#THATS SO MFING CUTE
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
i ran out of tag room but this installment was sooo good. the leak in her apt and then being brought to dazaiâs AND MORE CHUUYA AND DAZAI BANTER EEEEEEEEE
ᥣđ© FIRST LIGHT
FEATURING: beast dazai osamu
SUMMARY: dazai severely overestimated his self-control. it takes approximately six days and thirteen hours for him to break, seeking you out again. when he does, he knows that nothing will ever be the same. {wordcount: 14.5k; fem!reader; romance & tragedy}
AUTHOR'S NOTES: PART TWOOOOOOO, we have one of my fav parallels in this one, i know you guys will catch it immediately but u still must tell me when you do. also, there's another hint about badlands!reader & dazai's relationship in this chapter that happened after the events of the last installment so u must let me know if you catch that too. reblogs are always appreciated! thank you guys & i hope you guys love this as much as i enjoyed writing it
GENERAL WARNINGS: again, i'll just leave this warning on every chapter - dazai struggles a lot with disassociation/derealization & losing himself in the pages of the book. + we have a bit more of unhinged thought processes on dazai's end. as always please let me know if i forgot any warnings!
SEE: UNREAL UNEARTH SERIES MASTERLIST READ: BADLANDS SIDE A
He understands now the temptation that Eve must have felt in the Garden of Eden with the forbidden fruit dangling right in front of her face. Traditional interpretation of the Bible places the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden on day six of creation; Dazaiâs restraint has thus far rivaled that of the two Biblical figures. Heâs on day six now, in fact; itâs been exactly six days, twelve hours and forty six minutes since he met you in the hallway of the club and each passing second has been more agonizing than the last.Â
He isnât sure how much longer heâs going to last.Â
His office is dark and suffocating, the atmosphere so cold and unwelcoming that it has him craving the return to your warm and homely apartment so intensely that he thinks it might be making him sick. He turned off the light earlier when he felt a migraine coming on, hoping that the darkness would let his eyes and mind rest enough to catch it before it fully came on, but heâs realized that it probably wasnât the light causing his headache, rather it was you.
He sighs as he tilts his head back, willing the migraine to go away even though he knows it's to no avail. But he canât even rest his eyes in peace, because every time they slide shut, the image of you burns the inside of his eyelidsâyour soft gaze and bright smile, the way you held your hand out to take his and the way your lashes fluttered as you leaned into his touch.Â
Six days, twelve hours and forty seven minutes.Â
He thinks he would prefer the nightmares of his other lives to this. At least with those, they fuel his drive to press forward with his master plan, the reminder of your fates in the other worlds would scorch away any desire to seek you out in fear of bringing it upon you again in this one.
Now, every night for the past six days heâs been plagued with dreams of youâpleasant dreams. Dreams that when he wakes from them, he finds his cheeks wet and his chest heavy with such an intense longing for you that it makes him physically ill. He dreams of having you in his arms, kissing the top of your head as you do your best to study even with him making every effort to distract you. He dreams of watching sunrises with you, seeing the way the early morning colors wash over your face, your skin glowing and eyes glittering in such a vivid way that Dazai swears he can even picture it now. He dreams of a ring, and he dreams of his palms sweating as he walks with you down to the beach you met on to watch another sunrise, and he dreams of getting down on one knee in front of you just as the sun breaks over the horizon. He never dreams of a wedding, so Dazai theorizes that you never made it long enough for one to take place.Â
And the realization of that alone should be enough to make the yearning for you evaporate but itâs not, because dangerous thoughts have been circulating through his head since the night he left you. Thoughts of how maybe this could be different. Dazai is the boss of the Port Mafia in this life, he has enough resources to protect youâmore money than god and enough armed forces behind him to rival the nationâs government. He has the power to keep you safe in this life, more than he ever had in any other.Â
If there was any life that he could be with you and ensure your safety, itâs this one.Â
Six days, twelve hours and forty nine minutes.
Does he really want to give this up?
Dazai rests his arms on his desk, lowering his head down, eyes sliding shut again. He can see you again, the image of you from last week, laughing wildly at something heâd saidâhe canât even remember what it was, he was so nervous that he canât even recall half of the night, but he doesnât really care at all what he said anyway, too enraptured by the way you react to it.Â
He wonders if youâre there now. At the bar. Because what he does remember, of course, is your teasing grin as you tell him that of course, youâre scheming out a second meeting between the two of you because naturally youâve decided that you already like him. And he remembers the hope thinly veiled behind your eyes, as you look over him, knowing that if the two of you are to meet again, it would be reliant on whether or not he decides to come back to the club, because youâve already made your intentions clear.
Six days, twelve hours and fifty minutes.
Dazaiâs throat feels swollen, his nails dig into his palms. He imagines you waiting there, he imagines the disappointment on your face as you slowly realize heâs not going to show up. And youâre so damn beautiful, radiant even beneath the shitty lighting of the clubâheâs sure you saved a seat at the bar for him, and youâve probably had dozens of interested men whoâve offered to buy you drinks, asking if youâd come to the club alone. And youâll probably turn them down at first, telling them that youâre waiting on someone, but he wonders how long itâll take for you to finally take one of them up on their offer after youâve realized that Dazai isnât going to show. He wonders if youâll follow them out to the dance floor, he wonders if youâll give them the same teasing smile you gave him. He can picture slim fingers caressing your hips, pulling you closer. He can picture your lashes fluttering as they lean their head down to ghost their lips against your neck, swaying to the music. He doesnât want to picture anything else, but his mind, as always, betrays him.Â
He wonders if youâll take them back to your apartmentâwould you get right into it or would you sit and talk with them for a while? His head spins as his thoughts take an increasingly more dangerous spiral. Itâs a bitter cold night out, maybe youâll take the opportunity to make them the hot chocolate youâve made him hundreds of times, thousands of times beforeâno, he corrects as the lines start to blur in a treacherous way, youâve never made it for him in this life. Maybe itâs so cold out that youâd forgo small talk altogether, instead seeking out the warmth of someone elseâs bodyâyouâd take them by the hand, lead them into your bedroom and lay them back on your bed.Â
Would you be gentle with them? Like you were with him? No, he reminds himself again, youâve never been with him like that, not in this life. The pages of the Book pile around him, memories flooding him with an intensity that heâs never experienced before; he can hardly even remember what his reality is, all of the others blending and shifting together in his mind, making it impossible to decipher the lines between them.Â
Youâre dragging him to the beach to watch your first sunrise with him and youâre telling him that you want to see as many as possible with himâhe wants to tell you that he thinks he might love you but he doesnât know how to say it  Youâre laying him back against a bed, asking him if he trusts youâof course, he does, how is that even a question? Youâre leaning your head against his arm, standing before a familiar grave and accepting him for all that he is even after he strips bare down to all of the worst parts of himself for youâyou shouldnât, he wants to say desperately, but instead heâs telling you that he loves you, even though he knows it might kill you. And then-
And then heâs ripped violently from his fall into the pages of the Book as his phone vibrates and itâs not him anymore, itâs someone else, someone unworthy and undeserving, a stranger that youâd turned to because Dazai wasnât there.
Dazai nearly heaves. He never should have indulged in you that night. He should have known he was never going to go back to normal after it. The difference between the memories and actually having seen you and heard you and touched you and smelt you was so much more severe than he ever could have expected. Now, the memories arenât enough; he wants a life with you, he wants it to be his reality. He thinks that itâs not fair that heâs the only one who canât be with you. He wants to make new memories with you so he no longer has to struggle with the blurred lines, so he doesnât have to yearn for a life that heâll never be able to experience, having to watch every single other Dazai get to have what he canât.
Six days, twelve hours and fifty eight minutes.
He can do it, his thoughts are a bit manic as he tries to ground himself after the spiral. He has the knowledge. He has the power. He has the resources. If thereâs any life that heâs able to be with you and keep you safe, itâs this one. He doesnât have to hide from you, he doesnât have to deny himself of you to protect youâhe has the knowledge, he has the power, he has the resources. He can keep you safe. Instead of being the only Dazai who never gets to be with you, heâll be the only Dazai who can actually spend his life with youâa long one, a happy one. Heâll have what none of them did. He can do it. Â
Before he can stop himself, he speaks.
âGin-chan,â Dazai calls softly, knowing that he doesnât have to speak any louder for the girl to hear him. As soon as he hears the door to the backroom open, he continues with, âHave Albatross be ready downstairs with one of the cars.âÂ
âOf course. Where to, sir?âÂ
To Ginâs credit, she doesnât sound at all caught off guard by Dazaiâs sudden request, as if itâs normal for Dazai to randomly decide to leave the Port Mafia base even though he can count on one hand the number of times heâs left the base since he ascended to the position of boss four years earlier.Â
â... The club we own in Naka,â Dazai says after a few moments, fingers thrumming against the mahogany of his desk for a moment before he adds, â... Donât tell Chuuya.â
â... Yes, sir. Iâll have Albatross get everything ready immediately.â
At exactly six days and thirteen hours, Dazaiâs self-control shatters.Â
You sigh.Â
The seat next to you remains damningly empty despite the many attempts of handsome strangers trying to join you at the bar. Youâre sure you mustâve turned down half a dozen by now in hopes that the stranger from last Friday will end up showing up but those hopes are very quickly disappearing. You want to convince yourself that maybe youâve just missed himâitâs a rather large club, after allâbut itâs not half as packed as it was last week; you think that if he were here, you wouldâve spotted him by now. Or he would have spotted you. Â
Dazai Osamu, you remember his name, eyes sliding shut briefly as you take a sip of your water, wondering if you should just switch to alcohol and drink your sorrows away, seek out one of the men whoâd approached you already so you donât end up spending the night alone. The thought leaves you unsatisfied, a pout rising to your lips around the rim of your glass as you finish off yet another glass of water.Â
You swear that youâre not usually this patheticâespecially not over a manâbut thereâs just something about this Dazai Osamu that has you acting up. Like honestly, who even are you? Going to the club alone on a Friday night with nothing but some faint hopes that the man youâd met here last week would show up too? Itâs so embarrassing, you think you might dieâbut somehow youâre not embarrassed enough to leave because youâre still hoping that he shows up.Â
God, you think again, who are you anymore? You barely even know this man. You know his name and you know heâs handsome. And thatâs just about it, but here you are, sitting bummed at a club because he isnât showing even though he has absolutely no reason to.Â
The bartender raises his eyebrows with a small smile and you pass the glass over to him, letting him refill it. Heâs the same one from last week and he recognized you as soon as you took a seat at the bar, making sure to get you what you need and keep you company whenever thereâs a lull in patrons flagging him down. Itâs a stark contrast from the treatment that you got early in the night last week, where it had taken you twenty minutes to get a single drink and even then you could barely hold his attention long enough to tell him what you wanted. You canât help but notice that he seems hyperaware of the open seat next to you.
As the bartender passes you another glass of water, you flash him a wavering smile, unconsciously sparing another awkward glance to the empty seat next to you. While the club isnât quite as packed as it was last week, itâs not exactly empty and youâre starting to feel bad hoarding the seat when plenty of others probably want to sit down too.Â
âIâm sure heâll show,â the bartender tells you before heâs waved down by another patron. You wonder if heâs guessed who youâre waiting for or if itâs just meant to be some general comfort. âProbably just running late, heâs a busy man.â
Oh, you think, eyes widening, but before you can question him as to what he means, heâs rushing to go refill the drink of a blonde man on the opposite end of the bar.
A busy man.Â
Who are you, Dazai Osamu?Â
Even in your drunken state, you knew from the moment you met him that there was something off about him. The way he held himself, the way he looked at you, the way people treated himâit all screamed danger. Once youâd sobered up, you remembered all of the things you didnât notice while youâd been intoxicated. You remembered the way people would rush to get out of his way or show him complete deference, eyes a bit wide and faces a bit pale. You remembered the way Takeda looked sick and scared when Dazai told him to go, and Takeda is usually a bull-headed and fearless man, it takes a lot to make him back down. You remembered his driverâhe had a driver!âand how when he stepped out of the car to open the door for the two of you, you swore you caught a glint of gunmetal holstered at his waist before Dazai gave him a cold look and he quickly covered it up.
And youâre not usually a girl who seeks danger out, for as much as you went on your spiel about living life on the edge the last time you spoke to him, youâre usually a pretty careful person. If you were smart, you would have woken up the next morning and pretended that you were too drunk to remember the night before, forget all about Dazai Osamu and his dangerous smile and intense gaze.Â
But you arenât smart, evidently, because instead of forgetting about him, you spent half of the next day mourning because he didnât even leave you his number and the other half of it scheming out the best way of running into him again.Â
You sigh, resting your cheek on your hand as you prop your elbow up on the bartop, idly tracing the rim of your glass.
What is it about you, Dazai?
One meeting and youâre captivated. He must be some kind of witch, or siren, thereâs no other explanation for how youâre so utterly enchanted by him. He spoke your name with the familiarity of a lover, watching you with gentle eyes even though they become cold and empty whenever they avert to someone other than you. And youâyou felt as if youâve known him your entire life. Youâve never had such an instant connection with someone like that before, youâre convinced that itâs fate at work, even if heâs adamant against the thought.
You want to see him again. You wonder if it was maybe just your drunken brain misconstruing things, although somehow you doubt it. You need to talk to him again to know if the connection is real, and if itâs real-
âIs this seat taken?â
At first, the voice doesnât register as familiar, so you let out a soft puff of air, trying to figure out if you should deny another person. But as you turn to face the newcomer, your eyes widen a bit as you catch sight of the long, burgundy scarf hanging in your peripheral, stark against a long, sleek black suit jacket.
Your lips part in shock, head snapping to the side so you can fully look at the person to your left. Dazai Osamu stands there, hands resting comfortably in the pockets of his jacket, head tilted to the side, a small smile curving at his lips and a soft look in his eye as he looks down at you, comforting and warm compared to the cold emptiness you vaguely noticed from him at certain points last night.
You try to say no, itâs not taken, but no words leave your lips, so instead, you shake your head, eyes following Dazai as he takes a seat next to you at the bar. The bartender rushes over, all but abandoning the couple heâd been helping on the opposite side of the bar, pouring Dazai an expensive glass of whiskey and giving him a nod before going back to who heâd been helping before. Your eyes follow the man curiously before you turn your gaze back to Dazai, not speaking for a moment as you observe the way he stares down at the glass of whiskey for a second, the warmth in his eye slowly dissipating.
You donât like it, and not because it makes you uncomfortable or anything, but rather because you just donât like how alone he seems. So, you lean forward, smiling, and say, âFancy seeing you here.â
Dazai turns his gaze back to you and the warmth returns, pools of honey rather than the endless void. You melt beneath it.Â
âI vaguely remember a beautiful woman mentioning scheming out a second meeting,â Dazai drawls, dark eye lidded as he looks down at you, a half-smile decorating his face. âIt would be quite remiss of me to be the cause of her failure.â
Your cheeks feel a bit a hot as you grin down at your drink. âWhile weâre on the topic of things I may or may not have said last week, I have to be honest with you. I totally lied about something,â you say with a laugh, leaning on the bar. He raises his eyebrow curiously. You give him a sheepish smile as you continue with, âI have absolutely no idea how to charm someone, drunk or sober, I was entirely speaking out of my ass, so keep your expectations low.â
The smile that curls to the corner of his lips is soft enough to make your heart skip a beat. âI think you just being yourself is plenty charming,â he murmurs.
You let out a noise caught between a groan and a whimper, face going hot. âOh my god, youâre the charmer,â you accuse loudly, burying your face in your arms. âIâll never survive. Handsome and charming, a deadly combination.â
As you peer your eyes open to look at him, you canât help but notice the way his smile briefly falters at your words. You promptly decide to change the subject with: âThank you for making sure I got home safely last week.â
âYou donât need to thank me for that,â he says, one pale, lithe finger tracing along the rim of his glass. Your eyes linger for a moment on the digit, mind wandering, before you force your gaze up; you can see the bandages peeking out from beneath the sleeve of his dark coat as your eyes drag his arm back to his face. Thereâs a knowing expression on his face, the smile on his lips a bit more sensual. Your breath catches as you avert your gaze, feeling quite like youâve just been caught doing something bad.
âSure I do,â you try to make the words sound casual and easy but despite your most sincere attempts, your voice is strained. âNot many people would go out of their way like that for someone they just met.â
Something akin to amusement flashes through his eye. Youâre not sure what he finds amusing, but you decide you donât care because you very much prefer it to the distant look that had been painted in them before.
âAn unfortunate world we live in, then,â he says softly, but thereâs a lilt to his tone that makes you feel like he knows something that you donât. He doesnât give you much time to dwell on it though as he asks, âAre you going to have anything to drink?â
You startle slightly at the question, glancing down at the glass of water youâre drinking before you tell him with a laugh, âI donât know if I want to force you to deal with me drunk twice. Didnât I promise Iâd stay sober this time?â
âIf I remember correctly, you only said ânot quite as drunk,ââ he says, lips tilting up a bit and god, the way heâs looking at you has you flustered, gaze lidded and intense, as if youâre the only one in the room and not in a club with hundreds of other people. âLet me order you something, I think youâll like it.â
âOh, thatâs bold,â you warn, tossing him a teasing smile. âI'm very particular about my drinks, Iâll have you know. Iâm almost curious what you have in mind that makes you so confident.â
âI have a good feeling about it,â Dazai says, tilting his head to the side as he waits for your decision.
You give a heavy sigh, pretending like itâs a difficult decision even though you know itâs not. âFine, but only if you promise to cut me off after two. Whenever I hit three, I hit the floor.â
You extend your pinky toward him, waiting for him to take it, and when he does, you swear a jolt of electricity shoots up your arm. As he wraps his finger around yours, your heart skips a beat, your eyes meet his and you think you might get lost in the dark pools, you donât think you would mind if you do and that scares you. Youâve never had someone make your heart flutter and mind haze like this, especially not so quickly.
âPromise,â he breathes out, barely audible above the thundering music and crowds.Â
You dip your head down to press your lips against your thumb to seal the deal, and you think you fall even more when you donât have to tell him to do the same, following your lead and kissing his own thumb to seal it. And you briefly wonder if this man might be your soulmate because he didnât give you a single odd look and didn't hesitate for a second whereas when youâve made pinky promises with some of your other friends and past partners, their expression always twists a bit in confusion or oddity at the second part.
Rather than letting go of your hand, he swaps to his other hand, intertwining his fingers with yours and resting it on your lap before he flags the bartender downâquite easily, might you addâand leans over the bartop to say something quietly to him. The man nods and rushes off, and you give Dazai a scandalized look as he turns his attention back to you, hyper aware of the warmth of his fingers against yours.
âYou wonât even tell me what it is?â you gasp in mock offense.Â
Dazai rests his other elbow on the bar top, resting his chin on his hand as he watches you through his lashes. You couldnât drag your gaze away if you wanted to, tunneled onto him.
âItâs a surprise,â he says with a smile. âYouâll like it, trust me.â
âQuite confident for someone that hardly knows me, arenât you, Dazai?â you giggle, raising your hand to cover your lips, and god, he looks so amused again, and so handsome. You might die. âThatâll be for me to judge.â
âVery confident,â he agrees, and you think he winks but you canât tell because one of his eyes is covered by bandages.Â
âSo,â you begin, waiting for the drink. âYouâre from around here then?â
You hope he is, at least, because youâd like to keep seeing him. Something about him is just so intoxicating, like a drug you just canât get enough of. You think he must be, from the way he seems so familiar with the bartender and other patrons, but you could always be wrong.
You hope youâre not wrong.
