJITK

you: i’ll see you soon then

choi soobin: NO GIRL COME BACKKCKE GIMME ANOTHER CHANCE OLSSSS

“how silly,” you chuckle, checking the time.

jongho should be gone by now, hopefully already on his way home. there’s no way he’d wait out by the parking lot for you.

except he is, or rather, he just happens to be near the parking lot. when you spot him, walking down the path with two guys, you see that he’s staring intently at his phone. then, he looks up, as if he knew you were looking at him, and meets your gaze.

he leaves his friends behind, though they trail after him, and he's quickly in front of you, his other friends right next to him. jongho is rubbing the back of his neck, a sheepish expression painting his features. “i—”

“you have got to be kidding me.”

a quick look to the right has your lips curling into a frown, seeing the redhead from days ago scowl at you. the redhead, wooyoung, glowers at you as if you’re some insect he can’t bare to look at, averting his gaze to the side and huffing. “just my damn luck…”

“well, you’re a rare sight around these grounds.”

you, jongho, and wooyoung snap your heads to the left: a man with black hair and cat-like features smiles at you. you’re about to bite back with a snarky comment on how he sounds like he’s talking in the medieval ages but with a modern twist, but wooyoung is quick to beat you to it.

“san,” wooyoung leans forwards to look at the male, “who the hell talks like that?”

san and wooyoung get into a heated argument, and you take this opportunity to step to the side and walk away with brisk steps, holding onto your bag with such strength your knuckles turns a shade paler. but you don’t make it far when jongho wraps a hand around your wrist. he’s gentle, afraid that one wrong movement will have you fleeing from him.

you look over your shoulder. “what?” your tone is harsher than what you wanted for it to sound, it has you wincing as your best friend grimaces.

his eyes, you note, are now it’s usual deep brown hue, though lighter now that the sun shines down. “i wanted to apologize for what happened this morning.”

his shoulders are tense while yours relax. you feel like a weight has been lifted off you now, like you can finally breathe. “you were an ass.”

“i know i was.”

“and you were being unreasonable.”

he huffs through his nose, the corners of his lips twitching. “you’re right.”

you swivel around and narrow your eyes at him. “and you were being weird. how the hell did you jump to the conclusion that i was seeing someone?”

jongho kicks a foot against the pavement of the sidewalk, looking down as if, suddenly, his shoes are the most interesting thing he’s ever seen. “the… the demons inside me took over. like, literally.”

“the… demons?” you repeat, confused.

he looks up, looking sincere. “yeah… i just, i genuinely don't know what happened to me. the demons literally took over and i ended up losing my cool.” jongho pauses, eyes darkening for single second while he thinks, and turns his attention back to you, the usual deep brown back. “it must be the stress getting to me and i took it out on you in such a horrible way. i truly am sorry, y/n.”

he means it, you know he does. jongho taps a finger against the side of his leg, something he does when he's nervous.

“apology accepted.”

jongho brightens, “really?”

“yeah,” you smile, deadpanning the next second, “but no more pulling whatever the hell you pulled in the morning.”

“i promise that won’t happen again.” he beams, taking a step closer to you. his arms open up, and you huff through your nose and shake your head.

jongho’s hugs are always warm when you decide to indulge in them every once in a while. he never has a tight grip around you, it’s always gentle but firm. they’re nice and manage to ease your worries and whatever tension you have away.

“i’m sorry too, you know,” you mumble against the fabric of his hoodie. you realize then it’s the one you gave back to him yesterday by the smell of the expensive detergent mixed with that of the cologne he usually wears.

“what for?”

“i said some pretty hurtful things.”

“well, i deserved them.”

you don’t say anything else, instead closing your eyes and letting out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding in. that is, until someone decides to break this moment of tranquility.

“wait…” san points an accusing finger at jongho, who merely tilts his head in confusion. “don’t tell me…”

“what?” both jongho and wooyoung say.

“is she your girlfriend?”

“what?” the statement is so absurd that it has you reeling away from jongho, squinting your eyes at san like he just said something you can’t comprehend.

jongho lets his arms fall to his side. “no.”

“oh,” san breaks out into a smile. “you don’t mind if i steal her from you then?”

your best friend scoffs and ignores san. “listen,” he says, glancing at you. “stay away from those two. they’re… not very good people.”

“then why are you friends with them?” you watch jongho’s eyes widen.

“…it’s complicated,” he grumbles, “just—just don’t get too close to them.”

just don’t get too close to them. jongho’s words echo in your mind, the scene of him dragging both his friends away replaying over and over again. you never knew he was friends with people like them, and your mind can barely wrap around the sudden realization that you actually don’t know anything regarding jongho’s personal life.

there’s a tug at your hand that brings you back to the present, eyes falling down to the eleven year old holding it. “sis,” kou says, “we’re here.”

the book store you work at is right in front of you, the words ‘LUCID DREAMS BOOKSTORE’ in gold lettering staring back at you.

the doors chime when you push them open, the smell of coffee hitting your nose. kou lets go of your hand and runs away to his usual table, dropping his things on top and then disappearing into the fiction aisle.

you make your way to the back, reaching out for the handle when the door swings open.

“what are you doing here?”

“no ‘hello?’ no ‘how are you?’” mingi pouts and wipes a fake tear away. “do you hate me, yn?”

“no,” you reply, “but what are you doing here? we don't work the same shifts here.”

your shift buddy here is choi soobin, not song mingi.

mingi grins, “starting next week we will.”

“huh? what happened to soobin?”

the culprit himself comes out from the back, a pout on his lips. “screw this.” he grumbles, his once gloomy expression morphing into a happy one when he sees you. “ynie~”

“ynie?” mingi repeats, an eyebrow raised at soobin’s sudden change in behavior.

“yeah,” soobin says, giving him the nastiest side-eye you’ve ever seen. “because she’s my favorite co-worker and i’m hers, too.”

mingi looks at you with both his brows raised, shocked at the information. “for real?”

you shrug. “yeah,” you say, “soobin’s great to work with.”

“well not anymore,” mingi replies, smiling triumphantly as if he just won a prize.

“what?”

“yeah…” soobin drawls, looking away from your questioning gaze. “mingi and i switched shifts.”

“what—”

“—the hell is wrong with you?”

the door hits the wall with such frightening force that it leaves it broken with a dent. it's such a hideous thing to look at, the dent, that is. it stands out against the other pristine, white walls.

“i assume you’ll be fixing that,” seonghwa looks through the mirror in front of him at jongho, his eyes a deep maroon color, completely different to the bright red coating his lips. “right?”

jongho glares angrily at him, watching as the older male leans down, gripping the neck of the poor girl next to him. the platinum blond opens his mouth, his canines enlarging and about to pierce a new spot.

“tell her to leave.”

seonghwa stops, and his eyes turn into the hue of a ruby. “clean yourself up, bandage your neck. then you will leave this place and forget about it. today never happened.”

the girl stands up, eyes glazed over as seonghwa hands her a cloth and gauze, wiggling his fingers at her as she leaves silently. jongho hears him mumble something about killing her later as an extra precaution.

“what is it that you want, jongho?” he asks, grabbing a napkin from beside him and dabs the blood away from his lips, his eyes going to maroon and then a dark brown. “you interrupted my feeding.”

in the next second, jongho stands in front of him. seonghwa looks at him through his eyelashes, clearly unimpressed with his attitude. “well? you ought to spit out whatever is wrong before my patience wears thin.”

“you had no right to do that.”

seonghwa’s lips curl upwards into a wicked grin, eyes reflecting the amusement he feels. “ah,” he says, “so that's what this is about.”

he continues to speak at jongho’s silent rage. “i was just testing my hypnosis. i guess my theory is correct,” seonghwa doesn't falter when the collar of his white button up is fisted and he is made to lean forwards, “seeing as how it worked on you to some extent.”

“you had no right to do that,” jongho repeats. “absolutely no right.”

his thin fingers wrap around his wrists, tugging them off in one swift gesture. “i don’t understand why you’re so upset at me.”

at this, jongho scoffs, eyes blown wide from the fury that almost blinds him. “don’t understand?” he laughs through his nose, “you don’t understand why i’m so upset? i could’ve lost her because of you charming me!” he falters, the anger replaced by fear at the dangerous glimmer in seonghwa’s delighted eyes.

“so it’s a girl,” he hums. “who you care for the most. i thought it would’ve been hongjoong, maybe even yeosang.”

