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bush-viper-cutie · 4 years ago

Text

Midnight Stars Tree

Pairing: young!severus X reader

Word Count: 5,350

Rating: E for Everyone

Plot: Three days before the start of seventh year, you attend a yearly potions demonstration at a wizard hotel across the street from a wizard museum. Every student seventeen and older participate in a tradition where you skip the last demonstration to hide away in a secret spot in the museum with someone of your choosing.

Warnings: None

A/N: Requested by anon (exact request found at the bottom) and I hope you like it :D I really liked the story so it got a bit long but I hope there were enough cuddle scenes! So many cute types of cuddles to choose from so I included many XD

Posted: 7/16/20

Masterlist

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(L/n) = last name

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“Children! Gather around! Please!” Professor Slughorn waved a parchment over his head, trying to capture the attention of over a dozen excited students.

The hotel lobby was full of students from other wizarding schools. All also attending the yearly potions convention before the start of term where the world’s most notorious potions masters would brew together in the world’s largest cauldron.

Most students had clearly signed up just to travel and stay at a famous wizard hotel, away from Hogwarts and the other teachers. Everyone knew Slughorn was laid back enough to allow almost anything to happen. All-nighters? Wandering around the wizard museum after hours? Visiting the rooms of foreign wizards? He had a very agreeable reputation, Horace Sees-Nothing Slughorn.

You stood in the back with your friends, eager to get assigned your rooms. Thankfully, you were seventeen, which meant you’d guarantee room on the top floor where they put both girls and boys in together – separate rooms of course. Not like that stopped anyone.

“Alright, let’s not get distracted,” he laughed and put on his glasses. He unrolled the parchment and started listing off names and handing out golden glittering stones with numbers on them.

The youngest students were called on first, next the fifth years, sixth, and lastly seventh years. You were among the seventh years quickly ushered into the fireplace that would take you and your bags to the very top floor.

You stepped in and held your breath as the bright cold flames rose to your nose and whisked you away to the last floor. You exited and coughed the soot out of your lungs, quickly spotting your friend down the hall. It had begun. The frenzied ritual of finding out who was in the rooms across and to either side.

You took out the rock and walked ahead of your friend to the door with the same number and knocked with the rock. It swung open and a familiar scent of freshly washed sheets made you smile instantly. You left the door open and ran to the far bed, setting down your stuff as a form of first dibs.

“You won’t believe who’s across the hall!” your friend threw their bags down and jumped with excitement.

“Is it that tall Ravenclaw whose been eyeing you since last year? The one with the swooshy hair like ‘honey’?”

They laughed and jumped onto the bed, “Yes!”

Well, it looked like shenanigans were already scheduled for your friend for the weekend, but now the question was how would you join in on the fun? “So, did you see who else is around by any chance?”

“No one else worth talking about. OH. Except for that Snape guy. He’s to our left and rooming with Sirius Black! So you can guess how that’ll go. I bet Sirius will beg every girl on this floor, Hogwarts or not, to sleep in their room.”

“He’ll ask anyone alive just to get away from him.”

There was a knock at the door.

You sat up quickly and laughed, “That was fast!”

You opened the door with hips on your hands ready to slam the door in Sirius’ face. Your six other friends pushed through and flopped onto your bed, taking out the museum brochure and weekend plans.

“They have a Midnight Stars tree!”

“The crystal room has couches!”

“Did you see who was across your room!”

You sat on your friend’s bed and scanned the museum brochure. There were dozens of rooms perfect for what everyone was calling the ‘Secret Skip’, where for the final performance – the one where the world’s leading potioneers would brew the most complicated potion in the largest cauldron in the wizarding world at the same time – everyone from the top floor would skip and run to an available hidden spot with your chosen sweetheart.

You had two nights to find the spot and claim it and two days to find the perfect boy. “We’ll have to spread out and remember which rooms are a go and which are definitely no good.”

. . .

It was after dinner and Slughorn had already gone down every hall with Hogwarts students, knocking and telling everyone to go to bed. After a long day’s planning, your friends got up and left to their rooms, leaving you with the list of most to least romantic-sounding spots.

You changed into your night clothes and washed your teeth, ready to pass out from all the planning when a loud THUMP nearly knocked the signed and framed pillowcase off the wall over your bed.

“What are they doing! They’ll kill me if they keep going!”

Your friend shrugged and blew out their bedside candle, “Who cares. Just take the frame down.”

THUMP

The frame fell off the wall and onto your pillow, “I’m going over and yelling at them.”

“What! No!”

You opened the door and looked to either side, making sure Slughorn wasn’t still walking around. It was empty and the few floating candles illuminated either end well enough to satisfy your concern. You turned and knocked on their door hard enough to indicate your anger.

THUMP

You knocked again and the door cracked open.

Sirius smiled at you and opened the door further, “Ah. What can I do for you so late into the night?”

You frowned and pushed passed him, marching inside ready to tell them off. You gasped instead, seeing articles of clothing thrown around the room and a bed fully tipped over towards the door, pillow shredded in two.

“What happened! You trash your room already?”

THUMP

Your head shot up towards the tall wardrobe where the noise was coming from, “Is that a boggart?”

“It is, so best not to open it up,” Sirius motioned for the door.

“Where’s your roommate?” you made your way over to the wardrobe and hovered your hand over the handle.

Sirius put his hands up quickly, “Oh, he wet his trousers and went home. Slimy git couldn’t contain his excitement.” THUMP “Told me he actually came for the demonstration,” he laughed.

You scoffed and pulled on the handle. Snape tumbled out nearly knocking you over. You caught his elbows and helped him but quickly pushed him away as soon as he was steady.

Sirius laughed, “Oh, there you are.”

Snape bared his teeth at Sirius, “I’m telling! Wait till Slughorn finds out you and your friends are planning to break into the museum across the street! He’ll send you packing.”

“Try it, Snivelly!”

Your eyes widened, “Wait! You can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Snape pushed passed you towards the door, standing as tall as possible in an attempt to match Sirius’ height.

You pulled him back by his robes, “Wait please!”

“Snivellus is just upset he’ll be sitting with the babies.” Sirius held out his wand, standing taller, “Maybe I’ll just turn you into a weasel for the weekend, since you already act like one, eh Snivelly? Where’s your wand?”

Snape jumped back, realizing his wand was not on him and instead laying at the door to the restroom.

You stepped forward, holding out your hands, “Stop it, Sirius.” You turned to Snape, “Please don’t tell. You’ll ruin the weekend for everyone on this floor.”

“How? By making you attend the demonstration you signed up to see? Get over yourself. I’d only be ruining the weekend for you dull ‘populars’ with nothing better to do than commit crimes. What you’re doing is stupidly reckless.”

You crossed your arms and tried to not be offended by his words, “We’re just having fun, Snape.”

“He’s a lost cause, (L/n). He’s just mad no one’ll take him.”

“AM NOT,” Snape growled.

“You just don’t know how fun it’s supposed to be. What if you hang out with me and we go exploring together? Join me while we scope out the museum,” you kept your eyes on Snape as Sirius laughed at your offer.

“What, YOU’LL take him? Are you mad?”

Snape shook his head confused. He was always the type to question everything, “What do you mean?”

You gave him your best smile, “Saturday and Sunday night walk around with me, after the day’s demonstrations. It’ll be fun. And if you still want to tell on us and make us all sit through Monday morning’s demonstration then… Fine.”

“I’m not hearing this,” Sirius rubbed his eyes.

Snape looked into your eyes, his scowl slowly lowered and he finally spoke, “I don’t see the point.”

“But you’ll join me anyways? Just to look around?” You could tell it wasn’t working, he seemed as distant and unapproachable as always. Ready to turn everyone who wasn’t his friends down.

“Snivelly’s too scared to. I’m not though. I’ll gladly – ”

For a second his eyes flicked to Sirius. “Alright,” his voice was low and spiteful.

You nodded and turned to leave, quickly looking at Sirius first, “If you do ANYTHING to make him tell, I’M telling everyone YOU ruined this.”

You marched to the door and exited the room. The hall was still empty and quiet and very few lights were seeping under doors now. You knocked on your own door and hoped your friend hadn’t fallen asleep yet. You were so mad you forgot you needed the rock to get back in.

They opened the door immediately and pulled you in, “I heard everything! You’re really going to hang out with him?”

You shrugged, “He can’t tell if he broke in too. Besides, it’s just to find my spot and claim it.”

“But what about finding someone! No one’s going to talk to you with Snape hanging around like a dark cloud.”

You sighed and yawned, “I’ll figure something out during the demonstrations tomorrow.”

. . .

Students were slowly and quietly filing out of their rooms with wands held brightly in front of them, down to the end of the hall with the fireplace. You left your room and waved at your friend as they walked on without you. You knocked on the door to your left and tapped your foot impatiently.

“Snape!” you whispered.

The door opened and Snape poked his head out and looked around before stepping out, “This is a bad idea. If you had any sense at all you’d go back to bed.”

You smiled amused, “Then why are you joining me?”

He glared down at you but didn’t speak.

Did Snape actually want to break into the museum for fun? You held back a laugh, “Come on, we didn’t spend all day listening to some ghost squeal about historical artifacts for nothing. Slughorn is fast asleep after the boring day and we are going to go have fun.”

You reached passed him and closed his door for him before walking down the deserted hall. Snape’s unsure steps followed.

. . .

One of the museum janitors – apparently some guy that had graduated Hogwarts twenty years ago – had left the side door open for the students and guarded it with a tall staff and a mop. The museum entrance was silent, but out in the distance bouncing lights could be seen, deep into the beast exhibit.

You pulled out your pamphlet and ran your finger down all the starred spots you had called dibs on among your friends. The closest spot was the botanical gardens named ‘Satanical Botanicals’.

“Follow me,” you led the way through a long passageway made of rocks that made your hairs stand on end with electricity.

“People shouldn’t be in here without a guide. All these plants are toxic and poisonous,” Snape dodged a purple-fanged jug plant as it tried to dig into his shoulder.

“Not true, that one was neither,” you giggled.

There were four benches located in the gardens and two were in use by a couple of Hufflepuffs. You walked around to the first bench and saw it was among a snaring prickle vine. The last one was surrounded by whispering wisterias hanging low off the branches. The gardens were dark after closing time and the light purple flowers hummed and glowed faintly.

“This is a good spot,” you sat down at the bench and looked around at the flower bunches swaying. “Romantic.”

“Sure, if you want to be put to sleep and pass out in the dirt,” he pressed his hair down over his ears.

You stood up quickly just as a yawn came over you, “I’ll just cross this one out… Next spot.”

The Midnight Stars tree was across the museum and there was only one way through to it. The corridor was dark with lights only seen out of the corner of your eyes. You stood at the entrance and looked in, trying to spot something in the dark.

“We shouldn’t go through there,” Snape stepped back.

“We’ll run. Easy and fast,” you folded up your brochure and stuffed it in your pocket.

You took a step in, then another, looking back and hoping Snape was following you in. He wasn’t big or intimidating, not by his build at least, but his presence did have a slightly calming effect, or, the knowledge that he knew far more hexes than anyone at school calmed you down.

He glanced at you briefly before stepping in after you. Cold white mist surrounded your ankles and shrieks of pain sounded in the distance. You took off running, Snape still behind, and almost tripped as red flames burst to your right and a white translucent hand shot up to grab you. You jerked away and fell forward out of the corridor, tripping Snape.

“Watch it!”

“Sorry! I-I got spooked,” you stood up and held out your hand to help him up.

He ignored it and stood, dusting himself off, “I’m going in first next time. They can’t touch you. Read the brochure.”

The Midnight Stars tree was standing tall, it’s branches spanning the tall ceiling and walls and lantern flowers blooming full force in the dark. There was no need for windows or floating candles for this room. It was well illuminated in the room by itself. No one had made it this far, likely because of the grotesque corridor of ghosts of burning witches.

“This is perfect!” You ran up to the tree and spun around, admiring the way the flower petals swayed like real fire. “Give me a lift?”

“I’m not getting on my hands and knees for you,” the flowers illuminated in his dark eyes like flames, making them seem deeper like an endless hall of shadows.

He seemed very stubborn and quick to judge, “That’s not what I meant, just… give me a boost. Please?”

The please seemed to melt him slightly, just enough to at least consider it. He looked up at the closest branch and stepped onto the soft grass towards you. He uncrossed his arms and laced his long fingers together and stood unsure beside you. His eyes snapped to yours as you put your hand on his shoulder to lower him down to your height.

You wiped your shoe on the grass and put it in his hands, placing both hands on his shoulders and looked up at the closest branch. It was only a few feet above your reach and a swift boost should do the trick. You turned back and gasped softly, not expecting him to be so close. His nose only an inch from yours.

“Just do it,” he murmured.

You nodded and pushed off, reaching high for the branch. Snape’s fingers unclasped and your foot pushed through, knocking you down onto him. You screamed and fell forward, knocking him to the ground. His arms had automatically tried to latch onto you as an attempt to stabilize himself. You opened your eyes, glad to not be in any pain and realized he was still holding you as you laid on him. He groaned and opened his eyes.

You pushed up and sat, pressing your hands to your lips, “Are you ok? I’m sorry!”

His kept his hands on your hips and looked up at you, nodding slowly. “My hands were sweaty and… Sorry.”

You noticed his cheeks were turning a deep red and slowly spreading across his nose as his embarrassment rose. His hair spread out on the grass below and a ladybug walked over the sea of black, the lights reflected in its shiny yellow spots. You swung your leg and fell back onto the grass, feeling his hands leave your side.

“Thanks for trying to catch me,” you smiled and looked down, feeling your own blush spread over your face. You hadn’t expected to ever be so close to him, let alone fall into his arms. Fall into Snape’s arms and to be held firmly by his soft hands.

He sat up and pulled his legs in, wrapping his arms around himself and looked down at the ground at the little bug that had fallen off his hair. “I didn’t mean to… I mean, I didn’t do it on purpose – let you fall. It just happened.”

You giggled and plucked some grass, “My hero. Thanks for giving me a safe landing.”

He looked over and a tiny smile tugged on the corner of his mouth. His hard edges smoothed, and his normal aggressive demeanor vanished. It almost seemed like the Snape that walked the halls of Hogwarts with a scowl and stone-cold eyes had cracked just enough to let light into his dark eyes. His lips looked as soft and smooth as his voice felt.

His smile dropped suddenly, and he stood, “We should go.”

You nodded and followed him through the dark corridor, averting your eyes from the pained faces of the ghosts. There were still students roaming the museum, but you still followed Snape back into the hotel. You opened your room door without another word to him as he entered his own room.

. . .

“Last night to mark your spot,” your friend reminded you as they headed out of your room to join the other students.

All day you had been chancing glances at Snape, and you could swear he had been chancing glances at you too. Whatever happened under the Midnight Stars Tree last night had changed something in you. Snape was no longer some classmate who you were vaguely aware existed.

Since finding yourself inches from his face you hadn’t stopped thinking of him all day. The way his eyes seemed to glow, the way his pink lips curled, and the slightest hint of laugh lines appeared on his face. Every time you had caught his eyes just as he looked away made you blush and smile. You had looked at your hands and bit your lips trying not to look like a fool in love. Because you weren’t. But maybe, you did have a small little crush on ‘that Snape guy’.

You stood from your bed and checked the mirror to make sure you looked ok in the outfit – the one that you had brought for specifically ‘Secret Skip’ which was tomorrow. “What am I doing?” you whispered to yourself and headed out the door.

You knocked on Snape’s door and waited, rocking back and forth on your toes and heels with your hands folded in front of you. No one answered the door. You knocked again. Nothing.

“Snape? You’re still hanging out with me… yeah?”

There was a rustle coming from inside and Snape opened the door. He looked you up and down slowly and then out towards the ends of the hall.

“I won’t tell, alright? Your threat made Sirius leave me alone – surprisingly – so you can just go pick your spot or whatever with all your other friends. You don’t have to hang out with me.”

You bit your lip and smiled, “They’d all be too afraid to go through that corridor with me. I’d feel safer if I was with you.”

He kept his eyes on the end of the hall, but his lips tugged into a slight smile of amusement, “If you prefer.”

. . .

The museum seemed a bit more rambunctious now, with students running from place to place trying to get to their spots before the next. There were hushed laughter and whispered arguments echoing through every exhibit. Except for the Midnight Stars Tree room.

“You said you’d go first, remember?” you pushed on his back slightly, feeling him lean back into your push.

He sighed, “Fine…” He took out his wand and held it up as he started forward.

You followed close behind and kept your eyes on his robes as you ran, ignoring the bursting flames to either side. You both came out the other end without tripping over each other.

“Don’t think you have to mark your spot, considering no one’s even been here.”

You shrugged and walked forward, “Just in case.”

You took your wand and traced your room number on the lower part of the trunk, watching the numbers glow gently. You turned back and sat down next to Snape, incredibly aware of how close your hands were to his – until he moved.

“Should we leave now then?” he bent his head over his knees, resting on his chin.

“Your name’s Severus, right?”

He shifted his head to rest on his cheek, nodding carefully.

“The grass is soft, isn’t it?” Your attempt at small talk was laughable.

He nodded and placed his hands back down next to yours, looking down to make sure they never touched. You laid back on the soft grass and smiled when he joined, your inner hands still almost touching.

“Your… outfit looks nice.”

You bit your lip trying not to smile and giggle at his compliment. Severus Snape liked what you were wearing? “Do… you think it’s cute?” Were you pushing it?

He nodded slowly and his hand inched closer by only a few grassy blades. You did the same and felt your pinky brush up against his. The next second his hand was over yours and you were turning your palm up for him. His hand was soft and warm, wrapping around yours perfectly. Each slender finger fit between yours and held you as firmly as when you had fallen onto him the night before.

You lifted his arm with your intertwined hand and slid closer to him, so that your arms were tucked cozily between you as your head rested on his shoulder. You held your breath waiting for a response and felt his cheek rest on your head. You breathed in and noticed his clothes still smelled like the potions classrooms and giggled quietly, wondering if he had been brewing during the few days stay at the hotel.

You let go of his hand and pushed it away, choosing instead to lean on his body and place your arm over him. He wrapped his arm around you and pushed you closer, holding you to him as if you’d suddenly run away. You held him just as tight.

Your hand slid from his side to his chest, feeling the way his chest rose with every breath. His fingertips traced the length of your arm and then brushed through your hair gently. It was relaxing laying there under the glowing flowers that looked like dancing flames in the sky. Your knee rested on his thigh and just like that you were the most comfortable you’ve ever been.

You stayed like that for several minutes, shyly enjoying each other until you heard Sirius’ voice from the other side of the corridor of ghosts.

“(L/n)!”

You stood quickly and stepped away from Severus, knowing Sirius would just love catching the two of you together like that.

Sirius burst through the darkness and looked back as another boy came through right behind him. You recognized the other boy. A Hufflepuff with emerald green eyes and who was known as the third best looking boy in the school by many. You were surprised to find him walking besides Sirius, considering he was rarely seen with anyone other than his own Quidditch team.

“(L/n), finally found you,” Sirius smiled. He looked down at Severus sitting on the grass and arched his brow. “Since you’ve been taking one for the team, having to put up with Snivelly for two nights I thought I’d do you a favor.”

“I don’t need anything from you.” You noticed Severus slowly backing away.

Sirius placed his hand on the Hufflepuff’s shoulder, “I insist. So here.”

The Hufflepuff opened his arms in defeat and winked at you, “I see you’ve picked this spot. So why don’t I join you here tomorrow?”

This was a test, an all too obvious one. If you said no then Sirius would accuse you of having asked Severus, a rumor that was sure to spread fast. The fact it would be Sirius spreading it gave you chills, knowing he could be ruthless at times and who knew what he would say.

“Sure,” you glanced back at where Severus stood last but did not see him.

Sirius looked around too, “Well it’s settled then.”

Severus was nowhere in sight. You smiled politely, “I’ll meet you here then.”

You walked around them and headed into the corridor, running as fast as you could. You couldn’t spot Severus anywhere as you searched from the corridor exit to the front of the museum. He was gone.

. . .

Wizards from all over the world were filing into the auditorium to watch the big demonstration. A giant cauldron stood on the stage where four old wizards in different color robes prepared their ingredients. All the Hogwarts students were sitting in the very back behind Slughorn and the fourth years. Severus sat two rows behind you and avoided eye contact completely as you had found your seat.

The demonstration began and the lights dimmed. Everyone sat quietly and the second the old wizards started dropping things into the sizzling liquid, all the Hogwarts students from floor seven stood and made their way out. You followed your friend and stopped at the door, careful not to be spotted by the Hufflepuff boy with emerald green eyes. He wasn’t even looking for you.

All the back rows were almost empty, except for Severus and a few other students. You made your way down again and sat next to him in the empty chair to his right. He turned and stared at you in confusion. He crossed his arms and sunk into his chair.

The crowd cheered as the smoke turned pink. You extended your hand, hoping he’d know what you meant and take it. He turned and shook his head, his black hair swaying over his shoulder.

You leaned in, “Severus, please? I only agreed so that Sirius would leave us alone. I want to be here with you, enjoying the demonstration. Like you wanted. I was never going to join him.”

He sat unmoving.

You couldn’t see his face and wished desperately to be back under the Midnight Stars tree. You touched his fingers and pulled them out from under his arm, holding his hand tight, “Forgive me?”

His fingers wrapped around your hand and Severus turned back, nodding with the same small smile as normal, “Ok.”

The demonstration went on and you couldn’t help but hug his arm and lean into him. The demonstration was the same boring one as previous years but sitting there was worth it, especially when he wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you in.

Your hand rested on his knee as you snuggled closer and his arm around your shoulder slid down around your waist. His other hand reached over and held your hand tight as it rested on his knee. His thumb rubbed your skin back and forth like gentle soothing waves.

You closed your eyes and imagined belonging to him and only him. They way he held you felt so right and it didn’t matter where the two of you were, it was just as relaxing. It felt perfect being with him, in the darkness of the theater and under the tree. Severus Snape was everything you wanted.

. . .

The demonstration as over, ending in booming claps and loud whistled cheers. Everyone stood and made their way outside where the other students were already waiting. Slughorn was none the wiser and herded everyone back to the hotel lobby.

Your friends had pulled you aside and told you every juicy detail, and luckily never bothered to ask you about your morning. They knew something was up with you and “that Snape guy” and had the decency not to push passed your walls. The rest of the morning involved packing and before you could say anything to Severus, he had Flooed away.

. . .

The Hogwarts Express arrived and students were filing out, eager to get in the large carriages that took them up to the school. You looked around again, and finally spotted a bobbing black head with sleeked lank hair. You pushed passed the crowd and pulled on his robes.

“Severus! Hi,” you smiled.

His black eyes looked on towards the carriages, “(L/n).” His voice was sharp and cold.

You frowned and waited for the last few stragglers to get in a carriage before speaking again. “Are you mad at me? Did I do something? I thought yesterday was nice, but you left so fast.”

He pulled on the sleeves of his robes and looked down, “You could have said no to him. You could have asked me… I thought you were going to ask me… I wanted you to.”

He looked sad but you weren’t sure what to say. “I thought you wanted to see the demonstration. That’s why you signed up… Sirius would have spread rumors – ”

He stared at you intensely and frowned, hurt plainly visible in his glistening eyes, “Yeah. Everyone would have known you liked me. How awful that would have been.”

He scoffed and made his way to a packed carriage. You made your way to one of the empty ones and sighed, hating the way his lips had trembled.

. . .

It was a week after term had started and dozens of students were enjoying the last few days of summer outside in the courtyard. A light breeze blew that carried laughter throughout. There were groups of friends spread out in every spot. Your group consisted of all your friends and added acquaintances, chattering away about their summers in the far corner next to a group of Gryffindors.

Severus sat hunched on a bench, ignored by everyone as he read and tried to keep his page as the wind blew. His head was hung low and his hair blocked the light from hitting his book, his finger ran across the pages tracing the words.

You looked around and sighed. You jumped down from the low stone wall and made your way over to Severus. You didn’t think he’d notice your shadow since his book was already shrouded in darkness, but he did. He looked up and tilted his head, unsure of your intentions in such a crowded space.

“Can I do something?”

He looked around at the eyes that had started to stare, “Um… s-sure?”

You pushed his book away and stepped between his legs and sat on his thigh. You hooked your arm around his neck and kissed his cheek. His arms wrapped around your waist instinctively and held you carefully. His pale face flushed pink and a wide smile spread across his face as you pulled your lips away.

Within seconds a few Slytherins came over – a part of the gawking crowd moments before. His friends sat around, bewildered by what they were seeing.

“Severus? When did this happen?”

Severus was about to open his mouth when you answered first, “Yesterday.”

Severus shrugged nonchalantly and squeezed you closer, “Told you guys to go.”

You laughed and nuzzled his cheek with your nose, loving the way he bit his lip to stop from smiling too big. You played with his hair as you sat on his lap and joined in the retelling of how it came to be.

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Masterlist

Request: “may I request a young sev x reader where they cuddle 🥺🥺 pretty please?” - Anon

229 notes · View notes

rafecameron · 4 years ago

Text

roommates

request: The guys all went to college and Luke meets his roommate Julie instant attraction but neither want to mess up there room situation but one week it changes and Luke gets sick with the flu and Julie takes care of him, and while bed ridden truths are admitted about falling for each other and they get together please

pairing: luke patterson x julie molina

word count: 9.7k

a/n: my first time writing for juke and this got long...hope you enjoy! also requests are currently closed!

Luke was sure he had never felt excitement quite like this before. Sure he got excited when playing a gig or basically every time he practiced, but this was different. Picking up a guitar was bouncy adrenalin and electricity, this was like vibrating with hope and pride. He had done it, he had gotten into college - something most people thought wasn’t possible. Now he was free and independent, he could do whatever he wanted, he was practically an adult. He pinballed down the hallway, leaving his friends at their rooms and hurriedly searching for his own. He was sure even a bad roommate wouldn’t be able to dampen his spirits. He stops in front of room 205, double checking on the paper he had been given and once certain this was his room he placed the key in the lock and entered his new home for the first time.

His face was taken over with a frown, one of amusement more than annoyance, the sight in the room as not as he had expected. He had anticipated two beds, a couple desks, a wardrobe, maybe a roommate unpacking his stuff. The furniture was as expected, but both beds were littered with clothes and possessions, a suitcase laying open and half unpacked on one.

“Oh my god!” A female voice interrupts his assessment of the room, “I was hoping you wouldn’t be here yet.” She chews on her lower lip as she looks around at the mess she had made, “I swear I’m not usually this messy, I just packed a lot of stuff...A lot of stuff.” She repeated herself more quietly as she looks from the mess and back up to the cute boy in the doorway.

“It’s cool.” Luke finally shrugs, the mess suddenly forgotten as his struggles to pull his eyes away from the girl in front of him, “I’m Luke, by the way.” He holds out a hand and she surges forward to take it in hers.

“Julie.” She smiles, she had the kind of smile that was contagious, it caught onto Luke instantly and his face lit up, her hand felt soft in his own and he almost didn’t want to let go.

“Here.” The girl - Julie - quickly grabs her clothes off the second bed, throwing them into her opened suitcase, “I already chose a bed, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Luke says as he places his bags down onto the bed which was to be his, “Are you sure there’s room to put all that.” He chuckles watching her cram jumpers into an already full drawer.

“Not at all.” Julie huffs, hands on her hips as she turns around, blowing a piece of hair out of her face, “But I gotta make it fit.”

Luke chuckles and turns to his own bag, unzipping it and starting to pull out his things. Lucky for the girl he hadn’t brought much stuff, he knew he wouldn’t need much room so offered some of his storage space to her, which she was more than happy to accept. Luke had never imagined he would be sharing rooms with a girl, not that he minded at all - in a completely non creepy way. Julie seemed cool and energetic like himself, he was already certain they would get along like a house on fire and couldn’t wait to introduce her to his friends. It also didn’t hurt that she was one of if not the most gorgeous girl he had ever laid eyes on, he wouldn’t make a move due to the room situation but it wouldn’t hurt anyone for him to admire her from afar.

They spent their time unpacking getting to know each other. He found out that she was in the music program like himself, and that she also enjoyed horror movies, karaoke and onion rings. He was sure this girl couldn’t get anymore perfect if she tried and he thanked the heavens that they had placed him in a room with her.

“So are you here alone?” Julie asks, taking a seat cross legged in the middle of her bed once all her belongings were in their new homes, “I came here with my best friend, she’s down the hall. She’s pretty bummed that we didn’t get to share but at least this way we get to meet new people.” She shrugs.

“That’s cool, I came with my friends too.” He falls back onto his bed, leaning against the headboard and kicking his legs out in front of him, “They’re also down the hall.” He points in the opposite direction to the way she had, “Two of them are sharing somehow, Alex and I got split up but like you said, it’s the perfect opportunity to meet new people.”

“I love my best friend but I think if we shared a room it would be a disaster. You saw how many clothes I have, she has double that, maybe even triple!” She laughs, “She’s a style icon.” she adds using her friends own words.