âMhm,â Dazai agrees, humming around the rim of his glass as he takes another sip. You hope the excitement you feel doesnât flash across your face. âYokohama born and raised⊠you?âÂ
Distantly, a part of you feels like the question is just an afterthought, as though he already knows the answer and you wonder if youâre that obvious, but you pay no mind to that, instead nodding. âSame,â you say, and then, â... I wonder if we have crossed paths before then. Youâre so familiar, I canât imagine that weâve never met before⊠Maybe uni? Did you happen to go to UTokyo? I graduated there last year.â
Dazai seems to hesitate at the question, as if considering his answer. You wonder why, but he leaves you little time to figure it out because he finally replies, âNo⊠I was in Tokyo for business for a while a couple years ago though.â
Your eyes light up. âReally?â you ask, leaning forward as you speak. âWhere did you work? I know the area pretty well.â
He hesitates again, this time more blatantly, and you can see the confliction that briefly flashes across his face. How curious.Â
âIt wasnât a particular storefront, or anything, just my line of work had me in the area for a while.â
Youâre about to press into what his line of work is, desperate to know more about the man sitting in front of you, but youâre interrupted by the bartender returning with a martini so stunning that if it tastes half as good as it looks, you might fall in love.Â
But youâre not going to make it that easy.Â
âGo on,â Dazai says, leaning a bit back in his seat as he watches. He looks at you as if he already knows that youâre going to like it and youâre adamant on destroying his assumptions, you will hate this drink if itâs the last thing you do. âTell me what you think.â
You lift the martini glass up to your lips carefully, the dark liquid so close to the brim that youâre nervous it will spill over the sides. He watches you expectantly, you pointedly hold his gaze as you take a sip of the drink and-
âOh my god.â
Dazai looks utterly vindicated, raising his chin as you take a sip of the drink and stare at it in shock. Itâs so⊠tasty. Itâs creamy, and sweet, and you can hardly taste the alcohol but you can feel the tingle on your tongue and the light burn in your throat. All thoughts of the conversation you were having before the drink showed up disappear, and youâre focused solely on the glass in your hands and the man before you.
âSo?â God, heâs evil. He almost purrs the word, as if he knows exactly what your response is going to be. He leans forward a bit, looking down at you through his lashes. âGive me the verdict, Your Honor.â
âItâs good,â you say, raising your chin in spite, hoping that your expression doesnât betray but from the way his lips spread into a wider smile, you fear that you completely failed.Â
âJust good?â Dazai croons.Â
You pause for a second, debating on lying and telling him yes, just good, but the words you intend on speaking do not leave your lips. Rather, you say, âOkay. It may or may not be one of the best drinks Iâve had in a while. You have to tell me what it is so I know what to ask for.â
âHmm.â Dazai lifts a finger to his chin, as if considering your words. âI donât think I will.â
âWhat!â
His smile becomes a bit softer, his expression more teasing. âI think Iâll hold that information hostage, so you have to come out with me again if you want to drink it.â
A jittery feeling spreads through your chest, heart fluttering, cheeks hot. âOh? Look whoâs scheming out our third meeting already,â you taunt lightly. âHow the tables turn.â
âOf course, Iâm scheming out our third meeting, maybe our fourth and fifth too,â he mimics your words from last week shamelessly. âIâve decided I already like you, bella.â
The pet name rolls off his tongue easily, as if itâs second nature to him, and your face is on fire but Dazai looks like heâs shocked even at himself. You fumble with your words for just a second, it takes you a moment too long to recover but you think that Dazai doesnât even notice in his stunned state.Â
You decide to return fire.Â
âI hope all of our dates arenât just going to be at clubs,â you tell him with a smile that edges on flirtatious, cocking your head to the left.
Your words hardly register until you notice that his cheeks have become bright and rosy, hand instinctively coming up to hide his face. He looks entirely like heâs at a loss for words, lips parting and closing several times. Itâs so endearing that you think you might really die now, but then the gravity of your words hit you like a train. Â
Oh god. A date? A date?? This is only the second time youâve met, that was way too soon. You-
âIâll make sure the next place we meet is somewhere special,â he finally says, voice smooth and gaze gentle and-Â
And just like that, youâre a goner.
Youâre not sure how long you sit there talking to him. Hours, probably. It feels like no time at all and forever all at once. You lose yourself in his gaze, and his smile, and you think the whole world could be burning around the two of you and youâd have no idea just because youâre so tunnel visioned on him. The music drowns out, and all you can hear is his voice. The people around you blur out of focus, and all you can see is him.Â
Itâs insane, you think. Youâve never felt like this with anyone before. Youâve had so many flings and so many boyfriends over the years, but the way your stomach twists and turns and the way your head feels fuzzy with Dazai is so incomparable to how you felt with anyone else.Â
You feel like youâve known him forever.Â
You feel like youâve only just met him.Â
How is it possible to feel like you know someone youâve only just met so intimately? When you know you donât actually know much about him personally but it still feels like you can read into the depths of his soul?
God, you donât know, but you do know one thing, and itâs that you never want to lose this feeling.Â
And thatâs how it began.Â
Every Friday for weeks, you find yourself at the club, sipping cheap martinis at the bar until a certain handsome man in a dark suit decides to finally grace you with his presence. Sometimes, the two of you would just sit at the clubâs bar until the sun threatens to rise, when you finally go your separate ways and you make your way back to your apartment, falling asleep with a smile on your face and waking up with a giddy feeling still sparkling in your chest. Other times, he only comes by the club to pick you up, fulfilling his promise of making sure to take you somewhere nice when you find yourself fine dining at the fanciest rooftop restaurants in the city.Â
He never stays over your place, even when he does drop you off. Sometimes heâll hang around for an hour (you made him your favorite hot chocolate, he liked it so much that he nearly cried although he vehemently denied that was the reason why his eye got all misty), but he always leaves. You try not to let it bum you out, convincing yourself that itâs just because he doesnât want to keep his driver waiting (albatross, you remember his name, heâs funny. you like him), but sometimes you canât help the heavy feeling set over you when he makes his abrupt leave, wishing for just a bit more. He hasnât even kissed you yet, for godâs sake.Â
You also distantly note that you donât really know much about him, even after all of these weeks his personal life remains a mystery to you. The closest you were able to get to prying anything out of him was when he showed up so late that you were on the verge of leaving because you doubted he would even show, he apologized and said a work meeting ran late. You asked him what about and he hesitated, as if he was about to say it, but then gave you some vague response and steered the conversation to something less personal.
Thatâs whatâs happened every time you try to learn a bit more about him. You donât really notice it in the moment because heâs smooth and charming about it, but he always manages to turn the conversation to you or some other general topic. You want to respect that he doesnât want to talk about his personal life because maybe heâs coming to you to have some sort of escape from it, but you also want to know him beyond just the flirting over drinks and the slim things you can gleam from his reactions, words hidden between the lines of what he actually says.
Your friends think youâre crazy. They think heâs bad news. Theyâve come with you to the club a few times to wait with you until he shows up and every time they see him you can see the weary looks that they shoot at one another. You donât care what they thinkâor well, thatâs a lie, you do care what they think, youâre just too enamored with Dazai for their words to have any weight. Which probably should be concerning, but thatâs something for you to think about another day.Â
Because now, youâre focused on him again. Heâs been talking more tonight than he usually doesâmost nights, heâll spend the majority of the time just listening to you, a soft smile on his face and a captivated look in his eye, but tonight, heâs been rather vocal, people watching with you and making sly advances that you think is just plain cruel considering he hasnât even kissed you yet.Â
But tonight, youâve decided, will be the night.Â
Youâve been trying to figure out how to go about it, if you should just invite him back to your apartmentâsomething youâve done before, so there shouldnât be any nerves but you still find yourself wavering because you donât know how youâre going to proceed once you get to your apartment. You are not a seducer. You have no experience in seducing. In fact, you are usually the one being seduced. So every time your lips part to ask if he wants to leave the club, you find yourself withering and faltering, waiting for a âbetterâ chance as if one will magically arise.
It does.Â
Itâs when a fight breaks out on the dancefloor a bit too close to where youâre sitting, certainly the result of some sleazy man trying to put his hands on a woman who already has a date, when you finally force yourself to stop pussying out. You let out a shriek as you stumble forward off your barstool when one of the men careens a bit too closely to you, and itâs only by Dazaiâs swift reaction, arm wrapping around your waist as he pulls you to him and steadies you, that you donât go toppling onto the floor.Â
Your eyes widen as you watch the fight escalate, a bit entertained now that youâre safe in his arms from becoming collateral damage, but Dazai looks distinctly unimpressed by the scene taking place a few feet away, lips twisted into a deep frown. You watch as he shoots a sharp look to one of the bouncers lingering by the door, and you note how the man immediately moves forward to break up the fight. Interesting. Youâve noticed that the people at the work tend to be respectful to him, but thatâs the first time youâve seen them seemingly take a silent order from him.
You steel your nerves and you decide to try your hand.
âWould you⊠maybe want to get out of here?â
You look nervous, Dazai watches you carefully as he leads you across the club to the exits, so he figures that thereâs something else going on in your head right now. Youâve been quiet most of the night, he realizes, and he wonders if something is wrong. If something happened. His mind immediately catapults to the worst case scenario: that someone found out about the two of you, despite how careful heâs been in making sure that the places heâs brought you to were locked down by the Port Mafia before you arrived with him, and youâre being threatened.
His thoughts race. Albatross should still be waiting where Dazai left him, so if something goes wrong, heâll be ready. Dazai glances at you again, and he slowly realizes that you donât seem nervous because youâre fearful of something, and his anxieties slowly are edged away.Â
But that only gives rise to new anxieties because then whatâs making you so nervous then? What did you mean by get out of here? Do you want to go somewhere else? (but where, the longer heâs out in the open, the more of a risk there will be without him taking precautions beforehand like he usually does) Do you want to be dropped off back at your apartment? (thatâs what he initially assumed, but he doesnât want the night to end yet) Do you want to invite him to your apartment? (it wouldnât be the first time, but it doesnât leave him any less nervous. heâs terrified of making the wrong move) Do you want him to invite you to his apartment? (god, he hopes not)
The last option cannot happen. Youâre already suspicious from the way the bartender and the other club patrons have been treating him the past few weeks, and now youâre doubly suspicious, Dazai can tell from the way your eyes squint as the bouncers at the entrance of the club nod their heads to him. If he brings you back to his place, the tallest of the five towers making up the Port Mafia base, thereâs no way you wonât put together that somethingâs up with him and the last thing he wants is to scare you away. Even if you donât know what the buildings are exactly, youâll definitely question him about his occupation, go back to the dangerous line of questioning youâve been treading on lately, and when he canât give you a straight answer, itâll become all the more apparent that itâs something shady and if youâre smart, youâll make an excuse to leave and then never seek him out again.
Realistically, he probably wonât be able to hide this from you for long, but it just has to be long enough for him to woo you so the news isnât so jarring that it makes you cut off all contact with him. Although, Dazai isnât sure if any amount of time will make the knowledge that heâs a mafia boss not jarring enough to flee. His heart feels a bit heavy, wondering if this is all a mistake because how the hell is he supposed to just accept it when you inevitably decide to leave? And isnât that what he should want, anyway? He wants you to keep yourself safe, no matter what the cost, and if youâre the one to cut him off, then he wonât be tempted to come looking for you again. He can protect you from the distance as he initially planned with the memory of the nights heâs spent with you pushing him forward. So maybe this is for the best.
You accepted all of the other Dazais, the traitorous part of his mind tried to convince himself that isnât a hopeless cause, even though he knows that thereâs a stark difference between who he is in this lifetime, the face of Japanâs underworld, drenched in blood and rotting from the inside out, and who he was in all of the other lifetimes, desperately trying to make himself a better man so that Odasaku would be proud of him.Â
Maybe youâll understand, he thinks weakly as the two of you leave the club. Itâs drizzling now, and his eyes cut across the parking lot looking for Albatross, but his thoughts are lostâyou understanding would mean he would have to tell you everything. He canât do that. Not just because you would probably think heâs delusional, or psychotic, but because it would put the very fabric of this reality at risk. He canât tell more people than necessary and stage fiveâŠÂ
His plan.Â
Dazaiâs gaze shifts back over to you, the sudden remembrance of what heâs been planning since he came in contact with the Book so many years ago spreading like ice through him. He should take you by the hand and lead you to the car, the rain is going to start coming down harder any second now, but Dazai is frozen because in his manic state, when heâd decided he can protect you in this life, be with you in this life, he hadnât even given any thought to what would become of his plan, and heâs been so consumed by thoughts of you the past few weeks that itâs hardly crossed his mind.
He has to force himself to move forward, ignoring the way his mind is reelingâif he decides to live, what does that mean for Odasaku? For Atsushi and Akutagawa and Chuuya? For the world? Would he be condemning everything heâs worked to protect? He still thinks he can do itâprotect you, that isâbut would it be at the cost of everything else? He feels sick, trying to figure out if heâs going to have to plot out a whole new plan, as if this one hadnât taken him years to come up with and implement.Â
But you donât move to follow him to the car where Albatross is waiting when he steps forward. Instead, you tilt your head up to the sky, lashes fluttering as rain begins to drizzle down from the dark sky.Â
And Dazaiâs spiraling thoughts halt.Â
He thinks you look beautifulâyouâre always beautiful, but he thinks thereâs something magical about the picture of the small smile on your lips as rain drops slide across the smooth skin of your face. He tries to force himself to look away so he doesnât seem creepy staring at you, but he canât bring himself to.
You donât seem to mind though, because you turn your attention to him, eyes lit up in a way that makes his heart race. âDance with me,â you say suddenly, holding a hand out to him, the soft smile on your face is a bit mischievous now.
Dazai looks down at you, raising his eyebrows. âHere?â he asks, voice tainted with a hint of incredulity. âNow?â
âMhm,â you say, unperturbed, holding your hand out more insistently.Â
Dazai thinks he isnât capable of denying you much of anything, but he canât help but hesitate. Not because he doesnât want to dance with youâhe would sell whatâs left of his wretched soul for just a single dance with youâbut because the longer heâs out in the open, the more of a chance there might be an assassination attempt on him. Every time he goes out, heâs gambling his life. It would put you in danger, and itâs not like he brought Chuuya along for if something goes wrong. Albatross is capable enough, but his ability is not combat centric.Â
Being seen with you in general could put you in danger, doubts begin to sprinkle through his head again, his heart lodged in his throat as remembers that Fyodor Dostoevsky and Agatha Christie arenât the only threats to your life. Heâs been as careful as he could be but even with all of the precautions in the world, there are still risks. Heâs made new enemies in this lifetime, hundreds of them over the years, and if any one of them caught wind of you and his apparent attraction to youâŠ
âIf you wanted to dance, shouldnât we have done that inside?â Dazai drawls instead, trying to play it off. Inside, where itâs significantly safer. Inside, where Dazai knows that thereâs less of a chance of unsavory eyes falling upon the two of you because the club is owned by the Port Mafia and everyone let in is screened. Inside, where Dazai can still convince himself that he has the power to keep you safe. Youâre entirely unbothered by his question, so he continues before you can shoot him down, âWhere itâs not raining, and where thereâs actually music.âÂ
âHavenât you seen all of the romance movies?â you complain, smile widening. âDancing in the rain is romantic, Dazai. Who needs music anyway? Câmon, dance with me.â
And how is Dazai supposed to say no to you when you look at him like that? Eyes wide and imploring, smile gentleâyou look at him in a way that Dazaiâs only dreamed of, and he knows that heâs a goner. Well, heâs known since he first met you, but itâs being made abundantly more clear right now with the way his heart, which he usually has such keen control over, beats rapidly in his chest. His lips part because he still wants to try to deny youâfor your sake, not hisâbut no words leave them.
You donât wait for his response anyway, hand darting out to catch his so you can drag him out into the parking lot. His eyes widen, stumbling forward and trying to catch his balanceâyou only laugh, intertwining your fingers with his while your other hand finds his waist, spinning the two of you in a reckless circle.Â
âKeep up!â you tell him with a smile that causes his breath to catch.Â
Dazai thinks he might die. His head feels fuzzy as you lead him in a wide ballroom dance, sweeping across the vacant parking lot with ease. He thinks he must look like a fool being dragged along in your dance like a puppet, hardly able to keep himself from tripping over his own feet.Â
Heâs not sure how youâre able to keep yourself so graceful, heels splashing in puddles as you lead him through spins and turns and pivots, but Dazai thinks youâre beautiful. Again. Extraordinarily so, even. Rain is pouring down over the two of you, the drizzle quickly becoming torrential, and your hair is wet and matted to your face, mascara a bit smeared underneath your eyes, but youâre laughing, and Dazai thinks youâre divine. Heavenly. Too ethereal to be tainted by the likes of him and yet here he is, the putrid skin of his fingers intertwined with your untarnished ones. You raise your arm and his, beckoning for him to twirl beneath it.
He does, and itâs awkward and clumsy because heâs too tall to comfortably perform the move, but you giggle loudly so it makes up for the embarrassment. And for a moment, Dazai can almost convince himself that this isnât a life where heâs been forced to let the dark consume him for the betterment of the world; rather, itâs a world where heâs gone unsullied by the dark, his blood still runs red and youâre beautiful and youâre alive, and heâs just a boy whoâs fallen so terribly in love with a girl so far out of his league that he thinks he might be dreaming when you return his interest. As he spins, he notices that his cheeks feel a bit strained and sore, and he realizes that thereâs a smile on his face that matches your own, the muscles of his cheeks and jaw unused to stretching in such a manner and he hopes, anxiously, that it doesnât look quite as unbearable as it feels.
If it does look unnatural, you donât seem to mind. The rain blurs his vision and heâs forced to blink away the raindrops that keep falling into his eye, and for a split second, youâre standing before him in a pretty red dress on a sidewalk, and heâs the one leading you in the theatrical dance, dipping you down as lightning webs across the sky above the two of you, and heâs about to beg you for a kiss, he knows it but then-
Heâs drawn out of his thoughts when you pull your hand back from his, but you donât give him time to mourn the loss of your touch because then youâre slipping your arms around his neck, loose and casual. Youâre pressed up close to him, chest brushing his and head tilted back so you can look up at himâa slower dance, swaying to the music of the wind and rainâand Dazai can hardly breathe. Youâre so close. So close that he could kiss you if he wanted to. God, he wants to. Heâs wanted to for weeks but every time he tries to gather the nerve to do it, he backs out.
âWhereâd you go?â you ask softly, and he can barely hear you as thunder rumbles in the distance, brows furrowed in confusion, unsure of what you mean. You tap his temple twice gently, âLeft me for a second there.âÂ
Oh, his throat feels a bit dry, realizing that you mustâve noticed when he started to slip back into the pages of the Book. Terrifying. Beautiful and terrifying, thatâs what you are, if you can read him that well after meeting him once a week for a few weeks, he dreads to know how well youâd be able to read him once you start spending more and more time with him. But would it be so bad? To have someone that knows him so profoundly? Heâs so alone all the damn time in this world, and youâre giving him a taste of a life where maybe he wouldnât have to be. Itâs terrifying. Tempting. He forces another smile onto his lips, and this time your eyes narrow, as if you know this one isnât as genuine as the last.Â
âHow rude of me,â he murmurs, lifting his hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear. Heâs so close, he realizes again, hyper aware of the way his lips are almost brushing yours. He could kiss you if he wanted, he repeats, and he wants so badly but he doesnât want to scare you away. âTo leave behind such fine company.â
You donât look content with his apparent attempt at avoiding the subject, and Dazaiâs throat feels tight because itâs not really a conversation to have with you here. Now. Ever, really.Â
For once, mother nature appears to be on his side, because before you can press on the subject, lightning strikes dangerously close to where the two of you are standing, making you jump, eyes wide. He takes the opportunity to wrap an arm around your waist, guiding you over to where he left Albatross earlier in the night.Â
The car is already running, Albatross is leaning back in the seat scrolling on the phone and Dazai nearly commits an atrocity when he sees that the man has his gun laying haphazardly on the dashboard. As if Albatross can feel Dazaiâs murderous intent, he looks up from his phone and his eyes shoot open when he sees you with Dazai and he scrambles to holster his gun back at his waist.Â
Luckily, you donât notice. Or maybe unluckily, because your attention is still fixated on him and Dazai is not ready to have that discussion with you because how the hell is he supposed to say âSorry! Lost in some worlds that donât exist, and just so you know, we almost got married in some of them! And just so you know, I got you killed in all of them!â
Yeah. That would go over well.Â
Instead, he opens the door to the car for you, letting you hop in the backseat. He follows after. Albatross slides his glasses to the bridge of his nose, an unscrupulous smile on his face that instantly has Dazai suspicious. He hopes the man knows that no friendship with Chuuya will save him if he decides to purposely embarrass Dazai in front of you.Â
âYouâre back!â You recognize Albatross immediately, a smile spreading across your face at the sight of him. Dazai is almost jealous until he remembers that youâre still holding his hand. âYou werenât driving last time.â
Right. Because of the raid on one of the Scarlet Gangâs warehouses in Tokyo. A mission that Dazai definitely should have been more available for on the off chance that something went wrong, but he was far too busy indulging in you. In his defense, he had no doubts that the mission would go according to planâthe Scarlet Gang is dangerous, yes, and Kawabata is a force to be reckoned with, but heâs simply not Dazai. Â
âDâaw, didnât think youâd recognize me, doll,â Albatross grins, tossing you a wink. âGood to see you again too. Youâre significantly more sober tonight, arenât you?â
Dazaiâs eyes narrow a bit at the pet name, but heâs more focused on the way you throw your face into your hands with a groan, reminded of just how drunk youâd been the last time Albatross was playing chauffeur. Youâre a messy drunk, he remembers fondly, he doesnât remember ever seeing you drink in any of his other lives with you, and he feels a bit giddy at the thought that he gets to experience a side of you that the others never did. Even if he was spending half of the night holding your hair back while you threw your guts up, spluttering apologies through sobs and heaves. He would do it again. Without even the slightest hesitation, he would do it again.Â
âI wasnât that bad, was I?â you ask, peeking one eye between your fingers to look at Dazai for confirmation.Â
Dazai doesnât even have the chance to assure you that no, you werenât that bad, because Albatross is speaking again. Of course.Â
âYou were pretty damn bad, doll,â he grins, and you groan even louder, leaning your body over to rest your head on Dazaiâs bicep. Dazaiâs heart nearly leaps out of his throat. âSâalright though, boss took care of you.âÂ
âDid he?â you ask with a teasing smile, eyes glittering as you look up at Dazai, who suddenly feels a bit embarrassed, but Albatross rescues him.Â
Maybe he does deserve the vacation heâs been bitching about wanting.Â
âWhere to?â Albatross asks, putting the car in gear, gaze flickering between you and Dazai briefly.Â
Dazai is about to tell him your apartment when he catches the sudden apprehension on your face. He hesitates and waits for you to say whatever you want to say, but you donât, instead you let out a puff of air and let your eyes slide shut.Â
âWhere do you want to go?â Dazai asks you.