“don’t ever charm me again.” jongho backs away and crosses his arms over his chest. “don’t think about seeking her out either.”

“i’m not curious enough to do that to your little human,” seonghwa shrugs, “i don’t have enough time for that.”

“then why charm me at all?”

seonghwa smiles, “yunho suggested it.”

“what?”

“he told me i should try charming you to see if it works on you, told me to charm you into hurting the one you most care about.”

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BLOODY HELL | yuyusuyu 2024

[kpopflowerfield]

Normal People | lj

ღ pairing: idol! jeno x gn! reader

ღ word count: 4k

ღ genre: angst

ღ rating: pg-13

ღ warnings: pet names (baby, babe, my love), there’s a few swears but that’s all!!

ღ networks: @k-vanity @k-library

ღ author’s note: ty to @lovetaroandtaemin for beta reading !!!

ღ summary: Jeno’s job isn’t the best and he knows it, having to sneak around to be with you also makes it harder. All he could wish for is that you could trust him and how he makes it work. making the relationship become unstable as they’re sneaking around with only the desire to have a normal relationship

↠ check out the rest of the tracklist here! ↞

“Jeno,” You called out from the comfy bed you had yet to move from. “Yes, baby?” He responded from the kitchen, where he filled up his water bottle. “What time are you coming home tonight?”You looked out your door as Jeno walked over. “Hopefully, tonight will be an easy night, so around nine,” He nodded. You couldn’t help but pout. He’s been working himself to the bone, and you rarely get the chance to see him.

It wasn’t anything new, since he’d been on the same schedule for the past few months. You always tried to tell him to rest, but he swore he knew what he was doing. You couldn’t criticize him, as you’d be the same when it came to fulfilling a dream. Ever since you met him as a kid, he’s always talked about wanting to become an idol and how cool it would be. 

Then, last year, he got scouted and held onto that business card close. It took you months of bothering him for him to give them a call finally. It took a while to get used to the whole never-seeing-your-boyfriend thing, but you would never want to come in between him and his dreams. You were proud of him, and he was always beaming when he talked about practice or showed off a dance that he had learned.

“I’ll come straight home to you,” his voice took you out of your deep thoughts. He leaned down to plant a soft kiss on your lips. “Alright, love, make sure to drink lots of water and eat something too.” You held his arm until he agreed with you. “I always do, baby.” He smiled down at you as you let go of the grip you had on him. It took some energy, but you finally got out of bed after Jeno left.

You’ve kept yourself busy with books, cleaning, and sometimes trying out a few new recipes. The first few weeks were awful when he would practice for over ten hours a day. You’d sit somewhere in your apartment, moping and daydreaming about him finally coming home. Now, you were used to it. That’s why you left stuff for yourself to do until later in the day. It made time feel faster and made you feel like Jeno was coming home much sooner than he said in the morning.

The keys jingling in the door made you look over as you saw your boyfriend walking in. “Good news,” he spoke in a sing-song voice as you looked over at him. What is it?” You grinned. I have a group, finally! They set me up with six other guys. We don’t have a debut yet, but I’m getting so close.” He was almost squealing with excitement as you ran over and hugged him. 

“I’m so proud of you,” You grinned at him as he kissed your forehead. “I don’t mean to kill the mood, though, Jeno. But I do have a concern,” You pulled away from the hug as he hummed in response. “How are we going to work? You’re going to be under a dating ban, but we’ve also been together since before you were a trainee,” You looked up at him. You hated to bring up logical points, but you needed to know if he was breaking up with you. 

“Don’t worry about it; I’m going to have it all under control.” He smiled brightly as he messed up your hair and then looked over at the stove. “Ooh, I smell something good.” He walked over and carefully started rummaging through the foil you had laid on top of a pan. You bit the inside of your lip; you wanted to cry. Your relationship was in the air, with Jeno just saying not to worry. 

The closer he was getting to his debut, the more he kept telling you to trust him. You couldn’t fully express your thoughts with him, not wanting to bring him down into your fears of his dream. “Babe!” He called out from the bedroom, and you looked over. “Yeah?” Your voice sounded empty as you leaned back on the kitchen counter. “Should I bring anything else?” He questioned as he walked out of the bedroom. 

You saw the two suitcases that you were dreading to see. He got his debut date but also a dorm room. You held your breath to fight the tears that wanted to fall. “No, I think you have everything.” You watched as he dropped his bags on the ground and engulfed you in his arms. “I love you so much, Y/N,” He kissed the top of your head.

You couldn’t fight the tears anymore as you cried against his chest. “I love you, Jeno,” You wailed as he held you. “I promise to text you all the time, and I’ll always work stuff out for us to see each other,” He pulled away to look at your face as you nodded. “Trust me,” He smiled comfortingly as he wiped your tears. You were getting tired of those two words. You trusted him, but it started to sound like empty promises every time those words escaped his lips. 

You nodded a bit and cleared your throat. “You should go; don’t keep them waiting,” you smiled weakly as he nodded. I’ll text you when I make it,” he kissed your forehead and picked up his stuff. I love you!” He grinned and walked out. “I love you,” your voice was soft, as the door had already shut behind him. 

You sighed and cleaned up the mess that was left. The apartment you shared felt so empty without him. The lack of his clothes spread into each room, and the smell of his cologne. You never noticed it until it was missing. You sat down on the couch and looked around at your apartment. God, it sucked realizing he was actually gone. Tears slowly came down as you realized you wouldn’t be together for a while. 

You bit your lip, collecting yourself to stop the tears and send your friends a message. You asked to go out for some barbecue for the night just to keep your mind off of everything. They quickly agreed and started asking what was wrong. You didn’t want to lie about what happened. All you could say was that you and Jeno were having problems. You got ready, making yourself look presentable, which you hadn’t done in almost a year. 

You met with your friends and got to talk for the first time in a few weeks. They didn’t press on whatever issue you had with Jeno as you all updated each other on life. You kept quiet, just needing to hear the noise that distracted you. Your phone buzzed, taking you out of your trance. 

Jeno<3: Made it to the dorm. I miss you already. 

Y/N: I miss you too, Jeno. I wish I were able to see you

Jeno<3: I know love, but it’s only temporary. I promise

You stared at that message for a moment, debating a response until your friend's voice came through. “Hey, earth to Y/N,” Yeri teased as you laughed shortly. “Yeah, sorry.” You looked at her and then at the others who were gawking at you. “So what actually happened with you and Jeno?” Nayeon spoke up as you bit your lip. “Just ran into issues, and we haven’t been seeing each other as much as we used to,” You nodded, satisfied with your unfortunate answer. “Awe, I’m sorry, Y/N. I honestly thought you were end game,” Hyemi looked at you. 

You nodded, and they all looked at you pitifully. You wanted to tell them not to do that, but you couldn’t disagree with how they looked at you. 

Y/N: I hope it’s temporary. I want to be close to my boyfriend, and it’s hard to tell my friends what’s happening.

Jeno<3: Tell your friends we broke up. We can’t risk people knowing we’re still together. 

Y/N: What?… you’ve known them for years, Jeno. They won’t spill. 

Jeno<3: Not risking it. Trust me.

You bit your lip, and the sour taste in your mouth made your blood boil. “Y/N, put your phone away. Whatever you’re doing is clearly just making you upset,” Nayeon quickly spoke as you nodded. You turned off your phone and placed it on the table. You’ll feel better,” Hyemi smiled as you nodded. “Seriously, though, is everything okay?” Yeri looked at you; worry was all you could read as you nodded.

“Yeah, I wasn’t being fully honest,” You swallowed that nasty feeling in your throat. “We broke up,” Tears started to fall as Hyemi quickly put her hand on your back and rubbed it carefully. “Oh, hun, I’m so sorry,” She pouted as you took deep breaths, not wanting to cry in public. You looked up, tilting your head back to stop the tears. “Fuck that guy,” Nayeon huffed as you nodded, agreeing with her. You hated lying but had to tell yourself that it was a small lie. How often were you actually seeing your boyfriend?

It was already like you broke up. You’re just telling them as if it’s from the future. It was a stupid way to think of it, but it was the only way you could think of lying to your friends. An awkwardness shifted over all of you. Hyemi tried to pick up the conversation to be what it was before they asked about Jeno. You were grateful for her, finally getting out of the limelight as they asked as many questions as possible about life in general.

You spaced out as they talked, just picturing going to bed and sleeping for a long time. Once you all realized the time and went your separate ways, you finally felt as if you could breathe. You didn’t have to lie about you and Jeno. You could text him if he were available, and you’d be able to go back to your fantasy of the two of you from a few years ago. 

