#and taking it off my phone and not keeping it open all the time is SIGH helping more than i wanted to admit | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

01zfan · 1 day ago

Text

in chair

anton x reader | 8.5k words

rewatched juno recently (the best movie of all time by the way) and i thought of anton. he is so paulie bleaker coded. this is mainlyyyy inspired by the beginning scene of the movie but the dynamic i tried to write here is supposed to be like them heh

also in my head the album pinkerton by weezer plays in the background during all of this.

contains: loss of virginity, sneaking around

There was some sort of binding vow that kept the recliner safe.

Even if it made no sense, to Anton and to you it felt like doing it on the recliner was better than doing it anywhere else. As though Anton’s dad was all the way in South Korea unknowingly keeping his irresponsible son honest. The terrible conversation they had about safe sex in his home studio lingered in the air and seeped into the recliner through the cracks in the vinyl covering.

Neither of you had a condom but that was okay because the recliner itself was one big condom, keeping you both safe from whatever absolutely couldn’t happen.

No matter how Anton felt about you, he was convinced that nothing would ever come of it. Not only was he a responsible and dutiful son, he promised his dad he wouldn’t do reckless things to save his mom the trouble. He would also never do anything because the mere thought of holding hands made his palms sweaty. He didn’t even really know how to have sex, much less with someone he’s friends with and has been dating-but-not-really-dating for the last year. You once described the relationship as something that had to do with close proximity and your shared taste in nerd-rock bands everyone else thought were shitty. Even if he did share that kiss with you in Park Wonbin's sweaty basement for no reason and you two did hold hands, you weren't together. You two were open and honest but you got defensive once when Anton brought up anything regarding your relationship. So because of that, the thought of having to speak or touch you even if he wanted to, and you never had any complaints when he did, made Anton’s mind overflow with all that could go wrong.

But he was in the chair. This was better than laying missionary on the bed, or being on the floor. This was different than whatever you were going to do when you finally got the courage to take off your underwear and close the difference between you and him.

You stood in front of Anton, watching him in just his boxers and a white shirt. His hoodie was taken off and thrown onto his small bed, his sweats were bunched at his feet. This scene had to be degrading, him with his pants down and staring at you waiting for what you were going to do next. You were wearing more clothes than him. You told yourself you couldn’t take off your layered shirts for his sake, not because the thought of being completely naked felt embarrassing. Anton was with you through your terrible nu-metal phase and even humored you and listened to the mixtape you burned for him. There was nothing worse than that but still, you stayed in your bra with your undershirt, the long sleeve, and the short sleeve band tee on top. Anton was still your bestfriend, and he could take back that he wanted to do this at any moment.

There was also the fear that his mother and brother could come back. You two had lost track of time because you started awkwardly kissing immediately once you heard the front door close. Anton eventually found the strength to pull you onto his lap after sitting criss cross to accommodate you. Once you were there and your hands were on his shoulders bringing him closer, the seconds started turning into minutes, minutes turned into hours, so forth. You forgot when you even started and looking at the time was useless.

All of this was ironic, because Anton’s mom had recently become wary of leaving you two alone. She had developed the habit of trying to snoop on your conversations while talking to his dad over the phone. She would stand in the kitchen, holding the phone close to her face while standing on her tiptoes to see over the upstairs banister into Anton’s room.

“Is he taking a liking to it?” Anton’s dad asked it over the phone when she described the scene to him. He was elated with the idea of the recliner going in his sons room. He saw it as some sort of compensation for missing more formative years in his life. He was happy imagining his son sitting in his old recliner, rocking back and forth on the creaky springs maybe even thinking about him. “He always favored that chair.”

“It’s hideous,” Anton’s mom whispered it into the receiver, recalling the sight of it in Anton’s room. “Even in Anton’s mess of a room.”

The brown fraying recliner did not match Anton’s shining gold trophies and medals that hung on his wall. It didn’t match his old race car bed frame he couldn’t bring himself to replace. The way the recliner sat made Anton’s cluttered room an even tighter fit, and the growth spurt he had last summer made it so he had to bend his legs if he wanted to sit on the floor.

The reclining chair from his father’s studio was replaced with leather imported from overseas. The shipment came from Italy and stood on sturdy wooden rings with a detached ottoman. The new recliner was minimalist and smelled like a new car. The old one was clunky, the lever was sentient, and the vinyl started peeling off years ago. Anton’s brother said it was disgusting and his father said himself that he was due for an upgrade.

Anton tried to remain indifferent to the old chair but when his mother asked for help to put it on the curb he found himself suddenly advocating for it to stay in the house. There was no reason for it to be downstairs in the studio where the new sofa was, and his mother would be damned putting it in the living room where anyone could see it. By the end of the day Anton was clearing out a place for the recliner in his room. Junyoung made that face of disgust and their mother tilted her head to the side.

He already had a beanbag he rarely used and a million other things that cluttered his room. Anton’s mother told her son this gently, but he had already set his mind to it. He “cleared” a space—pushed a pile of unfolded laundry and stuffed animals from one side of his room to the other—just to make a brand new home for the disgusting sofa. Junyoung and him carried the heavy recliner up the stairs, bumping into the banister as his mom watched and told them to be careful.

“He has a better use for it than I do.” Anton’s father said over the phone. Anton’s mom shook her head remembering her son’s promise of cleaning up his room. She also remembers that it felt like the entire family was in the room if she counted the chair. “Does he like it?”

“He likes sitting in it to do homework.” Anton’s mom from the kitchen peered up the stairs. From where she was she should be able to see directly into Anton’s room. She readjusted herself on her tiptoes, becoming more and more distracted as she tried to see what was going on. “But the one who’s really taken a liking to it is his friend.”

Before her husband could say your name back to her in a titled voice Anton’s mom put her hand over the receiver of the phone and projected her voice.

“Kids.” She spoke sweetly, including an endearing term for everyone to seem inconspicuous. She pretended like she was talking to Junyoung through his closed door. She waited for a moment, until she could hear the sound of Anton calling back to her. “Are you guys hungry?” She asked.

“No. You just made us lunch.” Anton spoke barely above a normal talking volume back.

Sound unfortunately carried easily even through half-shut doors. Anton’s mom had no reason to tell him to open the door all the way so she could snoop to her hearts content. Still though, she tried standing on her tiptoes again, desperately trying to see what was going on upstairs in her son’s room without prying.

“Lunch was really good by the way.” You said, even gentler than Anton’s.

“I can bring you guys up some snacks if you’d like?” She said back.

“Mom, we’re okay, really.” Anton’s voice told her that he knew what she was trying to do. She went back to the balls of her feet, trying to remember who was on the other side of the line.

“You don’t have to bring us anything, you already made us lunch.” Your sweet voice followed afterwards, a cute pitch that neither of her sons had.

“Okay.” She let go of the receiver, trying to get one last look into Anton’s room. When she only saw the tip of his head she finally gave up, letting go of the receiver and bringing the phone back to her face. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you Mom.”

“You bother them too much.” Her husband was amused on the other end of the line, even if his voice came out tired through the speaker. About seven thousand miles and fourteen hours separated them. “But do you think he’ll finally get furniture that matches?” He added.

His mother wasn’t completely against the idea of the recliner in Anton’s room. When her son looked back and for approval she nodded, and her approval made Junyoung follow suit. She liked the recliner because she hoped it would make Anton realize how juvenile the rest of his room was. The ill-fitted race car bed was from when he was a preteen and he’s amassed a collection of stuffed animals since he was a baby. The accolades from swimming was the most mature thing in her son’s room, even if there was a trophy from his little league days. Maybe the aged recliner would make Anton get things that accommodated his age. He could keep the gundam figurines because robots and guns are normal for kids his age, but not the colorful squishmallows.

When his mother followed up the steps she had to breathe in before telling Anton that he needed to declutter his space. She said it to the stuffed animals spilling out from the hammock fastened to the wall and the barely closed doors of his closet she didn’t dare to open. She looked at the gundam figurines lining what was supposed to be his school desk and unfolded laundry resting at the foot of his bed.

The recliner could also be a stand-in for his father. She figured that in some weird way the recliner filled the void while he made music overseas. Next time she’d reprimand her son she already envisioned casting a glance towards the chair, like her husband was there backing her up.

“Your mom definitely thinks we’re doing something we’re not supposed to.” You spoke while looking at your homework, settling deeper into the bean bag. Anton looked up from his notebook settled in between his bent legs. “She wants to come up here so bad.”

“What do you think she thinks we’re doing?”

Anton asked the question just to pull you from your assignment. He knew the answer already, he picked up the desperation in his mother’s voice and the way she gently reminded Anton to keep the door open before you came over. He liked acting clueless because you always shot him the look that asked if he was stupid and deadpanned the answer.

“She thinks we’re like,” Before the words could roll off your tongue you pause. It’s covered by the quiet mix coming through Anton’s CD player, but the way you avert your eyes and start picking at the corner of your paper makes it obvious. Anton looks back to his assignment too, trying to help you cover up the pause in your words. “kissing or something.” You finish.

Truthfully, what his parents think you two do when you’re left unsupervised is much worse than kissing. So much worse that Anton was sat down by his parents to have a terribly awkward safe sex talk. He didn’t know what he was doing in his dad’s home office or why they started the conversation with how you two met.

Anton already knew that you became friends when you were freshmen, pushed to the outskirts of your grade’s caste. Your shared niche taste in media brought you two close together at the cost of any chance at being popular. He already knew that his only other opportunity to make friends was through forced proximity of his teammates on the swim team, and you still had your friend from childhood. She was the complete opposite of you—and she made fun of Anton any chance she got—but she was nice. She was the only popular kid that actually seemed to engage with people from other cliques.

But Anton already knew that it was you and him against the world. He didn’t know why his mother implemented a rule that the door had to be open when you two are in his room. Anton was confused by all this because one day his parents viewed you as his one and only friend and the next day you were viewed as a girl that he could possibly be romantically involved with.

The way his parents acted around you made Anton look at you differently. He came to the conclusion that you were still the same, you still wore your baggy clothes and cursed almost every sentence and listened to the same music you always have. Anton had to tell his parents that you were still the same girl—and you were still only friends—even if you were seemingly getting prettier by the day. He had the moment of clarity when you two were in this exact position, where you were looking up at him asking what the answer was to a question on science homework. He came to the conclusion that him seeing you in a different light was based on technicality. Even if there was that girl on his swim team that asked him to the formal it made sense that you would be the subject of Anton’s dreams because you were always together.

But maybe it was the chair. Both of you assumed that Anton’s mom realized how ridiculous she was being, and that there was nothing her responsible son and his unassuming friend would do. She was also trying really hard to get you both to come with her to the store, but once you both lamented how responsible you were trying to be studying for an exam she left you be. She wrangled Junyoung instead to be her companion on the trip grocery store run, said a prayer, and then left.

With just you, Anton, and the CD playing in his room it was quiet. You mentioned the kissing or something to hide the fact it was all you ever thought about. Being left alone with him was harder these days. After your garage band was dissolved because Eunseok was visiting his grandparents for the rest of the month there was an extremely different air surrounding you two. Being partners for class projects was one thing, being alone in his room in an empty house was another.

There was no segue into you two kissing. One moment you were asking about that girl on Anton’s swim team and he was asking you about the boy from your English class. You told him that he was just a boy and Anton said she was just a girl. There was a stare that lasted too long and you holding your pencil so hard in your hand you thought it would break. When the silence became too much you reached forward, planting a kiss on the corner of Anton’s mouth. He hesitated, then he reciprocated, trig homework still bunched in his lap.

The kisses started off slow and awkward, neither of you knowing exactly what to do with all of eachother. The very act of crawling into Anton’s lap was humiliating for some reason, the sound of the notebooks and assignments being pushed to the side was embarrassing. Anton’s perpetually dry lips pressing to yours was slow, the overwhelming anticipation made first contact just feel like a regular touch. Anton was too nervous to ask you if you wanted to stop, and that was good because you were too embarrassed to tell him to do it again. Anton just silently stretched his legs fully until they pressed into the beanbag and he pulled you fully onto him, basically cradling you.

Lack of communication made you two just slip through the motions. You both just continued pressing your lips against eachothers while your faces heated up from embarrassment until contact started feeling like something more. You think it changed when Anton tilted his head slightly to one side and wet his lips. When he went back in after that it made you tilt your head to the other side, and then it felt like something was actually happening. Anton’s hand that kept you still on his lap went to your head when it was obvious you weren’t going anywhere. You felt his hands grip the back of your neck.

The hesitation from Anton to go into your hair made you gain your bearings long enough to finally create some distance. Anton’s hands left your body completely the second you moved, and you stood up immediately. You were dizzy from moving too quick and the view of Anton from above. His lips already looked different, plump from constant contact and wet from your shared spit. His tongue was peaking out before he let it go back into his mouth. His hands were pressed into the ground on either side of his body, and he looked so cramped in the small space between his bed and the wall. You looked from him to the recliner, trying to calm your racing heart. Each time you looked back to Anton he was already looking up at you, eyes wide and not moving an inch.

You two should’ve definitely talk about whatever was happening. Silence has served the both of you well up to this point. Anton started moving slowly backwards until he could sit in the recliner. It rocked back from his weight when he reached for his sweater, and Anton kept his fingers there. He didn’t move fully until he saw you kick off your slippers and reach for the button on your cargo pants.

Anton’s mom was currently shopping, Junyoung went with her because you and Anton needed to focus on studying for the Trigonometry exam in two days. Instead you two were engaged in a silent standoff, one staring at the other while you tried to figure out what to do next.

Anton moved first. When his room got too dark from the evening he reached to his bedside table quickly, pulling the string on his Yoshitomo Nara table lamp to light the area. Your bare thighs were suddenly illuminated, your body casting a shadow on the wall behind you. Your cargo pants were bunched behind you, leaving you in your stripped crew socks and your baggy shirts that left too much to the imagination. When Anton turned on the light he realized he could be seen clearly too. He hoped he looked good sitting on the recliner in front of you. Like a boyish Adam Yauch or another rockstar you were always talking to him about.

You moved second. You don’t count the tremor that wracked through your body but you counted your hands finally leaving your sides to reach for your waist instead. You looked from Anton’s face to his hands, you watched them clench as you tried willing yourself to loosen up. You were supposed to be calmer than Anton was. You were supposed to be breaking through the tension with a joke at Anton’s expense and he was supposed to laugh to lighten the mood. But both of you were silent, trying to suppress the clues that you simultaneously panicking.

You let out a deep breath, and another shake that was hidden underneath your layers of shirts. Your hands went to the waistband of your underwear, fingers going underneath the wrap around the elastic waistband. You’ve done this a million times, the setting and the audience were different but the motions were the same. You repeated that to herself over and over as you pulled your panties down, until you had to bend over to get them the rest of the way.

When you came back up Anton’s hands were no longer balled up on top of his thighs. They were gripping the armrest now, and he was getting that leg bounce you always teased him for. You didn’t say anything this time because you watched him try to stop it. He wiped his hands on his legs until he reached his knee. He grasped around the joint and held tight until his knuckles became white.

You had a handful of your underwear with cherries on it, still not taking a step towards him. That table lamp was expensive but it was never very bright. You thought about what Anton could see, if his eyes kept on darting down to her your because he didn’t like what he was seeing or because he couldn’t see it at all.

You stepped forward and Anton leaned back into his seat. You took another step and he leaned forward. The third step left him awkwardly between the two positions, and his leg started bouncing again. You did feel bad, like you were playing with him without meaning to. You and Anton had built up a rapport centered around you lightly bullying him and him taking it. You couldn’t remember the last time you two were in complete silence like this, or when you two were so sincere and so lost. But this was cruel for you too, because up until twenty minutes ago you thought that Anton wasn’t interested in you at all. Now you’re walking towards him thinking about how this could ruin your friendship forever, or if he became your friend solely at the prospect of getting in your pants. You knew the situation was unlikely because Anton was your friend when you didn’t want to be kind to yourself, but the more you think about it the more it makes sense why there’s so much hesitation.

You’re in front of the recliner now. Anton pulled his legs together until his knees touched, making his large body small so you could have the most space possible. It was a kind gesture, but you were too busy being completely silent to acknowledge it. Anton looked between your legs up to your face, leaning back so much the chair tilted back with him. You casted a shadow on his face, but you could still make up the way he was looking at you through it. He offered his hands on the armrest of the recliner, giving you a place of stability if you wanted to take it further. Anton only looked at your chest in passing, not pressing further even if all you focused on was the center of his white shirt. He leaned forward to take the shirt off too, tossing it in the same place his sweatshirt was.

Anton let out the smallest tremor. You looked at his silver necklace first, too afraid to look at his toned stomach. You could only get the courage to look at his broad chest, the way he looked against the back of the recliner. You had your hands on his shoulders when he pulled you onto his lap but looking at them now doesn’t make sense. You had seen the pictures of him with his shirt off, you’ve been to his swim meets before. Seeing him like this with no one else there was different. You couldn’t believe that this was the same guy who was lanky and bumping into everything the first time you met. This was a social outcast like you, someone who stayed in swim and orchestra because he wouldn’t have friends any other way. The same one who burned CD’s of nerd rock bands and idolized his father too much.

When Anton’s hand that was on the armrest went palms up you quickly put your underwear there. He was surprised, taking his attention away from your face to his hand. His hand went rigid underneath the fabric and Anton was still staring at it, he didn’t move until your hands went to his shoulders for leverage. Like he couldn’t touch you with the hand holding your panties his other went to you, stabilizing you as you straddled his lap on the creaky recliner.

For a moment it’s just you and Anton like that. Chest to chest, you hovering above his lap. Your eye level with him for what feels like the first time in your life, and the least amount of clothes separates the two of you. Even if you have on an undershirt, a long sleeve, and a band tee on it feels like your bare against Anton’s chest. Your hands stay on his shoulder and his arm stays on the lowest part of your waist that’s covered by clothes. His other hand closes around your underwear.

“I like that band.”

Anton said it still looking into your eyes. You looked down like you didn’t know what shirt you were wearing. You and Anton actually went to the show together, you both forgot earplugs so you spent a portion of the opening act stuffing toilet paper into eachothers ears.

You should've reminded him of that moment like he would've forgotten what you looked like looking up at him with worrying vocalizing concerns about toilet paper becoming permanently stuck in your ear. But instead you played with the chipping leather on the seat and nodded your head.

“I like them too.” You respond.

Another chance to talk about what’s happening dissolves in the air as you two settle into another bout of silence. Anton brings your underwear into your line of sight, a silent offering that for a split second you think is rejection. When you take it back you try to get off of him, but instantly both of his hands are on your waist keeping you in place.

He experiments, letting his hands slide further and further down until his hands are on your bare skin underneath all your shirts. Your skin is flaming and his hands feel like ice, you stiffen and Anton gets a better grip on you. You’re in the palm of his hands and your underwear is wedged between his shoulder blade and your hand. He keeps eye contact with you and applies the lightest force downwards. You give in immediately, and you feel the area you couldn’t bring yourself to look at before. Anton’s bulge is hard against your bare cunt, your combined heat overwhelms you. Already you can feel sweat lining your body underneath your shirts, and you can feel embarrassing wetness seep from you onto his boxers.

There’s barely anything separating the two of you. All Anton would have to do is pull down his waistband or reach into the fly of his boxers and pull himself out. Maybe he shouldn’t. You always imagined you’d lose your virginity in college when you'd miraculously become hot enough to bang, or when you got married and someone was contractually obligated to find you sexy. Everyone else in your grade seemed to be doing this but you and Anton prided yourselves on being different. You didn’t not imagine losing it to him, he was the first real boy that you ever thought about kissing when he got really handsome over the summer two years ago. But this seemed wrong, like you were doing this wrong. Even if it felt so good that your combined slick and his precum made the thin layer of his boxers wet, this felt wrong. Feeling the ridge of Anton’s dick shouldn’t feel so nice, and you shouldn’t want more. The anticipation shouldn’t feel so nice that nothing feels like it will be enough.

Even if you’ve convinced yourself that this is all wrong, you still drag your hips forward in the smallest motion. Suddenly the creaking from the recliner while you two were trying to find a comfortable position stops. The silence is so loud, it somehow overpowers the music playing in Anton’s room. His hands freeze on your waist, your blunt nails dig into his shoulder. You look down at where you two almost are so close to meeting. You can see the discoloration on his boxers, and if you really focus you can see yourself glistening. When you glance up quickly Anton is looking down too, even if his hands on your hip are still unmoving. He doesn’t look up from your hips, and then you grind against him again.

The third time you drag your hips on his is when the first sound leaves his lips. A quiet moan, a quick sound that’s almost muffled by his closed lips. You focus on Anton’s neck, watching his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. His hands dig a little more into your waist, and you drag your hips again. Without looking at Anton you move forward slowly, until your chin is resting in the crook of his neck. You have enough leverage now to apply more pressure, dragging your bare cunt on his clothed dick.

His hand left your hip when you let your first sound slip out. He went to pressing his hand to your lower back, then as though he was waiting for you first more sounds of his own started slipping out. You stayed focused on his Adam’s apple, the way it moves in his throat with each sound. You’re driven by watching it move, you purposefully drag your hips rougher against his, just to see the movement.

“Oh my God.” Anton’s hand creeps up under your shirt until you can feel his large hand pressed between your shoulder. “That feels so good.”

Anton’s voice is barely above a whisper. He does better than you, because you’re still completely silent, only nodding as you drag your hips on his again.

Beyond Anton’s comment that floated around in his cluttered room, you two went back to being silent. Just pitiful noises swapped between the two of you, trying to be silent while also seeing what the other liked. Anton gripped you a little tighter when you whimpered and your lips would press against his neck, and you liked feeling his moans ring through his chest.

“Should I—“ Anton moved, trying to offer something that got stuck in his throat “Do you want me to—”

The gesture towards your exposed bottom half made you shake your head on instinct. When you tried to pause his hand over your shirt kept you moving, tiny swivels against him. You were making a mess on his boxers, grinding on him like a dog in heat. You never heard about this being so embarrassing. You know it’s painfully obvious you’ve never been touched this way before.

“I hear it helps.” Anton’s fingers dig into your shirt when you pause again. “And I’ll try to make it feel good for you.”

Anton’s hand is already drifting down when you nod your head. He leaves your waist and settles between your legs, cramming his long fingers through the space where your hips meet. Both of you let out a sigh at the same time, even when it’s just his inexperienced hand bumping into your clit. You still coat his fingers and he repeats the same awkward motion.

“You’re so wet.” Anton whispers.

You say sorry even though you've never apologized for anything in your life. You sound so sincere it makes Anton shake his head.

"Don't apologize." He says quickly, repeating the motion.

He lifts his head from the recliner to look down, watching his fingers disappear as you continue your tiny grinds. He experiments with you. He scissors his fingers against your folds, he pushes a finger between them and glides down. He is operating off terrible guesswork and the sounds you make, when you try to stifle something by biting your lip or shaking your head slightly.

You know Anton wants you to tell him what to do. At some point his gaze moved to the side of your face, intense and burning while he continued doing something with his fingers. You were figuring it out too, what you liked. Bossing Anton around was easier in different circumstances, but now he was beginning to pout when nothing he was doing was working. When you hear a whimper bubbling in his throat you take a chance, leaving your crumpled panties draped over his shoulder to drop your hand down.

You press two fingers to your clit and look at Anton’s chest, trying to find that place in your room on top of your bed where you did this the most.

“Like this.”

You say it quietly, soft motions that make you bump and grind on his hand. He keeps his hand still for you, and you continue grinding on the side of his hand. The slick sound replaces the silence in the room, only interrupted by the sound of your bodies moving on top of the fraying cushion.

Anton watches you for a moment, nodding like he’s the one touching your clit. You have to give him some credit, because he’s takes the leap to reach his hand from your waist to replace your fingers with his.

You don’t know how to deal with the fact that Anton is bringing you pleasure like this. There’s something that creeps on you, burning on your cheeks as you start huffing into Anton’s neck. He tries his best to make it feel good for you, and he does it well. He’s attentive, learns too fast and continues to go when your hands would’ve started cramping.

“Ton.” You whimper.

“Am I doing it right?” He asks.

You grind on Anton’s hand and the other works your clit. You’ve never felt the extent of stimulation like this, grinding on something desperately while having another thing on your clit. There’s also never been someone but yourself doing this for you.

The more you pathetically grind on Anton’s hand the hotter your cheeks feel, and then you feel sweat lining your body underneath your shirts.

You know something else is going to happen when Anton gets quiet again. He’s too nervous to ask what to do next and you’re too busy chasing after something to tell him. But you feel his hand go to your ass to lift you, and his hand that was on your clit goes further and further down until he presses into your entrance.

Your fingers take him in too fast. You sigh into his neck, and your hands move to press into Anton’s chest. Your underwear is caught between your hand and his body, the wrinkled fabric against him.

You start grinding against his fingers inside of you. With your chest heaving you pull away from Anton’s neck, trying your best to hide how scared you are to look up at him. You find comfort in the fact that his cheeks are flushed and tinted red too, and that sweat is making hair stick to his forehead. You find enough courage to look at Anton directly, and you chase after that feeling you were trying to suppress.

Anton is pressed into the recliner watching you bounce on his fingers. He keeps his fingers the same for you, not daring to move an inch while he watches you. His chest is heaving watching you. How far gone Anton is could be bizarre, but you’ve been in similarly gone thinking about him in this situation. His fingers feel just as good as you thought they would, and he’s so insistent on getting you somewhere he’s silent, not saying a word so he can focus completely on you.

“I can handle it.” You say it quickly. The first time you feel Anton’s fingers move inside of you is when your words register. Now it’s you reaching for Anton’s dick, an unsteady hand sticking right through the fly in his boxers. When you feel him heavy and sticky in your hands you pulse around his fingers “Let’s do it.”

“Are you sure?” Anton asks the question purely on technicality. Both of you have already made it this far, not thinking about the consequences. You don’t even know what you’re sure of, besides the fact that Anton is twitching in your hand and a sigh racks through his entire body when you pull him out through his boxers.

There’s only hesitation when you felt Antons’ tip prod your entrance. You held onto his shoulders tight, keeping yourself suspended above him. The music stopped at some point, leaving you two with the creaky wood and springs in the recliner and your tense breathing.

“I’m really glad you’re here.” Anton says it like you haven’t spent almost everyday after school at his house for the past three years. His hand is still holding the base of his dick, his bicep flexing with each moment. You sink just a little deeper. His fingers couldn’t compare to this, because you’ve already felt yourself seize up again and Anton is letting out a tense breath at how tight you already feel. “But if you want me to stop, just say so.”