You still look uncertain, but then you finally say, âI was meaning to stop and get some groceries at the convenience store on the way home. Thereâs one a few blocks away from my apartment. I can just walk over there if you drop me off at my place though, itâs fine.â
As if. The idea of you walking anywhere so late at night makes his skin crawl, especially considering thereâs been a rise of violent crimes in the city that the Mafia has yet to get a handle on. He needs to push for that to be taken care of if he has to worry about you leaving your apartment to wander around so late. He makes a note to himself to bring it up to Chuuya later.Â
âWe can stop there on the way there. Itâs no trouble.â
Albatross gives him a look, as if heâs asking if the boss of the Port Mafia is really about to go grocery shopping with a civilian in the middle of the night, forcing the Mafiaâs best getaway driver to be their chauffeur. Dazai only gives him a cold, sharp look in returnâif you need groceries, then theyâll stop for groceries. Simple as that. In a life where Dazai thought heâd never even be able to look at you, the chance of doing mundane chores like grocery shopping with you is not something heâll just pass by.Â
He can pretend to be normal. If only for a little longer.Â
Until he has to go back to the base, and his lungs are clogged with corrupted air, being slowly suffocated by his surroundings.
Until you figure out who he is, and heâs alone again, being consumed by the void in his chest once more.Â
He hardly considers the fact that heâs going somewhere with you where his subordinates havenât made extensive efforts to ensure that no one suspicious is around to see the two of you.Â
âAlrighty,â Albatross agrees, backing down as soon as he sees the expression on Dazaiâs face. âTo the convenience store.â
Your eyes brighten, a smile lights up your face. âThanks,â you say relieved, and Dazai wants to say that you donât ever have to thank him for everything and that heâd give you the entire world if given the chance, but he thinks that might be a bit weird so instead he settles on just giving you a small smile. âIâll make you the best hot chocolate of your life when we get to my apartment. Just wait.âÂ
Dazaiâs chest feels warm. âI donât doubt it.â
âWait here,â you tell both Dazai and Albatross as Albatross pulls into the parking lot of your apartment complex and stops the car outside of your building. Dazai, whoâd been about to follow you, pauses from where heâs ducking beneath the doorframe to step out of the car, looking at you and waiting for an explanation. â... My apartment is a mess⊠I, um, wasnât expecting company. Let me just⊠tidy up before you come in. Iâll only be a few minutes.â
Dazaiâs visible eye crinkles up in amusement as he sits back down in the backseat of the car and you immediately take off up toward the steps leading up to the second floor of your apartment, giddy and excited, grocery bag swinging and bumping against your hip as you make your way quickly up the steps. You donât know whatâs gotten into you. You feel like a schoolgirl dealing with her first real crush, flustered and giggly, hardly able to hold a conversation without stuttering over your words.Â
Heâs just so⊠you donât know how to describe it. Intense. But intense isnât even the right word, because heâs not so intense that it makes you uncomfortable or overwhelmed, and thatâs usually what you think of when someone is intense. Or maybe overwhelmed is a bit fitting, because you swear every time he sets his soft gaze down on you, your heart might leap out of your chest. Intense. Familiar, you donât know how itâs possible to feel like youâve known someone youâve only met a few times your entire life.
Your fingers fumble as you try to unlock your door. One, two, three, it takes three attempts for you to finally slide the key into the lock, pushing open your door and stepping inside, free from the torrential rain and wild wind outside.
You sigh and rest your back against the door as you shut it behind you, eyes sliding shut.Â
Who are you, Dazai Osamu?
Someone important.Â
Of course, you noticed how he was treated by the workers of the clubâthe bartender, the bouncers, even just the regular patrons. The restaurants heâs brought you to the past few weeks, they all treated him the same way. There were plenty of men there that were dressed in expensive clothes and held themselves highly, but none were treated the same way Dazai was.
Someone dangerous.Â
Youâd also caught a glimpse of the gun on the dash of Albatrossâs car. (His driver, another point to note because who has a driver except very important people) Only three types of people have guns in Japanâmilitary, police, and criminals, and youâre pretty sure heâs not part of the military or police forceâŠ
Someone you probably shouldnât be so drawn to.
That should be enough to make you run. It really should be. You have no explanation or excuse for why youâre not besides the fact that you might not be as smart as you herald yourself to be. You shouldnât feel giddy when he smiles softly at you, you should be nervous. You shouldnât be longing for his touch, you should be avoiding it. Instead, youâre leaning against your door, smiling like an idiot after making him wait for you to clean up your apartment so you donât embarrass yourself.Â
Oh, youâre such a fool. But how could you not be with how he treats you? Tucking hair behind your ear, setting a gaze so soft on you that you think it might make your heart stop, dancing with you in the rain clumsily with rosy cheeks and wide eyes. How is it possible for you to reconcile the way the man acts with you to the way others treat him? Or maybe thatâs just delusion speaking. It could be, honestly. You think if your brother was living with you, heâd be horrified, might lock you away for the rest of your life; you think your friends already want to put you in a psych ward and theyâd only become all the more insistent if they knew half of the things youâve noticed.Â
But your brother left you and your friends donât know, so nothing is stopping you from making what might be a terrible decision.Â
You let out a breath as you push yourself off the door, placing down your grocery bags on the table by your door so you can scramble to pick up all of the stray clothes youâd tossed around your apartment as you frantically tried to find an outfit earlier in the night. You reach over to turn on your light, flicking the switch once, then twice, and then three times.
No way.
You sigh deeply, head falling back against the wood door of your apartment, knocking the back of your head against it twice in frustration. Letting out a irate puff of air, you push yourself off of the door and force yourself to get to work. Itâs not the end of the world, hopefully it'll come back soon, the providers are usually quick with getting the outages fixed, even in your shitty area.Â
You force yourself to move forward, frowning deeply as you scoop up all of the paperwork spread out on your coffee table, making sure to keep it all in order as you move them over to the desk you have by your window seat. You drop the pile down and cast your gaze out to all of the clothes strewn haphazardly around your apartment, cursing yourself for having been so messy earlier when you were trying on just about every outfit you own and then flinging them around frustrated when you decided they werenât good enough.
You scowl as you bend down to pick them all up, deciding youâll just stuff them messily in your closet and fold them later when you donât have company. As you zoom around trying to snag all of the dresses and different pairs of bras and underwear scattered about, your mind races. Your stove should still work because your landlord refuses to install any modern appliances into your apartment, for better or for worse, so you have an old model that shouldnât be affected by the outage. But you think itâll be awkward sitting in the dark, you think you have a few candles stored away in your roomâyouâll have to find them and set them up.Â
Candlelit evening, how romantic! you think to yourself, a bit dreamily. You wonder if Albatross will be coming up to join the two of you in your apartment, youâd offered to make him a drink too but you figure itâll be Dazaiâs decision if heâll be waiting outside orâŠ
Or maybe, heâll send him home.Â
You get giddy at the thoughtâcandlelights, slightly tipsy after a night out, you take a peek under your dress to try to figure out which underwear youâd decided on earlier and if you should change into a different pair but are delighted when you realize that youâd gone with your pretty red ones.Â
You think heâll like them.Â
Hopefully.Â
You like them, theyâre your favorites.
Oh, you have to clean your bedroom too, you think to yourself in partial agony because you donât know how the hell youâre going to clean up everything in there without making Dazai wait out there for an hour. You get anxious at the thought, worrying that if you take too long, he might leave, so you pick up the pace. You snatch the last stray bra hanging on the arm of your couch before taking off into your bedroom.
You hardly get a step into the room before youâre freezing in your tracks.
No way.
You stare at your bed, arms falling loose to your side, lips parted in shock. The clothes youâd cleaned up all drop aimlessly to the floor around you. Your bed is drenched with waterâyour sheets soaked, your mattress soaked, the ceiling heavy with rainwater from a leak you didnât know you had.
âOh my god,â you breathe out to yourself, unsure of what exactly you should do, never having had a problem like this before.
You think this is what you get, seeking out the cheapest possible apartment complex to stay in because youâre trying to save all of the money you have for school. Now, your mattress is ruined, your ceiling looks like itâs on the verge of collapse and oh my god, you left your laptop on your bed.Â
A noise caught between a whimper and cry of frustration leaves your lips as you dive forward, fishing your laptop out of the massive pool of water flooding your bed. You hold it in front of your face between two fingers, watching as water drips from it down to the ground.Â
There goes your laptop too.
You think you might be sick.Â
Now, you have to deal with a landlord who is decidedly not helpful when it comes to issues in the complex and you have nowhere to sleep. Maybe you can call one of your friends to stay at their place, but itâs already the middle of the night and you know two of them have their own entrance exams tomorrow for the programs that theyâre applying to.
UnlessâŠ
Your gaze shifts to the window in your room, looking between the blinds to see Dazai and Albatross still waiting outside in their car.Â
Okay. Most urgent problem temporarily fixed. Maybe.
Dazai has a place. He has to. Heâs clearly rich. Itâs probably a much nicer place than yours too. You can go there, at least for the night. He wouldnât just leave you with nowhere to go⊠right? No, of course he wouldnât. You need to pack then, instead of cleaning.Â
Okay, this is fine.Â
Itâs fine.Â
It takes you about five minutes to grab a few spare pairs of clothes into the duffle bag laying at your bedroom door, occasionally tossing dirty looks at the leak ruining your bed. When you finish throwing your clothes in the duffleâunfolded and hastily, of course, theyâll be terribly wrinkledâyou rise to your feet and swing the bag over your shoulder, making your way back to your door and grabbing your groceries.Â
You donât know what to say to him when you get back to the car. Youâre probably being a bit presumptuous. Okay, a lot presumptuousâDazai has never invited you back to his place, youâve invited him to yoursâbut you donât really have another choice.
You exhale as you step back into the rain, locking your apartment and making your way back down the steps to the complexâs parking lot. You donât let yourself hesitate as you dart across the parking lot toward the car, fearing that if you take a second to actually think about what youâre doingâinviting yourself into someone elseâs home!âyouâll probably back out.
You open the car door. You slide back inside, taking a seat behind the passenger seat. You drop your duffle bag on the floor between your feet and place your groceries back down between you and Dazai. You can feel both Dazai and Albatross staring at you. You stare ahead.
â... My apartment is flooded,â you finally say after a few moments.
Dazai doesnât say anything, brows furrowing as he watches you. You can hardly bring yourself to look at him, trying to peek at him from the corner of your eye as best as you can without being too obvious about it. Heâs not responding. Albatross isnât moving the car. Youâre getting the urge to bolt, to run upstairs and drown yourself in the puddle of water on your bed.Â
Finally, Albatross clears his throat. âBoss?â
Dazai still doesnât respond. You think you might be doubly sick now, and embarrassed. An awful combination, really. You know that he knows what you came back here hoping for, and you realize that he might just send you back to your flooded apartment instead because he obviously did not sign up for taking in some random girl that heâs met a few Fridays for the night because she has nowhere else to go.Â
You finally turn your face to look at Dazai head on and you can feel that your eyes are glassy, chewing on the inside of your cheek. You donât know how pathetic you must look for Dazaiâs expression to shift the way it does, his conflicted expression crumbling as he turns away from you. You donât want to know how pathetic you must look, youâd only feel even more humiliated.
After what feels like an eternity, Dazai finally says: âDrive.â
Albatrossïżœïżœs eyes shoot open, he physically turns to look at Dazai, âBut-â
You donât catch the look that Dazai gives Albatross, too busy basking in the relief of having somewhere to stay for the night, but whatever it is, it makes Albatross turn back to face the wheel without another word, turning the car back on and shifting it into gear before pulling out of the parking lot.Â
As soon as youâre on the move, you turn your attention back down to your phone, trying to figure out if you should message your landlord now or in the morning, dreading the inevitable argument youâre going to have with him. You fiddle with the device, occasionally sparing looks at Dazai, but the man is lost in thought next to you, visible eye distant and conflicted.
You canât bring yourself to say anything so the whole drive to Dazaiâs apartment is long and quiet. Even Albatross, whoâs had no difficult sparking conversation the whole drive to your place, stays silent.
Youâre bummed, all of the excitement you felt about bringing Dazai back to your place is long gone, feeling the stress of having to replace everything thatâs been ruined by the leak and the anxiety of dealing with your landlord; all you want to do is sleep and die. Okay. Thatâs dramatic. But youâre exhausted and you really do want to sleep. Maybe not die, but definitely sleep.Â
You lay your head against the window, eyes starting to droop shut, and you can feel Dazai glancing at you now but you canât even bring yourself to look over at him. Instead, you keep your eyes trained outside the window, only perking up when Albatross finally starts slowing to a stop.
And then, youâre suddenly not tired at all. Your eyes widen as he pulls to the front of the tallest of the five black buildings that tower over the Naka ward, lips parting as you crane your head to look up out the window and then look pointedly back at Dazai, stunned.
Dazai refuses to meet your gaze, staring ahead.Â
⊠You think that your instincts about this man must be spot on.Â
Too bad youâre not listening to them.
âYouâve gone crazy.â
Dazaiâs gaze draws up from the paperwork heâs definitely not doing, far too preoccupied with thoughts of you; itâs cold and cutting as it lands on Chuuya. His executive enters the room without any type of announcement, his voice just as cold as Dazaiâs expressionâhe supposes itâs testimony to how angry he is, because Chuuya is only frigid in his anger when heâs really been pushed to the brink.
Naturally, Dazai only smiles, a slow and taunting one that he knows presses all of Chuuyaâs buttons from the way the manâs bicolored eyes flash with fury. Chuuya storms over to Dazaiâs desk, making his way until heâs standing right in front of him.Â
âHow so?â Dazai drawls, folding his hands over his lap as he leans back in his chair, tilting his head to the side questioningly.Â
âHow so?â Chuuya spits out, slamming his hands down on Dazaiâs desk. Dazai raises his eyebrows and then lifts his chin, looking pointedly down to where Chuuyaâs hands are splayed against his desk. Chuuya doesnât flinchâof course he doesnât, heâs Chuuyaâbut he does pull his hands back to himself, albeit snarling as he does it. âThe hell are you bringing some random woman back to our base? Back to your room? Going out alone the past few weeks when you know youâve got a bounty on your head higher than most world leaders? I was letting it slide but this is too far, why the hell is she here? Youâve gone crazy, what the fuck is wrong with you?â
âCareful, Chuuya,â Dazai warns, voice quiet, expression growing a bit flinty when he brings you up. Dazai doesnât care if Chuuya wants to rail on him for being reckless, but heâs not allowed to drag you into it. He decides to not acknowledge the comment about you, focusing on the end of his tirade, âI was with one of the Flags, I wasnât alone.â
âAlbatross isnât cut out for that type of combat and you know it,â Chuuya snaps, glaring at Dazai. âIf one of those bounty hunters came after you, you both wouldâve been killed. Whatâs gotten into you? Never took you for the type to be this reckless. You get a taste of a womanâs c-â
âI said careful, Chuuya. Know your place,â Dazai repeats, voice icy. The warning is gone, only a threat remainsâChuuya doesnât need to finish his sentence for Dazai to know where he was going with it, the way the manâs eyes darted over to Dazaiâs bedroom was more than enough to confirm it.Â
âIs this a goddamn joke to you?â Chuuya asks, keeping his voice low, his lips flat and his eyes narrowed. âI donât get it. Youâve always been so careful, more than anyone else. What the hell does one random woman have thatâs making you risk all of this?âÂ
âIâm not risking anything,â Dazai tells him coolly, âand sheâs not just some random woman.â
Chuuyaâs expression shifts, brows furrowing deeper; Dazai can see the tiny cogs working behind his eyes as he thinks. He wonders if Chuuya has been drinking tonight, catching the pink hue to his cheeks and the hazy look coating his eyes.Â
No wonder heâs so angry then, Dazai muses, he must have been out with Kouyou when he got word that Dazai left the base again without any protection detail and then brought someone up to his room who in Chuuyaâs mind, could be an assassin for all he knows.Â
Suddenly, the confusion clears and something closer to realization sweeps across Chuuyaâs face. His gaze turns back pointedly in the direction of Dazaiâs bedroom.
âThatâs her,â Chuuya says, disbelief dripping from his tone. âThe girl youâve had Kouyou looking over for years. What the fuck, Dazai? I thought the whole point of having Kouyou look after her was so that you kept away from her.â
Dazai stares at Chuuya, only for a moment, because then his gaze drifts back to the door leading into his bedroom, mind drifting. He supposes that he shouldnât be surprised that Kouyou told Chuuya about itâDazai wasnât explicit enough with his orders, only telling Kouyou to ensure that Dazai himself never knew anything about her. Of course, the woman would bring it up to Chuuya, probably hoping Chuuya had some insight into why Dazai is so insistent on your protection.Â
Chuuya didnât, of course, but he guesses that only made the topic of you and Dazaiâs apparent random attachment to you even more of an interesting topic for their wine sessions. Honestly, heâs surprised that Chuuya didnât realize earlier that the girl heâs been seeing is the one heâs had Kouyou assigned to. Kouyou surely should have known by now.