You crawled into your bed, sighing in relief. Finally, you can rest and not have your mind wondering about what you’ve missed out on. You shut your eyes for a moment. A pounding on the door made your heart stop for a moment as you hesitantly got out of bed. You swallowed as you walked to the door, carefully looking through the peephole until you saw Jeno standing there. Getting ready to knock again. 

You opened the door before his fist could hit the door. He snuck his way in and then looked at you. “Hi, baby,” He smiled and held you. You stood frozen, thrown off by his presence. “What are you doing here?” You blurted as he looked at you, taking your surprised state as a compliment. “I wanted to see you, babe, and I want to talk about something,” He smiled at you. Your hands got sweaty as you heard the last words of his sentence.

You held your breath, waiting for the impact of the impending breakup. “I’m not upset with you. I know you want to go to your friends, but you can’t say anything about us. I just want to keep safe. I don’t want to hurt my team, and a scandal would be the end of us before we even start,” He rambled as you nodded, barely listening to him. It wasn’t anything new that was coming out of his mouth. “I wish we were back to being normal people.” You let that sentence slip out of your mouth and then looked up at Jeno as he stood there. 

You could tell he was hurt, not because of what he said but because he finally realized what he’s been doing to you. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I promise everything will get better, and then we can go back to being normal. I cross my heart,” He tried comforting you as you nodded slowly. You held onto him tightly, not wanting to let go. “I’m sorry, Y/N,” He cleared his throat as you tilted your head to look at him. “I have to go,” He let go as you did the same. Looking away from him for a moment.

“Hey, I love you,” he smiled brightly as he cupped your face, forcing you to look at him. You smiled softly at him, just enough so he couldn’t bother you too much. “I love you too, Jeno,” he kissed your forehead before quickly running out so he could sneak back. You exhaled and rubbed your eyes. He didn’t have to come and see you, but it hurt more that he did show up only to run out minutes later.

You walked to your room, letting your body hit the mattress and be engulfed in your sheets. Your phone buzzed, and you ignored it. You finally were able to shut your eyes, getting a night's worth of sleep in a few hours before you had to get up. You tried to ignore your feelings. Not seeing your boyfriend for the past seven months was driving you crazy. Everything felt so much worse without him near. 

You felt as if he was no longer yours; he’s become a man for the media. Someone for other girls to drool over. You tried to keep it to yourself, not wanting to tell your friends your actual thoughts or have to look them in the eyes and lie. Even though your lies were becoming true, “you went no contact,” you hadn’t heard from him in two weeks. “He’s on his own path now”; he’s busy fulfilling a dream. “He’s told me that we’ll find a way for it to work in the future if it’s still a possibility,” his constant words of telling you to trust him because he’s going to make it work. 

You couldn’t tell him, but anger was continually building inside of you. You trusted him, but what were you getting in return? A few quick visits where he could stick his head in the door to tell you he loved you and that everything was “going to work out.” You tried to be patient, but a year of his nonsense was beginning to feel like the end of you. You started to consider your breakup, waiting for the next time he came home so you could sit him down and tell him you were over being dragged around and that he needed to just focus on himself. 

You heard the heavy knock on your door and opened it. Jeno walked in, more bubbly than usual. “I have amazing news, love.” He grinned. “We won our first award, so my manager is loosening the reins on us. I can come home more frequently and as often as I want on off days. The only time I really have to stay at the dorm is during promotions. Which means I can sleep here with you or have little dates at home,” He quickly rambled before you could say anything. Guilt started to eat your insides.

He was so happy to give you good news, and you were still ready to end it with him. “Jeno…” You started as he looked at you, his eyes in the shape of crescents, and he couldn’t stop smiling. “I’m willing to give it a chance, but if I’m left staying home because I have to lie when I hate to do that or I’m left in the dark about your plans that I need to trust, I will break up with you,” You cleared your throat quietly. “I’m not trying to give an ultimatum, but it really wasn’t fair to me,” 

His smile dropped as he listened to you. “I’m sorry, baby; I promise it will work out,” He sounded so comforting, but you were still irritated with his promises. “I love you so much, Jeno, but please, for the love of God, stop saying shit like that. I know you don’t mean to sound repetitive, but seriously,” You rubbed your temples as Jeno stared at you. He couldn’t even remember the last time you were this upset. “I’m sorry, Y/N, but you also pushed me to make the call and follow the dream I had. I wouldn’t have done it if you didn’t push me.” He tried to speak calmly and not as if he was accusing you, but it was hard for him to find the right tone to speak in.

You couldn’t get upset at him as he wasn’t wrong. “I know,” You exhaled. “I trust you fully; I’m sorry I got upset,” You walked over to sit next to him, leaning your head on his shoulder. He put his arm around you and held you close. “I’ll be here every night, I promise,” He smiled softly as he rubbed your shoulder gently. You nodded, not wanting to get your hopes up of seeing him like he says you will. But you were wrong; every night, Jeno came over, and laying in bed with him felt so comforting for your aching heart, as you’d been waiting to be with him like this for a year. 

Even if there wasn’t much conversation, just being there was enough for the two of you. “Hey, babe?” Jeno spoke, breaking the silence. “Yeah?” You mumbled as you were getting ready to fall asleep. “I do miss how we were. I miss taking you out and seeing you every day, seeing you happy, and being able just to kiss you every morning. But I’ve fucked it all up; I can’t just leave the group and disappoint my members by tarnishing their names. I’m sorry for doing this to you,” His voice was soft and full of regret as he spoke. You looked over at him. “It’s okay, Jeno, if you’re unhappy, talk to your managers. I do miss how we were, too, but I’d never ask you to quit what you’re doing. It seems like things are working out right now, my love. Don’t overthink or get upset at yourself,” You comforted him in the dark as you cuddled up to feel his warmth. “Thank you for being so patient,” He whispered as he kissed the top of your head and held you close to him. “You’re my everything,” He squeezed you lightly as you fell asleep in his arms. 

You woke up the next morning, hoping to see your boyfriend finally home or at least to smell the aroma of coffee he made for you to wake up. Yet when you looked over at his side, it was empty. You rubbed your eyes and picked up your phone, checking to see if there was even a text from Jeno, but there was nothing. You inhaled deeply, attempting to calm the anger taking you over. You got out of bed and got ready. Your two weeks of creating a new normal was over, you were going to stay true to your words with Jeno. It was over, you knew it but didn’t want to face it. You walked back out to grab your phone and saw Jeno’s name on the screen. You answered quickly. 

“Sorry, love! I had to have a meeting at work. I’m on my way home right now,” He sounded sincere and it was killing you inside. 

“Get home safe, I’ll be here,” You hung up quickly before putting your phone on the bed. 

It felt hard to swallow as you started to pace. Were you actually about to end it with him? It didn’t feel real as you waited for him to come home, each passing moment filling your body with dread as Jeno opened the door. “Hey, love,” He smiled softly. Your eyes immediately locked in on the folder he had in front of him. “I’m sorry to do it this way,” He cleared his throat as he sat down on the couch and opened the folder. “Somehow someone found out about us, we have to break up.” He stared at the papers as he sounded sad. “You’re breaking up with me?” You scoffed. “I have to,” Jeno stared at you, sounding defeated as you shook your head at him. “No, I’m breaking up with you. You don’t deserve to break up with me. I’m over it, we can’t communicate and I’m not going to continue isolating myself out of fear that I let it slip that we’re still together and that ruins your group. I miss having a boyfriend I could rely on, someone I can come home to, someone that I can text or call whenever I need. I don’t have that anymore,” Tears came out as you tried to keep your wavering voice calm.

“Y/N…” Jeno looked at you, hurt apparent in his eyes as you shook your head. “Tell your managers they can go fuck themselves, I’m not signing shit, I don’t want hush money or any of that. I just want us to be over,” You sniffed, looking at Jeno’s expression. His mouth was agape as he listened to you. He was lost for words, not even knowing what he could say as comfort. He was more surprised hearing you say how badly you wanted the two of you to end. “It’s really over?” He questioned. You nodded, wiping your face with the back of your hand. “Yeah, it does suck to say it out loud,” You scoffed at yourself and shook your head. “I’m sorry Jeno, I’m not going to come in between you and everything you’ve dreamed of, and I know you were told to break up with me, but you can just tell them we haven’t been together. I really wish you the best and I hope this dream is worth everything for you. I still have a love for you that will never leave, do know that,” You took his hand and rubbed your thumb in gentle circles. His eyes were glossy as he was trying to hide his own tears.

