#They’re always so full of life and love

[ivyues]

Anxious Introductions: Stray Kids’ reactions to their S/O being nervous to meet the members

Bang Chan

Chris had been trying to bring up the subject of you meeting his members for weeks, but you always seemed to shy away whenever he mentioned it.

"Hey, they’re just as nervous to meet you as you are to meet them," he says softly.

You nod, taking a deep breath. "I just know how much they mean to you, and I want it to go well."

His smile grows warm, and he leans in to hug you. "You mean so much to me too. They’ll see how amazing you are."

The day you finally meet them, he keeps an arm around your waist, introducing you like it’s the proudest moment of his life. The members greet you with wide smiles, Chris whispering, "See? Told you they'd love you."

Lee Know

As you fix your hair nervously for the third time, your boyfriend smirks from his spot on the couch. "You’re this anxious to meet them? I should be offended" he teases, his tone light. "You're going to be fine. You already survived Han Jisung."

What you don’t know is that Lee Know had already had a talk with the other members earlier. He had casually, but firmly, told them, Don’t scare her off. It wasn’t a full-on threat, but the members knew better than to push their luck.

When you walked into the dorm, you’re surprised by how calm everyone seems. They greet you warmly, none of the overwhelming antics Han had warned you about.

"See? Nothing to worry about," Lee Know whispers smugly, his shoulder warm against yours. Though, over the course of your next visits, the true nature of their antics slowly revealed itself to you.

Changbin

Changbin glances over at you in the car and notices you biting your nails, a telltale sign of your nerves. He doesn’t say anything at first, just reaches over to gently take your hand away from your mouth.

"Hey, don’t do that," he says softly, intertwining your fingers with his. "You’re way too amazing to be this nervous."

You give him a small, shy smile, but he’s not done. "Seriously, you’re smart, funny, beautiful, and my mom likes you already – and she hasn’t even met you. The members don’t stand a chance; they’re going to love you."

When you arrive at the dorm, he keeps his hand on the small of your back as he opens the door.

"Guys!" he calls dramatically, a wide grin on his face. "Meet my amazing girlfriend!"

The sudden loud introduction makes you shrink back slightly, your cheeks flushing as you glance at the group of curious but welcoming faces looking your way.

Hyunjin

As you nervously bite your lip, your mind races about what to expect from meeting Hyunjin's members. The more you think about it, the more anxious you become. Hyunjin notices, his eyes softening. He gently takes your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey, it's okay," he says in a soothing voice, guiding you toward the door. "They’re really excited to meet you, and they’re not as scary as you think." He smiles, his voice low and comforting.

You glance at him, managing a nervous smile. "I just don’t want to make a bad first impression," you admit softly.

He squeezes your hand again. "You’re going to be fine," he reassures you. "Just be yourself."

When you walk inside, the members greet you enthusiastically, but the nervous energy is still radiating off of you. Hyunjin stands close to you, subtly nudges you and, with a playful glint in his eye, whispers, “See? They’re just like me – except a little louder.”

Throughout the evening, he stays by your side, always checking in to make sure you're okay. As the members warm up to you, you start to feel more comfortable, smiling at their funny tendencies.

Han

Han’s excitement is contagious. He’s practically dragging you towards the dorm, rambling about how cool his members are and how cool you are.

"They’re going to love you!"

When you hesitate at the door, he grins mischievously. "Honestly, I’ve already told them everything about you. They probably know you better than I do at this point."

When you give him an awkward smile, he grins. "That means they are propably going to tease me, not you."

The moment you walk in, the members indeed start to playfully tease him. "Finally, we meet the famous girlfriend Han won’t shut up about!" Hyunjin laughs.

You find yourself laughing, making your nerves disappear, as Han dramatically protests, "I didn’t talk that much… okay, maybe I did. But you would too if you had an girlfriend that amazing!"

Felix

Felix notices the way you’re nervously smoothing out your clothes. He gives you a warm hug, his voice soft and soothing. "I know you’re nervous, but you don’t have to be. You’re everything to me, and they’ll see that too."

You glance at him, biting your lip. "I just... I know they’re protective of you, and I get it. You’re so kind, and I don’t want them to get the wrong impression."

He gives you a warm smile. "They’ll love you. How could they not? But if it helps, just focus on me, okay?"

When the door opens and the members’ boisterous voices echo through the hallway, you freeze slightly, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Felix squeezes your hand reassuringly and gently tugs you forward.

"Guys, this is my girlfriend," he says with quiet pride, his voice cutting through the chatter.

Despite your nerves, the members’ smiles and welcoming energy slowly ease the tension. Felix stays close, occasionally brushing your hand with his or sneaking you a small grin.

Seungmin

Seungmin doesn’t say much about your nerves but quietly prepares for it. On the way, he shares a bunch of embarrassing stories about the members to make you laugh.

"Just remember – they’re the weird ones, not you," he says with a small smirk.

When you meet the members, his calm presence feels grounding, like an anchor amidst the unfamiliar chaos. The members immediately start asking you questions and trying to make conversation – partly because they’re genuinely curious about you and partly to tease Seungmin.

He’s surprisingly talkative, steering the conversation to keep things flowing smoothly. Every now and then, he looks over at you with a reassuring smile, silently letting you know he’s there for you. You find yourself relaxing, thanks to his steady presence and subtle encouragement.

I.N

I.N notices your silence as you both approach the dorm, your hands nervously clasped together. He gives your hand a squeeze and flashes you a boyish grin.

"Don’t worry, they’re just a bunch of big kids – except for me, obviously," he says with a teasing tone.

You glance at him, raising an eyebrow. "You being their baby doesn’t help. If anything, it makes it worse."

He laughs, the sound light and teasing. "Okay, fair. But if I’m their baby, that just means it's a bigger thing that I'm bringing you over. You? You’ll be safe."

He grabs your hand and confidently introduces you, showering you with compliments in front of the members. "See? My girlfriend is amazing!" You can’t help but smile at his infectious energy.

masterlist

[cryinggirlnamedhelen]

itoshi rin was the best striker in the world.

he won the u20 world cup and actual world cup, winning both the golden boot and golden ball at least once, he played for the prestigious paris pxg, and he had the highest income of every soccer player in the world. at age 24, itoshi rin was truly the pinnacle of soccer players. he was romanticized, and soccer critics always had high expectations for him, no matter how detrimental it was to his health or reputation or even his own wants.

meanwhile, you didn’t have much—if any—soccer experience or knowledge at all despite growing up with the itoshi brothers and literally being the itoshi rin’s girlfriend. despite that, you would sometimes play against rin just for the fun of it, expecting to lose miserably, but that’s never the case.

rin is always the one losing dreadfully, not you.

it’s not like he doesn’t try against you or purposely allow you to win. no, in fact, rin tries as hard as he possibly can to win against you, knowing that he’ll get showered in praises and ego inflations from you if he does. but when he sees your slightly flushed pink cheeks and your eyebrows knitted together from how “locked in” (that’s always what you say) you are, rin’s legs feel like jelly.

rin’s feet aren’t kicking the ball, instead, they’re planted onto the ground right in front of you. and when he does play, his balance is terrible because no matter how hard he stares on the ball, his eyes always wander back to you.

whether it’s in a stadium full of tens of thousands or a small soccer field in the park, rin only sees you.

a few years later, at 26, you’re standing at the aisle with that long white dress and a bouquet of flowers, rin kisses you. but afterwards, his forehead is placed against yours. “i’ve never won against you. whether it was in academics or confessing first or saying ‘i love you’ first or asking about kids first or even in soccer, i’ve never won against you.”

your hands found their way to rin’s cheeks. and in that moment, it was as if there was no officiant standing next to the both of you, there were no crying family members frantically taking photos of the both of you on either side, there were none of rin’s crazy loud friends cheering, and there was no sae with a small yet soft smile and eyes full of pride sitting near rin.

it was only you and him.

“we’re just getting started with our lives. we have so many more opportunities for you to be first, rin. we’re only in our 20s, after all.” you brushed your lips against his. rin’s eyes wandered to yours, and a surge of warmth bloomed in his chest.

“will you stay with me until i meet you again in my next life?” rin whispered, doing the same to you and placing his hands on your cheeks. you smiled at him, tears finally beginning to sting your eyes.

“of course, rin. i love you, and i’ll be joining you no matter which life we’re in.”

to the rest of the world, rin was the world’s best striker. the man with high expectations. the man with enough potential to last decades after his retirement in the future. the man who will impact the future of soccer history. the pinnacle of soccer, skill, and fame.

and yet rin could never even defeat his own wife in a one-on-one soccer match.

but itoshi rin really wouldn’t want it any other way.

—————

a/n: was rewatching hxh and then realized that rin and meruem shared the same va. and welllll look at where we are now.

[ma1dita]

not your goddess

a 'partners in crime' installment - luke castellan x dionysus!reader words: 8k holy shit this is the longest fic for this series so far summary: (established relationship (uhhhh, well…)) The one where you both know the best of days eventually have to come to an end. Change in perspective is always good, but it makes you and Luke see your futures quite differently—you wonder if you’ll be together in it at all. (Luke Castellan x fem!Dionysus!reader) a/n: mmmyeah this is a songfic - goddess by laufey. references to waiting for godot by samuel beckett if you squint

—

[ it always goes like this, could've predicted it || i'm so naïve to think you loved me for me, kissed as I ran off stage || you're too old to play this game, guess you're still growing up at thirty nineteen]

Once you open yourself up to someone and bare your soul to them in honesty, they get a choice whether they want to be with you or not. It’s as simple and as convoluted as that. Normal humans are complex as it is—but to be a demigod must mean to endure all of that and then some. Luke has been especially hard to reach lately, and trying to understand him feels like grappling wisps of smoke. You let him build his whole life around you without either of you realizing and suddenly the walls feel like they’re closing in. Though maybe he always knew that—Luke Castellan is always intentional, and always full of surprises. 

“We should run away from here.”

His voice breaks through the crunching of dead leaves underfoot on your trek to the stables. It’s hard to tell if he’s joking, even harder to decipher when your eyes meet in the dim light hanging above the Dutch doors that you walk through. 

The two of you move as if partners in an orchestrated dance, the steps routine and not needing instruction; you fill up the water troughs and he steps around you to grab the bag of feed while his other hand grazes your waist, beckoning you to the next task. Most days are like this now, plotted out perfectly from sunrise to sunset. 

To be content means that most of it is predictable, and some might call it boring, but it comes with the inner satisfaction that what the both of you share is only yours. 

It’s peaceful.

Neither of you has ever really had that—and in your own way, both of you want to hold onto it for as long as you have it. Like how comets are always predictable; the knowing doesn’t make them any less beautiful.

“Let’s go now then,” you chuckle lightly, not looking at him as you shut off the hose. Bowie, your pegasus, brays in thanks as he dunks his muzzle into the trough, splashing water at your ankles. The water is frigid, a chill crawling up your spine and when you look up, Luke’s already staring at you solemnly, almost blending in with the shadows that drape over the barn. He stands there leaning against the wooden fence with his sharp, stone-faced features carved out by moonlight.

“Baby?” 

Eyebrows furrowing, you take a step towards him and he’s eerily still, holding a hand out for you. His fingers don’t shake once you intertwine them with your own and he’s so sure of himself that his resolve is like a suit of armor. What a funny thought—him needing protection from you of all people, the girl he lays bare with most nights and who knows him at his most vulnerable. 

“What do you think? Do I look like I’m joking?”

Luke’s words creak like metal hinges—coming off abrasive at the sight of your resistant expression. Truthfully, he hates it when you look at him like this—like there’s something wrong about him that you’re convinced you can fix. You don’t do it on purpose, but he’d like to think that you don’t think of him as one of your little DIY projects. This is different, calculated—his plans for the both of you will map out the rest of your future.

“Are…are you planning to leave?”

Though you hate to make the comparison, he’s a lot like his father: a one-track mind with only him knowing what’s coming next. Luke just expects everyone else to keep up, and you’re left feeling like someone’s pulled the rug out from under you as he holds onto your wrists firmly in the dim light. He’s nervous, even if he doesn’t show it. You can still tell by the way his voice cracks, a melancholy sound like he’s pleading for you to understand a hidden meaning you must’ve missed in the past few months of bliss.

 “We are,” he corrects, before his voice begins to falter, “I mean we can. We…we should,” he says tentatively, and your arms jerk forward with the motion as you stumble into his grasp, “Think of it, babe. We could get out of here and do something great. Make a life for ourselves.”

You squint.

He’s not even asking, and that makes it worse, you think—it’s like he’s already got one foot out the door. You’re not sure if he even considered you possibly saying no.

Are you?

Entertaining frivolous conversations that your boyfriend has with you before bed is one thing—but acting on them? The truth is that you’ve never afforded yourself a future outside of the reality that you have now. You never thought you’d have this after everything—running across the country to find your father and make this family in nowhere New York. It wasn’t a possibility that your 14-year-old self would’ve ever dreamed of. 

But then it happened, and you count your lucky stars that it led you to Luke. This is your home; you built it from the ground up with him the day you both stepped into your roles and washed your hands of stupid pranks. And maybe what you’ve always dreamt of is something you already have now.

Is that a crime? To like your reality better because it’s tangible—not everyone needs to be the main character in a sweeping saga. You do have a life, and you’d like to say it’s pretty alright, all things considered.

“Luke,” you swallow, face scrunching up in the way it does when he knows you’re about to say no, “I mean what about our responsibilities? What about…”

It was cute back when you were fourteen, but he now finds that he hates the way your nose scrunches up when you disagree with something, and it always makes him feel stupid for even asking in the first place. Luke steps away, dropping your hands as he sighs gruffly, “That’s a shit excuse, you know that, babe.” Dust kicks up from under his feet and you think he looks like a child about to throw a tantrum. The pegasi whinny softly behind you, and if they could talk it would probably be something like, Oh shit. Like a flip of a switch, he’s erratic, something pent up inside of him is now uncontrolled.

“I mean what do you want me to say, Luke? You want us to leave? Just disappear and leave Annie and Grover… and my brothers? What then? We don’t have money or degrees, or anywhere to go to—”

“We could make do—I mean we’ve both done it before Trouble, and now we can be together without all this. We don’t need camp. Or the gods’ blessings, I mean what did they ever do for us?” 

He’s tired, you think—because the Luke standing in front of you right now isn’t anything like the one you know. Your Luke loves your campers as much as you do; he’s the type that gives piggyback rides and teaches the little ones how to swim in Canoe Lake. He prays at every mealtime—twice as long because you don’t see the point in it, and likes to fall asleep against your chest in the twinkly lights of cabin 12.

The Luke you know would never want to run away from the home you’ve both created for yourselves. Not without a proper plan. Luke always says that he loves making plans just as much as he loves you, which must mean a lot.

You already have what you want, for now. That’s the contingency of it—for now. You just don’t see it getting better than this; finding camp meant finding yourself, and that’s what your mother always wanted for you. Having a real shot of being a family, even if your dad drives you nuts, and the twins like to fill the bathtub with root beer, and Annie constantly demanding she prove that she knows the first 500 digits of pi comes with the path you chose. 

Family—it’s what you were promised.

“We’re not ready, Luke. I mean… the real world out there is a lot worse than getting a C in archery or avoiding bathroom duty. We’ve still got some growing up to do—what’s the rush?”

He’s testy now—jaw swinging the crick in his neck and he does this when he’s about to say something mean, like the words have to fight their way out of his mouth, “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

Luke watches you look cluelessly at him like nothing he’s saying is making sense and it’s so frustrating that it makes his head hurt. What happened to you—his free-spirited girl who would follow wherever he leads? You don’t know how crucial this all is—Luke needs to know…

He needs to know if you’ll still follow him wherever he goes, even if it’s away from everything you have here.

But maybe you both imagined growing old together quite differently then.

“You’re making it sound like I’m in over my head about this when I know you don’t like it here. Listen to what I’m trying to tell you,” he bristles, hand leaning over the wooden beam above your head, “This place is getting old. We’re getting old. I want everything with you. Can’t you see that?” It feels like he’s caging you in, and he makes it sound so simple that it makes you laugh.

“Of course I do. All I’m saying is we should think this through more. I mean…We’re demigods. I’m not saying we can’t handle it and I’m not saying no, but—”, you barely finish the sentence before Luke interrupts you again. 