“So there’s basically two of you?” Luke chuckles, “I’m excited to meet her, if she’s anything like you she’ll be great.”

“Wow, we’ve only just met and you’re already over there with the flattery!” Julie teases, “But really, I’m excited to meet your friends too, they sound great. I mean, Reggie sounds a little...odd, but still great.” She chuckles, “Oh! We should plan a night to hang out before lessons start! Like go for a meal or have a movie night or something.”

“Actually that’s a great idea!” Luke agrees sitting up, “I’m gonna go see how they’re settling in, I’ll pitch the idea and see when you want to do it.” He jumps off the bed and heads to the door.

“I best go see what Flynn’s up to before she yells at me for not coming to hang out quick enough.” Julie rolls her eyes but the smile on her face shows fondness.

The pair say their goodbyes and walk opposite ways down the hallway. Luke knocks on the door which he had left Reggie and Bobby at, happy to see that Alex was already sitting inside on the edge of one of their beds.

“Hey guys, how's the rooms? How’s the roomie, Alex?” He asks, helping himself to one of the cans of drink on Bobby’s side table.

Alex’s grin reaches from ear to ear, “I have the best roommate ever and I think I’m in love.” Alex replies with a content sigh.

“I do not want to hear this story again.” Bobby shakes his head and takes the can from Luke’s hand, taking a sip as he shoots his fellow guitarist a glare, “How’s your roommate?”

“Sorry to tell you this dude, but I think I have the best roommate,” He chuckles, “Not only is she gorgeous, but she’s seriously so cool. She sings and plays piano and we’re into all the same stuff.”

“Woah wait!” Reggie launches himself up from where he had been laying across his bed, “You’re rooming with a girl?!”

Luke chuckles at his friend's shocked expression, “Yeah man! Apparently they do that here! She didn’t even seem surprised she was sharing it with a guy.”

“I’m gonna go see if it’s too late to switch!” He makes a mad dash towards the door and Bobby grabs a hold of the back of his shirt.

“Don’t even think about it.” he pushes his friend back into the room, “Besides, with your luck you’ll probably end up with the worst roommate ever. A star wars fan or something.”

“There is nothing wrong with star wars!” Reggie defends with a pout, “You’re just too sour to admit you like it.”

Bobby rolls his eyes, an amused smile on his face, “If that’s what helps you sleep at night man.” He shakes his head and plops down into the chair at his desk, “So, what’s on the agenda?”

“Well actually, me and Julie were thinking we could all hang out, her friends here too.” Luke bounces on his heels as he relays the plan.

“Oooh, Julie!” Reggie grins sitting back down on his bed.

Luke picks up the nearest item, a toothbrush, and throws it at his friend, laughing as it bounces off the side of his head.

“Hey! That wasn’t very - Oh, I was looking for this! Thanks!” He smiles at the object and places it on his bedside table.

Alex and Luke share a look as Bobby lets out a groan, “Maybe I will let him switch rooms.”

“Anyway,” Luke drags out the word and bounces into the room, “We were thinking we could go out for food or something, before lessons start. You guys will seriously love her.”

“I think you love her.” Alex comments, a knowing smile on his face as Luke leans over to whack him across the back of the head.

“I only just met her!” He complains.

“Yeah, but you love her.” Reggie joins in.

Further down the hallway Julie is being subjected to the same levels of teasing from the girl she calls her best friend.

“Okay so wait, tell me again.” Flynn demands as she paces in front of her friend who was perched on the edge of her bed.

“I’m not telling you again!” Julie laughs, “Do you want to hang out with them or not.”

Flynn shoots her a glare before stopping her pacing and smiling, “Okay, fine. But only so I can see if this guy is good enough for you.”

Julie rolls her eyes, “That is not the only reason! Beside’s, it doesn’t matter anyway. Even if you are right, which I’m not saying you are!” She adds as Flynn grins wider at her, “It’s not like anything could happen. We share a room, could you imagine that in a break up? That’s too much to risk.”

Flynn sighs, she knows her friend is right, but that doesn’t mean she won't continue teasing her about her ‘super cute roommate’ forever. As soon as Julie had reached her friend's room she had started gushing about how cute he was, how much alike her he was and how much she couldn’t wait for her friend to meet him. Flynn knew when her friend had a crush, and boy did this girl have a crush on Luke. Even if she wouldn’t admit to it.

“So tomorrow night?” Julie confirms as she hovers in her friend's doorway.

“Yes! Now go, flirt, have fun.” Flynn shoos her from her room, poking her head out the door to watch her friend walk away, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” She calls, slamming the door before she could reply.

Julie whips around, mouth open ready to shout back when she hears the slam of the door. She just smiles to herself and shakes her head, hating how well Flynn could read her. So maybe she did have a little crush on Luke, but she was sure it was just because he was cute. Once they got to know each other properly and became friends it would fade away into nothing. Besides that, she meant it when she told Flynn it could never happen. There was too much to risk. And would a cute boy like Luke like her back? Not a chance. She entered her new room, humming to herself as she thought about a messy head of hair, surprised to see sed head of hair back on his bed.

“Oh, I didn’t think you’d be back.” she comments as she shuts the door behind herself.

“Is that a problem?” Luke asks, looking up from the notebook in front of him with a slight smirk.

“No problem,” Julie shakes her head, “Flynn is down to meet up. We were thinking tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow works fine for me and the guys.” Luke agrees, scribbling something else in his book before closing it and tucking it under his pillow.

“Songs?” Julie asks and Luke nods his head.

“No snooping!” He warns her with a pointed finger and a chuckle.

Julie holds up her hands as she walks around her bed, “Wasn’t thinking about it.” She defends herself.

They spend the rest of the night talking, about anything they can think of. Homelife, Julie talks about her mum, her dad and her little brother, throwing in little bits about her aunt. Luke tells her about his rocky relationship with his parents, something he doesn’t usually like to talk about. Julie just felt like someone he could confide in. Like she would understand without ever judging. They talked about music, what they liked to listen to, what they liked to play. Luke couldn’t help but smile and feel a little sad when Julie spoke about how she used to write songs with her mum. She promised to play him one sometime if he showed her one of his which he instantly agreed to.

By the time they stopped talking and called it a night it was well past a normal bedtime hour. Luke was certain he’d never talked to someone that much when he had just met them. He went to sleep that night feeling like the luckiest guy around. The next couple years were going to be some of the best of his life.

Luke spent the next day in his room finishing up some songs he had been working on before the trip up to college. Julie had gone to help Flynn unpack - apparently the girl was struggling to find places to store her masses of clothes and shoes. The girl returned in the afternoon to find Luke in the exact same spot she had left him in at lunchtime.

“Have you not moved once?” Julie laughs, hanging her jacket up on the back of the door.

“Uh, not really.” Luke replies. He looks up from his writing, watching the girl tie her hair into a quick ponytail at the back of her head before sitting down at her desk.

“Well you best make a move now, we’re meeting for dinner in an hour.” Julie informs him, emptying her makeup bag onto the desk and pulling her small mirror closer for her to see.

“Yeah, it wont take me long to get ready.” Luke replies, dragging his eyes away from the girl and back to his book, “I’ve almost finished this last bit.”

Julie hums in reply, tilting her head back as she applied a fresh coat of mascara to her lashes. Once Luke had finished scribbling - planning on revisiting it the next day to make any edits with a fresh head - he looked up and watched Julie getting ready. He was mesmerized by her, sitting at her desk, humming along to a tune in her head as she applied make up and finally brushed out her hair with her fingers.

“You know, all this time you’ve sat watching me you could have been ready by now.” She turns to him, a smug smirk appearing on her lips as he looks away quickly, a pink blush rushing to his cheeks.

“I wasn’t watching you, I was just,” He thought for a second before chuckling, “Watching you.” He admits.

“I know, I could see you in my mirror,” She teases, “Learning how to apply eyeshadows?”

“Something like that.” Luke grins, the blush insistent on staying on his face as he climbs off of his bed to finally get changed and ready.

After he was ready - after Julie complaining the whole time about how long it was taking when he promised he would be quick - they made their way out into the hallway to meet their friends. Introductions were quick and conversation was instantly flowing as they made their way out of the building and towards their chosen restaurant. Alex had invited along his roommate Willie who he was already infatuated with. Willie already seemed to notice that Alex was into him and seemed to return the feelings, joking around with each other on the walk like they were in their own little bubble.

Luke couldn’t have been more happy for his friends. Alex who was anxious about this whole thing, worrying about who he would be rooming with and if they would be okay with him being gay, seemed pretty happy with his new set up. Bobby and Reggie were bickering as usual, the playful arguing between the two nothing out of the ordinary. Luke walked at the back of the group with Julie and Flynn, listening to the two girls - mostly Flynn - chatting away.

He already felt perfectly at home, more comfortable in his surroundings than he had felt in a long time. He hadn’t been worried about his old friends getting along with his new one, but he was still grateful that there was no awkwardness. It felt like they were already well onto their way in being their own little family and it sparked a warmness inside Luke which he hadn’t imagined. They boys had been his main family for a long time now and he was excited to invite more people into that circle. Luke wasn’t usually a quiet person, but he was enjoying taking a step back for once watching his friends goofing around.

Once inside the restaurant Luke placed himself between Reggie and Bobby, half to stop the arguing for an hour or two and half because Julie had sat herself on the opposite side right in front of him.

“Are we getting starters? Please tell me we’re getting starters.” Reggie grabs up a menu the minute he hits his seat, opening it up and scanning the options.

“We can get starters.” Luke laughs, picking up two menus and handing one over to Julie.

After everyone had ordered and drinks had arrived the conversation soon turned to music, a usual topic for him and his friends. Flynn was telling them all about Double Trouble, which Julie kept reminding her was not their band name. And Reggie jumped straight in to tell everyone about Sunset Curve.

“Do you think we should scout the area? See where we can get gigs?” Bobby suggests.

“Definitely!” Flynn beams, “I’m a good manager, I’ll get us all gigs.” She throws her hair over her shoulder as she talks, a proud look on her face, “I booked all our gigs back home.”

“Queen of marketing.” Julie agrees pointing a thumb over to her friend.

The conversations flow through the whole meal, never a quiet moment even when they were all stuffing their faces. It was amazing how a group of people could all be so different yet so similar at the same time. Luke had to wonder if they had met under different circumstances if they would all still be friends, he liked to think they would.

After dinner they walked to the ice cream parlour down the street and then made their way around the small town looking for bars and venues. Flynn was typing away notes on her phone about each place they stopped to examine, searching for phone numbers and emails she could use to book them gigs. As the evening wore on the group slowly began splitting up, Willie and Alex going off so Willie could show him some skating tricks as promised.

“Bobby and I were thinking we should go bowling! There’s an alley the other side of town that looks good.” Reggie explains.

“Bowling?” Luke pulls a face, “I hate bowling.”

“You hate bowling?” Flynn exclaims, “Why don’t you like fun? I’m in, I’m going to thrash both of you.” She points to the boys, “Julie?”

“I’m good.” Julie laughs, “You go have fun, and you better win!”

“Oh, I will.” She smirks before hurrying off with the guys leaving just the two of them behind.

“You hate bowling?” Julie asks him.

“Yeah, it's so boring!” He complains, “You throw a ball, knock over some pins, then sit for ten minutes waiting for another go. No thanks.”

Julie laughs and shakes her head, “Flynn’s right, you don’t like fun.”

“Hey I like fun, okay!” Luke defends himself, “That’s just not fun, unless you’re five or Reggie.”

“Whatever,” Julie shrugs, “So what should we do for the rest of the evening?”

Luke thinks for a moment before turning to her with a smile, “We could show each other those songs we promised?”

“Okay!” Julie beams, “But you’re going first.”

She walks off ahead of him back to their dorms, throwing a smile over her shoulder as he follows on behind. Inside their room Julie pulls out her keyboard and sets it on the desk ready to perform, sitting in her chair and waiting impatiently as Luke tunes his guitar.

“C’mon!” She moans, “It sounds fine, just play something!”

“It sounds fine?” Luke laughs, “It’s so out of tune! Do you even play guitar?”

“No, but I know what one sounds like.” She rolls her eyes.

Luke finishes up tuning it, opening his notebook onto one of the new songs he had been writing, “Okay, this isn’t planned to be an acoustic song and I haven’t really worked out a solid melody yet, but I think I can make it work. It’s called Bright.”

Julie nods her head, crossing one leg over the other and resting her hands on her knees as he began to play a few chords. He played through the song, making up the melody for the lyrics as he went along and making mental notes of the bits he liked. He didn’t look up while singing because he was nervous. Luke Patterson was actually nervous about performing for the first time in his life. But then again, he had never performed to just one pretty girl before who was also a musician, he felt more vulnerable than he ever had before. Like he was laying his soul bare for her to see and judge. It was an exhilarating feeling, he loved it no matter how anxious he was feeling.

He looked up slowly as he strummed the last chord, Julie was staring at him, a smile on her lips. She found that watching him was one of the best things she had seen, she loved when someone got lost in the music they were playing and Luke did just that. His voice was unique, not quite how she expected him to sound but she loved it, it sent tingles through her body and made butterflies erupt in her stomach.

“That was,” She breathes out, trying to think of a word good enough to explain how she felt, “I don’t even have words. That was amazing. Your voice is beautiful and those lyrics, wow, Luke that song is seriously amazing.”

Luke beams at her, the nervousness in his system being stamped out by her compliments and replaced with elation. He places his guitar at the side of his bed and brings his legs up to sit cross legged on his comforter.

“Thanks! Like I said, it’s just rough at the moment.” He rubs the back of his neck, not being able to find the words to express how he felt about her complimenting him.

“Well if that was rough you’re making me feel really bad about mine.” She half jokes.

“Oh come on, I bet yours is amazing, let me hear it!” He places his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands, smiling over at her in anticipation.

“Okay,” She stretches her arms in front of her, nodding her head once, “I’m kind of cheating, this is one my mum wrote for me, but it’s one of my favourites. Remember that song I said I found on the piano after she…” She trails off and Luke nods his head to show he remembered, “Well this is it. It’s called Wake Up.”

Luke grins as she turns to her keyboard, a little sad that he wouldn’t get to watch her face as she sang. Her fingers touched the keys and the room was filled with the sweet sound of her playing, soon accompanied by her voice. Luke was instantly taken aback by the sheer power this girl had inside of her. He could tell she was feeling every word that left her lips, her head tilted back at points as she let the music wash over her. He almost didn’t notice when she had finished, too lost in his trance to realise she had turned to face him.

“Well?” She asks, lower lip between her teeth, a little nervous that he had yet to say anything.

“Wow.” Was all he managed out in a breathy voice.

Julie blushes and lowers her head, a soft laugh leaving her lips. Luke pulls himself together and sits up again, shaking off the feeling of floating and situating himself back in the moment, “Julie, that was incredible!” He jumps off his bed, arms and hands emphasising his emotions, “That was...I can’t even describe it! You have a talent, a real talent, I’ve never heard someone sing like that. It was...mesmerising.”

“Stop!” Julie turns and buries her face in her hands, shoulders shaking a little as she giggled, “Stop, you’re making me flustered!”

“I won't stop!” Luke bounces towards her, “You need to know how insanely talented you are. I’m gonna tell you every day for the rest of your life.”

“We’re gonna be friends for the rest of our lives?” She teases, trying to change the topic of conversation.

“Well I hope so.” Luke says as he sits back down again, “I’d be pretty sad if we weren't. I’m gonna be there when you take over the world with your voice.”

Julie laughs again, moving to sit on her bed facing Luke, “Well I’d be happy to have you there. You can open for me.”

Luke knows that was meant to tease him but he just smiled and nodded, “It would be an honour.”

“Alright, okay, enough of the flattery! If you carry on, my head might get to the same size as yours.” She laughs.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Luke looks at her feigning shock.

“Oh c’mon, Mr ‘Sunset Curve are the best band on the planet’, and Sir ‘I’m the best rockstar this world will ever know.’” She raises her brows at him.

Luke looks at her for a moment, a genuine smile on his face before he holds his hands up, “Okay, I may have said that.” he agrees.

“May have? You said that like a half hour ago!” Julie throws a pillow at him before pulling her legs up under herself.

“Alright! But someone has to praise me; it may as well be myself.” He grins, throwing the pillow back over to her.

She leans over, picking the tv remote off her bedside table and chucks it over to him, “You choose the movie, I’m going to put joggers on.” She hops off the bed, picking up some comfy clothes on her way to the bathroom.

Luke quickly gets changed himself and lays back on his bed, flicking through the movies on netflix for something to watch. He goes straight to the horror section, skimming over the selection before landing on Dead Silence.

“Ever seen this one?” He asks, pointing the remote at the tv as Julie walks back into the room.

“Is that a puppet?” She frowns.

“It’s a ventriloquist doll.” Luke rolls his eyes, “See the mouth?”

“Sounds creepy, put it on.” She throws her clothes into her hamper and crawls under her covers, pulling them up to her chin ready to watch the movie.

“Is that so you can hide quickly?” He teases at how she was tucked away.

“Shut up and play the damn movie.” she glares over at him playfully.

Luke chuckles and hits play, his eyes moving between the screen and the girl throughout the movie.

The following months were extremely busy for the group of friends. Between balancing school, homework, hang outs and practice it was hard for any of them to find time to themselves. It was exhausting and Luke was looking forward to the weeks off of school that came with the winter break. He hadn’t planned on going home over the holidays, perfectly fine with staying by himself in the halls. His rocky relationship with his parents had only worsened while he was away, neither of them liking the fact that he was studying music instead of something ‘useful’ as they put it.

As the last classes of the year rolled around Luke was finding it increasingly hard to stay focused. He had never been good at school even if it was a subject he liked. He found it hard to stay focused on one thing, especially if it wasn’t something of his choosing like the current lessons. He couldn’t comprehend why he needed to learn about classical music in order to be a rockstar. Sure, he appreciated the art form, he enjoyed any sorts of music. But that didn’t mean he wanted to study it nor write a thesis on the matter.

It also didn’t help that he couldn’t get a certain dark haired girl out of his mind. The hopes of his little crush on Julie fading as time went on were futile, his infatuation with the girl only growing the more he got to know her. She wasn’t just a pretty, no, beautiful face. She was talented, caring, smart, funny, everything you could ever want in a person all wrapped up in one. That made it increasingly hard for him to forget his growing feelings and focus on her as being nothing more than a friend. Sure he thought that maybe she flirted with him at times, but she shared the same teasing nature with Reggie and Alex too, Flynn even, so he convinced himself it meant nothing.

So he made a vow with himself to never tell the girl how he felt, even if it would break his heart the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable - which confessing his feelings would surely do.

Once his last lecture of the year was over he slammed his books shut, shoving them into the bottom of his backpack where they would stay until the new year. Tonight was the last night they were all going to be here together. Reggie, against his best wishes, was going home for the holidays much like Bobby, Flynn and Julie. Alex was going to be spending it with Willie’s family, they had been dating for two months now. Luke was the only one going to be left behind, and despite all of his friends begging them to go back with one of them, he declined every invite. He’d rather be alone than invade anyone’s time with their families. Besides, it would give him plenty of time to work on new songs for the album he and the guys were planning. He was sure by the time they all returned he would have at least half of the songs ready to rehearse.

The group had planned to go out that night for a little holiday celebration of their own. Flynn and Julie had found a karaoke bar on the other side of town which they had been dying to show the guys, so tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity to go. Luke flew into his room, throwing his bag into a corner to be forgotten about.

“That doesn’t look like packing.” Luke frowns as Julie sits on her bed, her laptop open in front of her and her glasses pushed up on her nose.

She looks up at the sound of his voice, half closing the laptop as she moves her glasses to rest on top of her head, “Oh, change of plans, I’m not going home.”

Luke’s frown only deepens as he pulls his beanie hat off his head and throws it onto his bed, “How come? You were excited to see your family.”

“I know,” Julie replies, “But they’re visiting other relatives for the holidays and it’s a pretty long drive from here, so I said I’d go up for the new year instead.”

“Oh, right. Well I’m sorry, I know how excited you were to go home.” Luke offers a small smile.

Julie quickly waves him away with her hand, “Don’t it’s fine, I’m still getting to go home just...later.” She smiles, “I’m sorry for you, you’re gonna have to put up with me for longer.”

Luke laughs, kicking his shoes off and sitting down on his bed, “I’m sure I can cope with that.”

“Are you ready for karaoke tonight?” She asks, finally shutting her laptop completely and moving it to the side, “Flynn hasn’t shut up about it all day.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to show you all up.” He laughs.

That night the karaoke bar was packed, mosty with students from their college. The group each had a turn on the stage while rounds of drinks kept flowing. As the night wore on the group got increasingly intoxicated, their fake ID’s which they didn’t often use finally coming in handy.

“Oh my god!” Flynn slaps her hands down onto the table gaining everyone’s attention, “You two,” She points a finger at Luke and then Julie, “Duet, now!”

“What?” Julie laughs, “Noooo, c’mon no one else has done a duet!”

“Yeah! If anyone’s dueting it’s you and Reggie, I’m down for some country rap.” Luke jokes.

“No.” Flynn points another finger at him, “I’ve been dying to hear you sing together. How many times have I said your voices would fit perfectly together? Thousands! Now get up there and sing!” she points to the stage dramatically.

Luke and Julie both try and protest but their friends all quickly join in on Flynn’s side.

“I would love to see a duet.” Willie agrees with nods from the group, “C’mon! What’s there to be scared of?”

“We’re not scared!” Luke defends, though on the inside he may have been a little petrified.

It was hard enough hiding his feelings for Julie on the best of days, but singing with her? On stage? Being that close to her while performing, having her look into his eyes and sing? He was sure he would spontaneously combust which would not be a pretty sight for anyone.

“You’re chickens.” Bobby decides, “Both of you. How about you just admit you’re in love and get up there and sing about it.”

“What?” Luke sputters while Julie looks on wide eyed, “We’re not - we are not - I am not - We’re not in love!” He finally blurts, “Fine, you want a show, we’ll give you a show.” he stands up from the table, his competitive nature and the alcohol getting the better of him.

“We will?” Julie asks before standing up to join him, “Yeah! We will! You just sit and watch.” She points around the table before the pair march off to choose a song.

“I mean, it will be fun.” She agrees with a shrug as they look through the song book, “We would do a christmas song?” She suggests.

“What, like fairytale of new york so I can insult you?” He chuckles, “Maybe not.”

“Something from a musical?” she points to a couple songs from the likes of high school musical and chicago.”

Luke shakes his head at that idea too before finally spotting a good song. “That one!” They both exclaim pointing to the song at the same time.

“Hm, I never took you for a dirty dancing fan.” Julie muses as she looks up at him.

“Are you kidding? I love that movie.” He laughs.

With their song chosen they make their way onto the stage, each picking up a mic as the opening notes to Time of my Life plays out, cheers erupting from their friends at their choice of a love song.

They start off singing on their own sides of the stage, sharing the occasional glance. But when the song really kicked in they met in the middle, Luke’s mic forgotten at his side as he shared Julies. They dance around the stage, singing to each other like they were the only two people left in the world, the crowd and bar around them completely forgotten. He got lost so easily in her eyes, like nothing else mattered when he was staring into them. By the end of the song he stepped back, letting Julie take the last notes as he held her gaze, her words sung to him and him only.

They were finally brought back to reality at the sound of cheering around them, both of them tearing their gaze away and back out to the room. Flynn was jumping up and down clapping while his friends banged loudly on the table trying to create the most noise in the place.

“That was amazing guys.” The DJ comments as they hand their mics back, “Cute couple.”

“Oh we’re not a…” Julie trials off with a shrug as the man walks away, Luke shares a nervous laugh with her as they make their way back to the table.

“That was pure fire!” Flynn jumps up at them.

“The chemistry was just oozing out!” Reggie comments earning strange looks from the pair.

“We asked him not to use that word.” Alex sighs, “But he’s right. It was intense.”

“It was just karaoke guys.” Luke rolls his eyes as he takes his seat, “Nothing to write home about.”

“Yeah, you wanted a love song, we gave you a love song.” Julie comments, sitting beside Luke and grabbing her drink.

“Whatever guys, keep denying all you want. We’ll be playing at your wedding one day.” Alex laughs, ignoring the burning faces of his friends as he grabs Willie’s hand, “Anyway, we better get going. Early flight in the morning. You guys have fun!”

The night drew to a close not long after Willie and Alex departed, the remaining group stumbling towards the dorms, each of them singing loudly and slightly off key.

“I love you guys.” Reggie grins as he leans against the wall outside his door, “Like, really love you. You’re my real family.”

“We love you too bro.” Luke pulls him into a hug and pats him on the back, “Now get to bed, you’re getting soppy.”

“Yeah, leave me to deal with him.” Bobby rolls his eyes, “Don’t even think about trying to cuddle me.” he warns.

Luke throws his arm around the girls shoulder as they head back to their own room, neither of them doing a good job at keeping the other walking in a straight line. They stumbled into the walls and doors, both of them shushing each other obnoxiously loud as they giggled. Finally back in their room they both collapse onto their backs on Luke’s bed, their laughter slowly fading away until the room is cloaked in silence.

“Reggie’s right.” Julie comments.

“About the chickens? I don’t know, I don’t think they can really-” Julie cuts him off with a laugh.

“No! About us, our group. We’re a family, and I love it.” she sighs.

Luke’s mouth forms a small ‘O’ shape before he nods in agreement, “Yeah, couldn’t ask for a better family.” he agrees, reaching down and taking her hand in his, the alcohol dampening the nerves he usually feels around her.

She squeezes his hand, laying her head against his shoulder where she soon fell asleep, leaving him alone to sober up with his thoughts. Would it be such a bad thing if he told her? He played it out in his head. Imagining if she did feel the same. He could tell her, she’d kiss him, they’d go on dates and meet each other's families. They’d fall stupidly in love and have the best time of their lives. He liked the sound of that. But he couldn’t stop the tiny pessimistic side of him from rearing its ugly head. Because she could not like him back. Or everything could go exactly how he wanted but something could happen. He could do something stupid like he was known for, resulting in Julie having a broken heart. He couldn’t bear that. Then they would fall out, and it would be awkward, because they share a room. They would have to see each other every day and he would be awkward and she would be bitter. They’d end up arguing a lot, and eventually hating each other. Never seeing each other again once college finished. Maybe she’d even move out of the room completely. He gulped at the thoughts.

No, definitely best not to say anything.

The next morning Luke woke with a sore head, the hand that had been holding Julies now empty. He sits up onto his elbows with a groan, squinting his eyes as he looks around the room.

“He lives!” Julie cheers and Luke whines at the volume of her voice, “Sorry,” She laughs, “Not feeling great?”

“Something like that.” He mumbles rubbing the balls of his hands into his eyes.

“Well lucky for you I’ve taken the liberty of ordering food worthy or curing a hangover, I’ve just gotta go collect it.” She throws her bag over her shoulder as she heads to the door.

“I’ll come with you.” Luke says, sitting up with a grimace.

“Please don’t,” Julie holds a hand out to him, “You look like you might throw up if you move any more. I’ll be ten minutes.” She disappears out the door without another word and Luke flops back down onto his bed.

The day passed without any sickness from Luke, his hangover slowly feeling less painful as the evening drew in. Still feeling a bit groggy he was sure it would be gone by the morning, so he got an early night, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillows.

Except the next morning the grogginess didn’t disappear, if anything it had worsened. His head felt fuzzy and his throat was like sandpaper. He turned to look at Julie, his body aching at the small movement.

“Am I dying?” He asks croakily.

“You sure sound like it.” Julie replies, looking up from her book to look at him, “And look like it.” She quickly puts her book down and hurries over to him, the back of her hand meeting his forehead, “Luke, you’re burning up.”

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.” He groans, “A train on fire.”

Julie rolls her eyes, helping him to sit up and pushing up the cushion under his head, “It’s just the flu. I told you not to go out the other night without a jacket!” She slaps him on the arm earning a whimper from the boy, “Next time you’ll listen to me. I’m going to the store to stock up on food anyway, I’ll get some medicine and soup.”

“Soup.” Luke groans out.

“Yes, soup. And you will eat it.” She points at him in warning before grabbing her jacket off the hook, “And I’m going to wear this, so I don’t get ill like an idiot.”

“You’re so sweet to me.” He mumbles, pulling his blanket up around his neck, “Can I have reese’s?”

“Sick people don’t get peanut butter!” She calls as the door shuts behind her.

Luke stays cocooned in bed until Julie returns with supplies. Luke watches quietly as she unpacks everything, then she makes her way over to him with a bag of all sorts of medicines, Luke grimaces at it.

“Don’t pull that face.” She slaps at his hand, “If you would have listened to me you wouldn’t be in this situation. Now, I have day medicine and night medicine, to help you sleep.” She places the bottles on the side table, “Cough sweets, pain relief tablets, cold and flu tablets, tissues.” She pulls everything out as she speaks.