“I’m sorry for doing this to you, Y/N. It was wrong of me, I should’ve quit when I had the chance,” He sounded disappointed as he spoke. You shook your head. “I would never want that for you, I’m proud of you Jeno. Go kill it out there,” You smiled softly as he nodded. You wiped his tears gently and placed a soft kiss on his cheeks. “I’m sorry,” You looked at him as he stood up and walked to your door. He nodded and cleared his throat. “I understand, I would do the same if I was you,” He opened the door then turned to look at you one more time. “I wish you all the best, text me whenever. I know it’s hard to get a response, but I promise I will respond whenever I can,” You nodded at his words as he walked out. You let out a deep breath you didn’t realize you were holding and sat down on your couch. Sobs leaving your body quietly as you thought of what you did, it felt wrong but also so right at the same time. Finally not being tied down to someone you never see and the anxiety that was eating you from the inside disappeared quicker than you thought it would. It felt like finally breathing in clean air for the first time as you realized you could finally start a life with no lies. 

[flwrstqr]

𐙚 LILACNINI'S WORK IN PROGRESS

₊˚⊹ writings that are in progress and currently writing. most of these writings are about 5k+ work count and do take a couple of days/ weeks to make. ask to be added to the taglist!

CALL ME YOURS !! (LHS - 이희승)

pairing: topstudent!heeseung x popularstudentfem!reader

rating: PG 13+

genre: fake dating, s2l, romance, high school au

warning(s): reader + heeseung being in denial, your ex cheated, kissing, inspired by a k-drama (i forgot which one), two of them being awfully awkward at first, swearing, grammar errors,

taglist (OPEN): @yenqa @mylstserenade @jlheon @naespas @jooniesbears-blog @erehkinnie30 @wonifullove @miumiuisme @shawnyle @dimplewonie @beomluvrr @jiaant11 @teddywonss 

SYNOPSIS: ever since you broke up with your ex, choi jiho, who cheated on you with another girl, you have always wanted to get revenge. when you meet jiho again at school, to prove you were over him and had met a better man, you told him you were meeting someone. you lied and told him you were meeting a random guy who you pointed at on your school's bulletin board for being the top student in the whole school. coincidentally, that guy was lee heeseung, known for his quiet and smart personality. then jiho demands to meet him in real life, hand-in-hand with you, which now you have a huge problem. first, you have to find heeseung, and next, you have to date him.

READ NOW !

HIDE IT, OR NOT (SJY - 심재윤)

pairing: sonofceorival!jake x daughterofceofem!reader

rating: PG 13+

genre: ceo au, university au, e2l, romance, fluff, angst, short written series

warning(s): kissing, swearing, grammar errors, mentions about being pressured, jake and reader basically lying 24/7 to your parents, jake and reader hating eachother at first

taglist (OPEN): @yenqa @mylstserenade @jlheon @erehkinnie30 @wonifullove @miumiuisme @shawnyle @dimplewonie  @teddywonss 

SYNOPSIS: your father is practically full-on rivals with the sim corporations. ever since you were little, you remember your father and mother always mumbling about how "disgusting" they are and talking badly about them. after years pass, you attend the same high school and university. at first, the two of you hated each other's guts due to your parents' rivalry. but as years passed, you seem not to hate jake that much. soon, both of you had fallen in love with each other. but how could you tell your parents that you fell in love with their rival company's son?

READ NOW

OUR BELOVED SUMMER (PSH - 박성훈)

pairing: ex!sunghoon x fem!reader

rating: PG 13+

genre: ex2lovers, romance, high school au (ish), angst, fluff

warning(s): this is basically the k-drama beloved summer but sunghoon ver (slightly different in some scenes + parts), kissing, lots of flashbacks from before, lots of crying, somewhat more angsts than the rest of my works

taglist (OPEN): @yenqa @mylstserenade @jlheon @naespas @erehkinnie30 @wonifullove @shawnyle @dimplewonie @teddywonss 

SYNPOSIS: as high schoolers, you and sunghoon filmed a documentary showing the top student and lowest student sitting together in class. as days passed, the two of you ended up falling in love and dated for a couple of months. eventually, you both parted ways to pursue your respective dreams. years after your breakup, the documentary went viral, prompting you and sunghoon to reunite on camera once again. there was awkward tension, but in the end, you two fell in love again and rewrote the entire story again.

READ NOW

MORE WILL BE COMING SOON...

© lilacnini 2024. all rights reserved.

[stardustbarbarians]

Most Of All

An Enchanted sequel

A Sam Kiszka / Daniel Wagner fic

Summary: History repeats itself. This time, while the whole world is watching.

Tags: established relationship, fluff, love spell au, some sexually suggestive content

Words: 7.7 k

Author's Note: Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Have a Valentine's fic!! For real, sorry this took longer than expected, ADHD is a bitch. About the sexually suggested content, it's nothing extreme, just some comments and a scene where they make out - so a PG-13 rating if anything. Thank you for being so patient and please enjoy this light-hearted fun! Dedicated to @ofthecaravel (who made the cover, btw!). Title taken from I Need You Most Of All by Stephen Sanchez.

+++

Love potions are real. Danny learned that the hard way last year. Though, he can’t exactly say he’s mad about it. They’re the reason he and Sam are together, after all. But, after the whole “incident” of last year, Danny is not very eager to encounter another one in his lifetime. He’s had his fill, thank you. 

However, as fate would have it, he would not be so lucky. 

“We should’ve soundchecked You’re the One… it’s been so long since we’ve had it on the setlist,” Sam lamented, checking his stage outfit in the mirror of the dressing room. As usual, he was the last one to get dressed. Danny could hear a walkie outside the door signaling the two minute warning. 

“You’ll be fine, Sammy,” Danny soothed, slithering his arms around Sam’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder, “Right now you should be more worried about not missing the curtain drop.” 

Sam, placing his hands on Daniel’s arms, hummed in contentment. He leaned back into Danny’s embrace, a smile spreading on his lips. “Something still looks off…” 

“You look wonderful, baby,” the drummer complimented, whispering directly into Sam’s ear and sneaking a quick kiss against his jaw. 

“You always say that.” 

“Cause it’s always true.”

“Where the fuck is rhythm section??” 

Both men snapped their heads to the door. Danny felt Sam’s hands tighten around his arms. 

“That’s our cue, Sam.” Danny, reluctantly, retracted his arms from around the bassist. Sam was quick to let Danny know just what he thought of that with a groan. 

“They don’t need us,” Sam whined, his eyes big and pleading. 

“I’m afraid they do,” Danny took Sam’s hand and took him to the door, “besides, after the show I’m all yours.” 

“Promise?” Sam batted his lashes as he asked. Really, it was an attempted murder with his stage makeup on; all glitter and mascara. 

Danny stole one quick kiss on Sam’s lips simply because he couldn’t help himself. “I promise.” 

“ONE MINUTE!!”

Sam and Danny giggled as they raced over to the stage. They were met with the annoyed yet tired faces of the twins as they took their places behind the curtain. 

“So nice of you to finally join us,” Jake commented, his words dripping with sarcasm as he put his in-ears in. Danny could see Sammy shake his head and roll his eyes. It was very clear he wanted to snark at Jake right back, but they didn’t have the time. The instrumental intro was reaching the end. 

The curtain dropped and along with it came the crescendo of cheers and screams. Danny’s heart was pounding in his chest just like it did before every show. However, he had now learned how to use it to his advantage. He was the first one to take his place, jumping down to his kit and preparing to perform. 

“Welcome to the show, folks,” Josh quickly greeted. It was the cue Danny was waiting for. With a snappy roll of his snare, the concert had begun. 

Just like with every other show, all four of them put on the best show that they could. They played their hearts out and drank in the audience’s reaction in turn. It felt like a renewable energy source, the applause. Because no matter what he felt like before he went on stage, hearing thousands of people cheer you on like a god was enough to lift anybody’s spirits. 

In between songs, Josh was bolting around the stage as he was apt to do. The frontman interacted with the crowd as he had a - mostly - one sided conversation with them. While this happened, Danny checked in with his drum tech. One of his cymbals felt too loose. 

“Hey, Daniel!” 