“I want to keep going.” You say it, but you still are in the same place above his dick. Feeling his tip makes you lightheaded, and having him wait for you to move makes you want to crumble into him again. You can feel Anton let out a choked gasp when you sink a little further. You’ve made it past his tip, swollen and twitching inside of you when you retreat back to his neck. “Help me the rest of the way.”

You feel his head nod against yours, and then you feel his hand leave between your two bodies to wrap around your waist instead. He readjusts his grip on you, and you can feel your soft skin peaking through the space in his fingers. Anton has felt your frame underneath your layers of clothes, you feel tiny compared to him. You feel weak too, because Anton starts pulling you down slowly on top of him.

“Try to relax.” Anton croaks into your ear when you seize around him. “You’re too tight.”

Selfishly, you start making loud noises in Anton’s ear to try and relieve some of the pressure. He lets out a strained sound back to you, slowly working you down the rest of the way. He’s too big, the stretching from his large fingers did nothing to stretch you out. He’s a tight fit, and you’re getting tighter the more you think about how there’s somehow more of him to go.

Just before you curse into his ear, you feel yourself sitting on his lap. Anton is fully inside of you. Your hands are pressed to his chest and you feel like your body is melding into the recliner. Anton’s hands on your waist twitch and grasp at you. When you seize around him Anton pitches forward head hung low. You can see him scrunch his face, his eyebrows knitting together in concentration. You get used to him fast. From the very beginning you wanted more, and when your nails dig into his shoulder you finally get enough leverage to lift yourself on his lap.

Anton pulls in a deep breath fast and holds it. You do all the work, going up as high and you can before you can drop again. You repeat the motion, waiting for Anton to bring up his hanging head or to make a sound. He seems so helpless, almost shaking his head as his hands on your hips gets more desperate. You want to pull his head up manually so he has to look at you, but you can’t bring yourself to say a word. You grind on him when you sink fully down, feeling him writhe in your gut. You start hanging your head too, unable to find the strength to lift yourself up again.

Despite begging inwardly for Anton to lift your head, when he finally finds the strength to do it, you press your cheek to his. Physically touching is the contact you need, and not being able to see his face keeps you from burning up. The contact was what Anton needed to, because when your flushed cheeks smushed together he let moans slip from his parted lips louder. You were whimpering against his cheek, looking out the window behind the recliner to his yard.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Anton whispered it directly in your ear, fanning the side of your face with his quick breath. His arm wraps around your waist, pulling your clothed body against his bare chest. Your hands move to the back to the recliner and it tips backwards from the added weight. “I’ve—I’ve thought about this for so long.” He adds.

Over the top of the recliner you could see the backyard. During that summer before Anton’s dad cleared out the garage your band used to play there. You never would’ve thought that being in the backyard would lead you hear. The recliner creaks when Anton’s hand move underneath your ass, lifting you up slightly to bring you down.

“I’ve thought about this too.” You say it even quieter than Anton did, nodding your head against his. His skin is so soft against yours, you keep moving your head just to feel his skin catch on yours. You start working with his strength to lift yourself on your knees.

The rhythm you and Anton build up is messy. The inclination of knowing music is out the window, the two of you lack pattern chasing after something. Anton can’t figure out if he wants to hold you tight by your waist or keep a tight grip on your ass. You can’t will away the burn working in your thighs, and you can’t work with the small space you have on the recliner. The chair tilts back and forth, screaming from the extra weight.

The louder you and Anton get the louder the recliner gets too. When you curse and say tell Anton that you’re close the chair is almost louder than you.

“I think I’m close too.” Anton’s hand works up your back, ending with his large hand over the back of your neck. He squeezes and your body reacts by squeezing him tight. You make Anton’s next moan come out strained, his sentence is cut off when he experimentally squeezes the back of your neck again. “Does that feel good?”

You know his question comes from a genuine place of worry. He’s had a reputation of being so gentle with you it was unbearable at times. You wore baggy clothes and hung out with the boys in an effort of becoming one of them. Everyone seemed to know that except for Anton, always treating you like you were liable to break. Even when you know he wants to continue chasing after that feeling and bring you down on his dick faster he’s gentle, letting you set the pace and just helping you when your legs fail. He clenches the back of your neck a third time, and it feels like his concerns become dirty talk. You want him to ask you if he’s too big for you in that same worried tone, or too ask you if you’re sure you’re close.

“Feels good Anton.” The chair continues to creak underneath you too. You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to focus on one thing. He’s unknowingly overstimulating, despite the fact that he’s quiet and gentle with you. You’re filling in the gaps, letting your imagination run beyond you two and this recliner. You think about your shared time together as friends, like the moment at the rock show when Anton’s hand gripped you the same way they do now. Like he doesn’t want to let go of you, like you’re his and he’s yours. “I’m really close.”

“Can I look at you?”

Anton asks the question in between the recliner creaking and him bringing you back down on his twitching dick. He offers you the chance to ignore him, but you’re slowly nodding your head against his again.

With the gentle grip on the back of your neck Anton brings your face away from his. The split second you summon your remaining courage, following his gentle pull. You’re face to face with Anton. The recliner seems to get a little quieter, both of your hips falter when you make eye contact. Anton’s pupils are blown wide, his lips are parted and swollen. You see his tongue peak out, running over that place he always touches with his fingers. His hair falls in front of his face, bangs almost covering his eyes completely. You push his bangs out of the way quickly, both of your hands still cradling his face. You run your thumb over his cheek for a moment and Anton’s hand kneads your skin.

The second time you go in to kiss Anton is different from the first. Instead of closing your eyes and lurching forward it’s deliberate. You keep your eyes open until Anton closes his, squeezing his cheeks a little harder when you finally feel his lips press to yours.

Anton’s hand on the back of your neck moves to your face. You’re tilting your head and then he’s tilting it for you. You can hear your lips moving against eachother, then the feeling of his tongue poking your bottom lip. You open your mouth slow, and then it’s Anton’s tongue pressing flat against yours. You curve your tongue and mix spit, overextending the gap in your mouth to get a better taste.

The action is messy, Your spit is smeared along the perimeter of Anton’s mouth when you start riding him again. It’s a simple motion, that’s closer to grinding than actually fucking yourself. But it’s enough to get Anton to hold your face still and separate your lips from his. Anton brings your head together until your foreheads touch. He’s breathing heavily as you continue grinding against his lap, just repeating the small motion. You can feel Anton’s body bumping into your clit, and you hear his breathing turn into his chest heaving.

You don’t stop grinding, you open your eyes and see Anton looking through half-lidded eyes right back at you. You whimper and continue grinding, and one of his hand’s leaves your face to hold your ass. He speeds up your hips, and you hear the terrible creak in the recliner. You’re sure something will give out any minute, and right before the chair can rock all the way back Anton freezes underneath you. His words are caught in his throat, you think you hear him curse for the first time in your life before he leans his entire body against the back of the recliner. You continue riding him, and both of you become louder than the recliner. You’re cursing back at Anton, digging your nails into his skin and balling up your underwear in the palm of your hand.

“Baby.” Anton moans, pathetic and loud. He projects towards the ceiling, eyes squeezed shut. His grip on your waist is bruising, but you can’t bring yourself to stop. Your moans turn into loud grunts, and your grinds turn into flicks against his skin. “Too much. Too much.” He whines.

You nod your head quickly, flicking your hips three times before you finally feel relief. You let out a deep breath you didn’t know you were holding, and your whole body starts to collapse. You heave out each breath, your chest shaking. You have to breathe in deep to center yourself, and you seize around him each time you try to ground yourself. Anton is shaking his head against the back of the recliner. With each breath you get closer and closer to Anton, until your chest is pressing against his and his arms wrap around you to pull you in for a hug.

When you move again Anton hisses right in your ear. You playfully grind against him again, and Anton weakly lifts you up until his dick slides out of you. He’s still half hard, landing against his stomach with a wet slap. He lets you lay back down on him, and you shiver when your bare cunt rests on his dick.

You’re laying against Anton’s chest for awhile. You can hear his heart rate finally start to slow down. His hand creeps underneath your layer of shirts, rubbing his hand on your bare back. Like it’s the most intimate thing you’ve done in the past hour he’s awkward, only continuing the massaging motion when you sigh contently against him.

Your shared sweat starts mixing with Anton’s welding you both to the peeling vinyl. You already feel disgusting against underneath your shirts, and the cold sweat from Anton that seeps through to you.

“Your mom will be back soon.” You murmur.

You feel warmth seep out of you and you shiver again. You hum against his chest, feeling your eyelids get heavy.

Anton’s mom came through the door with Junyoung behind her. He had a handful of grocery bags, walking past her to go to the kitchen. She was busy standing on her tiptoes, and the moment she saw the closed door to Anton’s room her heart dropped. Junyoung was already going back outside to get the groceries when she said out loud she was going to get Anton.

Up the stairs she was contemplating on what to do Should she stomp up the stairs a little louder to give you two fair warning? Should she sneak up and try to catch you two in the act? Junyoung came back inside with more bags in his hands. He complained about wanting help before going back out, whispering under his breath that he was leaving the heavy stuff for Anton.

His mom cleared the stairs and walked across the landing to her sons door. She held her head to the door first, trying to pick up on anything. At the sound of the recliner creaking loudly she knocked and opened the door in one go, preparing for the worst.

When she opened the door she found Anton in the recliner, in his white shirt and sweatpants. He was alone in the room, looking up from his assignment to his mother standing in the doorframe. Anton stopped rocking in the chair, the loud creaking coming to an end. She scanned the room quickly, trying to remember the reason why she came up here.

“She had to go home before it got to dark.” Anton said, answering her question.

“I’m making dinner, I would’ve given her a ride home.”

Anton shrugs, clutching something in his hand. She sees that his pencil is on his bedside table. She really shouldn’t press the issue any further. She already stormed into her son’s room expecting to catch him in the act. She’s guilty, she lets go of the doorknob and almost turns around without saying another word. She sees Junyoung come inside again, more bags of food clutched in his hand.

“Can you help your brother with the groceries?” She trades the order for a suggestion, trying to compensate for the intrusion in her room. Anton nods and shifts in the recliner, causing it to creak. He looks back down to his paper. “Whenever you finish what you’re working on.” She adds quickly.

“No it’s okay, I was done anyways. I’ll be down in a little bit.” Anton says and gets up from his chair. She leaves the room completely, her husband saying she needs to leave her son alone playing in her mind again and again.

When his mom leaves the room he turns around to face towards the chair. He looks out the chair behind the window, looking at his backyard to where you climbed your bike to pedal back home. He insisted that you stay, but you seemed really adamant on leaving saying you had to be home at a certain time. When Anton hears his mom make her way down the stairs he looks down to his clenched fist. He really wanted you to stay, and the only thing that convinced him he didn’t do something wrong was your parting gif. Anton opens up his hand to see your crumpled pair of underwear expand in his palm. He sighs and clutches it again before opening the top drawer of his bedside table and putting it inside. He closes the drawer and sighs again, turning off his lamp to help with the groceries.

#01zfan: anton #anton smut #riize smut

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lenneygirl4ever · 2 days ago

Text

the alchemy || Will Lenney

“where’s the trophy? he just comes running over to me”

part two of THE ALCHEMY. part one here

pairing: will lenney x fem!reader

warnings & tags: friends to lovers. idiots with tension. idiots in denial. slowish burn. will pov. more will, less football. chrismd gossip bestie.

summary: after seeing the public’s reaction to your performance, you see how your fellow teammate takes to social media after the fact. causing the two of you to reach a breaking point.

a/n: hello!!! this is a long one, so grab a drink lads. thank you for your patience, im a first year college student and the last month has been hectic.

for any clarity, this is the gap between the two charity matches! :)

wc: SO MANY!!!

Recently, you haven’t been able to sleep. The thrill of the match still shocks you awake, every time there are new photos released or a new video, you are quick to engage. Slowly, videos are released from your other mates, and you eagerly tune in to see what they say.

It’s exciting. The feedback has mainly been positive, yet you still feel the uneasy flip in your stomach every time you see someone has released a video. It's all you can think about. And when you weren't thinking about football, you watched it on telly. You missed playing, the competition, the simple act of being active. It's given you a new surge of motivation, pushing you into creating.

The only downside of it all is that your phone has been buzzing with notifications today, especially. Usually, your phone mutes any notifications from social media, allowing you to not get sucked in all day. Truly, you do your best to ignore it, to ignore the increasing number you see every time you open Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok. But you're only human, and humans are quite curious.

You try not to think anything of it, occupying your time in the studio to film your own video about the charity match. You had B-roll shots, stills, and close-ups of players when you were benched. It was becoming a combination of all the things you adored, your friends, film, and football.

Once you begin to sit down to film a portion of the video, you review the brief script you had written until you feel your right pocket vibrate. Getting up to turn off the camera, you pull out your phone to see who's calling. And to your surprise, it's Chris. You slide open your phone and put it to your ear as you click the camera off.

"Do you need to tell me something?" Chris asks immediately, making your heart drop. You hadn't been hiding anything, spoke to him frequently, and were sure you didn't need to tell him anything.

"What? I don't think so, do I?" You wonder aloud. Chris groans loudly, making your phone speaker crackle in your ears. He doesn’t often text, matter of fact, Chris is a god-awful texter— and an even worse mate to call in a time of need. You could text him and he would go at least a week without responding, usually replying with “Sorry I thought I responded!”

Which makes you wonder, what could be so important that he called you first? Usually, like Simon, it was to help film, otherwise Chris would call to gossip. The boys loved gossiping, or catching up, as they would say.

"I've just seen Will's video," He starts, and you wait for him to continue, but it seems he's doing the same. "Came out a few hours ago.."

You walk in circles in the studio, a hand tapping the side of your thigh out of nerves. You knew Will was uploading his pov of the charity match sometime later in the week, but he didn't tell you exactly when. You'd be lying if you hadn't wondered what would be kept in your shared interactions, what Will said about you, and what Mikey would deliberately choose to keep in. It was a thought that had plagued your mind since Will had taken the GoPro off when you two returned to the hotel.

"Right, and what does that mean?" You huff, choking down the unease in your tone.

"Oh my god, have you seen it? You haven't, have you?" Chris exclaimed, and you could hear the small giggle he tried to stifle. "You two really are clueless, aren't you? It's ridiculous that our other mates are on Hinge actively trying to not be single, and you two do it by choice!" he joked hysterically.

“You’re a dickhead,” you cut in between his laughter, choosing to ignore the blatant comment about yours and Wills' peculiar relationship.

While Chris continues to make himself laugh, the curiosity is now starting to gnaw at you, causing you to stride over to your desk. Without another beat, your monitor is turned on, and you pull out the chair to get comfortable. You attempt to ignore his laughter as you open up YouTube, typing in Will's second channel name.

"Take a gander for me, will you? When you get the chance, of course," Chris says, and you can hear the wide grin on his face. You freeze, like you had just been caught, the mouse hovering over the thumbnail of the video. You look around the room, just to make sure you're alone.

"I suppose," you say slowly, sitting up straighter than before. Chris then goes on to talk about his latest endeavors, awful dates, video ideas, and the next time you two will see each other. Under other circumstances, you'd be happy to chat. But right now, all you wanna do is watch Wills latest video.

"Hey Chris, I gotta get back to filming this video, mate," you fib, leaning back into your chair, "I want it up by next week, and I'm the only one editing it."

"Oh yeah, yeah, I'm just chatting. Let me know when you watch that video, text me," he responds politely.

"If you even get back to me-" and the phone call ends before you can even say goodbye. You furrow your eyebrows at your phone before setting it down on the desk. You mumble the title to yourself,

SIDEMEN CHARITY MATCH (First Person POV) a bit more willne • 271k views • 3 hours ago

It can’t be that bad, is what you’re trying to convince yourself. You've existed on the internet for a long time now, and there isn't anything you can't handle. Clicking on the video, your heart starts hammering in your chest. You let a few minutes roll by, holding your breath, and then you see the moment when you tapped on Will's shoulder.

"I’m literally shitting myself right now, Will," you let out, and Will watches it back with a soft smile and a tender chuckle.

“Awh poor y/n/n, she was really nervous the entire time, I felt so awful once we split up,” he says over the video.

There it is. The common burn on your face, the shiver down your spine, and the drumming of your heart against your chest. You hit the space bar, pausing the video, to cover your face in embarrassment.

Is it silly to be so riled up by a singular sentence? Are you crazy for wanting to analyze every little thing in the video? You seem to take note of everything. You notice the upturn on the corner of his lips, the way he plays with the ring on his pinky that you got for him-- a nervous tick he picked up, the shifting of his eyes down to his lap when he gets bashful. It's driving you crazy.

So, instead, you watch in complete silence for the rest of the video. It keeps you from pausing frames, reading comments, and feeling lightheaded. But you notice how the GoPro often faces where you're standing on the field, how Mikey left in the bits and pieces of you two interacting that could've easily been cut out. The small waves, subtle smiles, the hug you two shared after you had missed the goal. Half the time Will wouldn't say anything, he would just grin, reliving the moment, occasionally making small comments.

"She really is something, isn't she? Many good assists for her first match,"

and

"Look at that darlin' smile,"

Yet you didn't pause, you remained still in your seat, keeping your eyes glued to the screen as if blinking would take it away. Even though you could feel the air leave your lungs when you appeared on screen.

But then you reach the point where Will makes his goal.

You nervously bite your fingers as he celebrates, telling the audience the same thing he told you on the field, how he had never been a striker and always stayed in the back. The GoPro shot is now playing as Wills words fade into the background. The next few moments play, and it's where Will was screaming something intangible to you.

You aggressively turn up the volume all the way, turning on closed captions to be sure. Your mouse hovers over the timestamp, “most replayed,” and that's when you hear it.

"For you! I did it for you!"

It plays once, then you replay it, and then replay it again. You feel crazy. Taking in his every word, every move, was this okay? A moment that felt so raw and personal was now published for thousands to observe.

“For you! For you!” that’s what Will continues to shout at you on the pitch. And Will doesn’t say much about it, because just before was the clip of you saying he owes you a goal. But when you watch the video you feel like you’re back on the field. Chest heaving up and down, you can barely breathe, and there’s Will running at you shouting something you couldn’t make out. His skin sticking to yours as he embraces you, his hands gripping the side of your body with the proudest smile. A smile, that now says, that was for you.

Just like before, you pause the video, hands gliding through your hair. You don't finish the video. Instead, you step away from the computer and fall back onto the couch that you originally were going to film on.

Okay. It was pretty bad. You understand why your mentions have been blowing up all day and why Chris gave you a call. But it wasn’t like you hadn’t seen this before. Earlier on, you’d often get paired with any boy you came into contact with. It never got out of hand, and most of the time, you were able to ignore it, and the others would too.

But this time it was a little different. The next few days roll by and you aren't able to dodge it. The tweets, the teasing from friends, the edits, god the edits. When filming with friends you were always ready for a joke about Will to make an appearance.

And once you upload your video on the charity match, the comments are bombarded with curiosity and flood in quickly.

StarvxsmWillLoverforever Starting to see why will and y/n can't beat the dating allegations.. 349 likes 17 replies

marriottxmorgan Literally!!!

Admittedly, you feel a little crazy for reading the comments to see if others are picking up on what’s happening. You don’t need to rely on the audiences validation on what’s going— but it does make you feel a little more sane.

Despite it all, Will doesn't bring it up to you, nor does he make any insinuation that he knows about it when he comes by your flat one afternoon.

“Are you coming tomorrow night?” Will asks over your shoulder, his breath fanning the tips of your ears. You turn your head away from the show you're watching and lean back to create space. A chill is sent down your spine as the hairs on your arm stand. He leans over the couch, the sun casting shadows to create definition in the muscles on his arms. Your cat, calamari, follows him, weaving between his arms and purring. A fortuitous combination that focused all the things you loved in one home.

“To what? Watch you prats drink and make a fool of yourselves?” you bantered, turning your body fully to face him. "I have somewhere to be the next morning,"

Arthur mentioned how the lads were hitting the pubs over the weekend, but it seemed he failed to mention that you were meant to accompany them. Will shrugs, arms crossing over one another to lean closer to you.

“Chris said you would,” he insisted, and you could see the smile he was trying to hide. You roll your eyes and lean back onto the couch as Will picks up the feline, cradling her in his arms.

“Why does everyone keep saying I’ll do things before talking to me?” you wondered aloud.

“Because you always end up doing them darlin,” Will teases, kissing your pet before settling down in the open space next to you with Calamari in his lap. "I think Arthur owes Chris twenty quid if you go,"

The silence stretches, reminding you that you're playing house again with Will. There’s leftover takeout on the table, his coat lazily hanging off a chair, and the worn out ball you both had been passing around. The breeze that comes from the open window cools the burn on your face and clears the air of any tension. Your eyes sweep the room, before landing back on Will whose attention is on Calamari.

You awe silently, Will has a habit of adoring every pet he comes into contact with. And often, they end up loving him just as much. Without hesitation, you grab your phone, snapping a picture to save for later.

“I guess I don’t have anything else going on,” you say simply, tucking your phone back under your thigh.

“You don’t disappoint,”

Will stays for several more hours after that, watching telly with you, playing with mari, he watches as you write formal emails, and listens to your phone calls with your manager.

Between all this, you posted the photo of Will and Mari. No caption, no music, no tags, just the photo. You hadn’t thought much of it, a simple photo that was cute. Yet, Wills face wasn’t in it, just the wave of of his hair and the ring on his pinky finger— you weren’t trying to hide him. Either way, it didn’t stop your audience from finding out who it was.

So the hours before you were finally going to get some sleep, were left with you refreshing your phone.

“Fucks sake,” you mumble under your breath, before turning off your phone frustratedly for the night and going to bed.

The music is loud, but the chatter is more audible. You hesitate, not wanting to leave the solace of the cool air. Bars made you anxious, so did large crowds of people, and the only anecdote to that right now—was to drink.

You push open the door, immediately being met with loud cheers as older couples watch the game on the multiple TVs that are displayed. You take a second look at the location you were sent, and you seemed to be in the right place.

Slipping around groups, and bumping into couples, you eventually end up slamming into a familiar face.

“Y/N! Thought you weren’t coming for a second there, mate!” Chris steadies you, yelling over Queen playing on the big speakers. Fixing the pieces of hair that got caught in your lipgloss, you give a shy smile.

“I got wrapped up in editing,”

“We’ve got to get you an editor,” Chip chimes in, appearing with the rest of the lot. You roll your eyes in response, eyeing him.

"Yeah, yeah,” you say dismissively, crossing your amrs over one another. “Where’s Sabina?”

"She was knackered and didn't know if you were coming or not! I'll text her, tell her you are thinking of her," he responds politely, pulling out his phone to text his girlfriend. Gaze sweeping the group, you count six men, minus Will, and that’s when reality to hits you—

"This is awful! I'm stuck babysitting you blokes all night, again," you express, the palms of your hands pressing against your eyes.

"Oh we're not all bad," a voice comes from behind you, warmth radiating on your back. And without even turning around, you know it's Will. One of his hands leans against the bar, outstretching infront of you, while the other holds a half empty glass. You crane your neck to look over your shoulder, and Will is looking down at you, head slightly tilted with a small grin.

It's suffocating, his eyes on you, yours on his, and everybody elses on the both of you. It feels more intimate than when Will has fallen asleep in your bed after a quiet evening. This is a public display, both of you slotting together like pieces in a puzzle, your back pressing into his chest accidentally.

"And when you end up singing down the street and getting carried by George later, tell me that," He laughs lightly, breath fanning your face with tequila and mint. He still has the same smile that looked at you, and only you, with adoration.

"Another pint, anyone?” Stephen asks.

“Oi! Shots in celebration!” Cal insists instead.

“We could just do both, really,” you offer, and the rest seem to rally at the suggestion.

"Brilliant idea,"

The lot of you kill more time with conversations about formula 1, filming, football, and more importantly, shots. You could feel the music in your feet, sending shock waves to your racing heart. The pub continued to get more crowded as time went on, allowing you to sneak away to use the bathroom for a moment of silence and peace. The liquor you drank burned your throat and sat heavy in your stomach, while it eased your anxiety and loosened your joints, it was making you impulsive.

There’s surprisingly no line, and your out in no time, fixing your smudged mascara in the foggy mirror. You reach for your purse, only to realize you don't have it, and you also don't have your phone. Quickly, or as quickly as you can handle, you move out of the bathroom and into the crowded hall.

You must've left it at the booth, or maybe outside when you needed fresh air, or maybe by the pool table? You strain your neck, going on your tip toes to sweep the room. Once, twice, and then your eyes fall on Will. He's on his phone, and theres a black bag that hangs on his shoulder.

You feel a sense of relief wash over, but also your heart skip a beat.

“William, I think you have something of mine,” You say loudly, drawing his attention away from his phone, down to you.

“What? This? I have one of these myself,” he says jokingly, sliding the purse off his arm and onto the counter next to you both. He then digs in his pant pocket, fishing out your phone and sliding it next to your purse. Under the awful lights, his hair is shinning and freshly washed, the hair near his ears is short meaning that it was newly cut.

“You look better without those hats,” you observe aloud. Your hand reaches and brushes through his hair, ruffling it, “Have you ever considered a mullet? You’d suit one,”

Will tilts his head, like a puppy, his eyes big and bright— “Noted,” and only now, you notice how the rest of the lads had scattered, and Will was by himself. You look over your shoulder, then reaching on your tiptoes to search for the boys.

“Were you waiting for me?” You observe, even though you meant to only think that. You couldn’t keep your mouth shut.

Will shrugs, trying to hide the small smile that dared to creep on his face.

“Kinda,”

"You can't kinda wait for someone,"

"I was going to wait for you anyway, but then you left your bag near the pool table, gave me a good excuse." Will's gaze swept the room— their friends nearing on the edge of being plastered, singing and talking to strangers. He was searching for something, not someone, but something else.

Grabbing your attention, the bartender slings two pints your way, "For the couple," he winks, making your face burn. You both don’t say anything at first, the atmosphere shifting to try to mold to both of your comforts.

The air had changed, suddenly gotten so dry and tight that it made Will's body stiffen. Ignoring the comment, Will grabs the glass and inspects it before taking a small sip.

“Are you.. seeing what people are saying?” Will asks as you grab the glass left unattended. "About us,"

His voice was low, eyes fixed somewhere just passed your shoulder, like looking at you directly might unravel something you both aren't ready for.

You shift uncomfortably, of course you did. How could you not? Every day since Will posted the video, when Ieuans' photos were released of both of you, last night's post— you’d been getting tagged in edits, clips, everything. The question was big, pointed, and unexpected.

“Yeah, I’ve seen a few things,” you lie, hiding your unease by squeezing the class tighter.