The difficulty with Luke is that when he wants something, he wants it with his entire being. And he never goes down without a fight—even when its with you.

“But you’re not saying yes. Then what are you saying? That you wouldn’t be happy with me?”

Rolling your eyes, you swing yourself out from under his arm and start taking off your apron because clearly, work is not on the agenda tonight. You fling it onto the hook before spinning around to look at him.

“Stop putting words in my mouth. I am happy with you. Here. Where it’s safe. Where we have beds to sleep in and food to eat and the only real reason I have to look over my shoulder is to see if my dad’s bribing your siblings to sneak him alcohol,” you say half-jokingly, and it so badly misses the mark as you see his brows furrow deeper into his forehead. 

“Give me a break,” he seethes, your name rolling out of his lips like acid and he has more to say but doesn’t know if he should. But he’s already started something and you’re just waiting for him to finish it. He has a habit of doing this, rolling the words around in his mouth for dramatic effect. 

This is gonna hurt.

“Oh just spit it out, Luke. Don’t whine like a baby.”

“Your dad? He’s a fucking joke. Can’t stand him half the time and I don’t know how you do,” he starts, pacing around you like a boxer in a ring. You stand still as a statue, eyes lit and tracking him in the dark as he continues, “You know I’m right. He’s just keeping you busy because now that he has you, he wants to control you. And you don’t even get a pat on the back.”

“You do not wanna go there, I can promise you that.”

“Well, I am. Because I’m tired of watching you waste your potential. You used to be so…exciting,” His arms swing around him like feathered wings and Luke shakes his head, turning away from you to look at the moon, “I need you to care about our future too, okay? Cut the shit and be a real fucking person for once and not whatever this little puppet show you put on for your dad is because it drives me crazy sometimes. All the time. I’m losing it, Trouble. Can’t you tell?”

It feels like a blow to the chest and you take a deep breath to placate your feelings in case they’re tampering with his—and you find that the anger is all his own. Your words shoot out like a lit cannon in rebuttal, “This drives you crazy? I didn’t know it was so hard on you, Luke. Poor you, picking up after me when you literally offer to help,” you scoff, stomping over to get him to look at you since he’s so intent on having this conversation, “Do you think you get granted immortality for checking off campers on your attendance log?” He can’t have thought it would be that easy, can’t have imagined you wouldn’t get defensive when things don’t go your way. Because it’s been like that for a while now, and Luke’s been falling off pace with life here. He’s not the all-star golden boy he used to be. Deep down, you know that too; he only likes it here because you do. They say with anything the first year is the hardest—and although he wouldn’t change a thing with your relationship, this took work. Loving you was supposed to be his reward, and it’s as if he doesn’t know you anymore. 

He’s not sure he knows himself that well anymore either.

“Of course not! That’s exactly what I’m saying—all of this won’t help us, so why are we exhausting ourselves instead of focusing on what’s important?” He runs his hands through his hair, tugging at the curls to anchor himself to this argument. And now you just want to strike back, to be damned with the consequences. Real love is a mirror, and although it's your first big fight…sometimes it hurts to be seen better than how you see yourself, and it hurts less to inflict it upon someone else instead of admitting that it hurts you.

“Oh so I’m exhausting to be with, is that it?”

He rips his apron off and tosses it at you, “Yes. Is that what you want me to say? You want a bad guy, you’ll get one. I don’t know what to—” His anger has always brewed like a storm—quiet and rumbling under the surface until he’s ready to strike. It comes down all at once and you’re covered in it with no way out but through. You bat the fabric to the ground angrily.

“You wanna repeat that?”

He laughs, a mocking, snarling sound, “You know what, it makes sense now—you’re just like your father. It all tracks!”

Your jaw tightens, pushing through by giving him another chance, testing him. Daring him.

“You wanna say that again?”

The wind picks up at his feet as he spins around you so fast it almost gives you whiplash, “Don’t give me that bullshit.” He’s tired and angry, but you’ve never seen this other side of him before—this ferocity that was unleashed at the idea of you wanting something he might not. Maybe you both are too similar then, too stubborn to give in until someone breaks.

“Don’t talk to me like that, Castellan. I’m warning you. Just because your dad hates you doesn’t mean that mine does.”

He laughs. 

Luke laughs like you’ve just told him you’ve put Chiron in another dress and that pigs can fly but then he looks at you… He looks at you with his chestnut brown eyes and they’re just empty, boring deep into your soul.

“What happened to you?”

It’s a weird feeling, to know someone so well that you can see the other side of them they can’t see for themselves. You haven’t got a single clue.

“I grew up. You were there, Luke. You helped me do it. I wanted to be just like you—the role model, the one that people like, and what, now that I'm not just some crazy idea in your head you’re bored?” 

Your voice cracks and so does a piece of Luke’s heart. You’re too tenderhearted, too good for him, and everything about you sends shockwaves through his being. This is what he told Kronos—even if you had it in you to force the gods to kneel and listen, would you be able to make the jump? Luke blinks, tuning back into your words.

“I mean you’re not even asking. It seems like you’ve made your decision for us. What does that mean to you? Us?”

“I’m sorry,” he mutters, clearing his throat. His apology feels heavier than it should, and you can’t figure out why. He won’t let you find out if he even means it. 

“No, you’re not. You don’t even know what you’re sorry for, and now as soon as we’re happy, you get bored. You wanna talk about fathers, you’re just like yours too. Happy?” 

The words come out almost explosive, a shot in the dark and you didn’t think you’d say it, but you did. Thoughtless, without care, until it sinks into him like a sharp blade. Luke’s face hardens and you’re not sure how long he’s been standing so far away.

“Are we?”

It’s almost lights out and you’re still here arguing with Luke, so today was not as predictable as you thought it would be. Unease grips you by the scrap of your neck like a merciless kitten, holding on for dear life. This isn’t a feeling you should associate with the love of your life.

“What did you say?”

“Like you said, we’re demigods,” he says whispering your name, “what do we do now that we’re happy? That usually means something worse is coming up ahead.” Luke scoffs, half in disbelief at his own realization, the other half in defeat, “We’re meant for more than just being happy—that…this isn’t enough. We’re meant for glory, not shoveling pegasi shit and taking care of children instead of planning for a future with our own. This shouldn’t be the end of us.”

Your lip quivers, tongue in cheek and you need to touch something, hold someone, to remind yourself that this is happening. But you don’t reach out to him because if you get too close he’ll see the tears in your eyes. Grabbing the dandy brush, you trudge over to Bowie and rake it through his hair, mumbling, “I’m happy. I’ve got you,” you swallow, turning to Luke, “I love you.”

He’s already in the doorway, swinging the bottom panel closed with his hip as he looks over his shoulder, frowning.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Bowie brays next to you and it sounds like someone blowing a raspberry when they’re tired of a situation—maybe you are going crazy and they do understand—but one thing you do know is that you can’t understand Luke right now. 

The truth is that love is a bunch of horseshit, really.

[ oh, were you surprised by me when you took me home? || When the glamour wore off, reduced to skin and bone || i can't even tell who you want to know || i'm a goddess on stage, human when we're alone]

Your knees hit the dirt again, falling forward onto your hands as you dry heave. In the blink of an eye, you feel Maimer resting against the apex of your neck.

“Yield.”

Clarisse La Rue has barely broken a sweat during this spar, and yet here you are at her feet feeling like today’s breakfast will make a reappearance on the arena floor. The younger girl rolls her eyes as she pulls you up by the leather strap of your chest plate, sighing at the unnatural pallor of your skin as she flops onto a bench with your dead weight following suit as your knees buckle.

“You know, I knew you said you were bad at this, but are you even trying?” she scoffs, throwing a water bottle at you that you fumble in your hands. Winning never feels as good when the other person isn’t putting up a fight. You gulp down the icy refreshment, shutting your eyes for a moment to escape the blinding sun as you mutter, “Never been a fighter unless necessary, Risse. That’s all you.”

“Alright, enough of this.”

Your eyes wrench open as you lean back on your forearms to look at the daughter of Ares. At thirteen, she’s a force of nature on her own and unlike anyone else at camp, Clarisse would never mince her words for the sake of others’ feelings. You needed someone to tell it to you straight.

“You know everyone can tell when you and Luke fight, right? I mean it rarely happens but when it does it always feels like the world is out of balance until you both fix it.”

You groan, throwing your arm over your face and unintentionally hiding from her. That couldn’t be true—the world does not revolve around whether or not a daughter of Dionysus and a son of Hermes had their shit together.

But Camp Half-Blood does.

“You’re lying, La Rue. It’s really not that deep.”

And then she looks at you like you’re stupid, which might be her customary expression for anyone else but to you—well, she at least respects you. For now, unless you keep whining like a badly written love interest.

“Gods, woman. You were so much cooler back then, what the hell happened to you?”

“Clarisse, it isn’t that easy—-” you grumble, putting your face in your hands as you stare at the dirt. Of course, you know that everyone knows, secrets run through Camp Half-Blood like running water. It slips through your fingers easily, soaking through the ground until everyone’s stuck in the mud. Your boots sink slightly into the softening earth and Clarisse realizes you’re crying before you do. 

Why the fuck are you crying? 

It was a stupid argument and it probably doesn’t mean anything but for once, you don’t know what to do. It feels stupid that your body decided to cry before your brain could come to the conclusion. This all feels so stupid.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to make you cry, weirdo,” she mumbles, unsure of what to do with a crying head counselor. Her calloused hands rub small circles into your back, and she can’t help but think you need more girlfriends your age. Scooting closer to you, she says, “What I meant was that you were way cooler when you didn’t give a shit about what people think about you, much less Luke Castellan. You’re starting to sound like you’re from 10, and I swear Sil is the only tolerable person from that cabin. Stop crying, please…”

You sniff, “Ugh… This is so dumb. Just lost myself for a second.” The statement rings true, and it bothers you more than you thought it would. There is so much more to you than playing the part of the agreeable girlfriend, the caretaker, the perfect daughter, that if you stared at yourself in the mirror you might not recognize who’s staring back. So many parts to play, and so little of you left.

“I guess, what I’m trying to say is,” Clarisse sighs, “and I’m no good at this feelings shit, but I think you need to remember that you’re allowed to be someone without him…without all of this. And you owe it to yourself to find out who that is.” You look up at her with watery eyes, tucking hair behind your ear as if it’ll help you absorb her words better. 

You can’t believe you’re getting sound advice from a thirteen-year-old, much less a child of Ares on matters of love. 

“It’s nice to be needed,” you mumble, “my greatest honor, I think. But it might also be my downfall.” 

Clarisse smiles crookedly like she’s watching you through a fresh set of eyes. There’ll be no words of this conversation once you leave the arena—the both of you have a friendship unlike most girls here at camp. Never touchy-feely, typical girl talk, but always what you need to hear. 

“How terrifyingly human of you. Yuck.”

“I can’t go on like this,” you groan, slumping further into your folded-over position and she sighs, going to take a sip from her water bottle before squeezing your shoulder.

“That’s what you think.”

[ you took a star to bed, woke up with me instеad || you must have felt so damn decеived when you made up a version of me that you thought you loved || but I am not your Aphrodite ]

When you were fifteen years old and he was just a month shy of it, you had somehow convinced Luke Castellan to run away from camp with you. 

This was back then. Just for a day—just for the tiniest taste of freedom. 

Luke had been at camp for almost a year, and Rye Playland sounded so much cooler than food service with the nymphs—which is one of the few things he would agree with you on. The both of you had kitchen duty for two weeks after getting caught attacking each other during Capture the Flag despite being on the same team, and it ended up with you ripping the fabric off the stick and chucking it into the middle of Canoe Lake. He’s lucky you didn’t lunge for his head, but the game was forfeit, and cabin 6 didn’t talk to you two for weeks because you threw the game. Including Annie, which was a surprising feat in itself.

After that day, you swore to never do anything Luke made himself in charge of and Chiron swore you two would never be on the same team again. You could remember D’s voice that day and how it boomed through the Big House, reminiscent of his father—a crackle of fury and impalpable seriousness that had Luke shaking slack-jawed in the chairs facing the mahogany desk. He’d never been told off by a parent before, much less an Olympian.

Taking it in stride even as the god threatened to turn you both into dolphins, you mimed the conversation when your father’s back turned, copying the odd quirk in D’s brow and conjuring a mouthful of grapes for teeth. You grinned at the son of Hermes like an idiot, a singular ripe sphere shooting out to make an audible thwack against D’s red Hawaiian shirt that made Luke laugh the loudest, ugliest guffaw you’ve ever heard him let out. He choked on his spit when the god jerked his head back to face the both of you like a comic-book villain.

Honestly, he might’ve peed himself a little. Just a tiny bit.

And the god of insanity himself was at his wits’ end—which is rare for him, very few things can get him to that point. Even less so with people. Pathetic, puny, little people he can drive to madness and violent death. 

But not his baby girl—you know every last nerve to step on, a lot like your mother sure, but still all him in every way it mattered. He loved it, even when he was mad at you like this. He just wasn’t good at showing it, and you knew that to some extent. Plus, you can’t take a man in a Hawaiian shirt seriously, much less a god.

So you and your self-proclaimed archnemesis (frenemy, Luke insists) find yourselves running down Farm Road before first light, leaving nothing but a trail of dust behind you as you rush to catch the LIRR at a stop two towns over.

It was a small amusement park filled with different money-grabbing oddities, tooth-rotting confections, and rickety, squeaking rides that the conductors could fold into suitcases at the end of the day.

Sketchy, but so much fun. You made Luke go on all the kiddie rides with you and screamed your head off like a lunatic; he apologized to the parents of a toddler and said you had too much sugar—but that was a lie, this was all you in your natural state. Berry chapstick, wind-tousled hair, and a smile brighter than a spotlight. And your laughter, oh, your laughter shook the walls of the funhouse even after you crashed into the fifth mirror being too busy poking fun at the wonder in Luke’s eyes because it was the first time he’s genuinely done something for fun and not out of necessity. It was nice, and so were you, for once.

It was the first time you’d let your guard down for him, he thinks back—watching you toss a ball so badly off target from milk bottles set across the booth. You twisted in his grasp (he doesn’t remember getting so close, Luke still swears he was trying to help you aim) pouting at him with those pretty plum eyes and he sighed so deeply you smelled the cotton candy on his breath. For a moment you wondered if he tasted like it too—and then the worker asked if you’ll be trying again and you went, “Hmm? Maybe he’d be better at it!”

Luke rigged the shot with the snap of his finger, all the milk bottles falling to the ground with a crash and he swore on his life he’d sell out every single one of these stupid games if it gets you to bite your lip at him like that again.

There isn’t a single hint of regret that passed that entire day—you were already in trouble, so you both figured that you might as well enjoy it. By late afternoon, your legs felt like jelly and it felt less like you dragging him around the fairgrounds and more like holding onto him for support (because there’d be no other reason you’d want to hold his hand, your stomach just felt funny…that’s all!) Luke was wolfing down a funnel cake, the powdered sugar dust getting all over his shirt and he looked up to see you staring at him with a shit-eating grin.

Hand pointed in the air, Luke simply shakes his head.

“Fuck no.”

But you always had a way of convincing him to do things (Luke is a sucker susceptible to double dog dares) and the both of you are surprised he let you because sooner rather than later, you’re sat knee to knee in a tiny, screeching Ferris wheel cart that inched 100 feet into the sky. The white paint was peeling at his fingertips and the air was warm—Luke tried to focus on that instead of the fact that he was in a metal death chamber in the sky.

“Never imagined a son of Hermes would be scared of heights,” you grinned, nudging him with your foot. You’ve folded into yourself, hugging your knees as you looked at him and he thought that he might be having a heart attack at the ripe age of fourteen and three-quarters. But the pink and purple rays of the waning sun framed you so nicely that he wished he brought a camera—he had the silly photobooth strips from earlier tucked into his pocket, but you looking like that; Luke had etched it into his memory for safekeeping. Not only was he able to breathe a bit easier, but if there was a memory he could materialize from today—it’d be you grinning maniacally through the bars of the cart, pointing at the city in the distance. 

“We’ve finally found something you’re not good at, golden boy,” you grinned, tilting your head to the side and inspecting him like he was a sad hamster in a glass ball.