“Are you trying to overdose me?” Luke asks.

Julie rolls her eyes, opening the packet of cold and flu tablets, “No, I’m trying to make you better so you’re not dying for the whole holidays. That would be no fun for me.” She hands him two tablets and a bottle of water. “You can take these up to four times a day, the day medicine twice and the night medicine before bed.”

Luke pouts at her as he swallows the tablets, “But I don’t want any of that.”

“Tough, I’m making you soup.” She hops off his bed and grabs the can of soup, readying it in the microwave for him.

Luke eats the soup, no matter how much he doesn’t want to. It leaves a funny taste in his mouth and he eats one of the cough sweets just to get rid of it. Julie chooses a christmas movie for them to watch, making sure the volume is on low so it doesn’t hurt his head.

“Can you sit with me?” Luke asks from under his pile of blankets, unsure as to why he had asked and feeling a little embarrassed that he did.

Julie pauses in her stride for a moment before changing direction to his bed, she sits beside him on top of the covers, letting him rest his head against her arm, “If I get ill I’ll kill you.” She warns jokingly.

“I promise not to get you ill.” he replies, knowing full well he has no control over it at all.

Julie spent the next couple of days caring for the boy, giving him medicine, making him food and keeping him comfy in bed. She estimated that it should take around three days for him to start feeling normal again with all the medicine she was giving him. So on the third night she gave him what she hoped would be his last dose of night medicine and tucked the blankets under his chin.

“I’m not even tired.” He complains, the blanket muffling his voice as he pulled it half over his face.

“Well you will be when that kicks in, we have this argument every night.” Julie sighs with an eye roll as she screws the cap back on.

“But I want to stay up with you.” He complains again.

“You can, tomorrow night when you’re hopefully feeling better.” He moves to get up from his bed but he reaches out and grabs onto her wrist.

“Can you at least sit with me?” He pouts up at her.

She laughs at him, perching back on the edge of his bed, “You’re so needy when you’re ill, it’s kinda cute.”

Luke frowns up at her, wanting to be called anything but cute by the girl he liked. “I’m not cute.” He argues.

The medicine already having the desired effect at making him drowsy, but he tried to fight it in order to spend more time talking with Julie. He tugs on her arm until she's laying next to him, his fingers moving down to hers and wrapping them together, he's pleased when she doesn’t move away from him.

“I’m glad you stayed back.” He mumbles, watching as his fingers fiddled with hers, “It’s selfish but I like your company.”

Julie smiles lightly, “I like your company too Luke.”

Luke smiles, a little lopsided in his dozy state, “I really like your company.”

“Well I really like your company too,” Julie laughs, “It’s not a competition.”

Luke shakes his head, burying his face into his pillows, “You don’t get it.” He mumbles out, Julie frowning as she strains her ears to hear what he’s saying, “I really like your company.”

“Yes Luke, you just said that.” She chuckles, “You don’t know what you’re talking about and you’re not making any sense, time for sleep.”

“No!” Luke complains, grabbing her hand tighter as she tries to get up, “You’re not listening to me!” He whines.

“I am listening to me! You said you really like my company! Twice!” She laughs.

Luke lets out a dramatic sigh, letting his head drop down onto the pillows again, “Forget it. You don’t care, you’re just laughing at me.” he mutters with a pout.

Julie sighs, feeling a little bad but knowing he was only acting this way because of the medicine, the boy probably had no idea what he was even saying.

“Okay,” She sighs, “Go ahead, what do you want to say.”

Luke sighs, chewing on his lower lip as he peeks up at her, she nods for him to go on, “She’s amazing,” He whispers, “Too amazing for me. She deserves the world, I could never give her that, but I wish I could.She means so much to me and I love her.” He mumbles, face half buried in his pillows as he lets his eyes drift shut, Julie had to wonder who he was talking about now, “I’m in love with Julie.” he adds in his half asleep state before finally letting the dreamland take him.

Julie’s mouth gapes open, eyes wide slightly as she stares down at the boy gripping onto her hand. She shakes her head, pushing the hope deep down inside of her. He’s off his face on flu drugs, he has no idea what he’s talking about. Hell he didn’t even realise it was her sitting next to him, he didn’t mean what he said. But part of her wished he did. She gives his hand one last squeeze before untangling herself and climbing into her own bed, ready for a night of restless fidgeting as she played what Luke had said over and over again in her head.

By the time morning came Julie was certain she’d gotten no more than two hours of sleep. Luke was sitting up in bed, scrolling on his phone when she turned to face him.

“Hey, you’re up!” Luke grins, his smile dropping slightly at her disheveled appearance, “Oh no, you’re not sick are you?”

“No, no,” Julie shakes her head, “I just didn’t sleep very well.” She sits up with a yawn and a stretch, “You seem to be feeling better.”

Luke nods his head, “So much better. I feel human again. Thank you for taking care of me,” He bites his lower lip and looks down at his covers, “I’m sorry I get a little much when I‘m sick.”

Julie laughs softly, a little disappointed that he hasn’t mentioned the night before, clearly he didn’t remember anything at all, “It’s fine. I didn’t mind.”

“Well you gotta let me make it up to you.” He says, pushing his covers away so he could climb out of bed.

Julie quickly shakes her head, “No, really, there’s no need.”

“I want to. You’ve spent the last three days looking after me, it’s the least I can do.” He argues.

“Well, it’s been snowing outside. And you’re still probably not one hundred percent, you probably shouldn’t go anywhere.” Julie tells him, always the voice of reason.

She also didn’t like the idea of going somewhere with Luke right now, his words from the night before still swimming in her head. If they did anything that even resembled a date she might break and say something she regrets. Like how much she’s in love with him and how he’s all she can ever think about.

“I guess you’re right...Okay then, we’ll order pizza, on me, and we can watch a movie? Not really an amazing thank you but, it’s a start?” He offers.

Julie sighs, the look on his face one of hope which she couldn’t say no to. Besides, they were stuck in the same room, it wasn’t like she could avoid him. She agrees, and his grin is wide enough to force one out of her as well.

So that evening they sit on their beds, stuffing their faces with pizza and garlic bread as they watch awful christmas movies and laugh over how bad they are. The previous night pushed into the back of her mind for the first time that day until Luke spoke up, his serious tone enough to pull her eyes from the movie and over to him.

“Hey, Julie?” He asks, as she looks at him his eyes are focused down on his pizza, “So...I wasn’t going to bring this up, but it’s been bugging me all day. Did I, uh,” He chuckles nervously, “Did I...Say some things last night?”

Julie looks at him in shock, sure he had completely forgotten. Her silence answers his question and his face turns a deep red, “Oh, god.” He groans, “I’m so sorry. I never meant to say that stuff, the medicine just...I’m so sorry. Please don’t feel awkward, can we just forget about it?”

Julie offers him a small smile, her shoulders deflating a little at his words, “Of course. It’s completely forgotten.” She forces a smile onto her face, “No awkwardness.”

Luke frowns over at her, in the months he had known the girl he had gotten to know how she worked and he could tell the smile taking over her face wasn’t genuine, “What’s wrong?” He asks.

“Huh? Nothing! Nothing’s wrong! Why would something be wrong?” Julie asks, shoving a bite of pizza into her mouth.

Luke raises his eyebrows at her, “Because I know you too well, what’s wrong?”

Julie looks over at him, the pizza half way back to her mouth again, she lets out a sigh and drops it back into the box, wiping her hands on a napkin, “Can we just forget about it?”

“Absolutely not. C’mon, tell me, I don’t like seeing you sad.” Luke prods her to talk to him.

Julie sighs again, contemplating if she should just lie to him, but the look of a kicked puppy on his face was too much for her. She caved.

“I guess, a part of me just kind of hoped you meant those things.” She shrugs looking anywhere but the boy in front of her, “I mean I know you would never, but hearing you say that...I guess I just got my hopes up.”

When she’s met with silence she looks up, eyes meeting Luke’s which held a look of shock, “Now can we forget I said that? Y’know what, we should just forget everything about this night. Maybe we should just start again? Get back into bed and pretend it’s morning!” She laughs nervously as the boy continues to stare at her, “Luke,” She whines, “Please say something so I know you don’t hate me.”

Finally Luke smiles, shoving his pizza box to the side and launching off his bed. Julie barely has time to comprehend that he had moved when his lips landed on hers, forceful but sweet, the taste of pizza and garlic between them. She moves her hands to rest on his chest, one of his supporting himself on the bed, the other holding her face. The kiss is slow and much too short for Julie’s liking, she stares wide eyed at the boy when he pulls away.

“I did mean it. Every word of it and I’ll say it every day if I can. You’re amazing, and I love you more than anything. You’re the best person to come into my life and I never want to be without you. Julie, I’m crazy in love with you and it’s not going away.” He breaths out.

Julie’s mouth forms a grin and she jumps up, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a deep kiss as he wraps his arms around her waist. They stay locked together, lips moving in perfect sync until the stop for breath.

“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to hear that.” Julie comments.

“I think I can take a guess.” Luke grins back, pulling her against his chest and placing a short sweet kiss to her lips before hugging her tight, “Am I still drowsy from drugs or is this really happening?”

Julie laughs against his chest, “I don’t know, let me pinch you to see if you’re dreaming.” She pinches his side and he jumps back quickly.

“Ow!” He complains and Julie just laughs.

“Definitely not dreaming.” She concludes, tiptoeing up to kiss him again, “That is something I will never get bored of.”

“You can say that again.” Luke agrees, grabbing her around the waist and falling back onto his bed with her as she squeals.

Of course a tiny part of Luke was still worried about anything going wrong, him being a notorious fuck up meant he would try his best to never do anything to harm this relationship. But the bigger part of him was so incredibly happy he could hardly contain it. The smile on his lips he was sure would be present for days, weeks even. He got the girl, the amazing, talented, sweet and caring girl. And he had no plans on ever letting her go.

They spent Christmas wrapped up together in blankets, doing nothing but talking, kissing and enjoying each other's company. Luke had never felt so happy and content on Christmas before, the girl in his arms the best present he could have hoped for this year and any year to come. When it finally came time for Julie to go home for new years she convinced Luke to come with her. Not that he took much persuading, a few kisses and puppy dog eyes and he cracked like porcelain and agreed.

Luke was glad she had forced him to go home with her, because her home was exactly that. A home. It was warm and cosy and he felt instantly welcome. Her little brother loved having him there, calling him the big brother he never had and showing him everything he got for christmas. Luke ended up playing with his cars and robot figures for hours and loving every second. He’d never had a younger sibling before, he now realised how much he had missed out on and was happy he and Carlos could both have the siblings that they had always wanted in each other.

Her dad was more than happy to have him there. He couldn’t stop thanking him for making his little girl happy and Luke couldn’t stop replying telling him how amazing she was. He felt like he was at home, a real home where he belonged. Ray invited him back for every break, Christmas especially, and he quickly accepted. His arm tight around Julie’s shoulder, his lips pressing a kiss to her hairline.

“You’re amazing.” He whispers to her.

She looks up at him, smiling wide and leaning up to press a quick kiss to his lips, “You’re amazing. Welcome to the family.”

tags: @chrlsgillespie @makebank @crybabyddl @gillespe-txt @themadnesscycle @wokealex @shellyysauruss-rex @fangirlsonthin (strike through means it wouldn't let me tag you sorry!)

#luke patterson x julie molina #juke fic #juke imagine #luke patterson x julie molina fic #luke patterson x julie molina imagine #my writing

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cheeriecherry · 4 years ago

Text

Birds Of A Feather [5/7]

Hawks x Fem!Reader

Warnings: kissing, allusions to smut but nothing explicit

Part 5/7

The next day, you wake up early. Not so early that you’re inclined to roll over and go back to sleep, but enough that you’ll have time to make and enjoy breakfast.

Keigo is still snoozing beside you, cuddled tightly in a cocoon of soft blankets. You’re glad. After yesterday, he certainly deserves a good rest. You lean over and press a kiss to his forehead, smiling gently at his peaceful face.

After he’d kissed you last night, you’d been worried, as his piercing gaze stared down at you. Worried he didn’t mean it in the way you wanted, worried your feelings would get rejected. But he’d just looked at you with the softest expression you’d ever seen him wear, and reconnected your lips. You’d stayed on the floor for a good ten minutes, holding each other close and making out like a pair of teenagers.

He insisted you share a bed with him afterwards, in the most innocent way possible. He promised he'd sleep better with you nearby, but you knew it was just a thinly veiled excuse to spoon you. You didn’t mind.

Even now as you prepared breakfast, you felt light and airy and happy. All because of him.

“Mornin’.”

You’re frying some eggs when a sleepy voice sounds in the doorway, and you turn towards him. Keigo is there, barely awake and still rumpled from sleeping, with even his minimal feathers resembling some kind of bedhead.

“Awh, look at you, all drowsy,” you coo.

He grumbles halfheartedly, bumbling over to where you stand to kiss your cheek. He wraps his arms around your waist and sets his chin on your shoulder, peering down at the wide array of food you’re making.

“What’s the occasion?” he asks.

You hum a little and shrug. “I dunno. Figured you’d need a good meal after what happened yesterday? It might help your feathers grow back faster.”

You stay like that for a few minutes, until it comes time to flip the eggs. You shoo him to the breakfast table, and follow shortly after with your arms full of plates.

He starts heaping things onto his dish the moment you sit down, and you hide a laugh. Your mother always said that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.

“So what do you wanna do today?” you ask, shoveling a piece of egg into your mouth.

Keigo shrugs, giving your question little consideration. “I thought movies on the couch sounded okay?”

You wonder when the last time he had a day off was, and even more so when he last did something fun. “You said we’d go out and do stuff together, Kei,” you tell him, “that’s why I agreed to take time off. Remember?”

He smiles at your nickname, his cheeks glowing a soft pink. “Fair enough. What did you have in mind?”

“I dunno...what kind of stuff haven’t you done before?”

“A lot, actually,” he chuckles dryly, “you’d think I would have seen more of the country I grew up in.”

Your heart twists a little, silently mourning for his lost childhood. You hoped he’d open up about that to you sometime in the future, even though you already had a pretty good idea of what he went through. You hoped you could be somewhere safe for him to come home to.

“How about we start with the big things you haven’t done,” you suggest around a mouthful of food, “like, things you always wanted to do?”

He thinks for a moment.

“I’ve never been to the zoo,” he says, matter-of-factly. “Or a butterfly sanctuary. I’ve never had a beach day, either, despite the fact that I have a summer home. Uh...movie theatres. Amusement parks. All that stuff.”

He pulls some pancakes onto his plate and douses them thoroughly in syrup. You smile and shake your head.

“Well, we don’t want to get swarmed by fans, as much as I love them. Maybe we could do something like the beach?”

“Yeah?” you can hear the excitement in his voice.

“Yeah. We could spend a few days in that summer house of yours.”

Keigo finishes his food quickly after that, rushing to make a few phonecalls and arrange for a ride. You remind him to also get someone to come in and stock the place with food, so the two of you won’t have to deal with the grocery store. It would be a nice, relaxing weekend. No fans invited.

----

You start packing your suitcase while he makes his calls. You have most of what you’ll need for the trip; clothes, toiletries, the like. You wonder if you should pack a set of sheets, too, but you decide against it. This was Keigo’s house you were talking about, after all. You’d bet your left arm you’d walk into the place and it would be fully furnished.

Said boyfriend wanders into the room while you’re tossing things into a duffel bag, and leans against the wall to watch you.

“What?” you ask, “do I have something on my face?”

He smiles sweetly at you, shaking his head. “Nah, you’re just really pretty. It’s gonna be nice to have some time for just us.”

You fluster slightly, warmth creeping onto your face. “Y-you can’t just say things like that!” you scold, but it’s half hearted.

“Why not? Am I not allowed to compliment my girlfriend?”

The warmth spreads down your neck, and you think for a moment that he is a smug, smug oversized chicken.

“So I’m your girlfriend, huh?” you tease, zipping your bag up and throwing it over your shoulder.

He meanders towards you and takes your face in his hands. “Yeah, you’re my girlfriend, and I plan on keeping you for a long time.” The kiss he then gives you is gentle and sweet, maybe from the syrup on his pancakes, maybe from the affection he pours into it. You sigh happily against his lips and snake your arms around his waist.

He’s warm and solid, pressed against you, lithe body holding an unexpected amount of strength. His hands travel downwards, slowly, fingertips ghosting over your neck, collarbones, stopping and hesitating at the tops of your breasts.

Ah. Ever the gentleman.

You arch against him and bite his bottom lip, and his hands continue. His grip is gentle on your chest, nimble fingers caressing soft flesh through your shirt. He groans, low in the back of his throat, and squeezes a little harder.

His kisses grow sloppier, until he’s mouthing down your neck to nip and suck at your skin.

“Keigo…” you whine, shivering at his touch, “I...I want-”

He slips a thigh between yours, and pulls you against him by the hips. You have no choice but to grind down on him, delicious friction sending pleasant shocks throughout your body.

You continue like that for a couple minutes, hands grabbing and groping at each other, slipping under shirts for better access and more sensation. You’re in heaven, wet and hot on his thigh, and you can feel that he’s in no better a condition.

But it’s not enough. Enough to drive you crazy, sure, but hardly enough to bring you over the edge. You’re about to beg him for more, for as much as he’s willing to give, when suddenly his phone starts chirping in the distance.

Keigo groans in irritation, his head dropping onto your shoulder. He slows him ministrations, touches regretfully receding from your body, and gives you a final apologetic kiss.

“Sorry, chickadee, but that would be our ride.”

You grumble at the loss of contact, mind foggy and nerves buzzing, muttering about how you’d like a different ‘ride’. “S’okay…” you say, though the disappointment is evident in your tone. “We can try again later though, right?”

He lights up like a christmas tree.

----

The drive is uneventful, peaceful even, and it’s late afternoon by the time you arrive at the beach house.

“You know, when you said ‘summer home’, I don’t know why I thought ‘cottage’.” You stare up at the building in front of you, which has to be at least three times the size of your apartment. It’s two, maybe two and a half, storeys tall, with dozens of huge windows, and an enormous front porch. The garden is meticulously maintained, filled with exotic plants, and palm trees you’re pretty sure have been imported.

It’s very over the top, and you know you should have expected it; Keigo worked hard, flew fast, and earned more money than he knew what to do with.

You wander into the front foyer together, kicking your shoes off before proceeding to the rest of the house.

From the main living area, you had a clear view and access to the backyard, and beyond that a private spit of beach and ocean. You weren’t sure how such a huge property could be as secluded as it was, but it certainly made it happen.

“Kei, why is there a pool?”

He wanders over to you, following your gaze to the aforementioned structure.

“Huh,” he says, “I didn’t know that was there.”

You close your eyes and sigh deeply. It’s fine, you’re fine, and it’s none of your business to question why there was a pool on the property when the ocean was a hundred feet from the back deck.

“You really never stayed here, have you?” you’re exasperated. “Like, did you even look at the place before you bought it?”

He at least has the decency to look sheepish. “I never had time? Even when I lose my feathers, I usually have to stay in the office and do paperwork.”

“Do you not have paperwork this time?”

“Oh, no, I do!” he smiles cheekily, “I’d just rather be here with you.”

“Keigo!”

----

You both unpack quickly, setting your clothes up in the wardrobe in your shared room. He’s packed entirely too much for a three day vacation, but you suppose he doesn’t have much experience with that. You’re also fairly certain you did the same…

Despite your overall reservation about the rich and slightly entitled atmosphere of the house, you were excited to be there. It’s been years since you’d last had a vacation, the last time possibly being your senior graduation event, and you could feel that you desperately needed time off.

Keigo sits on the edge of the bed, clad in comfortable shorts and a T-shirt, watching you sort your things out and set them in drawers.

“So...what now?” he asks.

You hang your final sun dress up, and turn to him. “Now we do whatever we want. Lounge on the beach, or the patio -though it looks like it might rain-, go swimming, decide what to make for dinner…speaking of, did you have someone stock the pantry?”

“Yeah. Fridge, too.”

“Perfect! How about you pick what to make, and help me with it?”

----

Keigo, in his chicken-loving fashion, decides on ‘fancy chicken nuggets’. You’re not exactly sure how to make that, or what would go well with it, but you’re giving it your best shot, mixing fresh spices and herbs into the floury breading.

Your boyfriend sits at the island a few feet away, watching you flit between appliances and bowls and chopping boards. He had tried to help you briefly, but proved himself rather inept at preparing food, so you’d kindly banished him out from under your feet.

“You’re a woman after my own heart,” he sighs, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand.

You peek at him over your shoulder and smile. “I swear, you’re such a dude. A nice plate of food in front of you, and you swoon.”

Mischief sparkles in his eyes. “That’s not true! I like a pretty face, too!”

“Then why the heck did you choose me?” you snicker.

Keigo doesn’t laugh. Quite the opposite, in fact. He grows unusually serious, and slides off the barstool to come stand beside you.

“You’re beautiful. You know that, right?” he asks.

You roll your eyes. “It was just a joke, Kei…”

“Self deprecating jokes have an element of personal truth to them.”

“Keigo seriously-”

“Say you’re beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“Y/N, you know what I mean. Say you’re beautiful.”

You sigh. “I’m...pretty.”

“Beautiful.”

“Good! Now, all together.”

“I’m...I’m…” you hesitate on the word, fidgeting while you try to say it. You don’t know why a single self compliment is proving so tricky. It might be the way he looks at you, so intense and focused. It’s making you nervous.

You avert your gaze and turn away. “I should check the nuggets-”

But he captures you in his arms, pulling you back against his chest. “We’re not done here yet.”

You squirm a little, but your heart isn’t in it. When you finally still, he speaks again.

“Who made you believe you aren’t beautiful?” he wonders softly, resting his chin on your shoulder. You shiver at his warm breaths on your neck, and let yourself lean back into him.

“Why does it matter?”

“I need to know who to punch.”

You laugh at that, but it’s dry and humourless. “I’m afraid it’s no one in particular,” you tell him, “It’s just kind of a behaviour that everyone picks up over the years, y’know? It’s not a big deal, in my case, it’s not like I hate myself.”

Keigo squeezes you a little. “You just don’t think you’re beautiful.”

“The definition of beauty changes from person to person, anyways. I’m sure there are people I find beautiful that don’t see it, too.”

“Doesn’t that make you sad, though?”

Your shoulders sag in defeat. It does make you sad, when the people you love and cherish would choose to change so much about themselves, if they could. When they don’t see the life and personality and kindness behind their smiles and dimples and blemishes.

“I guess,” you mumble.

Keigo lays a kiss against your shoulder, lips lingering against your bare shoulder. He presses another, closer to your neck this time, and another after that. “I’ll say it every day until you believe it, sweetheart,” he tells you, voice low and silken, “you’re beautiful. Your wings are beautiful, too. So strong and graceful. They give away your feelings sometimes, y’know? They get fluffy when you’re excited, or mad, or scared…”

“Keigo…”

He continues his journey across your shoulder, while his hands roam slowly up your sides. “You smile could light up a room, and your laugh? Don’t even get me started. I’ve never heard something so close to perfection, it makes my stomach twist up in knots.”

You tremble in his arms, the familiar warmth of arousal beginning to course through your veins. Still, he doesn’t stop.

“You work so hard, and you take your job seriously, and you’re good at it, too. Yet you’ve never cared about popularity, even though you’re kind to your fans. You just want to help people, and make a difference where you can. It’s admirable, and noble, and the world needs more heroes like you.”

You squirm in place, turning carefully around in his arms. At this distance, you can see all the freckles and scars on his face, and feel his short breaths fan across your cheeks.

“You...really have feelings for me, don’t you?” you whisper, as though you can’t quite believe it.

“Of course I do,” his tone is low, “I wouldn’t have tried so hard to befriend you if I wasn’t at least a little bit interested. And you turned out to be so much better than I expected.”

You lock your fingers behind his neck, the soft hairs there tickling your skin. His eyes flutter ever so slightly, and his next breath is shaky.

“Y/N, I…”

You lean forward and kiss him.

It’s messy, and heated, and he responds to your touches with soft moans and gasps. He pulls you as close as he can, your bodies flush together, and you can feel him hard against your thigh. He’s certainly easy to rile up, but you don’t particularly mind.

His hands roam your form, grabbing and squeezing wherever you let him venture. He breaks your kiss to start sucking a bruise onto your neck, biting down on your skin when his actions earn a gentle whine from you.

“The things you do to me,” he sighs, stilling his hands from a brief second. “I wanted you the moment I laid my eyes on you.”

Your press your foreheads together, staring into his golden eyes.

“Would you let me have you, chickadee?” he asks, begs, “would you let me keep you?”

“Yes,” you whisper without a second thought, reconnecting your lips.

#hawks x reader #takami keigo x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #winged reader au

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whenihaveyouromione · 4 years ago

Text

When I Have You - Chapter 31

Read on Fanfiction.net or ao3 if you’d prefer!

Posting early due to me travelling :)

A/N: The 400 Galleons mentioned in this chapter equates to about $2000 US, for reference.

------

Chapter 31

When Ron woke the following morning, the feeling of giddiness that had consumed him for the remainder of the party returned immediately. He had a plan now, and as he’d drifted off to sleep in the early hours of the morning, the plan had taken hold in his mind.

He could almost see every detail clearly. He could see the type of place he’d like to take her so that he could ask her. It would be romantic, and just the two of them. They’d be alone. He could see the type of ring he was going to get her. He had always had a vague idea, but it had taken a clearer shape right before he fell asleep.

Diamonds. Lots of diamonds. And he was going to get it engraved with something. What, he didn’t know yet, but he hoped it would come to him soon.

But the most important part was that he didn’t even feel nervous. Just excited, happy… he’d promised her months ago that he would ask her, and she’d promised him that when he did, she would say yes.

He knew what her answer was going to be, so all he needed to do was make sure he asked her in a way that she wouldn’t forget.

Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling and chuckled. Had someone told him even five years ago that he would one day be lying in a bed that he shared with Hermione, in a flat that he also shared with her, happy, relaxed, more than halfway through Auror training and planning the moment he’d ask her to marry him, he would have laughed at them. Not only was Voldemort causing destruction everywhere, he’d been utterly convinced that he and Hermione were never going to happen. Hadn’t they had many chances to get there, and something always went wrong? Lavender Brown, his own lack of confidence, wars, timing…

He laughed again, just as Hermione came into the room, still in her pyjamas, and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Something funny?” she asked.

Ron propped himself up against a pillow, watching her as she got herself ready for a shower. “You’re up early considering we had a late night last night.”

“You’re up late considering you insisted you have a lot of work to catch up on today.”

Was it just him, or was there something in her tone that suggested she didn’t believe his story about having work to finish? Harry — the idiot — hadn’t helped much when he had stated he thought Ron had completed everything.

“I need to be refreshed so I can concentrate,” Ron told her. He thought for a moment. “Let’s have dinner next Saturday.”

“What?” Hermione stopped rummaging through the wardrobe in search of something to wear and turned to face him.

“You and me, next Saturday,” Ron said cheerfully. “I’ll organise it.”

For a moment, Hermione didn’t answer. Then, she said, “Why are you trying to organise dinner for next week now?”

“Just agree, would you?” Ron said.

Hermione sighed. “Okay. Next Saturday.” She turned back to face her wardrobe, but Ron didn’t miss the smile that fell across her lips as she did so.

This was exactly why he needed to surprise her with a very nice ring.

When Hermione took herself to the bathroom, Ron pulled himself out of bed, groaning as he did so. He'd rather enjoyed the Muggle wine offered last night in the end, and it had all been free.

But he couldn't let that stop him from his plans today. He had three hours at best, based on previous lunches with Hermione's parents. Maybe four if his dad decided to ask ridiculous questions about kettles or refrigerators.

He had never shopped for a ring before, and he didn't know of any places that might sell one. Engagement rings weren't common in wizarding society, though he did know they existed. But where, he would have to find out.

He didn't recall any in Diagon Alley, but perhaps Hogsmeade had a shop. He hadn't really paid attention to what else was there when he'd been at school. Jewellery hadn't exactly been at the top of his list when he'd visited with the school, nor had he contemplated one day proposing when he was thirteen years old.

But he'd check Diagon Alley first, and if that failed, then he'd Disapparate to Hogsmeade and see what they had to offer.

A short while later, Hermione emerged from the shower and returned to the kitchen where Ron was dressed and making himself breakfast.

"Is there anything you want to do before you have to do your work stuff?" Hermione asked.

"What?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, looking amused rather than annoyed. "It's lunch, Ron, so I'm not seeing my parents until midday." She paused, suddenly frowning. "Should I have given your parents more detailed instructions about arriving at Mum and Dad's?"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, Summoning toast to his plate.

"Well… I mean, I told them to Apparate to the garden, but I forgot to mention it had to be precisely behind the hedge so as not to be seen…"

"They're not idiots, Hermione," Ron said. "They've been Apparating for longer than you or I have."