The look on Wills face, you’ve seen it before. When editing software crashes, or when an unplanned event happens during a video, this time it’s a little different. There’s tension in his brows, his jaw isn’t clenched, instead theres doubt, uncertainty, that strains him.

“It’s okay, Will, I swear it doesn’t bother me.” you reassure, “Unless it.. it uh, bothers you, of course—“

“No! No, that isn’t, no, it doesn’t bother me at all,” he sputters earnestly. Will's eyes meet yours—guarded but still steady—before clamping his mouth shut. Holding back on the words dancing on his tongue.

"Okay," You slowly nod, as if you’re still processing it as you’re responding. You should leave it at that, finish your drink and head back towards the group— “Then why did you bring it up?”

What did they put in the liquor tonight?

In all the time you've known Will, he's not a good liar. He’s also not good at hiding what he’s feeling on his face. His tongue presses against the inside of his bottom lip, face twisting to avoid an awkward grin.

“I thought it would make you uncomfortable,” he mutters, his eyes darting down to look at the foam in his glass. You shift, hesitantly moving closer to Will to capture his attention.

“What? No, it’s never made me uncomfortable before. Should it?” You ask, hand grazing his forearm. Which makes Will look at you before he shrugs, quiet and shy, similar to when you first met him.

"I've seen what it's done to other people, it could have a horrible ending,"

“Doesn’t have to,”

“But it could,”

“That stuff doesn't change anything, we're still..." You begin defensively, before the weight of your words slowly starts to settle. "..where we are,”

You chew at the inside of your cheek, the adrenaline bleeding out of your system. You don’t pick up on the shock on Wills face at first, but after a beat of silence you realize the depth of what you just said. Slowly, you swallow the sip from your drink, giving you enough time to possibly save yourself.

But you don’t say anything.

You both stare at each other incredulously.

“Well, where are we, y/n?" Will probes. He can see it now, the look on your face, the shock, the stature of your posture, the mistake it was saying that outloud. You know he’s asking because he already has an answer in his head, but he wants you to reaffirm it. You know Will, and Will knows you, it’s inescapable.

Again, the silence stretches, but not comfortably like it was the night before in your living room. This time it’s heavy, thick with anticipation.

Even with the loud chatter in the pub, it makes your ears ring. You’re convinced you two are the only ones not talking. The look on his face says he’s waiting for you to say something else, but you don’t. You swallow and lick the dry cast on your lips, being the first to break eye contact. Breaking the string tying you two together at this moment.

“Y/n, be honest with me—”

“Hello! What are we standing around for? We’re doing karaoke in the back, George has already had one too many as you can tell,” Chris comes over, his hands clasp Wills shoulders from behind. Chris looks at you first, and then glances to Will, noting the two of you saying nothing. Chris quirks an eyebrow, mouthing something along the lines of “Bad time?”

“Stop sitting around and flirting, will ya? At least when George flirts with him, he shares,” Stephen says teasingly, comes up to join you lot. He doesn’t note the tension between the two of you, or he totally does and just doesn't care. Both of which are completely plausible answers.

“Right, I’ll come on over,” You affirm quickly, seeing this as your only out of the hole you dug yourself into. You give one last glance to Will, and his face is twisted. His eyebrows furrow together, and his lips are slightly parted, it’s a look that reads we’re not done.

But you give him a pleading look that says not right now.

…⚽️

Will doesn’t say much for the next two hours. He lingers in the back of the group, occasionally sipping on his drink or checking the time on his phone. And you try your best not to stare, knowing that if you look his way— he’ll already be looking at you. He does eventually join the others for karaoke, obnoxiously singing and joining in on music that is playing while you all walk to the next place.

It’s left a pit in your stomach. Knowing that the next time you and Will are alone, you’ll have to be the rawest form of yourself. The part that you’ve been desperate trying to repress and lock away. You’ve never spoken much about how you really feel, afraid that if you start, you’ll never stop. Your feelings for Will are like an oil spill, a match could be dropped and everything would be caught on fire.

You can feel it, the anxiety, it started at your toes and it’s slowly crept it’s way up your torso. The walls are closing in and time is escaping. All because Will doesn’t speak to you, his fingers tapping the table rhythmically, his leg bouncing up and down causing friction to the table. You needed to talk now, even if it was going to ruin you.

Strategically, you get up from the table with a rather forced smile.

“I think it’s time for me to go home fellas,” you announce just after you all had arrived at a new pub. You had been to three pubs already, downed 4 shots, a tequila soda, a couple pints, and a dirty martini. Your shoes were sticking to the wood floors, phone on the verge of dying, and you were tired of having to hover while using the public restrooms.

“Oh not yet, y/n! The night is still young,” George teasingly pleads, and when he leans over to pull you in for a hug you can smell the liquor on his breath. Your nose wrinkles as you pat his back, giving him a small shove after. Unlike Will, it wasn’t as endearing .

“You are so hammered,” you comment, the interaction making the group laugh.

“You aren’t hammered enough,” Cal counters, leaning over to offer you his drink, to which you decline. His eyes are glossed over, and he has this lopsided grin that reads trouble.

“Take care of him won’t you?” You say, pointing at Stephen who shakes his head in response. Regardless, he grabs Cal, and shakes him.

“You stupid, fuckin idiot,” Stephen mutters to Cal, taking the glass between his hands and smelling it. His nose twitches, yet he still takes a small swig, coughing after the fact.

“Drinkin vodka that tastes and looks like medicine, you’re an odd man,”

“Seriously, I’ve got to get going,” Getting up, you shrug your coat on as you briefly say goodbye to everyone.

“We’ll take care of your husband, don’t worry,” Stephen jokes, forcing Cal to sit down in the process.

“You should really work on taking care of yours,” Chris bites back. You roll your eyes, trying to shrug off the overdone comment.

“No one vomit,”

“Will do miss,”

“Can’t promise anything,”

Telling Arthur to tell Chip you said goodbye, smacking Chris on the head for saying you’d come tonight, and finally, you wave to Will.

He nods at you, lifting his drink as acknowledgment. You pause, giving time for more to happen. You expect Will to join you, you hope he does, because you linger for a moment too long that everyone else notices— but he doesn’t. His body still, leaned back into the chair he sat in. Wills eyes flicker back towards the lads, and he doesn’t take a second glance. He’s letting you walk away.

So you walk away.

And once you’re out of the bar, you convince yourself you’ll hear his footsteps from behind. Ones that are hurried and rushed, maybe he was just taking his time to say his goodbyes. Will never let you leave without him, he always accompanied you, eventually going back to each others flat and falling asleep there. But you glance over your shoulder, once, twice, and before you know it, you’re on the train home. It leaves a hollow feeling in your heart, a cold chill that courses through your bones.

You don't remember the last time you left an event, a hangout, or even a video when Will didn't leave with you. You purposefully left thinking he would follow, but he didn’t, so maybe it wasn’t a big deal. Maybe you’re reading too much into it, he had a lot to drink and hasn’t been able to get out very much— he was just having a good time!

Looking at your phone, with 5% left, you go to your messages. Waiting for his text seemed desperate, but he always sent you one after a night out, it was normal. Whatever normal means to you both.

With a loud groan, and a frustrated tug on your hair, your phone shuts off and you let it fall onto your lap. No phone, no company, and no alcohol. What a shit way to end the night.

Now you’re left to wonder on the ride home if that was casual, or if you’re an idiot.

Recently, Will hasn't been able to sleep. Ever since he watched you walk out of the pub a few nights ago, he's felt this lingering regret. He hasn’t seen, texted, or called you since that night. And normally, he sends you a text to make sure you got home safe, but he didn’t even do that. Instead he anxiously turned off his phone the rest of the night and has been avoiding the feeling since.

At first, Will thought it best to keep it to himself, until one morning Will gave James a call in the early afternoon.

“Y/n says rubbish all the time, it could mean nothing,” James comments.

“No! You knobhead! She had this, this look and she said it like she regretted it,”

“Or it could mean everything, and you’ve completely screwed up–” James continues to mumble to himself.

“Why don’t you just make me feel worse about the situation, yeah?” Will huffs.

“This is why I didn’t want to give you my honest opinion because I’m not involved in the situation. How am I supposed to know what look she had?” James points out.

“You’ve known her just as long as I have,” Will says quietly, picking up the dishes left on his bedside table and bringing them out into the kitchen.

“What, you want me to write a song about it?”

“James!” Will whines.

“Okay, okay, what else happened?” Will sucks in air through his teeth, trying to recall the rest of the night.

“She left after a couple hours, that’s it,”

“What’s the matter with you?! You let her leave?” James yells over the phone, causing Wills eardrums to pop in response.

“What was I supposed to do? Follow her on the chance that she tells me that it was nothing?” Will argues, setting the dishes into the sink. There’s a silence over the phone before another loud yell,“YES!”

A beat of silence goes by, and then a wave of realization washes over. Will loudly groans, his palm banged against the counter sharply then slaps his forehead.

“..I’m a proper idiot, aren’t I?” Will asks, but mainly to himself. Finding himself leaning against his kitchen counter, pressing his phone to his ear with just his shoulder. He lets out another heavy sigh, using the pads of his fingers to rub circles on his temple and forehead.

“Mate, what do I do?” Will asks defeatedly. James shifts over the phone, drawing his attention back to the phone call. He can hear James footsteps stop, settling down to think about the question.

“Realistically, you talk to y/n. You’ve known her since you were twenty-two, If you don’t talk to her now you’ll be dancing around your feelings until you’re sixty, and by then she’ll have grandkids. You and I both know that this isn’t going away anytime soon,”

“Why are we being nasty?” Will says, a small exhausted smile making its way onto the corners of his mouth.

"I'm not! But I think it's ridiculous that you have any reason to believe that your feelings aren't reciprocated," James explains calmly. His tone was sure, confident, Will doesn’t think he’s ever heard James be so serious before.

"Have you been watching those edits of her and i recently?" Will tries to steer the conversation where it doesn’t put him in a vulnerable spot. Lightening the mood with a small quip, “They’re quite good, I can see how it would get in someone’s head,”

"Maybe. But regardless, I can still see how obvious it is that you two want to be together. Do us all a favor, Will. Make it happen. I don’t know what you're waiting for, really.” James confesses. As much as it was a weight off Wills shoulders, it was a weight off his as well.

So that's what Will does. After the phone call, he writes and deletes, and rewrites the text he's attempting to send you. Before he knows it, the sun is setting and he’s wasted the day away. So, instead, he gives up and heads towards your flat and arrives at seven sharp. No phone call, no text, just him.

With a small knock at your door, and his nerves making his hands twitch, he waits.

Will hears a few meows from inside, and then footsteps, before you slowly open the door.

“Will, hey,” you say softly, your eyes big with surprise. Will cradles a ball between his arms and a black jumper, rocking back and forth on his heels.

“Sorry for showing up unannounced, I just..” Will trails off for a moment, suddenly forgetting how to breathe. You observe his nervous nature, and stay still, patient.

“Do you wanna go for a walk, maybe?” he asks carefully, trying to give you space if that’s what you need. You lean against the door frame shrugging,

“It’s cold out,”

“I brought an extra jumper,” he says immediately, and your stature seems to soften. He holds it out for you, an expensive black knitted jumper he always wore in videos. From where you stood, you could smell his cologne, it makes you feel giddy. Even though you were still angry at how he disappeared the last few days.

“Alright, let’s go for a walk then,” you decide finally, knowing that Will wasn’t here for just a walk. He knows you know that, but the look on your face makes him feel a little more hopeful than before.

TAGLIST: @dandelionpixels @ooostarwarsfandom501st @melancholicandmessy @migilini @lyssaluvs @alysbaby @kneelforloki @formulaal @f10pc @i-need-to-be-put-down @blu-cuffie @ellouisa17 @marijas-stuff @pianor481 @flashyourgreeneyesatme @whistlef0rthechoir @edgyficuselastica

a/n: again, ty for all the love and patience. some peoples users i can’t tag but i promise i see u all !!!!

#will lenney #ukyt #will lenney x reader #willne imagine #willne x reader #sidemen #uk youtubers #willne #chrismd #stephen tries #calfreezy #james marriott

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genshinluvr · 3 days ago

Text

The Boyfriend Brigade

Pairings: Various Love&Deepspace Men x reader

Summary: After being away on a solo mission for quite some time, you return to Linkon City feeling unwell. After failing to respond to text messages, you end up getting unexpected visitors and find yourself in a predicament.

Note: I had this fanfic in the drafts for months and couldn't finish it because of how busy I was ;v; but I finally got to finish it! The next update is another LADS update, but this time, it's a smut fic! I'm not sure if it will be separated by character or if all the men are involved in one smut fic. I'll probably have a spinning wheel choose for me. In case anyone is interested in joining, my Discord server is currently open. If you're interested in joining a small community of people who play LADS alongside Hoyoverse games, I'll provide the server link at the end of this fic. Anyway! I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr), Ko-Fi (also Genshinluvr/Aaliah_exo), and AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: Mother Nature comes to visit you unannounced, if that counts as one

Word Count: 8.2k

You lean against the tree behind you, trying not to collapse to the ground while in the middle of the woods of a foreign country. You’re exhausted, and things have not been slowing down for you. The metaflux levels are through the roof, and wanderers lurk in every corner, forcing you to stay on high alert (as if you weren’t on high alert already). During the first few weeks of your solo mission, you infiltrated Ever’s secret base two hundred meters from where you’re currently gathering intel on protocores and aether cores.

Once you have gathered enough information and sent it to the Hunters Association, you continue with your solo mission: handling the wanderers and entering an area with a high protofield. Is it a smart idea to enter a protofield all alone? No, no, it’s not a bright idea, especially now that you’re dealing with endless hordes of wanderers in the woods, sniffing you out like a bloodhound.

You’re not injured— or at least not horribly injured— but you are feeling under the weather. You barely have the chance to get some rest and sleep. You’re always on your feet, constantly looking over your shoulders to make sure that there aren’t any wanderers ready to strike while you’re trying to take a breather. After what felt like forever, it could be longer than you expected, but you digress— the protofield is stabilized, and you can finally rest after who knows how long. But before you can relax, you decide to return to Linkon City and report to Captain Jenna about your completed mission. On your flight back to Linkon City, you’re knocked out and sleep until one of the flight attendants (bless her heart) wakes you up from your slumber.

You didn’t inform anyone of your return to Linkon, so you didn’t expect anyone to pick you up from the airport. Usually, it would be Zayne who picks you up from the airport, and sometimes it’s Sylus. So, here you are, sitting at the bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive.

Your eyelids feel heavy, and you can barely remain conscious. You lean against the bus stop, trying your best not to nod off. You pull your phone out from your pocket and turn it on. Once your phone finally has connection, a slew of notifications pop up on your screen. From text messages to phone calls to video calls, it just keeps popping up now that your phone has a decent connection after who knows how long.

RAFAYEL:

“Miss Bodyguard, when are you going to be back from your dangerous solo mission? Personally, I don’t think you should be doing this mission alone, but that’s just me.”

“I don’t want to have an art exhibit without you present. You’re my number one supporter and my bodyguard! I can’t go anywhere without you by my side!”

“Thomas is talking my ears off about it, and I’m trying everything I can to ignore him, but he’s giving me this look.”

“Miss Bodyguardddddddd. When are you coming home? :(”

“Are you back yet?”

SYULS:

“Kitten, I will be expecting you to return to Linkon City unscathed. Do not do anything reckless, alright? Always be two steps ahead of your enemies and know their weaknesses.”

“Kick their asses, and don’t let them kick yours. Show them what I have taught you in the boxing ring.”

“I will see you soon, alright? I want you to return to me safe and sound. If anyone lays their hands on you, tell me who they are, and I’ll take care of everything.”

“Luke and Kieran keep pestering me about your return to the N109 Zone.”

“I found something interesting in Mephisto’s nest today. I believe these are your earrings and bracelets. [PHOTO ATTACHMENT] Mephisto loves shiny things, and he so happens to take a liking to your jewelry.”

ZAYNE:

“How is your mission coming along?”

“Are you resting? Make sure not to overexert yourself, and make sure to eat plenty of food.”

“It’s been a few days since I’ve heard from you. You are safe, right?”

“If you need any assistance, I am one phone call away.”

“Text me back when you get this message.”

XAVIER:

“Make sure not to storm into the protofield recklessly.”

“Let me know when your mission is completed. I want to be the first person you see when you return from your mission.”

“I made sure to water the plants on your balcony and organize the plushies in your room. They are waiting for your return, and I am waiting for your reply.”

“I hope you do not have to resort to this, but if you are in any danger and cannot complete your solo mission, don’t hesitate to call me for help. I will be there in a heartbeat.”

“It’s been a while since I sent my previous message, and I still haven’t heard back from you. Are you alright? Do you need me to step in to help you?”

Before you can unlock your phone to answer any of the text messages you have received, the screen suddenly goes black. You close your eyes and slump in your seat at the bus stop, realizing that you did not charge your phone at all before boarding the plane. Now that your phone is dead, you have no way to contact any of the four men to inform them of your return to Linkon City.

“This is fine,” You mutter, too exhausted to do anything. “I’ll message them once I charge my phone.”

When the bus finally arrives, you sit close to the back of the bus with your belongings and close your eyes. It’ll be a fifteen-minute drive to the nearest bus stop near your apartment, so you might as well sit back and get some shut-eye before arriving home. When the bus arrives at the bus stop a block from your apartment, you nearly miss your stop due to your nap. You stumble off the bus and trudge toward the direction of your apartment, still groggy from your nap on the bus.

A small gust of air causes you to tense up and shiver. You hug yourself with one arm while dragging your luggage with the other, now realizing how cold you are. Despite feeling like a walking popsicle, your body is also covered in a thin layer of sweat. Dear goodness, you must look like a mess to whoever lays their eyes on you.

Everything is a blur after, and you find yourself collapsing on your couch after closing and locking your apartment door. Your luggage is abandoned next to the shoe rack, while one boot is beside the luggage, and the other lies beside your couch. You’re too tired to change out of your clothes and go to your bedroom. Your entire body is aching, and every limb feels like lead. You shift on the couch, digging your hands into your pockets to take your dead phone out of your pockets before tossing it onto the coffee table.

Once you get that out of the way, you curl up into a fetal position and hug your knees to your chest. Your body wracks with shivers when a wave of chills washes over your body as you slowly drift off to a dreamless sleep.

- Two Days Later -

Rafayel steps out of the elevator and turns to the right, walking towards a specific apartment. Before choosing to stop by his precious bodyguard’s apartment, Rafayel realizes that all of his messages are left on read. Now, Rafayel may not be much of a texter (only when it comes to other people who aren’t you), but seeing his messages being left on read with little to no response drives him up the wall. However, since you’re the cutest and most precious person in the world, Rafayel lets you off the hook.

“She’s probably busy with the Hunters Association debriefing.” Is what Rafayel would say to himself, trying to bury the clenching feeling in his chest. But as time goes by, Rafayel will find himself opening the message between you and him, staring at the “READ” receipt at the bottom of his message— still no response from you, not even a phone call, voice message, video call, nothing.

Rafayel doesn’t want to be seen as clingy, but he can’t help but crave for your attention, your voice, your laughter, your touch, you, you, you. Rafayel checks the tracking device he left on you (he did it for your safety) and sees that you’re at your apartment and not in some foreign country the last time he checked! Rafayel pokes the inside of his cheek with his tongue, letting out a long exhale through his nose.

“I guess she wants me to be the one to stop by this time,” Rafayel mutters before standing up. “Thomas, I’m heading out. It seems like Miss Bodyguard wants me to stop by her place.”

Thomas looks up from his phone, watching the Lemurian man grab his coat and car keys. Before Thomas can say anything, Rafayel is already out the front door, closing the door behind him. Thomas sighs, shaking his head.

As Rafayel approaches closer to your apartment, Rafayel slowly stops in his tracks. Rafayel’s mood worsens after seeing familiar faces in front of your apartment door. Just when Rafayel thinks he’s going to be your first and only visitor after you return from your mission, three other men have the same plan in mind. Rafayel stops before the three men, sensing tension among the trio.

Zayne chuckles dryly. “I see we all have the same intention,” Zayne mutters, his gaze flickering from Xavier and Sylus to Rafayel. “You three don’t need to be here. As her primary care physician, it is my duty to check up on her to make sure she’s okay.”

Xavier smiles at Zayne and crosses his arms over his chest. “Dr. Zayne, while I understand that you’re [Y/N]’s primary care physician, I’m her coworker and neighbor. I believe that I have every right to check up on her after not hearing back from her in a while.”

Zayne and Xavier continue to stare at each other; both men have fake smiles on their faces. Sylus chuckles, shaking his head while tapping on his temples as he watches the tension rise between your so-called coworker and primary care physician.

Rafayel narrows his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest, puffing his chest out as he nods in Sylus’s direction. “And what about you?”

Sylus looks at Rafayel with amusement, pointing at himself. Rafayel nods, pressing his lips into a thin line as he waits for Sylus to respond. “Oh, [Y/N] and I are—” Sylus is cut off by the sound of footsteps approaching the door. The three men (Sylus, Xavier, and Zayne) take a step back, going silent as they try to hear other things coming from behind the door. Finally! Finally, you’re going to show your cute face to them all, reassuring them you’re okay and that you’re trying to recharge after a draining mission.

In a perfect world, that’s how everything will go down. In each man’s fantasy, they imagine you telling the other men to go home so you and he can spend time together after not seeing each other for a while. However, no one lives in a perfect world, no matter how much they hope. The doorknob wiggles, and a faint click and beep comes from the door. What everyone expects to see is you in a sleepy haze, answering the door in your cozy pajamas with an extreme bedhead, rubbing your eyes, and yawning. What they all did not expect to see is—

“Hello there! Is there anything I can help you all with?” A boy-next-door voice asks.

— A man in his mid-twenties answering your door… the very same door that belongs to your apartment. The man has black hair and French lilac with a hint of rose gold accents in his eyes, and he’s tall, perhaps the same height as Sylus. Maybe a little shorter than the Onychinus leader. Zayne tenses up the minute he and the mysterious black-haired man lock eyes.

Shit. They didn’t get the wrong apartment, did they? Rafayel quickly glances at the apartment number above the door to make sure he (and the others) didn’t get the wrong apartment, but it’s the correct apartment, and Rafayel can see your signature furniture behind the man’s shoulders.

A look of surprise flashes over the man’s face before being replaced by a wide smile, and he crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorframe of your apartment. “Zayne! It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other!” The man says.

Rafayel’s eyes dart between the two black-haired men, looking at them incredulously. “You two know each other!?” Rafayel blurts, grabbing Zayne and the mysterious black-haired man’s attention.

“Of course! We've known each other since we were children,” the black-haired man replies. “Isn’t that right, Zayne?” He smiles, tilting his head to the side as he waits for Zayne’s response.

Zayne nods. “That is correct. Caleb and I have known each other since we were children.”

Silence falls over the five men, no one saying a single thing. Rafayel puffs his cheeks out and sighs, crossing his arms over his chest while leaning on one leg before switching to the other. This Caleb guy is close friends with your primary care physician, but what is Caleb’s relationship with you? Surely you’re not dating this man, are you? Could he be your brother, by chance?

Xavier is the first person to break the silence. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you in [Y/N]’s apartment?”

A look of surprise flashes over Caleb’s face. Caleb smiles and stands straight, propping both hands on his hips. “I’m here to take care of [Y/N]. I messaged her not long ago to let her know that I’m in Linkon, but she never replied. So, I took that as an opportunity to stop by her apartment to check up on her,” Caleb replies.

Sylus raises his eyebrows at Caleb’s reply, eyeing the man from head to toe— almost as if he’s sizing Caleb up. “How did you enter [Y/N]’s apartment? You didn’t happen to, oh, I don’t know, break into her apartment while she’s asleep, did you?” Sylus asks, narrowing his eyes at the black-haired man.

Caleb raises his hand before digging one hand into the pocket of his jeans and pulling out a key. “Me? Breaking into [Y/N]’s apartment? I would never,” Caleb rolls his eyes. “And for your information, she gave me a spare key a while back.”

Sylus briefly glances at the key in Caleb’s hand before continuing what he’s doing prior: sizing Caleb up (or at least that’s what it looks like to others around Sylus). The more Caleb stares at Sylus, the more he notices that Sylus’s eyes have a faint glow. Caleb breaks eye contact with the white-haired man before laughing bitterly.

“I assume you all want to check up on [Y/N]. I’m afraid I cannot let you all into her apartment as of now due to her current condition,” Caleb states, now crossing his arms over his chest.

That catches the four men’s attention immediately. Not only does it bother them that they’re not allowed to see you after not seeing you in a while, but the vagueness of Caleb’s response irks them to no end.

Xavier takes a step forward, his eyebrows furrowing. “What do you mean by her current condition? She’s not hurt, is she?” Xavier frowns, his heart pounding in his chest.

Caleb sighs, unsure of whether he should explain the situation to the three unfamiliar men and Zayne. Residents of the apartment weave through the four men in the hallway to get to their apartment and the elevator, grumbling about people taking up space and being inconsiderate. Caleb presses his lips into a thin line before gesturing for the four men to enter the apartment so they wouldn’t block the hallway for the residents.

After everyone is in the apartment, Caleb closes and locks the apartment door. Zayne, Sylus, Xavier, and Rafayel each take their shoes off and put on the spare slippers on the shoe rack. Caleb observes each man closely, mildly miffed over the fact that they know about the (now) unspoken rule when entering your apartment: shoes are to be taken off and put on house slippers. Everyone slowly migrates to the living room, some sitting on your couch while others refuse to sit.

Caleb takes a deep breath. “[Y/N]’s sick,” Caleb says. Caleb looks at each person’s face to see their reaction.

The frown on Zayne’s face deepens as he crosses his arms over his chest, eyebrows furrowing with worry. “How long has she been sick?” Zayne demands, his eyes occasionally lingering in the direction of your bedroom.

“I don’t know how long she’s been like this, but whenever I stopped by not long ago, she was unconscious on the couch. I carried her to her room and made sure she changed into loose and comfortable clothes. Thankfully, she took her medication when I handed her cold medicine. However, it seems her sickness has gotten worse overnight.”

Rafayel’s eyes widen with disbelief and horror. “Worse?! What do you mean by worse? Miss Bodyguar— [Y/N]’s not going to die, is she!?”

Zayne pinches the bridge of his nose, shaking his head after hearing Rafayel’s ridiculous question. Xavier and Sylus look at Rafayel with a questioning gaze while Caleb chuckles with amusement, shaking his head.

Xavier crosses his arms over his chest, leaning back against the couch. “If she’s sick, then why didn’t she let any of us know about her condition?”