Youâre fast asleep by now. He got lucky because of how exhausted you were over the stress of the whole situation: he didnât have to deal with the questions that he was certain would arise as soon as you caught sight of the Port Mafia base. You were all but falling asleep on your feet as the two of you stood in the glass elevator leading up to Dazaiâs apartment, the penthouse in the centermost of the five buildings consisting of the Port Mafia base. Dazai thought he was about to have a heart attack when you swayed on your feet and ended up resting your head on his bicep, eyes drooping shut. You only managed a few sleepy protests as he led you to his bedroom, asking where he was going to sleep if you take his room (the fact that you worry about him when youâre even on the brink of falling asleep on your feet made his fingers tingle), but you gave in quickly at his insistence.Â
He should feel some sort of pity, or sympathy, because he could see the weariness in your eyes and the fatigue plaguing your body. Dazai might not be capable of feeling pity or sympathy for most people, but if he could feel it for anyone, it would be you. But he does not, and itâs for a selfish reason, of course: your misfortune led to you turning to him for help, and the thought of that alone makes his chest feel light and giddy.Â
Yes, heâs going to have to figure out some sort of excuse tomorrow for when you wake up and inevitably have questionsâhe is not ready for you to know about his position in the Port Mafiaâbut right now youâre sleeping in his bed and youâre relying on him for help. His fingers thrum against his desk, jittery with excitement, he almost forgets Chuuya is there until he hears the man let out a sharp noise of disgust at Dazai's apparent exhilaration.Â
Distantly, very distantly, he knows this is bad. Youâve been smart and observant in every universe, youâre going to put together that something is seriously wrongâyou were not supposed to come back to his place, but how was he supposed to say no to you when you were looking at him with teary eyes and nowhere else to go? The thought itself feels like sacrilege.Â
âYou know what we are and what we do,â Chuuya says, voice calmer now as he shakes his head and fishes a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it with his free hand before he turns to leave. âI donât know what the hell youâre doing, but youâre putting this girl in danger after the lengths you went to keep her safe. I donât get it.â
He squints a bit as Chuuyaâs words ring through his head. Thatâs what he had thought too, but heâs the last person to admit to Chuuya that he might be right. A cold feeling starts to set over him, spreading through his chest like ice. If heâs going to think about this realistically, youâre probably already in danger just from being around him. The likelihood of someone catching sight of the two of you the past few weeks is higher than heâs comfortable with, even with the precautions that heâs taken, especially with tonight outside the club and at the convenience store. The thought is terrifying, enough to immediately kill off the jittery excitement that had been running through his body.Â
Dazaiâs index finger traces the outline of his lips, his mind races. What does he do? If youâre in danger, he canât just let you go back to your apartment and leave you undefended in a sketchier part of the city. His enemies will jump on it. Theyâll target you. But he canât just keep you here. Itâll be too risky, youâll figure out who he is and what he does, and thatâs not even considering the fact that maybe you wonât even want to stay. You might wake up in the morning and head to someone elseâs placeâyouâd made a vague comment about not wanting to intrude and going to a friendâs house tomorrow but the thought makes his stomach twist a bit.Â
God, heâs so conflicted.Â
But the first thing to handle is making sure that you donât go back to your apartment alone. The rest he can figure out later onâhe has to decide if heâd rather try to keep you around the base and risk you figuring out what he does (god, he wants to keep you around) or if he should just send you off to a âfriendâsâ (he still stands by the fact that your âfriendsâ are shitty because what sort of friends leave their drunk friend alone at a bar with a strangerâeven if he knows that heâd rather let the world burn than see harm come upon you, they donât know that) with an extra protection detail. One that you wouldnât know is there, naturally.Â
But how does he make sure you donât go back to your apartment after the leak is fixed?Â
He thinks to himself, an idea coming to him swiftly. Itâs a bit dark, yes, and heâs sure that if you knew, youâd run for the hills but⊠to keep you safe, he would do whatever it takes. Even if youâd hate him for it if you knew.Â
But what you donât know wonât hurt you.Â
âChuuya,â Dazai says before the man can leave his apartment. Chuuya stops dead in his tracks, not turning to look at Dazai, but waiting for whatever he has to say. âIâm going to text you the number of her landlord⊠make sure he doesnât get her apartment fixed any time soon. And let Gin-chan know I might have a guest for the next few days so sheâs not caught off guard tomorrow.â
Chuuya scoffs. âYouâre a freak, Dazai.â
Dazai only smiles idly to himself, eyes sliding shut as he leans back in the chair at his desk, Chuuya leaves without another word, Dazai loses himself in thoughts of you.Â
A freak? Yeah, maybe. In love? Definitely.Â
Should he convince you to stay with him? The thought bounces around his head frantically. He doesnât know the answer. The more careful part of him screams no, tells him that itâs too dangerous to keep you around. Itâs dangerous for you, because the longer youâre around here, the more at risk youâll be of getting hurt. Itâs dangerous for him, because the longer youâre around here, the more at risk heâll be of getting exposed,
But the less logical part of him, the one thatâs consumed by the idea of you, and the chance he has of being with you, is much louder.Â
You came to him, he reminds himself. You found him. He tried to be good. He did everything he could to stay away from you, but you still found him. And you chose to seek him out again. You chose to. Itâs easier to blame it on you, convince himself that you brought this upon yourself, as if you had any idea what sort of sick and fucked up person Dazai really is, as if you have any idea whatâs happened to you in every other universe because of him.
He can never go back to how he was living before meeting you; he canât.Â
You came to him.Â
Why should he have to let you go now?
With that thought in mind, Dazai thinks the answer to his question is made abundantly clear.Â
#áŻœ. fic recs#right off the bat#the opening to this installment was sooooo goooddddd carina what????#the comparison of even with the forbidden fruit and dazai with read#iâm ill#AND THE COUNTER HE HAS ON HOW LONG ITS BEEN SINCE HE LAST SAW HER#ILL#he is so down bad for her itâs borderline pathetic#not him picturing her with someone else and getting worked up over it bye#he is#he is so pathetic#rip dazai#oh boy#this girl is just as down bad bye#reader is soooo down bad#iâm squealing at how cheesy dazai and reader are itâs so precious omg#AND HE ORDERS HER A DRINK HE KNOWS SHE WILL LIKE#I SWOON THIS IS SO CUTE UUUGGGHHHHH#IM GIGGLING SO HARD RIGHT NOW#OH GOD AND THE PINKY SWEAR#GOOD BYE#THATS SO MFING CUTE#:((((( dazai getting mosty eyed over her making him hot chocolate for the first time#iâm wailing theyâre soulmates fr#THEYRE DANCING IN THE RAIN OH MY GOD#SHE INITIATED IT THIS TIME#IM CRYING#THIS IS SO PRECIOUS THEY ARE SO PRECIOUS I LOVE THEM#she notices his spiral and brongs him back iâm gonna throw up#iâm snorting so hard at albatross i love him
484 notes
·
View notes
Text
đ
#tell me why I had no energy earlier but then I had some pancit w plant based chicken and now I feel fine#also I saw clips of my crush im happy#and in the past two days I wrote two papers and finished one final so im happy#I have one more paper tomorrow and then a random assignment then im freeeee#to go home forever#I want my crush !! but I will make music and write poetry about her to keep her memory alive (tm)#the last time I saw her I remember her smiling at me and thats nice#I love it when she smiles at me and does her dumb little peace signs#like thats my mfing baby who isn't mine!! and shes so cute!!
1 note
·
View note
Text
Viktor Modern!AU uni headcanons
ohhh hes in my head i have so many thoughts i have so much to say about him. you guys just let me cook. ok. okay thanks. please reblog like whatever im new here LOL
warnings/key takeaways: mention of recreational drug use, freshman/sophomore year of uni, lots of studying, goofy meet cute, oblivious nerd viktor, both of you live on campus in dorms (same building), GENDER NEUTRAL (use of âyouâ, no specific pronouns)
HE SMOKES WEED
IDGAF HE SMOKES WEED
not like some crazy stuff. no. he smokes weed ti not feel PAIN. yeah you heard me. he smokes shit w high CBD content. doesnât smoke it for the high, smokes it to feel better
think he would have it medically and everything
ohhh uni viktor would be the only fucker allowed to smoke in his dorm because if his leg got bad how could he go outside huh?? he didnât share this news (of him being allowed to smoke indoors) but people knew since heâd have a window cracked open all the time. not fooling anyone
on this note i feel like he would only smoke if he absolutely needed to. yk how people go âi can quit anytime!â but never do? heâs the kind of guy to say that but MEAN IT. he just prefers his joints over painkillers because he finds they work faster
ok enough weed talk. heâs getting his masters in biomedical engineering. its obvious you guys ive seen this everywhere.
he wants to make people better prosthetics. he also got a degree in prosthetics and orthotics techs but it was only a 2 year so its âjust a paperâ as he says
he studies hardcore. its surprising he even makes friends (sorry viktor) but he saw a lot of potential in jayce as a student from people watching. like in canon au :D!
on that note, biggest people watcher. its actually kind of how he got his friends. extroverts pick up introverts from introvert daycare (the corner of the room)
relationship headcanons
if you guys were to meet, it would be one of those silly meetcute things.
hear me out. you book a study room with your friends to study for exams, but none of them show. shame. one got sick, the other had to go home to see their parents or something. all in all, you were DITCHED by your homies
now. someone coordinating the rooms messed up. viktor had that room booked the SAME time you did! gasp! he just likes the space of the rooms to properly spread out his work.
anyway you were already in the room and he shows up. and just stands there. awkwardly. standing man emoji.
instead of apologizing, he STANDS HIS MFING GROUND. âi have this room booked for three hours.â
âthats crazy because ME TOO.â
you go back and forth, before you both realize the confirmation email you got was from the same person or whatever. who had booked the room for you two. not two separate rooms.
after viktor makes a small mumble of âof courseâ, you offer to let him stay anyway. and explain that you originally had friends going over but they dipped.
its exam season, you arenât leaving and you arenât gonna kick him out! thats so cruel!!!
at the end you end up exchanging numbers. and find out youâre in the same dormitory building!!!
he invites you to study with him in a study room next time, to âprevent the coordinator from messing up againâ â he just likes your presence
bing bang boom friends. occasionally one of you begins to break silence, asking silly questions about futures and families and holidays. conversation is limited, you are both locked in to studying most of the time
unfortunately YOU are the one to ask him out. viktor is literally just comfortable with your presence and too in his head to think youâd ever LIKE him romantically.
you take him to a museum. yeah. the local one had a free day for students. youâre also 100% chill with sitting whenever he looked uncomfortable. even if he denied needing rest, his face did that little scrunch thing and you just knew
after that you went to the uni again, to the dining hall. and he insisted on giving you a meal off of his meal plan. he said he âbarely uses them all anyway,â and forces you to take it. even if it kind of wasnât allowed. he just lied to the clerk and said he was going to take it home.
very sweet if him, breaking RULES?
thats like the only rule he breaks for you
no, he wonât let you sleep in his dorm
no, he wonât sleep in YOUR dorm either
no, he wonât sneak out past curfew
(unless ur dying)
there was a time you texted him âhelpâ at midnight and he made his way all the way to your dorm very quietly.
turns out you had burnt popcorn. and it tasted horrible and you were honestly stressed to the point of tears. he thought you had gotten hurt. he proceeded to lecture you on appropriate texts to send at midnight past curfew. for like an hour.
glorious ovulation i need to smoke with him.
#viktor arcane#viktor x reader#arcane#arcane x reader#viktor x you#viktor my beloved#tw weed#fluff#fiction#flattocatto writes#i hope we all like my first post#im figuring it out#this site is new to me#im like an old person w their first phone.
180 notes
·
View notes
Text
I NEED YALL TO LISTEN TO ME RN
ahem in dressrosa when Law says âif he doesnât win, i need to be there so that i can die along with him.â
SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP. YOU CANT TELL ME THATS NOT MFING LOVE THAT WAS THE GAYEST SENTENCE EVER ok maybe im a little delusional but i just know it was Dressrosa when Law realized he had feelings
which actually ties into another thought i was having
After Dressrosa, Luffy wouldnât leave Lawâs side. like attached at the hip type deal. if you saw Law somewhere, Luffy is either right there with him or close behind. The other Strawhats think itâs cute that Luffy is basically a lost puppy trailing after Law. idk just thoughts that are in my brain but i donât have anyone to talk about them with and i have zero coherent thoughts
#can you tell i watched Dressrosa again#i originally had it on as background noise#lawlu#monkey d. luffy#trafalgar law#i typed this up at 3am#dressrosa spoilers#technically#iâm so insane about them#this ship hit me in the face like a bag of nickels#lulaw
204 notes
·
View notes
Text
VIOLINIST GF â ATSV HEADCANONS . . . đ»
characters : 1610 ! miles morales, earth-42 ! miles morales, pavitr prabhakar
author's note : this is very self indulgent sorry nawt sorry >:)
.đ„ Ę Ë 1610 ! MILES MORALES
okay so in middle school his parents made him take piano so he can kind of help with reading sheet music if ur struggling with it
sooo encouraging!! he loves hearing u play and will literally applaud u. even if u play just like. twinkle twinkle little star or something he's so whipped and he just thinks you're amazing <3
has an entire sketchbook thats just filled up with drawings and sketches of you playing the violin. he'll sit and watch you practice and think, she looks so pretty. and BAM sketchbook is out and you're now his muse :]
.đ„ Ę Ë EARTH-42 ! MILES MORALES
woooahhhhh he's impressed!!! liek, very very impressed!! bc your fingers r moving so fast and does your wrist not hurt and is it hard to make sure youre playing the notes right and not screeching???
after going out and doing his prowler thingy, he loves coming home to hear you practicing whatever piece you're learning
its v calming to him!
whenever ur away and ur violin is out, he'll like. put rosin on ur bow, clean off any smudges, organize ur sheet music, literally just be cute and make life easier for u!!
omg and on the topic of him spoiling his gf, him buying you violin related things? little charms, earrings with violins on them, stuff like that <3
.đ„ Ę Ë PAVITR PRABHAKAR
literally!! your biggest!! mfing!!! supporter!!! does NAWT give a shit if your violin is out of tune (like mine rn ughhhh) or if it was screechy or if you messed up he thinks u did amazing and he'll gonna tell you!
"my angel, you were amazing!! it sounded so magical <3"
i feel like pav knows how to play an instrument, and for ... purposes (đ) that instrument is the viola >:)
he'll listen to whatever your playing and then he learns it for himself on his viola. so he can surprise you!!!
i think violas have some different notes? (idk im not a violist lmao) so he does have a bit of trouble when he reads off your sheet music but he figures it out pretty quickly!
omg him doing duets w you!! he forces hobie and miles and gwen to watch ur impromptu recitals and glares at them until they clap
#chai tea?! chai means tea!! (liz's version)#my name is miles morales (liz's version)#lizâs writing âĄ#pavitr prabhakar#pavitr x you#atsv pavitr#spiderverse pavitr#pavitr prabhakar x reader#pavtir x reader#pavtir prabhakar x reader#pavtir prabhakar#miles morales#miles morales x you#miles morales x y/n#miles morales x reader#earth 42 miles morales x reader#e42 miles#e42!miles x reader#prowler miles#prowler miles morales#atsv#atsv x reader#atsv x you#atsv x y/n#spiderverse#spiderverse x reader
720 notes
·
View notes
Text
the little shits in my head are annoying.
they only let me share some things abt them and i think S hates me
those mfing CREATURES wont even let me share their name what the flip âčïžâčïž usually i jst call them S and A to make up for that, occasionally theres B and the drum man, no clue who he is but sometimes he's there and S likes him, he plays drums. (very poorly.)
S is obsessed with the monopoly man, no clue why. i have heard him talk abt that old man so many times.... gosh..... what does he see in him....
A likes board games, no clue where he gets them from, he just... has them.... the place they live in doesnt even HAVE the board games they play what. like somehow theh got monopoly.. thats when S's obsession w the monopoly man started........... and A likes doing S's makeup while he sleeps
B.. B usually isnt there, he likes plants and stuff, usually he just reads, cries, and plants
the drum man, uhh, no clue of anything abt him but b4 the monopoly man S liked him
i have a whole world in there so most of the time im not paying attention im talking to them or walking around, i saw a circus once, it had a seal named Dire and a really cute guy who i know nothing abt but he was so pretty like omg i tried for so long to get hid name but i couldnt find the time to talk to him b4 the circus closed and he wasnt paying attention to Dire
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
reboot review đŽ
okay so i am fucking FINALLY listening to the cb and WHY IS BONA BONA SO FUCKING GOOD IM GONNA LOSE IT THE CHORUS ??? RHE INTRO ????? THE VOCLAS ??? THE WHOLE VIBE OF THE SONG ????? NOISE MUSIC DONE SO WELL OHMYFUCKING GOD I LOVE THIS AND ALSO THE GUITARS TOWARDA RHE END 2000/10 ARE U KIDDING MEEEEEEEEEEE. i want your love - ohmyfucking god a motherfucking BOP jeongwoo's vocals im losing it JIHOON oh god the chorus is so ass shakingly good hyunsuk im gonna fold in half. junkyu's vocals are so tasty in here also ASAHI SIR ??? 30/10. this song makes me wanna jump from my bed and shake ASSSSS the bridge THE FUCKING BRIDGEEEEE !!!!!! Run - the intro reminds me of disconnected by 5sos for some reason but omg such a good feel song it has very much treasure vibes. Junkyu eats every song he sings doesnt he and so does jeongwoo his vocals are so good AH this song also has seventeen vibes and its amazing JIHOONS VOICE IN THE CHORUS AND RHEN HYUNSUK BRINGING OUT THE YG VIBES THE RAP VERSE IS SO DELICIOUS omg asahi baby :,) im gonna tear up this is so serotonin my babies i:(((((( LALALALALALA OHMYGOD FUCKING IT UP !!! JIHOONS HIGHNOTE !!!!!!!!! HA HA HO CANT CONTROL ??????? THE ENDING ????????? MATCHES THE AMOUNT OF SEROTONIN AND WILL TO LIVE I FELT WHEN I FIRST HEARD THE CHORUS OF HELLO. THIS SONG IS MY MFING LIFELINE. yall already know how i feel abt move so we are. moving on. goat is playimg now omg rap unit im gonna lose my shit hyunsuk your dick is so big OKAY HARUTO I HEAR U. I AM LISTENING. I AM SEATED. KING YOSHI YOUR FLOW !!!!!!! the yg vibes are very strong in this one. hyunsuk was born to do this. all his parts ate left no crumbs absolutely devoured. stupid - ohmygod we are pulling out an acoustic guitar you already know im hooked. jaehyuk your voice i >:( asahi >:(( im so proud of my boys. jihoons voice is so sweet in this song i love him so much he is the loml. the chorus !!!! THE CHORUS !!! idk what theyre singing abt but the melody is so sweet and cute HYUNSUKS PART i love the instrumental of this song so much. DOYOUNG DOYOUNG DOYOUN DOYOIN DOYOUNH YOUR VOICE I AM???????????????????????? GIVE MY OY MORE PARTS I AM BEGGING YALL. oh jihoon i love u so much. the wheee at the end :((((( my boys :((( the ending is so yg core enthusiasm i love it. the way to - omg a ballad. yall already know i hate ballads i get so bored but lets get to it. junkyu eating as always thats our main vocal right there. JIHOON?????????? JIHOOOOOOONNNNNM??????? SINCE WHEN DID HE HAVE THIS IN HIM. jeongwoo yes i am seated. lets see if this is building into something here the vocals are truly beautiful however. jihoon i am in love with you. his vocals. his fucking voice. im in tears i am so proud of him. definitely not a song id listen to but its so pretty and the vocals are amazing i cannot i am so beyond proud of them and yes i know i keep talking abt jihoon but i am so rucking proud of him and his vocals he jas grown so much and gotten sm better and :((((((( anyways. wonderland - right off the bat european summer type of song youd hear playing at the pool. BIG summer vibes. jihoon why are u YELLING. omg waves!!!! omg was that doyoung just now. bc if so....wow. yoshi's parts ALWAYS EAAAATTTTT i love this song its so good and fresh. b.o.m.b. omg the vibes the vibes the VIBES. WHO is singing rn was that jeongwoo???????? pretty ass tone. this song is very VERY treasure. uniquely treasure. Like even if i didnt know this was treasure ID KNOW its treasure. once again very very feel good. junkyu this is your era. not entirely my vibe of song but i appreciate it nonetheless. lovesick - this song makes me wanna SWAYYYYYY from left to right. something abt this song is very weirdly czech and i fuck with it. the vibe once again is very summer at the lake. i love it a LOTTT haruto's voice omg?? also very treasure song. yoshi baby i love u <333
my top 3 are definitely BONA BONA (har top 1 i wanna fuck this song its the type of song i need to blast on full volume while zooming on a highway), run and i want your love this song is so good it makes me forget how lowkey ugly and underwhelming the concept pics were
#live review excuse the cussing and the deranged behavior#literally wrote all my thoughts as i was listening im so sorry friends#if somebody counts the amount of times i randomly say jihoon ily correctly ill venmo 50 cents#also i did NOT read this after myself so. tske it as u will#đș#review!