"I know that, but they aren't familiar with my parent's place. They won't know there's a hedge."

Ron looked at her for a moment and then shrugged. "I'm sure they'll figure it out. If not… well, what are the chances of someone watching the front garden at that precise moment?"

"There's always a chance!" Hermione said.

Ron shrugged again, biting into his toast. "Maybe you could go and get them right before?"

Hermione was thoughtful for another moment and then nodded. "I think I will."

"So that means you'll be leaving a little earlier?" Ron asked.

Hermione's eyes snapped to him, then narrowed. "It sounds like you want to get rid of me. Are you planning on inviting your secret girlfriend over?"

"What? No, I don't have —" He paused, now noticing the smile that had crossed her face. "Ha, ha."

“Well, you seem very keen to get me out of the house. I’ve never seen you more excited to kick me out. Normally, you beg me to stay.”

Ron stared at her for a moment, wondering if he’d been a bit over the top. Then, he said, “I just have a lot of work to do and want to get a head start on it. That way I’m all yours in the afternoon.”

“Well, I’ll leave by eleven-thirty and try to be home no earlier than two o’clock. Is that enough time?”

“Yes!” Ron said. I hope.

Hermione smiled. “Good. Now, back to my question: is there anything you want to do before I go?”

Ron returned her smile. “Just be here,” he said. “I love you.”

…

Ron had never been keener for Hermione to leave the house. Considering she’d already questioned him about practically being kicked from the flat, he didn’t say anything for the remainder of the morning. But he couldn’t help clock watching as the seconds ticked by much slower than usual. He tried to steal quick glances at the time when he thought she wasn’t watching, but she caught him on more than one occasion.

But finally, eleven-thirty came, and Hermione was ready to leave.

“Enjoy your… work,” she said, kissing him goodbye. “I can’t wait to hear all about it when I get back.”

“Won’t be anything exciting,” Ron assured her. “Have fun! Say hi to Mum and Dad for me. Love you.” He returned her kiss and all but pushed her out the door.

He hurried to the window to make sure she was on the street and he could see her Disapparate. When she was gone, Ron also left the flat.

He hurried down the stairs and into Diagon Alley himself. He had absolutely no idea where to start looking, but decided to turn left. He could at least come back and go the other way if he came up short.

Diagon Alley was very crowded, which was to be expected for Sunday at midday. People from all over Britain chose the weekend to do their shopping, and they all seemed to like to come here. Ron and Hermione found other things to do — most of the time visiting her parents, doing something with Harry and Ginny or visiting the Burrow, which then led to staying for dinner. It was a downside to living so close to the main shopping place for witches and wizards in London — they got sick of seeing too many people.

Ron ignored them today, however. In fact, he didn’t even feel irritated by them. What was there to feel irritated by? Nothing. He was deliriously happy that even bumping into George, who emerged from the joke shop, didn’t bother him too much.

George waved Ron over, who pushed through the eager children lining up to get through.

“Good business today?” Ron said.

“Always,” George replied, smiling. “May I ask where you’re off to?” he then asked. “If I remember correctly, last night you told Hermione you had work to catch up on.” He raised an eyebrow. It was as if he knew. Did they all know?

“Just having a break,” Ron said, as casual as he could.

“Before you’ve started?”

Ron looked away.

“You’re not sneaking off behind Hermione’s back, are you?” George’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“What? Why do people keep… no, I’m not.” He turned his eyes back to his brother. George’s eyebrows were raised in a way that suggested he’d been joking, but there was still an element of genuine curiosity in his expression.

Ron sighed. “You don’t know anywhere around here that sells…”

“Sells what?” George asked.

Ron hesitated. He’d really had no intention to tell anyone about this — not even Harry.

“Engagement rings,” Ron said, lowering his voice as if the passersby actually cared what he was doing. Well, he reasoned, it actually was a possibility these days.

George’s eyes widened in surprise as Ron felt his face go red. Then, George grinned. “Well, that’s exciting!” he said.

“Is there a place around here?” Ron pressed.

George thought for a moment, and then nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Right near the entrance to Knockturn Alley. I don’t know what they sell exactly, but I’ve seen some things in the windows at times. The old wizard who runs it has been there for years. I sometimes hear my customers talking about it. He offers reasonable prices.”

“Alright,” Ron said. “Thanks.” He made to continue on his way towards Knockturn Alley, then paused, turning back to George. “And don’t mention this to anyone, alright?”

“My lips are sealed,” George said, grinning. “Good luck!”

“Thanks,” Ron muttered, suddenly not feeling anywhere near as confident as he was a few moments ago. What if this place didn’t have what he was after? What if the owner tried to sell him something dodgy, yet charge him a fortune? Ron wouldn’t have a clue whether or not he was being robbed of his money. But he was sure Hermione would be able to tell.

He reached the entrance of Knockturn Alley and looked at the shops surrounding it. There was a small apothecary reeking of unusual smells, a secondhand spellbook shop, and to the right, he found what he was after.

It was a dingy little place, right on the divide of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, and as he entered, he knew immediately that he’d not find what he was after in here.

Nonetheless, a smiling old wizard greeted him.

“What can I do for you today, Sir?” he said. He barely reached Ron’s shoulders and craned his neck to peer up at Ron.

“Er…” Ron looked around the tiny shop, his eyes scanning for any sign of rings. The only thing he saw was a gold one with a giant red ruby in the centre. He didn’t want ruby. “Just looking, thanks,” he said, and hurried away to a corner to peer at some bracelets.

They were nice enough, but he definitely didn’t want them.

He stayed as long as he thought possible so as not to appear rude, and then left. Once back out on the street, Ron wasted no time in Disapparating to Hogsmeade. It had been in his plans, and he had such little time.

Hogsmeade was also bustling with witches and wizards, many emerging from The Three Broomsticks a little drunk.

As it was a relatively warm day, many were stripped of their wizarding cloaks and lounging on seats or steps.

Ron wandered past them quickly, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of rings in shop windows. There had to be something somewhere. Whilst not a necessity, many wizarding folk still had engagement rings. Someone had to sell some somewhere.

After a little while of searching, he finally located a spot up a side alley behind Honeydukes. It was so discreet that he almost walked past it entirely had it not been for the diamond necklace that sat in the window.

His nerves were bubbling as he entered the shop, knowing that this was the exact place he was looking for. The Sparkly Stone had so much jewellery he simply stood there, entirely lost.

“May I help you?”

Ron jumped at the voice, turning to find a middle-aged witch with greying blonde hair standing behind him. She wore deep purple robes and a kind smile that told Ron she really did want to help him.

“Er, yes,” he said, now feeling extremely nervous. “I’m looking for an… engagement ring.” He flushed red, and he didn’t know why. There was something very real about saying it out loud in the shop that would give him the ring.

“Oh, I have many to choose from!” the witch said cheerfully, and she beckoned Ron to follow her over to a cabinet.

Ron immediately saw a large selection of rings, all different colours, shapes and sizes. Some sparkled, some even changed colour. Some were clearly enchanted, while others looked like plain old rings he’d seen Hermione’s parents wear.

He tried not to gape.

“Are you after anything in particular, Mr Weasley?” the witch asked. It really didn’t come as a shock to him that she knew his name; Ron had long gotten used to random people knowing it over the years.

“Um,” Ron said, staring at the cabinet. “Diamonds.”

The witch nodded and withdrew her wand from within her robes. She tapped the cabinet with it and all the rings that contained diamonds appeared on top of it.

“This is what I currently have. Does anything catch your eye?”

Now that Ron had far less to choose from, there were two that drew his attention. One contained three small diamonds, while the other was one large diamond.

“Those two,” he said, pointing them out.

The witch used her wand again and the others went back into the cabinet.

Ron studied them, but he already knew which one Hermione would prefer. The one with the single diamond was too big and too clunky and he knew she would hate wearing it (even if she never said so to him). But the other one with the three smaller diamonds was absolutely perfect.

He was about to tell the shopkeeper this when a thought occurred to him. This felt too easy. He’d been in the shop for all of five minutes. He’d only really looked at two rings.

“Can I see the other ones, too?” he asked.

The witch happily obliged, taking out each ring containing diamonds for him to look closely at. The others were nice, but he kept coming back to the three diamonds. That was the perfect one for Hermione; he knew it.

He swallowed. “That one,” he said pointing to it. “How much is it?” He’d have to go back to Diagon Alley to get money from the account. Hermione would notice, he knew, but again, his plan wasn’t to surprise her with a proposal. He’d surprise her with the ring. “And can you engrave it with words?”

“That one is four hundred Galleons. To engrave, it’s an additional fifty.”

Ron’s mouth fell open. That was an awful amount of money, and it was something he didn’t think he’d be able to afford. Not right now and probably not with Hermione coming at him with her wand for taking out so much money at once.

His heart sank. That one had been perfect for Hermione. Well, everything except for the price.

“This one is one hundred Galleons,” the witch said, taking out a much uglier ring, with much smaller diamonds. He’d passed on that one immediately. “Perhaps much more in your price range?”

Ron flushed. “What about that one?” He pointed to the one with the large diamond.

“Six hundred Galleons.”

Ron stared at her.

“We do offer the opportunity to pay off our items,” the witch continued, and Ron could tell she was taking pity on his dilemma. “Gradual, smaller payments over the course of an agreed amount of time.”

As quickly as they’d sunk, Ron’s spirits lifted again. “I can do that!” he said.

The witch nodded. “I can offer a repayment of eight Galleons a week for a year.”

Ron nodded. Eight Galleons a week was doable. “I’ll take it,” he said, beaming.

“I do have just one condition,” the witch continued. “Whilst I allow gradual repayments, I’ll not part with the item until it is fully paid off. I simply put it aside for no one else to buy.”

“What?” Ron said. “But I need it for next week!”

“You may pay for it upfront,” the witch said. “But I’ve had far too many people take off with items in the past having not paid for them, so unless you want to sign a magically binding contract — which does not make me look good as a business owner, forcing my customers into magical agreements — I will keep the item until it is paid off.”

No, he couldn’t pay for it upfront. He simply did not have four hundred (four hundred and fifty if he wanted it engraved) to part with. But he couldn’t wait for a year to get it. He was going to ask Hermione next Saturday. He’d already told her he had plans.

He looked back at the other rings. They were all hideous now. Uglier than they had been when he’d first laid eyes on them. Nothing compared to the one he’d chosen. It was the perfect one. He’d simply be disappointed with giving her any other one.

“Mr Weasley?” the witch asked.

Ron looked up at her. He so wanted to marry Hermione, he wanted to ask her. He wanted to call her his fiance. But the ring was important to him. He wanted her to like it.

He sighed.

“I’ll do the eight Galleons a week.”

The witch smiled. “Wonderful. I’ll require a ten Galleon deposit initially, and then eight from next week. You may send the money via owl post or directly from Gringotts.”

Ron nodded, all his excitement diminished. He’d have to cancel his plans for next week. He’d have to delay it for a whole year. He’d thought he’d be married to Hermione in a year, not just getting engaged to her.

As the witch hurried to the back of the shop with the ring in her hand, Ron couldn’t help but think bitterly about how Harry wouldn’t have had to worry about this. He would have just handed over four hundred Galleons like it was nothing.

Why couldn’t that be Ron? He was better off than he ever had been growing up, now with a great job, but not four hundred Galleons better off.

While he waited, he stared at the other rings again. He couldn’t bring himself to change his mind. They just weren’t right. This one was — even if it was costing him more than just money to get it.

…

When Hermione returned later that afternoon, Ron was sitting on the small bench Hermione had placed by the window, looking down at Diagon Alley below. He felt completely miserable. He had the ring, but he didn’t have it. And it was all because he couldn’t afford to pay four hundred Galleons straight up.

Why were the rings so expensive anyway? At least the good ones?

“Did you get all your work done?” Hermione asked, coming over to kiss him. She paused, seeming to notice his expression. “Everything alright?”

Ron looked at her, unable to even pretend to be happy. They were supposed to be less than a week away from becoming engaged. She probably knew that was where he went today and was expecting it. Instead, they’d have to wait another whole year. Because Ron was an idiot. And he couldn’t afford to get her a ring that she would like. Maybe he should have just gone with the cheaper one. It would have looked awful, and Hermione probably would have hated it, but at least they could get married.

“Ron?” Hermione said after Ron didn’t respond. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” he said, and he sighed. “It’s just… I love you. You know that, right?”

“Of course I do,” Hermione said, kneeling in front of him. “Ron, what’s happened?” She sounded worried.

“Nothing,” Ron said again, and he looked away from her. “I just… things didn’t really go according to plan today. We can’t do dinner next Saturday anymore.”

Hermione watched him for a moment. Even though Ron couldn’t see her, he could tell she was trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

“That’s alright,” she said after a while. “We can change it to the weekend after. I don’t mind.” She rested her hand on his back. Her touch was gentle, soft… loving. It warmed him, and when he looked back at her, he couldn’t help but smile just a little bit.

He’d marry her one day, at least. And in the meantime, did it really make much difference? A ring wasn’t going to change anything except perhaps stressing them out with trying to plan a wedding. It wasn’t going to change the fact that he loved her more than life itself, and that he would continue to love her, ring or no ring, married or not married. And she didn’t know for sure what he had done today, so when he didn’t ask her to marry him, she’d just assume she was wrong.

No harm done, except he felt like a complete buffoon over the whole thing.

“I love you,” he said. “And one day soon… we can have that dinner, alright?”

Hermione smiled back and nodded. “Whenever you’re ready,” she replied softly.

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sunflowervolvimp3 · 5 years ago

Text

More Than a Melody

Warnings: None

Pairing: Amateur musician!Harry Styles x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Thank you guys for following! I wanted to try out the idea of an au for my next fic, and an au I really really love is amateur musician!harry who plays in bars and writes his own music in a little one bedroom apartment so that’s basically what this is. This first part is more of an introduction, but if you guys like it, I’ll write more! Please let me know what you think, and if you want more!

{masterlist}

If it were up to you, you would’ve been staying in that night.

“Except it’s not up to you, Y/N.” Charlotte rolled her eyes, rooting through your bedroom closet and tossing clothes onto your bed. Or, more precisely, onto you.

“It should be.” You rolled your eyes back at her, pushing the clothes off of yourself. “I have a psych test tomorrow, and—”

“And it’s just going for drinks at a pub!” Charlotte sighed in exasperation. “It’s not a huge deal. You can spare one evening out!”

“If it’s just drinks…” You flipped a page in your notebook. “Then why are you tearing through my closet?”

“Because you don’t seem to own anything that doesn’t say ‘I only leave my flat for uni and grocery shopping’.” She said flatly. “Seriously, I know you have going out clothes. Are you hiding them from me?”

“I can’t hide anything from you, you’re the world’s most intrusive roommate.” You muttered, getting off your bed to open a drawer in your dresser. “Here. Check here. And I do only leave the apartment for class and groceries.”

Charlotte bumped your hip with hers to get you out of the way, and continued her assault on your wardrobe. “I know. What a boring life.”

“Don’t be rude.” You chastised her, picking up the clothes on your bed and placing them back on the hangers she’d pried them from. “You’re trying to get on my good side, remember?”

Charlotte tossed another tank top at you. “I’m trying to help you! When was the last time you went out for drinks?”

“I don’t remember.” You shrugged. “But it probably wasn’t the night before a test!”

“You need to relax. Have a bit of fun.” Charlotte said firmly, throwing another top at you. “Let your hair down. Take off your bra. Get on the bar and dance.”

“I’m not really a ‘dancing on the bar’ kind of girl.” You said flatly, returning to your seat on the bed. “Besides, I thought this was supposed to be casual drinks with friends? Why would I be dancing on a bar?”

“You never know when you’ll need to dance on a bar. It’s not the type of thing you plan.”

“My apologies. I have limited experience with the subject.”

“You’re forgiven. We’ll change that another night.” Charlotte pulled out an off the shoulder top with a triumphant grin on her face. “Tonight, you’re going to put on that shirt and your dark blue jeans and those little heeled boots that, by the way, I need to borrow for a date next week, and you’re going to go out for drinks and have fun!”

You groaned, taking the top from her. “Why is tonight so important?”

“Because you’re stressed and need to relax.” Charlotte paused. “And because there’s this guy coming out that I want you to meet.”

Your expression grew colder. “Charlotte—”

“I know—”

“I told you I’m not ready to date again!”

“I know!” Her voice turned pleading. “But Y/N, I promise, Jack is a really nice guy! He’s nothing like Parker—”

“That doesn’t matter.” You looked down at the shirt in your hands. “I’m not—I can’t—”

Charlotte sat down next to you on your bed, wrapping an arm around you “Parker was a cheating asshole. A liar. He didn’t deserve you.” She said softly. “But you can’t shut yourself in forever because of what he did. Come out tonight, just for a bit. If you’re not enjoying yourself, we’ll come home. I promise.”

You sighed, but you nodded, agreeing to what Charlotte said. That was how, less than two hours later, you found yourself in the outfit she chose, nursing a cocktail at a table in a crowded pub. Charlotte did her best to include you in conversation, but because everyone at the table were her school friends, you found it easiest to sit back and listen to the conversation instead of adding to it. Although, truth be told, you were only half listening to the conversation, which is why you had to ask Jack to repeat his question when he spoke to you.

“What was that, sorry?”

“I asked where you’re from, and how you met Charlotte.” Jack smiled at you, taking a sip of his beer.

“I’m from America, but I’m in London for school.” You answered. “I met Charlotte during our freshman year. We were roommates. Still are, actually, except now we rent an apartment a few blocks from campus instead of sharing a tiny dorm.”

“That’s wonderful.” Jack replied, his hand moving closer to your arm. “And you like London, then?”

You could tell Jack was flirting. It was obvious in his body language, his tone of voice, and how he found every uninteresting thing you said absolutely fascinating. He was an attractive guy, and you were flattered, but you couldn’t reciprocate the flirtation, so you tried your best to shoot for friendly. “London is amazing. I really love it here.”

Your side conversation continued for a few minutes as Jack asked more questions about you. There were a few moments when you could sense Charlotte’s eyes on you, watching the two of you interact. You did your best not to focus on it, and ignored her prying questions when Jack got up to buy the table another round.

“He likes you, Y/N! You should give him your number!” Charlotte insisted.

You shook your head. “Nope. He’s nice, Char, but I’m not looking to date anyone. In fact…” You checked your watch. “I should get home. I have more studying to do—”

“What? You can’t leave yet!” She shook her head. “You haven’t even heard the musicians!”

“Musicians?” You asked in confusion.

Charlotte nodded. “There’s live music here every week, and some of the musicians are really good!”

“Maybe another time, Charlotte.” You smiled apologetically and grabbed your bag as you stood up.

“Leaving so soon?” A voice you didn’t recognize rang through the bar through the speakers around you.

You turned your attention to the stage. The voice seemed to belong to the man standing at the microphone, his eyes on you. He had curly brown hair that was pushed back from his face, with a single curl still hanging down on his forehead. He was grinning, dimples visible from where you stood, and his eyes reflected the mirth apparent on his face. He was wearing high waisted slacks and a t-shirt, the logo faded to the point where you couldn’t read it.

You flushed when you caught his eye, hurrying to grab your jacket and leave the bar.

“You didn’t answer the question, love.” His voice was amused, laughter apparent in his tone. “People usually wait until I’m halfway through my set to grab their stuff and leave. Are you already bored?”

He kept his eyes on you like he was waiting for an answer. Your friends were staring at you too, as well as everyone in the bar.

“I…” You cleared your throat, more heat rising to your cheeks. “I have to go.”

“Why?” He raised an eyebrow. It was clear to you that he was enjoying this exchange. “Where do you have to be at 11PM on a Thursday night, besides in this pub?”

“She has a test tomorrow!” Charlotte called towards the stage. It was clear to you that she was enjoying this, too.

“A test?” He smirked a bit. “You’re already out and a few drinks in. It’s too late to study for a test. The best thing you can do is sit back down, grab another pint, and listen to some music.”

“What’s happening?” You heard Jack whisper to Charlotte as he came back to the table with the drinks.

The man’s eyes looked over Jack, something changing in them, but his tone stayed the same when he addressed you again. “See? You’ve got another round. Stay, please. Enjoy the music.”

Charlotte tugged on your arm, pulling you back down to your seat. You felt your face burn again as the man smiled.

“There we go! Alright, now that that’s all sorted out…” He walked over to the corner of the stage and grabbed a guitar from its stand, slipping it over his shoulder. “Nice to see you all again. M’name’s Harry, and I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to play for you tonight. Is everybody doing well? Nowhere else they need to be?”

The customers of the pub clapped, a few people calling out answers in response. Harry’s eyes flickered to you one more time before he continued to introduce the first song of his set.

Conversation at your table began to carry on, quieter than before, but you still didn’t participate. This time, however, it was because you were watching Harry sing. Your attentiveness, while partially due to his talent, was caused by your embarrassment at being called out. You felt the least you could do was pay attention.

By the time Harry finished his set an hour later, the number of people at your table had dwindled. Almost everyone was gone, except for Charlotte, Jack, and you. Once Harry finished his last song, however, Charlotte stood up.

“Alright, I’ve got to get going.” She grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. “See you later, Y/N. And Jack, I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

“If you’re going, I should go too.” You said, beginning to stand.

Charlotte shook her head. “No, you and Jack still have half your drinks to finish. I’ll just call a cab for myself. Jack—” She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Make sure she gets home safe, alright?”

“Of course.”

And then you and Jack were alone. This was, you suspected, all part of Charlotte’s plan, as she had a mischievous glint in her eye when she walked away. Her absence left a silence between the two of you.

Jack took a sip of his drink. “I’ve just got to run to the men’s room. Will you be alright on your own for a few moments?”

You nodded, sensing genuine concern in his voice. “I’ll be fine. Go ahead.”

You nursed your drink while Jack was gone, scrolling through your phone absentmindedly to pass the time. Part of you considered just leaving while he was gone to avoid the weird pseudo date you’d been left on, but it seemed rude.

“So.” A now familiar voice pulled you from your thoughts. “You stayed, then. And all your friends left.”

You looked up to see Harry standing over you, a charming smile on his face. Heat rose to your cheeks again, the embarrassment from earlier still fresh in your mind.

“I did. And they did.” You nodded. “You were really good, by the way. Your cover of Landslide was amazing.”

“Thanks.” Harry’s smile grew bigger, but then turned sheepish. “I hope I didn’t embarrass you earlier. I didn’t mean to.”

“Oh, it—it’s fine.” You tripped over your words. “I’m glad I stayed. It was nice. And who needs to pass every test in their classes, anyways?”

Harry laughed. “Exactly. But still…could I buy you a drink, maybe? To make up for it?”

“Oh, I don’t—I should really be getting going, actually.” You said apologetically. “I’m just waiting for—”

“Hey, Y/N.” Jack returned from the washroom right on queue, one hand going to the back of your chair while the other grabbed his beer from the table. “Hey, Harry, right?” Jack smiled. “You put on a good show, mate. We really enjoyed it.”

“Thanks, mate.” Harry’s eyes flickered between the two of you. “I’m glad to hear it.” He turned his attention back to you, his tone growing bolder. “So you’re heading out, then? I can’t convince you to stay for another drink?”

“Thank you, but no. I do have to get going.” You stood up, glancing at Jack as he watched the interaction between you and Harry with guarded eyes. “It was nice to meet you, Jack. And you too, Harry. I’ll…see you both around sometime.”

“Wait, Y/N, let me walk you home.” Jack grabbed his jacket, but you shook your head.

“No, you still have half a beer left. I’ll just call a cab.” You slipped your own jacket on. “Thank you, though. I’ll see you around.”

You turned around before he could stop you, quickly making your way to the door. You shivered once the cold outdoor air hit you, your eyes scanning the streets for a cab.

“Y/N!”

You turned around, surprised to see Harry outside in just his t-shirt.

“Harry, it’s freezing!” You exclaimed. “Go back inside!”

“Can’t.” He said with a shrug.

You sighed. “And why is that?”

“Because you’re out here.” He said simply, pulling a pen from his back pocket. “And you’re about to leave, so—” He grabbed your hand, scribbling a phone number onto the back of it. “Here. Call me.”

“What?” You tried your best not to focus on how warm his fingers were on your hand. “You don’t even know me.”

“That’s why I’m giving you my number.” He chuckled. “So we can get to know each other.”

“But—”

A cab pulled up to the curb, and Harry reached down, opening the door for you. “Here. Get home safe, love.”

Confused at the turn of events, you climbed into the cab, and Harry shut the door behind you.

“Where to, miss?” The cabbie asked, and you muttered your address to him.

When you glanced through the back window as the cab pulled away from the curb, Harry was gone.

(part ii)

#harry styles #harry styles au #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x you #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic #harry styles imagine #fine line #fine line album #amateur musician!harry #barmusician!harry #guitarist!harry #writing #and YES the title is from sunflowervol6 if you cant tell from my url thats my fave song on the album and everything i post has to relate to #harry styles fluff

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personasintro · 6 years ago

Text

Drunk; 02

warnings: mentions of alcohol, oral sex (female receiving), unprotected sex, creampie

words count: 7.6k

chapters: 01 | 02 | 03

masterlist link

“I feel like we haven’t seen each other lately.” Your best friend and roommate spoke with little pout on her lips. “I know we still see each other whenever we hangout together with the boys, but we haven’t talked properly. And we live in the same apartment.” She exhaled dramatically which made you chuckle. As much as dramatic she was – it was true. You spent most of your days at work having so many responsibilities. And whenever you had some free time which happened to be weekends you spent it with Jungguk. Plus your boss at work was being so annoying giving you too much work. You already told him that you’re not able to do so much work because usually at least another employee does it. He always gave you one nasty glare ignoring your statement. It was only few days ago when he came to inform you he’s looking for another employee. Soon enough you’re going to have another colleague which will help you a lot.

“I know. My boss is being the pain in the ass.” You grumbled just at the thought of his cold glares he was giving you almost every day. “I’ve been so busy.”

“Not too busy fucking Jungguk.” She grumbled next to you which made you open your mouth in shock. You almost felt offended by her statement but knowing your best friend you knew how big mouth she has. She always says the first thing which comes to her mind. After a few years you kind of learned how to not take everything she says so seriously. Her mouth opened in shock as well and her brown eyes widened. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry! It slipped!” She apologized almost immediately.

“Stuff like that doesn’t just slip.” You mumbled and looked at her way seeing her regretful gaze she was giving you. “And I don’t fuck with Jungguk at every chance I get.”

“Why not? I would.” Sora shrugged while looking at you innocently. It was true. You and Jungguk weren’t really sexually active right now. Your sex life wasn’t even existing at this point. You had too much work and most of the times Jungguk came home completely wasted. Sometimes he wouldn’t even notice you laying in his bed. It’s not like you didn’t want to – both of you. You just didn’t have time. Plus Jungguk’s behavior wasn’t really helping.

“Are you serious right now?” You exclaimed.

“Kind of, yeah. But honestly, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said it in the first place.” She apologized again giving you sad smile. You, her best friend, already knew something’s up.

“What’s going on? Did something happen?” You asked already knowing something must’ve happened. You could see it in her eyes which were filled with disappointment and sadness.

“That’s the point. Nothing happened.” She grunted while sighing looking extremely annoyed. Before you could ask her what she means by that, she continued. “Namjoon happened.”

Of course, Namjoon.

Sora has this huge crush for Namjoon for couple of months. But that boy is so god damn oblivious not seeing her heart eyes his way whenever they’re together. She spent hours just talking about him with you. She was bugging you if you could ask Jungguk if he knows anything about Namjoon’s possible feelings for her. And you did. Of course asking Jungguk if he could ask the question somehow discreetly. So he did. But the answer she got didn’t please her as she hoped it would. Jungguk quoted Namjoon’s exact words ‘Jungguk-ah what the hell are you talking about? She’s just our friend. Do I seem I like her more than just a friend?’

You didn’t want to lie to her telling her sweet words just to spare her feelings. You couldn’t lie to her making her believe she actually has chance with him. Maybe one day they’ll end up together but not right now. Namjoon seems really focused on song writing and producing. He already said he doesn’t have time for dating right now. You ended up telling her the truth. But she took it better than you thought. Of course she was sad but she put her brave smile on. But it seems like it was all fake because here you are again. Talking about Namjoon.

“I’m actually scared this is more than crush, Y/N.” She stated almost too scared to say it out loud. “He’s all that I’m thinking about and honestly, it breaks my heart that he’s ignoring me.”

“He doesn’t ignore you. You just talked to him yesterday.”

“Yeah about weather and his new style. But that’s it.” She rolled her eyes and sighed again for like hundred time today.

“What if we go clubbing? Or something. We’d finally spend some more time together and I think we both could use some fun. I need to loosen up and I think you do as well. It’s win–win.” You suggested.

“Clubbing? You’d really do that?” She asked with hopeful eyes already looking like little kid getting excited by a toy. You chuckled at her expression and slowly nodded.