Sylus looks at the coffee table and sees your phone lying face down. “She’s either too drained to reply to our messages to inform us of her whereabouts or…” Sylus trails off, reaching for your phone. Sylus presses the button on the side of your phone, expecting your phone to light up. But alas, your phone doesn’t turn on, even if he presses down the button for ten seconds. “She forgot to charge her phone, and her phone is dead.”

Zayne turns toward Caleb and says, “As her primary care physician, it’s my job to check up on her.”

Caleb holds his hands up in a surrender gesture. “I know that, Zayne. I’m not stopping you from checking up on [Y/N]. She’s still sleeping in her room. I tried getting her to eat something, but she refused. She only took cold medicine before going back to sleep,” Caleb says, frowning.

Caleb gestures for Zayne to follow him before turning around and walking towards your closed bedroom door. Caleb grabs the door handle and quietly opens the door. Zayne and Caleb peek their heads into your bedroom to see you out cold on your bed, buried under mountains of blankets. Caleb opens the door wider before entering your room, with Zayne following close behind. The other three men stand by the doorway, eyes glued on your unconscious body.

“If [Y/N] wanted something to warm her up as she sleeps, she could’ve just asked me,” Rafayel mutters, leaning against the doorframe.

Zayne kneels at the edge of your bed, eyes scanning your face. He presses the back of his hand against your forehead. You sigh with relief when you feel something cool press up against your hot forehead. You subconsciously lean into Zayne’s cool touch, wanting more of his touch to cool you down.

“You said she hasn’t eaten anything, correct?” Zayne mutters, looking at Caleb.

Caleb nods wordlessly, his eyes never leaving your face. “She has not, unfortunately. Again, I tried to convince her to eat the congee I’ve cooked, but she just wanted to sleep,” Caleb replies, now standing beside Zayne.

The chatter around you slowly brings you back to consciousness. You crack your eyes open and look around your bedroom with bleary eyes. You mumble incoherent words, grabbing the attention of the five men around you. Upon seeing you awake, the men remaining at the doorway of your bedroom rush over to where you lie. Your body heat and the mountains of blankets over your body cause you to squirm as you struggle to sit up and push the blankets off your body.

Xavier and Zayne help you sit on your bed while Rafayel fluffs the pillow behind you, cushioning your back against the bed frame. Sylus hands you a cup of water to drink after seeing you rub your throat while wincing. You weakly smile at Sylus before taking huge gulps of water.

Xavier chuckles, sitting beside you, and tucks your hair behind your ear. “Careful, now. You wouldn’t want to choke, now, would you?” Xavier murmurs, wiping the droplet of water from the corner of your lips after you downed the cup of water.

You shakily place the cup on your nightstand, leaning your head against the wall, and stare at your lap. No one says anything as they stare at you, waiting for you to say or do something. You rub your eyes with your knuckles, still groggy from your sleep. It feels nice to finally be home after a long mission, but you’re sick, and you feel like you got hit by a bullet train.

“Are you hungry, pipsqueak?” Caleb asks, rubbing your head affectionately before fixing your bedhead.

You shake your head. “No, I’m okay.” You lie.

Before anyone can say anything, the silence is broken by a loud rumbling in your stomach. You clear your throat and hug your pillow to your chest, ignoring the gnawing feeling in your gut. You’re starving, but you don’t want to eat.

Sylus frowns, crossing his arms over his chest as he scrutinizes you. “Sweetie, just because you’re sick and tired doesn’t mean you should starve yourself,” Sylus lectures you, shaking his head with disapproval. “If you don’t eat anything, how else will you recover from your illness, hm?”

You stare at the Onychinus leader with a visible pout on your face. The way you stare at Sylus makes him feel weak at the knees. You resemble a stray kitten found in a downpour— pathetic but cute.

“Maybe she doesn’t want to eat congee. Is it possible she wants to eat something else?” Rafayel mutters, stroking his chin. “Hey, cutie. What do you want to eat? Definitely not boring old congee, right?” Rafayel jokes.

Caleb raises an eyebrow at Rafayel’s comment, turning to you. You press your lips into a thin line and think for a minute. You don’t mind eating congee since it's easy to stomach, but you’re not entirely sure if you want to eat the same thing over and over until you’re no longer sick. The congee Caleb makes is delicious, but you want something new and easy to eat, similar to congee, but without eating congee itself.

“How about I make you some chicken soup? It has plenty of nutrients your body needs in order to recover from an illness.” Xavier says, grabbing hold of your hand and gently squeezing them.

Hearing Xavier offer to cook you something to eat nearly has you in tears. It’s not like you don’t want Xavier to cook you food—actually, it is that. You love Xavier and his willingness to cook something for you to eat, but cooking isn’t his best suit. Xavier looks at you worriedly after not hearing a response from you. The puppy dog eyes Xavier has on his face is killing you.

Zayne clears his throat, sighing to himself. “Chicken soup is a good option if you don’t want to eat congee. Caleb can cook the chicken soup while I get your medication. Xavier, Rafayel, and Sylus can keep you entertained.”

You nearly cry in relief when Zayne says it’s going to be Caleb who’s going to cook the chicken soup for you to eat (sorry, Xavier). You nod, immediately agreeing to Zayne’s suggestion. After Zayne and Caleb leave your room, you lie back down and hug your pillow. You notice Sylus slip out of your bedroom for a moment, but instead of heading to your living room, he goes straight to your bathroom.

Rafayel pouts, staring at you like an angry toddler. “You don’t want to cuddle me, cutie? After not seeing each other for such a long time, you don’t want to cuddle to make up for the lost time?” Rafayel grumbles, his bottom lip jutting out as he plops down at the edge of your bed.

Xavier glares at Rafayel before looking elsewhere. “It’s not a good idea to cuddle with someone while they’re sick. [Y/N] still has a fever, and cuddling her will only add to the discomfort,” Xavier lectures Rafayel.

Rafayel rolls his eyes before lying down on you, his head resting on your lap as he grabs your hand, completely disregarding Xavier’s lecture and glare. Rafayel laces his fingers with yours and presses a gentle kiss on your knuckles. “Nothing is going to stop me from cuddling with you, cutie. Unless you demand personal space, then it’s too bad because I’m here to stay,” Rafayel states, smirking over in Xavier’s direction.

Xavier’s nostrils flare, and his hands clenched into tight fists. “You—”

“Now, now, gentlemen. I believe now is not the right time to be bickering with one another. You two will only make [Y/N]’s headache worse the more you argue with one another. We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” Sylus clicks his tongue with disapproval as he exits your bathroom with a wet cloth in his hand.

Sylus sits at the edge of your bed near your head, brushing your damp hair away from your face and forehead. You stare at Sylus, watching him fold the small hand towel in half before placing the cool, wet towel over your forehead.

You sigh with contentment. “That feels really nice,” you murmur, closing your eyes. “Thank you, Sylus.”

“Anything for you, kitten. Now, get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s time for you to eat,” Sylus murmurs, leaning down to kiss your cheek.

Rafayel and Xavier stare at Sylus with their mouths agape and eyebrows furrowing. Sylus chuckles and shakes his head at their reactions before getting up from your bed. “Make sure to behave, you two. You wouldn’t want another lecture from Dr. Zayne and Caleb, now, would you?”

Rafayel and Xavier glance at each other from the corner of their eyes before watching the leader of Onychinus peer from your bedroom door to see what Zayne and Caleb are doing. You pull the blanket up to your chin and slowly fall into a dreamless sleep.

- 40 Minutes Later -

“How in the world did she fall asleep already?”

“Yeah, she can be a pretty heavy sleeper when she’s sick.” You hear Caleb laugh.

Sylus sighs. “Sweetie, you need to wake up and eat. You can’t skip your meals while you’re sick.”

The voices around you continue to chatter, making it nearly impossible to fall asleep, but not impossible enough to stop you from doing so. You’re not sure how long you’ve been asleep, but when you open your eyes, you find yourself sitting on the couch with the blanket draped over your thighs.

You smack your lips together, rubbing your eyes with your knuckles, almost struggling to lift your arms. You furrow your eyebrows, annoyed you can’t get your limbs to function. Your head is resting on the couch cushion, nearly lulling you to sleep again.

“Oh, no, you don’t! Don’t fall asleep on us now, cutie.” Rafayel protests, rushing over to your side and gently patting and poking your cheeks to keep you conscious.

You softly whine, struggling to grab hold of Rafayel’s hand. You open your eyes, only to see how close Rafayel’s face is to yours. You stare at him, confused. Rafayel sighs in relief and slowly backs away, now sitting beside you. Your head droops forward as you try to fight off the need to sleep. How in the world did you get on this couch?

Xavier kneels beside you, grabbing your hand. “You don’t remember what happened before you were carried to the living room?” Xavier asks, staring into your bleary eyes.

You shake your head. “Not really.”

Caleb places a food tray on your lap and then sets down a bowl of chicken soup and cutlery in front of you. The bowl has shredded chicken with chicken broth, chopped carrots, and celery. The aroma of the soup is so delicious that it causes your stomach to let out a growl that’s loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Zayne sits to the right of you. “Do you want to take your medication now, or do you want to take it after you finish your lunch?” Zayne asks, holding up the bottle of cold medicine.

You stare at the bottle, hesitant about taking the medication again. You should really get new cold medicine because the one Zayne is holding makes you feel nauseous every time you take it. Could it be because you took the medication on an empty stomach? You point at the chicken soup before scooping the broth and shredded chicken with the spoon, and begin eating the soup that Caleb cooked for you to eat.

When you pick up a piece of carrot with your chopsticks, Zayne visibly narrows his eyes at the orange vegetable and watches you bite the soft vegetable. Caleb chuckles, shaking his head at Zayne’s reaction to seeing a carrot.

“You still don’t like carrots, Zayne?” Caleb teases, crossing his arms over his chest.

Zayne clears his throat, almost rolling his eyes. “What about you? Do you still hate cilantro?” Zayne mutters, looking at Caleb from the corner of his eye.

Rafayel, Xavier, and Sylus glance at each other while internally questioning the strange interaction between Zayne and Caleb. Caleb and Zayne said they were “childhood friends,” but the way they’re acting with each other says the complete opposite. The others around Caleb and Zayne can almost visibly see electricity spark between the two men, the more they shoot not-so-subtle glares at each other. If this continues, the two could burn down your (and Xavier’s) apartment building.

You set your chopsticks down on the bowl when you feel a sharp pain in your lower abdomen. You try to ignore the pain and grab the spoon, taking small sips of the chicken broth, hoping the warm soup will ease the pain in your abdomen. Your stomach isn’t hurting; in fact, it hasn’t been hurting since you returned to Linkon City. You start listing the possibilities of what can make your abdomen hurt while sipping your soup.

You haven’t eaten much since your return to Linkon City, so the possibility of eating something “bad” is out of the question. But that’s stomach pain, not lower abdominal pain. Wait— When was the last time you had your period?

Xavier squeezes your hand, pulling you out of your thoughts. “What’s wrong?” He whispers, leaning over and staring at you intently. “Do you not like the soup? Would you prefer for me to cook you something instead?”

You blink at Xavier, slowly shaking your head. “The soup is fine, but…” You trail off, feeling the familiar pain return. “I don’t think I’ll be able to finish this soup.”

The men around you peek into the bowl to see how much soup you have left, and you barely make a dent in the soup. You’ve probably eaten three slices of carrots and four shredded chicken and sipped the broth around two or three times, but either way, you’re not even close to finishing the chicken soup that Caleb made for you.

“Can you try to finish at least half of the soup? You don’t have to finish the entire thing, but half would suffice,” Sylus suggests, gazing at you worriedly.

You stare at the soup, sighing. It’s not like you’re full, it’s just that the cramps you’re suddenly feeling are making it hard for you to want to finish your food. The longer you stare at your food, the more you can feel holes being burned into the back of your head from how hard the five men around you are staring at you.

You grab the food tray and place it on the ground before getting up from the couch. Just when you thought the cramps you were feeling a moment ago were bad, they just got worse the minute you stood up. You clear your throat, acting like you’re not being stabbed in the abdomen over and over by a box cutter. You point to the bathroom, letting them know you’ll be right back before sprinting away. During your journey to the bathroom, you feel the familiar sense of dread fall over you when, you’re assuming, blood starts gushing out of your lady bits.

You accidentally slam the bathroom door shut behind you as you rush to the toilet, pull your pajama pants and underwear down. You grit your teeth and silently groan at the sight. That’s going to leave an ugly stain.

“Maybe you’re the reason why I’m sick,” you grumble, poking at where your uterus is located. “Dropping by for a week-long visit with no notice ahead of time is absolutely foul.”

You remain on the toilet, letting the blood drip out of you as you wipe the blood from your panties. Well, at least you didn’t bleed through and stain your pajama pants. You reach into the sink cabinet, searching for your pads and tampons, only to find nothing. Your heart falls into the pit of your stomach, causing you to lurch forward on the toilet, peeking your head into the cabinet to double-check if you may have misplaced it somewhere.

You shake your head, in denial. “Fuck. Please tell me I didn’t forget to restock my pads and tampons,” you whisper.

“Everything alright in there, pipsqueak?” Caleb knocks on the door.

You close the sink cabinet with silent defeat, flush the toilet after wiping (a lot of wiping), fold toilet paper, and place it in your underwear as a temporary pad. You pull up your pants and underwear, waddling to the door. You crack the door open, peeking out to see Caleb and the others standing outside the bathroom door.

You press your lips into a thin line and proceed to push past them, walking straight to your closet to pull out clean clothes to change into after your shower. It’s probably not the best idea to shower while you’re sick, but right now, it’s very much needed. You stop in your tracks, sighing. You still need to restock pads and tampons.

“What’s wrong, sweetie? You look distraught,” Sylus says, approaching you.

God, he’s so tall.

“Huh?” You blink at the Onychinus leader owlishly.

Sylus smirks, letting out an amused laugh, and crosses his arms over his chest. “You really are out of it, aren’t you?” He teases, now standing in front of you, and presses his hands against your forehead. “You shouldn’t be showering when you have a fever, kitten.”

You frown at Sylus, feeling all sorts of emotions hitting you like a brick wall. You’re angry that your period started, you’re also sad because you completely forgot to restock your tampons and pads, you’re humiliated that you stained your panties with your blood and now have to use toilet paper as a temporary pad, but you’re so tired and in so much pain.

You want to cry, but you also want to scream and obliterate the entire planet. Of all people, why you and why now? Sylus tilts his head to get a better look at your face; his gaze softens when he sees the look on your face. Before Sylus can say anything, you drop your clothes and bury your face into his chest, sighing.

Rafayel takes a cautious step forward. “What’s wrong, cutie? It’s okay if you’re too tired to finish your soup. We won’t force you to eat,” Rafayel says softly.

You press your cheek against Sylus’s chest, peeking at Rafayel and the others with a pout. God, this is making you feel even worse. You shake your head, closing your eyes. You shudder, feeling like a stepped ketchup packet.

Xavier rubs your back, eyebrows knitted together with worry. “Please tell us what’s wrong. You seem to be doing far worse before you went to the bathroom,” Xavier pleads, pulling you away from Sylus.

“You guys know that I’m sick, right?” You mutter, sitting on the edge of your bed.

The men around you nod, slowly migrating over to your bed.

You sigh, rubbing your eyes with your knuckle. “Well, turns out, I’m also menstruating! Yippee! Hooray! Someone please kill me and end my suffering.” You plop over on your bed and rub your temples. “Oh, and to top it all off, I completely forgot to restock my tampons and pads! Things just keep getting better and better!”

You grab your pillow, tempted to take yourself out of your misery. Instead, you hold yourself back and hug it against your chest, zoning out. Caleb makes a noise, grabbing your attention. You look over at Caleb to see him staring at his phone, stroking his chin.

“That makes sense on why I’ve been getting notifications about your menstruation cycle nearing,” Caleb says nonchalantly.

You stare at Caleb owlishly. “You keep track of my period?” You ask with millions of questions running through your mind rapidly.

“I do too,” Rafayel says, waving his phone. “In fact, I just got notified that your period should be starting sometime this week, but it looks like it starts today! I should mark it.”

You sit up, ignoring the feeling of your blood staining your temporary “pad.” Wait, since when did they keep track of your period?

Noticing the clueless look on your face, Zayne pats your head with a small smile. “In case you forgot, which, judging by the look on your face, you did, you wanted me to keep track of your cycle. By the looks of it, it seems like I’m not the only one who’s tracking your cycle,” Zayne says, looking over at the others.

You stare at the five men blankly, with your mouth agape, when the others show you their phone screens. You look at the ceiling, trying to recall the time when you asked them to keep track of your period. Well, at least you won’t have to worry about forgetting your impending cycle when you have five people who will notify you about it before it happens. Today, however, is different. No warning signs at all— well, maybe you getting sick is the warning of your impending menstrual cycle, and having no pads and tampons stocked in your bathroom is the worst situation to be in.

Xavier strokes your hair. “If you want, you can go take a shower while we go to the store to buy you some pads and tampons,” Xavier murmurs, gazing at you with those adorable puppy dog eyes of his.

“If we do that, someone’s going to need to stay back and keep watch of [Y/N],” Caleb interjects, crossing his arms over his chest. “I know [Y/N] long enough to know what products she uses.”

You groan and flop over on your stomach. You can’t believe Caleb wants someone to babysit you while they go out to buy you menstrual products. You’re an adult, you can be left alone in your apartment while they’re out shopping at the nearest store. It’s not like you will bleed out and die if they leave you all by yourself. Plus, this isn’t your first rodeo as a menstruating woman, a hunter to be exact.

After convincing all five of your lovely guests to let you be alone in your apartment while they go out to restock your menstrual products, you find yourself sitting in the shower, staring at the tiles. You watch the blood and shampoo trickle into the drain, wincing when another wave of cramps hits you. You lean against the shower wall, questioning everything. You have no idea how long you’ve been in the shower, but you truly hope that Caleb, Zayne, Xavier, Rafayel, and Sylus return before you’re done taking a shower.

Meanwhile…

Zayne walks to the cash register with three boxes of pads in one hand and a box of dessert from the store’s bakery in the other. Zayne stops in his tracks when he sees the other four, raising an eyebrow at them as they approach the cardiac surgeon.

“Five boxes of tampons! [Y/N] won’t have to worry about running out of menstrual products for the next few months!” Rafayel says, looking smug.

Xavier scratches his head, holding up four boxes of both pads and tampons, each one different from the other. “I bought one of each for [Y/N]. If I remember correctly, she said her period flows tend to be different and unpredictable each month and day.”

The others nod and murmur with approval, earning a shy yet satisfied smile from Xavier. Everyone turns to look at Caleb, your childhood friend and Zayne’s childhood and maybe current love rival.

Caleb laughs, shaking his head. “Wow, all of you went all out. I, on the other hand, got her the period essentials,” he says, holding up a shopping basket that contains pads, tampons, a couple of your favorite snacks, a heatable teddy bear, and a soft throw blanket.

Zayne hums, mentally critiquing Caleb’s cart. Despite there being differences between Zayne and Caleb, Zayne approves of Caleb’s cart. Everyone turns to look at Sylus, who came empty-handed. Everyone’s silently judging the leader of Onychinus. Sylus chuckles, tapping on his temples before crossing his arms over his chest.

“While you all were shopping around, I put in a bulk order of pads, tampons, and wipes that will be delivered to [Y/N]’s apartment. It should be there by the time we return to her apartment,” Sylus says, glancing at the watch around his wrist.

Rafayel looks at Sylus with wide eyes, a mix of horror and awe. “Bulk order?! Are you implying [Y/N] is going to get warehouse-level type of shipments to her apartment?” Rafayel asks.

“Yes, because I don’t want her to worry about having to run back to the store to restock her menstrual products,” Sylus says nonchalantly, propping his hands on his hips.

Caleb scrutinizes Sylus, propping one hand on his hip. “Where did you get the money to do all of this, Sylus?”

Sylus smiles, waving off the skeptical looks thrown his way. “I’m just a fruit vendor with a very successful business, that is all.”

- 15 Minutes Later -

You shut off the water and grab your towel, wrapping it around your body. You stand in the shower, debating whether you should step out and get dressed or wait for the others to return with pads and tampons. A knock on the bathroom door interrupts your thoughts, making you nearly cry out in relief. Oh, thank goodness you won’t have to make a temporary pad out of toilet paper!

You leave the shower and walk to the door, unlocking it. You crack the door open and take a peek. Zayne, Caleb, Rafayel, and Xavier are holding bags of pads and tampons. No Sylus in sight.

Noticing your questioning gaze, Zayne gestures to the door leading to the living room. “Sylus is stocking your storage room. You’ll understand when you’re done with your shower,” Zayne says.

You sigh in relief. You thanked the four men before grabbing a random bag from one of their hands, closing the door, and getting dressed. After changing and securing your underwear, you unlock and open the bathroom door. Caleb helps you with restocking the pads and tampons in your bathroom while Xavier and Rafayel help Zayne with throwing the boxes away.

“Where is Sylus?” You mutter, closing the sink cabinet door.

Caleb shrugs. “Probably still stocking up the storage room,” Caleb replies.

Caleb wraps his arm around your shoulders before leaving the bathroom with you. When you and Caleb step into the living room, you stop in your tracks when you see Xavier, Zayne, and Rafayel helping Sylus stock your apartment storage room. You look at Caleb, who shrugs in response to your questioning gaze.

You leave Caleb’s side, approaching the four men while trying to peek from their shoulders to see what they’re doing. Xavier and Rafayel move out of the way for you to look; your eyes nearly pop out of your skull after seeing your storage room, once empty, now completely full of boxes of pads, tampons, and wet wipes.

You look at Sylus, who reminds you of a smug cat showing his owner his successful hunt. “This was your doing, wasn’t it?” You ask.

“Well, of course it is, sweetie. I don’t want you to worry about restocking your menstrual products for the next few months. If you happen to use up the entire stock, then you can always let me know, and I will have them restocked in no time,” Sylus says.

Next few months?! You look back at the storage room, filled to the brim with boxes of pads, tampons, and wipes. Maybe it’s your period that’s making you emotional, or the fact that these men care about you so much that they would go out of their way to buy as many boxes of pads and tampons for you, you find it very touching. You can’t help but tear up at the sweet gesture, causing mass panic among the five men.

“Cutie, why are you crying?! You’re not in pain, are you!?” Rafayel asks, grabbing you by the shoulders and staring at you with pure panic.

You laugh and cover your face, bending over to avoid their worried stares. Rafayel looks at the others, unsure of what to do aside from pulling you into his arms and cradling you, patting your back. You wipe the tears running down your cheeks and let yourself loosen up in Rafayel’s arms, sighing.

“What do you want to do now, pipsqueak? Do you want to finish your food now or later?” Caleb trails off, stroking your hair.

You continue clinging to Rafayel, peeking over at the untouched (and most likely cold) soup. “Can we watch a movie first? I’m not really in the mood to eat right now. Maybe I’ll be hungry after we finish a movie,” you mutter, peeking at Caleb and the others.

Each man agreed to your proposal and began setting the living room up for the impromptu movie night. When everyone starts to settle down for the movie, they all leave space for you to sit next to them—lots of space. You prop your hands on your hips, unsure of where to sit, while these men subtly glare at each other.

“Can you guys scoot a little closer?” You ask, gesturing for everyone to move in.

Caleb, Sylus, Zayne, Xavier, and Rafayel reluctantly scoot closer to each other. When they stop to look at you, you shake your head with disapproval and continue to gesture for them to move closer. Once they’re finally sitting side by side, thighs touching, you nod with approval. You grab the throw blanket that Caleb bought for you and drape the blanket over their laps, ignoring the confused stares thrown your way. You grab a plushie that works as a pillow and place it on Sylus’s lap. You walk to the light switch, turn the living room lights off before returning to where the others are waiting for you, still confused about what you’re plotting. On your way back, you grab the spare plush blanket that hangs from the armrest of the sofa. This is probably the most you’ve moved around since returning from your solo mission.

You briefly sit on Zayne’s lap before lying down on everyone’s lap. If these men want to fight over who gets to sit beside you while watching the movie, you might as well make them your bed. You lay your head on the plushie pillow on Sylus’s lap, draping your blanket over your body.

Rafayel frowns. “Hey, how come I’m the only one with the short end of the stick?” Rafayel mutters, lightly tickling your feet, making you jolt.

You peek at Rafayel with a playful glare. “Don’t worry, Rafayel. I’ll be switching positions when we start watching another movie after this one,” you reply, getting comfortable.

About twenty minutes into the movie, you slowly start to doze off. There are many times when you try to force yourself to stay awake during the first few minutes of the movie. But the more the movie drags on, you can’t help but slowly fall asleep. You’re so comfortable: fresh out of the shower, wearing cozy pajamas, lying on top of Sylus, Caleb, Zayne, Xavier, and Rafayel’s lap with a blanket over you.

You don’t mind spending your vacation and sick days like this as long as you’re surrounded by the people who cherish you and care about you. Right when you succumb to your slumber, you feel someone press a kiss on your head, and more kisses soon follow after the first.

Note: I can't believe that this is my second fanfic for Love&Deepspace and the next fic is going to be smut 😭 One of my ideas for the smut was going to be based on the Tomorrow Catch-22 memories, but then that (the fic) ended up being the complete opposite of the event and the memories. So, I'm probably going to scrap that idea and come up with a new one for the upcoming smut-fic for my LADS series. If you're interested in joining my Discord server, the invite to my Discord server can be found [HERE]! The Discord server invite links will be different every time I post a new fanfic, and these links have expiration dates. It's a relatively chill server, which I like because the server nearly crashed when it was first created. Anyway, to all my new and returning readers, keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr), Ko-Fi (Genshinluvr/Aaliah_exo), and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Read more of my works on my Grand Masterlist, which contains every masterlist I have created! Maybe support me by tipping me on Ko-Fi or by reblogging my fanfics! ^^ I will also be posting exclusive fanfics on Ko-Fi as well very soon! I might post all of my stories there, too, but who knows. You can also tip me on Tumblr if you'd like as a way to show support! ^^

#Love&Deepspace fanfiction #Love&Deepspace fanfic #Sylus x reader #Zayne x reader #Rafayel x reader #Xavier x reader #Caleb x reader #genshinluvr #Love and Deepspace fanfiction #Love and Deepspace fanfic

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wooyoungiewritings · 3 days ago

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"A familiar Kind of New" - Mingi x Reader (PART 1)

Summary: You, the most popular girl at school, and Mingi, the school’s geek and punching bag, grow a friendship at the library after school as he tutors you. You beg him to come to prom but instead, he disappears. No texts, no goodbye, nothing. But after 10 years, he suddenly appears again. The quiet, nerdy boy who used to be bullied and ignored, is now a successful, confident and heartbreakingly handsome man. As time pass, you both open up about the past and maybe you realize that maybe he was never just your tutor. Maybe he was the one that got away. Word count: 13.9K

Genre: Fluff, nerdy boy x popular girl, slow burn, old friends to lovers, "the one that got away"-type love (smut in part 2... WOOOH you’re not ready for that)

warnings: Nerdy Mingi with fem reader (fem pronouns). Mingi gets bullied and it gets really personal, lmk if I missed anything!