“M’not scared of heights, I'm just scared of falling,” he reasoned, looking at the rusted floor. You were making your boots dance along to the beat of the fair music, tapping along to the cyclical rhythm. He was more scared of the lack of control he had at this moment—any of the other crazy rides, Luke had stood at the tiny gate next to the conductor holding the plush avocado he won for you, watching and hearing you scream for joy as the machines flung you into the air. The ones he did go on were relatively tamer, and by the third kiddie coaster, he realized that you probably whooped for joy just to make him feel better.

You kissed him on the cheek that day, so close to his mouth (but not close enough) when the Ferris wheel ultimately screeched to a stop. A necessary distraction, you said—but you weren’t sure for who. He tasted sugar-sweet and smelled like the late summer sun. You had never kissed a boy before, unsure if you’d even know how, or if Luke would even want to if you did.

The thought passed when you realized his fingers were clenched and white-tipped onto the guardrails and you…you’re terrible, so you started rocking back and forth, giggling until he yelled at you to stop, pulling you into his lap. 

The conductor thought you two were doing something way less innocent, and you both got kicked out of Rye Playland afterward—but you got your money’s worth.

Well, you both snuck in and Luke definitely pickpocketed someone’s mom.

All in all, it was a great day.

You fell asleep on his shoulder on the way back home, the Long Island Railroad car chilly with the AC. Watching you drool, he thought he might even like traveling again if it’s for fun like this, might even hate his dad less too. Luke threw his whole dinner into the hearth that night with a bright smile on his face even after Mr. D yelled at the both of you in front of everyone at the dining pavilion. After all, the only factor in his life that’s changed in the past year, an addition, if you must— was you.

[ you took me for a fool, you stole my youth, you wanted this so much || you watched me rise then killed my light || and now you know I'm not your fucking goddess ||  oh, i'm no goddess when i'm alone ]

Work is work.

That’s what you’ve both been telling yourselves throughout an already rough week gone even worse, but trying to avoid your significant other is an especially difficult task when you work together. 

It’s the simple truth—you can’t ignore someone you have to talk to primarily because of these two factors: 1. Capture the Flag teams need to be sorted by Thursday mornings to be ready to play on Friday afternoons, and 2. it is weird for campers to see you two not interacting with each other.

Well, it’s Friday now, and you and Luke haven’t talked since that argument in the barn. 

Kind of, but the times you have didn’t count—the past few days have been both of you talking around other people; not directly to each other. Last night at dinner, Chris stared at you like one does when their parents are thinking of getting a divorce, eyes flickering between you two and his cheeseburger. Luke was sitting next to you on the bench blankly picking the tomatoes off his sandwich and you were staring glumly at your slice of pizza.

“Is there something going on between you two?”

He was one of the few brave enough to be blunt about it. You and Luke were all-consuming, like a black hole. It’s hard for others not to notice the gravitational pull, but when it’s bad…. everyone and everything gets sucked in, whether they like it or not. 

“Lee was excited to hear that your cabin is teaming up with them tomorrow. It’ll be quite interesting, all of you with 7 and 9,” you said, wiping grease off the slice with a napkin. Luke’s head jerked in your direction at your words, “Dude what—Chris! I thought I signed off on working with 6? We don’t work with Apollo for a reason,” he hissed, leaning over the table towards his brother. Chris scratched the back of his neck, knowing Luke was right. Cabin 7 isn’t that good in all matters that involve stealth—the last time they worked with them, Austin was scatting under his breath and it got them ambushed by the red team. Opening his mouth to speak, you quickly interjected, “Well it’s about time to change it up—keeps things exciting, don’t you think, Chris?”

Luke sighed, redirecting his brother’s focus to him, “What do you think, man? I just think when it comes to battle strategies we should stick to what works.” Chris swallowed, raising his hand in the air; he was grappling at the edge of a cliff just trying to hold on to either of you—he looked around to see if there was a way out of this. Next to him, Ethan averted his eyes and played with his carrot sticks.

“Funny how that works for battle strategies and not other things,” you hummed around a mouthful of pizza, “Don’t you think, Chris? I just think that you never want to be predictable in these things. It makes everything boring. Or so I’ve heard,” you munched thoughtfully, daring the son of Hermes to break eye contact with you as Luke scoffed, tossing his napkin onto his plate before standing up. He walked off without a second glance, throwing everything into the hearth—plastic tray included, and stormed off toward the cabins. The rest of the table minded their business, shoveling food into their mouths. Chris choked on a french fry.

And you smirked, satisfied at the small win. 

But now, almost a day later tramping through the sodden dirt of the North Woods in heavy body armor, you remind yourself that it is so very hard to prove a point to Luke Castellan. He finds you halfway through the game as you hold onto the red flag post, standing tall at the vantage point and looking like a stone grotesque protecting the area you’re surveying. By the time you notice, a blur of cobalt whizzes towards you—knocking out the three Ares kids standing guard around the perimeter. You gasp, raising a hand sending vines hurtling toward the air until you see him hanging upside down by the ankles, wrapped in green leaves and purple bunches of grapes. Luke’s headwear falls to the earth with a clang.

“I’m not here for the flag!”

You rush over, dropping the pole and sighing, “Luke…you scared me! I thought you were with Beck today.” The blood rushes to his head as he looks at you all out of focus. Seeing you the other way around gives him a new perspective on things—the epiphany almost makes him ache, but that might also be the pressure pooling in his forehead. You brush your thumb against his cheek before letting him down slowly, and all he does is look at you.

“We need to talk.”

“Like, actually this time?” you mumble, hugging yourself as you watch the vines unravel from his limbs and sink back into the ground. You’ve always been a good actress and Luke was the best liar around—this shared penchant for fabricating the truth used to make you one and the same.

It is more obvious now that actors and liars are wholly different; actors live in an imaginary world given to them, while liars strive to create it for themselves. There’s that saying—don’t hate the player, hate the game.

Luke finds that he’s starting to hate all of it.

“Yeah,” he mutters, “we can’t keep ignoring this, Trouble.” It takes a special kind of sadness to feel lonely even when you’re with someone. You bite the inside of your cheek, feeling your spirit sink into the ground below you, almost resigning yourself to what will happen next. All the petty backtalk, the times you’ve crawled into bed with him already pretending to be asleep— it all comes down to this. There’s this French word that Annie had taught you a few days ago when you spent extra time snuggled up in her bunk, partially to catch up with your favorite girl and partially… to waste more time before going home to him. 

Énouement—-The bittersweetness of having arrived in the future and seeing how things turn out, but not being able to tell your past self.

“Luke…” you start, watching him sheath Backbiter with a casual flick of his hand, “Would you go back if you could? Before…” Barely able to string your words together, he notices your lip quivering, “Did you like me more back then?”

“Baby…” he sighs, going to wrap his arms around you and you hold onto him in return at arm's length.

“I’m really trying…” you choke out, pressing your lips to hold in the onslaught of things you want to say. To understand? To apologize? The words die out on your tongue.

“I know. You’re always trying, Trouble. That might just be the saddest part.”

Wind whirls through your hair, pushing you against him for shelter as you gather your thoughts. In the silence of the woods, you wonder how many moments you’ve spent drawn to him like this for comfort. Luke’s always there for you, whether you like it or not. For better or worse—you wonder if there won’t be a lot of chances to hold and be held, and you can’t seem to let go.

“I didn’t change, okay? I’m still me. People don’t change, just like the gods don’t. I just don’t see us away from this,” you swallow, tracing a finger over his bicep to distract your burning eyes, “we can’t escape who we are Luke. Me and you. Isn’t that enough for now?”

He lets out a sigh and you know his answer; his shoulders sink low enough that your hold on him loosens ever so slightly. At this rate, you think it’d be easier if he’d just pull the trigger—maybe it would hurt less than this.

“I’ll change the gods’ minds and make them agree. They’ll know us, babe. The glory—”

Everything around you blurs as you hone in on your anger. This whole forest could go up in flames and you wouldn’t give a damn,”Oh FUCK glory! Just love me and that’s enough! Why can’t that be enough? Why can’t you stop running from me for once, Luke!” Your plea comes out like a wail and you push him away, feeling disgusted by what’s come of this conversation. You were never a beggar—the only thing left to do was kneel in the dirt and beg him not to break up with you. Before you can think of the irrational thought any further he shakes his head, almost growling, “How do you still not get it? It’s because I love you is why I can’t.”

“Listen, I love you too, babe. I just…don’t know if I like you right now.”

That’s not fair. He’s sacrificing the entire trajectory of his life and you can’t figure out if you like him? You don’t know the lengths he would go to, can’t fathom the obstacles he would conquer just to make sure that you and him have it all. And you’re not even trying to see it his way—to even imagine that he could make it possible.

Things couldn’t stay the same forever, that you could both agree on.

“You’re all talk, you know that, Trouble? You’re just mad that I want this life more than you. And you know I’d actually do what I need to do to get it. Would you?” he nudges you roughly, “Talk to me! This is your time to get it all out of your system. Say that I wouldn’t do anything for you. You know I would.” Fat tears are rolling down your cheeks; he hates watching you cry. It’s the whole reason he signed away his soul—he wants the world you live in to be a place where gods bow down to you and dry your tears, not cause them. Luke would topple Olympus in an instant if it meant you wouldn’t look at him like he’s a lost cause.

“That’s not fair, you haven’t even answered a single question I’ve asked you. It’s like you’re not even listening to me, Lu—”

“Not fair?”

Groaning, you turn away from him. The flag post you dropped earlier is long gone now—the game is still on and the world keeps spinning whether you like it or not. But you’re disinterested in all that now.

“Do you even hear yourself? To you, I’m still the girl on the Ferris wheel,” you sniff, wiping your nose with your sleeve. His hands squeeze your shoulders, begging, pleading for you to understand, “Is that a bad thing? You tell me you haven’t changed—I’m protecting her because you won’t. I’m getting her the hell out of here because I know she deserves more than this. Look around you,” he whispers your name against your neck, “We could forget all of this.” 

But that’s just not who you are. Your shoulders tremble as you hold them up under the pressure. Sure you could see what he’s saying—there isn’t a single future you can imagine without Luke in it. The house, the kids…but more than that you just want to belong somewhere. And Camp Half-Blood is where you belong. With him. 

“I don’t want everything, Luke. I just want you. And if you don’t want this, I need you to tell me now. Because I’m tired,” you warble, digging your nails into your palms, “ and I’m sick of this game. I feel like neither of us are winning.” You take a step back to look at him—sunlight filtering through his hair, eyes wistful and contemplative.

“Maybe we should take a break.”

And there it is. He’s already made his decision, whether he admits it or not. A horn blares overhead, followed by the sounds of cheering. You don’t know who won, and you don’t really give a shit if we’re being real right now. 

“Does it even matter?”

There’s a frozen look on your face like you’ve been struck by lightning, half between a crooked smile and subtle surprise. It’s a knowing look, Luke thinks, what he can see of you through half-lidded lashes and grief. He thinks years from now, if he even makes it that far, it’ll all come back to this moment in the North Woods, and you, the girl he was in love with at nineteen.

“It’s not even worth it now I guess,” he whispers. It makes you laugh—even your laughter sounds sad now. 

It seems that even breaking up with you is an inconvenience.

You sniff, wiping your face and looking around. Everyone’s gone already and Chiron will be looking for you two soon, “Then it’s not worth it. Because you say so… and we’ve got work to do.” Your watch beeps. 

Dinner service starts soon, but before you both head over to the pavilion, you and Luke are expected to set up the bonfire. He nods, loosening the straps of his chestplate, just something to do with his hands, “I know.”

“I don’t want to go. I’m not ready to leave this all behind yet. I’m still needed here.” Until your coming of age ceremony. Until your heart calls you elsewhere and your family can stand on their feet. 

Until then.

Somewhere, you hear Annabeth calling out to you, the melody of both of your names traveling through the trees. You and Luke turn your heads in that direction, before looking at each other once more. He licks his lips, “I know that. We should get back to it, then.” There’s no use doing this all alone, he thinks. And there’s a part of you that thinks there is no use for you when you’re alone.

“We should.”

Neither of you move. 

The winter solstice is tomorrow and there is much work left for the both of you to do.

—

I don’t understand how he grows colder from the same love that warms me. I didn’t know we loved differently—him partly, less and less, and I entirely. - JNH / @shatteredjuvenileday

[bapeach]

Stolen kisses

A shorter story as I try to get back into the writing mood. Let me know what you guys think! Constructive criticism is always welcome :D Find my masterlist here :)

Pairing(s): Nika Mühl x female!reader  Word count: 3k+ Warnings: Timeline doesn’t make sense/underage drinking?, make out sessions, hickeys, no smut but suggestive scenes Summary: You break your "no dating teammates" rule for a certain Croatian. Stolen moments between Nika and you just make life that much sweeter. ------------

When you first joined UConn, you had one rule. Never date your teammates. That rule quickly went out the window, however, when you met Nika Mühl. 

You two immediately clicked when you first met. You shared the same humor, loved teasing each other, weren’t afraid to speak your mind, and had each other’s backs. You’d only known each other for a few weeks when you two kissed for the first time. It was on the empty UConn court when everyone had already left. Nika had challenged you to a 1v1 to determine, once and for all, who the better player is.

While you loved seeing her smile and tease you about being better, you weren’t about to let her win. You played your heart out that day. It paid off too, you won by 2 points. Once the game was over, the both of you were panting as you walked up to her. You gave her a smirk as you took her hand and shook it. “Not bad, Mühl, just not good enough,” you said with a wink. She looked up at you as she rolled her eyes, but you could see her eyes twinkle in amusement. You were standing close enough to feel the heat radiate off of each other. You were glad no one else was around to feel the tension between you two. 

That’s when your resolve snapped, and you kissed her. You’d grabbed her hips and pulled her in, kissing her hard and full of emotion. She’d gasped against your mouth before bringing her hands to your face, kissing you back just as hard. As you pulled away to breathe, you’d stayed close enough that your forehead was touching hers. 

That was the first of many kisses. Secret, stolen kisses behind closed doors.

The team was great, and you both trusted them with your life, but you wanted to keep your relationship just between the two of you for a little longer. Now, it was a few months later, and you were still sneaking around, stealing quiet moments with the brunette, away from the team. You were ready to tell them, knowing they’d be happy for you, but Nika was still hesitant. You were okay with that, though. You only cared about her, it didn’t matter who knew. You only wished the girls could know so you two could have more time together. Not wanting to push the Croatian girl, you didn’t bring it up a lot, but you still tried every so often.

In just one more week, Nika and you will have been dating for 6 months. And honestly, these have been the best months of your life. 

You were currently on your way to the nearest café, having agreed to meet your team there for breakfast. You haven’t even made it outside of your dorm building when you see Nika, Paige, and Azzi walking in the hallway. You speed up a bit, trying not to make a sound as you get closer. When they’re about to turn a corner, you grip Nika’s wrist and pull her back, your other hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. She gasps against your hand before seeing it's you. Her wide eyes now squinting as she slaps you softly for scaring her. You send her a wink before leaning around the corner to see Paige and Azzi still walking, oblivious to the fact that Nika was no longer with them.

You push her against the wall and take your hand off her mouth. You regret it almost immediately. “You’re such an asshole! You scared the shit out of me!” She says in a hushed voice as she slaps your arm again. You chuckle as you try to avoid her hand. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” You laugh, holding your hands up in surrender. She just rolls her eyes at you before asking, “What’s up?”

“I just wanted a moment alone with you… Needed to tell you something,” you hum as you grip her hips and push her against the wall a little harder as you lean in closer. Her breathing stutters for a moment. “Hmm, and what’s that?” She says, looking up at you, her pupils wide. “This,” you mutter before kissing her passionately. You pull back a little, “And this.” You kiss her again, one hand letting go of her hips as you bring it to her cheek. “And also this,” you pant slightly, bringing your lips together one last time as you kiss her deep and lovingly. 

When you pull back, her pupils are so wide, you can barely still see her irises. Her cheeks are a beautiful rose, while her lips are a bright red from kissing you. You smile softly at her, still not believing that the prettiest girl in the world is yours. She finally breaks eye contact, looking down as she shakes her head a bit to get rid of the haze she’s in.

“We should get going, P and Azz are gonna send out a search party for me,” she mumbles. “Y’know, we could just tell them… Tell the whole team about us… Y’know they would be happy for us, and we wouldn’t have to sneak around so much,” you mumble, your thumb tracing circles on her hip. “We can’t. I… I’m not ready yet,” Nika says as her eyebrows furrow and her eyes become sad. 