To be completely honest – you didn’t really enjoy clubbing. It was always some strangers grabbing your ass without permission or them telling you disgusting things while slowly grinding into your ass. You always went clubbing whenever boys went as well. You always had one of them watching you. They all were watching you and Sora making sure nothing bad happens. Plus since you started to date Jungguk he’d never stop looking at you. He watched your every move making sure nobody harass you and that you’re safe. And it helped. You started to feel more secure knowing none of the other guys will try something as long as your protective boyfriend is there. But it seemed it like it’s a good idea to go. Just the two of you. You didn’t want to think negatively about this.

“Maybe you’ll find yourself a new crush. You never know.” You explained while she kept jumping like little kid.

“I’m so excited! Can we go this weekend?” She asked hopefully.

“Sure.” You agreed.

You were in the middle of deciding what kind of outfit will you choose. You didn’t want to wear something too revealing. It’d only provoke all the pigs trying to grab your ass.

“Baby? Where are you?” You heard Jungguk shout.

“In here!” You shouted back still looking at your dresses. You heard his footsteps coming closer while you picked simple black dress. It was funny because you were at Jungguk’s and looking through your clothes in his wardrobe. You probably have more clothes at his than at yours place.

“Me and the guys are going bowling. Do you want to join?” He asked and sat at the end of his bed while watching you.

“I’d love to but I have plans actually.” You answered still deciding if the little black dress is a good choice. The dress weren’t too short and they looked sexy and not boring at the same time. They weren’t also too sexy. You could just pair it with some nice shoes and woala – you’ve a nice outfit.

“What plans?” He asked curiously watching you putting your dress beside him on the bed.

“I’m going clubbing with Mina.”

Too busy closing the wardrobe you haven’t noticed the way Jungguk’s eyebrows furrowed already not liking the idea.

“And you’re wearing that?” He asked lowly.

“Yeah. What’s wrong with it?” You asked looking at him. Are those dress not good enough?

“You’re definitely not wearing that.” He exclaimed suddenly with serious tone.

You wanted to laugh and well, you actually did. “Excuse me?” You asked still laughing.

“It’s too sexy. I don’t want some assholes trying to touch you or something.”

“Oh please. Sora will look so bomb that nobody will look my way. Those dress are nothing but simple.” You explained already seeing Jungguk’s disagreeing gaze.

“I don’t care about Sora. I care about you.” You chuckled and walked between his spread legs. Your hands found their way to his neck pulling him closer. You gave his lips little peck.

“You’re cute when you’re jealous.” You admitted quietly playing with his hair at the back.

“I’m not jealous.” He grumbled but you and him knew better. His hands grabbed your ass and lightly massages it. “I just don’t want anyone else to touch you.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let them.” You assured him.

“I should probably go with you.” He started and you shook your head.

“No, you already have plans with the boys. I’ll be fine. And if anything I’ll always text or call you. I’ll text you throughout the night, okay?” You asked sweetly while you slowly massaged his shoulders which were tense. You knew how much he doesn’t like this idea. He knows the men in club. They don’t care if you have a boyfriend or not interested. Some of them are too pushy and just the thought of other men grabbing your ass or touching you without your permission makes me so mad.

“I don’t like this idea.” He spoke after some time. You brought his face closer to yours and connected your lips. You sat on his lap already feeling his hands on your hips and ass.

He suddenly flipped you onto your back and he was above you. You yelped from the unexpected move. Looking at you with his doe eyes eyebrows still slightly furrowed. He dipped his head into your neck kissing you there. You felt him suck skin on your neck. His hands finding their way under your T-shirt which was practically Jungguk’s. You always wore his clothes to bed. You didn’t wear a bra so his hands touched your breasts. Moan left past your lips when he pinched your nipples.

“Jungguk.” You could feel him smirk against your hot skin. With his blissful touches you were soon naked in front of him. You wanted to tell him he should take off his clothes but before you could, his head dipped into your heat. You felt his breath against you which made you anxious. You just wanted to feel him. He licked long strip which made you grab his raven hair tightly. He moaned into your heat which made you clench around nothing. You could feel his tongue slowly entering you.

“Fuck.” You moaned and threw your head into the sheets. You missed this so much. You thought you couldn’t feel better when you felt his finger circling around your clit. You felt your orgasm slowly coming.

Jungguk felt you clenching already knowing you’re close. “Are you already going to come?” He asked you mockingly. You just moaned in response.

When you felt yourself clenching around his tongue feeling orgasm approaching you — he pulled away. Your eyebrows automatically furrowed looking at him completely annoyed. “Oh no, baby. You’re going to come around my cock.” He smirked. You liked that idea.

He took his T-shirt of looking at your heat. You could feel your wetness leaking from you slowly making its way to your ass. The sight of it made Jungguk’s eyes turn darker. He couldn’t wait more and pulled his boxers not completely but to his thighs. When you thought he’s going to do missionary he quickly and somehow harshly turned you around onto your stomach. He pulled your ass up in the air and slowly caressed it. “You’re so wet.” He commented with low tone.

You clenched around nothing from his words hearing him chuckle. “Already clenching around nothing and I’m not even touching you.”

In other situation you’d want to wipe that smirk off of his face but right now – god you were so horny not caring about his mocking tone. In fact, it made you even more wet. You felt his tip at your entrance but he didn’t go in. He slowly teased you moving his tip up and down against you. Just when you were about to snap at him he slowly entered you. He was careful not to hurt you knowing you haven’t had sex for some time. With his dominating behavior he still made sure you’re not hurting. The painfully blissful feeling of him stretching you brought you strange mixture of pain and pleasure at the same time. He started to move in and out feeling your walls clenching around him.

“Fuck, you’re so tight.” He grumbled into your neck hiding his face into it. “I think I need to fuck you more often.”

“You think?” You said amusingly but he quickly wiped your smirk off when he roughly buckled his hips into yours.

“Keep being brat and you’ll not be able to sit down for days.”

You immediately clenched around his cock finding his jealously and dominating extremely hot. “You like when I talk to you like that, right?” He chuckled and spanked your ass.

“God, yes!” You moaned into the sheets feeling your orgasm approaching you again.

His hand found its way to your clit and you hissed into soft pillows. Rubbing it roughly made you seeing stars— thanks to Jungguk. Your hips buckled into his at the same time which made your ass snapped to his abdomen. You were so controlled with pleasure, you didn’t even notice his fingers gripping your hips too tightly. “Fuck, do that again.” He growled.

You turned back wanting to see his reaction. You saw him looking at his cock disappearing in you which made you clenched around him. Buckling your hips like he asked you to, you saw him throwing his head back. His pace started to get too fast and you didn’t even realize how quick your orgasm has approached you.

“Jungguk.” You moaned too quiet already feeling overstimulation. Just seconds after you — he came from his high. You felt his cock twitching in you and soon enough he coated your walls white. He slowly moved his cock in and out which made you hiss due to overstimulation. He pulled out and you instantly laid on your back.

You started to feel annoyed that he came inside you. In two hours you’re supposed to meet with Sora. “Couldn’t you come, I don’t know... on my back or something?” You asked while he stood up. He saw yours and his cum mixed dripping from your core. He licked his lips proud smirk on his lips. It’s not like you don’t like him cumming inside you. You just showered few minutes ago and you have to start getting ready because you’ll be late. And you know how Sora gets when you’re late.

He slapped your thigh with his cock which made you gasp. “Let them know who you belong to.” He smirked and tucked his cock back into his sweatpants. “I want you to go clubbing with my cum inside you.” He smirked and casually walked away like nothing happened.

The club was absolutely full and crowded which made you slightly regretting the fact that you decided to go. But when you looked at your best friend’s lighten up face you instantly calmed down. It was worth it.

You checked your phone knowing it’d be full with Jungguk’s messages. And you were absolutely right. Couple of messages showed on your screen.

[8:23pm] from: Jungguk

are you already there?

[8:24pm] from: Jungguk

hey baby

[8:24pm] from: Jungguk

we just came here but it’s not fun without you

[8:24pm] from: Jungguk

wish you’d be here

[8:25pm] from: Jungguk

are you still holding up my cum?

You blushed at his last message — thankful it’s pretty dark in the club and nobody can see your tomato red face.

[8:34pm] to: Jungguk

yeah we came couple of minutes ago everything’s fine

You assured him looking at Sora who was ordering the drinks. You chuckled at her flirty face she always made whenever she wanted to flirt with someone. Her lips were puckered while she battled her eyelashes. She looked pretty funny to you but you never told her. She’d probably kill you if you did.

[8:35pm] from: Jungguk

ignoring my question I see

“Hey! Put the phone away! I’ve drinks!” Sora screamed at you as soon as she saw you in your phone. Two drinks in her hands while big grin was shining on her lips.

[8:35pm] to: Jungguk

gotta go Sora is already giving me the nasty look

You saw three dots appearing on your screen before his reply appeared almost instantly.

[8:36pm] from: Jungguk

okay baby have fun love you

You quickly typed “I love you” before you put your phone away like Sora wanted you to. She handed you your drink and you both rose it.

“Cheers to one of the best nights my dear best friend!” Sora said happily which made you laugh.

“Cheers!” You sang already seeing the bartender carrying another drinks.

Drinking so many shots probably wasn’t really good idea. You could feel alcohol flowing through your body but you didn’t mind because for once you felt comfortable. You were dancing with Sora when some guy came behind her and started to dance with her. She looked at you with pleading eyes which made you laugh and giving her thumbs up. You wanted to go to sit for awhile already hard to catch a breath from your constant dancing. But then you felt a pair of hands on your shoulders which made you turn around. A guy looking around the same age smiled at you kindly and started to dance with you. You didn’t mind because he seemed like a nice person plus he never really touched you inappropriately. You were dancing like that for a few minutes which made you absolutely breathless.

“You wanna sit for a bit?” He asked you loudly through music and you nodded while trying to catch a breath. You looked at Sora who was still dancing with full energy. You have no idea how she does that. Her stamina is way better than yours.

“Do you want something to drink?” He asked you nicely while both of you sat on the bar stool. The loud music and bass made your insides shook.

“Just some water, please. I feel like I’m gonna throw up soon from all the dancing and alcohol.” You laughed a little bit already feeling you had enough. You lost count of how many shots the bot of you with Sora drank. He laughed at your words giving you little smirk. He was really handsome you had to admit that. But not as handsome as your boyfriend, of course.

You watched him talk with the bartender ordering your drink. Soon enough glass of water was put in front of you while the unknown man had shot of vodka. Your stomach uncomfortably turned at the sight of clear alcohol.

“I’m Chi-Won, by the way.” He introduced himself while accepting his hand. He grasped your hand tightly but pulled away right after.

“Y/N.” You introduced yourself as well with slight smile while looking for Sora. You found her at the exact spot you left her. She was still dancing with the unknown man but this time they were furiously grinding on each other.

“That’s my friend, actually. He’s nice don’t worry.” He said while drinking his shot.

“Sora can take of herself.” You announced but still felt little bit better saying it’s his friend.

“I don’t doubt it.” He laughed at that.

You pulled your phone and checked if there’s some messages from Jungguk. There was none which surprised you little bit. After all, you agreed you’ll check on each other throughout the night. He’s probably having fun absolutely forgetting to check up on you. It’s not like you need to be checked on. Everything is going good so far.

“You wanna dance?” He asked after a few minutes both of you were quiet. You weren’t really talking to him. It wasn’t like he’s not nice but it seems like both of you were deeply in thought. At least you were. You were watching Sora dancing with her new friend while thinking about Jungguk. You got lost in your thought completely obvious the stares from Chi-Won was giving you.

You felt tired already but still the feeling of boredom was there so you just simply nodded. He leaded you into crowd and started to dance with you. You laughed at some of his dance moves already seeing him little bit tipsy. “I think you should go sit down for a bit.” You said carefully not to offend him. You saw his eyes little bit bloodshot and he had some issues with balance.

Chi-Won just laughed at you telling you he’s okay. But when he saw your unconvinced gaze he leaned too much to you. You could feel the mixture of his cologne and alcohol you almost gagged. “Last song and then I’ll sit down. Promise.”

You quickly pulled away nodding already thinking about the escape plan. You’ll probably tell Sora it’s time to leave. It’s already 1am and your head is starting to hurt from the loud music and bad air in the club. Dj of the night changed the music to more bass song which made people cheer out loud. You were dancing friendly with Chi-Won he never touched inappropriately still putting some distance between your bodies which you were grateful for. But then you felt his arms on your hips. You ignored it for a bit but when he touched your ass you quickly whipped around giving him a glare. “I’ve a boyfriend.” You announced loudly.

Thinking he’d back away you were ready to give him an awkward smile but that never happened. Smirk appeared on his lips which meant nothing good. “Well, he’s not here, is he?”

You gave him a glare of disgust already leaving the dance floor. But he roughly pulled you to his body. You could feel his hard crotch pressed to your ass. “You’re killing me in this dress.” He growled into your ear. Even through the loud music you could hear his voice loud and clear. Heart beating so fast you could hear it louder than the bass from the song.

“Don’t touch me.” You screamed loudly but nobody around you heard you. Everyone was too focused on the dancing and the music. Nobody glanced your way. If someone was watching you they’d probably just think you’re dancing too closely. Maybe too close to fuck.

You were trying to escape from his tight grasp he had on your hand but he just grasped you even tighter. Painful gasp left your mouth already tears in your eyes. “God, the things I’d do to you.” He whispered almost too possessory which made you started to panic.

“Leave me alone, you dickhead!” You screamed trying to kick him in the crotch but from the position you were standing in — it wasn’t easy and you did nothing. He just laughed at your attempt of escaping.

“Where is your little boyfriend right now, huh? Leaving you here alone while looking like this.” He kept saying nasty and disgusting stuff into your ear which made your tears flowing. You weren’t even looking that hot. There were other girls with completely short dresses and shorts. Your whole ass was covered and yet, he still founded your way of clothing provocative. Ass showing or not, he has no right to touch you or anyone at this point.

“If he was here, you’d be probably dead right now!” You growled while still trying to free yourself.

He pressed his awfully hard crotch against you while grinding. You felt used while trying to free yourself.

“Hey man! She clearly doesn’t like you, why won’t you back away?” Someone asked from a far but still loud enough for you to hear him. Chi-Won dropped his grasp. You looked thankfully at the unknown man already running away from Chi-Won. As soon as you came out from the club you leaned against the wall trying to catch your breath. But you kept crying so much ruining your whole make-up. But you didn’t give a damn about that. You pulled your phone already dialing Jungguk’s number. You needed him. You needed him to be there for you. Something like this never happened to you. Someone grabbing your ass? Yes. But Jungguk or one of the boys was always there to stop it so it didn’t come too far. But now — Chi-Won disgustingly grinding himself on you without your consent made you so scared. You didn’t even want to think about what would happen if that guy wouldn’t came to rescue you. You didn’t even see Sora anywhere near you. You were trying to escape as fast as you could.

“Come on, come on...” You kept repeating quietly to yourself while still crying. But no answer.

You kept dialing over and over again but he never answered which made you cried out loud. “Oh god!” You said through your sobbing. People passing by never gave you any attention. They probably thought someone just broke up with you or you’re just some hysterical girl crying over some dumb shit.

Panic rose again in you. What if he comes out for you? You kept dialing Jungguk’s number finally hearing some rustling in the background.

Soon enough you could hear a voice. “Hello?” But it wasn’t Jungguk.

You didn’t find yourself telling one single word instead ugly sob escaped your mouth. “Y/N?”

It was Jimin’s voice. “J-Jimin?” You asked not really sure what to say or if you’re even able to say something really.

“Hey, are you okay? Did something happen?” You heard him suddenly asking you. Panic clear in his voice.

“J-Jungguk.” God, you really hated how weak you sound. But you weren’t able to tell Jimin what happened. The only thing you could say was your boyfriend’s name.

“I’m coming for you. Jungguk told me which club you guys went to. Wait for me!” You could hear him saying quickly already hearing the sound of the engine.

Soon enough you saw Jimin’s black car parking in front of the club. Not caring about the sign “NO PARKING” in front of him. He quickly ran up to you hugging your body.

“Fuck, what happened?” He asked listening to your sobs. He pulled away slightly touching your face looking for some injuries.

“C-can we go home?” You asked weakly hating how you must look in front of him. Even though your relationship with Jimin is good, you still felt like idiot crying this hard in front of him. You just couldn’t help it. You still feel the panic flowing through your body even though Jimin’s here. You needed to be home.

“Of course! Can you stay in the car? I’m going to look for Sora, okay?” He suggested which made you nod weakly. He accompanied you to his car and he locked the car just to make your feel less scared. He gave you little smile full of reassurance but you couldn’t give him one back.

It didn’t take long for Jimin to find Sora trying to find you. “I found her.” Her face instantly lit up at Jimin’s words. She spent couple of minutes trying to find you while her whole body shook from the fear of what might’ve happened to you. After you ran away from Chi-Won, the guy who confronted him started to yell at him which made Chi-Won even more angrier. They started to push each other which caused Dj to stop music and everyone in the crowd saw them including Sora. Her eyes widened when she saw Chi-Won. She didn’t know who he was but she saw him dancing with you. Her thoughts already drifting to you trying to find you in the crowd. But she didn’t. Just a minute ago she saw you with him dancing. And you where nowhere to found. She visibly exhaled but Jimin just gave her scolding glare. “She’s shaken up. I don’t know what happened she didn’t tell me yet.”

They went outside of the club. Sora grabbed Jimin’s hand which stopped him in his tracks. “When I saw her she was absolutely fine. I swear!”

“I’m not saying it’s your fault.” He sighed.

“Then why are you looking at me like it is?”

“I’ve never seen her so scared. Something fucking bad must’ve happened. Jungguk is going to kill both of you.”

“Well, where the hell is he?” She asked not understanding why is Jimin here in the first place. If there was trouble you always called Jungguk. You two were inseparable.

“Well?” She asked impatient.

His fingers ran through his blonde hair. “Let’s just go.” He quickly turned around making his way to a car which you were waiting in.

As soon as both of them came into the car you were trying to calm down yourself in — Sora swarmed you with question like ‘what happened’ ‘oh my god are you okay’ which Jimin just gave her a harsh glare which made her shut up quickly.

Jimin was probably one of the sweetest people and seeing him glaring at someone was almost impossible. Jimin took Sora home but both of them decided for you to go to Jungguk’s.

“Is he home?” You asked after the first time both of them stepped into the car. Your voice little bit raspy and weak which you hated. But you simply coughed in embarrassment.

“Not yet. Hoseok is driving him.”

“Why did you pick his phone?”

Nothing. He just stayed quiet. “Jimin—“

“Can we please talk about this inside? I feel like my head is going to burst.” He told you with his soft voice. He didn’t sound like he’s telling the truth but you let him be.

When you stepped into Jungguk’s apartment you calmed a little bit from the familiar and nice smell of it. Only one thing was missing — your boyfriend. He gave you his keys couple of months ago insisting it’s for the best. You didn’t protest since you spent most of your time here anyway.

“Why didn’t Jungguk pick his phone?” You asked as soon as both of you sat up in the living room.

“Umm, he couldn’t. He was busy.” He cringed at his choice of words.

“Stop talking to me like I’m some kid, Jimin. Spit it out.” You said too weak to be stern.

You saw him sighing giving you one of his sad looks. “We went bowling and Jungguk got really wasted. He kept drinking even though we told him to stop. We wanted to bring him home when I heard his phone in his pocket. And then you called so I rushed to you. Hoseok is supposed to bring him here but he had to drive Seokjin and Taehyung home.”

Disappointment, sadness and anger. Those were the emotions you were feeling. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” You asked unbelievably Jimin. He didn’t do anything wrong. You knew the best how nobody could stop Jungguk. You already tried to talk to him about it but he always dodged the subject. And you were stupid enough not to bring it again. Until it happened again and again. You still remember when Jungguk came completely wasted for the first time. You were laughing at him thinking it’s nothing to worry for. But then it happened all over again. Firstly almost every second weekend, then every weekend and now in every occasion he has.

“God, I’m such an idiot.” You cried out loud.

Jimin quickly made his way to you and bring you for a hug. “Hey, hey. Stop it, you’re not an idiot. Jungguk is.”

You wiped away your tears trying not to get too emotional. You already cried enough today. “He needs to pull himself together because I don’t know for how long I’ll be able to do this.” You admittedly for the first time out loud.

“I know. He really needs to. We need to get him a professional help.” He stated before his phone start to ring.

“It’s Hoseok.” He told you while looking at this screen. “Do you want me to put him on the speaker?” Already knowing it’s something with Jungguk, he decided to ask you. You simply shrugged not knowing if you’re really prepared to hear anything what Hoseok has to say. Maybe it’s not even something serious. Maybe he got pulled off or the traffic is bad, even though you know that’s not the case. While you were driving here you barely saw any cars at this hour.

“Yeah?” Jimin answered the call and soon enough you heard Hoseok’s voice.

“Hey, I don’t think it’s good idea to bring Jungguk home.”

“Why?” Both you and Jimin shared the look of confusion.

“He threw up like three times in the last ten minutes and he looks even worse than when you saw him. I don’t think Y/N should see him like this.”

Jimin gave you one of his sad looks again which made you annoyed and embarrassed. They’re already pitting you. “She hears you. You’re on the speaker.”

“Hi Hobi.” You called out to him.

“Hey, my favorite girl.” He said trying to lighten up the atmosphere and it made you smile slightly. He was literally the sun in the group. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I just don’t think you should see him like this. I’ll bring him in the morning when he doesn’t smell like vomit. And he looks like shit.” He said honestly.

One of the things you really appreciated in Hoseok. Even though he was the sun of the group he still was straightforward and honest. You always trusted his words. “It’s okay. I don’t think I’m in the mood for this anyway.” You said honestly already too tired with this shit. You’ve been through so much today and even though you still don’t feel calm enough without Jungguk — but you’re home and safe. That’s all that matters at the moment. Plus Jimin is here with you. You’re angry with Jungguk and maybe it’s good thing he’s not here anyway.

After your call with Hoseok you rolled your eyes at Jimin’s face. “I’m not going to cry if you’re waiting for that.” You states which made Jimin laugh.

“I don’t really want to see you cry anymore because I’m so angry with Jungguk right now.”

“Me too. But I feel like I always cried so much that I don’t have any tears anymore.” You joked.

“I don’t know if that’s positive or negative.” Jimin states looking confused but amused at the same time.

“Yeah, me neither.” You admitted.

“Is it okay for me to stay here? I could go if you don’t want to, I just don’t think you’d be fine alone but if you’re—“

“Jimin, please stay. I don’t want to be alone here.” Interrupting and giving him small smile you both started to laugh a little. What would you do without your group of friends?

Your sleep wasn’t the greatest but that’s what you were expecting. You kept waking up looking at the empty spot which Jungguk’s usually laying in. Luckily for you, you still got to sleep. Already getting enough sleep you could hear loud voices coming from the living room.

“Where is she?! What happened?! Is she okay?!”

Jungguk.

“Calm down, she’s sleeping.” You could heat Jimin’s calm voice trying to hush him.

“I-I don’t care, I have to see her.”

“Jungguk, stop!” Jimin said with louder voice.

You didn’t wait and opened the bedroom door while making your way into the living room. You could see Jimin in Jungguk’s way preventing him from coming to the bedroom.

“Don’t tell me to stop! This is my fucking apartment and she’s my fucking girlfriend!” He snapped at Jimin.

You could see Jimin’s face but you felt sorry for him. Jungguk has no right to be angry at him. He’s done much more for you with this whole situation than Jungguk did.

“God, can you please stop?” You asked quietly already too tired with this.

Jungguk’s head snapped to your direction his eyes widening when he saw you. His raven hair were absolutely messy, his eyes completely swollen. It looked like he didn’t sleep at all. His skin looking too pale than usual. He looked like a mess and it was already breaking your heart.

“Baby, are you okay?” He asked already making his way to you. He slightly pushed Jimin from his way cupping your face. Even the evident mouthwash you could smell from him, he still reeked of alcohol.

“Don’t baby me, Jeon.” You snapped pushing him away. His eyes widened once again. “You reek of alcohol.”

“I-I’ll take a shower. I just needed to see you.” He said quietly already seeing regret in his eyes. It was always like this. He was looking at you like some goddamn puppy or kid which always made you too good on him. But not this time.

“And where were you yesterday when I needed you?”

Even though the question itself sounded almost too normal, you could see hurt flashing through his face. Good.

“I think it’s time for me to leave. If you need anything, just call me.” Jimin said looking at you.

“Okay.” Both of you said at the same time. Jungguk looked at Jimin giving him annoyed look when he realized he’s talking to you.

“Where the hell have you been, Jungguk?” You snapped when you heard the shutting of front door.

“Me and the boys went bowling and well, we started to drink a little bit.”

“We? I don’t think any of the boys were completely wasted like you.”

You saw him gulp while looking at you with full sadness. “I’m sorry, okay?”

“You’re sorry.” You exhaled ironically already pissed off.

“I truly am. Can you please tell me what happened? Nobody told me anything. Hoseok just told me that you couldn’t stop crying and fuck, I never felt so scared.”

“Does it even matter? I’m fine now.” You scoffed seeing him looking at you like you grew two heads.

“No you’re not.” He said softly and truthfully. You eyes were still puffy from all the crying. You did horrible job at wiping off the all make-up. He could still see smeared mascara under your eyes. You both looked like a big mess.

“Some guy harassed me in the club.” You stated after few seconds of silence already trying not to cry thinking about what happened. Jungguk’s posture froze already fearing what you’re about to say. “A-at first he seemed like a nice guy but then we were dancing and he wouldn’t let me go. H-he, god, he pressed his crotch against me and he wouldn’t let me go. He was saying all these nasty things, the things he’d do to me.”

Tears falling from your eyes, your body already shaking from the memories. Jungguk’s jaw clenched and his heart was breaking seeing you like this. The thought of someone doing these things to you made him angry. Angry to that asshole who did this to you but also angry at himself. He immediately embraced your broken posture and hold you tightly. Even with all the anger you felt towards him at the moment, you still felt even more safe. You visibly relaxed when his lips constantly gave kisses into your hair. “I should’ve come with you. Or I shouldn’t have let you go. I-I can’t believe that happened. I’m so fucking sorry, baby.” You could hear him sniffle.

Is he crying? You pushed yourself from his embrace even though he wanted to pull you right back. You looked at his glossy eyes. “A-are you crying? You know, even though I’m so freaking angry with you — it’s not your fault. It happened. I just wish you’d be there for me like you promised. I needed you, Jungguk. And you keep getting drunk and you know it’s not normal anymore.”

Silence. He didn’t say one single world. Not even looking into your eyes. He couldn’t. “You’ve to do something with yourself.”

“What do you mean?” He asked shakily not liking where this is going.

“You’re an alcoholic, Jungguk.” You stated out loud for the first time.

You could see his stare turned into a cold one. But you didn’t regret it. He had to know the truth. But he just scoffed.

“What? So now because I didn’t come to rescue you, I’m an alcoholic? You had Jimin there with you and I’m sure you liked it very much.”

“Okay, now you’re just angry and you’re making no sense.”

“Angry? Me? I know how much you like Jimin.”

It was your turn to scoff. You always got along with Jimin and Jungguk knew it. Jimin was always there for you if something bothered you or if you just needed someone to rant about pointless things to. As friends. But Jungguk’s jealousy side didn’t get that. You could always see him giving Jimin side glares not liking how good you two get along. But this was the first time he said such things just to spite you.

“Are you being serious, right now? Jimin is my friend and so is he yours. He picked your damn phone when you were completely wasted! This is not even about me anymore! It’s about you, Jungguk!”

“How is this about me?! I told you I’m sorry! I should’ve pick that phone and be there for you! I’m so angry at myself for that! I don’t know what do you want me to say!” His voice rose to a few octave higher leaving you speechless.

You went to his bedroom already hearing his footsteps following you. “You know what? I’m done talking about this.” Feeling mentally exhausted from this, you undressed his T-shirt you wore to bed not caring that you’re naked underneath it. You quickly put your own clothes on.

“You can’t just bring this up and then just drop the fucking subject, Y/N.” Jungguk said bitterly behind you making you whipped around.

“Okay, you want me to talk? Let’s talk!” You raised your voice but that made him even more angry. You’ve never fought with Jungguk like this. It was all new to you. To both of you. “I can’t constantly thinking about you if you’re not wasted somewhere doing god knows what!”

“Are you scared I’m fucking someone else? We have already talked about this!”

“I know you’re not! But I can’t be with someone that drinks all the time!”

“Oh, please! Like other guys don’t drink!”

“I don’t date other guys, Jungguk! None of the boys drinks like you do! Do you think it’s normal coming home completely fucking drunk almost every day? You don’t even know I’m in the bed with you half of the time!”

“You should’ve date with Jimin then.” He muttered bitterly pissing you off even more.