2 notes
·
View notes
Note
u and ur friends here are so cute like from the top of my head i can just remember kells eden ani ari and a few more of the people you consitently interact with.. i just see u guys always on the tl and it's so cool to see this lil corner of avatar tumblr
head in hands sniffles..
hoping my mooties will see this on their tl but AWHXKS đđ ANONIE THIS IS ONE OF THE SWEETEST MFING THINGS EVER đ!! like stop :')) ugh i love my friends here on this silly app so much like i haven't been here as long as some of the ppl mentioned but i cannot wait to grow closer with everyone
BUT UGGHZđđ genuinely so sweet ily anonie. my friends are the bestest and thats a factâŒïžâŒïž
#âą ËËË junie just got mail ! â© àżàŸ#đđđđđđđđđđ
đđđ beloveds đ«đ!!#ANON I LOVE U. let me give u a kith.#luv my friends!1!!1!1 sm!1!
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
DISCLAIMER!! This review was written for @k-fic-collection as this was our very first sfw monthly read!!
omg i enjoyed this way too much for the emotional rollercoaster you put me on. i absolutely adored this one, and the development was just chefs kiss.
check the undercut for my live notes and thoughts well reading<3
notes:
he's so cute throwing the shirt and just the beats before he turns around. (again not that you're looking) BRO WHAT DO YOU MEAN!! IM LOOKING!! HARD!!! STARING EVEN!!! bro...you did not just grab my hand and say that were together....MY BROTHER IN CHRIST I JUST LEARNED YOUR NAME 10 SECONDS AGO!!!
great set up though, doesn't feel forced and makes total sense in that split second reaction. He's so weird just turning on his hazards ITS SUCH A JEONGHAN MOVE THOUGH HOW DO YOU GET HIS CHARACTER TRAITS SO PERFECT??? Thats not fair...i cant say no to a man with brown eyes, whatever you say princess. omg my heart fucking fluttered as they were taking steps back in the frat party...the tiny steps as you back up, until he looks down 'hey can i kiss you now?' IM DYING I NEED THIS !!!
the kiss.....that kiss.....my knees knocked together, i fell to the ground sobbing cause thats never happened before. OMG SHUA DONT DONT ASK IF HE DIDNT BRING IT UP!!! IDK WHAT TIMS IS I THOUGHT YOU MEANT THE CANADIAN COFFEE SHOP!!! "Your school won. Jeonghan won." BROTHER I WON!! HE'S SUCH A CUTIE PIE
oh no don't say hoshi and a karaoke machine together :0! "You make me nervous" OMG??????? out of left field im giggling kicking my feet. "first fight of the relationship" you don't understand how much this is making me soft but also making me laugh?? like these one liners from drunk jeonghan are hitting in comedy and matching his personality. that mf and those mfing matching necklaces.
IM LOSING MY MIND DONT SAY THAT I AM LITERALLY A FILM MAJOR WITH BUSINESS SPECIALITY!!!! No babe nooo!! don't doubt him, he aint lying!! this isn't for the fake dating!! its real!!!! nooo please!!! TT "I always have fun with you"...im gonna fucking sob.
Im actually holding back tears...that countdown..how could you? my heart. omg. my heart dropped when hoshi was mentioned. "And youâre terrified of the creeping thought that you never really did." No my breath actually caught in my throat reading that. AUTHOR DO YOU NOT CARE FOR MY EMOTIONS???? WDYM HE'S STRUGGLIGN AND SNAPPING AT PRACTICE AND NEEDS ME??? WDYM SCOUPS SAW HIM TEARING UP ON THE BENCH????? i cant do this omg :(
US, READER, ME!!! PLEASE!!! HE'S SO DOWN BAD (so am i too)!!!!
"This is it. I'm saying no." IM HOLDING BACK SOBS "I always knew you didn't need me." DONT SAY THAT I SWEAR TO FUCK
why why in the good god WHY did you get OUT of the car HES DRIVING AWAY WHAT
"I thought I was going to lose you." I CANT DO THIS ANYMORE MY HEART IM ACTUALLY TEARING UP OMG.
im not okay. i loved that so much.
young & stupid
yoon jeonghan x reader (gender neutral)
you think yoon jeonghan is crazy when he asks if you'll pretend to date him, but luckily for him you're just young and dumb enough to agree.
genre: university + fake dating au word count: 14k warnings: alcohol, profanity, some explicit content, mentions of sex, and a very american writer who says soccer instead of football a/n: posted an unfinished version of this like 4 years ago and randomly decided one day a couple weeks ago to finish it. this is the most indulgent fic i have ever written. pls enjoy my birthday gift to myself lolol
Music bursts from every corner of the run-down frat house, chasing after you no matter where you run to escape it. Bodies endlessly spill in from the patio and front entrance, a never ending revolving door of college kids just like yourself looking for some kind of release after a long week of⊠well, college. But unlike most times youâve paid a visit to Soonyoungâs frat house on a Friday night, tonight youâve already decided that you are not going to be having fun at this party.
Soonyoung begged you to come, bribing your appearance with a promise to study with you for the next math quiz. Of course the first thing he does after walking into the house with you is ditch you. But even that, you deal with. You find some friends among the crowd, acquaint yourself with some beer, and almost start to have fun egging on a brewing dance battle. But all that ends the second you turn a corner too fast and are met with a full cup of bright red jungle juice all over your white shirt.
So now, upstairs in a bathroom Soonyoung let you in to, desperately trying to wash out the stains, you make a stubborn decision to not make another appearance at a frat party for the rest of the semester which youâre positive youâll break by the time midterms are up.
But for now, helplessly staring at your reflection in the dirty mirror, you arrive to the conclusion that this damn jungle juice stain is not coming out. You exit the bathroom into the adjoining room and start grabbing your stuff to walk home.
âWho the fuck are you?â You jump at the voice thatâs joined you in the room. You hadnât even noticed anyone entering. You stare at the figure, mouth open. âHowâd you get into my room?â
âOh my gosh, so sorry,â you apologize in a hurried voice, packing your things up impossibly faster. âSoonyoung let me in. It was just supposed to be a quick thingâWait no, that makes it sound like we were hooking up. Which we definitely were not. I can promise you that much, lol, not Soonyoung. But no, I just needed the bathroom. Cause this dude and his jungle juice, andâŠâ you look down at your shirt. âAnyways, I was about to go home. I didnât evenââ
âOkay, wait, slow down.â The guy cuts you off. âYou know Soonyoung.â
You nod. âUh, yeah, weâre friends.â
He steps closer, narrowing his eyes at you, and for a moment you think the guy looks a little bit familiar. âAnd youâre not a stalker?â
This time you squint, jutting your head forward. âA stalker?â He stares at you unwavering. You scoff. âUm. No. Of course not.â
âOh, okay, good.â He exhales, his previous demeanor falling entirely. âWell, in that case, let me help.â He walks towards one of the dressers, pulling the drawer open to rummage through it.
âNo. Thatâs okay. You donât have toââ
âLet me. Plus,â he gestures towards the general direction of your shirt without looking up from the drawer, âthat canât be comfortable. And it definitely isnât flattering.â
Youâre too stunned to say anything back. Youâre not sure how youâd respond anyways to what you think counts as an insult from the dude whoâs also helping you. You study him instead. Youâve definitely seen him around before, but youâre not entirely sure where or when because you probably wouldâve remembered someone as attractive as him. Heâs tall, soft-faced with longer hair that cuts off right under his ears, and damn is he attractive. In an obviousâin your face, weak in the knees, god this man is beautifulâkind of way. Not that you notice.
âHere.â He throws a tshirt your way, and you catch it between your arms. You both stare at each for a long moment, until he jumps on his heels a little as if heâs suddenly remembered something. âMy bad, Iâll turn around.â
You stare unamused at his backside. He really doesnât think youâre going to change with him in the room does he?
And almost as if heâs reading your mind, he says: âDonât worry, I wonât peek.â He looks over his shoulder with a crooked, mischievous smile. âI mean unless you want me to.â Your stomach throws itself out the window.
You scoff. âIâll just change in the bathroom.â You fully expect the guy to be gone by the time you exit the bathroom, but instead heâs still there, sitting at the edge of the bed on his phone.
You clear your throat. âThanks for the shirt.â
âOh, yeah,â he looks up from his phone and takes you in. You swear his mouth twitches into a half smile. âItâs no big deal.
You let out an awkward half laugh, half sigh. âSo, Iâll get this shirt back to you somehow. Thanks again.â
He nods, still staring at the air around your body with that sickeningly charming half smile. You turn for the door.
âWait!â You pause, facing the boy again who is now standing up, arm stretched out towards you. He drops it at once like it was never supposed to be there. âAre you going back to the party?â
You actually laugh at that. âGod, no. Iâm going home.â
âOh.â He tilts his head, and then opens and closes his mouth as if the words keep getting lost in the back of his throat. You try not to think too hard about how endearing the action is. âI can give you a ride if you want.â
You shake your head quickly. âNo, thatâs alright. I donât live that far.â You live on the opposite side of campus.
He grabs a set of keys off his desk. âLet me. I wanna get out of this party too. But sadly,â he motions to the room youâre both standing in, then leans towards you a little, âI live here.â
And you know you should refuse. You know there is nothing sensical about letting this stranger, whose name you donât even know, take you home. But thereâs something about his smile and the tufts of hair falling over his forehead, something about the way he gave you his shirt that makes you say yes against your better judgment.
It turns out, leaving the party with the mysteriously nice guy, whoâs conveniently hot (again, not that youâre looking), is much harder than it looks. The only plus side to getting bombarded with people wanting to talk to him, is that you learn his name: Jeonghan. And it hits you then, of course youâve seen him around before. Well, maybe not him, but youâve definitely seen his picture. His face is plastered over all of the universityâs promotional material. Half the school has a crush on Jeonghan, the star soccer player. Unfortunately for you and your apparently impossible wish to go home, it also appears that half the school is at this party and fueled with liquid confidence.
âHey Jeonghan,â one person in particular slurs, appearing in front of you and him magically. Yeah, you think, if I were him Iâd want to get out of this party too. Then as if the stranger has come to their senses, they jump back and clasp their hands over their mouth. A blush paints itself all over their face. âSo sorry. I mustâve tripped or somethingâŠâ they laugh awkwardly. Jeonghan does too. You look over at him and find that he looks incredibly uncomfortable.
âItâs fine,â he tells them, holding his hands up, âI gotta go. See you around though.â And Jeonghanâs turning on his heel ready to dash for the door.
âWait a second!â The person calls, grabbing Jeonghanâs arm before he can slip out of the house. He turns back around begrudgingly. âI was uh I was sort of wondering if youâd like to maybe go out or somethingââ
You watch them ask out Jeonghan on a date, and well, itâs sort of cute. The stranger clearly harbors a massive crush on Jeonghan. Theyâre not being rude or pushy, and honestly, even after accounting for the alcohol, theyâre more confident and bold than youâd be. You find yourself wanting to congratulate them. But then, with another look at Jeonghanâs face, you feel a burst of pity. You know that look. Jeonghan is going to turn them down.
âI, uh, Iâm really flattered but IâŠâ Jeonghan stutters through his words, shooting you a glance asking for help. You just shrug. Suddenly his smirk reappears. He grabs your hand, pulling you to his slide and lifting your joined hands up like a trophy. âIâm actually with them.â
Your teeth clench immediately to keep your mouth from falling open. You stare at Jeonghan, eyes screaming.
âOh sorry,â the person looks between the two of you, âI didnât know.â
You stare at Jeonghan, waiting for him to say something and failing to find any words for yourself. But instead of continuing his lie verbally, he decides to act it out even further, bringing your hands up to his lips and pressing the faintest kiss to your knuckle.
That fucker.
âYeah,â you sigh, grasping at straws for something to say that sounds convincing with your one free hand. âItâs new.â You squeeze Jeonghanâs hand hard enough to know it has to have hurt and promptly drag him out of the house.
Once youâre in his car, safe from all his suitors. You round on him. âYou couldnât have just said no?â
âThat was their third time asking me out.â
âAnd?â
âTurning down people is hard.â He whines, pushing the keys in the car and starting the ignition. âIt was just easier to say weâre dating. Plus, youâre in my shirt so it already looks like we just had sex.â
âOr,â you gasp, exasperated, âit looks like I got jungle juice on my shirt, and you just gave me one to wear!â
He gives you a look. âNow, who would believe that?â
You have the sudden desire to dissolve into the seat.
âAnyways,â he says, putting the car in reverse, âwhere to?â
âEast campus. The Austin Complex.â
He makes a triumphant noise while stopping at a red light. âIt appears Iâm not the only one thatâs been telling lies tonight. Not that far you said.â
You gape at him. âMy lie is not comparable to yours.â
âActually I think it is.â He taps a finger to his chin. âIn fact, I think it even makes us equal.â
âNo, it doesnât.â
He holds out his pinky as a peace offering. âIâm not moving until you agree.â
âJeonghan, the lightâs green.â
He glances at the green traffic light and proceeds to turn his hazards on in the middle of the fucking road all while keeping his pinky in the exact same spot.
âAre you crazy?â
âMost people donât think so.â
âPeople will honk.â
âItâs 1 am.â
You say his name. He says yours. The light turns yellow, and you feel a rush of warmth.
âFine.â You huff, joining your pinky with his. âWeâre equal.â
He passes the light just as it turns red.
â
You havenât seen Jeonghan since the entire incident. In truth, youâve been so busy studying for your math quiz with Soonyoung that you almost hadnât even thought about that night again. Emphasis on almost. However, when you get your score back the following week, the hours you spent studying appear to have been wasted. You slump into a bench outside the lecture hall, holding another barely passing grade to your chest.
And in the midst of your public wallowing, you feel a flick to your forehead.
You yelp and snap your eyes open to Jeonghan who stands before you snickering. âWhat was that for?â
âPayback.â
You say holding out your pinky as a reminder. âI thought we were even.â He shrugs, sporting a smirk that makes your stomach churn. It should be illegal for someone to look that good with a smirk.
âExcuse me?â
Fuck. Did you say that outloud?
âNothing.â You quickly mutter, shaking your head. He invites himself to sit down next to you.
âAnyway, whatâs wrong with you?â
You groan at the reminder. âMulti.â
âMultivariable calculus?â He asks to which you nod. âWho do you have?â
âLubinsky.â
Defying all laws of reason and physics, Jeonghan perks up a bit. âOh, I loved him.â
âHis quizzes are impossible.â
âYeah, but heâs funny.â
You scrunch your noise. âWhen did you even take multi? Arenât you a business major?â
He tilts his head at you. âHow do you know my major?â You mightâve asked Soonyoung about Jeonghan during one of your study sessions, but you definitely werenât about to admit that now. Luckily for you, he continues without an answer. âI switched majors last year.â
âThen you must know how much I despise sketching in three axes.â You complain, throwing your head back against the wall.
âJust wait until you get to finding extrema.â Jeonghan hums. You want to shove your head through the damn wall just from the sound of it.
âMay my grade rest in peace in that case,â you mutter, fishing through your bag. âHereâs your shirt back.â
He takes it. âSo people kind of think weâre dating after the party.â
You canât help it. You laugh at the look on his face. âYeah, what did you expect when you said we were together?â He doesnât say anything. âDonât worry. Iâll clear the air.â
He furrows his brows at you. âWhat? No. Thatâs not what I mean. IâŠâ he hesitates, scratching an area behind his neck. âWell, this past week has been surprisingly calm for me. Not a ton of confessions.â (âOh, poor Jeonghan,â you murmur.) He looks at you hopefully, âSo, I was thinking we keep up the charade.â
You make a noise. âLike fake dating?â
âYes.â
âHaha, very funny.â
âNo, seriously.â He says earnestly. You donât say anything for a moment just staring at him flabbergasted. He softens, giving you a very soft, âplease,â paired with big, brown, pleading eyes.
Goddamn itâthose eyes.
You turn your body towards him. âWhat do I get out of it?â
âIâll tutor you.â He says, pointing to your quiz grade. You flip the paper upside down. âI got an A in multi.â
âNo one makes an A with Lubinsky.â
âWhich is exactly why you want me as your tutor.â
You think about it for a moment longer, and, wellâŠ
Fake dating Yoon Jeonghan canât be the worst thing in the world.
â
As you find out during your first session, Jeonghan is not what youâd call a âchillâ tutor. Youâre both sitting in a far corner of the library, notes splayed out all over the table.
âDo it again.â
âJeonghan please, weâve been finding directional derivatives and unit normal vectors for so long now. Letâs take a break.â
He points to your worksheet. âOne more.â
âThatâs what you said last time.â
âI thought you wanted an A.â
âYou know, a C isnât sounding so bad right now.â
âJust do it.â
You groan and set up another integral.
To your complete and utter shock, youâre able to solve the problem all on your own. No clarifying questions to Jeonghan. No flipping through your lecture notes. Just you and the answer.
Jeonghan checks it over, eyes darting between your notebook and his laptop. He pauses for a minute, finger lingering by your boxed, final answer, before very quietly saying, âlook at that.â He looks up to you, eyes widened and lips pursed together in a pleasant surprise.
You can barely contain yourself. âItâs right?â
âWell,â he draws out the word, sitting back in his chair and erasing his previous expression. âYou still rounded wrong at this stepââ
You throw your pencil down. âIâM RIGHT!â
Which unsurprisingly earns you a couple dirty looks from others.
He snickers at your excitement, offering you silent applause at the achievement.
âSo can we take a break now?â
He looks at you for a long moment. You stare at him back, shaking your shoulders as if that would convince him of a break. He smiles. âOkay, fine, but only for ten minutes.â
You end up taking it on the roof of the library building, eating an assortment of snacks that you bought from the vending machine and Jeonghan brought from home.
âSo, tell me,â you start, grabbing a chip from the bag, âthe confessions canât really be that bad, can they?â
âHow do you mean?â
âI mean,â you sit up in your chair, stretching out your back, âenough for you to spend your Thursday afternoon doing all this?â
âAh.â He exhales, sitting down further in his seat and popping a grape in his mouth. âWell, I like to teach.â
âAnd what about the whole fake dating ruse?â
He shrugs. âItâs easier than being the asshole that says no.â
You lean forward, squinting at him. âI donât believe that.â
He cocks his head. âNo?â
You shake yours. âNo.â
âWhat about you then?â He asks, crossing his arms over his chest. âHow come I know nothing about you?â
âHow come you havenât asked?â
He swipes his tongue over his lips briefly, sizing your question up. Quietly, he says, âTouche.â Then leads forward in his seat and asks if you have an ex.
You steal a grape. âNot an official one.â
âWhat does that mean?â
âIt means that there was this guy before university, and we wereâŠâ you push the grape in your mouth, letting the burst of it give you time to find the right words. They never come. âWe were something,â you settle on, âbut he just ended up being more trouble than he was worth. Ask Soonyoung. Heâs always hated the guyâs guts.â
âI canât imagine Soonyoung hating anyone.â Jeonghan muses, pushing the tupperware of grapes towards you.
âYeah, well, Soonyoung hated people who treated others like they were disposable.â
âSo whyâd you date him then?â
For a moment, youâre taken aback by the question. Replaying the words over and over in your mind looking for a hint of mockery or judgment. You donât find any. Instead, you find his brows knitted together, and his lips pushed to the side of this mouth. The question is genuine. A wholehearted curiosity that feels so misplaced coming from the guy who has suitors falling at his feet at least once a day. Itâs an innocent kind of curiosity that isnât trying to pry; itâs only trying to understand. And that thought, the very idea that Jeonghan might actually be trying to get to know you, makes your entire body inexplicably shiver.
The curiosity in his voice bends over and touches yours. âWhat? Youâve never been young and stupid before?â
He shakes his head. âI was so focused on school and soccer when I was younger. I feel like I never gave myself the chance to just do dumb things, date shitty people, etc. etc.â
Gravely, you say. âItâs really not that exciting.â
He laughs. âI know.â His voice dips. âI just wish I had figured that out myself.â
Jeonghan doesnât meet your eyes when he says it, but he makes this face, this sad-eyed, forced smile face that makes him look so suddenly vulnerable. Like you could tap his shoulder and watch him unravel from head to toe. You feel a rush of pity in the middle of your chest, a quiet urge to reach over and give him all the teenage regrets he never got to have. Instead, you lean towards him and say, âYouâre still young. You can still do dumb things. Date shitty people.â
His eyes flit up to you. You notice what a beautiful shade of brown they are. How big they are. How sincerely sad they look. (And you know, somewhere, in a very far corner of your mind, that those eyes will be the ultimate death of you.)