Danny was pulled out of his technical conversation, his curls whipping around his head as he snapped his attention over to Josh, The man was illuminated by a spotlight as he stood at the very edge of the stage, which Danny was sure Josh’s bodyguard was just a little stressed about. 

“What?” If it weren’t for the in-ears, Danny would have been easily drowned out by the roar of the crowd. 

“There’s a very lovely gentleman down here that wants to do a shot with you. Says he just got his PhD and wants to celebrate!” Josh’s smile was huge. That’s the thing about him: he genuinely loved everyone he ever met. It was a very admirable trait, to say the least. 

With a shrug of his shoulders, Danny got up from behind his kit. It worked out better this way seeing as now the tech had more room to fix his cymbal. As he walked, one of the spotlights swung over to him and nearly blinded him. It was so bright, in fact, that he almost ran directly into Sam without even seeing him. 

“Excuse me!” Sam playfully teased, lifting up the neck of his bass so that Danny had more clearance to pass. There was such a swell of affection in his chest that Daniel genuinely had to stop himself from leaning over and planting a big, wet kiss onto Sam’s cheek. However, he wasn’t able to suppress his urge to touch him. It was only a passing touch when Danny’s hand shot out on its own accord and caressed the bassist’s hand supporting his instrument. 

Danny could hear Sammy giggle in the in-ears after the drummer had continued towards where Josh was standing. If people noticed that Danny’s smile had grown after the interaction, they were bound to write it off as “bestie” behavior. And that was completely fine by both of them. No one needed to know about their relationship outside of those really close to them. 

After finally approaching, Daniel wrapped an arm around Josh’s shoulders. He leaned in a bit towards the mic in his hand before saying: “So, where is this promise of liquor?” He couldn’t help but laugh a bit as people screamed after he spoke. 

The frontman pointed down at a very excited fan who was holding a blue poster and two shooters. When he realized that Danny was looking at him, he waved along with everyone around him. Daniel also took note of all the phone cameras that were pointed in his direction. While he knew it was just a part of his job, it still was never a comfortable feeling; one slip up and everyone would see. 

With a friendly pat on Josh’s shoulder, Danny let go of him and climbed down to the barricade area. If it weren’t for the in-ears acting as earplugs, Danny was sure he’d have lost his hearing with how loud everyone around had screeched. But, he ignored them in favor of giving his attention to the man in question. He looked like he was about to pass out by the looks of things. Once again, something about this job he had to get used to and not let it go to his head. 

A quick pleasantry was exchanged on both ends; Danny’s with a smile and the fan’s with a hand fluttering to his chest in disbelief. The fan, who’s name he found out to be Clarence, offered over the shooter. And if Danny hadn’t been so distracted by someone trying to reach out to grab him, he might have noticed that the little bottle had already been opened. Because, as he opened it, the seal was already broken. 

“Cheers!” he shouted to Clarence, tapping his shooter against the other person’s. To the sound of cheering, Danny tipped his head back and gulped down the alcohol. It must have been one he’s never tried before; he could not recall a single time he’s had a shot that’s tasted like bubblegum. 

Suppressing a gag at the intensely sweet taste, Danny smiled and gave a quick hug to the fan. He wasn’t quite sure why he had looked so disappointed when Daniel pulled away. Perhaps because his time with Danny had ended? Oh, well. No time to dwell on it. 

As Danny made for the stage to get the show back on the road, he felt the same sensation when you stood up too fast. Suddenly, his vision started to go black and fuzzy while his head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. He felt his feet stumble underneath him before he was able to brace his hand against the wall of the stage. He heard a few people gasp around him before his hearing cut out and started to ring. For a brief, terrifying minute, he thought he was going to pass out. 

What the fuck was in that shot??

Thankfully, the warm and firm hand that landed on his shoulder pulled him out of… whatever the fuck that was. His near blackout, he guessed. 

“Danny? What’s going on, buddy?” Richard questioned. Even though Josh was his main priority, Danny was glad to know Richard was looking out for him, too. 

“I-I don’t know,” Daniel responded. He rubbed at his head with his right hand, his left still propped against the stage. 

“Do you need medical attention?” Richard used his grasp on Danny’s shoulder to turn him to face one another. When the drummer had opened his eyes to look back at him, he was relieved to see that the black had faded from his sight. 

Danny pressed the heel of his hands into his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to breathe through the frankly scary experience. He knew that he should’ve called it. That he should’ve told Richard that he wasn’t feeling good; he should’ve told the truth. 

Instead, Daniel pulled himself together and put on a charming, yet reassuring smile. 

“Nah, I’m alright.” The lie slipped easily off his tongue. It was a comfortable one, a fib he’d employed a lot in his life. That’s why he wasn’t worried when Richard looked at him critically. 

“Are you sure?” 

Danny nodded, that smile still on his lips. Despite the fact that he was still feeling dizzy, he wasn’t about to cancel a show over a weird feeling. Thousands and thousands of people paid to see them tonight, he wasn’t about to disappoint them. 

Daniel saw the resignation on Richard’s face before he sighed out an “alright”. However, the bodyguard insisted on helping Danny back on stage. He didn’t want to admit it, but he probably needed the assistance. He just needed some water and he’d be fine. 

While Danny’s little dizzy spell went on, Josh took it upon himself to provide a distraction for the drummer. Naturally, Jake and Sam followed along. Something about playing truth or dare with one another. Danny knew he’d see it posted online the next day so he wasn’t all that upset about missing out. 

He was also going to see a lot of things posted the next day as well; about him specifically. But there was no possible way for him to know that as he took his seat back behind the kit. Finally off his feet and chugging some water, he was already starting to feel better. What an odd fluke. 

“Are you doing alright, Daniel?” Sam’s voice filtered through his in-ears, the sound akin to an angelic choir to Danny. There was a heavy concern laced with his question. 

As the drummer looked over towards the keyboards where his other half sat, Daniel felt as if he’d been hit with a colossal tidal wave of feelings. He was used to getting overwhelmed by the batch of intense emotions when being with his lover, but this instance took the cake. It felt as if every cell in his body was filled to capacity with love for Sam. 

“I love you, baby,” Danny admitted. He couldn’t remember what Sam asked. It really didn’t matter. It was super important that Danny tell Sam that. 

In the colorful stage lights, Danny watched Sam flinch in reaction. Clearly it was not what Sam was expecting him to say. His expression soon softened, though. “I love you too, honey. I just need to know that you’re ok.” 

“Why wouldn’t I be? I have the most perfect boyfriend in the whole world!” 

“Do you two fucking mind? Or do I need to smack some professionalism into you?” Jake interrupted, mild irritation coloring his words. 

“Oh my god, Jake hates gay people,” Sam shot back immediately. Danny couldn’t help but giggle at the joke. He was so funny and Danny loved that about him. 

Danny, if he wasn’t looking at Sam, would’ve noticed Jake rolling his eyes. But he didn’t. He did notice the way Sam’s hair spilled off his shoulders as his head tipped back when he laughed. And the way it shined in the stage lights. And the way his eyes glittered as they locked onto Danny. His heart fluttered in his chest just like it always did for the past decade when Sam looked his way. 

Then Jake began strumming the chords to Meeting the Master, and that was when Danny remembered they were at a concert and that he had a job to do. He forced his eyes away from Sam to look at the audience; a melancholic and cold feeling settling into his chest as he did so. It was just… Well, there was really only one thing that Danny wanted to do and that was be with Sam. Which, to be fair, was how Danny felt all the time. But, right now in particular, Danny was just very keen on having Sam within arm’s reach of him. 

The only thing that kept Daniel from dropping everything just to go hold his boyfriend was his professionalism. And the fact that, after Meeting the Master and his drum solo, there was a brief window of time where they all travelled to B Stage where Danny could sneak in some affection. Which he certainly did. 

“Daniel!” Sam giggled as said gentleman had snuck up behind the bass player and swept him up in his arms. The sound set something alight inside of Danny, his entire body glowing at the sweet symphony of Sam’s laugh. It only grew as he twirled Sammy around and his giggling turned into cackling. 

“Hello, my darling. I missed you,” Danny cooed into his boyfriend’s ear, his face nuzzled into the crook of his neck after he set the man back on his feet. 

Sam leaned into the drummer as he rested his head onto Danny’s and wrapped his arms around the other man’s arms on his waist. “You just saw me.” 

“Yeah, but I couldn’t touch you, then,” Danny whispered, his answer accented with a few fluttering kisses all over every part of Sam’s skin he could reach. Which, to Sam’s delight, was mainly his neck. 