Your chest becomes a little heavier. You’re not sure if it’s from the fact that Nika doesn’t want to tell the team or if it’s because she looks so upset. You shake your head softly, sending her a tiny smile. “It’s okay, we don’t have to. We’ll wait until you’re ready, there’s no rush,” you whisper. You give her one last kiss on the corner of her mouth before you let her go. 

“C’mon then,” you grin, trying to cheer her up as you pull her off of the wall and sling an arm around her shoulders. She lets you keep your arm there until you reach the lobby of the building. Azzi and Paige are already there waiting for her. “Where the hell did you go?” Paige asks the Croatian as she daps you up. “Bumped into Y/N, so we started walking together, but she had to tie her shoelace,” the brunette replies, lying with ease. Her cheeks become a little flushed again at the memory, but Paige and Azzi don’t notice, already walking towards the exit. You just send her a flirty wink and a grin before following your teammates.

Once you reach the café and greet everyone, you sit down and order some breakfast. You’re seated between KK and Azzi, Nika sitting right in front of you. You send her a smirk, chuckling as she rolls her eyes. When your food and drink arrive, you enjoy your meal as you laugh with the team. “We should go out tonight!” Paige exclaims loudly. “Practices start again tomorrow, and you wanna go and get drunk?” Azzi says, raising an eyebrow at the blonde. “Exactly! Our last free day! C’monnnn, you know you wanna,” Paige replies, sending puppy eyes at the whole team. 

Everyone looks at each other hesitantly, trying to decide if it’s a good idea. “C’mon Y/N, back me up!” The star player begs, her eyes wide as she pouts slightly. You knew this wouldn’t be a good idea. Practice was going to be rough even without being hungover, so the right thing to do was to say no. But let’s be real, there was no way you were going to pass up the opportunity to see your girl all pretty and dressed up. Nika also was a flirty drunk, so you knew you were going to have fun.

A smirk forms on your face as you look at Paige. “Why the hell not?” You say. Your team starts nodding their heads in agreement, some of them mumbling about being screwed. Paige raises her arms as she cheers, only quieting down when getting a slap to the back of the head from Nika. She huffs as she crosses her arms and frowns dramatically, making everyone laugh. “Are you sure you’re old enough to go to a bar, you big baby?” Azzi teases as the blonde’s mouth drops open in offense. Nika slaps her hand to her mouth as she snorts from laughter. You look at her lovingly before starting a conversation with KK, not wanting anyone to catch your staring.

Once breakfast is over, everyone splits up to go do their own thing. Some girls invite you over to play Fortnite, but you decline. If you’re going out tonight, you should probably finish some of the schoolwork you had been shoving aside. You wave everyone goodbye, sending Nika one last wink before you leave. You walk with a pep in your step, excited about going out and seeing your girl all dolled up.

The rest of the day goes by pretty fast, and before you know it, it’s time to get ready. You hop in the shower after sending Nika a flirty invitation to join you, laughing as she sends you smirk faces back. Once you’re done, you quickly dry your hair before walking over to your closet. You pick out your favorite outfit, the one you know drives your girlfriend crazy, and put on your nicest perfume. You finish your look with a few rings and a necklace, giving yourself a once-over in the mirror. You grab your phone, keys, and wallet as you walk over to the door, texting the group chat to ask who were going to be the designated drivers and who’d be driving with whom. 

To your dismay, Nika won’t be in the same car as you, so you won’t get to see her until you’re at the bar. You walk towards the dorm where you knew your group was meeting up, sending your girl a quick text to let her know you were leaving soon and would meet her there. She doesn’t reply immediately, letting you know she’s probably still getting ready. You’re the last to arrive to your group, so you all leave once you get there.

Reaching the bar, you find a table to sit at as you wait for the others. You’re laughing at KK doing a dramatic reenactment of something that happened in class when you hear the other girls greet each other. You look over, and for a moment your heart stops. There she is. Nika.

She’s wearing a black dress that fits her just right. Her hair is wavy, while her makeup somehow makes her look even more attractive. A dainty necklace is glistening on her chest, catching the dim bar light. 

“Are you even listening?” KK whines in your ear before following your gaze. Thankfully, she gets distracted by the other girls arriving and doesn’t realize the heart eyes you were making at the Croatian. You swallow harshly as you catch her eye. She sends you a smug smirk, seeing the way she’s affecting you. 

You get up to greet everyone before walking over to her and leaning closer. You mutter, “You look beautiful, baby,” in her ear, grinning as a shiver goes through her body. 

You step back, announcing you’re going to get everyone some shots. You give Nika’s arm a soft squeeze as you walk past her, talking to Azzi as she follows you to help you out. You’re glad you’re not the designated driver today, knowing it would be pure torture to have to stay sober the whole evening and not be able to touch Nika. 

It’s not long before most girls are tipsy, laughing at the stupidest things and blabbing about God knows what. You’re sipping your drink and laughing at Paige’s weird dream when you feel someone tug your arm. You look up from your seat to see a flushed Nika in front of you. “Come dance with me,” she demands. You get up, giving the blonde next to you a sheepish grin and a shrug.

The Croatian leads you to the middle of the dance floor before she starts dancing with you. Her moves are sensual but still innocent enough to make it look like two good friends just having fun. You grab onto her, pulling her closer between the sea of bodies. You twist her around, breathing into her neck as she leans her back against you. She smells like her signature perfume mixed with the drinks she’s had tonight and a bit of sweat from all the dancing. You dance for a few songs until you can’t take it anymore. You grab her hand and pull her towards the bathroom. Once you’re in there and have made sure you’re alone, you push her against the wall and kiss her hungrily.

“So pretty for me,” you pant against her mouth. She responds by grabbing your face and pulling you into another breathtaking kiss. She leans back a little, trying to catch her breath as you start trailing kisses down her neck. You know you two had agreed to not leave marks, but you couldn’t help it. Not when she looked like an actual goddess and was eyeing you with those beautiful wide eyes. You leave a few red marks across her skin before you get interrupted by knocking on the door. 

You pull back, breathing heavily and giving her a questioning look. “Let’s go home,” she breathes out, desperation clear in her voice. You let her pull you out of the bathroom and out of the bar as you order an Uber to take you back. You can hardly keep your hands off of her, but you know you can’t risk the team seeing you. You text Azzi that you’re leaving, while Nika texts Aaliyah, making sure it’s not too obvious that you’re leaving together.

Once you make it to your dorm, you barely have time to close the door before the brunette is kissing you again. You lead her to your bedroom, not letting her get farther than a few inches. You don’t go much further than making out that night, knowing you both have had quite a few drinks, and don’t want to do anything while intoxicated. You don’t mind, though. Having her here in your arms as she dozes off, slightly snoring, is more than enough.

The next day, you wake up to your head pounding. You stay in bed a few extra minutes, enjoying the brunette’s soft breathing against your chest, before you get up and get ready for the day. Once you feel more presentable, you take some painkillers with a glass of water. You grab some extra pills and water for Nika, placing them on her nightstand as you go to make breakfast. 

15 minutes later, you’re almost done with the food. Hearing the soft patter of footsteps behind you, you turn around and smile softly. The brunette’s hair is a mess, she has a bit of drool dried in the corner of her mouth, and she has panda eyes from her leftover makeup. Yet she still manages to look gorgeous and make your heart skip a beat.

You hold your arms open as she falls into your hug. You kiss her forehead, muttering a good morning. You wish you could wake up like this every day. The love of your life tightly in your arms as you prepare to face the rest of the day. Once she pulls back, you rub your thumb gently against her mouth, wiping away the drool before giving her a soft kiss. You enjoy breakfast together before she goes to get ready, and you both split up to meet again at practice. 

When you reach the locker room, the whole team is already there. Some girls are holding their heads and frowning in regret, while others are grinning widely and teasing the others. You’re glad your headache is gone as Paige and KK sing loudly, trying to annoy the other girls as much as possible. You make eye contact with Nika across the room as you send her a playful wink. Her face becomes a soft pink color as she smiles back.

Everything is normal when you start changing into your basketball uniform until you hear KK gasp loudly. You’re in the middle of pulling on your shirt when you hear Paige yell, “What’s that!” When you finally get your shirt on, you see KK pointing at Nika as both she and Paige stare at the Croatian with wide eyes. You try to hide your smile as you see the purple marks littered across the other girl’s neck. 

“OOOHH, SOMEONE GOT LAIDDDDD!” KK cheers. Nika becomes a bright red as all the girls are now looking at her with smirks. “Oh my God, shut up,” she mumbles back as she puts her face in her hands. “C’mon twin, tell us, who was itttt?” Paige grins as she wiggles her eyebrows and shimmies her shoulders. Having realized that her team is going to bug her anyway, Nika sits up straighter, no longer being so embarrassed. “I don’t kiss and tell,” she smirks. 

“Boooo,” Paige groans as she throws her head back. You chuckle at her dramatics. You look back at Nika, who’s already eyeing you. Your staring gets interrupted as Paige loudly complains, “This is almost as bad as the time Y/N wouldn’t tell us who gave her those scratches on her back.” You smirk as you send everyone a shrug, not ashamed in the slightest. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Nika look away, her face blazing at the memory. 

Your chest feels warm. Sure, you’d love to have everyone know that you managed to have the Nika Mühl go out with you. But in moments like this, you didn’t really care. You loved hearing the team tease your girl, not knowing it was you who she was going out with. Loved the thrill of sneaking her looks without getting caught. So yeah, stolen kisses weren’t so bad when they brought you heaven on earth with the girl you were sure you’d marry some day.

[keen-li]

What you need | 05

Synopsis: everybody needs, but how do you define need? Do you even know what you need.

Jungkook x fem reader.

Genre: best friends au, angst, fluff, smut, slow burn.

Wc: 10k

Prev | next

➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵[]➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

Thursday 9:45am

Since morning you’ve been staring at his contact, should you text him? You asked yourself. He told you he’d be very busy this week, so you don’t want to bother him, not with some unnecessary chatter. Unlike you he has a job that keeps him away from his phone. All you can do whilst in your cubicle is stare at your phone as your legs go numb and ears deaf from the silence. So, it’s not shocking that he hasn’t yet replied to your ‘hey’ text.

You look at it feeling dumb. He’s not doing it on purpose, you try to remind yourself. He’s busy, everyone’s busy. Willoe, Jimin. All busy. They’re all you got and they’re all busy. Sigh. You miss those times when you were all free and would club hopping all night. It was so fun. At that time, you hadn’t known Jungkook too well, but he seemed like a cool guy. You and Willoe would get drunk whilst the guys preferred to be sober. Lameee, you would tell them. But it was for good reason. You and willoe are horrible drunks, it doesn’t take much to have you stumbling on your feet. It’s a bad trait, one which leads you preferring not drinking much lately.                      

Jungkook being very aware of the trait very early on, would always stay by your side whilst you party. He hates how guys approached you more in the vulnerable state (he hates when guys do it to anyone.), which resulted in him standing closer to you. You were too drunk to notice this new friend of yours stand a little closer to you, you never did mind the action though, it kept guys away and you liked that. Only on nights you wanted guys away though.

Part of those nights that you loved the most were when you and Jungkook would chat, drunkenly talking about whatever came to your minds. Those were one of the ways you and Jungkook even got closer. And being the horrible drunk you were, you would cry on his shoulder about how you don’t know what to do with your life and how everything is going wrong. He’d always stay silent and let you rant, occasionally comforting you and telling you he’s here, when you sobbed a little harder. You always felt that you were burdening him with your presence, but he assured you he didn’t mind.

And he truly didn’t mind, he loved knowing that you were able to open up to him, even though it was when you were drunk. He appreciated knowing that he gave you enough comfort to open up to him. Once sober you’d apologize and tell him to forget everything you said, all which you were not able to remember. That gave you anxiety and thoughts of how Jungkook could be irritated by you, but his soft chuckle comforted you otherwise. The way you begged him to forget whatever you said made him chuckle. He never forgot a single thing.

Till now you wonder what you could’ve said during your rants, all which Jungkook refuses to tell you when you ask. He says you told him to tell no one, and he keeps that key to himself. You roll your eyes every time.

Those days are mostly gone, now that you’re all settled into the full-time working environment. You do hope that you will get chance to go out as a group and relive those days. This time you won’t get drunk and say probably embarrassing things to a poor Jungkook.

 

It was when Jungkook was having his late lunch that he saw your text. And it’d been many hours later. He’d been so busy he didn’t get to touch his phone once. One thought that popped up in his mind was what if you needed something? He brushed it away knowing you would’ve probably called if it was something serious. Though he does feel bad for going all this time and not responded to your text. He’d never purposefully ignore you.

Jungkook: sorry I didn’t see your text.

Jungkook: hey 😊

Jungkook: have you eaten lunch?

Jungkook: or breakfast at that.

Do you wanna grab dinner together later?  Is what he wanted to send but before he did, he remembered you told him you’d be having an evaluation at this time, you wouldn’t see his text. You won’t see any of them. And by the time you do, it’ll be late. Honestly, he’ll probably have to spend a night at the shop cause of how much work he’s got, so the dinner thing wouldn’t even happen. Gosh he wishes people took better care of their cars, but then he wouldn’t have a job. So, you know what? Destroy your cars and give him overnight work to do with a gross deadline. He loves it.

He envies how Irene just comes in does paper work and leaves. He loves his job, but he could really use a break. A night out with his friends, or maybe a movie night with you where you watch a horror and laugh at stupid decisions characters make. Gosh he’d kill for that. He misses listening to you explain what they should’ve done. Like you would’ve done that if it was you. You’re a scaredy cat and the only reason you’re able to watch anything scary is if it’s day time or you’re with someone.

When you do watch them you love it. It’s just the haunting thoughts and fears that someone could be watching you through the window or whilst you’re outside that scare you. Otherwise, if you didn’t get those thoughts you’d love watching horrors every time.

Gosh he misses having enough free time.

 

                                    ➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

The clinking of tools, roars of testing engines and tires bounces around the walls of the shop. Irene watches from a distance as a Jungkook, with rolled up sleeves and stuffed under the hood of the car, sweats. He’s tired. She can tell and it makes her feel bad. But the week is almost over, and a big chunk of the work will be done and over with.

Jungkook wipes the sweat off his forehead with the back of hand, which doesn’t do much but smudge it. He’s been breathing tainted air all whole week and staring at car parts too long. It’s getting repetitive. Putting his hands on his waist he steps back to look at the car.

“You know, if you stare at that engine any harder it’s gonna wake up.” Irene’s voice chirps from behinds.

Jungkook sniffles as he wipes the sweat off his nose. “Good. Then it can fix itself.” He’s been working on it for so long that he forgets what he’s even fixing. Irene can see how confused he looks staring at the object.

“Did you check the oil?”

“First thing I did, Irene.” Jungkook watches as she moves to peep inside the hood, making sure not to get her little grey office skirt stained with oil. It’d be a pain to wash out, it’s not like she does her own laundry. Jungkook chuckles, he takes the opportunity to grab a rag off his cart, which he uses to finally wipe off the sweat that still pesters him.

When he returns, he finds her leaning into the hood almost fully falling in. Jungkook watches wondering what she’s even doing out in the shop. Her eyes are as curious as her hands, touching places that make Jungkook worry for his progress.

Having enough of it, Jungkook gently grabs her hand to stop her from touching a cable that would fuck up his hard work. Her hands are soft and clean compared to Jungkook’s. When she looks at his hand then at him, he pulls away. She stands back. Holding her now slightly oil tainted hands. But she doesn’t hold it cause she’s disgusted by the dirt. She’s not that vain.

“Sorry but what do you even know about cars?” Jungkook asks with a chuckle choosing to fill the awkward air.

Irene drops her hand, taking feign offence to his words. “a little motor oil here and there, and stuff” her mind falters. She does know much, her dad surely made sure of that. But something about Jungkook’s mocking nod and smirk have her mind flaking. “I can change a tire.” She can. “So, I know enough.”

Jungkook nods in faux amusement. He doesn’t believe her, she looks too ‘pure’ to know anything about cars. Let alone how much they cost; he doubts she’s ever had to look at the price tag. “But who needs me to know anything about cars when I have talented people like you.” Jungkook chuckles at her words proving his thoughts right.