This is all for fun and is not meant to represent Mingi in any way.

10 YEARS AGO

The lunch table was loud like always. You sat between two of your friends, half-tuned into the conversation and half-dreaming about being anywhere else. The courtyard buzzed with voices, clinking soda cans, and the occasional distant squeal from the freshman corner. Same chaos, different day.

One of the guys from your friendgroup slammed his hand on the table, gesturing toward his phone with a dramatic flair. “Fuck off, I paid so much for that shit.”

Jae raised a perfectly sculpted brow, scoffing. “And yet it still looks like a car my grandma drove.”

Your friend snorted into her water bottle. You just kept picking at your fries, already bored.

The guy friend didn’t miss a beat. “You’re just jealous.”

You drifted out of the conversation entirely, letting their bickering fade into white noise. Your eyes scanned the courtyard, just faces and backpacks and half-eaten lunch trays - until something made you pause.

There, at a table tucked under a tree, sat a boy. Alone.

He had headphones half on, half off his ears, scribbling intensely into a notebook while eating what looked like a PB&J and carrot sticks. A plastic Rubik’s Cube sat beside him, like some weird emotional support item. His backpack was covered in patches (some science stuff, a few anime ones) and his dark hair flopped messily across his forehead every time he looked down.

You had no idea what class he was working on, but he looked… focused. Like nothing else existed in the world except that notebook and his sandwich.

It was kind of cute.

He looked up, maybe sensing your stare, and your eyes met. It was only for a second, but it made your stomach flutter.

Then a heavy arm dropped around your shoulders, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“Hey,” Jae said, voice a little too smug, a little too loud. “What about you?”

You blinked and turned back to him, forcing a smile. “What about me?”

He leaned in like he was letting you in on a secret. “Can I take you out for a ride soon? I promise my car doesn’t smell like grandma like his does.”

Your friend rolled his eyes across the table, muttering something under his breath.

You gave a small laugh, brushing Jae’s hand off gently. “I’m not really into just… driving around.”

Jae wasn’t fazed. “Okay, fine. How about a movie at my place? My parents are gone this weekend. I’ll even let you pick.”

You tilted your head, keeping your voice light. “Tempting. I’ll check my schedule.”

He grinned, satisfied with your vague answer even though you knew you weren’t interested in the offer.

The bell rang, saving you from another round of cocky persuasion. Everyone groaned, collecting trays and backpacks in slow motion. You let the crowd carry you forward through the halls, moving like a wave of too much energy and too little interest.

Later you saw him again.

Same boy from under the tree.

He was by his locker, arms full of books he was clearly trying to juggle while still managing to read something tucked inside his physics textbook. Big glasses. His shoelace was untied. He nearly dropped his water bottle twice.

You watched as someone bumped into him without apologizing. He didn’t even flinch, just gave a soft “sorry” and stepped aside like he was used to being invisible. And yet, something about him stood out to you. You weren’t sure what it was. Maybe the fact that he didn’t care about being cool. Or that he was so unapologetically himself. You couldn’t tell if he was clueless or just didn’t give a shit.

You paused at your locker, still watching as he walked down the hall, nose buried in a notebook again, nearly walking straight into a trash can.

You smiled to yourself. A little too long.

Yeah. He was definitely kind of cute.

***

You're sitting on your bed, staring at the three red-inked math tests in a row, your heart pounding with the quiet dread of what your parents said at dinner: “If your grades don’t improve, you’re not going to prom.”

Prom.

It’s not even that you care about the glitz and glitter of it. You’re not the type who dreams about the perfect dress or slow dances. But everyone’s going. Your friends. Your whole group.

“I’ll talk to the school and ask them to find you a tutor.” You dad had said across the table.

“A tutor?” you repeated, eyebrows raised.

“Yes.” He looked you straight in the eye. “If you want to go to prom, you need to be better, honey.”

You opened your mouth to protest, but the words stuck.

***

Mingi liked the library because no one paid attention to him there.

It was quiet, predictable. No one tripped over his backpack or called him weird for using five different highlighters. In here, he was just another student. Nameless, invisible. Safe.

He sat at his usual table in the back corner, notes already spread out with machine-like precision. Calculators, rulers, extra pens, even a printed cheat sheet he’d made for you. He wasn’t sure if you’d use it, but it made him feel prepared.

You were late. Two minutes and seventeen seconds late, to be exact. Not that he was keeping track.

He’d never talked to you before. Not really. He knew who you were, of course, everyone did. You weren’t the type to be cruel like Jae and the rest of the friendgroup, but you were still part of that world. A world that didn’t include people like him.

Which is why it didn’t make sense when the teacher told him he’d be tutoring you. It made even less sense when you walked in like you actually wanted to be there.

“Hi!” you called out, your voice carrying gently through the quiet room. “You’re Mingi, right?”

He looked up. You were smiling like it was the most natural thing in the world to greet him like that.

“Yeah,” he said, sitting up straighter. “Um, that’s me.”

You pulled the chair across from him and sat down, tossing your bag under the table and immediately unzipping it. “Sorry I’m late. I swear, my backpack eats everything. Took me forever to find a pen.”

“That’s okay,” he said, watching as you dumped out a mess of notebooks, lip balm, crumpled gum wrappers, and a sparkly pink pen. “You… found one.”

You looked up and grinned. “Yep. Lucky for you. Otherwise, this would’ve just been me staring at you and pretending to learn.”

He blinked, catching his breath between your excited energy. “Uh. I made you this.” He slid a little folded sheet across the table. “It’s just… a summary of what we’re starting with. Kinda like a cheat sheet. I mean, not cheating.. like, just helpful stuff. In case you wanted a-”

You picked it up and unfolded it, eyes scanning over his precise, tidy handwriting. “Mingi, this is so nice. Did you make this just for me?”

He shrugged, ears turning pink. “Yeah. I mean. I do it for myself anyway. So I figured…”

You smiled again, softer this time. “That’s really thoughtful. Thank you.”

He didn’t know what to say. Most people didn’t even notice when he held the door open for them, let alone thanked him for… being prepared.

You looked at the paper again, then back up at him. “So, how long have you been good at math?”

Mingi blinked. “Huh?”

“I’m just curious. Like, were you the kid who knew how to divide in kindergarten?”

He laughed. Awkward, but genuine. “I guess? I liked numbers more than people back then.”

You tilted your head. “Still true?”

He panicked for a moment, unsure if it was a joke or if he was supposed to say something cool.

“I mean… I like people too. Sometimes.”

You laughed again, and he swore it echoed through his ribs.

“I like you already, Mingi,” you said, flipping to a clean page in your notebook. “Okay, let’s do this. Teach me something.”

He tried not to show how much that sentence meant. I like you already. You said it like it was obvious. Like you’d known him forever. Like he wasn’t just some nerdy guy you were forced to study with.

And the thing was.. you meant it.

You didn’t pull out your phone. You didn’t sigh dramatically when he started explaining linear equations. You actually listened. Asked questions. Made jokes. Doodled tiny hearts and cats in the margins of your notes.

You were just adding tiny whiskers and a bow around its neck when you felt it, that unmistakable feeling of someone watching. You glanced up and caught Mingi staring. His head was tilted slightly, his chin resting in his hand, and his big round glasses framed the warmest, softest eyes you’d ever seen. They looked like melted tapioca pearls, dark, kind, a little surprised at being caught.

“I’m sorry,” you said with a breathless little laugh, quickly sitting up straighter. “I have a hard time focusing.”

Mingi blinked, then smiled, braces and all. “It’s alright. If it makes you learn better, then draw all you want.”

You blinked at him, surprised by the softness in his voice. There wasn’t even a hint of judgment. Just… kindness. He meant it. And it made something flutter gently in your chest.

"Thanks," you suddenly didn't know how to continue the conversation nor the drawing.

"You draw a lot?" He asks softly, eyes still on the cat on your paper.

"Yeah," you couldn't hide your excitement. "I wanna go to art school at some point, hopefully get better." you send him a smile. "I'll invite you to see my art if I ever get that far."

That threw him off. You saw it. You met his eyes and despite looking into yours, they flickered like they tried to escape. You invited him to something? He knew it was a thing probably far into the future, but the fact that you included him in something, anything, made him both feel nervous and... excited.

“Do you like to draw?” you asked, changing the subject slightly, your eyes flicking to the closed notebook next to his elbow, worn at the edges, covered in tiny graphite smudges.

“Do you like to draw?” you asked, eyes flicking to the closed notebook next to his elbow, worn at the edges, covered in tiny graphite smudges.

He followed your gaze, then nudged the book slightly away with his fingertips. “No, not really,” he mumbled. “I’m just… practicing formulas.”

“For fun?” Your tone was curious, not mocking. You genuinely couldn’t imagine anyone doing math equations in their free time, especially not by choice.

He gave a small, nervous shrug. “Yeah…”

The silence that followed was awkward for half a second, like he was bracing for you to laugh or roll your eyes.

Instead, you smiled, soft and sincere. “Really? That’s so cool.”

Mingi looked up. Blinking. As if he wasn’t sure he heard you right.

Cool. You just called him cool.

And when he realized you meant it, his whole face changed. A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, quiet and shy, but unmistakably there.

The study session went on like that, filled with light jokes, quiet scribbles, and your occasional groans of despair every time a new formula appeared. You treated him like an actual person. Not a tutor. Not a ghost in the back of the classroom. Just… Mingi. And Mingi realized something, sitting across from you, listening to you hum while you copied down a graph.

Maybe he wasn’t completely invisible.

Not to you.

***

You’re two hours into your third study session that week, and your brain feels like it’s leaking out of your ears.

“I swear this is actual gibberish,” you mumble, poking the page like it personally offended you. “Who even decided this was important? What am I ever gonna do with the pH of a mystery liquid? What if I never drink liquid again?”

Across the table, Mingi chuckles. He’s got his chin in his hand, watching you with a kind of quiet amusement.

“You don’t have to drink the acid,” he says gently. “Just understand it.”

You groan, dramatically collapsing over your notebook. “I don’t understand it.”

“You will.” His voice is so steady, so sure of you, it makes you pause.

You peek up at him from under your arm. He’s still smiling, soft and patient and maybe a little bit too good at this.

“You have a weird amount of faith in me,” you say, straightening up.

He shrugs one shoulder. “You’re trying. That’s what matters. And you’re smart. You just learn differently.”

You blink. That’s not something you’ve heard before. People usually go with “you’re not applying yourself” or “why can’t you focus for once?”

Mingi’s just watching you like the answer is obvious. Like he means it.

Something tugs at your chest.

You look back at the page, determined to make the equations make some kind of sense. Mingi leans in, pointing to a part of the problem, walking you through it again. Slower this time, with smaller steps and silly metaphors that make you laugh in between frustrated sighs.

And then.. somewhere between the third eye-roll and the tenth doodle in the margins. It clicks.

“Wait-wait.” You sit up straight, pointing to the next step. “Is it because the hydrogen ion count doubles in this one?”

Mingi’s eyes go wide. “Yes! Exactly! Because it’s a strong acid, so the dissociation is complete!”

You gasp. “Oh my god, I got it? Like, actually got it?”

“You got it,” he says, grinning like you just solved world peace. “Good job.”

And before you can stop yourself, you grab his hand and squeeze it. “Mingi! I did it!”

His breath catches. You don’t notice.

You’re beaming, still buzzing with the thrill of understanding, and he’s just sitting there, frozen with your hand in his, heart hammering way too fast.

And that’s when it happens.

That shift.

It’s not your smile. Not the way you threw your head back when you laughed. It’s this. This moment where you were so ready to give up, and you kept going anyway. And when it finally made sense, you didn’t just celebrate. You shared it. With him.

Something in Mingi’s chest tightens.

He’s always thought you were pretty. That was easy. But this? This fierce little light in you?

He didn’t expect this.

You finally notice you’re still holding his hand and let go quickly, not awkward, just distracted. Still glowing from your little academic victory.

“Okay,” you say, eyes determined. “Teach me another one.”

He smiles, softer this time. “Anything you want.”

***

The cafeteria is loud today. Louder than usual, maybe because finals are creeping up and everyone’s either high on stress or already spiraling. The last few days has been fully booked with school and studying with Mingi afterwards. You’re trying your best not to seem too excited about having an excuse not to hang out with your “friend group” after school. The study sessions with Mingi has saved you from a bunch of meaningless conversations with the people you hang out with because they just happen to be in your closest circle.

But you actually enjoy your time with Mingi. It’s… Different.

You’re halfway through your tray of rice and whatever protein today’s lunch is pretending to be when you spot Mingi. He’s alone, like always. Sitting at the edge of a seat, his head bent over a book, the straps of his backpack still over his shoulders like he’s planning his escape.

You don’t say anything right away. You just watch him. Long fingers flipping a page, the crease between his brows when he reads something too fast, the way his foot taps like it’s keeping tempo with a song only he can hear. It’s weird. You’ve started noticing things like that.

Then Jae slides into the seat beside you, tray clattering. “Babe,” he says, though you’ve told him a hundred times not to call you that. “You look like you’re trying to solve world hunger over there.”

You force a smile. “Just spaced out.”

Jae follows your gaze, then scoffs when he sees Mingi.

“You know that guy probably sleeps with his calculator,” he says, loud enough for people around to snicker. “Like, deadass. Bet he dreams in equations.”

Your stomach twists. You’re not prepared for Jae suddenly standing up and taking a few steps closer to Mingi’s table.

“Hey, Mingi!” Jae calls, and your eyes snap to him in horror.

Mingi looks up slowly, already bracing himself.

Jae grins. “You ever kiss a girl, or are you still waiting for the quadratic formula to do it for you?”

People laugh. Not everyone, but enough to make it echo. Mingi flushes, adjusting his glasses with shaky hands. He doesn’t say anything. He never does.

You look down at your tray. The rice is cold now.

You should say something. You want to. But your voice catches in your throat, and instead you just press your lips together and pretend to be really focused on your fork. Jae’s attention drifts after a moment. Someone calls his name from another table, and he struts off like he didn’t just pour gasoline on someone’s self-esteem for sport.

Mingi gets up a minute later. Doesn’t look at you. Just packs his book away and slips out of the cafeteria like he was never there.

And you?

You feel like shit.

You catch up with him after third period, rushing down the hallway as he’s stuffing his books into his bag like he’s trying to disappear.

“Mingi!”

He turns, startled, like he wasn’t expecting anyone to speak to him for the rest of the day.

You slow to a stop in front of him, breath caught in your chest. “Hey. Um. I just-” You scratch the back of your neck. “We still on for our study date later?”

He blinks. A beat passes. Then he gives you a soft smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Yeah,” he says quietly. “Of course.”

You nod, heart heavy. You’re not brave today. But you will be.

***

You spotted Mingi at your usual library table before he spotted you. His nose was in a book again, shoulders slightly hunched, and his pen tapped anxiously against the edge of the page. You swore you could hear the awkward silence already forming between you. You made your way over and dropped your bag into the chair with a dramatic thud.

“Hey,” you said cheerily, sliding into the seat across from him.

Mingi looked up, surprised, his pen pausing mid-tap. “Oh, hey.”

You hesitated for half a second before blurting, “I just wanted to say sorry. About earlier.”

Mingi shook his head before you could go on. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

You hated that.

“But you didn’t deserve that,” you said. “You were just sitting there, being your smart self, reading your big-brain-book about DNA or genomes or whatever, and Jae had to make it a thing.”

You waited, watching him. A short silence. His mouth twitched into a hidden smile.

“‘Big-brain-book’?” he asked quietly.

You grinned. “Yeah. I’m not the one tutoring someone in math and biology, so don’t expect fancy words from me.”

That earned you a small laugh, and it lit you up like a light switch.

Success.

“I just…” You leaned in on your elbows. “I think it’s cool, you know? That you read that stuff because you want to. I have to reread the same sentence like ten times. And even then, I’m still confused.”

“That’s relatable.”

“See? We’re not so different,” you said with a playful smile. “You read about chromosomes for fun, and I.. well, I memorize the school vending machine schedule. Both important things.”

He was smiling now. “Critical survival skills.”

“Exactly,” you said. “Now, are you ready to witness the academic disaster that is me trying to solve basic equations?”

“I’m ready,” he said, already flipping to a fresh page in his notebook.

And as he began explaining the first problem, you couldn’t help but sneak a glance at him. How his hands moved carefully across the page, how his voice grew more confident the more he talked. He was still the quiet guy in the corner, the one nobody really paid attention to.

But somehow, you were starting to notice everything

1 month later

The library feels different lately.

It might be the way the late spring sunlight filters through the dusty windows, warm and golden, casting long shadows across the tables. Or maybe it’s just him. The way he smiles more now. The way he teases you gently when you get a question right on the first try. The way he sits a little closer than he used to.

He’s tucked into your usual corner as you enter the library. You set a cup down in front of him, condensation beading along the plastic.

Mingi blinks. “What’s this?”

“A vanilla-sea-salt-olive-oil-milkshake,” you say, smug. “You said it’s your favorite.”

His ears go red instantly. “..I didn’t think you remembered that.”

You nudge the cup toward him. “Of course I remembered. It’s literally the weirdest milkshake combo I’ve ever heard of, but I respect it.”

He laughs, full and soft and a little shy. “It’s good, okay? Don’t knock it until you try it.”

You grin, sipping your own drink. “One day.”

The moment lingers, a gentle quiet settling between you. Pages flip. Pencils scribble. Your foot taps against his without thinking, and this time, he doesn’t pull away.

“So…” you say, casually flipping your pen in your fingers. “Prom’s coming up.”

Mingi freezes mid-sip. “Ugh,” he mutters, setting the cup down. “That.”

You raise a brow. “What? You’re not going?”

He shakes his head. “No. Definitely not.”

“Why not?”

He shrugs like it’s obvious. “Because prom is for… Popular people. The ones who actually get invited to things and, like, exist in other people’s minds.”

You frown. “Mingi…”

“It’s not a big deal,” he says quickly, avoiding your eyes. “I mean, even if I wanted to go, who would I go with? No one even knows I’m here most of the time.”

Your chest tightens. Because it’s not self-pity. He says it like it’s just a fact, like rain or gravity. “But I know you’re here,” you say, quiet but firm.

He glances at you, eyes flicking up from his notebook.

Your gaze holds his. “I know that you bite your pen when you’re thinking too hard. I know you get weirdly happy when you talk about physics. I know you pretend not to laugh when I mess up, but you totally do.” You smile, just a little. “And I know you deserve to be there. Just like anyone else.”

Mingi swallows. “Even if I’d spend the whole night standing in a corner?”

“I’ll stand in that corner with you,” you say, bumping his foot under the table. “We can be anti-prom together. In the middle of prom.”

He laughs, but there’s something wistful in it. Like part of him wants to believe you.

You don’t press him. Not yet. But the look in his eyes when he sips his milkshake again is softer. Lingered. Like maybe - for the first time - he’s imagining himself there.

2 months later

You practically crash into the library door, breathless and beaming. Your backpack thuds against the floor, and you don’t even care that people turn to stare. You spot him immediately. Mingi, already seated at your usual table, scribbling quietly into a notebook, glasses slipping down his nose.

“MINGI,” you shout-whisper, rushing toward him.

He looks up, startled, but when he sees your face, his whole expression softens.

“What’s going on?”

“I PASSED!” you whisper-scream, bouncing on the balls of your feet. “Like actually passed! No - aced! Bio? A-minus. Chem? B-plus! Mat? B-plus! I DID IT.”

His mouth drops open. “No way.”

You nod furiously, hands flapping like you don’t know what to do with all your excitement. “YES way. My parents were so shocked they actually hugged me. Hugged me, Mingi. That’s how you know it’s real.”

He laughs, wide and full and so proud. “Y/N, that’s amazing.”

“You helped me so much,” you say, grabbing his hands before he even knows what’s happening. “Like, I literally would’ve failed without you. You are a godsend. A genius. An angel. A cute science wizard.”

Mingi turns bright red. “O-okay, let’s dial it back-”

You’re glowing. Practically vibrating. “And you know what this means?” you say, eyes wide. “I get to go to prom. I get to go to prom!”

He grins, but it’s a little quieter now. A little more contained. “Yeah,” he says, squeezing your hands once before letting go. “You’re going.” To a world he still doesn’t feel like he belongs in.

“So,” you breathe, eyes shining, “are you coming?”

Mingi blinks. “To prom?”

“Yeah!” you say, sliding into the seat beside him, your knee bumping his. “You should come! You’re, like, half the reason I’m allowed to go. I need my study buddy there.”

He laughs under his breath. “Y/N…”

“Come on,” you nudge him, teasing. “It’s just one night. Who cares if it’s lame? We can make fun of people’s outfits. Drink gross punch. Hide in a corner and complain about music.”

“You already have a date,” he says softly.

You pause. The other day, Jae asked you to be his date in the middle of the cafeteria and you agreed. You couldn’t explain why you say yes, honestly. Your excuse was that it felt “safe”?

“Yeah,” you admit. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be there. You’re my friend, Mingi. I want you there.”

He looks at you. Really looks at you. And for a second, you think he might say yes. But then he smiles, a little sad. A little distant.

“I’ll think about it.”

And you don’t know why that answer makes your chest feel weird.

But it does.

***

The music pulsed from inside the building, muffled by the heavy doors and the hum of chatter echoing under the lights. But you weren’t listening. You stood just outside the prom entrance, your hands wrapped tightly around your phone like it was going to deliver you something. Anything. A text. A call. A simple “I’m here.”

But the screen stayed stubbornly dark.

Your blue dress sparkled under the string lights lining the school entrance. You looked like you belonged at prom. You looked like you were having the night of your life. But your eyes kept scanning the parking lot instead of walking through the doors.

Where was he?

You checked your phone again.

Nothing.

A part of you told yourself to stop. That maybe he got nervous. That maybe he changed his mind. That maybe he was late and you'd feel stupid for worrying. But your stomach twisted anyway.

You paced a little, heels clicking softly against the pavement as couples and groups passed you by, laughing, already inside. You ignored them all. You were too busy searching each new arrival’s face, hoping to see that familiar mop of dark hair, those glasses, that slightly awkward stance.

Still nothing.

“Y/N!”

You turned to see Jae walking toward you, his tux sharp and pressed, but his smirk even sharper. The rest of the friend group trailed behind him.

“There you are,” Jae said, eyeing you up and down. “Took you long enough.”

“I was waiting,” you said, before you could stop yourself.

Jae raised a brow. “For who?”

You didn’t answer, just glanced down at your phone again. All you could hear was the pounding bass inside, the quiet buzz of your phone still not lighting up in your hand. Then one of your friends appeared at your side, tugging your arm. “Come on! We’re gonna miss the pictures!”

You hesitated. Just one more look at the parking lot, just one more second.

Still nothing.

With a deep breath, you turned away and let yourself be pulled through the entrance. The lights are too bright. The music is too loud. The fake smiles, the crowded dance floor, the punch that tastes like sugar and cheap vodka.

You keep looking. Every time the door opens, every time someone tall walks by, your heart jumps. Just for a second. But it’s never him.

Not Mingi.

Not the person who got you here.

“He’s not coming,” Jae said beside you.

You flinched. You didn’t even hear him approach.

“What?”

“That loser. Mingi. You’re still looking for him?”

You didn’t answer. Just tried to keep your face neutral, even though your pulse jumped.

Jae huffed a laugh and leaned in closer. “You seriously thought he’d show? C’mon. Guys like him don’t come to prom. They stay home jerking off to anime or some shit.”

“Jae-”

“Let me guess. You told him the theme was ‘under the stars’ and he took that literally and went home to read a book about astronomy?”

You rolled your eyes and moved to walk away, but he followed.

“I mean, sure, he’s helping you with school, but let’s be real.. He’s just using that as an excuse to hang out with you. He’s probably obsessed with you. Guys like that always are. You smile at them once and they think they’ve got a chance-”

And that’s when the drink left your hand.

Red punch, sticky and cold, splashed across Jae’s face and tux in one glorious arc. He froze mid-sentence, blinking as drops clung to his lashes and dripped from his nose. The room around you stilled, just for a second, as people turned to see what had just happened. You dropped the empty cup on the table.

“Say one more thing about him,” you said, voice low but steady, “and I swear to God, I’ll make sure the next thing that hits you isn’t a drink.”

Jae sputtered, wiping his face with the sleeve of his very expensive jacket. “Are you serious right now-”

But you were already walking away, heels clicking hard against the floor as you pushed through the crowd and out of the gym. The music was still playing, the lights still spinning, but none of it mattered. You stepped into the quiet of the hallway, heart pounding. You didn’t know where Mingi was. You didn’t know why he didn’t come. But what you did know was that Jae was wrong.

Mingi wasn’t the loser in this story.

Jae was.

And he wasn’t worth one more second of your night.

10 YEARS LATER

The Friday night rush had officially taken over.

You balanced a tray of drinks in one hand and menus in the other as the host called out another name behind you. The restaurant was buzzing, the clink of glasses, low conversation humming under the jazz overhead, the quiet pop of champagne bottles in the back.

You weave between tables with practiced grace, a tray balanced on your hand, smile plastered on like muscle memory. Your feet ache. Your shift is only halfway over. Someone just spilled red wine near table 6. Again.

You ducked behind the host stand to check the reservation list and refill your apron with pens and receipt slips.

“Y/N?”

You froze. Your fingers tightened around the pen you were holding, and slowly, confused, you looked up.

And then everything stopped.

Standing a few feet in front of you was someone tall, broad-shouldered, and terrifyingly good-looking. A sharp suit. Clean cut. Confident posture.

But his eyes… his eyes were the same.

“Mingi?” you said before you could stop yourself, and your hand knocked the plastic cup of pens off the counter with a loud clatter, sending pens bouncing in every direction like startled insects. You dropped down to gather them, cheeks burning, brain still scrambling to make sense of what you were seeing.

He crouched too, already reaching to help you.

“Here,” he said quietly, handing you a few.

You looked up at him, still crouched. His face was more angular now, more mature. His jawline sharp. Lips full. Hair perfectly styled. There was nothing nerdy left about him, except maybe the warm flicker in his eyes as he looked at you like he wasn’t quite sure he was seeing right either.