âWell, I donât know about that last part.â He starts, rubbing his hands against his jeans. âTechnically, Iâm dating you.â
You place your palm on your chest. âAnd I swear to be the shittiest fake partner youâll ever have.â
He smiles. The sun emerges from behind a cloud. And his eyesâyou swear to godâthey glimmer.
â
You and Jeonghanâs first outing as an official fake couple is back at the frat house. To your surprise Jeonghan stays by your side the entire time. He takes you around the house, gets you a drink, and introduces you to his friends, but youâre quick to shoot down any shock because what else would a fake boyfriend be doing at a party. Although itâs not as easy to calm down the beating of your heart when Jeonghanâs hand finds its way into yours at some point in the night. By the time the party is in full swing, people bursting from every open door and window in the house, youâre already a little tipsy.
Youâre getting a refill for your nearly done drink when another girl appears in front of Jeonghan. From the way sheâs twirling her hair between her fingers and leaning into one hip, you can tell that, at least from her end, itâs more than just a friendly conversation. But even that doesnât really explain what makes you act the way you do. Maybe itâs the alcohol, you reason. Or maybe the fact that Jeonghanâs popularity is just as contagious as the rest of him. Or maybe, just maybe, itâs that youâve gotten a little too invested in this whole fake dating act. Either way, you swallow reason with the last of your drink, strut up to the both of them, and latch yourself to Jeonghanâs side, letting your arm wrap around his. You give the girl a snotty âsorry, heâs takenâ before dragging Jeonghan away, giggling into your palm with no intention to return. When you look back at Jeonghan, you find him looking quite amused as well.
âThat was good!â He tells you by the time youâre both in the hallway. âBut you know what would really seal the deal?â
Youâre excited. Fake dating is fun. âWhat?â
âIf we kissed?â
âOh, please.â Your eyes do a drunken loop de loop. âIâm gonna go get my refill.â
âNo, seriously.â He says with a look you canât quite comprehend. âLook. Sheâs still watching.â
You look beyond his shoulder and sure enough, the girl is still watching you and him in the hallway. And she looks pissed. Maybe Jeonghan wasnât that far off with the stalker accusation.
âYou see what I have to deal with. Just one kiss. We probably wonât even have to do it again after this.â
âProbably?â You echo.
âWell, yeah, I canât make any promises.â He shrugs except that you barely hear the words because youâre too focused on taking a tiny step back each time he takes a tiny step towards you. Eventually, the charade ends. Your heel and head meet the wall. His knee meets yours.
Youâre painfully aware of your own breathing when you say, âWhen I said to be young and stupid this is not what I meant.â
He giggles in your face. You can smell the vodka on his breath. Is he drunk? Are you?
âWhoâs going to believe weâre dating if we never kiss?â
And well, you canât really argue with that logic. âFine, but keep it short.â
He cocks his head to the side. âDo I look like the kind of guy to keep a kiss short?â You snort at that, and when he takes yet another step closer to you, your hands instinctively fly up against his chest. He tangles his fingers between yours and pulls your hands down, resting his forehead against yours. âHey,â he says except that heâs so close itâs more like he exhales the word and inhales you, âcan I kiss you now?â
He lets go of your hands, as if heâs making sure you know you have an out. Your eyes flit up to his, only to find that heâs watching your lips.
âOh, fuck it,â is what you say before you fist his shirt and pull him in so that his lips meet yours.
And the moment you do all of your previous precautions are thrown out the window becauseâdang how long has it been since youâve kissed someone?
Somewhere along the kiss, you lose yourself in the sensation of it, tugging on Jeonghanâs shirt. He wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you in until your bodies are flush against each other. And when he slips his tongue into your mouth you tell yourself you allow it to happen because youâre tipsy or touch starved or both. Although none of those excuses explain why your arms snake around his neck and why your entire body turns to jelly when he moans in your mouth.
âHey lovebirds,â you hear Soonyoung yell from somewhere thousands and thousands lightyears away, somewhere so far away you barely hear it, âget a room.â You both pull away from the kiss, faces only moving a tiny bit apart. Neither of you try to remove yourselves from the other's arms. He smiles, wide enough that his cheek brushes up against your nose, and it makes you forget where you are. Your ears betray you. You let yourself think heâs talking about the kiss and not the charade when he says, âThanks for that.â
You throw caution to the window, laughing freely against his face. âAsshole. You knew I wouldnât say no.â
He steps back, pulling away from your embrace. âYeah,â he mutters, looking back to the main room, âthat should do it.â You follow his eyes to see the girl from earlier whispering to a friend while sneaking glances at you two. Youâre reminded of the whole reason you and Jeonghan were kissing in the first place.
He points to your cup. âShot?â
You laughâor well at least you try toâbut it gets caught in your throat and distorted into a small cough. You swallow. âYes.â
â
Thankfully, things arenât awkward between you and Jeonghan after the party, although thereâs no real reason for there to be other than the fact that you agreed to fake date him without really thinking about what else it would implicate. In fact, things are sort of easy with Jeonghan. He finds you around campus more often, and you find him too, walking each other to class and grabbing coffee when you both have a spare moment. In the midst of getting a fake boyfriend, you also get a new friend. With Jeonghanâs help, you actually start understanding math enough to complete the homework without having to flip back to the textbook every question. And itâs not too long after the party that youâre planning your next outing as a couple.
â
The stands of the field are absolutely packed with people. You had no idea soccer games rallied this much interest at your school.
âWeâre playing a top ranked school apparently,â Soonyoung reads off a sign as you both make your way towards the student section. Luckily, he knows as little about the sport as you do. âSo, why exactly did you agree to fake date Jeonghan?â
âHeâs tutoring me in multi.â You explain to him, scanning the stands. While walking over to the game, you had told Soonyoung about the whole act, confirming what he already started to suspect when you first suggested going to the soccer game together. (âDrunken makeout I get.â Soonyoung had said. âBut going to his games seemed like a stretch.â You shoved him off the sidewalk.)
âAt least youâre getting something out of it.â He snorts. âWho are we looking for?â
You show him the text from Jeonghan, telling you to sit with his friend. âDo you know him?â
Soonyoung looks into the crowd. âHim?â He asks, pointing to a guy waving you and him over. You inhale sharply, waving back. âSo if itâs fake, why is Jeonghan having you meet his friends?â Soonyoung asks as you head over.
âHe has his reasons.â You offer, having asked a similar question yourself. You reach the stand where his friend is seated, crossing past the others in the row and gently apologizing as you bump into dozens of knees.
âHi, Iâm Joshua.â Jeonghanâs friend introduces himself as you and Soonyoung take your seats. You return the greeting, introducing yourself to him. Looking around the student section, you notice everyone else dressed in school merchandise. âWas I supposed to wear school colors for this?â
Soonyoung gives you a long look. Then just laughs in your face.
âAsshole.â You grumble quietly. âCouldâve said something.â
Joshua laughs as well, although much less in-your-face than Soonyoungâs. âIâm surprised Jeonghan didnât give you like a jersey to wear or something.â
You had meant the asshole in question to be Soonyoung, not Jeonghan, but you donât really have the heart to correct him. Instead, while waiting for the game to start, you ask, âHow do you know Jeonghan?â
âOh, we met freshman year. We both rushed the frat together, but I dropped after one semester.â Soonyoung pops in then, telling Joshua about when he rushed, and the two boys talk about other people they both mutually know. As one does.
They run out of people after a person named Jihoon. Joshua turns back to you. âHow did you and Jeonghan meet? I havenât even gotten the full story yet.â
âWe met through Soonyoung, technically, I guess. At the house during a party. Soonyoung let me into his bathroom.â
Joshua nods, and with a playful lilt adds, ânot a stalker, are you?â
You click your tongue against the roof of your mouth and turn back to Soonyoung on the other side of you. âI hope you know Iâm never beating the stalker allegations because of you.â
Soonyoung smiles smugly at you.
âNo, Iâm kidding,â Joshua says through a laugh hidden behind his palm. âI just know how paranoid Jeonghan is about that stuff now.â
The wording pokes at a corner of your mind. âNow?â
Joshua nods, solemnly almost. âHe actually had one last year. Didnât end up being anything seriously endangering luckily. But he barely left his dorm for the rest of the semester after all was said and done.â
You think back to your conversation with Jeonghan on the roof of the library. You feel a familiar pang of pity bloom in your chest. He never got to just be young. Outloud, you hear yourself saying, âstupid.â
Joshua leans towards you. âWhat?â
You wave it off, and the crowd erupts into cheer. Everybody starts standing up, yelling and jumping and whooping. You hesitate for too long obviously. Soonyoung pulls you up by your arm. You see the team rush the field and the crowd gets impossibly louder. You look for Jeonghan among the players scanning each of them until you find him towards the left side of the field, warming up or something. Youâre not really sure. Either way, you hear yourself start cheering when you find him, hands cupping around your mouth. The game starts soon enough with Joshua explaining to you and Soonyoung which position Jeonghan plays and what the hell is happening each time a player receives a card. After the first 15 minutes, you actually get a pretty good understanding of the whole thing.
The first half comes to a close with the opposing team up by one goal and Jeonghanâs team looking exhausted and dispirited.
âHey, I gotta head out.â Soonyoung tells you once everything has settled down for halftime. âStill have to finish that chem lab due tonight.â
You grimace at the reminder of the report. âGood luck. It took me 5 hours.â
He gives you a miserable thumbs up. Then, turns his attention to Joshua. âIt was nice to meet you.â
Joshua returns the sentiment. âIâll see you at Timâs once youâre done with the report though, right?â
Soonyoungâs lips turn to a fine line. âI, well, itâs a funny story but uhâŠâ
âHeâs banned from Timâs.â You finish for him.
Joshua does not hide his shock. Soonyoung just shrugs and walks off. Joshua turns to you, exasperated. âBut itâs the only bar in town.â
You inhale, âAnd Soonyoung is the type to get impulsively banned from it for the rest of college.â The answer doesnât seem to do much of anything for Joshuaâs profound confusion. âWhatâs at Timâs tonight?â
âOh, the team always goes there after games. They normally invite some friends too. Whoever can make it out basically.â You nod at his explanation, watching as people leave the stands then return, holding steaming, paper cartons of food. God, that smells good. You crane your neck to see. Are those corn dogs? âDid Jeonghan not tell you about it?â
âWhat?â He pulls you out of a trance of your own. âOh, yeah, yeah. I think he mentioned it. I probably just forgot.â
Joshua chuckles politely. âSo are you coming?â
Oh crap. âUh, wellâŠâ A million lies run through your mind, chasing past one another, zigzagging in your brain. You have homework. You have other plans. You and Jeonghan arenât even actually dating. Wellâa million lies and one truth you guess. Either way, they all fizzle to nothing. Jeonghan didnât tell you about the tradition at Timâs. He probably doesnât even want you there. So what the hell are you supposed to tell his best friend?
Luckily, you never have to figure that out. Fanfare erupts through the crowd, the announcer sounds throughout the entire field. âOh the gameâs restarting,â you mutter. Joshua is either genuinely disinterested in your response or just polite enough to not ask about it again. You have a crummy feeling itâs the latter.
The second half of the game is much more intense than the first. Your schoolâs team comes out blazing, scoring a goal in the first ten minutes in an insane effort led by the player with a 7 on his back. And the crowd, you included, absolutely lose their shit. Youâre jumping up and down on the stands, screaming at the top of your lungs, voice lost among the rest. The team rushes to the right corner of the field closest to the student section, colliding in hugs and jumps and screaming maybe even louder than the hundreds of you in the stands. You watch Jeonghan in the celebration, hair matted down with sweat, mouth ajar in a soundless cheer, embracing a teammate before ditching him to literally jump on top of another. Your yells turn to laughs. And before you know it, the game is back on, all players racing across the field in a mad dash. The ball goes flying. Penalty cards flying to nearly every player at least once. The entire student section is at the edge of their seats. Time seems to fly by with unified chants filling your ears and throat. Thereâs only 10 minutes left. The game is still in a tie, and you really donât feel like sitting here for the extra time. Then, someone starts singing the schoolâs fight song. Eventually, the whole section is singing it. You included. It ignites something in the team.
The opposing team has the ball, dribbling it across the field and passing it back and forth. Out of nowhere, one of your schoolâs players appears right next to the opponent with the ball. He kicks the ball out from under the other player, taking him and the rest of the stands by surprise. The ball rolls from under his knees to another of your schoolâs players. Jeonghanâs teammate is in action immediately, sprinting away with the ball to the opposite side of the field, feet flying faster than your mind can even comprehend. And just as one of the opposing teamâs members closes in on him, he punts the ball in the air and it flies and flies and flies. Your heart lurches. Thereâs no mistaking itâthe ball is aimed for Jeonghan. 7 minutes left. Jeonghan receives the ball perfectly, immediately racing away with it towards the goal. An opponent chases after him, forcing him to head nearer and nearer to the touchlines. It all happens so fast. The other player kicks his feet out to steal the ball. Jeonghan crosses the ball over to another teammate. The teammate receives it with his head. He dribbles it forward for half a second and then shoots. Time nearly stops when he does. The goalie throws their entire body to block the ball, and every present body watches, stupefied, as the ball blows right past the goalieâs head and lands squarely within the goal.
And if you thought the previous goalâs celebration was loud, this oneâs is deafening. The entire stadium roars in pride. Your school won. Jeonghan won. And you canât stop fucking smiling.
â
Joshua convinces you to wait for Jeonghan and the rest of the team at Timâs with him. You do. For matters of fake dating but also because you could really use a beer. Conversation with Joshua is fun and light. By the time youâre both on your second round, his politeness dims to tease you for your drink of choice. You see now why heâs one of Jeonghanâs closest friends.
Thereâs commotion towards the entrance. You turn your heads towards it and watch Jeonghanâs team rumble through the tiny door, yelling at god knows what and rushing to the bar.
Joshua stands to go say hi. You follow him, walking slightly behind. Jeonghan finds you before you both find him. He tackles Joshua first, hugging him from the side, and literally âwhoopingâ into his ear. Joshua smacks at his face at first, but eventually joins him in the repeated âwhoopingâ jumping up and down in celebration. Then Jeonghan sees you. The whooping fades. He stares.
You swallow.
âYah!â He exclaims, releasing Joshua and pointing a finger at your shirt. âI thought I told you to wear the jersey I gave you.â
Your face drops. Whatever happened to âhiâ, âhelloâ, âhow are youâ?
Joshua says something about the bathroom and walks to the back of the bar.
You shake your head at the remaining boy. âItâs a little bit concerning how good you are at lying, you know.â
âWell, we canât have people suspecting us.â He retorts, stepping closer to you as someone passes behind him.
âIs it okay that Iâm here?â You ask, quiet enough for no one else to hear, face scrunching. âI didnât know what to say to Joshua earlier, but I can definitely make up a lie if you want to justââ
âAre you kidding?â He grabs you by the shoulders, shaking you back and forth. âI want you here! We have to celebrate. This was the biggest game of the season, and we won it!â Then, with that same crooked smile you noticed upon first meeting, he adds, âPlus, youâre not very good at lying.â
You scoff. âEven now, you have the capacity for assholery.â
His eyebrows zip together. âI donât think thatâs a word.â
âIt could be.â
Someone pats Jeonghan on the back, handing him a drink. Jeonghan asks what it is. The other person tells him to just drink it. Jeonghan does so begrudgingly. You recognize the person to be player number 7.
âHi, Iâm Seungcheol,â number 7 says to you, holding out his hand. You shake it, introducing yourself and congratulating him on the game.
âHey, is assholery a word?â Jeonghan asks his teammate, watching your face contort through a thousand different variations of annoyance and disbelief.
Seungcheol looks between the two of you. âUh, no. Donât think so.â
âHa!â Jeonghan wags a finger in your face. âYou owe me a drink.â
You narrow your eyes at him, but you head towards the bar with Jeonghan anyways, where you find Joshua again ordering the three of you a round of shots. âNo, no,â he insists, when you try to tell him that youâre already buying drinks, âI owe Jeonghan a drink anyways.â
And as you find out throughout the course of the night, apparently every other patron at Timâs owes Jeonghan a drink. You lose count of how many times youâve heard him say so after your third beer. Joshua makes his exit soon after that and conveniently right before the team starts singing the fight song again. You start dreaming of bed when a guy you recognize as number 3 gets on a chair and starts leading the crowd.
Your phone buzzes.
Soonyoung [1:23 AM]: finished the report :0
Soonyoung [1:23 AM]: finally
Soonyoung [1:24 AM]: howâs timâs
You [1:24 AM]: did you know they had a karaoke machine?
Soonyoung [1:25 AM]: do you not remember how i got banned in the first place
You [1:25 AM]: sore subject mb
You [1:27 AM]: damn howâd you finish the report so fast
You [1:27 AM]: you only started it after the game right
Soonyoung [1:28 AM]: u know me xD
An odd feeling settles in your stomach as they start the last stanza of the fight song. You shove your phone in your pocket and ask for the check.
By 2 am, the celebration is finally winding down, and the entire team is collectively too drunk to stand. âCome on, Jeonghan,â you pull him away as he says goodbye to his friends for the millionth time. âLetâs go home.â
He finally relents, turning away from his friends and throwing both his arms over your shoulders, hugging you from the back. âLetâs go to yours.â
âMine? Why?â
âItâs closer.â Then after a moment, he bumps his chin against your shoulder and adds, âPlus, I wanna see your room.â
âFine,â you huff and start walking. Jeonghan releases himself from your back, electing to walk on his own until you realize heâs too much of a wanderer to be unattached, drifting off to the edge of the sidewalk or in the wrong direction every chance he gets. He asks you to carry him. You settle for holding his hand. The two of you walk quietly back to your dorm. That is until Jeonghan starts humming the fight song again. You snap. âIs that the only song you guys know tonight?â
He stops humming and apologizes. You donât say anything back. Then, very quietly, sounding so infuriatingly innocent, he says, âI didnât mean to get this drunk.â
Youâre an asshole. âNo. Itâs okay. Youâre okay. Iâm just a little⊠upset right now.â
He burps. âBecause of me?â
The look on his face when he says it pulls a laugh from between your lips. âNo. Not because of you.â You make a right onto your street, dragging Jeonghan along as he tries to take a left. âAnyway, I thought student athletes werenât supposed to drink.â
âNo, weâre not supposed to get caught drinking.â Jeonghan holds out his hand in front of him, as if to say âstopâ to something invisible to you. âVery different.â
âAh, I see.â
âEither way, I donât drink that much.â
You scoff, stopping in front of the door to your building. âWhat do you mean? You drank last weekend.â
He shakes his head. âThat was a special occasion.â
âAnd the occasion wasâŠ?â
He looks you dead in the eye.
âYou make me nervous.â
Then, he turns around and vomits into the bushes behind him.
Once you get him to your apartment and in your bathroom, you leave him to vomit out the alcohol. Returning after the retching sounds recede and youâve changed into pjs. Heâs seated on the floor beside the toilet, eyes closed and head resting against the wall. You sit on the other side. Thank god, you cleaned this bathroom yesterday. âHow do you feel?â You ask him.
He inhales. âMuch better now that IâŠâ He gestures to the toilet.
âHere.â You hand him a glass of water.
He opens his eyes and takes it, drinking from it slowly. âSorry I got so drunk.â
âYou already apologized 30 times on the way up here.â You remind him.
âBut Iâm really sorry.â
âAnd I really donât mind.â
He considers that for a long moment. âYou sure?â
You lean forward. âIâm sure. More water?â
He shakes his head, wordlessly eyeing your pajama pants. You look down at your snoopy pants. You hadnât thought too hard about your choice of bottoms when you changed. âCute.â He mutters, smiling at them.
You mumble back a âthanksâ.