“So, you’re here for?” He’s just curious, so he asks knowing she usually spends time in her office. An office which has gotten more boring by the day.

She folds her arms making sure to do it in a way that the oil doesn’t smudge on her shirt. “Just cause...” she was bored. “The office is a boring place you know?”

He returns to the car. “I know.” He knows by virtue of being your listening ear. You’ve complained to him so much that he’s probably mastered the floor plan of your office, though he’s never been. You’re very good at detail. That little crack in the tile on the way to the bathroom that always seems to catch onto your heel, he’s heard it all, he could write a book. It’s all funny though, he likes when you just talk on and on. You’re probably the only person he can listen to for long.

Irene narrows her eyes at him and how his lip seems to curl at something she can’t see. She ignores it. “And how would you know?”

“I’ve got friends.” He spits out matter-of-factly.

Irene doesn’t know much about Jungkook out of the shop or even their conversations. The only certain thing is that he’s got a friend called Yn, anymore than that she’s ignorant. It’s odd to her why she even remembers that.

The conversation goes silent for a moment, Jungkook is focused on the car but he can still feel her lingering presence. And if he turned, he’s see how she bit her red painted lips in thought of what to say next.

“My dad may visit this weekend.” He doesn’t know why he would care cause the man doesn’t own the place anymore, but he just nods. She goes on. “I can’t believe he thought I wouldn’t be able to run the place.”

“Sounds like he’s got you pegged.” He jokes. When she gasps and her heel hits his shin with minimal force he retreats. “I’m just joking. Chill.” He laughs.

“You run this place fairly well.” He’ll give it to her, for her age running such a busy place is encouraging.

“Thank you.” She smiles. When the silence grows a little too thick, she clears her throat. “Anyway, I should probably go answer some invoices.”

Jungkook nods. “All the best.”

 

                                      ➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

Thursday 4:38pm

You’ve been biting your nails since the evaluation, you could barely sleep. Did you say the right thing? Did you come off a little too cocky, too shy? Oh gosh. You really hope this turns out well if it doesn’t you’ve got no clue what you’ll do. You don’t want to be that friend in the group who doesn’t have a stable job. You’d be struggling with rent and probably have to move back in with your mom, who lives in another town, if that did occur, you’d be separated from your friends. Which would suck all the more. Though Jungkook would suggest you move in with him. You’d never do that. You’d hate to be a leech of a friend. You even hate the thought of living rent free in Jungkook’s apartment.

You: couldn’t eat lunch. Was too nervous for the evaluation.

You responded to his text immediately you were out of that building and, on your way, back home.

Jungkook: laugh emoji

Jungkook: you’d probably through up on the poor interviewer.

You: you know me too well.

You smile to yourself.

You: how’s work?

Jungkook: busy asf and I want to run away.

You: you should. I will too.

You: tell Jimin and willoe.

Jungkook laughs.

Jungkook: Jimin would be the last of us to agree.

Jungkook: he loves his job too much.

You went on talking and enthusing about how all of you should hangout one day. You talked until you fell asleep and Jungkook immediately knew your silence meant that.

 

                                   ➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

 Friday 11:27am

As you work your ass off on some file Hoseok gave you, you remember why you’re doing this. To not be a leech to anyone.

“Yn.” The voice of your cubicle neighbour makes it to your ear, through your air pods. You take them off. And when you stare up you find her where she usually is when talking to you. Elbows hanging off the wall, and wavy hair leaning down her shoulders. “You work too hard.” She states randomly.

It could be the folders on your desk with deadlines, the documents open on your computer or the coffee you plan on having for lunch.

You chuckle. “How can I relax?” you stop to look at her with a smile. She’s been one of your friends? Colleague? That you’ve gotten to know and comfortable with, she’s carefree more than you are and you admire that. You both bonded on your boredom from the job. Unlike you she’s not an intern and has been working for the company longer than you. She’s helped you navigate everybody in the office, how they behave and how to work with or around them. Hoseok especially. She’s honestly been of great help to you.

And even though your internship is ending soon you hope to stay in contact with her. If you end up not getting hired.

“I have a way.” she lowers her voice which causes you to raise a brow. Is she about to sell you some type of pill, with the way she’s looking around you’d definitely think she’s about to do so. “The other girls and I thought we’d all go for drinks.” You scrunch your face in thought, and Chae catches onto your doubt. “Come on it’s just us girls. Plus, it’s Friday.”

You’ve been dreaming of a chance to go out, maybe this is it. You don’t really need that much convincing; it’s a good chance to relax and get to know your other colleagues.

“Okay.” You nod, smiling excitedly at the thought. Chae sighs relieved she didn’t have to convince you much.

 

                                     ➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

Friday 7:56pm

“You free to hangout to night?” Jungkook asks. “We can watch that terrifier movie, or whatever.” He enthuses but his tone stays calm. You’d like that but it seems that you and Jungkook are in two different time zones. When you’re free he’s busy, when you’re busy he’s free.

Stumbling across your room with the phone between your palm and ear, you try to pair an outfit for tonight. It’s just a girl’s thing so you don’t have to freak out about it. You don’t want to look lame thought, what if the others are going all out? “Did you forget I told you I’m going out tonight?”

“Really?” he feigns forgetfulness. He’s trying to get you to change your mind, knowing very well that you told him you’d be going out. As much as you’d like to hang out with him like old times, you can’t miss it because you’d hate to ditch Chae after you agreed to go. You’d hate for someone to do that to you, so you won’t do it to someone else.

You roll your eyes knowing damn well he knew. “Are you still at work?” you ask when you hear the noise in his background.

He sighs heavily giving you your answer. “Yeah. But hopefully tonight is the last day of hard labour.”  He rolls his eyes staring at the direction of Irene’s office.

You pout hearing how tired he sounds. He’s been working too hard. “My break is coming up soon and Jimin’s gonna be back so maybe we can all hangout then.” You suggest whilst looking into your closet debating on choosing pants or a dress. 

 Jungkook is silent before he speaks. “I’ve actually missed the guy.” he acknowledges, a thoughtful look on his face. You grin. “Don’t’ tell him that though.” he pleads knowing you’d tell and the big head Jimin would grow.

“Already sent.”

“I can never trust you y/l/n”

You both chuckle.                  

“You know better than too jeon.”  

Theres a silence that falls for a moment. You check to see if he’s cut. He’s still on the line. And before you can fill the silence he speaks. He’s voice soft and sincere. “Gosh I’ve missed hanging out with you.”  Why the heck is that making you blush, maybe it’s the way his voice lowers or how he groans deeply after. It’s simple words you’ve both said to each other many times.

“Sucks.” Is all you can muster to say. Makes you sound like you haven’t missed hanging out with him too. You have though.

Whether Jungkook notices or not you don’t know cause he’s soon to speaking again. “Who are you going out with again?” he changes the topic, knowing how bad you are with sentimentals.

“Work friends.”

You hear him hum and it sounds like an insult is brewing. “What?” your pause with your hand on your hip. An action Jungkook suspects you’re doing.

“Nothing.” he shrugs off but you know him better.

“Say what you want to say.”

He shakes he’s head like you can even see the action. “I have nothing to say.” He purses his lips his voice raises along the sentence.

“Jungkook I’m gonna end th-”

“You didn’t tell me you made friends from the office.”

You laugh. He sounds so childish.

“Well, I did. Just one though.” Your voice lowers. You don’t mind having one friend at the office. You’re there to work and not make friends.

“Hoseok?”

You scrunch your face. “Hell no.” You both laugh, knowing how friendship is the last thing you and hoseok have. “Chae. She’s my cubicle neighbour.” You chuckle at how you’d adapted to the term. Theres no easier way to describe.

Jungkook nods taking in the information you give. “That’s good, she nice to you?” his voice gets a little more serious, causing you furrow your brows. This is one thing you know Jungkook for, worrying about who you’re around. You’ve grown to just know that that’s who he is, caring, and would do it for all his friends.  

It doesn’t stop you from scolding him though. “Jungkook I’m not a baby.”

“Just asking.” He shrugs going silent afterwards.

This time you fill the silence. “She is kind to me.” It feels good to have someone kind to you in the office, seeing that you are sort of in the infancy stage at the company. “I’ll introduce you two one day.”

Jungkook raises a brow. “So that?”

Grinning you respond. “I don’t know, maybe you’ll like her. She’s cute.” Being aware of how much he dislikes this topic you find pleasure in teasing him about it. You’ve given up on finding him a blind date, but you won’t shy away from teasing him about it.

“Yn...” he warns threatening to end the call.

After your fit of laughter, you collect yourself to speak. “Don’t cut you need to judge my outfit.” you speak through the ruminates of your laughter.

Jungkook narrows his eyes. “Give me a sec.” He says switching to video.

 

The call doesn’t last long afterwards he helps you find clothes, though he’s choices had you narrowing your eyes at him. It’s not like he knows much about women’s fashion, so you don’t blame him much.

 

                                ➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

Friday 8:22pm

‘’Why’d you call me over.’’ Jungkook says walking to Irene who’s just outside her office which is intersected with the shop. She standing up to try and meet Jungkook’s height. She’s got an excited smirk on her face which has Jungkook all the more confused. Jungkook just stands hands folded.

“Since you guys have been working so hard.” She starts. And walks around her desk. And as she’s about to continue she’s interrupted by a voice that has Jungkook turning his head behind.

“You mean over working them?” a sudden deep voice is heard as the familiar figure enters the room.

Isabel’s father is never usually here. He thought it would be best to leave his shop to his daughter, who in his opinion runs it well, but still has a lot to learn. Jungkook would say Isabel runs the shop well, but this overtime thing has her on his bad side.

“Appaa” she whines feeling embarrassed and not at all excited to see him. She had watched him walk into the shop during Jungkook’s lunch. But the look on Jungkook’s face tells her he hadn’t noticed her father’s arrival.

Jungkook hadn’t realized he was here, but maybe if he looked closer and wasn’t so distracted, he would’ve noticed the man had been watching him all along. Did he mention how much Isabel’s father, Mr lee, liked him.

“Jungkook, son!” he exclaims as he pulls Jungkook into one of those bear hugs he can’t escape.

Jungkook scrunches his face patting his back and inching to move away. “Mr lee, it’s been a long time.”

“Don’t be so formal with me, you’re like a son.”

He pats Jungkook’s shoulder and the smaller hums in pain and embarrassment. What’s more embarrassing is the fact that everyone in the shop can hear the conversation, due to the man’s large voice.

“Appa, can I finish what I was saying.”

“Go ahead dear.” He says still not moving from next to Jungkook.

She clears her throat. “I was saying, for celebration and an apology for working you guys overtime, I was thinking I take you all out for soju and food.”

The reaction was not what she was expecting. O f course she was not expecting everyone to leap for joy. But silence and awkward stares was not on the card as well.

“i have to pick up my daughter from my mother’s place.” One guy from across the room proclaims.

“it’s my girlfriend’s birthday today and i don’t want to disappoint.” Another adds. Everyone seems to have a reason not to go. With everyone one else giving their excuses Jungkook is the only one left. No excuse to cover for him.

“Jungkook, I’m sure you’re free right?” Mr lee chimes in causing Jungkook’s eyes to bulge out.

“Uh actuall-” his tongue slips around as he tries to speak and find the words to get him out of this situation.

“You’re gonna let her go all by herself, come on” he leans in “you’re a young man with no one waiting for him at home. Go out enjoy. I wish I could” he laughs out knowing his wife would not be pleased to hear him say that.

Irene rolls her eyes. “it’s okay if he’s busy, don’t force him” she folds her lips, starting to touch at some files on her desk. She does have work to do so dinner was probably a waste of brain usage.

“I’ll go.” Jungkook spits out, what does he have to lose with this. They’ll eat and he can finally be out to rest.

“That’s my boy.” Jungkook flinches at how harshly Mr lee’s hand lands on his shoulder. Gosh it’s gonna bruise. “I’ll be leaving as well, just came to take a peek.”

“Because you don’t trust me?” she knows that’s the reason even though he tries to feign ignorance. Instead of defending himself he stays silent. He moves in to hug her.

“You should visit soon. Your mother misses you.” He speaks into her hair.

“I will.” She doubts internally.

He hums taking her word for it. With a huge smile forming and turning to a quiet Jungkook he adds, “when you do, bring Jungkook. Your mother will love him.”

“Appa, stop that” she nudges for him to stop. He finds it amusing when they find it awkward and weird. You’re colleagues. She’s, his boss. It would never happen.

Soon they both sigh in relief as they watch the car drive off.

She turns to Jungkook, “you don’t have to-”

“Are we using my car or yours.” Jungkook cuts her off, being a man of his word he has to go through. He had nothing better to do anyways. You’re out probably having fun, he could too.

“Ah- I guess yours is fine.” She says nervously and confused at why he still wants to go. He doesn’t have to pretend.

“I’ll be waiting.” He says walking to his car knowing she has to lock up.

                                   ➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

Friday 8:45pm

You forgot how loud the music is in a club. It tears through your ear drums to get to your brain. Your brain thumps to its rhythm. Still, you walk on through the crowd, heat and smell of sweat enveloping your sensing, that’s one thing you didn’t miss. You keep walking the strobe lights catching your attention, like it’s the first time. Chae’s hand stays firm in yours to guide you through, if only she knew how well you know the format of this club.

You’ve been to this club before, but not many times. You always preferred the one across town. This one was too close to home, and you feared bumping into someone you know. You still do.

“We should grab some drinks first.” Chae says to everyone you’re with, which is not many. You’re just five. Dian, who’s an intern like you but you’re not so close to. Jen, who’s another intern but for the marketing team and Sooya who’s the leader for team one in sales, her team is all men so they weren’t allowed to attend. Honestly, she needed a break from them, nothing more irritating than leading men with underlying misogyny brewing in them.

“I can’t get too drunk.” Sooya says as she orders her mocktail. “I have a Saturday review meeting tomorrow and the last thing I need is to be nursing a hangover.” They all chuckle.

“How about you?” Chae turns to ask you, her eyes glowing under the lights, like a puppy.

You hesitate for a second looking confused like a nun being asked how much she’s gonna drink. Are you gonna drink much tonight? No. Just a little. You never came to get totalled, just let loose. You’d hate to be stumbling into the dark of your apartment like you left it. And you’re aware how hard it’d be to find the switch, that’s if you get past typing your pin. You know this night is gonna end late, so it’s be safer to drink less.

You all pick drinks of your choice and find yourselves dancing amongst the crowd slowly sipping at your drinks as not to get drunk so fast. Not Chae though, she’s on her third. You laugh as you watch, in real time, how the alcohol makes her cheeks blush.

You’re lost in the music, your blood rushing through your body quick, taking the alcohol you’ve consumed with it. Why the heck do these drinks have to be so good. The sweetest one’s get you the most. And they’re the ones you’ve been indulging in. One? Two? Four? Yeah four. Or more you can’t tell your head from your ass right now, let alone how many glasses the bartender handed you. All you can remember is he’s are you sure look. Which you brushed off. As the night goes on you find a way to your old ways. You thought tonight would be awkward cause you haven’t hang out with these girls much or before, but it’s pleasantly going well. You’re all getting along well, like you’ve always known each other.

The room is spinning but you spin with it, choosing to sway your body to the music, with Chae and the other girls cheering you on. You barely pay attention to the heat. You’re having too much fun, the DJ playing many of your favourite hits.

You’ve come to realize that they are cool, even Sooya who comes off a little mean in the office. But tonight, you’ve learnt she’s actually the opposite and she does it to keep the men in the office and her team in check.

You’ve learnt she’s a great dancer too.

Of course, some guys try to approach you all but you’re quick to cussing them out. It’s girls’ night, do you have to tattoo it on all your foreheads. giggle.

You’re all dancing, giggling, taking pictures and having fun when you get this knot in your stomach. It’s as if it’s squeezing itself and the feelings unbearable. And when you involuntarily gag, you know what it means. You’re about to puke. Gosh you thought you were better at this. It’s been a while though, so it’s like you have to retrain your tolerance. But with the way you’re feeling you doubt you’ll ever want to look at alcohol again.

Your body gives you chance to tell the girls you have to use the bathroom and luckily, they don’t question you too much. Knowing the bathrooms will probably be stuffed, you brisk walk your way to the alleyway. Once there you lean over, try to get whatever’s bugging you to leave your body. But nothing. You hurl, voluntarily and involuntarily but nothing. Is your freaking body playing tricks on you? You thought you wanted to puke but evidence is showing otherwise. And the knot still in your stomach is only causing your frustration to grow.