But before you could say anything else, a woman's voice cut in.

“Mingi,” she said flatly, bored already. “They’re waiting on us.”

You glanced up at her. Tall, flawless, designer from head to toe, clutching her purse like she hated touching public surfaces. She didn’t look at you. Not once.

Mingi stood slowly. “Right. Reservation under Song.”

“Of course,” you said, straightening quickly, stuffing the last pen back into your apron. Your voice sounded weird. Too high. Too unsure. “This way.” You led them in silence, your heart pounding in your ears.

He didn’t say anything. You didn’t either. Not because you didn’t want to, but because neither of you seemed to know what to say. And it wasn’t the time anyway. The restaurant demanded your attention. Tables to serve. Dishes to clear. Orders to double-check.

After delivering food for another table, you grabbed your notepad and made your way over to table seventeen, smoothing down your apron. You already knew this was going to be weird. Your old high school tutor, now looking like a literal GQ cover model, sitting in the corner booth with a woman who’d already made you feel like gum on her designer heels.

“Hi again,” you said, putting on your best server voice. “Can I take your drink orders?”

The woman didn’t look up, still scrolling through her phone. “Ugh, can you give me a minute? I haven’t even had a chance to look.”

You blinked. “Of course. Take your time.”

She sighed dramatically, tossed her phone into her bag, and finally glanced at the menu. “What’s the least sugary wine you have? I don’t want anything cheap or mass-produced. I only drink biodynamic wines from small family vineyards.”

You nodded. “We have a dry French Sauvignon Blanc that—”

“Is it vegan?” she interrupted.

You hesitated. “I can check with the bar.”

She rolled her eyes. “Unbelievable. Why don’t restaurants ever just know that?”

“I’ll double-check for you,” you said, voice still even.

“I guess I’ll just have sparkling water for now. No ice. Room temp. With a twist of lime. Not lemon. And not in the water. On the side.”

Mingi spoke up gently. “I’ll just have a ginger ale.”

Your eyes met his for a moment. You smiled tightly and moved on. “Are you ready to order food?”

“Give us a second, just bring the drinks.” She instructed and you sent her the most professional smile you could manage.

“I’ll be back.” You smiled before making your way up to the bar, order slip in hand, and dropped it dramatically on the counter like it weighed fifty pounds.

Wooyoung, the bartender, glanced at it, then glanced at you. “Table seventeen?”

You just nodded and exhaled.

He raised a brow, already filling a glass. “So what’s she allergic to? Joy? Basic manners?”

You snorted. “Room temp sparkling water. No ice. Lime on the side. Not in the glass. God forbid.”

Wooyoung grabbed a bottle from under the counter, muttering under his breath. “She sounds like the human version of a Terms and Conditions page.”

“I feel like I’m in a Yelp hostage situation.”

He slid the drinks onto a tray, leaned in, and whispered, “Why is there such a tension between you and that guy across from her.. You know him?”

You gave him a look. “He was my tutor, turned friend, and then he disappeared for 10 years. It’s awkward.”

Wooyoung smirked. “Mhm. He is looking at you a lot though.. He looks rich, go for it.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t stop the tiny smile. “I don’t even know him anymore, it’s been 10 years. He looks… different.”

“Different how?”

“Like he eats confidence for breakfast.”

Wooyoung leaned on the bar, grinning. “And his date looks like she eats waitresses.”

“She almost did.”

He gave you a dramatic pat on the shoulder. “Godspeed, soldier.”

You sighed, picked up the tray, and turned toward the battlefield. “If I don’t come back… avenge me.”

Wooyoung called after you, “I’ll write your name on the tip jar!”

You let out a giggle as you returned to the infamous table seventeen. You placed their drinks in front of them and found your notepad once again. “Ready to order your food?”

The woman let out a groan, flipping the menu shut like it offended her. “What do you recommend for someone who’s gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, and doesn’t eat anything with a face?”

“…A salad?”

“Ugh, boring.. I guess I’ll have the risotto,” she said, not waiting for your answer. “But no onions, no garlic, no salt, no dairy, and absolutely no parsley. I hate garnish. It ruins the presentation.”

“Of course.”

Mingi glanced down at his menu like it was the only safe place to look. “I’ll have the steak. Medium rare. That’s all.”

You scribbled it down and just gave a nod. “I’ll get that in for you.”

The rest of the evening drags in flashes of passive-aggressive comments and high-pitched scoffs. She sends back a plate because it’s “too pretty to eat, but not in a good way.” You keep your smile steady through all of it, a crack in porcelain.

Mingi doesn’t say much.

But you notice the small things. How he flinches when she talks down to the staff. How he keeps sneaking glances at you when he thinks you’re not looking. How he starts saying “thank you” every time you come near the table, soft and almost guilty.

It’s not the boy you remember.

He’s older now. Quiet, but not like he used to be. He’s learned how to hide in plain sight. But his eyes still say what his mouth doesn’t.

It's finally time for the m to pay and she sighs dramatically. “God, finally. Maybe now we can get out of here.”

Mingi looks at you one last time as you hand over the receipt. “It was…really good to see you again.”

You nod, heart too full to respond.

Too shocked to see the man you’ve been dreaming about for 10 years.

***

Youre half-jogging across the street, clutching your sketchbook under one arm and your much-needed coffee in the other. Late… again. The crosswalk light blinks red, but you’re already halfway through when the black luxury car comes speeding around the corner.

You jump back with a gasp, stumbling on the curb, and your coffee goes flying, straight out of your hand, splattering down your coat and shoes.

And in your panic-fueled rage?

You hurl the empty cup at the hood of the car.

“Watch where you’re going, asshole!” you yell, breath caught in your throat as the car screeches to a stop. It just sat there, glossy and silent, like it was too expensive to care. Your dignity abandoned you immediately.

Mortified, heart pounding, you turned on your heel and marched away before the tinted windows rolled down and revealed some ultra-rich devil ready to sue you for assault via paper cup. You storm into the next coffee shop, head down, coat stained, pride bruised. You’re still muttering to yourself about dangerous drivers when someone says your name.

“Y/N?”

You turn and time slams to a halt.

There he is.

Mingi.

Tall, broad, dressed in a tailored black coat that probably cost more than your rent. His hair is tousled like it had been done on purpose, his jawline is sculpted like he’d been carved from rich-boy marble, and in his hand…

… is your empty coffee cup.

“I believe this belongs to you?” he said, lifting it slightly, a nervous smile playing on his lips.

You blink. Then blink again. “Wait. You were the guy in the car?!”

“…Yeah.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I figured it was best not to mention it while you were still holding a hot beverage.”

Your soul left your body. “Oh my god,” you groaned. “Please, no, I didn’t mean to throw that at your car.”

He was grinning now. “It was a great shot though.”

“I thought you were some reckless douchebag,” you stammer, pushing hair behind your ears, already dying of embarrassment.

“I mean,” he shrug, “the driver was going a little fast.”

You stare at him. You can see he’s trying to find the right words. “My driver. He almost hit you, but don't worry, he’s now banned from Bluetooth arguments while driving.”

You gave a weak laugh. “Sorry for the cup.”

“I deserved it,” he says easily. “I’m buying you a new coffee, anything else?… a soul cleanser?”

“Coffee is fine.” You smile, before he orders a new coffee for you. You wait, still too flustered to do anything but trail after him like a starstruck ghost. While waiting in line, you manage to gather your senses enough to smalltalk.

“So… you’re in the area?” you ask, glancing up at him. How do you talk to a person who disappeared for 10 years and comes back looking like a GQ model with wealth spilling out of them? You don’t know. But you're trying.

"Temporarily. I’m just back in town because I’m investing in some properties around town and I need to close some deals before heading back.” he said.

“Investing in properties?” You ask, not knowing exactly what to ask about first.

“Yeah, those long hours studying math really came in handy,” He jokes, sending you a smile that reminds you too much of the person he was 10 years ago. “I was heading to a meeting, but I think almost murdering someone takes priority.”

You snort. “Well, lucky me.”

“What about you?” He looks down at you. You recall him being tall in High School but he was definitely even taller now.

“I’m on my way to art class,” you said, lifting your sketchbook as proof.

His gaze flicker down. “You still draw?”

“Still trying to,” you say, smiling softly.

“I remember you used to sketch during our study sessions,” he said with a smile, surprising you. “I would scold you for making doodles on the paper instead of taking notes.” His voice is warm. The barista hands you your new coffee before you have time to react. And before you could thank him again, Mingi say, “Let me give you a ride.”

You blink. “What?”

“I insist,” he say. “You’ve suffered enough for one morning.”

“I can walk-”

“Please.”

You hesitate, then nod. “…Okay.”

As the two of you walk out of the shop, you spot the black car parked out front. Same one from earlier. And leaning against it like he was in the middle of a Vogue shoot is a tall guy with dark hair and rolled-up sleeves. He spots you and straightens, removing his sunglasses.

“This is my driver, personal assistant and best friend, Yunho.” Mingi introduce Yunho as he take a step towards you.

“I’m really sorry for earlier. I swear he was yelling about some meeting and I missed the turn.” Yunho apologize.

You raise your coffee. “I threw a cup at your car, so I think we’re even.”

Yunho grins. “Deal.”

Mingi opens the car door for you like a gentleman, and you step into the kind of interior that smells like new leather and old money. As the car pulls away, your coffee warms your hands and your thoughts whirl faster than traffic. You sit with your coffee in your lap, legs crossed, trying not to overthink the fact that you are in a car with Mingi. Ten years ago, you were calling him cute in the back of a library. Now? Now he is next to you, suited up like he owns the building your class is in.

“So,” you say, casually glancing his way. “Your girlfriend from the other night… she was really… sweet.”

Mingi lets out a quiet sigh, then glances your way, deadpan. “That wasn’t my girlfriend.”

“Oh?” You raise a brow, pretending to sound surprised. “Could’ve fooled me. She seemed really into the water with no ice and emotionally terrorizing waitstaff.”

“It was a blind date a colleague of mine set up. He’s no longer allowed to do that. Ever again.”

You try to hide your smirk behind your coffee. “She seemed super chill. I loved when she asked if the truffle risotto was gluten-free, dairy-free, and joy-free.”

“She sent it back because it smelled too ‘mushroomy.’ It was truffle risotto.”

“And the water. Can’t forget the water.”

“I’m still emotionally recovering,” He rolls his eyes. “She also told me the candlelight was too aggressive.”

That made you laugh, hard enough you had to set your coffee down. You shake your head, laughing as you lean back against the seat. “So... no second date?”

“I blocked her halfway through dessert.”

“That bad?”

“She told me I had ‘beta energy’ because I helped you with the pens.”

Your eyebrows fly up. “Wait, what?”

“I don’t even know what that means,” he says, looking over at you with that same old sparkle in his eyes. “But I don’t think it was a compliment.”

You smile into your cup, feeling lighter than you expected.

Then, after a beat, Mingi glances over again. “What about you?” he asks. “Are you… still seeing Jae?”

You blink, caught off guard. “God, no.”

He arches a brow.

You shrug. “We were never really a thing. I think I convinced myself to consider it for like five minutes back in high school. But… yeah. He was kind of a dick.”

Mingi laughs softly. “Kind of?”

“I was trying to be polite.”

He smiles at the windshield. “I could’ve told you that.”

You turn to him, mock-offended. “And you didn’t!?”

Mingi tilts his head with a knowing look. “Do you remember how he was back then? I liked my teeth where they were.”

You grin but you know how Jae was to Mingi in high school. Not a doubt in your mind that Jae would’ve been even worse to Mingi if he ever did anything back. The car slows to a gentle stop. You look out the window and see your art building. You hadn’t even realized you were this close.

“Thanks for the ride.” you say, unbuckling your seatbelt.

“Thanks for not throwing your coffee at me this time.”

“No promises for next time.”

You both smile.

As you get out of the car, you make eye contact with Yunho in the front before saying, “And sorry again for the cup.”

“Fair trade,” Yunho says with a shrug. “I almost hit you. You assaulted my windshield. Balance.”

You laugh, stepping out into the sun. “Well.. Maybe I’ll see you around, Mingi.”

“Yeah,” he says softly. “See you.”

***

You are halfway through balancing a tray of desserts when you spot him.

Tall. Broad. Too well-dressed for a Wednesday afternoon. He looks almost comically out of place beneath the dim chandeliers and overpriced floral centerpieces, like he walked into the wrong restaurant by accident and was just too polite to leave. Mingi stood by the host stand, hands in the pockets of a dark navy coat, glancing casually at the menu as if he hadn’t already made up his mind.

You smooth your apron and walk over. “Don’t tell me you’re here for another blind date.”

He looks up and smiles, just a small one. But you notice. “No blind dates today.”

“Thank God. I don’t think we have the emotional support risotto on the menu today.”

That earned a quiet laugh from him. “I came for lunch.”

Your brow arch. “You came to a place that serves foie gras in abstract geometric shapes for lunch?”

“I was… in the area.” He scratches the back of his neck, looking like he knew how unconvincing that sounded. “Is there a table for one?”

You bit back a grin. “As a matter of fact, there is.” You lead him towards a table by the window. Once seated, he looks up at you, eyes scanning your face like he hadn’t gotten the full view last time.

“Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.” He says while he’s looking up at you.

You raise a brow. “Pretty sure you’re the one who walked into my workplace.”

“Fair point.”

You hand him a menu and lean slightly on the back of the chair. “So, what’ll it be? More emotionally stale water? Or something new?”

He smiles again, barely. “Surprise me.”

You cross your arms. “I don’t think that’s how this restaurant works.”

“I trust your judgment.”

You give him a look. “You shouldn’t.”

But still, you turned towards the kitchen with a little smirk on your face, cheeks warmer than you liked. A few minutes later, you return with a plate of the daily special and a glass of iced tea, placing it down in front of him with a practiced hand. “I take it you’re not allergic to anything that grows in the dirt or has... feelings?”

He chuckles. “I’ll survive.”

You step back, folding your hands behind your back. “So, really. What brings you here, Mingi?”

He took a sip of the tea first, then shrug, avoiding your gaze. “I don’t know. I guess I was just curious if you'd be here.”

You blink. “That’s... weirdly honest.”

“I’m bad at lying.”

You smile despite yourself. “Well, congrats. I’m here. In all my apron-clad glory.”

“It suits you.”

You tilt your head. “The apron?”

He doesn’t answer right away. Just looks at you like he was maybe starting to figure out how much he missed out on back in high school. You cleared your throat.

“Anyway. Let me know if you need anything. A fancy salt, perhaps? A spoon blessed by a Michelin chef?”

He gave you that same small laugh again, the kind that stayed low in his chest. “I’ll be fine.”

You leave him with his lunch and try your best not to look back too many times. The rest of the hour, Mingi would steal your attention more than you cared to admit. Your eyes would naturally travel to his corner like it was the most natural thing in the world. It weirded you out seeing the boy who used to sit alone at lunch now sit alone in one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. Just for lunch.

After he paid, you finished stacking a few menus when you notice Mingi still lingering by the host stand, hands in his coat pockets, eyes flicking toward you like he wasn’t quite ready to leave.

You step closer, raising an eyebrow. “Forgot something?”

He shrugs casually, but his voice betrays him, just a little tight, just a little hopeful. “Not really. Just thought… maybe I could get your number?”

You blink, surprised. “For?”

He scratches the back of his neck, gaze dropping for a second. “I don’t know. In case I stop by again and… you’re not here. Or if I need a drink recommendation. Or table suggestion. Or something.”

You smile, amused by how awkwardly he was trying to be casual about it. “Right. For professional purposes.”

“Exactly.” He nods, clearly relieved you didn’t make it weird.

You pull out a receipt and scribble your number on the back before handing it over. “Don’t use it to order food though. I don’t take reservations by text.”

He lets out a quiet laugh, folding the paper and slipping it into his wallet. “Got it. No food orders. Just emergencies.”

And with that, he gives you a small wave and turns to leave. You are still smiling when you turn back towards the bar and almost jump out of your skin when Wooyoung is suddenly right there, propping his elbows on the counter like he’d been waiting for the curtain to drop.

“So,” he says, loud enough to draw attention, “that wasn’t suspicious at all.”

You groan. “Please don’t.”

Wooyoung points dramatically towards the door. “Tall, mysterious, dressed like he owns a yacht, came in just to stare at you for an hour and left with your number.”

“He came in for food.”

Wooyoung leans in. “And stayed for dessert.”

You grab a towel and toss it at him. “You’re so annoying.”

“Annoyingly observant,” he says, dodging. “You better invite me to the wedding. I want the first toast and the first slice of cake.”

You roll your eyes but can’t help laughing. “It was just a number.”

Wooyoung smirk. “Numbers become dates. Dates become soulmates. I’ve seen the movies.”

You give him a look. “It’s not a movie.”

He wink. “Not yet.”

***

You’re curl up on the couch, blanket over your legs and a bowl of cereal in your lap even though it’s nowhere near breakfast time. The TV plays quietly in the background, something forgettable you put on just for noise. You’re halfway through mindlessly flipping through your sketchbook when your phone buzzes beside you.

Unknown: Hey. Just checking if this is your actual number and not some cruel prank.

You blink, surprised to see a text from who you only imagine to be Mingi. It’s only been a few hours since he left the restaurant. You smirk to yourself and grab your phone.

You:Would a fake number reply to you this fast?

You immediately save his number and make him a new contact. You set your phone back down, returning to your cereal, only for it to buzz again seconds later.

Mingi:Bold of you to assume I haven’t had imaginary conversations with fake numbers before.

You huff a small laugh and sink deeper into the couch, spoon dangling from your mouth as you text back.

You:Sounds like something you should bring up in therapy.

Mingi:I did. My therapist ghosted me.

You snort into your cereal, nearly dropping the spoon.

You:Tough crowd.

Mingi:Tell me about it.

Your phone goes quiet after that, but the little exchange leaves you with a faint smile. You close your sketchbook, set the empty cereal bowl on the coffee table, and let yourself relax a little more into the cushions.

***

You don’t expect to receive a text from Mingi the next day. But you do.

Mingi So... do I have to schedule an appointment or can I bribe you with coffee to see your art?

You stare at the message, mouth twitching.

You You wanna see my art?

Mingi I wanna see what stole all of the attention while tutoring you

You Wow. Emotional blackmail. Hot.

Mingi You promised. And I am a man of follow-ups now.

You chuckle, feeling warmth bloom in your chest despite the gray clouds overhead. You meet him that evening outside your art school. It’s after-hours, but your professor gave you a key code. Perks of being one of the more “dedicated” students, aka “you’re here too much, go home sometimes.”

Mingi stands by the gate, dressed way too nicely for a quick art tour. Black trousers, a slate gray coat, a warm scarf that makes him look like he walked out of a drama set. He waves when he sees you, and the smile on his face is so familiar it kind of makes your heart trip.

“Ready to be wildly underwhelmed?” you say as you swipe your ID at the side entrance.

“Extremely.”

You lead him into the long hallway filled with student work. Some pieces hang proudly in frames; others are still drying on racks. There’s the smell of paint, turpentine, a little coffee, honestly, your comfort zone. Mingi walks slowly, taking everything in with surprising focus. When you stop in front of your section, you feel a flicker of nerves.

“This one’s mine,” you mumble, suddenly shy. “Well, this whole wall.”

He scans the canvases carefully. There’s a large abstract piece with messy strokes of crimson and gold, a smaller still life of a coffee cup you were once too broke to drink, and a half-finished portrait that still makes your heart ache when you look at it too long. Having been working on it for nearly two years, it’s one of those paintings you don’t think you’ll ever finish.

“You’re really good,” he says softly.

You shrug, trying not to make it a big deal. “I’m trying.”

“No,” he says, looking at you now. “You are.” There’s something in his voice. An honesty you remember from a long time ago. The same tone he used when he told you you’d pass your math final, even when you thought your brain was rotting.

You smile, a little flustered. “Thanks.” You continue slowly walking next to all the art in the room. A thought you’ve had the past few days blooms in your mind again and you get the urge to ask him. “So…” You start, trying to make your question natural and not open wounds that could possibly not be closed. “How long are you in town for?”

He looks at the ground. “Not sure yet, until the investment deals are closed, and then I’m heading back home.” There's a tug at your heart at the words “back home”. Just as you thought he was home he’s gonna leave again.

“Oh, of course…” You know exactly what you want to ask next, but once again scared that the question might scare him. That it might push him into something he wants to forget. You take a deep breath, keeping an eye on him and his reaction. “It's been 10 years since we graduated..” You glance at him. “You got the invite for the reunion?”

Last week, an invitation to the 10-year-high-school-reunion showed up in your mail. You already decided to be there, to get a feeling of where your past class-mates are in their lives. And maybe to see if there’s a chance you can convince the quiet boy who helped you through senior-year to come.

“Yeah.” He nods slowly. “I got the invite.”

“You going?”

A pause. A breath.

“I don’t know,” he finally says. “Feels like… walking into a movie I didn’t get cast in.”

You frown. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

He tilts his head. “You remember how people treated me, right? The only reason most of them knew my name was because they copied off my homework.”

“Well, they didn’t know what they had,” you mutter. “Still don’t.”

He huffs out a quiet laugh. You nudge him with your elbow. “I think you should come.”

“To be ignored by people who still think I'm invisible?”

You smile up at him. “No. To be acknowledged by people who don’t recognize you because now you look like a Calvin Klein ad and drive around in a car that almost committed homicide.”

He laughs, really laughs. That warm, breathless laugh that used to sneak out between tutoring sessions when you said something accidentally funny.

He shakes his head. “You really think I should go?”

“I think you should go,” you say firmly. “You skipped prom. Don’t skip this too.”

He looks at you for a long moment. Thoughtful. A little hesitant. “You’re going?” he asks.

“Of course,” you say. “My art is in the alumni showcase. And I look hot in formal wear. It’s a win-win.”

That earns another soft chuckle. “Okay,” he says eventually. “Maybe.”

You raise an eyebrow. “That’s what you said about prom.”

“And look how that turned out.”

You tilt your head. “Exactly. Don't ghost this one, Song Mingi.”

“I’ll try,” he says, quiet now. “No promises, but… I’ll try.”

And as you stand beside him in the echo of the empty hallway, you can’t help but feel the past and the present stretching and folding between you. Two threads that never fully came undone, tying themselves back together in small, careful knots.

***

The Allen key slips from your fingers again, clinking against the hardwood floor with a sound that feels almost personal at this point. You sit back on your heels, sweating lightly from sheer frustration, surrounded by mismatched wooden panels, screws that don’t seem to belong anywhere, and a manual that may as well be in ancient hieroglyphics.

You stare at the chaos in front of you, defeated. The IKEA coffee table should have been a simple, 30-minute build. It’s been an hour and you’ve gotten as far as accidentally screwing one of the legs in backwards. You sigh and grab your phone from the couch, already knowing who you’re going to text. The one person you can count on to both show up and mock you the entire time.

You: wooyoung pls help ikea is winning and i’m not strong enough

You toss your phone beside you and grab the water bottle at your side, taking a sip while looking over the battlefield.

Wooyoung: what is it this time? bookshelf? chair? a humble side table?

You snort and wipe your hands on your sweatpants before typing back.

You: coffee table i fear it might become firewood

Your phone buzzes again instantly.

Wooyoung: 😔 gone too soon rip flatpack

You grin a little despite yourself, dragging the manual closer as if something might magically make sense if you stare at it hard enough.

You: are you coming or not

He types back immediately, which is always a little suspicious.

Wooyoung: i could… OR

You raise a brow and lean against the couch cushion behind you.

You: or what

Wooyoung: OR you could text your new tall friend with the jawline and the tragic blind date taste you know mr. i-own-three-black-coats-and-a-personal-driver

You blink.

You: no

Wooyoung: come on he clearly has strong forearms he’d probably carry the table in one hand and read the manual with the other

You picture Mingi in that sleek coat, tall and effortlessly put together, showing up at your restaurant last week. You shake your head.

You: he’s not a superhero he’s just tall

Wooyoung: tall and rich. and he literally showed up to see you at work. idk sounds like someone who would build a table for a girl he likes.

You pause, staring at the screen. Your heart does a weird little flip, but you immediately squash the feeling. That’s not what this is.

Right?

You chew your bottom lip, typing slowly.

You: who said he likes me???

Wooyoung: me. i said it. and i’m rarely wrong

You groan into your hands, half-laughing and half-exasperated. This is what you get for asking Wooyoung for help.

You: so you’re not coming?

Wooyoung: no, i’m busy watching netflix and doing absolutely nothing ask him 😌

You let your phone fall to your lap and stare at the unfinished table. You could ask Mingi. He was nice. Surprisingly easy to talk to. And yeah, maybe you’d caught yourself looking at his hands more than once when he handed you his credit card.

Still…

You roll onto your back, hair splayed out against the rug, staring up at the ceiling. The idea of texting him makes your stomach flutter, but it’s just a table, right? You sigh. The coffee table creaks beside you, as if mocking your indecision.

It starts with a text.

you: hey um… super random but do you know how to build ikea furniture?

There’s a pause. Three dots appear, disappear, appear again.

Then:

mingi: this feels like a trap like if i say yes you’re gonna make me build a castle or something

You snort.

you: not a castle just a table a large, heavy, emotionally threatening coffee table

mingi: ah yes the sadistic swedish puzzle box

you: it’s been giving me death stares from the middle of my living room i think it’s winning

mingi: are you asking me to risk my life for you

you: ...yes?

This time the three dots hang for longer.

Then:

mingi: text me your address i’ll bring coffee and emotional support

you: you’re my hero

mingi: don’t say that until we survive step 12: “insert screw B into slot F without crying”

You laugh to yourself, heart doing a weird little jump. You’ve only seen him a handful of times after his 10-years-disappearance, but even through a screen, Mingi’s the same blend of soft and sarcastic that he used to be. Just taller. Richer. Hotter. And still, somehow, kind of a lovable nerd. You send your address. A second later, another text buzzes through.

mingi: just so we’re clear if the instructions has more than 5 pages we’re taking breaks every 40 minutes and i’m allowed to complain at least twice

you: deal

Maybe this won’t be so bad. Or maybe it’ll be a total disaster.

But either way… you’re actually kind of excited to see him again. And maybe, just maybe, you hope the coffee table takes a little longer to build than it needs to. And the second you open the front door, you know you’re in for chaos. Mingi’s standing there with two iced coffees, a tote bag slung over one shoulder, and a wide grin like he’s about to conquer Everest.

“I brought backup,” he says, pulling an Allen wrench out of his pocket like it’s a weapon. “And caffeine.”

“You really came prepared.”