“You’re being so childish right now. I love you. I chose you. But I also chose Jungguk who didn’t drink all the time. I can’t keep taking care of myself and you as well. I’ve been through so much, don’t you think?” You said weakly while referring to your dad. Jungguk knew your history and the fact that he’s doing the same thing is hurting you. Let’s just say, Jungguk isn’t the first alcoholic person you’re dealing with.

“This is not fair. You can’t compare me with your dad!” He exclaimed sounding completely offended.

“I can’t? You’re an alcoholic.” You stated again and his eyes turned dark. You felt scared for a moment knowing he wouldn’t hurt you. But he still looked pretty much scary.

“Just stop! Fucking stop!” He yelled at you making you flinch.

“What the hell, Jungguk?! Calm down!”

“Don’t you dare call me that! I’m not an alcoholic! Are you being a bitch because I wasn’t there for you? That’s just not fucking fair!”

He didn’t see it. He couldn’t even admit he’s having issue. You could see his veins on the neck popping up. Memories of how many nights he came home completely drunk flowing through your mind. Not even nights — some of it were mornings or middle of the day. The way you always took care of his hungovers even though you were so angry at him. But you just loved him so much thinking it’s just a phase.

“I can’t do this.” You said quietly wiping your tears off. You haven’t even realized you cried again. Maybe it was because of sadness or maybe even from anger. Who knows. Maybe both.

“You wanted to talk.” He snapped at you leaving you speechless again.

You gulped feeling your heart somewhere in your throat. “No, I mean this. I can’t do this. Us.” You said while gesturing between you and him.

His eyes widened and all the anger disappeared in the spare of one second. “What?” He asked breathless not believing what you just said.

“You have to pull yourself together. I can’t be here for you when you’re like this. I’m done with ignoring your obvious issue. You don’t even want to address it, Jungguk. And it scares me.” You admitted.

“No, baby. Please. Don’t do this.” He pleated and immediately went to reach out to you.

You put one step back seeing his glossy eyes again. “I’m not breaking up with you. I don’t even know what I want. I just can’t keep going like this. Please think this through and let me know how you want to deal with this. Because I can’t ignore it anymore.” You said your final words spinning around already feeling new tears coming.

“I love you!” He called out to you with shaky voice.

“I love you too.” You said quietly leaving his apartment as quick as you could. Scared he’d run up to you and one look into his eyes would change your decision.

You needed him to realize what’s happening here. Because after all, you never fell in love with an alcoholic. He just became one not long time ago.

1K notes · View notes

today-we-will-survive · 6 years ago

Text

The Lucky Ones

Moodboard made by me.

Jungkook x Reader

Genre: University!AU, Soulmate!AU, Romance, Angst, Fluff

Word Count: 19K

A/N: This is the longest one shot I’ve ever written and my first soulmate au 😅

This one is for my girl, @dimpled-gukkie 💜

You’ve heard it all before. Patches, Raccoon, Bulls-eye…

People have made fun of the black mark staining the skin surrounding your right eye ever since it appeared the day you turned twelve. Everyone got their soulmate mark around that time. Some late bloomers received theirs when they were just a bit older than others but everyone got one, the mark signifying where their soulmate would touch them for the first time. Most people woke up in the morning with a black palm or a patch on their arm or their shoulder, maybe a small spot on their cheek. But you’ve never seen another person with one covering their eye.

Middle school was cruel to you. You went to school the first morning after you got your mark with your hair covering half of your face. Of course, that didn’t hide it well enough and by the end of the day, there was a rumor circulating that you were going to end up with someone abusive, your first physical touch from them being a punch to the face. Naturally, the thought terrified you and you came home that day and locked yourself in your room, refusing to come back out for a week.

The taunting followed you into high school and by the time you hit senior year, you’d developed a thick skin. The names, the rumors, the fake pitying looks at your unfortunate mark placement no longer bothered you. You became comfortable in your own skin again. You always wore your bangs back, your mark on display like a badge of honor. You tried not to think about the way your soulmate would someday touch you for the first time, instead focusing on the here and now. Living in the moment. Loving yourself.

Sure, you had your moments of weakness. Moments when the shield would come down and you’d notice the whispers, the curious looks, the laughter of little children that had no filter. But you tried not to let the world see. You tried to keep it in until you were alone. Only then did you let the tears spill.

You told yourself college would be different. You were going to one several states away and you hadn’t heard about any of your classmates getting an acceptance letter from them. This was going to be the new start you needed. Sure, you’d been pretending to be brave for the last several years, but now you were actually going to be. You were going to have a fresh start. Meet new people. And these people were going to know you as the girl that isn’t ashamed of her mark. Actually proud of who she is, not just someone who pretends to be in public then breaks down once she’s alone. In fact, you could be whoever you wanted to be at your new school. Were you going to be the mysterious artsy student? The vibrant, loud laughing, dance-to-the-beat-of-your-own-drum student? The dark and mysterious one that always wears black lipstick and headphones? Probably not that last one, but at a new school, the sky’s the limit.

But after going through your closet and deciding you don’t have the wardrobe to reinvent yourself just yet, you decide that the idea of becoming a whole new person is a bit overwhelming and more something that needs to be done gradually.

You didn’t want your parents to help you move into your dorm for fear of either of them saying anything to your new roommate that might give away any part of the life you’re trying to leave behind. You did let them help load your car, though, and gave them tight hugs, making sure they knew that you not wanting them to help you move had nothing to do with how you feel about them but rather their strange need to embarrass the crap out of you.

Now, you kind of wish you had accepted their help as you lug the first of many boxes up the two flights of stairs to your assigned dorm. The hall looks pretty nondescript and you figure they probably all look similar. If you weren’t so directionally challenged, this wouldn’t be an issue. Hopefully you won’t get confused too many times throughout the year.

Now your eyes scan the room numbers for the one that matches the number printed on the paper you clutch in your hand. You reach the end of the hall before reaching your room and when you turn the corner at the end, you freeze, almost dropping the box in your hands in the process. There’s 215, there’s 216 and then you can’t see the numbers on the next door because it’s already open.

You approach dorm 217 slowly, thoughts of who your roommate could be and what she’s like flooding your brain as you peer into the room. A girl is balancing on her knees on the bed to the right, her back to you as she tapes a large calendar to the wall.

“Uh…hi?” you utter, feeling a little like maybe you shouldn’t have interrupted her but also not wanting to just stand there in silence like some serial killer just waiting for her to turn around and acknowledge you.

Luckily she hears your tiny greeting and turns around, long, blonde hair swaying over one shoulder as she smiles at you. “Oh, hi!” she greets cheerily. “You must be my new roommate. I’m Lisa.” She scoots not-so-gracefully on her knees off of her mattress until she can scamper over to you and extends her hand for you to shake. After telling her your name, your gaze darts down to the bright purple glove covering her offered hand.

I mean, yeah it’s cold out but not enough to wear gloves. And one glove? Your eyebrow quirks up questioningly as you meet her eyes again. “Oh, that’s to cover my mark,” she says then tugs it down to reveal the patch covering her palm and disappearing up further under the glove. “I keep it covered so there’s no chance of my soulmate accidentally touching it. There’s too much I want to accomplish this year and I don’t have time for romance.”

You want to mention to her that that’s not how it works. That your soulmate has to deliberately touch you for your mark to change color and even then, theirs won’t until you deliberately touch their mark, but what’s the point? That seems to be the least of your roommate’s worries as she continues rambling, finally reaching out to take your hand to shake. You fumble with the box in your arms.

“Oh, sorry,” she says quickly and takes the side closest to her, helping you guide it onto your bed. “Anyway, I’m running for student body treasurer this year and I’m going to need to focus on campaigning. I won’t have time to deal with a soulmate. Hence the glove.” Then she sits down on her bed, bouncing slightly from the momentum. “So, tell me about yourself.”

You’ve already been in your dorm for about five minutes and haven’t even uttered a word other than “uh” “hi” and your name and now she sits there, expecting you to recite some sort of autobiography. Maybe new confident you is going to have to come on more gradually than you originally thought.

“Uh, well,” you stutter. “I’m an English major.”

“Oh! So you like writing?”

You nod, pulling the cuffs of your sweatshirt down over your hands, a nervous habit you’re going to need to break. “Yeah, nothing too serious yet, though. I want to be published some day but right now I’m more of a hobbyist.”

“So what do you write?” Lisa asks.

You take in a deep breath and look up at the beige ceiling. Beige, everywhere beige.

“Mostly…fan fiction.”

You actually have a pretty large following on Tumblr and you’d never be ashamed of something like this but just sharing the fact with a stranger makes you feel bashful all of a sudden. Your love for fan fiction has really only ever been expressed online and now saying it out loud just seems…weird.

Lisa nods as if she’s trying to be supportive but doesn’t really know what to say. “That’s cool,” she says. “What kind of fan fiction?”

Ugh, you can feel the heat creeping up your neck and you’re sure your face is bright red by now. “It’s mostly…uh…Bangtan fanfic.”

“Is that that one boy band that’s really huge right now?”

That one boy band. You blink back at her. They’re so much more than just a boy band. You’ve been with them since the beginning. Since their debut when they were still figuring out their sound. When they still didn’t know what the future held. You followed them on their rise to the top. You’ve memorized every one of their songs—which isn’t easy with how fast they can rap—watched every one of their videos. They’re not just that one boy band. They’re THE boy band. They’re legends.

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“I haven’t really been listening to much music lately. And I definitely won’t have time this year. Gotta stay focused.” Then she spins around and gestures at the giant calendar she just hung above her bed. “My goal is to have that filled with clubs and activities that’ll get me close to as many potential voters as possible.” She spins back around again. “There’s a club fair going on tomorrow and I plan on hitting every booth. You should join me. I’m sure there’s a writing club or a BigBang fan club or whatever.”

“Bangtan,” you correct her.

“Right.” Lisa says then lets out a heavy sigh. “Well, need help bringing up the rest of your stuff?”

The speed at which she changes the subject gives you whiplash and for a second you just stand there in a silent stupor before finally remembering that, oh yeah, your car is still sitting on the street with fifty million boxes inside that somehow need to make it up to room 217.

“That would be great,” you finally say with a smile and a nod. “Thank you.”

“No problem, roomie,” she says the last word with a cute quirk of her shoulders before bounding out the door and down the hall.

As you trail after her, a thought suddenly hits you. She didn’t even mention your mark. You’re so used to people commenting on it or staring at it—you can always tell when their eyes are just centimeters off from meeting your own—when they’re talking to you, but her eyes didn’t even linger. You shrank back into your shyness so quickly when you met her but already you can tell things are going to be different. Maybe the new you won’t be as gradual of a change as you thought it would be. And you can’t tell if you’re excited or terrified.

The first couple of weeks of classes fly by. When you went with Lisa to the club fair, you actually did find a writing club to sign up with and you’ve already attended a couple meetings. Of course, these meetings mostly consist of everyone sitting in silence. Apart from the occasional discussion to help someone work through a plot hole, the only sound is the tapping of fingers on keyboards, but there’s something about being around other writers, even if you’re not talking, that keeps you focused. You’ve been writing and posting fics regularly, even with your busy schedule, and your followers have been as happy as ever. Some of them have even sent you asks congratulating you on making it through your first few weeks of school without imploding, which is something you stated you were afraid would happen in an “end of summer recap” post.

You met the neighbors in room 216 and one of the neighbors in 218—or maybe they’d somehow managed to get the room to themselves because you’ve never seen another person go in or out of that room. You like all of your classes well enough and campus isn’t so confusing. In fact, you could walk from your dorm to any of your classes or the library that your writing group always meets up at, with your eyes closed. Speaking of eyes, not one person has made a single comment about your mark. You see it every morning in the mirror so you know it didn’t magically disappear from around your eye and yet no one has uttered a word. It’s almost like there’s an air of maturity that comes with attending college. People are so much more accepting here than they were in any of your younger years of school. For that, you’re grateful. And it makes it that much easier for you to reinvent yourself. Which you have. Kind of.

You’ve come to terms with the fact that you could never completely change into a different person. You still have your same likes and dislikes. You still love to write and love Bangtan and you still hate waking up early and the taste of coffee sans sugar or cream. You still gnaw at the inside corner of your lip when you’re nervous or thinking deeply about an idea for a new fic. You still have these quirks, but to completely change would be lying to yourself. So you don’t mind that even after almost a month at university, you’re still undoubtedly you. Though maybe just a bit more comfortable. You 2.0.

One Friday evening, you find yourself surprisingly without any homework—at least none that’s due any time soon—and you’ve just settled on your bed, your back propped against the wall, laptop—with your new black marble case because somehow or another you managed to actually chip the corner of it—nestled on your lap and fingers resting on your keyboard when Lisa bursts into the room in a flurry of blonde hair.

“Get dressed,” she says with a bright smile. “We’re going to a party.”

You’re taken so off guard, you can only blink in response before looking down at yourself a little confused by her first comment because you are, in fact, fully clothed. But then the second part of her statement sinks in and you gulp loudly enough for the people out in the hall to hear. “A what?” you choke out.

“A party,” she says and makes her way over to your shared dresser and wrenches a drawer open. “If I’m going to be running for student body treasurer, I need to meet as many potential voters as possible and make a good impression,” she says as she rifles around in the drawer. “I’m running with the Liber party, which is a pretty popular party on campus but as a first year, I’m the underdog,” she pauses thoughtfully. “But that might actually make me look even better.” Then she turns to face you. “Wouldn’t it?”

“Uh, sure?”

“Rooting for the underdog is a thing now, right?”

“I think it always has—”

“Needless to say,” Lisa interrupts as she spins back around and continues digging for an apparently very specific article of clothing. “I’m going to a party and I refuse to go alone, therefore, you’re going too.” Finally, she finds it, a bright yellow sweater, and tugs it on over her head. “After all, the handbook does say we should use the buddy system as a safety precaution when traveling around campus, especially at night and especially as females.” You watch as she pulls open another drawer and pulls out a box full of gloves. She pulls off her green one then plucks a navy blue one out and tugs it on. “I’m not a huge fan of whoever wrote the handbook implying that we females can’t handle our own but nonetheless,” she takes a deep breath and sticks her now blue gloved hand in your direction, “you’re coming with me.”

How can you even argue with such an impassioned and tiring speech? You can’t, so instead you just take her hand causing Lisa’s smile to widen as she pulls you to your feet. Her eyes rove over your face and then the rest of you. “I think you look decent enough. You’re one of those girls that can pull off the super casual look. You know, the ones that don’t even have to really try? I wish I could hate you,” then she reaches up and pulls the clip off the back of your head causing your hair to spill down over your shoulders. She cocks her head to the side. “I really wish I could hate you.”

“Um…thanks, I guess?” you say pulling the cuffs of your sleeves down over your fingers.

Lisa hums in satisfaction before taking your sweater paws in her hands and tugging you with her out the door.

The party is at one of the more well known fraternities on campus, Beta Tau Sigma. For being such a popular frat, you’re surprised to find that the house is actually pretty small.

“I’ve done a lot of research on the different fraternities and sororities here,” Lisa says as the two of you walk up to the house.

“Of course you have,” you say, not taking your eyes off the place.

“Apparently, Beta Tau Sigma is known for throwing some wild parties. And I guess you could say it’s pretty exclusive. There are only ever seven members of the frat living here at any given time.”

Only seven? No wonder the house is so small.

“Only the seven with the top GPAs get to stay here. The rest live in other housing. Interesting, right?” Lisa asks as she tugs you closer to the house.

“Very,” you utter.

Even with how small it is, you still feel like it towers over you. The whole front of it is washed in bright purple light and you could hear the music vibrating down the block before you even stepped foot on it. You’ve never been to a party before—unless classmates’ birthday parties count, which you don’t think they do—so you’re feeling extremely nervous as Lisa pulls you closer, still rambling off facts about this fraternity that apparently throws ragers.

As she leads you, you find yourself shrinking back into your old, shy identity and ducking your head so your hair covers the right half of your face. When you realize what you’re doing, you immediately snap out of it, straightening your back again, holding your head up high and running your hand back through your hair to push it all out of your face. This is not the time to be afraid. This is the moment you’ve been preparing for. This is the moment that counts. Sure, you’ve been around campus, among the other students already, but they were in the same boat as you, too busy navigating their way around this foreign campus to notice the girl with the soulmate mark over her eye. This party would be the beginning of the newer, better version of you. The confident you. The one that’s not afraid to be seen.

It’s hard not to imagine that you’re only pretending to play the part of “college student” in some cheesy coming-of-age movie as you step inside the house. There’s so much to take in, you don’t know where to look first. Whether at the crowd of people surrounding a game of beer pong, or the many bodies dancing in a tangle in the middle of the floor, or the boy doing a handstand with the help of two other boys holding his legs while a fourth pours beer into a funnel that leads down through a tube into the first one’s mouth. The whole scene screams college party and for a second, you feel yourself backing again out the door. Lisa, unfortunately for you, catches on quickly and reaches out to grab onto your wrist.

“Uh uh,” she yells over the music. “We’re here to mingle.”

“You’re here to mingle,” you shout back. “I’m just the victim you dragged along for the ride.”

“You need to mingle too,” Lisa says pulling you along. “I bet you were shy in high school.”

How’d she guess? “Not on purpose,” you say in defeat as she leads you deeper into the house. Bodies bump into you on every side and you bunch your shoulders up, trying to make yourself as small as possible so you can fit through the tiny spaces.

At last the two of you emerge in the kitchen which, to your relief, isn’t as packed despite the fact that this is where most of the alcohol is.

“What do you want?” Lisa asks you.

“I’ll just take a soda,” you say.

“Keeping a clear head tonight, good idea,” she says. “Two sodas then.”

As Lisa makes her way over to the bar to grab your drinks, you lean back against the counter, letting your eyes drift over the scene. From this vantage point, it doesn’t seem so intimidating. If you focus on each person instead of the entire party, you notice little things. A boy with a mark on his arm and a girl with one on her shoulder inching subtly closer to each other, nervous glances exchanged between the two. You see sweat glistening on the forehead of one of the boy’s holding up the one doing the keg stand, as if he’s struggling to support the weight. Sure enough, his grip weakens and the one upside down tumbles to the floor in a fit of laughter. A loud cheer erupts from the beer pong table and a girl has her fists in the air, one stained black, a victorious smile spread across her face. These people are just here enjoying themselves. You should too.

Your eyes travel further and catch on a couple of dark figures in a corner. It’s obvious that the two are making out and you quickly look away.

“That’s Park Jimin,” Lisa says from beside you and presses a cup into your hand. “I’ve done a bit of research on him.”

“Really?” you ask, unable now to avoid looking at him again as he shoves his tongue down the throat of whatever girl is pressed against the wall. Your mouth bunches in disgust. “Why would you care about this guy?”

Lisa takes a drink of her soda and rolls her eyes. “He’s the current student body treasurer and he’s planning on running again.”

You watch as someone comes up behind him and puts a hand on his back causing him to break away from the kiss and turn around. He’s definitely good looking, you won’t deny that, with his dark hair and white smile. He looks like your typical frat boy. The kind that was probably class president throughout high school. The kind that uses his good looks to his advantage. You watch as he raises his arm, palm black, to slap hands with the guy.

“Apparently he’s pretty popular,” Lisa says.

“Apparently,” you utter but Lisa doesn’t hear you as she’s already putting down her cup and running her hands over her hair to smooth it down.

“—which means I need to work twice as hard,” she says pulling on her glove. “Starting now.” Then she turns to you. “Will you be okay here?”

You shrug. “Yeah, I guess,” you say and are about to ask how long she plans on staying so you can leave with her but she’s already weaving her way across the living room. Well, alright then. You sit back again against the counter and take a nervous sip from your cup as your eyes scan the party again.

“That’s kind of lame of your friend to just ditch you.”

When you turn your head to the left, you find a boy leaning against the counter a few feet away from you. He’s not looking in your direction but you’re guessing by the comment that he was talking to you.

“Oh, she’s not really my friend,” you say and then have to stop and think. Wait, is she? “She’s my room—”

He finally turns his head to look at you, his dark eyes locking on yours, set in a sort of uninterested stare. You can’t help the way your heart speeds up a bit when he looks at you. The boy is incredibly good looking and the way he stands is much too confident for him to be a first year. His lean body is curved inward, his broad shoulders slumped, but not in a shrinking sort of way, more in an I-could-be-doing-something-so-much-more-productive-than-this sort of way. He carries himself like a cocky frat boy, but his style reads more 90’s punk than collegiate with his distressed red and black striped sweater and ripped black skinny jeans. His dark hair hangs just barely in his eyes and silver rings adorn the ear that you can see.

“She’s your room?” the boy asks lifting a dark eyebrow.

“—mate,” you spit out then turn away again, automatically trying to shield your soulmate mark from view.

“Well, still,” he continues and you can’t help but peek back at him again out of the corner of your eye. “Kind of crappy to just walk off like that and leave you here by yourself.”

You shrug and fold your arms self-consciously over your stomach. This whole “You 2.0” thing is not going very smoothly. “Yeah, well, she has potential voters to canvas.”

The boy chuckles and stands up straight so he can also fold his arms across his chest. He does it, of course, in a much more confident way than you did. “Ah, so she’s the one running against Jimin.”

You can’t help turning to face him again. “School’s barely even started. How does everyone know so much about everyone else?”

“Your friend, er—roommate—is going to find out very quickly that Jimin doesn’t play nice when it comes to competition. He’s a third year and no one goes up against a member of Beta Tau Sigma and wins. Especially, not a freshman.”

This boy is full of it. “Sounds like you’re not a big fan of first years,” you say. You barely notice how your own gate has changed to match his, your feet planted firmly on the floor and your head held high. He doesn’t look so intimidating anymore.

His mouth curls up on one side into a smirk and he faces you full on now, leaning in a bit too closely. “I have no problem with freshman,” he says, his voice dropping an octave. “Park Jimin, however, doesn’t take too kindly to underclassmen trying to steal his spot.”

You narrow your eyes. “I may not know Lisa very well but if there’s anyone that can go up against someone like Park Jimin, it’s her.”

His smile widens and he leans back, his hipbone resting against the counter again. You can feel his eyes lingering on your mark but his expression stays the same. Finally, he sucks in a breath. “I’m Jungkook” he says and extends his hand to you.

You stare at it for several seconds, your eyes raking over the skin of his palm and the back of his hand. No black anywhere on it. To shake his hand would be your first deliberate touch, which means he’s not your soulmate. Sure, it’s a weird thought to have about someone you literally just met, but your mind always seems to go there. Physical contact between strangers has never really been a practiced thing, especially since there’s so much significance in a soulmates’ first touch. Some would say it’s more intimate than a first kiss.

“JK!”

Both of you turn your heads at the same time to find a boy with sandy brown hair coming your way. Immediately, Jungkook swings his hand around, now offering it to him. You watch awkwardly as the two exchange high fives and bro hugs. Only then it seems the boy notices you there.

“Oh hi,” he says and his mouth spreads into a boxy grin.

Jungkook throws an arm around the boy’s shoulder and gestures to you with the other. “Tae, this is…” he squints at your face for a second. “Kitten.”

Kitten?

“Nice to meet you, Kitten,” the boy says with a polite nod.

“You can’t call her that.”

“Then why did you introduce her as Kitten?”

“Because that’s what I’m calling her.”

“Well, how was I supposed to—”

You blurt your name out quickly, both boys turning their attention to you again causing you to swallow hard. “It’s, um, nice to meet you too.”

The boy’s smile widens, his large-eyed gaze holding yours for a few more lingering seconds before Jungkook tightens his hold on his friend’s neck. “I’m guessing you didn’t come over here to chat with a freshman.”

“Well, actually—” his words are cut off by another squeeze from Jungkook. “I mean, Jin wanted me to come get you to help us bring the other kegs in from out back.”

Jungkook snakes his head around slowly to look at you again. Just the gesture alone oozes confidence. Who even is this boy? “I’ll be right back,” he says. “Don’t go anywhere.”

You tilt your head in a small nod and take a sip of your drink.

“I’ll be right back too,” Tae says with a waggle of his eyebrows and Jungkook elbows him in the stomach.

“No you won’t,” he says before grasping onto the back of the boy’s neck and pulling him away from you.

You let out a breath you very cliché-ly didn’t realize you were holding and slump back against the counter. What is even happening right now? You never would have gotten the attention of a boy back in high school. At least not the kind of attention you would welcome. Did something change? Did you suddenly become attractive overnight? Because why else would not one, but two ridiculously good looking upperclassmen take an interest in you?

You tip your cup back, taking a final swig of soda before setting the cup down and pushing off the counter. You make your way through the crowded house, peeking in each open door until you find one with a toilet and a sink then slip inside and latch the door. The loud music pulses through the walls, completely surrounding you and at first it’s overwhelming and you have to take a few deep breaths, but once you’ve managed to get your pulse back down to a manageable rhythm, you step toward the mirror and gaze in. Just as you thought, nothing has changed. Still the same face. Same mouth, same nose, same mark. But maybe there is something different. Something in your eyes that wasn’t there before. Could it be the surety you lacked in high school? Never in a million years would you gain as much confidence as this Jungkook kid has, but the spark is unmistakeable. Maybe there is something more to you than just a big black mark on your face.

A loud pounding on the bathroom door causes you to jump and you quickly fumble with the knob, wrenching it open and immediately shrinking back when the stench of booze hits you like a wall.

“You done?” the boy slurs and you can only nod as you squeeze past him and back out into the hall.

You don’t want to stick around in case the smell of vomit is about to join the already pungent scent of alcohol and you make your way back toward the kitchen with a slight hope that Jungkook is waiting there for you. Sure, the boy is cockier than anyone should be, but there’s something about him. Something that makes you want to get to know him better. If anything, just to find out what kind of person dresses like he listens to Nirvana. But when you get back into the kitchen, he isn’t there yet. Or maybe he already was and saw that you weren’t so he moved on. There are so many people here, you probably won’t see him for the rest of the night. So much for that.

“Another soda?”

You turn around eyes landing on a familiar face—hardly familiar but still. He holds out a red cup to you and you take it, holding it under your nose first and catching a whiff of rum. You hand it back to him. “I don’t drink,” you say giving a polite smile. “But thanks.”

“Ah, sorry,” he says and offers the one in his other hand. “Got them mixed up.”

This one, you can tell is just soda but still you shake your head. “You take a sip first,” you say.

Jungkook tilts his head curiously.

“I don’t know you,” you explain with a small shrug. “Not well enough to accept a drink I didn’t watch you pour.”

You can see him mull your words over in his head for several seconds before he nods. “I can respect that,” he says then brings the cup to his lips and takes a drink, swallowing as he holds it out to you again. You take it, tapping your finger against the plastic before at last setting the cup down on the counter beside you. Better not risk it. Then you face him again.

“Why did you call me Kitten?” you ask.

His eyes have been glued to the cup you just ditched on the counter but now they flick back up to you. “Hmm?”

“The nickname. Why Kitten?”

Jungkook smiles as if he’s just heard a joke and leans back against the counter. You find yourselves in the same positions as before, as if the two of you never left. “I had this cat when I really young. A white one that had one black patch over its eye and you just kind of reminded me of it.”

You can’t help the way your heart warms in your chest at the mention of this fond memory. “You named your pet cat ‘Kitten’?” you ask with an amused grin.

“I wasn’t a very creative five year old,” he says bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. Are those nerves you detect? “Would you rather I didn’t call you that?”

You shrug. “I don’t mind. It’s refreshing after the other names I’ve been called in the past.”

“Like what?”

You look down at your shoes. “Bulls-eye, Dalmatian, Shiner…” When you lift your head to meet his eyes again, Jungkook is staring intently, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. “People used to joke about how I’m going to find out who my soulmate is when they come up and punch me in the face.”

“That’s not a very funny joke,” Jungkook says furrowing his brow.

“No, not really,” you say. “But I’ve gotten used to people making fun of my mark. It’s in kind of an unusual place. One that I can’t hide very well.”

“You shouldn’t have to hide it,” Jungkook says and tilts his chin up to meet your eyes full on.

You feel your mouth tug up into a shy smile. “I don’t anymore,” you say. “I think I’ve embraced my mark now. I’m done feeling sorry for myself over something I can’t change.”

Jungkook gives a satisfied nod. “Good.”

The two of you spend the rest of the night standing in the kitchen talking. You don’t catch sight of Lisa again until she finally makes her way back to you, obviously tired from going around meeting everyone there. There are a lot of people crammed into this small house. You really don’t want to stop talking to Jungkook and before Lisa can drag you out the door, he takes your phone, inputting his name and number, and saying goodbye with a flash of that lofty smirk.

“You didn’t do much mingling,” Lisa says as the two of you slowly make your way back to your dorm. Luckily it’s only a couple blocks away.

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t leave the kitchen for the whole night. One person doesn’t count as mingling. You’re supposed to meet people.”

“I met enough people.”

“You met one.”

You feel your mouth lift into an intrigued smile and your fingers wrap tighter around your phone. “One is enough.”