You feel your eyes fill with tears of frustration. What do have to do to get this to stop. you groan gripping your stomach. You should go home; you should really go home. Maybe you should call Jungkook to pick you up, because you feel horri—

“Yn?” a voice speaks. A familiar voice and like a sign of its irritation in your life, your stomach knots more. You groan. “Are you okay?” he questions moving closer to you and telling his friends to go on without him. He doesn’t know how he realized it’s you, maybe your side profile. But he’s glad he’s not wrong, otherwise this would’ve been an awkward encounter.

He moves to placing a hand on your back and leaning down to check your scrunched up face. You’d recognized him from his first word, but you could honestly recognize him from his scent if it came to it. Nothing has changed about him.

“Are you okay?” he asks once more when you don’t respond. The last thing you want to do is speak right now. “Yn, tell me if you’re okay. Do I need to take you to the hospital.” You chuckle even though it intensifies your uncomfortable state. Can’t he read fucking body language. The knot in your stomach has now moved to your heart and not in a friendly way.

So, forcing yourself you shrug his hand off your back. He moves. “I’m fine.” You’re not but it’s not something he should concern himself with. Why does he even care. Your back is slightly hunched (you try to not make a scene.) and your steps are slow, your pain is back but honestly you want to get away from him more.

“Bro, you coming?” one of his friends return to ask, the guy looks at you. Not concerned, they never are. His friend knows who you are and you know him, gosh how clueless you were, from his friends to him. All dirtbags.

He waves his friend off and he stares at you one last time before leaving. You seat yourself on a half wall Infront of the club, just to get some more fresh air, it seems to be helping.

“Who are you here with?” you can’t decipher why he’s asking. Is it because he cares or he’s afraid he’d have to have an encounter with Jungkook.

You focus on your breathing. “You should go with your friend.” you groan out, leaving no room for conversation. You thought you missed him, but for some reason looking at him pisses you off. This is why you don’t like this club, it’s to close to home.

“Yn.” He warns like he used to. He doesn’t want to argue, you look sick and he’s been wanting to meet with you. So, it hurts to see this is how you’re dealing with your encounter. “Here take this.” He says handing you a bottle of room temp water. You stare at it for a second, then two. You look up at him as he nudges for you to take it. “it’s sealed I just got it from the store.” It is. Water could probably help right now. ugh. Why didn’t you think of it. You reluctantly take the bottle and look at the seal.

It is water.

You drink it and like a joke the knot in your stomach loosens.

“Thanks.” You try to hand the rest to him.

Shaking his head he says. “Who are you here with?” you’ve never known to decipher if yunho has been the protective or possessive boyfriend. You could never tell.

You knew accepting the water would make him think you’re open to conversation. You roll your eyes. “Colleagues.” You say flatly and watch how doubt glosses over his eyes. You’re not gonna explain yourself to him though. So, carefully you drop down to the ground, feeling a little better after the water. “Colleagues who I should probably get back to.” You start to walk. But yunho feeling like he’s losing his chance stops you by grabbing your wrist, his grip loosening when you turn to stare him down.

He licks his lips, nervous for some reason. He doesn’t seem drunk, maybe his night just started. “Can I just have a word with you.”

“We’ve been having a word all this time, what more do you want to say?” You’re getting upset, he’s wasting your time whilst your friends are wondering where you could be and why you’ve taken so long.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what?” sensing your hostility he chooses to quicken his talking.

He sighs, straightening his back and looking behind you. “Look yn, I’m really sorry. For everything.” he doesn’t even look at you. “I know I was such a bad boyfriend; I never treated you righ--”

“Yunho is this what you want to say to me?” you scoff.

He mumbles something under his breath from his frustration but you just stare. You’ve never been this difficult to talk to. “Why are you being difficult? You’re making this hard for me.”

You laugh bitterly. “Are you done?”

He sighs. He’s not in the slightest, but he knows why you’re upset, your little friend probably told you. He didn’t want to bring this up here but looks like it’s what you want to hear. If he says it and it helps you listen to him then he’ll say it. “I know you’re upset. I was wrong for what I did. I shouldn’t have cheated on you.” You freeze. Your brows furrow. CHEAT? When?

Your brows are touching but yunho doesn’t notice your confusion and keeps speaking. You wait, mostly silent just to arrange your thoughts. “I know...Jungkook told you and that’s why you’re so upset.” He breathes in, like he’s the one who needs it. You just stare, cheating? And now Jungkook? At this point your sickness is gone and replaced with shock. “I just want you to know she meant nothing to me. You’re the on-- ” he pauses when he sees the look on your face. Why do you look confused. Don’t you know?

“When?” is all you can ask. You lean back, your feet slightly losing balance.

Yunho stammers. “What do you mea--”

“When did you cheat?” it comes out harsh. But before he can respond you cut him off “when we were still together?”

He nods cowardly. Your breathing begins increasing. You’re gasping for air to keep yourself sane.

“Yunho!!?” you crouch to the ground. He reaches to you but you slap his hands away. Your legs don’t seem to work anymore.

Why are you acting like this. “Did you not know?”

“Do I look like I fucking knew.” You look up at him from your crouched position. Tears tittering to the edge. You run your hands on your face, you breath, well you try to. Is that why he broke up with you. It was never about Jungkook.

You stand, your legs feel wobbly like you could find home on the cold, dirty street concrete.

“It was never about Jungkook huh?” The tears fall and yunho looks like a lost dog. “You wanted me to take the fall. Be the bad guy when you were the one off doing shady stuff with who knows what.”

“Yn.”

“don’t fucking call my name.” You spit.

“j-j-Jungkook, he knew why did he never tell you.” You chuckle bitterly, your tears slipping past your lips.

“You should stop worrying about Jungkook and worry about yourself. You’re the fucking problem.”

“See? you always take Jungkook’s side.”

“Jungkook isn’t the one who cheated on me. He’s not the one who slept with me knowing he’s got some other girl on the side.”

“But he lied to you.” He states trying to get a word in. “isn’t he supposed to be your friend?”

“weren’t you supposed to be MY boyfriend?”

You just stare at him at watch how his tongue gets twisted. There’s nothing more to say. You wondered why you started to hate him but now you know.

You watch his speechless, dumb face with disgust. “Don’t ever talk to me, or approach me. Even if I’m dying.”

You turn and walk away, he tries calling out your name but you just walk and stumble, tears falling like the flood and no ark is surviving it. Nothing hurts than being disrespected like that, and then being told it’s your fault you’re breaking up. You actually loved him, him? You need to get better. Fuck him and fuck all guys like him.

As you walk to the door, Sooya walks out, the only sober one capable of coming outside to check on you. “Yn where were you; you weren’t in the bathroom--” she stops when she hears yours sniffle and watches how you try to wipe your tears.

“o-oh sorry I just got carried away.” You choose to look at the ground you stand on, you force a chuckle, hoping she will look past your tears. She doesn’t.

“what’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” You quickly reply trying to wipe the tears that keep falling.

She moves closer to you, bringing you into a hug, her being closer to your height making it easier. If this was Chae, you’d have to dip lower to be able to lean on her shoulder.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” You try not to cry on her shoulder and stain her clothes. You pull away still wiping tears. “Do you wanna go home? I can tell the girls. We’ve been out too long anyways.”

“You guys can stay if you want to, I’ll just an uber.” You wouldn’t want to hinder their fun, you barely wanted anyone to find you in this state. It’s humiliating. What are they going to say when they see you in the office. For all you know she could tell everyone in the office. Knowing all this, why the hell are you still crying.

You just want to go home.

“I’ll just call for an uber.” You say stumbling and pulling out your phone, to call an uber.

Sooya watches as you call for an uber and luckily the car is not far. Soon it’s rolling up by the roadside and waiting for you.

“You sure you’re gonna be okay?” you don’t have an answer, not now. But you’ll give her something everyone says.

“Yeah.” You smile. “Ill see you at work if I get the job.” You try to throw in some humour.

“You will.” She’s not part of the team that does the hiring but she’s seen how hard of a worker you are. And whatever’s just happened she hopes you’ll truly get better.

                                   ➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

Friday 11:43

When you’re sat in the back of the car, city light blurred from your tears and drunkenness all you can do is think.

Think about what’s going on with you. You’re not even thinking about the cheating, you’re upset and heart broken, yes. But what do you expect from men like yunho. Your friends did say stuff that you didn’t realize but now do. You’re not even thinking about that.

What you’re thinking about is Jungkook. He knew and he didn’t tell you. How long has he known? How did he even find out.

Why aren’t you mad at him? You want to, you feel like you should but you can’t. Jungkook would never hide stuff from you maliciously. If it was you, would you even tell him? Would tell him and watch how he’d break down cause of how the girl he loved cheated on him. You couldn’t. You don’t even know how you’d do it.

Maybe that’s why you can’t be upset. Cause you’d do the same thing. Maybe he was going to tell you, maybe like you he found out tonight. Your thoughts are nonsense right now. nothing but nonsense. You just wanna take some painkiller, shower and sleep.

All alone?

You’re starting to sob again. The driver looks through his rearview mirror and you know he’s looking at a sobbing you. But he chooses to say nothing, which you appreciate.

At the club and in this car, you hadn’t felt horrible, you did, but the fact that people were around you consoled you. The noise of the club and the engine and cars stops your thoughts from going too far. So, when you think about the fact that you’re gonna be all alone when you get home, makes you wanna cry more. All alone. You don’t want to be alone right now, any other day, okay. But not today, not now.

You don’t wanna be alone.

“Is it okay if I can change the destination?” you ask the man through sniffles.

He looks through the rearview once more. “Sure dear.” He says comfortingly and you’re so glad he’s not some creep; you don’t have energy to deal with that.

“Where do you want to go?” your answer is quick, the address engraved on your brain to the tea.

It’s a no brainer.

                                    ➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

Friday 9:45pm

Jungkook had always wondered if Irene liked him. The thought crossed his mind now and then, but it never stuck. She never gave off that kind of vibe—or maybe he just couldn’t see her that way. She was his boss, after all. Someone he humoured when she teased him at work. Attractive? Sure. He wouldn’t deny that. But something about her just didn’t... click. Maybe it was because they didn’t know each other that well outside of work. Or maybe it was because his thoughts were always occupied by other things. Either way, it wasn’t something worth lingering on.

“Sorry about my dad,” Irene says, breaking the silence. She sets her purse on the seat next to her, avoiding his gaze. “He can be a little over the top.”

Jungkook glances up from his menu, watching her fidget with the strap of her purse. Is she nervous? That’s new. She’s always so cocky and confident at the shop—seeing her like this almost made him want to laugh.

“It’s fine. I get it,” he says, returning his focus to the menu. He wasn’t really reading it, though.

The silence that followed stretched uncomfortably, and Jungkook could see Irene shifting in her seat out of the corner of his eye. Finally, she speaks.

“You didn’t have to come, you know,” her voice hesitant. “Plus... it’s kind of weird, just the two of us.”

Jungkook raises an eyebrow. “What’s so weird? It’s just dinner.”

She nods quickly, almost too quickly. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just dinner.”

The awkwardness lingers until the food arrives. But as they eat, the tension eases. They chat more comfortably, even laughing at a few shared jokes. For a moment, it almost feels normal.

When the waitress clears their plates, Jungkook leans back in his chair. “Want me to drop you off, or should we swing by the shop to grab your car?”

“Just take me home,” Irene says with a small shrug. “I’ll be at the shop tomorrow anyway.”

He pauses. “Why? It’s the weekend. Shouldn’t you be relaxing?”

She chuckles, shaking her head. “Relaxing isn’t really my thing. I’ve got to go through the books.”

He sucks in a breath nodding. “Sounds exciting,” he teases with a smirk.

“Very,” she deadpans, rolling her eyes.

 

 

                                 ➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

Saturday 12:00am

Walking to the apartment is a struggle through your blurry eyes, but luckily you wouldn’t even need your eyes to get to his door. Your legs know the route perfectly. Paying the driver was even more embarrassing cause of how hard it was to determine which notes were which. But after you were able to get the papers in order you paid and were quick out the door. You didn’t even make sure to check if he’d stopped at the right place, all you wanted was to be out of there.

Once you were out the cold air reminding you of how harsh life is, you relaxed. You didn’t want attention on you, the Seoul streets are still alive at midnight and the last thing you’d want to be in a stranger’s memory is the girl who was on the street, crying her eyes out. You sucked what was left of your sobs in as you walked to the entrance of Jungkook’s apartment building. He lived on a higher floor and all you were hoping for was to be alone in the elevator.

 

At least you were granted that. Fuck, I’m an ugly crier. Is what you’re thinking to yourself as you stare momentarily into the mirrored walls of the elevator. Once the heavy metal doors close, you sigh. You’re alone. Alone with your thoughts. You wipe the tears off your face so harshly you might peel back your skin. You could just let them fall, but you the feeling of tears running down and drying on your face. Though it doesn’t do much the wiping helps.

You distract yourself by counting along with the elevator, 1.2.3....

For how long were you not going to know? If you hadn’t bumped into him tonight, would you have gone forever without knowing what that jerk did. Jungkook. Jungkook knew, was he going to tell you, probably, he’d never hide this from you for forever. You don’t even want to be upset with Jungkook. You should’ve known, you should’ve been smarter. Gosh you wish you knew better.

Sniffle...

Ding. When the doors open and you spot an elderly couple walk in chatting happily, you sniffle in your sobs and wipe the tears that run down on there own accord. The elderly woman stares at you and you bow at her giving her a false smile. You hope she hasn’t recognized you.

Once they’re in and you’re out, the doors shut with a loud thud that has you flinching. You forget how noisy the contraption is.

Feeling lost and laggy you have to snap yourself out of staring at the door. Is this even the right floor, you didn’t check. All the walls look the same: endless, repeating and monotone. Makes you feel like you’re in your own mind.

Why the fuck did you come here, you should’ve gone to your own home. Is Jungkook even home? Does he even want to see you? He must be sleeping, he probably had a long day at work and its midnight, you don’t want to bother him. Just because you’re suffering doesn’t mean you should bother others.

You know the way, the number of steps to take till you’re at his door. You can see a little of his door from where you stand. You take a step forward, you pause. Go home yn, you can hear Jungkook’s voice say in your head. You know it’s not his, your mind is just playing with you. Jungkook has never told you to go home, especially when you’re in a fit of emotions like this. He’s always told you how welcome you are at his, and how you should always call him when you need something.

You need something right now. You need someone.

“What am I doing?” you whisper to yourself when you find your feet heavy to move. Your heart tightens and pounds at the same time and you swear you’ll explode anytime soon. You feel like a ticking time bomb, only seconds from destroying everything around you.

Just move. You chant as you walk to Jungkook’s front door. You stand there like having another task you have to accomplish. Gosh this is so embarrassing; you’re acting pathetic right now.

Other times you’re so confident knocking on Jungkook’s door, but now you’re reduced to a coward, feeling anything but worthy to cry on a friend’s shoulders. What if all this time Jungkook has never been your friend and been pretending. Shut up!

Knock

Wrapping your arms around your torso like the cold air’s personally followed you up to torment you as well, you look down the hallway. For no specific reason, maybe just to pass time while you wait for him to open the door. He doesn’t answer. What if he isn’t home? Like an idiot knocking on a door with no one inside. But to be fair your knock was pretty lame, no one would hear it, you barely could hear it yourself.

You clench you jaw and fist your hands; you’re getting frustrated with yourself you’ve done this a million times, it’s just Jungkook. He’d be so mad if he knew you’d even doubted knocking on his door. So just knock...

KNOCK!

Not that hard, Yn. You rub your knuckles after the impact.

 

Inside Jungkook flinches at the loud bang on his door. He stares in its direction for a moment. Is he getting raided?

He’d just gotten home from dropping Irene off. He’d barely taken off his jacket or shoes when he thought to call you. You hadn’t updated him or sent pics of your night. He can’t himself but feel worried, are you drunk? Are your friends taking care of you? He chuckles. “I do sound like I’m babying her.” He laughs to himself.

He pulls his phone out of his jacket, to call you. Just to make sure you’re okay. He presses the button to call you and walks to the door to see who’d be banging on his door at the den of night.