You lead him into the apartment, pointing toward the warzone that is your living room: an opened cardboard, Styrofoam, and that infamous IKEA manual laying in the center like a threat. You both kneel by the box, pulling out panels and screws, the floor quickly turning into an obstacle course of wood and tools. Mingi is meticulous from the start, lining up the screws by type, glancing at the instructions like they’re a sacred text.

He reads the manual like it’s a textbook, brows furrowed, lips pursed slightly. You watch the gears turn in his brain and you’re flooded with memories, study dates where he’d do this exact same expression while explaining calculus, the way he used to get adorably serious about things nobody else cared about.

You had forgotten how much you liked that about him.

“You’re very serious about this,” you note.

“This is my Olympics,” he replies solemnly. “I will not be defeated by a coffee table.”

You work together, slowly finding your rhythm. He reads the instructions while you screw the panels into place. He slides a hand over a finished piece to check its sturdiness, nodding like a proud architect. At one point, he misplaces a bracket and looks genuinely offended.

“I swear I just had it.”

“You probably buried it under your precision screw pile,” you say, lifting a handful of mismatched screws with zero organization.

He gasps. “Blasphemy. This is an advanced sorting system.”

You glance at Mingi, sweat dampening his forehead, glasses sliding down his nose from all the effort, hoodie sleeves pushed up, a proud, dorky smile tugging at his lips. He’s ridiculous. And kind of adorable. And very much still the same Mingi you remember.

You don’t say anything, but you feel it. That weird fluttering thing that happens when someone does nothing but be completely, unapologetically themselves… and you can’t help but fall just a little.

“Okay,” he says, cracking his knuckles. “What’s next?”

You sip your coffee, smiling to yourself. “Dinner, I think.”

“You cooking?”

“I built half a coffee table. I’m not lifting a spatula too.”

“Fair,” he says. “I’ll order.”

The takeout containers sit open between you on the floor, still steaming slightly. You and Mingi are cross-legged beside the newly built coffee table like it’s your proudest achievement, because, honestly, it kind of is. The soy sauce has already soaked through one napkin, but neither of you moves to clean it.

“I was such a mess in high school,” you admit. “But I always looked forward to those afternoons.”

He looks over, eyes softer now. “Same.”

The moment lingers, quiet but full. Outside, a car passes. Inside, something has shifted, like time folding in on itself, letting the past and present breathe in the same space.

You lift a dumpling toward him. “Peace offering. For stealing all your melon candy.”

***

It had become a little routine. The texts had turned into phone calls that stretched for hours, picking up where the messages had left off, weaving in laughter and conversations that seemed to flow effortlessly between you and Mingi. It didn’t matter what you were doing. Folding laundry, sketching out designs, or sometimes just lying in bed, he was there. You’d talk about anything and everything. There were no filters.

Tonight was no different. You’re half-listening to Mingi talk about a bizarre TikTok recipe he saw involving canned peaches and instant noodles when your laughter interrupts him mid-sentence.

“You’re kidding,” you say through a grin, pacing around your living room in socks. “That’s almost as cursed as your high school milkshake obsession.”

There’s a pause on the other end of the call. “Cursed? Excuse you.”

You can hear the mock offense in his voice, and it makes your cheeks ache from smiling.

“You’re not really about to defend that vanilla–sea salt–olive oil milkshake again, are you?”

He scoffs. “First of all, it wasn’t just olive oil. It was cold pressed, and second of all, it was a masterpiece. That place on the corner knew what they were doing.”

“You brought it to the long study sessions” you laugh, flopping onto your couch. “And it always looked like... salad dressing with ice cream.”

“You bought them for me sometimes!”

“I was being nice!” You couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. “You were making me pass classes, the least I could do was give you your weird milkshakes!” Both of your laughs died down, and a short silence follows, but it’s comfortable now. The kind that lingers between two people who’ve been talking too long to bother with filters.

“…You know,” he says suddenly, voice a little softer, “you could come over sometime. We could… I dunno, sit around and talk like this. Maybe get some of those awful milkshakes.”

You blink, caught off guard for a moment, but the warmth in his voice isn’t flirty. He’s not trying to make a move. It just sounds like Mingi. Familiar. Gentle.

You clear your throat. “You buying?”

“If that’s what I have to do to make you try it, then yes. I’m defending my honor, so you better bring the evidence.”

A few hours later, you’re in the elevator of a glass building downtown, holding a cardboard drink tray with two sweating milkshake cups. One of them is chocolate. The other… well, you can’t believe you actually paid for the olive oil one.

His apartment is high up, some penthouse suite he’s temporarily staying in for work. And now standing in the entryway of his penthouse, the actual penthouse, like floor-to-ceiling windows, a huge balcony and gadgets enough to make anyone a millionaire, you realize nothing about Mingi is really “no big deal” anymore.

Except he’s still barefoot in sweats, big glasses and an oversized hoodie. Still blushes a little when he sees you staring.

“Holy crap,” you murmur, stepping inside. “You live here?”

“Technically, yeah, just for now” he mumbles, scratching the back of his neck. “It was a work thing… investment perk or whatever. It’s only temporarily while I’m in town as I’m investing in the property.”

“You live like a Bond villain.”

He shuts the door behind you. “Only on the outside. Inside I’m still the guy who alphabetizes his manga and cries over Studio Ghibli soundtracks.”

You hand him the tray. “Well, Bond villain or not, you’ve got your gross milkshake. Drink up, sir.” You walk further into the penthouse and it hits you in the head how far Mingi has come. But it still looks like his place. Stacks of books in the corner. A record player. A Gundam figure half-assembled on the counter. An old hoodie slung over the back of a leather chair. It's expensive in layout, but it feels like Mingi lives here. It feels like him.

You wander a little while he disappears into the kitchen. That’s when you see it.

Tucked into the bottom shelf, nearly hidden under old magazines: a dusty high school yearbook. You grin and crouch down to pull it out, fingers wiping across the cover. It’s old and familiar, instantly bringing back the scent of marker ink and locker sweat. When you flip it open, you’re already smiling, ready to find some awkward teenage photo of Mingi in braces or maybe a dramatic quote about science. But the sight in front of you makes your heart sink. All of the pages are blank.

No messages. No inside jokes. No “have a great summer!” or doodles of hearts. You pause, flipping through slower now. Every page is spotless. No one wrote anything.

Mingi comes back with the two milkshakes and sees you crouched there, frozen.

“Oh,” he says quietly. “You found that. I didn’t even realize I had that. Must’ve been in one of the boxes my mom dropped off. I didn’t mean to bring it.”

You look up. “Why didn’t anyone sign it?”

He shrugs, walking past you to place the shakes on the table. “No one noticed me back then. Kind of hard to sign a yearbook for someone you didn’t know existed.”

Your heart cracks a little. “That’s not true. I noticed you,” You notice his lips twitch, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged, still wearing that lopsided grin. “It’s not a big deal.”

You didn’t say anything.

“I mean, high school was… whatever,” he went on. “I kept my head down. Did my homework. Got gum thrown in my hair once in gym class, that was fun. And Jae, of course. His favorite game was grabbing my backpack and tossing it into random places. One time it ended up in a bathroom stall. Still don’t know how.” He laughed a little, like it was funny now. Like it hadn’t mattered.

But you remembered. You remembered the way he used to flinch when Jae walked by. How his shoulders stayed tense until you were sitting down to study. You remembered how he never met anyone’s eyes in the hallway. How sometimes, he’d show up to your sessions looking like he hadn’t slept at all. But a part of you didn’t realize how bad it really was. Maybe you were just to scared to realise it back then. And now you feel even worse about how you handled everything during high school. How you could’ve been there for him, supported him, stopped the bullying or at least tried.

So now you regret not doing more.

“I used to hide out under that tree by the math building during lunch,” he added casually, tapping his straw on the lid. “One time Jae and his friends poured soda into my backpack. Said they were giving it a drink.”

Your grip on the yearbook tightened.

“But I survived,” he said, flashing you a quick smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Could’ve been worse, right?”

You didn’t answer right away. Instead, you closed the book and put it back carefully. “I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“You were always nice to me,” he said. “That helped more than you probably realized.”

You glanced over at him and he finally met your eyes. The façade cracked, just slightly. You could see the truth there. It had been bad. And it had stayed with him. “You didn’t deserve any of it,” you said softly. He gave you a small smile, but said nothing. “I should’ve written in your yearbook,” you murmur. “I would’ve written so much.”

He chuckles softly. “You probably would’ve drawn something ridiculous, too.”

“Probably.”

Silence stretches between you again, but it’s heavier now. Like time is waiting for either of you to add to the topic, but what is there to say? you don't feel like pushing him too hard, and he seems to brush it off, like he isn't comfortable enough to talk about how it really was back then. So you do the next best thing and reach your arm towards him and extend your hand. “Okay. Give me the sacred Mingi Special.”

His eyes widen. “You sure?”

“Nope. But I’m brave.”

He hands out the drink and you take a sip of the infamous vanilla-olive-oil-sea-salt milkshake, and then blink. The mix of sweet and salty, with a touch of olive-oil balances out the flavors perfectly. “Wait… that’s actually not bad.”

He looks smug. “Thank you. Finally, vindication.”

You roll your eyes jokingly. “Still not better than chocolate.”

“Debatable.”

***

The past few days had passed in a blur of double shifts, aching feet, and too much caffeine. You were running mostly on autopilot. Pour, serve, smile, repeat.

And tonight, work had been hectic. A weekend dinner shift meant nonstop tables, last-minute party reservations, and a manager who couldn’t seem to stop breathing down your neck. But Wooyoung, ever the life of the kitchen and bar, had kept your spirits up the whole night.

As you both step out into the cool night air, you are still breathless from laughing.

“If I ever have to make another espresso martini for a man in flip-flops who calls me ‘chief,’ I’m going to lose my job,” Wooyoung says, dragging a hand down his face dramatically.

“You handled it so well,” you say, still giggling. “You told him the machine was broken and then walked away mid-order.”

“Because it was broken, emotionally. Like me.”

You snort, and he bump his shoulder into yours. The cool night air wrap around you both as you walk slowly down the quiet sidewalk. The restaurant lights glow behind you, and the street ahead was dim and calm.

“Come on, I’ll drive you home,” Wooyoung says as he reached into his jacket pocket for his keys. “No offense, but you look like you’re gonna fall asleep standing up, so you’re stuck with my terrible driving.”

“You’re not that bad,” you say, smiling up at him. “I only screamed twice last time.”

“That’s an improvement.”

But just as you’re about to follow him towards the lot, you freeze. A familiar figure stood under the streetlamp ahead, half in shadow. Tall. Broad. His posture straight, but his shoulders slightly tense like he hadn’t meant to be seen, standing still like he wasn’t sure whether to move forward or vanish.

Your steps falter slowly. “Mingi?”

His head snaps up like he hadn’t expected to be seen. His eyes find yours immediately.

“Oh,” he says, almost too softly. “Hey.”

Wooyoung glance at you, then back at Mingi. “What a coincidence.”

You heard the teasing in Wooyoun’s words.

“I was just… going for a walk,” Mingi says.

Wooyoung grins, playful but not mean. “At midnight?”

You elbow him lightly, but Mingi gives a half-laugh. Not awkward, just small. Quiet. Like he was trying not to take up too much space. Mingi only shrugs like it made perfect sense. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“We just got off work,” you say quickly, stepping slightly forward. “It was… kind of a wild night.”

Mingi nods, eyes flickering to Wooyoung. “Right. That makes sense.” His gaze flickers between the two of you. You see it written all over his face, it was the same look he had back in High School when he talked to you in front of Jae. Like he felt like he interrupted, like he wanted to disappear..

Wooyoung shifts beside you, suddenly less talkative. You don’t miss the way Mingi’s eyes flickers to the keys in Wooyoung’s hand. His expression doesn’t change, but something in his shoulders tightens.

“Well,” Mingi says, already taking a step back. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t,” you say quickly. “We were just-“

But he is already backing away. “I’ll see you around, okay?” he says, trying to smile. “Have a good night.”

You stand there for a beat, stunned by how fast he vanishes, like the night had swallowed him up. Wooyoung lets out a low whistle and turns toward you slowly. “That boy thinks we’re dating.”

Your stomach does a weird twist. “Do you really think so?”

He doesn’t answer immediately, just gives you a long, considering look. “He showed up here. After midnight. Just happened to be outside the restaurant you work at. And now he’s walking away like he just watched the love of his life get proposed to.”

“Wooyoung-”

“He’s into you,” he says, tone softer now. “In that quiet, I-would-definitely-die-for-you kind of way. You see that, right?”

You look down at the pavement, chewing the inside of your cheek, hoping you didn't give the impression you just think you did.

TAGLIST: (let me know if you wanna be added)

@lveegsoi , @vixensss

#ateez fic #ateez #ateez scenarios #ateez au #ateez fanfic #ateez fluff #mingi fic #mingi x reader #ateez mingi #ateez x reader #atz x reader #atz

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obxsluts · 4 hours ago

Text

Is it casual now? - R.C

fwb!Rafe Cameron x bsf!reader

rafe was always late. topper and kelce knew this. shit, the whole island knew this. but this time, it wasn’t coke or chaos keeping him—no, this time, it was you. and you were so goddamn proud of that. his voice drifted out with that cocky rasp you hated and loved, all, "be there in ten, swear."

liar.

you’d heard him, the sound of your shower cutting off had rafe calling out casually—

“baby, you seen my keys?”

the white terrycloth was wrapped lazily above your tits, knotted once, barely clinging on.

rafe was pacing the room, eyes darting from his phone to the mess of clothes he’d thrown across the bed. cursing under his breath, he shoved his hand through his hair.

"where the fuck is my wallet?"

you watched him for a beat. gold chain swinging. jaw tight. that perfect V of his torso peeking out from under his shirt as he bent down near the dresser.

you dropped your phone. on purpose.

you bent over slowly—like a movie scene, like the kind of fantasy that’d play on a loop in his mind for weeks. and there it was—your pussy, pink and slick and bare. practically winking at him. his mouth went dry.

the clink of his keys hitting the counter echoed like a warning shot.

you stood, towel slipping off your ass as you turned around tits bouncing, hair dripping wet, nipples hard from the cold air. your eyes met his—wide, lashes fluttering, syrup-sweet smile curving your glossed lips.

“what’s wrong, baby?”

he just stared laughing, “really princess?”, shaking his head in pure disbelief, tongue poking into his cheek like he was holding himself back, “this what we’re doing now?”

you just blinked up at him, batting your lashes, the picture of perfect seduction. “doing what?”

“you know what.”

you took a step closer, towel pooling around your ankles like it never mattered in the first place.

“no clue what you’re talking about.”

he swallowed. hard. his eyes flicked to your tits. your lips. your thighs. then back to your lips. "you know i have plans."

“so go.”

his brows lifted like he didn’t believe you for a second. “you think you can just walk around looking like that—” he gestured, vague, voice already lower “—knowing I have plans, and expect me to fucking leave?”

“i don’t expect anything,” you shrugged, stepping closer. “you’re a grown man, right? free to go out with your little friends.”

he narrowed his eyes.

“but…” your voice dropped, breath warm as you leaned in, brushing your tits against his chest, “it’s not like Topper’s gonna suck your dick tonight…”

rafe groaned. actually groaned, jaw tight as his hands found your waist, pulling you in flush against him. his cock was already hard through his jeans, pressing into your stomach. his lips ghosted your ear. "fuck your little games,” he muttered, closing the distance in three steps flat. “you know what you’re doing.”

you gasped as he lifted you effortlessly, your legs wrapping around his waist like second nature. your back hit the nearest wall with a soft thud.

you tried to roll your hips back into him but his other hand was already on your lower back, pinning you in place. “nuh-uh, baby,” he cooed mockingly. “you don’t get to be in charge. not after that little stunt you pulled.”

you whimpered, voice breathy. “what? i didn’t do anything baby”

he slammed into you so hard the drawer under your hip flew open, silverware clattering like a goddamn drumroll.

you moaned, loud and shameless. the kind of sound that would’ve made the neighbors call the cops if they hadn’t already heard it a hundred times before.

his pace stuttered when you clenched around him. “fuck—do that again and i swear to god…” he bit out, fucking you hard enough to make your tits bounce.

“that’s it, baby,” he breathes, fucking deeper now, rougher. “take it. take all of it. this pussy’s mine, right? always fucking mine.”

he fucked you with his jeans barely undone, one hand gripping your hip, the other tangled in your hair as you bounced on his cock, whimpering every time he hit that spot so deep it made you dizzy.

“say it,” he hissed. “say you need me.”

“need you,” you gasped. “need you so bad, rafey—fuck—please.”

“fuck princess I love you” he groaned, thrusts getting sloppy as he came,

you clung to him after, fingers digging into his jacket, cheeks flushed, lips swollen from kissing.

“still going out?” you asked, voice sweet, smug.

he stared at you for a beat, chest heaving. then he reached for his phone, unlocking it with one hand.

can’t make it tonight, he texted. something came up.

you laughed, smug. rafe just shook his head, leaning down to kiss you again—slower this time, possessive.

“you’re such a fucking problem,” he murmured.

“and you love it.”

a/n: it’s hard being casual when my favorite bra is in your dresser😫

MASTERLIST

#rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #outer banks #drew starkey #rafe cameron outer banks #rafe outer banks #rafe cameron x you #rafe x you #rafe smut #rafe cameron smut #rafe x reader #outerbanks rafe #rafe obx #rafe cameron x smut #rafe cameron x female reader #rafe imagine #rafe cameron x y/n

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ysrjune · 2 days ago

Text

TWINS!SCOTT & SAM MONROE ‹𝟹

the twinsies are back by request 🥹 no smut it's just them being silly brothers. 🥰 they use modern slang cause they're just so teenage boy I hate them..

dedicated to @alealuvshayden my babe 🥀

@samonroe @alealuvshayden @zapernz @dollfilmz mentioned..

"Hey, my mom says to throw out the trash." Sam opens Scott's bedroom door as his gaze is focused on his phone. "Oh my fucking God, Sam. How many times have I told you to knock before coming in?!" Scott groans, pausing his game. "Like, deadass you're so fucking annoying dude." He keeps going and rolls his eyes. "Okay, I didn't ask. Just take out the damn trash." Sam gives attitude. "Like, now." He says after staring at his brother who was staring at him.

"ASAP BROCHACHO, NOWWWUHH!!!" Sam snaps his fingers. Scott HATES when people snap at him like he's a dog. "SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!!" Scott throws one of his pillows at Sam.

Sam laughs and throws it back. "You're so easy to annoy." He walks away, leaving the door wide open. "OH MY GOD YOU LITTLE BITCH IM GONNA FUCK YOU UP." Scott screams and chases after Sam. Sam screamed and ran off to the living room.

Scott and Sam were tackling each other on the couch, and their father unfazed as he watched TV. This was genuinely a normal thing. Sam annoying Scott and then getting beaten up. Scott wasn't really throwing punches so he could hurt Sam. He was mostly just yelling in his face and pushing him far into the cushions. "HEY!" Their mom yells. Both teenagers look over at her and stop fighting. "Sorry momma." Scott purses his lips. "Yeah, you better be. Take out that trash."

That made Scott tweak out. He choked himself out, even being dramatic and making choking noises when she looked away. He stopped after a moment, acting like he hadn't done anything. He took out the trash.

Sam was now talking to his dad (annoying him with band knowledge) and once Scott came back in, Sam shut up and stared. "Hey, mom said to STOP fighting with me. Don't even think about it, blondie."

"SHUT—" Scott cuts himself off as soon as he sees his dad's side eye. "Would you shut your mouth, you irksome twerp."

"I don't know what that means."

"You look like you wouldn't know what it means."

And there they were again, at each other's throats. Their dad was laughing at them wrestling on the floor. He was even recording it. Scott has more muscle than his brother, so it's not a shocker that he's always the one winning these matches. Sam then bit Scott.

"AYE YOU CANT DO THAT. ITS CHEATING!" Scott smacks Sam's mouth. "DONT SMACK ME." Sam yells and pulls Scott's hair. That whole fight was so dumb. They were slapping each other around, and their dad was just laughing his ass off. But then there came their little brothers..

"You guys are so gay. Why are you always on top of each other?" Ryan asks. And you could guess.. their dad was losing it. Oh how he loved having sons with no filter.

"Alright buddy boy, that wasn't funny." Sam shakes his head. "Too far, dork. Even if I were gay and we weren't related, I would NEVER let Sam try anything on me." "Who says I'd even try y—WHY ARE YOU EVEN PUTTING THOUGHT INTO IT?!" Sam realizes. "EEEWWW you're so.. EEWWW." Sam shoves Scott away, gagging exaggeratedly. "Okay calm down, morticia." Scott rolls his eyes.

"Morticia? I think he's more like Thing." Kevin, their other brother says. "But together, they're Wednesday and Pugsley." Ryan laughs. (they both ended up getting chased around the house and into the backyard where they got tackled.)

dickdownyamomma48: mind if a white boy speaks a little espanyol this afternoon?

monroe.scott: God damn fatty. Is that all for you?

monroe.scott: ts don't even look good 😭💔

monroe.scott: aye my momma says to bring ice cream home or else she's gonna whoop you

coreythedude: bro wants us to think he's on a date 😭😭

alealuvstwinks: omg is this a soft launch 😛😛

zapernz: this made me mad delete it

—

monroe.scott: 🥊💯

dickdownyamomma48: woah ok timmy tuff knuckles

dollfilmz: MEOWWW

zapernz: 😕.

coreythedude: sybau 💔

alealuvstwinks: wait lowkey.. 👅

—

monroe.scott: 💪🏼 something my bitch ass brother doesn't have

dickdownyamomma48: wtf are you dissing me at 3:43pm on a Tuesday for?

dickdownyamomma48: I know this post was just to have that pinky girl see 🥀

coreythedude: aura farming..

alealuvstwinks: this one gave me the ick I can't lie. this is NOT a banger.

dollfilmz: 👅

—

dickdownyamomma48: oh yea

monroe.scott: motherfucker is that MY dope 😐

dickdownyamomma48 replied: do something about it pussy

zapernz: why didn't you invite me ho

coreythedude: lungs blacker than your hair 💔

alealuvstwinks: ok

–———

ok guys I didn't rly fw this but here's um here it is

@bxbyysstuff @anakinstwinklebunny @lovethestarrs@valloos @anisangeldust @xo-yaaaaaasxo @anakinca @dollfilmz @alexlovesysrjune @sockiess @sythethecarrot @speaknow-sw @loveamira

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airybcby · 2 days ago

Note

I don't know if requests for non event things are open or not but take this as more of an idea😭😭 don't feel complied to write it if you don't want to or can't atm. I reaaaally love ur fics so far and I discovered you through the spotify wrapped event thing. Hope ur asks aren't too flooded from the event tho, it seems like a lot😅 it's rlly impressive you can write so much in like a day. I would get burnt out 😭

Anywho, I just saw a tiktok video (https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS6r5pYuM/) and thought it would be a really cute (and really embarrassing) fanfic idea. I was hoping u could maybe write headcanons or a full on fanfic about the scenario with blue lock characters. Specifically rin, but anyone will be fine if you wanna do multiple characters😋 you can change the "guy friend" bit in the video to bf if u want idrm

Sorry if it was too long😭😭

hi hi!! my asks are open for anything and everything rn (including my event that i’m running rn) tysm!! i just have some days where writing is easier than others, and i can’t stop the word vomit and ideas tbh🙏

AND HELLO THIS IS SO SILLY AND CUTIE IM OBSESSED

so sorry this has taken so long to get to, my inbox was FLOODED and i'm slowly trying to get through them all!

જ⁀♡⊹｡° if your first kiss goes well...

( rin itoshi x gn! reader )

♡ a/n — airy get through your inbox challenge START! I made it to where rin is your bf and it's kind of new instead of just being a friend :)

♡ word count — 430

♡ content — rin itoshi x gn! reader, established relationship (it's new), written at like midnight so it's prob bad, reader and rin are inexperienced, puppy dog love, maybe ooc rin?, not proofread

♡ synopsis — Rin Itoshi wasn't someone who crumbled. ever. So when you go to his house and hear him watching a video on how to have your first kiss? It's just a little entertaining.

── .✦ act natural, don't press too hard

It was still new, this thing with Rin.

New enough that your heart fluttered every time his hand brushed yours. New enough that when he offered you his bed with a quiet “You can sit,” it felt like more than just politeness.

His room was neat. Lived-in, but still precise—like him. He disappeared into the bathroom after a murmured “Be right back,” taking his phone with him, and you were left to take it all in.

You were just settling in, fingers playing with the hem of his hoodie you’d stolen earlier, when his speaker—still connected to his phone—came to life.

"Hi! Nervous about your first kiss? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered—"

Your eyebrows shot up.

"First, make sure you’re both comfortable. Confidence is key, but don’t worry if you’re nervous—"

You bit your lip to keep from laughing. No way.

The audio cut off a second later. Maybe he paused the video. Maybe he’d noticed the speaker was connected. Either way, you were still smiling when he came back out.

He looked calm. Composed. Like he always did.

But you could feel something different under the surface—something uncertain, maybe even shy—as he stood in front of you, hands shoved in his pockets.

You stood, meeting him halfway. “Hey,” you said softly.

“Hey,” he murmured, eyes flicking to yours.

There was a beat of silence, and then: “Do you… wanna kiss me?”

He didn’t say anything at first. Just blinked. Then gave the smallest nod.

Your heart jumped.

You stepped closer, slowly, carefully. His hands twitched at his sides, but he didn’t pull away when you leaned in, tilting your head just a little.

When your lips met, it was soft. Hesitant. A little uncoordinated, but so full of intent you thought your chest might burst. He kissed you back like he meant it—like he’d been waiting for it.

When you pulled away, his eyes were still half-lidded, dazed.

You smiled, heart racing. “Better than the video?”

“…What?”

You giggled, lifting your hand to point toward the speaker sitting innocently on his nightstand. “That. It was playing your video.”

Rin froze.

Then slowly—painfully—turned to look at the speaker like it had personally betrayed him. His ears flushed pink. “I’m sorry…” he muttered, voice tight, almost ashamed.

You couldn’t help it—you cupped his cheeks in your hands, thumbs brushing over warm skin. “I think it was cute.”

He blinked down at you, and you watched his gaze flicker—first to your eyes, then down to your lips.

You smiled.

“...Another one?”

He didn’t say anything.

Just nodded.

And kissed you again.

this is so cutie i cannot

likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated!