You don’t see Jungkook around campus but the two of you have been texting each other a lot. It has turned into one continuous conversation, never really ending even when the two of you go to sleep at night. You just pick up where you left off when you wake up the next morning.

You can’t help being drawn to the boy. Something about that gleam in his eye when he looked at you at the party. That cocky smirk, that confident gate. Even the way he called you Kitten and the reason behind it made you want to know more about him. But he’s not your soulmate. You have to keep telling yourself that. This is all a waste of time. Dating in general may still be common practice in the world but people really only do it for fun. What’s the point of being romantic with someone if you know they’re not the person you’re going to end up with? At least that’s how you’ve always seen it. You’ve never had a boyfriend—though that could just be because of the big black deterrent on your face—but you’d like to think it’s because you just never saw the point. Maybe there’s something to it, though.

Of course, this whole thing could totally be one sided. You’re not the best at interpreting subtext and signals so you could be way off base when it comes to the meaning behind this sudden attention from a second year. Maybe he’s just being nice—in his own bratty way. Maybe he felt obligated to stick by you at the party because Lisa had left you alone and giving you his number was just the nice thing to do. But then again, you can’t help but remember the way he smiled. The way he told Tae that only he could call you by his little nickname. Either way, the boy is still texting you a week later and so far, there’s no hint of him losing interest. At least not that you can detect.

Your work load is beginning to pile up. Writing group has become more of a study group and your Tumblr has fallen by the wayside. At first you hope that none of your followers will notice that you haven’t posted a new fic in three weeks but before long, the asks start trickling in.

Are you working on anything new?

When are you going to post a new fic?

I miss our boys! When are you going to post again?

Has college taken over your life?

It has. It really has taken over your life. You barely see Lisa since she’s out campaigning, trying her hardest to give Park Jimin a run for his money, and you know she is—just like you thought she would—because Jungkook has been giving you a bit of a play-by-play of what’s going on in the Beta Tau Sigma house. Jimin isn’t bringing home a new girl every Friday night anymore, he’s spending the evenings making posters, writing speeches, setting up rallies and promotional parties.

Y/N: Lisa’s roommate probably wouldn’t be invited to one of these parties, would she?

Jungkook: besides her, you’re public enemy number one.

Y/N: 😛 ah it doesn’t matter anyway. School’s been so crazy, I haven’t really had time to do anything but homework. Are you sure that party a month ago wasn’t a figment of my imagination? Because I’m pretty sure I’ve been doing nothing but writing this essay for the past five years.

Jungkook: Lol. If it was then so am I.

Y/N: well…

Jungkook: ?

Y/N: I mean, it’s been so long, I don’t even really know if I remember what you look like.

Jungkook: are you busy now?

Y/N: didn’t I just say I’m working on an essay?

Jungkook: eh, you’re working too hard. Take a break.

The knock on your door a few minutes later has you thinking that Jungkook was actually on his way over to your dorm while you were still talking to him. How convenient. With a sigh, you get up from your bed, tossing your textbook onto your comforter and shuffle to the door. It’s a very short distance. In fact the two beds and two desks as well as the shared dresser take up almost the entire space, making just enough room in the middle of the floor to maneuver. If both you and Lisa lay on your own beds and stretch an arm out, you could hold hands while you drifted off to sleep. Not that you want to but the ridiculous thought had crossed your mind that first night when you realized just how tiny the room really is.

You don’t need much space though since you do most of your homework and your writing on your bed. You have it set up the same way you did at home which makes it much easier for you focus on your work. It’s hard not to feel a little claustrophobic though in the room. Especially since, when you swing the door open, it actually hits the corner of your mattress. Now it makes a hollow thunk.

Jungkook is leaning back against the opposite wall in the hallway. Staying true to his 90s grunge style, he’s wearing dark skinny jeans, combat boots, a flannel shirt and green army coat peppered with patches. Who is this boy and why does he pull off this style so well?

“Hey Kitten,” Jungkook says as he pushes off the wall and steps closer.

You can only stare at him at first. You haven’t seen him since the party over a month ago and you weren’t lying when you said you couldn’t really remember what he looked like. You forgot how attractive he is. But then his mouth spreads into that bratty smirk and you snap out of your daze.

“I have a paper to write, Jungkook,” you say folding your arms over your chest and leaning against the doorframe.

“It’s Saturday night,” he says. “Surely, you don’t have to be working on it right now.”

You glance back at the alarm clock sitting on your desk. “It’s technically Sunday morning,” you say when you notice that it’s past midnight.

“When is your paper due?”

“Thursday.”

Jungkook’s head tilts to the side and he cocks an eyebrow.

You shift awkwardly onto your other foot. “You’re part of Beta Tau Sigma. Isn’t there a party you should be at?”

He shrugs. “I wanted to see you,” he says and you can feel your ears get hot. “Like you said, we haven’t seen each other since the last party you came to.” Then he leans through your doorway and peers around. “Besides, I was curious to see what a first year’s dorm looks like.”

“Okay, let’s go,” you say putting a hand on his solid chest and pushing him back into the hall before he can get a good enough look.

Jungkook stumbles back with a laugh. “Was that a Bangtan poster over your bed?”

If your ears were hot before, they’re on fire now. “Maybe.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” he says putting his hands up in defense. “I just didn’t peg you as the type.”

Now your eyes narrow as you step back to slip on your shoes and grab your coat off the hook just inside your room before pulling the door closed behind you. “And what type is that?” you ask.

Jungkook shrugs, and shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I don’t know. The type that would put posters of a boy band up on her wall. I bet you have more back at home, don’t you?”

“Maybe,” you say and start down the hall as you tug on your jacket. He trails after you, continuing his pestering.

“Do you have all their albums? T-shirts? Bobble heads? Ooh, do you have one of those body pillows with their faces on it so you can pretend you’re cuddling with them every night?”

You spin around so quickly he falls back against the wall in surprise. “I do happen to have their albums, I do own several Bangtan t-shirts and I don’t have all that other stuff, but even if I did, it’s none of your business.”

Jungkook’s face breaks out into a grin. “You’re a feisty kitten, aren’t you?”

With a roll of your eyes, you turn around again and continue down the hall, not looking back when you reach the stairs. You know he’s following though because you can hear his peppy footsteps behind yours. The boy is such a brat but the cutest brat you’ve ever met and you can’t help but mull over the way he called you a “feisty kitten”.

Only when you get out onto the street do you realize that you have no idea where you’re going. So, finally, you turn around to face him.

“Where to?” you ask.

He digs into the pocket of his army jacket and pulls out a keyring. “You’ll see,” he says then starts toward a crappy looking black Honda sitting on the curb.

“You expect me to get into that junk pile with you?” you ask him.

“Hey now,” he says making his way around to the driver’s side. “No need to insult Black Betty.”

You let out a quick laugh through your nose. “Okay, now I’m definitely not getting in that thing.”

“It’s an awful long walk to get where we’re going,” he says and yanks his door open before leaning against the roof. “And it’s pretty cold out.”

“But where are we going?” you ask.

Jungkook just smirks and waggles his eyebrows before climbing into the driver’s side. You watch him through the window as he reaches across to unlock the passenger door and push it open. “Come on, Kitten,” he calls.

You duck down so your eyes can meet his. “If I get in, do you promise to never use the word feisty in a sentence directed at me again?”

“Cross my heart,” he says.

With a sigh and a slight flutter of your heart that you’re trying really hard to ignore, you slide into the passenger seat and close the door. For an old junker, his car is actually pretty clean. It even smells nice. Not at all what you would expect a college boy’s car to smell like. Something like pine with a hint of citrus, but not in the sickly sweet car freshener kind of way.

“So, where are we going?” you ask again after putting your belt on.

Jungkook just smiles as he starts the car and pulls away from the curb. Music starts pumping from the speakers and it takes you only a second to recognize the song.

“Is this Mayday Parade?” Jungkook nods, the corner of his mouth lifting more. You fall back against the seat with your own smile as your heart swells with the nostalgia of hearing your old favorite band.

Jungkook reaches over and turns the volume up a bit so you can hear it better. You feel your smile get bigger. “I haven’t listened to them since middle school. I kind of forgot about them actually.”

“Well, I mean, who has time for good music when you’ve got Bangtan, right?” He flinches away with a giggle as you reach across and swat his arm.

“No more making fun of my taste in music.”

Jungkook nods. “So no more using the word feisty and no more mentioning your poor taste in bands. Geez, Kitten, the list of demands just keeps growing. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to remember all this,” he says.

“Why are you like this?” you ask with a shake of your head. “Did someone hurt you? Were you never held as a child?”

“I’m damaged goods, Kitten,” he says in a fake sad voice. “Might as well run while you still can.”

“Well, I should probably at least wait until you stop the car.”

“By then it’ll be too late,” he says.

Now you shake your head. “Dang, I guess I’ll just have to be corrupted then.”

Jungkook can no longer keep a straight face, his mouth spreading into a grin, his eyes still focused on the road. At last he pulls into a parking lot and you duck your head so you can read the sign that’s lit up atop a tall pole.

“Wendy’s?” you ask him.

“It’s the only place in town that’s open 24-hours,” Jungkook says and pulls into the drive-thru. “Plus, frosties always taste better after midnight.”

“Is that a scientific fact?”

“You don’t believe me.”

You shrug.

“I’ll prove it to you,” he says then rolls his window down.

“You know, I kind of hate that you’re right,” you say before sticking a spoonful of chocolate frosty into your mouth. It really does taste better after midnight.

“Why’s that?” Jungkook asks as he swipes a french fry through his own and bites the tip off with his front teeth.

“Because the last thing you need is an ego boost.”

“I’m hurt, Kitten,” he says. “Genuinely hurt.”

“I’m sure.”

Though you’re freezing and eating ice cream, you kind of like sitting out here with him, the traffic noise from the freeway muted by the distance, the air a bit foggy from the cold. The two of you are the only ones out there sitting across from each other at one of the cement picnic tables. Apart from a couple of cars belonging to the employees, Jungkook’s car is the only thing in the parking lot. It’s just quiet and peaceful. You can’t help but feel a hint of sadness when you look down and see that there’s only a little bit of frosty left in the bottom of your cup. Should have gotten a large.

“So where’s your mark?” you ask as you dip your spoon in to retrieve the last scoop.

“Don’t have one,” he says studying a fry.

You pause with your spoon halfway to your mouth. What? “You don’t have a mark?”

“Nope.”

“But everyone has one,” you say.

Jungkook just shrugs. “Not me.”

You’ve never heard of someone not receiving their mark. He must be wrong. “Maybe it’s somewhere you can’t see. Maybe it’s covered up by your hair or something.”

“I don’t think so,” Jungkook says and scoops up more of his frosty with a bundle of fries before shoving them all in his mouth. “It’s fine, though,” he says. “This whole thing is a load of crap anyway.”

You’re still astonished over this new bit of information so it takes you a minute to respond. “What’s a load of crap?”

“This whole soulmate thing. I don’t buy it.”

You narrow your eyes at him. “You do realize it’s how life works, right? There’s nothing to buy.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Jungkook utters. “I mean, to have the person you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with already chosen for you just sounds stupid. What if you’re not compatible? What if you hate each other? And who even decides who that person is?”

You use your spoon to scrape up the last melted bit of your frosty. “Your guess is as good as mine,” you say before popping the spoon into your mouth.

“But you seem a lot more okay with it than I do,” Jungkook says.

You shrug. “It’s just how it is.”

“Well, I don’t like it.”

“Obviously,” you say and then the two of you are quiet. You can’t help but watch him as he inspects the inside of his now also empty cup. Finally, you let out a sigh and drop your own on the table. “It’s not like anyone is forcing people to fall in love.”

Jungkook furrows his brow and looks up at you. “That just makes it seem like we’re a bunch of mind controlled robots. I’ve seen my friends change completely when they meet their soulmate. I don’t want to turn into a mindless robot.”

“Well, then I guess you don’t have to worry about that since you don’t have a mark, right?”

Jungkook chews the inside of his cheek and focuses again on dragging a fry around the inside of his cup. “Yeah, I guess,” he utters.

His whole world is yellow, the sun in the morning, the cabs that run by his window, even his wallpaper, all yellow. But one day he enters the cafe you work at and nothing can prepare him for locking his eyes on a pair as—

The door blasts open, smacking hard against your mattress causing your whole bed to shake and you quickly look up from your laptop to see Lisa stomp inside in a huff.

“I HATE PARK JIMIN!” she screams throwing her book bag and then herself onto her bed.

You close your laptop and set it down beside you. “What did he do?” you ask cautiously.

Lisa mumbles into her pillow and you have to ask her to repeat herself. Finally with a growl, she lifts her head, her face still covered by her wild blonde hair. “He’s been running a smear campaign against me!”

Your mouth falls open. “Are you serious? And people are actually buying it?” It’s hard for you to believe that someone that has a good enough reputation to have been re-elected for student body treasurer for two years would do something so dirty.

“I don’t know if it’s working or not,” Lisa says with a groan and flips over onto her back. “I just saw a poster with my face plastered on it with the words ‘unreliable’ and ‘emotionally unstable’ written below and then everything just kind of went black.”

You shake your head and try not to let her see the smile you feel tugging at your lips. Sure, your roommate is dramatic but she’s definitely not emotionally unstable. And as far as “unreliable” goes, the girl has been making promise after promise to the different club heads and has managed to keep every one while also maintaining top grades. The girl’s a saint. She doesn’t have an unreliable bone in her body.

Lisa lets out a forlorn groan and throws her arm over her eyes. You know she could use some cheering up, or at least something to distract her, but—your eyes drift back to your laptop—you finally started finding time to write again after over a month now of not posting anything. And this latest one shot is going much better than the last three you attempted and then ended up deleting. What’s more important? Helping you roommate in a crisis or appeasing your followers that have been waiting to read your next Bangtan fic?

“Hey,” you finally say. Lisa turns her head, her eyes peeking out from under her arm to meet yours. “Want to go get some food or something?”

Lisa sighs and drops her hands back down at her sides. “No, I have a project due on Monday that I need to redo. Besides, don’t you have a date tonight?”

You lower your head, your eyes now fixed on your fidgeting fingers. “It’s not a date,” you say quietly. You and Jungkook have been going out for after midnight frosties every Saturday for the past three months now, sitting and talking at the table just outside the restaurant. It’s become a tradition of sorts. One you look forward to every week.

“Well whatever it is,” she utters and then rolls off her bed and lands on her feet. “I’m going to head to the student lounge and work on this stupid paper. And maybe tear down as many of Jerk Jimin’s posters as I can find.”

“Good luck,” you say and she gives you a halfhearted wave over her shoulder before she slumps back out of your room.

You wait until the door latches behind her before reaching for your phone that’s charging on your desk.

Y/N: Hey, do you know anything about Jimin’s smear posters?

Jungkook: …maybe

Y/N: And you didn’t tell me so I could warn Lisa?

Jungkook: Hey, Jimin’s my best friend. I’m not going to betray his trust!

Y/N: Well, you could have at least mentioned that your best friend plays dirty!

Jungkook: I told you at the beginning of the year that Park Jimin is a force to be reckoned with.

Y/N: Well, so is Lisa.

Jungkook: Yeah, apparently an unstable, unreliable one.

Y/N: Have fun sitting out in the cold eating your frosty by yourself tonight!

Jungkook: Wait, really?

Y/N: …

Jungkook: aw come on, Kitten. You know I was just joking.

Y/N: …

Jungkook: Will you go with me if I convince Jimin to take the posters back down and play fair?

Y/N: Alright. But you’re buying me a large frosty.

Jungkook: Anything for you, Kitten.

It’s the middle of January and much too cold to sit at your normal table outside the restaurant so the two of you are sitting in Black Betty, the heater on and some acoustic song coming through the speakers. You’re still not sure why you and Jungkook always choose to eat frosties even in the middle of winter. But at the same time, this is your weekly after midnight frosty. It would be sacrilege to get anything else, no matter how cold it is outside.

The two of you have been talking pretty much nonstop since you climbed into his car back at your dorm. You never really see each other on campus since your classes are in different buildings and you haven’t been to another Beta Tau Sigma party since that one near the beginning of the year, which means the two of you always have something to talk about. He’s an easy person to talk to anyway. Someone you wish you had in middle and high school. You would have been a lot less lonely during those years.

By the time you reach the bottom of your cup, it’s well past two o’ clock. The last half of your frosty had been soup but you wanted to eat it as slowly as possible so you could stay here in the empty parking lot talking to this boy. You try to keep reminding yourself that you don’t date. That there’s no point when he’s not your soulmate. He’s. Not. Your. Soulmate.

But the more you talk to him, the more you’ve gotten to know him, and the more you find yourself missing him whenever you aren’t with him. You miss the citrusy, piney smell of his car, miss the nostalgic, middle school emo music, miss his bratty remarks, his cocky smirk, his sparkling eyes. The laugh that seems to explode from him whenever you say something funny. Which is a lot, apparently. He brings out your sense of humor, makes you want to make him laugh because it’s such a beautiful thing to witness.

And now the sound of your spoon scraping the bottom of your empty cup just brings with it an ache in your heart that you can’t ignore. He’s not your soulmate. With a deflated sigh, you look up at Jungkook. He’s sitting sideways in his seat, his back against the door, one foot propped up on the middle console, staring at his own empty cup in his hand and twirling the plastic spoon around in it.

“So,” you finally say and he looks up to meet your eyes. “We should probably get back, then, right?”

Jungkook nods slowly. “Yeah, I guess we probably should.” Then he shifts around in his seat and turns the engine over. It’s already been idling for a while now so it sputters and he has to turn the car off and try again before it catches. The sound of the engine roaring to life is a sound you don’t really ever like to hear. It signifies the end of the night and the only thing you have to look forward to is your tiny dorm room, another one of Lisa’s tangents about Jimin’s latest antics and a long week of classes before you can do this again.

“Hey, are you doing anything tomorrow?” Jungkook asks all of a sudden.

A while back he told you he always had study group on Sundays—for someone that acts like he doesn’t care about much, he sure is a good student—so you figure Sundays are never available. Plus, as long as you don’t have a ton of homework, Sundays are usually spent at a coffee shop on campus so you can write. You’ve finally fallen back into the habit of posting your fics regularly and your followers have been very grateful for it. You know you need to keep it up if you want to keep them happy but…

“Uh, no I don’t think so,” you stutter out and you want to smack yourself for sounding so nervous.

Of course, this causes Jungkook’s mouth to lift into a cheeky smirk and he gives a small nod. “Want to do something? Study together or something?”

You try not to fuel his ego trip any further, just giving your own nod and a small smile. “We could do that. Though I don’t really have anything I need to study for, surprisingly.”

“Well, then you can just sit there and tell me how pretty I am,” he replies causing you to laugh as he drives to the entrance of the parking lot.

Just then the intro to a song you absolutely despise starts playing and you reach out to change it.

“No wait, I like this one,” Jungkook says and suddenly his hand clamps around your wrist just above the hem of the sleeve of your sweater, his skin mere centimeters from touching yours. Your breath catches in your throat as you stare at the hold. It’s not tight and he’s not hurting you but just the fact that he’s so close to touching your skin causes panic to flood your body for a split second. You’re just not used to the contact and immediately, you wrench your wrist back and clutch it to your chest.

Jungkook’s eyes widen. “Did I scare you?” His words come out quick. “Did I hurt you? I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” you say with a shake of your head. “I’m sorry, you just startled me.”

“I just didn’t want you to change the song. I didn’t mean to—”

“No, really, Jungkook. It’s okay,” you say again.

Jungkook’s brow furrows as he studies your face. “What are you afraid of, Kitten?” he asks. “I’m obviously not your soulmate.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I don’t have a mark.”

“I still don’t believe that,” you say shifting in your seat.

The concerned look falls from his face, a curious one replacing it. “If my first deliberate touch was on your wrist, wouldn’t your mark be there instead of over your eye?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I mean, I could always…” he reaches his hand up toward your face and you instinctively pull back.

“Jungkook, stop,” you say, your heart pounding in your ears.

Jungkook drops his hand onto his lap and peers at you again. “Why are you so scared?”

“I’m not scared. I just…don’t know that I want a boy that I know isn’t my soulmate to touch my mark.”

He gives a small nod. “Fair enough.” Then he presses his hand, fingers splayed, against his thigh. “What about your hand then?”

You chew the inside of your cheek thoughtfully. What’s the worst that can happen? He doesn’t have a mark on his hand and neither do you. He’s not your soulmate. You have to keep telling yourself this. Though every time you do, you feel another stab at your heart. You really wish he was.

“Alright, fine,” you say with a sigh and hold your hand out to him, palm up.

Jungkook’s eyes dart down to it and he sucks in a breath. “What’s that?” he asks and you notice his voice suddenly sounds tight.

Now you look down at your hand too. “Oh, it’s just a scar,” you say using the thumb of your other hand to trace around the raised line on the heel of your palm. “I cut myself really bad on a piece of glass when I was younger. It looks worse than it was though. I didn’t even need stitches.”

“Interesting,” he says then finally pulls the car out onto the street.

Why does he seem so tense all of a sudden?

Neither of you say a word as he drives you back to school. Even when he pulls up to your dorm, he’s quiet, his eyes glued to his hands where they grip the steering wheel. Before you shut the door, you duck back down so you can see him. “Jungkook?”

“Yeah?” he asks quickly and turns his head finally to look at you.

“Uh...did you still want to hang out tomorrow?”

Jungkook pulls his bottom lip into his mouth and looks back down at his hands again. “I, uh, just remembered that I have to help Jimin with something tomorrow. I’m not going to be able to hang out. Sorry.”

What did you do? Why is he acting so strange? “Oh, okay. Well, I guess I’ll see you later then.”

“Yeah,” Jungkook says. “I’ll see you around.”

He doesn’t look your way again and you find there’s nothing for you to do but shut the passenger door and step back onto the sidewalk. His car pulls away from the curb and you watch his tail lights until they disappear around the corner. Even then, you stand there, listening to the sound of his car’s engine fade to silence.

Jungkook doesn’t text you. He doesn’t answer his phone when you try to call him. After a week of silence and your first missed midnight frosty run, you’re kind of tempted to go over to the Beta Tau Sigma house and confront him face to face. But that seems like a lot of effort to put into this when he’s not even your soulmate. You told yourself that you couldn’t date him, that this couldn’t go any further and now that it almost did the other night—even if it would have been just a touch—you really wish it hadn’t. You wish you would have just let that stupid song play. Wish you wouldn’t have even started going on those stupid weekly midnight frosty runs, wish you wouldn’t have met him, wish you wouldn’t have gone to that stupid party in the first place. You knew it would have to end eventually. And now it has, and you can focus on other things. On school, on writing, on Bangtan.

Over the course of the next month, you’ve posted a new fic almost every day. Where they were once sweet, fluffy, member x reader fics, they’ve turned angsty, depressing, filled with internal conflict and heartbreak. Of course, your readers are eating it up. They have no idea what has made you switch gears so suddenly but they love it. You’re even enjoying watching your follower count go up, the number increasing faster than it ever has. You’ve gained over a hundred in just the past couple of weeks. Though you’d trade all of that in a heartbeat just to know what happened to make Jungkook shut you out all of a sudden.

You’ve been spending a lot more time at the coffee shop near your dorm. That’s where you go now on Saturdays and stay usually until close. What’s the point of sitting in your tiny dorm if Jungkook isn’t going to come knock on your door anyway? It’s a good distraction. The people, the noises, the conversations drown out your own thoughts and keep you focused on the task at hand, whether that be a paper you’re writing for whatever class or a new Bangtan fic. Tonight, it’s the latter.

You shouldn’t have trusted him. You tell yourself that now from where you lay half buried in the snow, the only evidence that you’re down there is the skis sticking up out of the you shaped hole. Your boyfriend, the brat that he is, isn’t even trying to hold back his giggles as he bends down to pull you out. “Are you okay, Y/N?” he asks, his smile almost too wide for his face. You glare at him and brush the snow off the back of your snowsuit.

Now what? You think to yourself as you tap your fingers against the keyboard. This is your first time writing anything fluffy in a long time and you can tell you’ve grown a bit rusty. With a sigh you look up from your computer screen, your eyes scanning the cafe for a moment before settling on the few people standing in line in front of the register. Then they lock on a familiar person.

Tae stands there, head bent, face lit up by his phone screen. You don’t want him to see you. You don’t want him to call you over or mention Jungkook or ask you how you’re doing—because honestly, even though it’s been over a month, you still aren’t feeling that great. Whatever he’s doing on his phone, he seems distracted enough for you to be able to get out unnoticed so you slowly close your laptop and slip it into your backpack before picking it up off the floor and getting up from your chair as quietly as possible.

Of course, right at that moment, the barista behind the counter decides to call out your name, holding your drink up for you to retrieve, and of course, Tae recognizes it and turns around, his eyes locking with yours. Crap. Now your name is called a second time, this time by the boy you were trying to avoid.

Perfect. You smile and wave back, trying not to look like you’ve been caught trying to escape as he steps out of line to grab your drink for you before making his way over to your table. You smile and utter a thanks.

“Oh, were you just leaving?” he asks you, tilting his head toward the backpack hanging off your shoulder.

“Well, I was going to just head back to my dorm to finish writing this…paper.” It’s still too weird for you to tell people that you write fan fiction. When you told Jungkook, he teased you a bit at first—surprise surprise—but once he’d read some—much to your horror—he said it was actually really good. You’d smacked him on the arm for sounding so surprised and using the word actually.

“Well, would you want to come to a party instead?” Tae asks you with a shrug.

“Oh, I don’t know, Tae,” you say looking down at your shoes.

“Come on,” he says. “You haven’t been to one since our first this year. You can’t tell me you’d rather write a paper than come back with me.”

“What were you even doing getting coffee if there’s a party going on back at the house?”

Tae shrugs and now it’s his turn to look down at his feet. “I may have heard you frequent this cafe.” Then he looks up again at you shyly. “So I figured I’d see if I could find you and convince you to come.”

You can’t help but feel flattered. The boy is adorable and he seemed sweet the one other time you interacted with him. Maybe he would be the key to getting over Jungkook. Of course, the fact that he lives in the same frat house as Jungkook makes your insides churn with conflict.

“I don’t know, Tae,” you say. “Things are weird between me and Jungkook and I just really don’t want to run into him—”

“Oh, he’s not there,” Tae interrupts with a smile. “He’s at study group tonight and he usually stays there pretty late.” Then he puts a hand on your arm, the warmth seeping through the material of your sweater and causing goosebumps to raise on your skin. “Just please come to the party with me?” His wide, pleading eyes peer up at you from beneath his sandy brown hair and his mouth curls into a small smile. He’s too adorable, how can you refuse?

At last you let out a sigh. “Yeah, okay,” you say. “But I can’t stay too late. Just a couple hours.”

Tae’s smile widens until his bright white teeth are on full display and his eyes have almost disappeared. “Awesome,” he says then takes your backpack from you and swings it over his own shoulder to carry. “Shall we?” he asks gesturing toward the door.

You can only smile back and give a small nod. Your heart skips but something deep in your chest keeps the butterflies from turning into a full frenzy. Maybe it’s because you know Jungkook isn’t going to be there. Maybe it’s because you wish he was.

You find yourself experiencing deja vu as you and Tae approach the home of Beta Tau Sigma. This time the light reflected on the front of the house is a deep blue but the street is still vibrating with the bass-heavy music blasting from within it. You take a deep breath telling yourself over and over that Jungkook isn’t here. That he doesn’t even have to know you came. You’re here with Tae.

It’s like walking into a memory when you step inside. The room is wall to wall people and you reach forward, hooking a finger through Tae’s belt loop so you don’t lose him in the crowd. There’s the beer pong game in the corner, the keg stand happening by the stairs and the dancing bodies surrounding you. You’ve done a pretty terrible job at completely reinventing yourself this year but the progress you did manage to make is completely gone now as you shrink into yourself, pushing up against Tae’s back so you don’t get separated.

You only let go of him when the two of you reach the kitchen and he turns around. It was hot in that front room with all those bodies and when he turns to face you, your breath catches in your throat at the way his golden face flushes a bit pink from the warmth. You’re already hot since you’re wearing a sweater—why didn’t you think to go back to your dorm to change before coming here?—but now you feel a slight sheen of sweat break out on your forehead.

“Did you want something to drink?” he asks you, his voice lower than it was when you were talking on the walk back from the cafe.

You can only nod your head and then watch as he makes his way over to the bar. You didn’t mention that you don’t drink but for some reason you don’t call after him. Maybe it’ll help you get through this night in one piece.

“Here,” Tae says pressing the cup into your hand.

Thanks,” you utter and lift it to your lips. The smell of alcohol burns your nose but you tip the cup back anyway, tears springing to your eyes the moment the liquid touches your tongue. Don’t cough. Don’t cough. Don’t cough. You take a small drink.

“Kitten?”

Okay, now you do cough, slapping a hand over your mouth to keep from spitting everywhere as you spin around and come face to face with Jungkook.