The call rings as he’s opening the door. As he opens it, he hears that silly ringtone of yours. Only unique to you.

The door swings open revealing your slouched and tear-stained face. You’ve been crying... wait what are you even doing here?

“Yn?” he says still processing his shock. “what’s wrong?” his brows furrow and voice reeks of worry and fear, did something happen at the club. Before he can think anything more your tiny sniffle brings him to reality.

“Get in.” He says pulling you in. Before he closes the door, he’s peeping outside to make sure it’s not cause of some creep following you up here. He’s still holding your wrist when he closes the door. Once it’s shut. It’s just you and him.

You thought you’d be stronger, strong enough not to break down immediately, when you saw him. But you guess you don’t know yourself that well. When your eyes meet, his low and filled with concern and yours filled with tears, they fall, Jungkook tries to speak but your wobbly voice beats him. “Jungkook...” you whisper not knowing what else to say. You don’t need to say much and even though he’s not informed well enough, he doesn’t need to be to pull you into him and wrapping his arm around you to cry on his chest.

In gasps you breathe in a mix of his cologne and your tears. Your sobs causing your body to shake. Jungkook’s hold grows stronger. He has a lot of questions and concerns but he’ll wait till you calm down. One hand rubs your back and the other holds your head. You’re so close to him you can feel his chest rise and fall, but it’s more of a comfort than a concern. A reminded that you aren’t alone.

His doorway is narrow but it feels like and open space. Like there’s nothing around, not even your thoughts.

“it’s okay, I’m here.” He whispers for you to hear. And when you do it leads to even stronger waves of sobs. With Jungkook you didn’t need to worry about how you cried, you didn’t need to be polite with it. He’s seen all your sobs; the raw and rough ones, the angry ones, the fake ones and the one when you laugh. He’s seen them all. There’s no hiding from him.

You fall weak and Jungkook stands to hold you. There’s a lot he’s thinking but one thing is how glad he is you came to him.

“I’m sorry...” he’s confused when he processes your words, muffled by his chest. You pull away slightly, just so you can look up at him. Jungkook’s hand is quick to cupping your cheek and wiping your tears. You’ve calmed down, and your sobs are settling. “I’m sorry to bother you so late, kook. I kn-”

Jungkook cuts you off shaking his head. “it’s okay, I want you here.” He whispers, calming you with his thump wiping away tears.

You feel embarrassed to be here, crying and your mascara running down your face in particles. Probably.  Jungkook won’t tell you but it is, not a lot. You make it look artistic though. A pretty canvas, he thinks.

You don’t want to look him in the eyes, you want to stare at how much you’ve ruined his shirt for a moment longer. But slowly Jungkook is pulling your face up to look at him. He stares at you for a moment, eyes soft and analysing your features. You bite your lip, embarrassed under his gaze. Like you’ve never done something way more embarrassing.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

You could start cry at that question alone and the way you look to the wall tells him that. You’re trying to hold the rest of them in.

 He drops his hand from your cheek but still keeps that close distance.

You collect your thoughts to speak. You’re calmer now, though you still feel the effects of alcohol. Your consciousness fights for dominance.  “Um...at the club...” you start and Jungkook nods for you to go on, he feels that worry creep in again as you speak. “At the club, I-uh I.” Why can’t you think straight. Jungkook rubs up your arm to encourage you. You take a deep breath. “I met yunho.” You say the name and look up at Jungkook for a reaction. You can’t read his face; he just stares down at you, listening.

You still have more to say so you go on. “I went outside because I felt like puking. And uhm he saw me.” you swallow.  You felt sick and didn’t call him? He pushes the thought away for the moment. “I didn’t want to talk to him, but then we ending up talking...” Maybe he should’ve come with you, is what he’s thinking. But he chooses not to dwell on it much. He’s thinking a lot of things, like where the story is going. “H-he then let it slip that he uh—that he cheated on me.”

Shit and for the first time Jungkook looks away from you for a second. “ahhh” is all he can say when he’s looking back at you.

You can assume what he’s thinking. No, you’re not upset. “He told me you knew. But I’m not upset with you.” The knot in his throat loosens. You’re not upset but he is. Maybe if he told you earlier you wouldn’t cry this much. Makes him feel like a horrible friend, he is for not telling you, he’s hating himself right not.

“it’s okay kook.” you bring your hand to pat his cheek with a weak smile. “I’d probably do the same honestly. I don’t know how I’d say it.”

“I was gonna tell you know right?”

“I know.” You smile. “I’m glad you didn’t, honestly. it would’ve fucked with my job.”

He smiles when you do. “We wouldn’t want that.”

“Nope.” You shake your head childishly.

There’s a silence that falls. But you fill it with your curiosity. “how’d you find out?’

Jungkook sucks in a breath. Right now, wouldn’t be the right now to tell you right? “Can we talk about that later?”

You nod not minding but still curious. Yunho and Jungkook are the last on earth to be in a room together so how would he find out, is of interest to you.

“I’m glad you came to me.” He pulls you into him smiling, you roll your eyes.

“it’s only cause your place was closer. Don’t flatter yourself.” You push at his chest lightly.

He chuckles. “Too late I’m already flattered.”

You laugh softly and Jungkook couldn’t be more happy to see you smile.

What now? You just stand here. You don’t want to move and neither does he. The moment feels comforting, a different side to your friends and with the comfortable silence falling between the two of you, you can’t help but lay your head on his shoulder, this time relaxed. Jungkook welcomes your embrace as your breath brushes past his neck in soft whisps. Your hand on his chest scrunches up his shirt like you can’t ruin the shirt anymore. The action tells him how still shaken up you are.

Jungkook holds onto your lower back as hie watches your hand move. “You’re gonna have to pay for my dry cleaning.” He jokes and looks down to see a small relaxed smile form on your face.

“Not paying for shit jeon.” You chuckle, taking in his scent with every breath. How does he mange to smell so good every time, even after the gym he manages to retain the scent. It relaxes you.

“You never do.” He states causing you to lift your head a little, to look him in the eye confidently this time.

“And whose fault is that?” you say softly with narrowed eyes.

When Jungkook doesn’t open his mouth to defend himself you know you’ve won. You go back to your position. A position that gets you a new and good (though not clear) look of Jungkook face. He’s skin; sun kissed reminding you how you forget to remind to apply sun screen. All it’s little details you’ve never noticed; the tiny moles and a scar. You use your finger to trace it, softly. Jungkook’s confused by the action but if it’s helping you, he’ll let you. Then your eyes move to his nose, softly curved. A perfect place for butterflies to land. Then your eyes stare at his lips...

“Yn, what are you doing?” he says through a laugh, holding your wrist. You hadn’t even noticed your finger tracing his features.

“Sorry.” you pull your hand to yourself.

He smiles, “s’okay” it was unexpected but it’s you so he doesn’t mind, he doesn’t mind a lot that you do. Though you still have your shortcomings. You both do. “Do you wanna-”

“Jungkook?” you interrupt him, not realizing he wanted to say something. From all the events that have occurred this is when you decide to give credit of some of your actions to your intoxication. So much has gone on you forgot how much you had to drink. The stumbling in your purse, the thoughts, the crying and even what you’re about to say.

“What’s wrong.” Jungkook asks when you go silent.

“Kook?” you call his name again and he can’t help but laugh.

“Talk to me, bunny.”

You go silent for a moment, not to rethink what you want to say, because you’re too buzzed for that, but because you can’t think straight. “Kook...”

Jungkook rolls his eyes playfully. Through an impatient chuckle he speaks, “yn tell me what you want to sa-”

“Can you kiss me?” the words are sudden but sure. Wait he can’t be sure of that; your eyes have fallen closed, so you could just be talking through tiredness.

When you open your eyes you scan his face for a reaction, a response.

Your words come out in a desperate, pleading voice which causes Jungkook to wonder if you’re saying this from the hurt, you’re feeling. It’s probably the fact that you’re hurting and sad.

“What?” is all he can say for the moment. Feeling a drunken embarrassment, you pull away from him but he still keeps you close.

You shake your head, you shouldn’t have said that, why did you? This is why you don’t like drinking; you say the stupidest shit. “I just...” you look away feeling embarrassed and wishing you’d take the words back. “Forget it. I’m sorry. I—”

“No,” he interrupts gently. “Yn, look at me.”

You do, your eyes filled with embarrassment, regret and something he couldn’t place a finger on. Something that has him still talking. He searches your face. He can feel his heart beat a little nervously and if you had your hand over it, you’d feel.

“Will it make you feel better?” he asks softly, his voice tender but cautious.

You don’t answer right away. Your lips trembling and then you nod, a small, almost imperceptible motion. That’s what you think, you think you will feel better. You hope.

“If it’ll make you feel better…” he says, leaning in slightly, “I’ll do it.”

The silence stretches between you, heavy and charged. Then, closing the distance. He leans in slowly giving you a chance to pull away but you don’t. Something in him wishes you did. Instead, your lips part. Jungkook presses his lips to yours. A little nervously, like it’s his first kiss, well it is with you. One of the reasons it’s soft and slow, he’s not doing this for his own pleasure, it’s simply to make you feel better.

The heat of his skin against yours, his thumb brushing against your jaw in a gentle brush. His kiss deepens, warm and comforting, yet charged with an emotion that make your knees weak. Is this how he kisses those girls of his, softly and so tendering, like he can’t let go. Your hands find his chest, clutching his shirt as if anchoring yourself to the moment, to the kiss.

For a moment the hurt and heartbreak you felt washes away, completely. Then he slowly pulls away and you don’t know what you’re feeling, you can’t differentiate any two emotions from the other.

You stare into nothing even though everything is in front of you. “Yn...” Jungkook calls your name realizing how you seem to have dissociated.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, tears slipping down your cheek again. This time you have no clue why.

Jungkook shakes his head. “Don’t be,” he says, brushing them away with his thumb. “You don’t ever have to be sorry with me.”

➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵][➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵➶➵

A/n: 10k words as an apology. We can now get the plot going🤪 let me know what you think.

Remember any positive comment and response I appreciate.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Things are moving so you might want to join tue taglist or follow. Inbox me if you want to join the taglist.

Taglist: @jksusawife @mother2monsters @gimeow

[reyesstrand]

If you’re still doing them Maddie, I wish you would write a fic where TK cooks for Carlos for the first time 💖

The weight of a long shift—a week of them, all spilling into each other like dominos—digs into Carlos’ shoulders as he sighs and stretches his neck and thumbs the ridges of his house key before shoving it in the lock.

TK’s been texting him most of the day, just aimless, endearing tangents about a dream he had the night before and the cheesy medical procedurals available to him on streaming, along with a smiley selfie or two, and it’s kept him upright. Upright through the back-to-back domestic disturbances; the multi-vehicle pileups. Carlos didn’t want to bug him with talk of work when his boyfriend’s still on mandatory leave, but he thinks it’s been written on his face, lately, just how tired he is.

“Hey babe.”

Tired enough to not even register TK standing by the dining table, in a pair of dark jeans and t-shirt. His bandage pokes over the edge of his collar, and Carlos focuses on it like he always does; on how much is being held together with stitches and gauze, on how quickly a life—the most important life—could’ve been taken away. Carlos’ eyes drift up to his boyfriend’s face: the slight pinkness to his cheeks, the soft creases around his eyes.

“Hey,” Carlos says, stepping in close and accepting the hug TK pulls him into. “I thought we were meeting up tomorrow night.”

TK’s gaze is warm when he pulls back from the hug and instead cups Carlos’ face. “We still are. I just wanted to check in on you tonight.”

“I’m fine,” Carlos insists, reaching up to gently squeeze at TK’s wrists, sparing an extra second to feel the thrum of his pulse under his thumbs.

“Baby, you’re running on fumes.”

Carlos bites the inside of his cheek, allowing himself to absorb the pet name TK’s been using more and more; allowing himself to wonder what exactly gave himself away to his boyfriend.

“I thought you could use a night in,” TK continues, lacing their fingers together now so he can tug Carlos further into the house; into the kitchen, which he is just now noticing has been used. “The market didn’t have red snapper,” TK pauses, his eyes flashing with mischief as their gazes lock, “but the guy told me the salmon was super fresh. It needs like, two more minutes in the oven and then we can eat.”

Carlos takes it all in: the mixing bowl full of a salad, complete with roasted nuts and segments of citrus; the smell of garlic and onion; the candlelight filling the room. TK gives him a nervous little smile as he gently moves around him in the small space when the timer goes off, filling their plates with fluffy, herbed rice and filets topped with lemon slices.

“Let me help you,” Carlos says, finally finding his voice after watching his boyfriend in quiet wonder.

“I can handle two plates, babe,” TK teases, jerking his chin toward the dressed table. “Go sit. Let me take care of you for once, Reyes.”

He listens to TK and sits in his usual chair, imagining his boyfriend in his home, humming along to music blasting from his phone as he diced vegetables and prepped dozens of ingredients so it could all come together in time. It’s a sight he hopes to come home to forever. It’s a sight he hopes to witness; to be a part of, next time.

Once they’re across from each other, Carlos’ stomach growls. He’d barely had time for a protein bar in the first half of his shift. He brings a forkful to his mouth and hums happily as flavour bursts over his tongue.

“I didn’t know you could cook like this,” Carlos admits, as the side of his fork glides through the fish.

“Well, you’re always so particular about your recipes,” TK jokes, before shrugging his good shoulder. He reaches across the table and squeezes Carlos’ hand. “I want to do this for you more. I want to do this together.”

“I’d love that,” Carlos smiles, thumb stroking over TK’s knuckles. Suddenly not wanting to hold it in anymore, and feeling brave in the golden light of their moment together, Carlos says: “I love you.”

TK beams. There’s something like wonder in his eyes when he replies, “I love you too.”

It feels like a mortal failing to not kiss him in this moment, and so Carlos does; pushing his chair back and leaning over at the waist to cup TK’s jaw in his palm and press their mouths together. Their lips move in an easy slide, and TK tastes of citrus, of something distinctly himself.

It’s kind of like coming home. And Carlos never wants it to fade away.

(i wish you would write a fic where…game!)

[lunnarizz]

Sunshine ~Jegulus Fic

Regulus Black had always preferred the quiet. His days were carefully curated—morning coffee in his favorite corner café, nights spent reading in his cluttered apartment, and long walks with headphones drowning out the world. He didn’t need much. He especially didn’t need someone like James Potter barging into his life.

But James had never been good at staying out of places he wasn’t invited.

The first time they met, Regulus had been sitting alone in the university library, a tattered copy of The Universe in a Nutshell in hand. He’d noticed James out of the corner of his eye—loud, bright, effortlessly charismatic. James was the kind of person who lit up a room just by entering it, while Regulus preferred to slip by unnoticed.

James had plopped down at his table without so much as a hello. “What’s that about?” he asked, gesturing to the book.

Regulus blinked. “Theoretical physics,” he replied flatly.

James grinned, undeterred. “Ah, so you’re one of those genius types. Figures. I’ve seen you in my astronomy class—always scribbling equations like you’re plotting how to steal the moon.”

“I don’t steal,” Regulus said coldly, closing his book. “And I don’t socialize.”

“Good thing I’m not asking you to,” James said breezily. “I’m just talking. I’m James, by the way. You’re Regulus, right?”

Regulus frowned. “How do you know that?”

James leaned back in his chair, looking insufferably pleased. “I listen. People talk about you, you know. The mysterious Black kid who’s too smart for everyone. But they’re wrong.”

“Am I?”

“You’re not mysterious,” James said with a wink. “You’re just quiet. There’s a difference.”

Regulus didn’t know why he let James keep talking to him, but somehow, James became a fixture in his life. He started showing up at the library, always with some ridiculous Muggle book about stars or galaxies. He brought coffee to their study sessions—always with too much sugar for himself and just the right amount for Regulus.

James was loud, obnoxious, and utterly radiant. He was nothing like the stars Regulus loved—cold, distant, perfect. James was the sun, burning too brightly to be ignored.

One rainy afternoon, they sat in Regulus’ tiny apartment, the sound of rain tapping against the windows. James was stretched out on the floor, scrolling through his phone, while Regulus worked on an essay.

“You know,” James said suddenly, “you remind me of the night sky.”