âSo, whatâd you think of the game?â
You tell him honestly how much fun you had watching them play, giving him every reaction you had to every move made and all your unfiltered opinions on the refs. He listens intently, filling you in on all the thoughts that ran through his head while they were playing and every conversation that happened on the sidelines.
âThanks for coming.â He tells you once youâve both exhausted all opinions relating to the game itself. âAnd for meeting Joshua and coming out to Timâs afterwards and then getting me out of Timâs too.â
âJeonghan, itâs really not that big of a deal. And Joshua was a lot of fun to hang out with.â
âHey, donât get too attached.â He warns. âIâm the one youâre fake dating.â
âTrust me, I know.â
âSo, then, as your fake boyfriend,â he gulps down the last of the water, âare you going to tell me what you were so upset about?â
You exhale, flexing your fingers. âItâs stupid.â
âAnd here I was thinking we had made a pact to be young and dumb.â You run your tongue over your top row of teeth, holding back a smile. âSo, what happened?â
âI just got this text from Soonyoung that he finished this one assignment. And, I donât know, I just felt so ridiculous because it took me so much longer than him to do.â
âWhich assignment? The chem lab?â
You donât remember telling Jeonghan about it. âUh, yeah. How did youââ
âMan, who cares if it took you longer? I know Soonyoung, and I know you, and I bet yours is a million times better than his. No offense to Soonyoung, but Iâm pretty sure heâd agree anyways.â
âOkay, youâre drunk.â
âThat may be true, but it has nothing to do with the fact that youâre brilliant.â
Something about the way he says it, how steady his voice is maybe or the way he refuses to look away, forces you to see how much he believes it. But even that, doesnât do much to change what you think.
âWhat are you talking about? I wouldnât even be passing multi if it werenât for you.â Your voice cracks as you say the words, making it all come out sounding much sadder than you had intended it to. You hope he doesnât notice.
âThatâs really not true.â You canât even trust yourself to respond to him. He pouts. âAre you upset again?â
âA little.â
âIâm sorry. Letâs drop it.â
âGladly.â Then, after a moment, you laugh at how silly it all is.
âFirst fight of the relationship.â He gives you your second half smile of the night. âI think we should hug it out.â
Your body reacts to the words before you do. âI disagreeââ
âDid you just cringe?â
ââyou smell like vomit.â
âWell, do you have clothes for me?â
âNo, but I have a couch.â
He holds his index finger up. âIâll take it.â
â
(When you wake up the next morning, Jeonghanâs gone. You open your phone and find 2 more apologies and 3 more thank youâs from him.
You try to ignore the twinge of disappointment.)
â
When the third weekend of fake dating rolls around, you admittedly are a bit tired of going to parties and getting drunk. So when Jeonghan asks what the plans are, you suggest he say that heâs taking you out on a date instead.
As such, youâve spent nearly the entire day in bed. Youâre heating up some water on the stove to make ramen when you get a text from Jeonghan saying heâs five minutes away. You stare at the text. The fuck does that mean?
Unsurprisingly, it ends up meaning that he was literally five minutes away. You open the door when he knocks and stare at him standing in the doorway.
âWhat are you wearing?â Is the first thing he says. You look down at your outfit. âYou shouldâve told me this was going to be a sweats kind of date before I put real clothes on.â
âDate?â
âDonât look so surprised, it was your idea.â Jeonghan reminds you, strutting into your kitchen.
âNo, no.â You say, returning to your boiling water. âMy idea was to tell people weâre going on a date. Like as a cover.â
âOh.â He falls down onto your couch. âWell Iâm here so get dressed thereâs this new ramen place I wanna try.â
You sigh, turning the stovetop off before trudging to your room to change.
The âdateâ ends up being quite nice. You discuss a study plan to prepare for your math midterm over a much yummier bowl of ramen than you had planned on consuming today. Afterwards, you walk the streets of downtown, only intending to window shop. However, now, standing in a small boutique, Jeonghan tries to convince you to buy matching necklaces.
âCome on, theyâre so cute.â
âWe donât need matching necklaces, Jeonghan.â
âA real couple would definitely have matching necklaces.â
âGood thing weâre not one.â
âFine then. Guess Iâll just stop tutoring you in math too. You know Lubinskyâs midterms are almost as hard as his finals, right?â
You grab two of the necklaces and turn to the cashier. âHow much?â You swear you hear Jeonghan whoop from behind you.
â
âHey,â Jeonghan whispers, âweâre here.â You open your eyes slowly, not even registering that you fell asleep on the ride back to campus after the date-but-not-date. âYou drool when you sleep by the way.â
And that wakes you up. You wipe whatever drool is left on your mouth, muttering a small and embarrassed âshut upâ.
âWhat are you doing for the rest of your day?â He asks as you gather your things from his car.
âAbsolutely nothing. Todayâs the last day to rot before midterm prep starts.â You tell him, looking for your wallet. âWhat about you?â
âAvoiding a mixer at the house tonight.â He reaches into the center console and hands you the leather slip.
You take the wallet gratefully. âWanna join me? We can make some tea. Watch a movie.â
He puts the car in park. âI know just what we should watch.â
And thatâs how you end up on your couch with Jeonghan, two emptied mugs sitting on the coffee table, blanket draped over your legs, and the worst movie youâve seen to date playing in the background.
âWow, this movie sucks ass.â
âThis,â Jeonghan gestures passionately to the screen, âis cinema.â You clasp your hands together as if in prayer. He takes a double take at the motion. âWhat are you doing?â
âIâm thanking god that your major is business and not film.â He immediately smacks apart your hands. âDonât lie.â You say gasping for air between laughs. âThis movie is objectively not good.â
His tongue peeks out between his lips, you practically see the smiling begging to emerge on his face. âOkay, so it might not be all that it was hyped up to be, butââ
âHa!â You point a finger in his face. âI knew you hated it.â He slumps into the couch, pulling the blanket up to his chin. âDo you want more tea?â You ask. He soundlessly nods, refusing to move his eyes from the tv screen.
You stand to make some, grabbing both mugs from the table. âSo, do you not have a roommate?â Jeonghan questions, as you pour water from the kettle into the mugs.
You look to the second, empty room of your apartment style dorm. âActually, no. There was supposed to be someone there, but they moved or dropped out at the start of the year and the school never filled the room.â
âAh.â Jeonghan clicks, nodding as if finally putting together the last piece of a puzzle âSo, thatâs why youâre so friendless.â
You return to the couch with full mugs. âI am not friendless.â He makes a face. âReally. I have friends.â
âOther than Soonyoung?â
âYes.â
âOkay, name them.â You kick him under the blanket. âFine. You have friends.â (âI have friends.â) âBut how come you never talk about hanging out with them?â
You exhale slowly, sinking further into the couch. âI just didnât do too well in school last semester, so I promised myself I would focus on classes this time around. And, I donât know, I guess I just got so caught up in that and havenât really been making the time or effort for hangouts.â
He tilts his head. âYou know, I feel like thereâs a world where you can do well in school while also maintaining your friendships. I mean we see each other regularly.â
âThatâs because half of the time weâre studying.â
He gives you a look. âYou know what I mean.â
You sigh, considering his point. Maybe at one point you would have thought the same. Last semester you even tried to have it allâthe friends, the social life, the grades. But in the end, you dropped the ball. You canât afford to make those same mistakes. âI just donât think that world exists for me.â
He finally looks away from the tv and gives his full attention to you. His eyes seem to linger on every turn in your face. Quietly, he says, âSo thatâs what it is.â He doesnât offer an explanation immediately. Instead, his chest deflates in one long exhale, and you smother the voice in your head thatâs begging you to ask for one. And thereâs this conviction in his voice, this breathtaking finality, when he says, âWhen are you going to believe me when I say that youâre one of the smartest people I know?â that scares the living shit out of you.
He looks at you again, and you swear to god, his eyes fall right through your frame. You swallow. âWhat about you?â
His eyebrows raise. âWhat about me?â
âWho are your friends? How do you spend all your time apart from classes, soccer, the frat, tutoring me andâoh my god, nevermind, new question. Do you even sleep?â
He takes a sip from the tea. âDonât forget the business honor society. Iâll be the treasurer next fall.â
You squint at him. âWhy?â
And like itâs the simplest, most obvious thing in the world he says, âoh, well, they asked.â
Suddenly, youâre reminded of all the times youâve seen him get asked out on dates followed by every time heâs failed to say no. âJeonghan,â you turn to him, setting down your mug. (âoh, this is serious, okay.â) You ignore him. âCan you not say no to people?â
He blows a raspberry. âI can say no. Ask me something.â
âUhhhh,â you rack your brain, âhow aboutâletâs go to the beach next weekend.â
The closest beach is 5 hours away, and yet he has the audacity to say, âWait, that sounds like fun though.â
âI thought you hated the ocean.â
âYeah, but maybe itâd be fun with you.â
You shake your head, muttering how impossible he is. The end credits of the movie finally plays.
âI should head out.â Jeonghan says, removing himself from under the blanket. You nod, grabbing the mugs of tea and bringing them to the kitchen. He follows you to the door. You both exchange the usual âthis was funâ, âletâs do it againâ, âIâll see you laterâ that ends every hangout youâve had in college. But then, unlike every other person youâve held the door open for as they leave, after Jeonghan says his final goodbye, he gives you a peck on the lips.
Did that just happen?
Your fingers touch against your lips. Oh my god, it did.
He blinks. âSorry. I, uh, I donât know why I just,â he points to your lips, swallowing, âlol. Weâre always pretending and then now. And you. Okay, well, anyways, Iâll leave.â
He turns and doesnât look back. You hear a âbyeâ sound from the hallway.
And itâs only by the time heâs probably halfway home that it hits: Youâve never seen Jeonghan flustered like that.
â
The first day of midterm prep is brutal. You spend the entire night in the library, studying for hours on end. And once an hour, on the dot it seems, you hear Jeonghanâs voice in your head. Thereâs a world where you can do well in school while also maintaining your friendships. That very night you text your friends, asking if they want to join you in one of the library study rooms you have booked every evening this week. They do, excited to hear from you again and for the gentle encouragement to get a head start on studying. You hate to admit that Jeonghan was right, but goddammit he was. You have a blast with your friends. You had barely even realized how long youâd gone without seeing them and how much you missed them. By the time your Thursday afternoon tutoring with Jeonghan comes back around, youâre still on track with the study plan you created over ramen, and you have exciting news for him.
âA birthday party?â Jeonghan says, voice carefully devoid of the disdain you must know he feels.
âYeah, they heard through whoever that weâre dating, and now they all want you to come.â
âBut a birthday party?â He repeats. This time not trying to hide anything.
âOh come on. I went to the game for you.â
âYeah, but the game was fun.â
âThis will be fun too!â You say in what you hope is an encouraging way.
âFine. But promise you wonât ditch me for your friends.â
âYouâre so dramatic.â You mutter. âBut yes, I promise.â
That Friday night Jeonghan meets you at your apartment and the two of you head over to the party together.
Halfway down the hallway to your friendâs apartment, Jeonghan suddenly halts. âShit, should I have brought something?â
âLike what?â
âA gift? Wine? I donât know.â
âJeonghan, itâs a party. Donât overthink it.â You tell him, opening the door to your friendâs apartment.
You step into her entryway and immediately feel like youâve been transported into another world. The lights are all off save for some LED lights wrapped around the living room ceiling. An assortment of stacked red solo cups, yak-worthy bottles of vodka, and seltzers take over all available kitchen counter space. Some old pop song from an artist you know your friend loves plays loudly from the tv, reverberating through every pair of ears shoved into this tiny apartment. You inhale. The air reeks distinctly of college. You love it.
âOh my god, thereâs even people on the balcony.â Jeonghan whispers in your ears. You pivot your head around to look at him. He looks back at you, unassuming. âWhat?â
This entire scene is one youâre quite familiar with, having spent many nights just like this in previous semesters. But as you watch Jeonghan gape at the amount of people fitted into the kitchen alone, you figure he might not be as acquainted with this. âYoon Jeonghan, is this your first apartment party?â
He cocks his head to the side. âIs it not yours?â
But before you can tell him all about the life you used to live before him, your friends find you attacking you with hugs and introducing themselves to Jeonghan.
Jenny, the birthday girl in question, sloppily points at both of you and says, âIâve been drinking since noon. You need to catch up.â
After a minute of half-hearted protest, you oblige, heading over to the kitchen area. You grab two cups, handing Jeonghan one. âThereâs soda over there if youâre not drinking tonight,â you tell him, pointing to the area beside the sink where a line of mixers await.
He looks over at the bottles, then looks back at you. âAre you drinking?â
âYes!â Your friend Daniel yells from over the music. You just shrug, reaching for one of the handles. âI guess so.â
Jeonghan inhales sharply, holding out his cup for you to pour. âIâll have what youâre having then.â
You hesitate, open bottle hovering over the lip of his cup. âAre you sure?â
âYeah. Why?â
You frown. âI was thinking about what you said after the game about how you donât drink that much, and I donât want you to drink just because I am. I can not drink too.â
He pushes his cup up. âWhat was it you said earlier? Itâs a party. Donât overthink it.â
Then he gives you that crooked half smile that youâve come to know so well. You pour him a drink and pour yourself one too. You turn back to your friends, holding up your cup for a cheers.
âWait, wait, what are we cheersing to?â Daniel asks, grabbing his cup from behind him and holding it up, tapping on Jennyâs shoulder for her to do the same.
Itâs Jeonghan who answers. Looking straight at you, he holds his cup up high and says, âTo friends.â
You bring the drink up to your lips smiling, watching him watching you. All four of you down your drinks. The drink is absolutely terrible, burning a path down your throat all the way down. Jeonghan hands you another cup, whispering âitâs cokeâ with an equally pained expression on his face. You take it gratefully.
âGod,â Jenny says, placing a hand on her chest while watching the exchange between you and Jeonghan, âtheyâre like an old married couple already. How have we missed all this?â
âI know.â Daniel says, shaking his head. âI can still barely believe it.â
You glare at him. âHey, whatâs so hard to believe?â
They both ignore you, turning their attention to Jeonghan instead.
âSo, weâve heard all the boringâhow you guys met, first dateâsort of stuff, but we want to know the juicy detailsââ
âJenny, donât you have other guests to attend to orââ
âYeah,â Daniel joins in, âlike whatâs your favorite thing about them?â
You turn to Jeonghan immediately. âYou donât have to answer that.â
âMy favorite part,â Jeonghan starts, ignoring your plea to not humor them and tapping a finger on his chin in thought. He must find it after a moment, pausing the tapping and stealing a glance your way. âProbably how much fun I have with them.â He says to your friends. âI feel like weâre always laughing together or just having a good time. Iâve never been able to talk to someone as easily as I do with them. Like you know how when you get towards the end of a really good book, and you just canât put it down, pushing everything else to the side to keep reading. Hanging out with them is like that.â Turning back to look at you, he adds, âI never want it to end.â
You hold his gaze while Jenny and Daniel erupt into a series of awes and exclamations. Deep in your gut, you know that you should be focusing on the kind smile on his face or the sudden rapidity in your heartbeat, but instead, more cruelly, you wonder how much of that was a lie he made up to appease the role of your fake boyfriend.
You turn to pour yourself another drink. He holds his cup out as well. You pour for two.
âYou okay?â He asks, pouring some fruit punch into both your cups as well.
You nod. You have no reason to be upset. So taking a sip of the drink, you decide youâre not. âYeah, Iâm good.â
âWe should play a game,â he says, taking a sniff of your jointly made concoction.
âOh?â
âYeah, likeâŠâ He looks around the apartment. âWe have to drink every time we see someone kissing.â
âWhat kind of rule is that?â
âNo. Itâll be fun.â He says, scanning the apartment again. He sucks in air between his teeth. âDamn, I thought thereâd be more kissing than this for some reason.â
You laugh at his cluelessness, and then lean in to kiss his cheek. âThere.â You say, clinking your cup against his. âNow, we can drink.â
He taps a finger to the tip of his nose twice, then points it at you, before taking two large gulps of his drink.
The game actually does a good job of getting you and Jeonghan drunk once Jenny catches wind if it and starts giving out birthday kisses to whoever will take one. After a while, you make the executive decision that you need a break and escape to the bathroom to piss. When you exit back into the hallway off the living room, Jeonghan is there, leaning against the opposite wall, waiting for you. He hands you your cup back. âYour friends are terrible, terrible enablers,â he says, motioning for you to drink up while taking a drink himself. You whimper, leaning against the wall beside him and readmitting the dreaded liquid to your body.
âSo,â you bump your shoulder against his, âare you having fun?â
He shifts his entire body to face you, shoulder resting against the wall, back turned to the entire party. He puts his face right in front of yours, narrows his eyes at you playfully, and says, âdid you even listen to what I said?â
You put a hand on his shoulder. Just to have something between his body and yours. âWhat?â
He grins cheekily, letting out a puff of air that smells like cherry. âI always have fun with you.â
You laugh. Then in a voice sober you would be embarrassed of, you say, âAnd you never want it to end?â
He sticks his tongue out just barely, laughing into your neck. âAnd I never want it to end.â
You kiss him.
You donât stop to think about what it might mean tomorrow or even in the next hour. You donât stop to think about the fact that youâre too drunk to be initiating kisses or the possibility that he is. You donât stop to think about anything, other than how much you love the sound of his laugh and how badly you want to feel his lips on yours again.
The kiss starts slowly, a shy orchestration of lips and breath. Your nose bumps against his, and he pulls away. He looks at you with those damn eyes, like itâs the first time all over again. And for some reason you canât explain you bitterly think that it was always going to end like this.
He cups his free hand against your cheek and pulls you back in. Your lips meet in an open-mouthed kiss that has nothing slow and shy about it. No. Itâs sloppy, hurried, and hungry. Itâs tongue and teeth, crashing and colliding over and over again. Itâs your body against his, every rise of your chest battling against his You wrap your free hand against his torso, pulling him impossibly closer. His hand moves from where it was holding your face to travel over the back of your head and your neck, sliding halfway down your back before pulling forward to run from your waist down to your hip. It lingers there for a moment before continuing further to grip the back of your thigh, pulling your knee up the side of his leg and holding it there against his hip.
A commotion sounds from the living room. âOh shit.â You say breathlessly, pulling away from him. âI think sheâs going to pop the champagne.â
âOkay.â He breathes, before kissing you again. You laugh in his mouth, whispering his name and pushing a hand against his chest. Finally, he lets go of your leg. You lead him back to the rest of the party where everyone is crowding around the balcony entrance. You and Jeonghan stand in the living room, watching from the window as Jenny struggles to pop the cork. She gets it after a moment, yelping at the sudden burst and spraying it over the edge of the balcony. Once the champagne dies down enough to not be overflowing, she brings the bottle to her lips and chugs. Everyone counts.
1! Jeonghan steps closer to you, wrapping his arms around your torso and hugging you from the back. You have to remind yourself to catch your breath.
2! He rests his chin on your shoulder. Without even thinking about it, you rest your head against his. His voice is a warm breath on your neck.
3! You recall what he said to your friends at the start of the party and again to you right before the kiss. Did he mean it? Does he really not want this to end?
4! Your eyes glance over at his. He looks happy. He looks like heâs finally given himself the chance to be young and stupid, which from the start, is all you ever wanted for him. So then why does it make you feel so suddenly grief-stricken?
5! âWhy didnât you tell Joshua about us?â You ask him quietly, voice drowned out by the counting for everyone other than him.
6! He angles his chin towards you. âWhat do you mean? He knows weâre dating.â
7! âNo, I mean why didnât you tell him that itâs fake.â
8! He stands up straight. Fuck the counting. You turn to look at him. âHeâs your best friend, isnât he?â
9! He looks at you carefully. âDid you tell Soonyoung that itâs all been fake?â
10! You havenât even answered him yet, but somehow, he already knows what youâre going to say.
11! âYes.â And even alcohol couldnât have hidden the distinct look of betrayal painted all over his face.
12! He looks down into his cup and chuckles darkly. âWhy did we just kiss?â
13! You swallow. Shit. âSomeone was looking at you, likeâwell, you know what like.â
14! He doesnât say anything. You recount his words back to him. âSealing the deal, remember.â
15! His eyes bore into yours. How could you have been so stupid?