“Jesus, do I need to get a bucket of ice water to douse you two with?” Danny’s drum tech asked after plucking Danny’s forgotten drumsticks from his hand. 

“Please, I’m begging you,” Jake implored as his tech helped him put on his acoustic. 

Danny’s tech had glanced over at Jake, but ultimately ignored him. “What has gotten into you?” 

“You guys need to hurry. Josh is out there alone,” Josh’s tech had interrupted. He made his point more urgent with a frantic waving motion of his hand, gesturing towards the entrance to the B Stage. If Daniel had been paying any attention to anything that wasn’t how warm Sam was or how good he smelled, he might’ve been able to hear Josh attempt a stand-up routine to stall for them. 

“But-” 

“Let’s hustle, Danny!” His tech thrust his mandolin at him, a determined look on his face that left no room for argument. Even through the fog of SammySammySammy running rampant in his mind, Danny knew he wasn’t about to win this particular argument. 

With a bone deep sigh, Daniel relented. But, it wasn’t before he quickly bent his knees, used his hold on Sam’s waist, and hoisted his boyfriend over his shoulder. 

“Daniel! What are you-” 

“You can force me to do my job, but I’m gonna do it on my terms,” Daniel quipped before using his free hand to grab the neck of his mandolin. 

“Put me down, you menace!” Sam demanded - a token protest if Danny had ever heard one. If the way he was giggling in Danny’s ear was any indication, Sam was having the time of his life. 

But Danny didn’t heed Sammy’s half-hearted protests. Instead, he marched back out to the screams of thousands of adoring fans. As he walked past the closest group of them, Danny took in the confused looks on their faces as they witnessed Danny carry Sam out as if he weighed nothing. While he couldn’t see it, Danny just knew Sam was waving enthusiastically at everyone as he passed. 

When he reached Sam’s keyboard, Danny gently set his beloved down. He thought he heard Josh make a comment about it - “Danny really is the one who carries this band!” - but he really didn’t care. Instead, he cupped Sam’s face in the hand not holding his instrument and placed a kiss on Sam's forehead. He wanted to kiss him on the lips, but something told him Sammy wouldn’t be all that thrilled about that. 

“David was right, something has gotten into you,” Sam pointed out, his tone saturated in affection to match the huge grin on his face. They were standing closer than was strictly “friendly”, Sam even resting his hands on Danny’s chest as his fingers fiddled with the material of Danny’s chainmail shirt. 

“Well, I was hoping I could get me into you-”

“Daniel Robert!” Sam gasped with a performative alarm. He could see right through the pianist’s rouse - the perks of knowing someone for the majority of your life. Sam had playfully swatted Danny’s chest as he laughed, shoving this boyfriend away from his personal space and towards his seat. “Go away, you scoundrel, and do your job!” 

Always heeding any command Sam sent his way, Danny did as he was told and finally took his proper spot on the stage. Josh had caught his eye as he put the mandolin strap on his shoulder, the singer wearing a face that was a cross between supportive and confused. Josh - and Jake as well - had always been in Sam and Danny’s corner when they started dating. When they had experienced some backlash from their label over their relationship (because dating within your own band historically always ended well), the twins were the first people to tell their label reps to shove it. They told both Sam and Danny that they were happy for them and they didn’t care about what they did, just as long as it didn't interfere with work. And judging by the identical look Jake and Josh were now throwing Danny, he was toeing the line. 

As he settled into his seat, Danny shook his head like a dog shaking water off its body. Through the haze of his amplified affection, Danny realized he was acting over the top. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to do all these things to Sam or feel all these things for him, it was more like he just didn’t want to stop himself from acting on these instincts. He also realized that as long as he didn’t look at Sam, his urges weren’t as strong. So, despite the way it made his heart feel heavy and his soul feel cold, Daniel did his best to keep his eyes off of Sam as they went through their B Stage set. It went pretty well, the audience enjoying the change of pace and singing along with them as they cast the band in a glow of cellphone lights swaying with the music. It was magical hearing and seeing so many people enjoy what he had put his soul into. 

It was pretty smooth sailing until they started to play You’re the One. That was when Danny made the mistake of turning to look at Sam as he sang the chorus along with Josh. It just felt right to. But as soon as he had, Danny was once again slammed with a cataclysmic wave of unfettered affection as he took in the visage of his beloved boyfriend. The stage lighting had made Sammy look ethereal, glowing in the warm light. His lips were pouting in the way they usually did when Sam was concentrating on his playing, his hair swaying along with his body as he put his soul into his performance, and his hands danced gracefully across the keys. A more beautiful sight, Danny had never beheld. 

He was successfully able to complete the song. However, as soon as it was over, Danny was glued to Sam’s side within an instant. That had been their last song for that portion of the set, so they were about to run back to the main stage, anyway. It was just, now Danny was able to take Sam by his hand and help him out of his seat like a gentleman asking a maiden to dance a waltz. A voice in the back of his mind told him to kiss Sam silly when he watched the pianist’s eyes glitter with the warm glowing lights, Sam even shooting him a tender smile. Using all of the strength he had, he forced himself to wait until they were in the back rooms and away from prying eyes. 

But, as soon as they were away from the public’s view, that was when he used his grip on Sam’s hand and tugged him around a corner. Daniel pressed him into a wall and kissed him like he hadn’t seen Sam in years. It was bordering on desperate as Daniel’s hands roamed all over any part of Sammy he could reach, whines of pleasure slipping past their lips before being swallowed by the other’s tongue. Sam, in an interesting twist, was actually the one to attempt to take it one step further as his hands deftly unhooked the clasps on Daniel’s shirt he had aided in putting on him numerous times. The chainmail hit the ground with a loud, heavy, and unceremonious thud. The pair of them carried on as if nothing had happened, Sam’s hands now tracing over the newly exposed flesh of Danny’s chest. The heady scrape of Sam’s thick calluses against Danny’s overly-warm skin was enough to send a shiver down his spine and a guttural noise tumbling from his lips. It was all the invitation Danny needed to grab Sam by his thighs and lift him up, his legs wrapping around Danny’s hips while their lips never parted. 

“God, if only we didn’t have a show to finish,” Sam whined after breaking for some air. Danny used the opportunity to trail kisses down from Sam’s jaw to his jugular notch. 

“Who said we need to finish the show?” Danny purred against Sam’s throat, unwilling to let his lips stray from his skin. 

Sam laughed at his boyfriend’s persistence, his fingers tangling into Danny’s curls as he inadvertently pressed him closer against his throat. Danny obliged immediately, nipping at the delicate skin and rolling it between his teeth as he sucked. 

“Wasn’t it you who said they need us?” Sam sassed, always unafraid to use Danny’s words against him. Danny groaned. He knew Sam was right. No matter how badly he wanted to steal Sam away into the closest room with a lock, he knew he had to do his job. 

“God is so cruel to dangle you in front of me knowing I can’t have you when I desperately need you.” 

“Who knew blue-balling you was gonna turn you into such a poet,” Sam cooed mockingly, the affection in his tone anything but mocking. 

“Keep it up, Sammy boy, see where that gets you,” Danny warned, his tone warm as he stole just a few more kisses against Sam’s neck before setting him back onto his feet. They were both affected by the stolen moment, if the deep, matching flush on both of their cheeks was anything to go by. Sam even staggered slightly as he caught his breath, having to rest a hand onto Danny’s shoulder for support. 

“We-we, uh…” Sam floundered before clearing his throat, “we better… go…” 

Danny, reluctantly, nodded in agreement. Before they scurried back towards the main stage at a full sprint in order to catch up with the twins, Danny picked up his discarded top off the floor. 

“Do we even want to know what you two disappeared to do?” Jake asked, not even turning around as he spoke. 

“I don’t think they have to say it. Nice hickey, Sam,” Josh teased, his bright smile dripping with the kind of mockery only a sibling can conjure. 

At the remark, Sam’s hand flew up to the spot on his neck that Danny had been gnawing on earlier. If his face hadn’t been red before, it now certainly rivaled the bright crimson of his stage outfit. He had shed his jacket before they even went to the B Stage, only his silk scarf and black beaded chest piece keeping his modesty. Not that Danny was complaining. If he had it his way, Sam wouldn’t be in anything and neither would Danny. 

“Jealous, Josh? I can give you a matching one if you’d like,” Danny joked, his charming, wolfish smile breaking out across his lips. 