Regulus glanced at him, eyebrows raised. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“Yeah,” James said, smiling. “The night sky is beautiful, but it’s lonely. It hides so much, but when you take the time to really look at it, you see it’s full of light. You’re like that.”

Regulus looked away, his cheeks warming. “And what does that make you?”

“Me?” James sat up, grinning. “I’m the sun. Loud, warm, and way too stubborn to let you stay in the dark.”

Regulus rolled his eyes, but his chest tightened in a way he didn’t hate.

James Potter had barged into his life like sunshine through a dusty window, and for the first time, Regulus didn’t feel the need to pull the curtains shut.

[jungwnies]

sfw alphabet | jake sim (en-)

୨ৎ : synopsis : sfw a-z alphabet for sim jaeyun

୨ৎ : word count : 1131

୨ৎ masterlist ୨ৎ

(a/n) : don't forget to like & reblog !! my requests are open!

a ⤖ affection (how affectionate is he? how often does he show affection?)

jake's affection is like a ray of sunshine

he's warm, consistent, and genuinely impossible to ignore

he always finds ways to make you feel loved

whether its random hugs, cheeky texts, or just holding your hand because he can't stand being apart from you

b ⤖ beginning (what would he be like as a bsf; how would the friendship start?)

definitely meet a random group hangout back when he was in school and ever since then you guys have been in touch

he'd be the one to randomly spark up a conversation about something completely irrelevant

next thing you know, you're sending each other memes at 3 in the morning

c ⤖ cuddles (does he like to cuddle; how would he cuddle?)

jake would be the ultimate cuddle enthusiast

he’d pull you into his arms without hesitation, burying his face in your shoulder or hair

expect lazy afternoons with him playing with your fingers or tracing shapes on your back

d ⤖ domestic (does he want to settle down; how good is he at cooking and cleaning?)

jake dreams of building a cozy life with someone special but also thrives in chaos

his cleaning skills are solid—he hates messes—but his cooking?

let’s just say he’d need a lot of practice.

e ⤖ ending (if he had to break up with you; how would he do it?)

he’d be heartbroken but incredibly respectful

he’d sit you down, look you straight in the eye, and explain everything while making sure you know how much he still cares about you, even if things can’t work out

f ⤖ fiance (how does he feel about commitment; would he want to get married quick?)

he’s 100% down for commitment but wouldn’t rush into marriage

he’d want to enjoy every moment of being with you before taking the next step

when he’s ready, though, he’d make it unforgettable.

g ⤖ gentle (how gentle is he; emotionally + physically?)

jake is the definition of soft

he’d be the type to hold you like you’re made of glass and talk to you like your feelings are the most important thing in the world

because to him, they are

h ⤖ hugs (does he likes hugs; how often does he hug you; what are his hugs like?)

hugs are his favorite love language

he’d hug you every chance he gets—quick ones when he’s excited, long ones when you’re upset, and every hug in between

they’re always warm, tight, and full of love.

i ⤖ i love you (how fast does he say he loves you?)

he wouldn’t rush it

he’d wait for the perfect moment, like when you’re laughing so hard your stomach hurts, and he realizes just how much you mean to him

j ⤖ jealousy (how jealous does he get; what does he do when he is jealous?)

he’s pretty chill, but if someone flirts with you, his protective side comes out

he’d casually wrap an arm around you or flash a smug smile, silently claiming his place by your side

k ⤖ kisses (what are his kisses like; where does he like to kiss you; where does he like to be kissed?)

his kisses are playful and sweet, with just the right amount of passion

he’d love kissing your cheeks and forehead because it’s so intimate

as for him, he’d secretly melt when you kiss his nose or jawline.

l ⤖ little ones (how is he around children?)

he’s a natural with kids

they’d adore his goofy energy, and he’d happily spend hours playing games or telling them silly jokes

m ⤖ morning (how are mornings spent with him?)

mornings with jake would be chaotic but fun

expect him to sleepily mumble jokes, mess up breakfast while trying to impress you

and also pull you back into bed “for five more minutes.”

n ⤖ night (how are nights spent with him?)

nights would be full of random conversations about life, movie marathons, and low-key karaoke sessions

he’d end the night by holding you close, whispering random thoughts until you fall asleep

o ⤖ open (when would he open up; does he say everything at once or does he wait to reveal himself?)

he’d open up in bits and pieces, trusting you more with each passing moment

late-night chats would be when he spills his deepest thoughts and feelings

p ⤖ patience (how easily angered is he?)

he’s super patient and doesn’t get angry easily

if something bothers him, he’d try to talk it out calmly rather than letting it build up

q ⤖ quizzes (how much would he remember about you; does he remember every little detail; or is he forgetful?)

he’d remember everything

your favorite snacks, that random fact you told him weeks ago, even the way your eyes light up when you talk about something you love

r ⤖ remember (what is his favorite moment in the relationship?)

his favorite moment would probably be the first time you did something completely unfiltered and goofy around him

it’d be the moment he realized he could be 100% himself with you

s ⤖ security (how protective is he; how does he protect you; how would he like to be protected?)

he’s low-key protective, always keeping an eye out for you

he’d walk on the traffic side of the sidewalk or hold your hand in crowded spaces

he’d appreciate you checking in on him emotionally

t ⤖ try (how much effort does he put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

jake is the king of thoughtful gestures

dates would be creative, gifts meaningful, and he’d always find ways to make even the simplest days feel special

u ⤖ ugly (what are some of his bad habits?)

he might overthink things and occasionally doubt himself, but he’s working on it

he also has a tendency to procrastinate

but he always pulls through in the end

v ⤖ vanity (how concerned is he with his looks?)

he takes care of himself and likes to look good, but he’s not overly vain

he just wants to feel confident and presentable

w ⤖ whole (would he feel incomplete without you?)

he values his independence

however you’d become such an important part of his life that he’d feel a little lost without you

x ⤖ xtra (random headcanon for him)

he’d send you voice notes of him singing random songs he heard during the day, just because he thinks you’d like them

y ⤖ yuck (what are some things he wouldn't like; in general or in a partner?)

he wouldn’t vibe with dishonesty, arrogance, or people who don’t respect others

in a partner, he’d value honesty, kindness, and a good sense of humor

z ⤖ zzz (what are his sleeping habits?)

jake would knock out fast but be super clingy in his sleep, wrapping himself around you like a koala

he might also talk in his sleep, mumbling things that’d make you laugh or swoon

2021-2024 © jungwnies on tumblr | All rights reserved. Do not repost, plagiarize, or translate.

[falseren]

Rensymmetry post mid-2023

aka. how Rensymmetry rose in prominence as a duo, especially a Ren duo, and Blue River Raceway

Ren and False have always been a duo, and everyone kind of knew about them from HC6 neighbours and MCC (9 Blue Bats). But I think 2023 subtly altered the status quo and pushed False way up to the top of Ren duos. It was made obvious and in-your-face in a way it wasn’t before. Like, she’s his top streamer. All five of his top Twitch emotes are hers, which is absolutely insane considering he’s a regular streamer with his own set of commissioned emotes.

I mention Ren duos specifically because Ren always has dominant duos (usually gay ships) and that kind of overshadows his friendship with a woman. I personally feel like a lot of the status quo re: Ren duos is stuck pre-2023, which I know is a weird statement considering core Rensymmetry events happened before 2023, eg. Blue9, but it still gets a bit overshadowed. It’s been changing and people are acknowledging Rensymmetry (because they are kind of obnoxious LMFAO 😭) but at the same time… for a duo that is so blatantly in your face with a consistent stream of insane crumbs, they’re not getting the attention one might expect.

On several occasions Ren has talked about how False helped him/ was there to support him during his irl issues, and we as the audience can see how they got closer when Ren returned from his hiatus in mid 2023. Ren’s first stream back (with facecam) was him grinding False’s elytra course. Mid 2023 was also when False got involved in BRR.

Re: BRR, it’s a Ren-Etho collab with False joining in with the building, but to me it was quite obvious it was Ren’s baby, and it meant a lot to him. It’s the spiritual successor to his Speedy Pines. It’s something he always wanted to make. It’s a very Ren project — half infrastructure, half racing — and he envisioned a server event (the Grand Prix). It’s quintessential Rendog. He threw himself almost completely into BRR when he returned.

False also spent a lot of time on BRR. Ren mentioned in his HC9 finale that he was very grateful for her and how she helped to make his vision come to life. And since it was such an important project to Ren, I think the kind of support (emotional and creative) that she provided really touched him and snowballed into the devotion + admiration you see now. Like, she became so important to him that he’ll just do anything for her.

You can start to see bits from mid 2023. There’s the TCG stream in which Ren offered to take the heat in case the fans didn’t like that the stream torch (TCG cards) would go to False and not Grian. Ren was being dramatic, but it was also his “anything for you Falsie 🫡” mentality coming into play.

BRR became their playground in which they constantly streamed from there (although not at the same time). While the Lifers were doing Secret Life, Ren was BRRing. While people were at Twitchcon, False was BRRing. Perimeter prank? False and Ren just released their BRR racing episodes. While Decked Out mania was in full swing, they were BRRing. Decked Out open day? BRR. (And False had to act as Ren’s messenger owl because he was away getting food— they were talking about BRR on their own.) Even when Tango did his DO redstone stream, they were BRRing. It’s second nature to them because they love minigames and competing against each other (eg. MCC, the minigame stream they did with Cub in summer 2023).

And then on it went until the Grand Prix which left such a strong impression on Ren that not only did he utter “I cannot think of a more worthy winner” (insane line), he also spent one year planning an irl trophy gift for False (also insane). He really appreciates her in a way that feels like it can’t be undone. They were good buddies before this, but I think it’s quite clear they’ve gotten closer.

Other insane bits include the “Hermitcraft isn’t Hermitcraft without my friend False close by” (which imo is one of the most insane things a hermit can say about another hermit) and Ren ending his last stream on HC9 by playing False’s elytra race. And he said without hesitation that she’s his favourite hermit and one of his best friends. Don’t worry, this is just the beginning, he gets worse.

I was going to flash forward to HC10 but then I remember False popped in on Ren’s Xmas stream on her phone while with family so there’s that. Like don’t you dare her call her toxic and mean when she checks in with Ren even when she’s busy. And Plateup with Cleo.

HC10. Demise 2. Murals. Hats. Armour stands. Multipass.💥💥💥

During Demise 2, I remember False interpreted a message from chat as that chatter thinking her and Ren were “not normal”, and she got vaguely defensive and mentioned something about how you know someone a bit better now and people think you’re not normal (this was after twaddle). Not gonna lie, Demise 2 era twaddle isn’t even that bad. Not when compared to post charity stream twaddle or big business river twaddle.

Anyways you can see they clearly appreciate and adore each other from the random snippets they include in episodes/ FalseLive / False’s featured clips/ whatever Ren’s going on about on stream. They’ve always been sweet but not like this lmfao. Ren in particular is going to explode. “A piece of the puzzle is missing” “MCC isn’t the same without you” okay. False is less obvious about it (because Ren is flying off the handle) but also likeeeee the featured clips… the Instagram comment… being in Ren’s chat… when Ren was singing and she said in chat how can you be so talented… <3

Their friendships is so sweet. And I think it’s cute how it manifests in the way they create on Hermitcraft. Like you really understand why Ren thinks Hermitcraft isn’t Hermitcraft without False. You really understand why False goes to Ren’s base when she needs a creative break from her own base.

[premiumbitch]

THINGS TO MANIFEST - HANNAH MONTANA THEMED PACK ! ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

hi luvs! I decided I'd make this hannah montana themed pack for the lovely person who requested it (@cinnamoncilla) and for people who want to manifest themselves to be a completely different person, someone they will feel confident to be! also for the amazing shifters who can script this about themselves! enjoy :)

⋆⛧┈┈┈┈﹤୨♡୧﹥ ┈┈┈┈⛧⋆

BEAUTY ♡ //

Your beauty is like a kaleidoscope of starlight, dazzling and ever-changing, leaving everyone mesmerized by your glow.

Your hair is spun gold with streaks of sunshine, catching the light like it’s made for a perfect music video moment.

Your eyes hold a sparkle so bright it feels like they’ve been kissed by the universe—a secret treasure no one can resist.

Your skin is luminous, shimmering with a natural radiance that feels like you just stepped off the stage.

Your smile isn’t just a smile—it’s a supernova of warmth, igniting joy in everyone lucky enough to see it.

The way you carry yourself is pure magic, like a star who knows exactly how to shine without trying too hard.

Your beauty feels alive, like it’s fueled by the same energy that powers dreams and creates miracles.

Light bends differently around you, wrapping you in an ethereal glow that makes every moment feel cinematic.

You look like the embodiment of a pop anthem—bold, radiant, and completely unforgettable.

Your beauty is timeless, a perfect balance of glamour and individuality that makes you a living legend.

AURA ♡ //

You radiate an energy that’s part glitter explosion, part electric storm, leaving everyone dazzled in your wake.

Your vibe is like a sold-out concert, electric and full of excitement, where everyone wants to be in the front row.

Being around you feels like the first notes of your favorite song—familiar, exciting, and impossible not to smile about.

You carry the magic of a summer evening, warm and vibrant, like a memory people want to relive over and over.

Your presence transforms ordinary moments into iconic ones, like an instant highlight reel of pure magic.

You have an aura that sparkles with confidence, drawing people in and making them feel like anything is possible.

Time feels like it slows down in your presence, as if the world pauses to admire your radiance.

You have a glow that feels like sunshine on a rainy day, effortlessly lifting spirits and spreading happiness.

People are naturally drawn to you, like you’re the center of a magnetic field made of pure charm.

Your energy feels limitless, like you’re fueled by the dreams of every star in the sky.

SMARTS ♡ //

Your mind works like a melody in perfect harmony, solving problems with creativity and brilliance.

You think faster than a drumbeat, always ahead of the game and ready to remix life’s challenges into triumphs.

Your ideas sparkle with originality, as if your thoughts are dipped in stardust and wrapped in possibility.

You can turn the most complex problems into something simple, like a catchy hook that everyone understands.

Your mind is a treasure chest of wisdom, always filled with new discoveries and innovative solutions.

You approach life with a producer’s mindset, crafting every moment like it’s destined for the spotlight.

Your intuition is razor-sharp, like you can sense the rhythm of life before it even begins to play.

You’re a walking brainstorm, constantly coming up with ideas that are as genius as they are exciting.

You have a knack for connecting dots no one else can see, like you’re decoding the secrets of the stars.

Your smarts are magnetic, drawing others in with your ability to inspire, create, and solve effortlessly.

PERSONALITY ♡ //

You’re a perfect mix of superstar and best friend, radiating confidence while making everyone feel at home.

Your kindness is the kind that changes lives, like a backstage pass to a world of comfort and joy.

You light up conversations with humor and charm, making everyone feel like they’re part of something special.

Your laughter feels like a hit single—it’s infectious, unforgettable, and leaves people wanting to hear it on repeat.

You inspire people to dream big and reach higher, like a motivational anthem that gets stuck in their hearts.

You have a natural ability to make others feel seen and heard, like you’re the chorus to their life story.

Your energy is contagious, spreading positivity like confetti at the end of an epic show.

You’re unapologetically yourself, a reminder that authenticity is the ultimate stage to shine on.

Your presence feels like a promise of good things to come, leaving everyone hopeful and inspired.

You’re a walking celebration, spreading joy, beauty, and inspiration wherever you go—like a Hannah Montana concert brought to life.

hope you guys enjoyed and found this helpful <3

[kindlythevoid]

I love you OC info sheets. I love you OC fanart. I love you fandom specific OC. I love you borderline-insert OC. I love you original works. I love you OC animations. I love you OC fanfics. I love you OC folders. I love you OC tag.

[banditblvd]

Turns out that when you draw different things it helps improve your art faster! That’s news to me!

Completely unrelated but I redesigned Grian again

[grimmweepers]

life comes at you so fast

[inkyboyo]

this makes me so emo, look at how they’ve grown :’))

[arcticmist0324]

One thing that is difficult about writing historical fiction is when you’ve set your story up in the same time frame as major historical events, which you KNOW would be on your characters’ radar yet they don’t impact the plot. What is too much? What is too little?

[sweetandglovelyart]

Now that I’ve finished the most recent comic page I think I should actually try and do some proper drawings of some of my OCs. Get ready to see Taranza’s mom Theraphoza, I’m working on drawing her first 🕷️