16! Please, you want to beg, say something.
17! He shakes his head, smiling emptily. âTell your friends it was nice to meet them.â
18! He doesnât wait to hear if you have anything left to say. He turns, and you watch him disappear from the party.
The rest of the numbers blur in your head.
â
(That night you had called Soonyoung, sobbing over the phone, feeling more drunk then, in your apartment than you had at any other point that night.
âWhatâs wrong?â Alarm was flush in his voice. âWhat happened? Are you okay?â
The only thing Soonyoung could even make out was a very sad, very quiet, âI ruined it.â)
â
You havenât talked to Jeonghan since Jennyâs party. He hasnât texted you either. Staring at your upcoming midterm on Thursday and the extra study session with Jeonghan scheduled for Wednesday, you feel, quite lamely, mocked by your own calendar. But more than anything, youâre mad that heâs left you to study all alone the week of your midterm. Youâre mad that youâre so busy replaying that night in your head, you can barely pay attention to the practice tests. Youâre mad that, right now, sitting at the spot you guys always sat at in the library, you donât have him. And youâre terrified of the creeping thought that you never really did.
By the time the midterm does come around, youâre exhausted. Not from studying or lack of sleep, but just from the sheer willpower itâs taken all week to not think about Jeonghan. You feel oddly calm going into the exam, the usual anxious chatter of students around you and rattling of chairs and pencils, not freaking you out as much as it normally would. You take the midterm, one question at a time, just as Jeonghan instructed you to do with every homework and every quiz. And then, 40 minutes in, you finish. Astonishingly, you even have enough time left to check over your work. So you do, fixing minor rounding and calculation errors, until youâre faced again with a completed exam and 15 minutes left.
You get to do something you havenât done since high school: you turn it in early.
â
You spend the rest of that day in between your bed and your couch, struggling even more now than before to ignore thoughts of Jeonghan and your last conversation with him. For the past several weeks, Thursday afternoons were monopolized by Jeonghan, but today, watching the sun set outside your window, youâve spent it all alone. The finality of what happened last weekend finally hits you: you might never speak to Jeonghan again. You really did ruin it. Suddenly, the urge to weep overcomes you. You turn on the tv instead, looking for a movie to watch. And of course it must be fate's petty joke on you that the first movie that pops up is the one you watched with Jeonghan after your date. You groan into your pillow before switching to something else.
By the time the movie is almost over and the sun has fully set, your phone rings. You had been checking it obsessively earlier and had therefore set it a bit farther away from where you were sitting. But at the sound of the ring, youâre ashamed to admit that you literally leapt for it. Your mind reads the caller id and is instantly flooded with an odd mix of relief and anxiety. Jeonghan is calling. Holy shit, Jeonghan is calling.
Your voice is shaky when you answer. âHello?â
âHey, this is Jeonghanâs partner right?â Your mouth parts at the voice that most definitely does not belong to Jeonghan. Who is this man? Why does he have Jeonghanâs phone? Why does it hurt your heart so much when he calls you Jeonghanâs partner? You must sit in your shock for too long because the mystery caller speaks again, sounding somewhat annoyed. âThis is Seungcheol from the team. This is who I think it is, right? Because your number was saved as âmy cutieâ with like a million heart emojis, so if not, this is about to get really awkward.â You have no idea how to respond to that. Finally, Seungcheol says your name. âThis is you, right?â
You inhale sharply. âYeah, uhm, sorry yes. Is everything alright? Arenât you guys at practice right now?â
âYeah, well weâre about to end, but hereâs the thingâŠâ Seungcheol then explains how terribly Jeonghanâs been playing this week, overly aggressive, missing every pass, fucking up every cross. And today, halfway through practice he hurt his shoulder and the coach sat him out entirely, forcing him to sit on the sidelines and just watch. Safe to say, this did not go over well with him, and heâs been laying down on the bench head buried in his arms, snapping at everyone who approaches him ever since. Seungcheol had to use a fake emergency bathroom break as a chance to run away to the locker room and make this call. âDo you know whatâs going on with him?â
Of course you know, and itâs all your fault. You really did ruin everything with one kiss. âIââ
âFuck, Iâm running out of time. Never mind that.â Seungcheol says, cutting you off. âCan you just come down and be here, when we get off practice? Jeonghan drove over so you both can take his car back, but I think he just really needs someone here with him today.â
You wince. âSeungcheol, actually, Iââ
âNo, no, please. You donât understand. I think I saw him crying on the bench. He needs you. Come.â Then after a slight hesitation he adds, âIf you can. Please.â
You donât even know what to say, but it doesnât matter because just then the call ends. You stare at your phone, considering the options. Stay here and wallow. Or go, and try to salvage everything youâve broken. And while you are a very accomplished wallower, you know which one you have to do. You drag your feet all the way over to your room to change.
You pace outside the field waiting for them, running through every possible scenario in your head. It does nothing, only worsening the condition of your already ailing heart. You drop down onto the curb, holding your head in your hands. Maybe he wonât even see you like this. You canât tell if you prefer or hate that possibility.
Something bumps into your back. You look up and find Jeonghan staring down at you. You stand up so quickly your head starts to spin. Looking at him, you realize that this is the longest youâve gone without seeing or talking to each other since meeting. You hated every second of it. But you think you might hate the look on his face right now more.
âWhat are you doing here?â He asks, words devoid of all the little quirks that make him him.
âSeungcheol called me.â
His face twitches. âWhy?â
âHe said that youââ you halt, selfishly wondering if itâs too late to abandon this ship. âHowâs your shoulder?â
He looks at it, rolling it out once. He shrugs. âItâs fine now.â
You nod.
He then surprises you by asking: âHow was your midterm?â Your eyes widen, searching his face for⊠youâre not even sure what. You donât find it anyways.
You shift your weight uncomfortably. âIt went well actually.â
He nods.
âDo you want a ride back?
He scoffs quietly. You flinch. âCan you even drive?â
âUh, yeah.â
âHow would you get back to yours?â
âI donât know. Walk. Or maybe a bus. Or I could evenââ
He doesnât even let you finish. Voice raising when he asks again, âWhy are you here?â
The words come out before you can stop them, tone matching his. âBecause Iâm sorry!â
âFor what?â
âFor kissing you!â He drops his duffle bag on the floor. âI donât know!â
He parts his lips, inhaling as if to speak, but then he looks straight in your eyes and loses every word he mightâve wanted to say. He picks up his duffle and walks over to his car. âJeonghan, please say something. I miss you, and I hate this. I just want to at least talk about what happened before we never speak again.â
He shoves his bag into the backseat and slams the door shut. He points to the car. âYou coming?â
âWhere?â
âIâll drop you home.â
You donât even know why you let him, but you do, sliding in the passenger seat and waiting until the car is started and moving to say something.
Or at least, that was the plan. But then you lose all the nerves you built up on your walk over and keep quiet the entire drive back to your place. Itâs only when he stops in front of yours, ignition shutting off, that they build back enough for you to say, âJeonghan, Iââ
âIâm not mad because of the kiss.â He finally says, voice much softer than before. His eyes stay trained on the dashboard. âThe kiss wasâŠâ He chokes on the word while the tiniest of smiles breaks like light after a storm on his face. âThe kiss was perfect.â Your stomach momentarily turns into a gymnast. âIâm not even mad at all. Iâm just,â You lean in after the words, as if waiting to catch them in your hands. He shakes his head once and then turns to look at you fully. âIâm upset because you think this has all been fake when, if Iâm being brutally honest, I havenât been faking anything since that first party.â
Oh.
Oh.
Holy fucking shit.
He chuckles darkly, hitting his head lightly against the steering wheel. âNow, I know what it feels like to be on the opposite end of this.â
You canât help yourself. âHow is it?â
He groans. âItâs like a thousand stomach aches throughout your entire body.â
You want to take him out of his misery, but, âI donât know what to say.â
âDonât say anything.â
âI donât thinkââ
âNo, Iâm serious.â He mutters. He looks pained. âRemember when you said that I canât say no to people? This is it. Iâm saying no.â He smiles at you, but you know his eyes too well and you know when thereâs nothing in them. His breath catches. âIâm really happy about your midterm. I always knew you didnât need me.â
He looks away after that, turning the car back on, an obvious signal for you to get out. Selfishly, you donât. You take two more seconds to stare at his face, his eyes, his hair, his hands. Then you unbuckle your seatbelt and step out of the car.
He doesnât wait long before he drives away.
You walk back up to your dorm in a stupor of sorts. You unlock the door, step through the kitchen, walk like a zombie to your room, and stare at yourself in the mirror. Your eyes travel over your whole frame, and for some reason they fall to rest at your neck. More specifically, your necklace.
Youâre out of the door, running before you even know it. Breathlessly, turning onto the road that leads to the opposite side of campus. 30 minutes away. This of course turns out to be a terrible, terrible idea. You do not run. But you get there eventually. Speed walking up to the door of Jeonghanâs frat house and knocking vigorously.
Soonyoung happens to be the one that opens it. âOh, hey! How was yourâWhy canât you breathe?â
You ignore him. âIs Jeonghan here?â
He shakes his head. âI donât think heâs back from practice yet. Why? What happened? Did you guys make up yet?â
âNo, but, Soonyoung, Iâve been so stupid. This whole time I kept gabbing on and on, but I was blind. It was him. It was alwaysââ
You hear a familiar voice say your name. Not just familiar. Your favorite voice. You turn to face him.
And you canât help it, you grin.
Youâre distantly aware of Soonyoung closing the door behind you.
âHow did you get here?â
âI ran.â He makes a face. âWell, partly.â
âI told you toââ
âI know what you said.â
âFine.â He sighs. âI didnâtâwell, not like this, but listen. Itâs okay if you donât careââ
âBut the thing is Jeonghan,â you say, the sentences and words you had prepared on the way over blurring together all in a rush to get out of your head and into his, âI do. There was no one looking at you at Jennyâs party. I kissed you because I wanted to. Because I wanted it. I hate sports. Really, ask Soonyoung, but I went and watched your game and had fun because you asked me to and because I donât have the capacity to actually say no to your face. I thought I hated that smirk you do, but really I just hate how flustered it makes me feel. And Iâm sorry that I took the whole young and stupid thing too close to heart, but,â you pull the matching necklace out from under your shirt. âIf I didnât care, would I still be wearing this? Would I be able to stand here and tell you and I havenât taken it off since we bought it? And that that date was the best date Iâve ever been on.â You let go of the necklace, inhaling sharply. âI care, Jeonghan.â Then, as if it needs to be clarified, you add, âabout you.â
You stare at him, waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
He turns around, takes two steps away from you, and then immediately plops his ass on the ground. You hear a whimper. âI thought I was going to lose you.â You approach him slowly, like a cat youâre trying like hell not to scare. You kneel down on the pavement beside him. He wipes his tears. âDonât laugh.â He cries, already sensing the one bubbling in your throat. You shake your head as a swear not to. Which you break a second after the fact, turning your head to the side, desperately trying to hide it behind your hand. âBully!â He exclaims.
âNo. No.â You say, composing yourself and turning back to him. His tears are wiped, but a pout remains on his face. You cup your hands against his cheeks. âItâs just really cute.â
âItâs embarrassing.â He huffs.
You shake your head. âI love it.â Then you kiss him. Itâs a slow and sweet kiss. You relish in it. Thereâs no rush anymore. No deadline. He isnât going anywhere. Neither are you. You have all the time in the world with him.
#k-fic collection review#ryu babbles#g:svt#gn:fluff#wc: 10 15k#mem:jeonghan#dont touch me im soft#and also sobbing
2K notes
·
View notes
Note
đŁJUSTICE FOR I DONT DANCEđŁïž
#answered#ANSNSKSISM EXACTLY!!#bet on it is cute at most. but thereâs better ones like even work it out is better so is everyday like donât play with TALENT!#thats my mfing song tho and yeah I have a dance bias but itâs still a BOP with choreography n theatrics to match!!#this video made me screammm I needed thatđ#fave
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
help ,,,,,,,,,,
#⯠ê°á starry thoughts à»ê± *·Ë#â©.ocs#⯠ê°á ffxiv à»ê± *·Ë#help. they're too cute and pretty. so... pretty... cant believe i made this unfairly mfing adorable bunny boy ://// /lh /pos#also cant believe he'll be my retainer in a few days. haha. less than 48 hours now i think. <3#not ready... anyways hi eveyone here is my male viera !!! uhm. yeah. akdnskndsks i will ramble abt ffxiv a lot i hope thats ok#his name is uhm...#idk. but big contendors are chronus and castor! to match his viera sister callisto hhhahahahahahabbsabjs the loml#he's bunny boy#on the MOON#but no not rlly i have to level him to 80 then if that was the real case <//3#ffxiv#HIS FRECKLES OH LOOOOORD#he reminds me a bit of kazuha :] mayhaps i rlly do have a type
9 notes
·
View notes
Note
MAâAM IâM SORRY TO BE BARGING INTO YOUR ASKS LIKE THIS BUT HOLY FUCK DOES âOUR SORRY LITTLE HEARTSâ HAVE A PART TWO?.?!? LAKSJDJDKKDMDLDMKD IVE BEEN MAKING MY WAY THROUGH YOUR M. LIST AND FUCK.. ALL OF IT!! ITS BEAUTIFUL. AMAZING. UNIQUE. DEFINITELY HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. AND WOWOWOWOWOW I?? AM? IN.? L*VE?.?? WITH YOU AND YOUR WRITING?.!?!? Thank you so much for sharing your works with us!! Truly <3 youâre amazing. (kajsjdjdjjxjd also i absolutely loved reading âDanteâ as well!,!) I will promptly be passing away as soon as I finish reading all your works. Theyâre just too good,,, take care!! and thank you again :) <4 (4 bc ily EXTRA)
OH HI ALSJDKFKFG i have a part two planned for it!! i just haven't gotten around to finishing it yet oop but i already have the first half written down and the ending planned out.
AND WAIT WHEN I TELL YOU I GOT SO HAPPY AND GIDDY READING YOUR MESSAGE!! IT WAS SUCH A GOOD SURPRISE đ„ș i'm really glad you enjoyed my writing!! it makes me feel all nice and warm to know it made your day a lil better c:
also YOU'RE AN AMAZING HUMAN BEAN!! I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY AND THAT U FIND MORE FICS THAT ARE *chef's kiss* YOU ABSOLUTE SWEETHEART YOU
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
im so sorry for whoever actually reads through the tags i put on stuff bc like 99% of the time its me rambling and its longer than the post itself
#yall r da real ones bro#one of these days im gonna write an entire mfing novel#in da tags#i just#reblog some cute taurian ship art#one of u looks at the tags#and see an entire fanfiction#that WILL be crossposted to ao3#not wattpad wattpad sucks ASS#and i WILL go on a tangent abt that#but im already doing what this post was abt so uhhh#thats a rant for another posts tags
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
i think about this video of young robbo saying stevie is his idol often
68 notes
·
View notes
Text
đĄđšđ° đđĄđđČ đđźđđ€ - đđ. đąđ§đđ«đąđłđđ€đą
tags: afab! reader, degradation, praise, daddy kink, hair pulling, slight public sex, size kink, mentions of nudes + fucking in front of a mirror
# bro i literally came while writing the suna one hes so hot đđ
# atsumu miya
⥠bro hes so cocky
⥠will say âuh huh?â or âyeah?â almost every time you moan
⥠heâs so needy though â heâd shove his whole mfing cock in your poor pussy right away if he could
⥠heâd fuck you anywhere and anytime you wanted
⥠man sometimes pulls you aside at parties when you look fine as fuck just to make you squirt all over him
⥠absolutely in love when you try to stop yourself from being so loud but you canât help it his dick is just too big :(
+ âcome onâ atsumu grumbled while grabbing your wrist, dragging you desperately through the sea of people. he pulled you into a small laundry room and pushed you up against a washing machine. your arms rested on the top of the machine, your hips innocently grinding on his hard cock â although, it wasnât quite as innocent as you had led to believe. âwhatâs up âtsumu?â you questioned, acting clueless. he let out a sharp laugh. âfuck babygirl you know,â his hand wandered down the curve of your ass, âi gotta fuck this pussy right nowâ you smiled and your eyes look up at him pleading through your eyelashes. âyes please daddyâ you bite your lip as your hands pull up your short dress, your bare pussy out. he chuckled breathily at the given pet name and unzipped his jeans. âfucking whoreâ
# suna rintaro
⥠OK EVERYONE THINKS HEâS LAZY BUT I THINK HE ACTUALLY REALLY LOVES MAKING YOU FEEL GOOD
⥠< nudes 3 he will send you a video of him moaning your name like almost every day
⥠secretly horny as fuck and will fuck you literally whenever he wants
⥠HAIR PULLINGGGG omg it doesnt matter the length, he will pull it no matter what
⥠doggy is his fav because he can pull your hair and hold your arms back
⥠fucking you in front of the mirror is his fav thing ever because he likes making you watch yourself cum
+ âr-rin- feels so goodâ you cried, hardly able to hold yourself up from the intensity of sunaâs thrusts. âyeah? youâre taking my cock so well arent you?â his fingers laced themselves through your hair before pulling you up harshly so he could whisper in your ear, âyouâre such a pretty slut for meâ your eyes rolled back, hand going straight for your throbbing clit but he slapped your hand away. he let go of your hair to grab your wrists instead. the position change was deeper than before, a strained moan falling from your lips. âr-rin fuckâ you sobbed. he laughed meanly but it was interrupted by a pool of pleasure forming in his stomach. he threw his head back, your fluttering cunt eliciting a low groan. âgod you got me fucked up babyâ
# osamu miya
⥠his fav position absolutely loves cowgirl
⥠he likes when you ride him its so cute seeing you struggle to fuck yourself on him
⥠he also rly likes missionary. heâs not vanilla he just likes to see your face twist in pleasure when he puts it in
⥠he likes seeing how much you love getting stretched out by his cock, even if you dont say it
⥠although its not like you could, you already get so fucked out from how big he is
+ âs-samu pleaseâ you squealed, crossing you legs in pleasure. his eyes watched your eyelashes flutter and your pretty mouth fall open. âthats it pretty baby,â he bit his lip, tensing up, âso gorgeous like thatâ he could honestly cum right there and then from just praising you. his thumbed at your poor clit which in turn made you grip his forearm and digging your fingernails into his skin. âs-samu donât i- please youâre g-gonna make me cumâ you sobbed. your back arched to the sound of him moaning loudly at your cunt clenching around him. âcome on lovely, cum all over me. youâre doing so good all for meâ
© 2022 sunaslvt. please do not plagiarise, repost or translate any of my works and layouts and do copy onto any other sites.
#haikyuu#haikyuu smut#hq#hq smut#haikyuu x reader#hq x reader#atsumu#atsumu miya#miya atsumu#atsumu smut#atsumu x reader smut#atsumu x reader#osamu#osamu miya#miya osamu#osamu x reader smut#osamu smut#osamu x reader#suna#suna rintaro#suna x reader#suna x reader smut#suna smut#suna rintaro smut#suna x you#osamu miya smut#miya osamu smut#atsumu miya smut#miya atsumu smut#osamu x you
4K notes
·
View notes
Text
office au sukuna probably texts dry af,, he's the type to use đ when you tell him to use an emoji to sound a bit friendlier
Sukuna: k Y/N: ur texts be dryer than the mfing desert đ try to use some emojis at least Sukuna:đ
ââïž
would also use that cursed ass moon emoji in the weirdest ways, bc he knows it perturbs her Sukuna: lets go on a date today đ Sukuna: where are you đ Y/N: stop
has no idea what the hidden meaning behind certain emojis (or at least, he claims he doesnt) and so: Sukuna: youre so funny đ€Ą Y/N: đ
after she sends him a bunch of funny videos/memes or whatever, he just replies with âlolâ and it drives her crazy
anyway he has zero texting etiquette but some of his antics are kinda cute and funny // also its bc hes always with her almost 24/7 anyway and prefers her to show him things/talk to him face to face so maybe thats why
#lullaby for the past#sukuna#ryomen sukuna#sukuna x reader#sukuna x y/n#idk what this is lmao#just suddenly thought of it
366 notes
·
View notes