“Like I’m gonna turn that down-” 

“I think the fuck NOT!” Sam squawked, a possessive hand grabbing Daniel’s arm before tugging the drummer against his side and glaring at Josh. Danny and Josh broke out into laughter, Jake even failing to hide his snickering at his baby brother’s expense. 

“You know you’re the only one I’d ever give a hickey to, baby,” Daniel reassured, placing a gentle kiss onto Sam’s temple. Just the simple brush of his lips made his heart flutter in his chest as he was filled with giddiness. 

“I swear to god I will throw up on you both,” Jake threatened with an exasperated groan. 

“Go ahead! I’ll just make sure to take a nap in your bed before I shower.” Sam stuck his tongue out at his brother. Or, rather the back of his head. He probably would’ve flipped him off if both of his hands weren’t preoccupied with touching Danny. 

“Can I kill them?” 

Josh sighed before sparing a glance between the two lovers, turning back to address his twin. “Not until the concert is over.” 

“Three more songs and an encore,” Daniel supplied, his own anticipation for the end of the show bubbling over. He wanted nothing more than to scoop Sam up and shower him in as much affection as he could. 

“Dear lord, I won’t be able to endure them that long.” 

+++

It was time for the encore. That meant it was Sam’s cue to slip back on stage and rile the crowd up for the final act before the end. He had to pry Danny’s hands off of him in order to fulfil that duty, much to the drummer’s dismay. He watched from the wings as his boyfriend glowed under the lights, his smile outshining the LEDs as he basked in the attention. Daniel watched on, thanking his lucky stars that he was fortunate enough to call that divine creature his lover. 

It had become a pattern that Danny would be the second one back out on the stage after Sam, followed by Jake and then Josh. In this leg of the tour, Danny had been doing this fun little thing where occasionally he’d surprise Sam while he sat at his piano. It hadn’t been anything damning, just a quick little interaction that had made not only the two of them smile, but the rest of the crowd as well. That show had been no different. 

Well, that wasn’t true. It had been different. 

When Daniel snuck up the stairs behind Sammy (far enough into his piano playing that he knew Sam would be too engrossed in his music rather than paying attention to the increased roar of the crowd at his entrance), he put a finger to his lips while facing the crowd. He’d only meant to go up there, cover Sam’s eyes with his hands, and then maybe give him a quick hug before scurrying over to his kit. But then Sam turned around and caught Danny sneaking up on him. And then he flashed Danny this dazzling smile that made his already strong affection for the man swell like a river during a downpour. And suddenly Danny wasn’t in control of his actions. Well, that’s not to say he was being forced - he just didn’t have any willpower left. 

So, that’s when he surged forward and planted a passionate kiss on Sam’s lips. With thousands upon thousands of people watching. And about half of those were people recording on their phones. But none of that even crossed Danny’s mind. He was far too distracted by the way Sam’s lips moved so seamlessly against his own with practiced grace. He was too distracted by the warmth of his breath as Sam hummed into his mouth, by the way he seemed to melt into the kiss like chocolate in the summer sun. He was too distracted by that callused hand finding purchase on Danny’s cheek as he pulled Danny in closer. 

If it hadn’t been for the pack of guitar picks thrown against the back of his head, Daniel isn’t sure how far he would’ve gone with Sam. He had been so absorbed into Sammy’s… everything that he’d completely forgotten about the audience. Rubbing the back of his head, Daniel turned towards his attacker to see Jake looking at him as if he’d lost his mind. And maybe he had. There was a tiny part of him that was screaming at himself. What the hell are you doing, Wagner??

And for that brief moment, like a deer in the headlights, he swung his gaze from Sam, to the shocked faces of the crowd and the twins, and back to Sam. He knew, in that moment, that he had made a huge mistake. However, it was only brief, that moment of clarity. As soon as it popped into his mind, it was gone with just another look at Sam. All he cared about was Sam. He was all Danny wanted and all he needed. So when he looked into those beautiful eyes like amber stones, how could he not wrap his arms around him and smile as Sam’s warmth seeped into his bones. He felt Sam’s hands come to hold his arm wrapped around Sam’s front, leaning into the touch and his smile mushing their cheeks together. 

“Well. You guys know that, now,” Josh tiredly admitted, because there was no coming back from that. There was simply no platonic reasoning for their behavior. 

It took Jake grabbing the drummer by the shoulder and yanking him back to his kit for Danny to finally finish up the show… which he spent the whole time staring at Sammy or trying to catch his attention. After they finished with Farewell For Now, everyone was happy to be finally taking their bows. That little voice in the back of Danny’s head was sure he’d get his ass handed to him by the twins and their crew for his antics. But, as he peppered kisses all over any part of Sam’s face he could reach and his ears filled with Sam’s giggles, he found that he really did not care. 

“Hey, quick question,” Jake started as they walked down the halls to their dressing rooms, “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT??”

“Yeah, weren’t you guys trying to keep your relationship a secret?” Josh added, yanking his in-ears out as he kept pace with the rest of the group. 

“Why would I want to keep this a secret? I want the whole world to know Sammy’s the only one for me,” Danny cooed, nuzzling his nose against Sam’s cheek. He used the arm he’d slung around Sam’s waist to pull his boyfriend in closer against him. 

To his right he heard the twins groan in exasperation and make exaggerated barfing noises. It would’ve been really funny if Danny had been in any other state of mind. But that was where the questioning ended. Looking back at it, Danny chalks it up to everyone knowing that there was no reasoning with him that night. So they left him and Sam alone. 

And when the two lovebirds finally got to a room with a lock, well. Daniel made good on his promise that he was all Sam’s after the show. 

+++

When Danny woke up the next morning, he felt as though his skull was being split in half with a dull meat cleaver. Every time he was exposed to any sort of light, it was as if his eyeballs were about to explode and his brain was trying to burst out of his skull. It was a nightmare. Even Sam’s voice, usually a comfort in its own right, was like nails on a chalkboard. 

“Good morning, baby.” Sam’s voice was chipper like a bird seeing the sun rising. 

“Morning,” Danny grumbled, unraveling one of his arms around Sam to rub at his pounding forehead. 

“You look like hell.” 

“And you’ve always had a knack for subtlety.” 

Sam huffed. “I mean, are you feeling ok? You look… hungover. We didn’t even drink last night.” 

Danny kept his eyes clamped shut for any kind of relief he could get. “Except for that shot I took with that fan, Clarence.” 

“Yeah, but that’s not enough to get you drunk. Even though you sure acted like it last night,” Sam teased, pressing a tender kiss to the tip of Danny’s nose. 

“Was I now?” Danny teased right back, his tone taking on a flirtatious edge as he pulled Sam in closer to him. From the feeling of the sheets, Danny guessed they were curled up together on their tour bus bunk. 

“Yeah, I don’t think a sober Daniel would announce to the world very publicly that we’re dating.” 

Danny froze. He felt his body go rigid as a board as the realization hit him. 

“I did what?” Thing is, Danny remembered. He was just hoping it had been in his dreams and not, y’know, reality. 

Sam regarded him for a minute, a very adorable knit in his brow as he did. “Daniel, you made out with me on stage.” 

Danny swallowed thickly, nervously. He had done that, hadn’t he? Right before the encore. 

“You were all over me pretty much all night. It was like a switch flipped, or something.” Sam had a little smile pulling at his lips as he recounted the night prior. If Danny’s heart wasn’t racing already, it would’ve kick-started at the sight. 

Like a switch flipped… I acted drunk last night… the only drink I had was that shot…

“Sam… What did it feel like when you were on that love potion last year?” It was ridiculous, it just couldn’t be the potion again… but…

“The love potion?” Sam tilted his head to the side, reminding Danny of Rose when she was confused, “I don’t know, just… kinda felt like the only thing I cared about was you and that I needed to show you how much I loved you through any way I could.” 

And then it all clicked for Danny. 

“Sam, you’re not gonna believe this…” 

Before the bassist could even get a word in, a phone chimed with the Instagram notification. Reaching out blindly, Danny grabbed it and checked the notification. He was glad he did. 

StarshineGreta: Hey Danny, I don’t know if you figured it out yet, but just wanted to give you a heads up that I think one of my clients I sold a love potion to was the same one who you took a shot with at last night’s show. 

Right after her first text came another - the second one a link to a post by one clarencehill1111. With a heavy feeling in his stomach, Danny clicked on the post. 

“What is it?” Sam asked, nervously glancing from Danny’s phone to his face. Danny, wrapping his arm tighter around his lover, decided to read the post out loud. 