“JK, I thought you were at study group,” Tae says from behind you, his deep voice tinged with panic. Well, good, at least he’s caught off guard too.

“I was,” he says not taking his eyes off you. “But now I’m not, so…”

“Jungkook,” you say but he turns away, heading back into the living room before you can say anything. You look back at Tae and press your cup into his hand. “I’ll be right back,” you say before diving after Jungkook into the crowd.

You catch him in the hallway that branches off into the rest of the house, your hand clutching his sleeve. To add to the deja vu of the whole night, he’s wearing his red and black striped sweater again. “Just wait a second.”

He turns to face you with a roll of his eyes. “Tae? Really?” he asks with a humorless laugh. “I mean, I guess I can’t blame you. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he sure is the shiniest.”

You furrow your brow, anger making your stomach churn. “You’re not allowed to be mad. You’re the one that’s been completely ignoring me for the past month. What did I even do?”

“Nothing,” he utters. The music is still loud so you only barely hear him but you can tell he’s frustrated.

A burst of laughter echoes down the hall and you let out an irritated growl before pulling Jungkook into the closest empty room for privacy. It’s some sort of study.

You slam the door and whirl around to face him again. “You can’t completely ignore me and then get mad at me for moving on, Jungkook,” you say louder now.

“I know, but I mean, Tae? Really? Why not someone else? Like Jin or Namjoon? Do you really think Tae is soulmate material?”

You didn’t even think about the possibility of him being your soulmate. You don’t even know where his mark is, plus before tonight you’ve talked to him once. The fact that Jungkook is the only one you’ve actually thought about like that and now he’s mocking you makes you even angrier.

“What does soulmate material even mean? And why do you care who I’m with, Jungkook?” you ask, blinking rapidly because you can feel angry tears welling up and you refuse to cry in front of this boy. “Maybe Taehyung is my soulmate.” He laughs at this. “But even if he isn’t,” you continue, “it’s none of your business. You don’t even have a mark so why should you care?”

Jungkook stares at you with narrowed eyes for a long minute, his teeth working his bottom lip, his thick eyebrows furrowed so harshly, deep lines have formed in his forehead. At last he lets out a puff of air through his nose and leans back. “You’re right, Kitten” he utters. “It’s none of my business.” Then with a shake of his head, he turns and slips back out into the hallway, leaving you alone in the empty room.

“Hey, everything alright?” Tae asks when you make your way back into the kitchen.

You grab your cup back from him and take a drink, wincing as the alcohol burns its way down your throat. “Yeah, I’m fine,” you say.

“Jungkook can be a jerk sometimes.”

You take another drink. “Yeah, I guess.”

You know he feels bad for putting you in the situation and you know he wants to make you feel better, but you just can’t bring yourself to smile again. Even as you look at him and his own mouth lifts into a charming grin. Ugh, this boy is beautiful. With a deep breath, you tip your cup back again, gulping down the drink until your cup is empty. It’s already starting to take effect, making you unstable on your feet, but at least the anger and sadness is melting away. Now when you look at Tae again, you find it easier to return the smile.

“Do you want to dance?” you ask him.

He nods his head quickly, pushing off the counter and offering his hand. The alcohol may be clouding your brain but not enough to keep you from wondering “what if he is my soulmate?” Instead of taking his hand, you wrap your fingers around his wrist where it’s covered by the cuff of his long sleeved shirt and tug him with you toward the crowded living room.

You’ve never danced with a boy before, at least not one you weren’t forced to dance with by your parents, so you aren’t quite sure what to do once the two of you reach the middle of the tangle. Tae, luckily, has done this before and he puts his hands on your hips, his shoulders hunched in and it almost feels like he’s surrounding you. The alcohol in your system helps keep your nerves at bay and you find yourself moving along with him to the music. This isn’t so bad. In fact, you’re actually enjoying yourself.

You reach up to wrap your arms around his neck and feel his hands tighten on your hips. What if Tae is your soulmate? Even if he’s not, what if you were to give dating a try? Maybe he’s not the one that you wanted to try it with but who’s to say he can’t be?

Your eyes begin to wander, your head turning slowly as you scan the room over Tae’s shoulder. His body heat radiates through your clothes and the music pulses in your chest and the alcohol clouds your brain and suddenly your eyes stop on Jungkook where he leans against the wall staring back at you. His head is down, his hands in his pockets and he’s peering at you through his dark hair. You can’t tell if he’s deep in thought or angry at what he’s seeing, either way, a wave of guilt crashes over you and you feel yourself stumble, your chin bumping into Tae’s shoulder.

“Are you okay?” he asks looking down at you, his forehead creased with worry lines.

“Yeah,” you say quickly. Though not quickly enough since the alcohol in your system seems to be making your tongue heavy. “Sorry, I’m just...clumsy.”

Tae smiles. “No, it’s okay,” he says. “It’s cute.”

Cute?

“You think I’m cute?” you ask.

His smile widens. “Yeah, really cute,” he replies biting his bottom lip.

Your eyes shift back to Jungkook and he seems to be staring at you even more intensely. As if he’s trying to speak to you telepathically. Why is he doing this? Why is he trying to ruin your night? Tae is a sweet guy. One you could see yourself getting closer to. And he thinks you’re cute! You return your gaze to Tae and smile back.

“I think you’re cute, too,” you say shyly. You can feel the heat creeping up your neck and you can’t help but glance one more time past his shoulder.

But your eyes only settle on a blank wall. Jungkook must have left. Good. You don’t need him being a distraction anyway. Though even as you dance with Tae, you can’t keep the memories from surfacing in your mind. Of that first night meeting Jungkook. His cocky smile, how it faltered for a split second when Tae called you Kitten. Of that first time he came to your dorm and saw your Bangtan poster. How he laughed as you swatted at him for making fun of you. Listening to Mayday Parade on the way to Wendy’s. Sitting at that outside table surrounded by the cold and darkness—frosties really did taste better after midnight. The way he looked at you that last night, like he wished he were your soulmate as much as you did.

You pull away from Tae. This is wrong. He looks down at you a bit confused. This is wrong. This is wrong.

“This is wrong,” you say out loud and then look up to meet his concerned expression. “I’m sorry, Tae,” you say. “I have to go.”

Then without waiting for him to respond, you turn away, pushing through the crowd until you reach the wall. You make your way around the perimeter of the living room, eyes searching for a glimpse of that black and red striped sweater. It’s hard to make out colors with all the bright, flashing lights and the alcohol causing your vision to blur a bit but you’d know if you saw it. He’s not there.

After circling the living room, you step into the kitchen. Maybe he’s getting a drink. Not there either. What if he left? Panic starts to set in as you stumble back toward the living room. Upstairs, maybe? You’re about to head for the stairs when you spot him back by the entrance to the hallway. With a cry of relief, you approach him, ignoring his protest as you grab him, once again, by his sweater and tug him down the hallway and into the room from earlier. You pull the door shut behind you then spin around to face him.

“Kitten, what the—”

“I need you to touch me,” you say cutting him off.

Jungkook blinks back at you several times, still in shock over the fact that one minute you’re yelling at him and the next, you’ve dragged him back into the study. Finally, he opens his mouth. “Um, what?”

“Please, Jungkook,” you utter. “Just touch me. Touch my mark.” Then you step toward him.

Reflexively, he moves back and you feel your heart drop an inch in your chest. “Wait a second, Kitten,” he says and holds his hands up. “Why do you want me to touch you? I thought Tae was your soulmate.”

You rake your hands down your face and let out a frustrated groan. “I don’t know if he is,” you say from behind your fingers.

“Well, there’s an easy way to find out,” he says and moves around you to try and get out of the room.

In a rush of panic, you quickly step in front of him again, blocking his path. “I don’t want him to touch me,” you say.

“Why not?” he asks irritatedly and grabs your arm to move you out of the way.

“Because I don’t love him!”

Jungkook freezes mid-step, his hand still warm through the material of your sweater. Your head is pounding, your blurred vision pulsing with every rapid beat of your heart. The two of you stand in the dim room, the sounds of your breathing amplified by the tense silence. At last you feel his fingers curl around your arm before he steps back again to look at you.

“I don’t want him to be my soulmate,” you whisper. “I don’t want him to touch me.” You can feel the tears welling up more and threatening to spill over. Your throat begins to close up. “I want you to.” You take a shuddering breath. “I want you.”

Jungkook’s eyes widen for a split second before darting back and forth between yours. As if he’s waiting for you to take it back. As if he’s waiting for you to say you didn’t really mean it. But you won’t take it back. And you did really mean it. At last, he lets out a heavy sigh. “That’s not how it works, Kitten,” he says. “It doesn’t matter who you love or who you want. That’s why this is all so stupid.”

You tilt your head down as you feel your heart slip from your chest and shatter on the floor. You can’t bring yourself to look at him, instead favoring keeping your eyes glued to your shoes. This just makes the tears spill over but you know that crying in front of him won’t change a thing and at last you lift your head. A pained look crosses Jungkook’s face when he sees the despair written on yours.

He steps closer to you. “Don’t cry, Kitten,” he whispers.

It’s too late for that. You sniff again wishing you could fall into him. That he would wrap his arms around you and hold you against his warm chest and you could just listen to him breathing. Listen to his heart beating. Even if it’ll never belong to you.

“Please don’t cry,” he says again then takes his hand off of your arm and brings it up to swipe his thumb across your eye, catching a tear as it falls.

You gasp a little at the feel of his skin brushing yours, a new sensation that takes your breath away. Jungkook seems to realize what he’s done at the same time because he pulls back suddenly as if he’s been burned. When you open your eyes, you’re met with his own astonished expression. His mouth is open, his eyes wide. You sniff self-consciously and bring a hand up to swipe your sleeve under your nose. “Jungkook?”

“I have to go,” he says quickly then rushes past you and out the door before you can say anything.

It’s almost midnight and the only light in your room is from the white lights you and Lisa strung up at the beginning of the year. The small lights make it pretty dim, but there’s still no mistaking that the mark surrounding your eye is now a bold crimson. Your gaze lands on Lisa where she sits at her desk over your shoulder. She’s been staring at you for as long as you’ve been standing there staring at yourself. You can’t help it, though. You can’t help fixating on your soulmate mark. The patch of skin that was once black and now red.

“So you can’t get ahold of him?” Lisa finally asks.

You left the party an hour ago and Jungkook hasn’t answered your calls or texts.

You reach up to touch the deep red skin, for some reason expecting it to feel different. Warm or something. But no, it feels the same as it always has.

“No,” you say with a sigh. “I should just give up.”

You can’t help feeling confused. He told you he doesn’t even have a mark. Why would yours change color when he touched you as if he were your soulmate, if he doesn’t even have one? Does that happen? Can an unmarked person have a soulmate? You’ve never even heard of someone not having a mark.

“Maybe it’s some weird allergic reaction or something,” you utter, though both of you know that’s complete crap. Nothing could turn your black mark red other than a touch from your soulmate. There’s no other explanation. “Or maybe he just doesn’t want me.”

Lisa’s mouth lifts into a sympathetic smile. “Well, maybe you could—”

A sharp knock has you stumbling backward from the door and bumping into Lisa where she’s jumped to her feet. Neither of you are expecting anyone. In fact, you’re both in your pajamas, Lisa’s hair piled in a messy bun on top of her head.

“Should one of us get that?” Lisa asks from behind you. Even as she says it, you feel her push against your back, forcing you to step forward.

This is ridiculous. It’s not like an axe murderer would knock and wait for you to answer the door before coming in swinging. With a deep breath, you take the few steps it takes to cross the room and pull the door open. Your heartbeat falters when you see Jungkook standing there in a black zip hoodie. His eyes lock with yours.

“Hi,” you say, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious at your reddened mark on full display. Your blush deepens and you tilt your head down at the fact that he’s the one that made it that color.

“Hi,” he utters and shifts from one foot to the other. He seems as nervous as you feel.

You sense a presence behind you and you turn to find Lisa standing there. “Well,” she says. “I think it’s time for me to go and do…something.” Then she slips past you, squeezing around Jungkook before marching down the hallway.

“You’re in your pajamas!” you call after her.

“It’s fine!”

“And you’re not wearing shoes!”

“It’s fine,” she calls again, waving an arm over her shoulder before turning the corner.

You and Jungkook stand there in your doorway for several more tense seconds, the only sound being your uneven breathing as each of you wait for the other to speak. The silence drags on until at last you both open your mouths.

“About the party—”

“Why did you—”

You clamp your mouth shut and nod, urging him to go first.

“Look, Kitten,” he says. “I know I ran off, and you have every right to be mad at me but I kind of freaked out and I didn’t know what else to do.”

“So you just left me?” you ask weakly. You can’t help the way your voice cracks. You’ve been in a bit of a daze ever since seeing that your mark had changed and now that Jungkook’s here, it’s all seeming to catch up with you. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“I know.”

“I thought you didn’t want me.”

“I know.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have a mark.”

“I know.”

“Well?”

Jungkook sucks in a breath, his eyes tearing away from yours to look down at the floor. You just watch him as he works his bottom lip between his teeth, until at last, he looks at you again. Instead of speaking, he reaches up to grasp the zipper of his hoodie then tugs it down, revealing a long strip of golden skin. When he pulls one side away, you can’t help but gasp at the sight.

It’s not just the sudden expanse of smooth skin that startles you—or the fact that he’s not wearing a shirt—but the black mark in the shape of a handprint staining the spot over his heart. The creases on the palm and fingers are perfectly etched out, and on the heel just below the thumb, is a thick line, devoid of black. A scar in the exact mirrored shape of the one on your own palm.

He doesn’t lift his head but closes his eyes as if preparing for your outrage. After all, he did blatantly lie to you about having a mark. With how long the two of you have been friends, with how close you’ve gotten and with how much you’ve shared about your lives with each other, maybe you should be. But you can’t bring yourself to feel anything but pure astonishment as your eyes trace the handprint. It’s so perfectly clear. Like no mark you’ve ever seen before.

You feel your hand twitch down at your side, the need to place it over the print too strong for you to resist. As if some force is guiding you to it, your arm raises, your fingers brushing up Jungkook’s sleeve before you reach up and place your hand directly over his heart, covering the mark completely. Jungkook sucks in a breath at the feel of your bare skin against his. He’s so warm.

Neither of you move. Your eyes stay glued to your hand where it sits over his mark. You can feel his heart hammering in his chest under your palm, seemingly matching yours which pulses in your ears. It’s all you can hear until Jungkook opens his mouth to speak at last.

“I didn’t want a soulmate,” he says. Your eyes finally shift to meet his. “I could have gone my whole life without one. At least I thought I could. And then I met you. And I feel like this is…different. I wanted you even when I thought you weren’t mine. And maybe that’s how this whole thing works but I don’t even care anymore. I’ll be a mindless robot if it means I get to be with you.” Then he reaches up to wrap his fingers around your hand and pulls it from his chest. A deep red handprint stains his skin.

You let out a heavy sigh of relief. “That could have been really awkward if it stayed black,” you say shakily.

Jungkook can only let out a broken laugh before taking your face in his hands and pulling you to him. Your mouths collide in what you can only describe as the most beautiful thing you’ve ever experienced. The relief flooding your chest is such an overwhelming feeling that you have to clutch onto Jungkook’s sides for dear life to keep from drowning in it. Tears trail down your cheeks, sliding over his fingers and when the two of you pull apart at last, you can see his own dark eyes glittering.

“What time is it?” he asks breathlessly.

You crane your neck around to glance at the clock on your desk. “A little after midnight,” you say turning again to meet his eyes.

The corners crinkle as his mouth lifts into a bright smile. “Frosties?”

The room is way too small for how many students are crowded into it. A temporary stage has been erected in the center and now it’s surrounded by an ocean of people in yellow and dark green waiting to hear the results of the student government elections. You, of course, stand next to Lisa and the rest of the candidates in her party. You’re already sweating from jumping up and down and screaming in celebration every time someone from Lisa’s party wins for their senate category. She’s been running under the Liber party, their color’s bright yellow and navy blue, so of course you’re sporting a canary colored shirt in support. Even if she wasn’t your roommate, the values her party stands for are right up your alley. You would have voted for her anyway.

You look across the stage at the Optimate party, the crowd decked out in dark green and white. Jimin stands in the forefront in a forest green blazer, his palms pressed together in front of his face in silent prayer as he stares up at the Supervisor of Elections. The senate seats have all been announced, the majority going to the Optimates. Jimin isn’t very good at hiding his satisfaction and even from where you stand, you can still see the determination in his eyes. But then your focus shifts a little to the left and you feel your mouth tug up into a smile.

Jungkook smiles back from where he stands a bit behind Jimin, mouth stretching wide to show his teeth. You feel your heart swell in your chest and you imagine his is doing the same. The V of the white t-shirt under his dark green cardigan is deep enough that you can see a bit of a red fingerprint peeking out. It’s bright against his golden skin and the fact that it’s on display for the world to see—though not as obvious as yours—makes the butterflies already fluttering in your stomach work into a flurry. It’s been months since the two of you made it official but even still you can’t believe that this beautiful boy is yours forever.

An elbow jabs into your ribs and you jump a bit.

“Stop making googly eyes at the enemy,” Lisa hisses. “They’re announcing the results for the executive ticket.”

“Right, sorry,” you utter glancing quickly back at Jungkook. He gives you a wink, sending the butterflies into a whirl again and you look away quickly as you feel heat tinge your cheeks.

“For position of treasurer,” the boy on stage says into the mic. That’s Lisa’s category. You paw at the space next to you for a second before your hand comes in contact with your roommate’s gloved one and you grip it tightly. You can feel her fingers bruising your own and you know your hand is going to be sore tomorrow but you couldn’t care less at the moment. The whole crowd is holding its breath.

Then the tension in the room bursts like a bubble as barely the first syllable of the Liber party comes out and the crowd descends into chaos. You’re jumping up and down and screaming as you clutch onto Lisa for dear life, the two of you suddenly at the center of a heap of bright yellow bodies. Your ears are ringing from the shouting around you and you’re sure your whole body is going to be sore from the onslaught of elbows and shoulders but they don’t even register now as you hug your roommate so tightly, you’re surprised she doesn’t snap in two.

At last you pull away from her, tears streaming down both of your faces.

“You did it!” you yell over the cheering.

“I did it!”

“You beat Jimin!”

“I beat Jimin!”

At that, you turn your head to face the other side again. Jimin’s back is to you, his face tilted to the ceiling and Jungkook has an arm over his shoulder, his big hand on the older boy’s back, giving him a few supportive pats. His eyes meet yours again for a split second and he flashes a small smile. You can tell this one is different than before. A bit sadder, disappointed, but still congratulatory. You smile back before turning around again to continue celebrating with Lisa.

The president and vice president end up going to the Liber party as well so the two of you are ecstatic by the time you make it back to your dorm. Lisa goes straight for her bed, throwing herself onto the mattress and screaming into her pillow. You laugh as you shut the door then spin around to face the mirror hanging on the back of it.

Jungkook is supposed to pick you up any minute so you don’t have much time to redo the makeup that has been sweated and cried off. You rip the band out of your hair and shake your head, letting it spill down around you. Just then there’s a knock on the door and, with complete disregard for how crazy you must look, you reach for the knob and yank the door open.

“Hey Kit—HOLY CRAP!” Jungkook falls back against the opposite wall hands up in defense.

With a roll of your eyes, you blow a stray strand of hair out of your face. “Come on, I can’t look that terrifying.”

“I beg to differ,” he says straightening back up slowly.

You swing the door around so you can see your reflection again and wince. Okay, so you do look a bit like an escaped psychopath. Quickly, you swipe your hands down your cheeks to clear away the smudged makeup then reach up to smooth down the mess on your head.

“Here, let me do that,” Jungkook says with a smirk before reaching forward to rake his fingers through your hair. He pulls you to him, tilting his head to mold his mouth to yours and you giggle against him.

“Okay, I know you’re soulmates and all but do you really have to do that here?” Lisa asks and you break away startled. Admittedly, you kind of forgot she was there. But then again being with Jungkook tends to do that to you. Makes the rest of the world disappear.

“Sorry,” you utter as you step back from your boyfriend, a blush rising to the surface of your skin. You turn away from him before he can tease you for it. “You should join us,” you tell her.

“Oh no, it’s okay,” Lisa says pulling her own hair back into a ponytail. “I was just going to study for my exam on Tuesday.”

“You just won your election and you’re going to study?” Jungkook asks.

Lisa looks up from slipping the navy blue glove off of her hand. “Well, I don’t want to interrupt your date.

You glance down at her now exposed black palm and then back up to meet her eyes. “It’s not a date,” you say. “We’re just going to hang out. Come with us.”

Lisa shakes her head. “No, I could—”

You don’t let her finish, instead grabbing her arm and pulling her off her bed and dragging her out the door after you. “Come on, student body treasurer,” you say. “We’re going to celebrate.”

“You’re going to celebrate,” Jungkook corrects you as he trails behind. “Don’t forget, my party lost.”

“Well, you can live vicariously through us then,” you say as the three of you make your way out of the dorms.

The restaurant is close to campus so of course it’s packed when the three of you get there. It’s a sea of yellow with a bit of dark green sprinkled throughout, everyone there either celebrating their victory or mourning their loss.

“There’s Jimin,” Jungkook says tilting his chin toward a booth in the corner.

You spot him hunched over a beer bottle, his fingers tangled in his hair as Tae and the other four Beta Tae Sigma brothers talk with him. Poor guy hasn’t lost in two years. He’s probably a wreck. Especially losing to a freshman. The last thing he needs right now is to see Lisa.

“Hey, Jimin-ah!” Jungkook calls, the boy lifting his head as Jungkook waves.

You elbow him in the ribs. “Really? Why not just rub salt in his wounds?”

“Ah, he’s a big boy,” Jungkook says grabbing your hand and pulling you toward them. You, in turn, grab Lisa so she doesn’t get separated in the crowd. “Besides, we’re never going to get a table of our own. They took the biggest one. We’ll fit.”

“Jungkook,” Lisa says from behind you. “I really don’t think this is a good—Jimin, hi.”

Jimin lifts his head, his eyes scanning the three of you slowly, starting on Jungkook and finally resting on Lisa. Your stomach drops a bit when you see his eyes narrow to slits. “Hi,” he says coldly.

“Want to make room?” Jungkook asks and gestures to Jin, Hoseok and Namjoon to make their way around the circular booth. They squeeze in closer to Tae and Jimin.

You’ve spent a lot of time over at the Beta Tau Sigma house since dating Jungkook and have come to really like the other members. Each of them gives you a friendly smile as you slide in after your boyfriend. Tae smiles at you too from across the table and you smile back. Things were awkward with him for a while but he couldn’t blame you for going back to Jungkook. After all, he is your soulmate.

“Did you really have to bring her with you?” Jimin asks, jutting his chin toward Lisa where she sits across from him.

Lisa sits back in her seat and crosses her arms over her chest. “Excuse me?”

“I mean, it’s literally been an hour,” the boy continues as if she isn’t there. “Give me time to lick my wounds, at least.”

“You’re just butt-hurt because you lost to a girl,” Lisa says and the rest of you exchange uneasy glances.

Now it’s Jimin’s turn to sit up and cross his arms. “I couldn’t care less that you’re a girl,” then he leans forward again so he’s halfway across the table. “I just don’t take too kindly to losing to first years.”

You watch anxiously now as Lisa leans forward too, a smile playing on her lips. “Well, you did, so you better get over it. It was probably that smear campaign you tried to run against me the did you in. People don’t take too kindly to playing dirty.”

You look at Jungkook where he watches beside you. This was a bad idea.

Jimin’s whole face scrunches up in anger as he sucks in a breath and sits back again. Then with a heavy sigh, his expression softens. “You’re right,” he says at last “I shouldn’t have called you unreliable and unstable.”

“Thank you.” Lisa says with a nod.

Jimin grabs his beer off the table and takes a swig. Once he swallows, his lips spread into a smile. “More like childish and incompetent.”

“Uh oh,” Jungkook utters beside you.

“I’m incompetent?” Lisa exclaims with wide eyes. “You do realize I just beat you, right?”

“How about you go celebrate somewhere else then?” Jimin asks loudly, pointing his beer bottle at her.

“How about you go shove that bottle up your—”

“How about the two of you just shake hands like adults?” Jungkook asks cutting Lisa off before she can finish. The two of them turn to look at him, indignant expressions on both of their faces. “Look, Lisa won fair and square. Jimin, you need to stop acting like a toddler and accept the fact that there was finally someone better than you for the position. Alright?”

The two rivals turn their heads to look at each other again, Jimin’s eyes still narrowed and Lisa’s eyebrows cocked as if daring him to continue. The rest of the table, you included, is watching this whole ordeal and you kind of wish you had some popcorn right now because this is better than any drama you’ve ever watched.

Jungkook tilts his head down, looking at the two out of the tops of his eyes. “Come on, shake,” he urges gesturing toward the center of the table where he expects their hands to meet.

Lisa lets out an exasperated sigh and Jimin rolls his eyes as each of them reluctantly extend an arm. In a blur of black, their palms collide, fingers wrapping around each other’s hands and then simultaneously they both let out a gasp. As you stare down at their joined hands, it finally dawns on you that Lisa had taken off her glove back at the dorm and didn’t have a chance to put it back on before you dragged her here to the restaurant.

The two of them open their mouths at the same time to speak.

“No way.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Ha!” Jungkook exclaims clapping his hands together once in excitement. “I knew it!” Then he turns to you. “See? I called it. You owe me a large frosty.”

“I honestly didn’t think you’d be able to pull this off,” you say with a shake of your head. “To get these two doofs to be civil? I’m impressed.”

Jungkook slips his hand around your waist and pulls you closer against him. “Anything else I can do to impress you?” he asks and waggles his eyebrows eliciting a laugh from you as he buries his face into your neck.

It takes you a minute to realize that everyone else at the table has gone silent, the rest of the boys still watching Jimin even as he just stares at Lisa, their hands still clasped.

“Actually,” you say pushing Jungkook’s face out of your neck and motioning toward the center of the table. “It hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

He furrows his eyebrows, his eyes darting between Jimin’s hand and his face. “Hey, Jimin,” he says and at last his friend tears his gaze away from Lisa to look at him. “What happened there?” he asks with a knowing smile.

It seems as if the two finally realize that they aren’t in their own little world and break out of their daze, letting their fingers fall away from each other’s grasp. Now their palms are exposed, each a bright red.

“Boom. Large frosty,” Jungkook iterates before placing a quick kiss on your cheek.

“Do you think your parents are going to like me?” you ask as you draw swirls in your frosty with the tip of your spoon.

“Doesn’t matter,” Jungkook says with a shrug. “They’re stuck with you.”

You nudge him hard with your elbow eliciting a smile and a laugh from him. “Hey, I’m just kidding,” he says and leans over to press a reassuring kiss to your lips. “They’ll love you.”

With a stomach fresh full of butterflies, you swivel on your seat sideways and settle back into the space he’s made for you between his thighs. The two of you are enjoying your weekly after midnight frosty at your usual table. Being almost summer, the air is warmer now. Finally, warm enough for you to not have to cuddle up to Jungkook, though you do anyway. You lay your head back against his chest, drawing your knees up so you can prop your feet on the bench as you tip your cup back and let the last bit of frosty drip into your open mouth.

“I see what you meant, now,” you say pointing your spoon up at him.

He peers down at you, pulling his own spoon out of his mouth. “What do you mean?”

“You weren’t a fan of soulmates because you were afraid it would happen for you the way it did for Lisa and Jimin, right?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he says.

“That’s not how it happened for us though, right?” you ask tilting your head up so you’re looking at him upside down. “I mean, I liked you when I didn’t think you were my soulmate. It felt…different than what would normally happen.”

Jungkook takes your empty cup and sets both of them on the table then brings a hand down to brush your hair back from your forehead. “It was different,” he utters. “I guess we’re lucky in a way.”

“What do you mean?” you ask.

Jungkook smiles down at you. A strand of hair escapes from behind your ear and he brushes it back again, his fingers sliding further down your face to gently trace the red mark around your eye. You’ll never get tired of the feel of his skin on yours. “I don’t know,” he says thoughtfully. “I feel like if I had the choice, I would’ve still chosen you.”

You let out a loud laugh. “I think that may be the cheesiest line I’ve ever heard you say.”

“Well, get used to it, Kitten,” Jungkook says hugging you tightly against him. “My parents used to make me watch cheesy romance movies with them so I’m chock-full of em.”

“Can’t wait.”

“I am, though,” he says and you look up at him again. The amused glint in his eyes is gone, replaced with something else. Something softer.

You can feel your heart melting in your chest, all warm and tingly. “What, full of cheesy lines?” you ask.

“No,” he says. “Well, yes, but no.” Then Jungkook smiles before tilting his head down to press a kiss to your forehead. “Lucky,” he says.

You close your eyes, feeling his lips on your skin, his heart beating against your back. “Me too.”

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