“Decided to shoot my shot last night with my favorite drummer boy. Guess the potion worked, but not how I hoped. Everything Danny did to Sam was under the influence of a love potion, guys, it wasn’t real!!” Danny’s mouth went dry as he kept reading, his entire body going cold as the meaning of those words sunk in. The caption was under a video of himself and that fan- Clarence taking the shot together.  

“I’m gonna break his kneecaps.” 

“Sam-” 

“No, Daniel, he’s insane!! Not only did he slip you a real love potion in the hopes that you’d fall for him, he called our relationship fake!” Sam’s voice raised about three octaves, the volume alone making Danny’s headache intensify. 

“Baby, there’s nothing we can do about what he did. All we can do is ban him from any future shows and make sure we show his face to security,” Danny reasoned. He was upset just like Sam - hell, he felt violated. But, considering the only harm done was the truth coming to light… Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Danny just hadn’t wanted it to be so soon. 

Taking a deep breath, Sam cozied up against Daniel even further. “I still hate him.” 

“And you have every right to,” Danny murmured against Sam’s hair, placing a kiss to the top of his boyfriend’s hair. 

He went back to the unsettling post still pulled up on his phone when his eyes caught a comment from a familiar user. It seemed Greta had come to their aid, commenting about how she was the witch who sold Clarence the potion and explained how they worked. It brought a smile to his face, the whole thing giving him deja vu. But even back then, he hadn’t believed her. So, making a quick decision, Danny commented under her comment and basically said “she’s telling the truth”. 

danielrwagner: Thanks for the heads up, Greta. We’ll handle it from here. 

StarshineGreta: Of course. Sorry this happened to you guys

StarshineGreta: again

danielrwagner: It was bound to come out eventually

danielrwagner: But hey at least your sales are about to skyrocket

StarshineGreta: Silver lining, I guess. I’ll be more careful next time, I promise 

danielrwagner: Thanks 

danielrwagner: Hey, how come when Sam took your potion he blacked out right after but I didn’t?

StarshineGreta: My guess? Clarence gave you the recommended amount. You’re not supposed to pass out afterwards. Also, no offense, but you’ve got more body mass than Sam, so that probably helped, too 

danielrwagner: Alright, thank you. Take care of yourself

As Daniel locked his phone, his mind now fully focused on the consequences of his actions. He’d kissed Sam in front of the world. Everyone knew about their relationship now. 

“We’re gonna have a lot of questions to answer, aren’t we?” Danny rested his head against Sam’s as he snuggled deeper into his embrace. 

“We don’t owe them shit.” 

Danny couldn’t help the giggle that tumbled out of his lips. All of the dread that had piled up inside his chest was momentarily pushed aside in order to make room for his feelings for Sam. And, if last night was any indication, there was never really any room for anything else, anyway. 

“God, I love you.” 

Sam released an airy giggle of his own. “I love you, too.” 

Whatever came their way, they would be able to handle it. 

Well, almost everything. 

“Up and at ‘em, lovebirds!! You’ve slept most of the day away!” Josh’s thunderous voice cut through the two’s comforting calm. It made Danny’s headache crash into him with force, his temples pounding with every syllable. 

“What’s it to you?!” Sam called back, making his lover hiss at the proximity to Sammy’s yelling. His apology came as a kiss to his collarbones - Daniel was very inclined to accept it. 

“How’s about you come out here and look, dumbass!” Jake responded, his volume on par with his twin’s. Danny loved the Kiszkas. He really did. He just… didn’t particularly… enjoy having them around when he has a headache.

Sam, grumbling mutinous words under his breath about committing fratricide, untangled himself from Danny’s arms and kicked off their covers. Danny didn’t even try to object. He knew that if they had tried to ignore the twins, they would pull Sam and Daniel out of their beds. Instead, he just gave himself a few seconds to mentally fortify for whatever those two had in store. 

Stumbling towards the front of the tour bus where they heard the twins’ voices come from, Sam and Danny stretched and yawned as they tried to shake off their sleepiness. The bus was comfy, well furnished and homey. It certainly didn’t replace home, but it was far from a bad spot to have to spend a lot of hours in. The large windows allowed for a lot of natural light to stream inside, something everyone enjoyed. And taking a glance out of the one to Danny’s right only confirmed what Josh had said: they had slept in until evening. 

“What.” Sam spat the word out like was able to inflict physical damage. With the way he crossed his arms over his chest, popped his hip, and frowned, it was very clear he was about to throw a hissy fit. 

“Oh my god, you look like a leper,” Josh blurted out, biting his lip to hide a smile that managed to slip into his words. Strangely, his arms were held behind his back. 

Everyone in the room then regarded Sammy in all his shirtless glory. His hair was messy in part due to just having woken up, but mostly because of Danny’s hands. The rest of his skin - namely his neck - were covered in dark purple blotches. The comment only served to make Sam’s frown deepen and his cheeks turn pink. Which, Danny had to admit, was endlessly cute. 

“Danny, too,” Jake added, a small smile of his own pulling at his lips. 

Danny, now being the subject of scrutiny, felt the need to cover himself. He copied Sam and crossed his arms over his own bare chest. Though, it really did nothing. He had a lot of similar dark bruises all over his skin. 

“I can’t believe you defiled our poor, innocent, baby brother,” Josh dramatically scorned. He began mock-crying, going so far as to add in a few sniffles. 

“He was so pure, until you soiled him, Daniel. You should be ashamed.” Jake, with a tone similar to Josh’s, put his hands on his hips and shook his head. He even started “tsking” them. 

“Thank you for defending my honor, Pippin and Merry, but if there’s a point, get to it.” Sam had started to rub his temples with his fingers, seemingly getting a headache of his own. 

Without saying a word, the twins exchanged glances with one another. Finally, Josh pulled his hands out from behind his back to reveal what he was holding: a cake. It was the size of those birthday cakes you see at the supermarket. It was decorated like one, too. The frosting was an assortment of colors, like someone melted down a rainbow and poured it on top. Except for the letters written in swirling calligraphy on top, which read- 

“'Ur gay, Congrats'??” Sam read out loud. 

“Now the whole world knows you guys are sexual deviants. The internet is losing their minds, just so you know.” Jake gestured with his hands as he talked, dropping the whole “clutching-my-pearls” act. 

“Can’t even look at my phone without seeing that video of you two sucking face,” Josh shuddered, setting down the cake on the coffee table in front of him. 

Rhythm section had turned a vibrant shade of red akin to a stop light. 

“I-It wasn’t my fault,” Danny attempted, his eyes casting down to gaze at the carpet as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Love potion again. We know,” Josh finished for Danny. 

“You two aren’t exactly quiet,” Jake implied, crossing his arms over his chest. The smug smirk on his lips only made Daniel’s embarrassment worse. 

“Can you die of shame?” Sam groaned, his face in his hands as he flopped down onto the built-in sofa. Danny took the seat next to him, still refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. 

“You weren’t exactly trying to stop Danny, Samuel,” Josh prodded, checking his nails and looking wholly unbothered. But Danny could see the amusement in his eyes. 

Sam’s response came in the form of a middle finger poised in the general direction of his big brothers. The twins began howling in laughter at the other two’s expense. 

“It’s too easy,” Jake cried, wiping a tear from his eye as his laughter subsided. 

“We’ve already gotten, like, a billion calls from various publishing outlets. I think you two should comment sooner rather than later before this gets too out of hand,” Josh advised, taking the spot to Danny’s right. Jake squeezed in on Sam’s left, the twins effectively sandwiching the boyfriends. 

“Yeah, yeah. We will. But for now, what flavor is this?” Sam pointed at the cake in front of him, his eyes lighting up at the promise of sugar. He didn’t indulge often, but Daniel knew how bad Sam’s sweet tooth could get. 

“Marble, of course. Who do you think I am?” Josh made a face before throwing his hands up, seemingly offended at the possibility of him getting any other flavor. 

The cake was cut up, distributing pieces out to everyone on the bus. The four bandmates all sat back down on the couch, ready to dive into their confections. 

“To Jake,” Daniel toasted, raising his plate in the air. 

“Why me?” 

“Cause now everyone knows you’re the token straight of the band,” Sam explained, a teasing smile on his lips. Danny pointed at Sam, an approval confirming that’s what Danny meant by the toast. 

“To Jake!” Josh laughed, hoisting his cake up. 

“Just… happy to be included, I guess.” 

+++

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