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bunnliix · 3 days ago

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When Eight Becomes Nine - Chapter Nineteen

So this chapter was half written over a month ago, and then school happened, but here it is!! I hope you all like it. plus some spice at the end

Pairing: Ateez x 9th member!reader Summary: Y/n had a meeting with the managers, and then we get some studio time with the boys, and then onto dance practice! wc: 1621 AU: a/b/o Genre: Fluff/Angst, with a slight bit of suggestive content warnings: suggestive content at the very end, anxiety, threats, mentions of unseen ass eating, I think that's it, but if I've missed any, please tell me! masterlist

Before either rapper could get another word out, the door opened and a staff member peeked in. “Hello, we need y/n for a moment.” They said to the trio in the room, eyes focused on Hongjoong. Hongjoong looked over at Mingi, both of them a bit suspicious about the intentions of staff, before realizing they shouldn’t antagonize their management any further, for now.

“Go on, y/n-ah,” the captain told the omega, “You remember the way here, yes? Come right back after you’re finished, if staff doesn’t bring you back.” Y/n got off of the couch and stood up, her hands coming to rest in front of her, as she tried to hide her nerves at being alone with the staff members. But she took a deep breath and gathered all her courage as she followed the staff member out of Hongjoong’s studio.

Following the staff member through the various hallways and down a floor, until the reached a similar conference room as the ones they had been in prior. Entering the room, they found a mix of staff members, and the production crew.

“Hello, y/n,” Ateez’s main manager welcomed her in, as she sat down, “We’re here to chat about your role in Ateez.”

That put her on edge, and she wished she had one of the others there, as she would be way out of her depth. “What about my role?” She asked.

“Well, as evidenced by the feedback we heard from Hongjoong, you would fit in as a rapper, however we think that you would do better with some vocal training. Your improvement both vocally and dancing will also determine if you remain in the group, as if you don’t show improvement in both areas, we will terminate your employment and your place in the group.” He told you, in a very no nonsense tone, which was reflected in the serious expression on his face.

Y/n felt her stomach drop, her hands that were hidden by the table, were gripping the hem of her top so tightly that her fingers were almost cramping. She had to take a moment to calm herself down, to try and keep herself from either crying or yelling.

“I’m sure I’ll improve in both categories, and I already know that the members will be working with me both vocal and dance-wise.” She replied, her voice shaking the tiniest bit.

“Well, we hope that you’ll improve quickly then,” one of the others spoke up.

Y/n hadn’t seen this person before, though she assumed they were either from Ateez’s staff, or just a member of the company.

“I shall do my best to live up to expectations then,” Y/n knew her tone was a bit clipped, her frustration with this meeting slipping through.

If they didn’t think she was good enough, or needed improvement, why did she make the shortlist then? Considering that her being chosen was a staff decision. Either way, she would play by their rules, it wouldn’t be wise to make an enemy out of the company. However, it didn’t mean she would have to like it. But, she did sign up for it, so she’d go with the flow for now.

“May I return to the studio now? I don’t want to fall further behind than I already am,” she said.

“Of course. I assume you know your way back?” She was asked by the main manager, her main manager now, and y/n nodded.

It was made clear by him that she was free to leave, and she made her exit quickly, and travelled back to Hongjoong’s studio, taking about five minutes to get there. Before she knocked on the door, she pulled her phone out, finding that the meeting had lasted 20 minutes, though it felt both shorter and longer than that. Raising her hand to knock on the wooden door, it was quickly opened by Mingi, and behind him she could see Hongjoong at the desk.

“Oh, you’re back! That wasn’t long, what did they want to discuss with you?” Hongjoong asked, as she entered the room after Mingi moved out of the way.

“Oh, uhm, it was just some things regarding the group and my role, that’s all,” y/n replied, trying not to get into it much, even as she tugged at her outfit in slight anxiety. She was trying to keep a tight grip on her scent, so as not to derail their plans for the day, since she knew that that would likely happen if either alpha knew of the meeting’s contents.

She could tell that neither man was convinced with her answer, but they weren’t going to push the topic further, thankfully.

“Well, Mingi and I prepared some lines for you to try, so go ahead and hop in there so we can get started.” Hongjoong said, after a moment of silence.

Y/n followed the captain’s words, slipping into the recording booth and getting ready to start recording. She took a moment to leaf through the pages set out for her, finding that they had pulled a range of lines from throughout their songs, and from all the different members’ lines as well. She assumed it was to test her range, and see what might fit her for past and future songs. She saw a few of her own favorite lines in there, so she smiled at the sight of them. Hongjoong wanted to test her with lines like San’s first lines in Answer, or some of Wooyoung’s from Bouncy, among others. She finished getting herself set up, before looking up at the two men.

“I’m ready when you are,” she said to them, “Where do I start?”

“Start with Yeosang’s lines in Hala Hala. They should be the first one on that top page, if you haven’t messed them up in your look through them.” Mingi replied, being a little sassy.

“I will have you know that I didn’t. Plus I’m not the one who destroys their outfits, oppa.” She replied, just as snarky, referencing the many outfit mishaps with Mingi’s clothes.

“That’s uncalled for!” The taller rapper replied, though he had a smirk on his face that showed he wasn’t actually upset.

“Let’s focus, please.” Hongjoong said, before the conversation could derail them any further. “When you’re ready, y/n-ah.”

She nodded, and signalled that she was ready, and Hongjoong started up the music for her. She took a deep breath, before starting to sing. She knew this line was a bit difficult for her at times, but she powered through and hoped her voice didn’t crack on her.

Thankfully, it went smoothly, and after a few repeats of it, they had her move onto another line. And this is how it went for hours afterwards, or at least it seemed that long to y/n, since one couldn’t really tell how much time has passed since they came here. That was a downside to being indoors with no windows, and the reason she liked them, since she did seem to lose track of time, much like they seemed to do today.

“And you’re done, that was the last line we wanted you to try.” Mingi told her, beckoning her to come out of the booth, and she quickly did so, happy to be out of there.

She grabbed her phone which she had left on the couch, finding that it had only been an hour and a half since she went inside to record. She also found she had messages from those back home, including two she dearly missed. She had meant to text or call them, but with the chaos here, hadn’t gotten the chance to, besides that first night at the dorms. Remembering to message them later once she had finished for the day, she asked the two men where she had to go next.

“It’s time to go to the practice room next, with all of us this time.” Hongjoong said to her, grabbing his bag as Mingi did the same, before ushering the three of them out of the studio.

“This way,” Mingi said, grabbing y/n’s hand so they wouldn’t get left behind. “It’s just a floor down from here, it’s not far once you know the way. I’m excited to see what our firecracker can do. Yunho and Sannie spoke fairly highly of your skills, and how fast you learn.”

“I still have a lot to learn, I’m not sure I’ve earned their praise yet.” Y/n said, her cheeks warming up at Mingi’s words.

Hongjoong kept the elevator open for them, coughing to remind them he was inside, as they slipped in, both a bit embarrassed that they hadn’t noticed the older man entering it. He quickly punched the button to go down to the next floor, and it only took a second to get there, so they quickly exited once the doors opened, and walked the small distance to the practice room, passing a few of the Xikers members on the way. She bowed in greeting as the elder two idols promised the younger ones that they’d introduce their new member to the whole group soon.

“We’re here,” Hongjoong announced, only to stop quickly, not letting y/n pass through the door, though he let Mingi. “Guys, really?” He said, it being immediately clear that the man was disappointed with whatever was going on in there.

“Are you really surprised, hyung? It’s us.” She heard Jongho’s voice come from inside the room.

“No, I’m not, but y/n is here, and I’m sure as hell that she wouldn’t want to see you getting your ass eaten out in the practice room, Jung Wooyoung.”

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one-green-frog · 17 hours ago

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NO BBECAUSE I WAS WRITING A REQUEST AND MY PHONE WENT OFF SO I DIDN'T KNOW IF IT ARRIVED TO YOU, (it it arrived then I'll change the plot) anyways, I'll try and send it again, Jason todd x Male reader who's (you choose) best friend's , jason doesn't like the reader much, so he decides to know him better by coming like red hood in his apartment early in the morning, he pretty much interrogates the boy who's not taking it all seriously. They get closer, the family notices Jason being more friendly, maybe because of someon, and tease him to take over for dinner the special person. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING 😼

Here At Midnight

The first time Jason saw you, he was angry. And not the kind of annoyed angry either, no, he was angry angry. There was something about you that just didn't sit right with him. To him, you weren't the friendly, charming person everyone else was so eager to want to believe you were. Dick had brought you in as his friend, new instructor at the gymnastics center where he worked. "Great with kids," he'd said. "Same sense of humor, really easy to get along with. Just a really nice person."

But Jason wasn't convinced.

There was something… off. Something in your smile that made his stomach turn. It wasn't jealousy, per se. Jason knew that something was off, he had this feeling in his chest He just knew there was more to you than you let on.

So he did what any good brother would do: he started to stalk you.

It wasn't a great plan, Jason never really had great plans, to be truthful, but it was good enough. A bit over-the-top in hindsight, maybe, but reasonable by his measures. He figured he'd just drop by, check to see if you'd made an error, find something out. And so Red Hood paid you a visit one night. Your apartment complex was in the bad side of town, which, to Jason, was reason #48 to be suspicious. Breaking in was a cakewalk, the window was not even locked. Sloppy.

And this is how you caught him, fully dressed up, armed, and fuming, in your living room/kitchen combination like he owned this place.

You were startled, sure. But not scared. Just confused. In all honesty, you genuinely had no idea what you could have done to make Red Hood appear in your apartment. You didn't sell drug, hadn't recently murdered anyone, weren't embezzling from crime families (as far as you knew), and generally kept your head down. Maybe you were losing your mind, maybe it was a dream, or maybe Gotham was just Gotham-ing that day.

You'd woken up in the dead of night craving a snack, cereal, hot chocolate, you hadn't decided yet, only to walk into your kitchen and find one of Gotham's most feared vigilantes standing next to the kitchen table

You didn't scream. You didn't lose it. You just stared at him, grabbed a bowl, and started filling it with your cereal. Because what the heck else were you going to do?

Jason didn't know what to do with that. Really, to say that he was surprised that you did not cower in fear would be the understatement of the year. You stared him down, then just kept on going about your business as if this were a normal Tuesday. He figured maybe you were pretending trying to keep calm.

But still, it really infuriated him.

He tried to rattle you. He was standing there with the gun, delivered a monologue of how he would be watching you, how you better sleep with your eye open, how you were on his radar. Your response? Slow blink and chewing your soggy cereal.

"'It's just suspicious how someone living around here just becomes best buds one day with one of Gotham's richest guys," he'd said, as if reasoning his home invasion would make it any better.

Your stone expression "Type shit." put the nails in the coffin.

He left. Irritated. Confused. Angry. He reminded himself that you were playing games, pretending, lying to your real self. So he did what he said he would do: he watched you. Day and night. He watched your movements, your habits, your friends. He kept an eye on your flat from a distance, followed you when you came home from work, even broke into your flat a few more times when you were out.

He was looking for filth. Something illegal. Anything.

But you? You were boring. The most illegal thing he ever caught you doing was stealing a $20 bill on the street. And even he had had to admit he'd do the same.

Still, the drop-ins persisted. Midnight visits became standard. At first, they were filled with threats and and warnings. But over time, they changed. Jason spoke more, about his day, the idiots he had to deal with, the criminals he beat up, the whole circus Gotham still was. Somewhere between the late-night complaints and the bubbly hanging out on your kitchen countertop while you toasted bread, something shifted.

You didn't even have to try hard. You just… treated him like a human being. Not like a time bomb, not like Gotham's boogeyman, not even like Dick's angry brother. Just a guy. A guy who was often irritated, sometimes lonely, and always tired. You made him feel safe.

And soon enough, his family also noticed his behavior.

The change was subtle, but real. Jason, typically described as feral or angry, trigger-happy was calm Maybe not sunshine-and-rainbows, but less angry. Smiling. Speaking more. Hanging around at the Manor. Almost having a genuine conversation with Bruce. The others were stunned. This wasn't the Jason they knew. This Jason seemed as if he could breathe again.

So naturally, they just couldn't wait to taunt him the absolute shit out of it.

"You have a boyfriend? That's kinda gay, bro."

It was non-stop. No peace. Tim, Steph, and even Damian loved it. But there was real support behind the teasing though. They could tell the difference you made, and they wanted to meet the guy who made it. So they invited you over for dinner.

Jason was mortified at first. But he agreed for you.

You were a bit nervous, understandably. You were meeting your friend's brother, a infamous crime lord, the family was made up of detectives and vigilantes who could sniff out lies at a mile radius. Even if Jason said that he didn't particularly care for them, you saw it in his eyes that he still wanted their acknowledgement. He cared, even if he didn't admit it, and that made you want to try it. To be liked. To be accepted, even a little bit.

Dinner was... insane.

The shovel talk was really a just a death threat to your life by Damian (naturally). Bruce tried to talk to you but was repeatedly interrupted by his own children. Everyone talked over everyone. There were way too many in-jokes and arguments about the Batmobile. Chaos, plain and simple. But you stood your ground. And better yet, Jason looked at you like you hung the stars.

That night, on the way home, he vowed next time would be better. You didn't even care, because to you, it was perfect in its own imperfect way.

And when he came back to the Manor, saw his siblings' teasing smiles and Bruce's nodding, knowing approval, he knew he'd made the right choice.

He chose you. And for the first time in years, he felt like maybe, possibly, he might have something good.

I am so sorry this took so long😭😭😭 i hope you still enjoy it and thank you for requesting

#male reader #x male reader #dc x male reader #dc x reader #jason todd x male reader #jason todd x reader #fluff #gay #jason todd

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mylovesstuffs · 11 hours ago

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OT13 reacting to their s/o wrongly accusing them

Request: hiii could i request heavy angst where svt argue with their s/o over a misunderstanding but they find out that they were wrong and have to grovel? i love ur writing!!

A/N: Awh, that's so sweet of you 💓 means a lot, THANK YOU for reading my writing!! Anyway, the hardest part here was to think about the scenarios and I don't think I have enough brain power anymore 😭

Seungcheol: You accused him of spending too much time with his female staffer and implied he was being too close. He didn’t defend himself, but just stared at you, hurt in his eyes. Days later, you find out they were planning a surprise anniversary trip for you. You break down in guilt, texting, calling, crying in front of his dorm until he finally opens the door, jaw clenched, saying, “I was just trying to love you better.”

Jeonghan: You find a receipt for a jewelry store and assume he bought something for someone else. You lash out. He’s silent. Then he shows you the necklace meant for your birthday, still in his coat pocket. You go speechless. He turns away, quietly muttering, “You really think so little of me?” You spend a week trying to win him back because he's not all that easy when you questioned his loyalty.

Joshua: You told him he’s too passive, too quiet, like he doesn’t care. He listens, and then, for the first time, he yells; not because he’s angry, but because he’s hurt. That really hurt him. You realize you mistook calmness for indifference. You find him in the studio days later, leaving notes, meals, and finally a tearful voice memo: “I was wrong. Please let me make it right.”

Jun: You walked out mid-argument after accusing him of not prioritizing you. He waited the whole night. Didn’t sleep. Then you find out he missed his filming because he had taken off to surprise you with lunch earlier, but you weren’t home. You sob when you see the untouched food. It takes weeks before he can look at you the same.

Hoshi: You said he was too busy for you, always in the practice room, probably not even thinking about you. He doesn’t say much, but that night you find the letter he was writing for you, tucked in his bag. You feel like the worst person alive. You try everything to reach him. He finally says, “If I matter to you, you’ll wait like I waited.” He just wanted you to trust him :(

Wonwoo: You assumed the worst and thought he was pulling away because he was bored with you. But he was planning to ask your parents for their blessing. You find the messages, the research tabs for rings, and suddenly the silence from him makes sense. You leave sticky notes, long texts, send books with little apologies tucked in. He opens your last message and finally says: “I wanted forever. Did you?”

Woozi: You were upset he didn’t introduce you to his producer friends. You say he’s keeping you a secret. He slams his phone down, angry tears in his eyes, “I’m trying to protect you from this industry.” Turns out he was right; one of those friends was a known leaker. You find yourself knocking at his door late at night, heart in your throat, asking for a second chance.

Dokyeom: You misinterpret his kindness to a fan as romantic interest and blow up at him after an event. His face crumbles. “I thought you knew me better than that.” The silence from him is unbearable. You cry while holding one of his plushies, sending voice messages until he responds with a short: “Are you ready to actually talk now?”

Mingyu: In front of his other idol friends, you accused him of being selfish for spending too much time in the gym instead of with you. The car ride home is silent. Then he whispers, “You know I go there because it’s the only place I feel enough.” You’re destroyed with guilt. You cook for him, apologize profusely, and cry in his arms when he finally hugs you back.

Minghao: You questioned if his affection was performative because he acts distant in public. He freezes, then says, “I thought you understood who I am.” You realize he’s always been more private, and you just hurt him by expecting him to change. You write him a letter in Mandarin. He doesn’t respond for days; then shows up, holding it, eyes glassy.

Seungkwan: You accused him of being dramatic just to get your attention during a breakdown. You didn’t realize how much he was struggling, how sincere he was. You later find his journal where he wrote, “I wish she saw how hard I try.” You cry while hugging his hoodie, trying to call him, telling him, “I was wrong, I’m sorry, I didn’t see it then but I do now.”

Vernon: You found a girl’s earring in his car and accused him before he could explain. Turns out it belonged to his sister, who borrowed his car the day before. He shuts down. “I don’t want to be in a relationship where I constantly have to prove myself.” You spend days sending him playlists, flowers, letters, photos, until he texts: “Come over. Let’s talk.”

Dino: You told him he wasn’t mature enough to be in a relationship with you after a minor fight. You didn’t mean it, but he took it to heart [obviously]. He stops texting, stops showing up. You realize you cut him where it hurt most; his need to be taken seriously. You apologize at the dance studio, murmuring, “I never should’ve said that.” He looks at you and says, “Then prove it.”

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purplereina11 · 7 hours ago

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In a match where the scoreboard tells only half the story, a fierce on-pitch rivalry between you and football royalty, Alexia Putellas, evolves into something electric — something unspoken, but deeply felt. Between the lines two players lock eyes, trade touches, and blur the line between competition and connection. What begins as a game becomes a gravity neither can resist.

Part 3: 36 hours in Munich

Word Count: 8k

⚽️

You’re in the locker room, post-session. Freshly changed but, pulse still settling, water bottle half-drunk and rolling somewhere near your bench. Everyone’s moving slow — stretches, recovery gear, shower queues. Typical post-training lull.

But you’re pacing already packing away, quicker than normal, you normally linger for longer. You sit finally. Jacket half-zipped. Legs twitchy, breath short, heart doing sprints while your teammates are winding down.

You check your phone for the sixth time in two minutes. Still nothing. Still soon.

“Alright,” a voice cuts through behind you. “Who is it?”

You look toward the voice. Georgia. Leaning against the wall, towel over her shoulder, one brow cocked. You blink. “What?”

“You’re all… shifty.” She waves a vague circle around you. “Nicely-dressed, hair down. You keep checking your phone like it's gonna grow lips.”

You try to brush it off. “It’s nothing.”

Georgia doesn’t even flinch. “Liar. Spill it.”

You stare at her for a second. You weren’t going to tell anyone. But something about her tone — casual but not cruel — makes your chest loosen. And you need to say it out loud. Just once.

You sigh, grab your other boot, and sit. “She’s flying in.”

Georgia pauses. “She?” You assumed Beth would of blabbed by now.

You swallow. “Alexia.”

That name lands like a stone in a calm pool. Georgia blinks once. “Putellas?”

“Yeah.”

She’s staring now. Like full-body-turn, jaw-slightly-dropped, towel-falling-off-the-shoulder staring. “For… ?” she tries.

You sigh a hand going through your freshly washed hair. “For a day.”

Her mouth opens. Then closes. Then opens again. “As in…”

You shrug, but you can’t help the way your face warms. “Yeah. As in that. She followed me after the home game against Barca, after the away game, that's when she first started DM'ing me" You smile at Georgia's mouth hanging open.

"Saying what?"

"Football stuff mainly, about the games, but after the last game at Wembley, she asked if she could come here to see me. I said yes.”

Georgia whistles low. “Bloody hell. You’re actually—” she stops herself. “Wait. Are you nervous?”

You nod, fast and helpless. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up.”

She laughs, loud and bright. “You scored a free kick at Wembley in front of ninety thousand, but you’re sweating because the Queen of Barcelona herself is flying in for a sleepover?”

You put your hand out, "You say it like they're not both just as equally massive" You groan, head in hands. “Why did I tell you.”

Georgia grins. “Because you needed to.” She slaps your back once, warm and steady. “She’ll have a nice time I'm sure. And you're interesting when your social battery is full. Just don’t overthink it.” You look up. Georgia’s still smiling — not teasing now. Just sure. “Go get the girl from the airport,” she says. “Don't over think it, just take it for what it is, it's her idea to come here so let her lead what it is"

You roll your eyes. But you’re nodding too. Because yeah — it’s real now. She’s coming. And you have to be ready.

“Meado knows about mine and Alexia’s conversations, she doesn’t know about her coming. If you know, you need to freak out about this when I’m gone”

⚽️

The car is parked just beyond the pickup loop, engine idling low. Your hoodie’s half-zipped, one hand gripping the steering wheel, the other drumming nervously against your thigh. You’ve been here twenty minutes early, but you’d never admit it.

Your phone lights up with a text.

Alexia: Just got my bag. Coming out now.

You swallow hard.

You glance in the rearview mirror, tug at your hair, check your reflection. You don’t even know why — it’s her, you’ve already been through matches and mud and bruises together — but somehow, this is different.

It’s real. And quiet. And outside the lines. The terminal doors slide open again. A few people walk out. Not her. Another group. Still not. Your fingers tap faster.

Then there she is. Alexia. Dressed in all black, sunglasses pushed up into her hair, duffel bag over her shoulder. She walks out calm, casual, that familiar captain’s posture in every step. But her eyes are already searching.

And the second she sees you, they soften. You watch her approach through the windshield, heart thudding so hard you’re sure she’ll hear it before she even opens the door.

She pulls it open and slides into the passenger seat with that impossible grace, dropping her bag between her feet. You look at her.

She looks at you. And for a second, neither of you says a thing.

“Hey,” you breathe, voice barely above the hum of the engine.

“Hey,” she says back, softer.

You both smile. It’s awkward and perfect and so much. “I can’t believe you’re actually here,” you say as you pull out into traffic.

She leans back in the seat, eyes still on you. “I told you,” she murmurs. “I didn’t want to miss you.”

The city rolls past in a blur of grey and gold. Low sunlight spills across the dashboard, and the soft thrum of music — something wordless and warm — fills the quiet between you.

You’re both a little awkward. Not painfully so. Just… cautiously new.

It’s strange, this version of her — in your passenger seat, seatbelt clicking into place, fingers drumming lightly on her thigh. She’s looking out the window, but keeps glancing at you when she thinks you won’t notice.

You notice. “Airport was easy, then?” you ask, just to fill the silence.

She nods. “Very. One person tried to sneak a photo. But I gave them the look.”

You smirk. “The full ‘Putellas Death Glare’?”

“Level three only,” she says, mock serious. “Mild warning.”

You laugh under your breath, relaxing a little. Her accent’s thicker in person, softer in a car. You don’t know why that makes your stomach twist the way it does.

She glances at you again, a little longer this time. “It’s weird,” she murmurs. “Hearing you talk without a crowd around us.”

You smile. “You’ll get used to it.”

You make it through another light, and the silence stretches — still easy, but expectant.

Then suddenly — you freeze. “Oh shit.”

Alexia blinks. “What?”

You wince. “I forgot to tell you something kind of… important.”

She turns in her seat, curious. “What did you forget?”

You drum your fingers on the wheel. “I have a dog.”

Alexia blinks again. Then a slow smile tugs at her lips. “That’s what you forgot?”

“Well, yeah,” you say, already cringing. “I just—I meant to tell you. I’m not one of those people who spring dogs on people. He’s sweet. I swear.”

She’s laughing now — full, rich, effortless. “You make it sound like you’ve got a bear waiting at the door.”

“He’s just… enthusiastic,” you say, biting your lip. “His name’s Teddy.”

Alexia tilts her head, teasing. “Named after?”

“Teddy bear. Don’t judge me.”

She holds up both hands. “No judgment. But I can’t believe you didn’t lead with that.”

You glance at her. “Still time to turn around, you know.”

She smiles wider, looking straight ahead again. “I came here to see you,” she says softly. “Teddy’s just a bonus.”

And just like that, the nerves quiet. Just a little.

⚽️

You pull into the parking spot in the street, heart suddenly faster than it was on the pitch at Wembley.

Alexia’s quiet beside you, seatbelt undone, hands folded in her lap. But you feel her eyes on you as you kill the engine and sit for a second longer than necessary.

“This is it,” you say, finally, looking up at your loft apartment on the third floor

She nods. “Cute street.”

You grin. “Cute flat.”

She smirks. “Cute dog?”

You shoot her a look. “He’s trying his best.”

You both laugh as you get out. The early evening air is cool, the sky dipping into that soft lilac blue. You grab her small bag from the boot, and as you unlock the door, you hesitate.

“He might bark.”

“I can handle it,” she says, smiling.

You push the door open. It takes exactly one second.

Teddy barrels around the corner, all paws and excitement, nails tapping on the floor like a drumroll. His tail is going wild, and he’s already launching toward you when he spots the new presence behind you.

Alexia steps in, closing the door behind her. Teddy freezes. Then bolts straight for her.

You open your mouth to intervene—“Teddy, no!”—but before you can, Alexia’s already crouching down, calm and soft.

“Hola, precioso,” she murmurs, holding out a hand. And Teddy melts.

Tail wagging, head pressing into her palm, tongue ready for her cheek like she’s his long-lost soulmate.

You blink. “Well,” you mutter, “traitor.”

Alexia looks up at you, grinning as she scratches behind his ears. “He has taste,” she says. “Clearly.”

You lean against the doorframe, watching her — hair falling into her face, Teddy now rolling onto his back like he’s never known loyalty — and something in your chest settles. Warms.

Alexia stands, finally, brushing dog fur from her knees.

“Welcome to Germany,” you say, quieter now.

She doesn’t look away when she answers. “Thanks,” she says. “It already feels like a good idea.”

And for the first time all day, you believe you can relax. Because she’s here. This is just the beginning.

You toe off your shoes by the door, glance back to find Alexia standing just inside, Teddy still sniffing reverently at her shoes like he’s found royalty. Her bag’s at her feet, her jacket draped over her arm.

You clear your throat. “Right—um. Tour.”

She smiles like she’s already charmed. “I’m ready.”

You lead her into the main space — open-plan living room and kitchen. The walls are clean, but lived-in. A few photos on a shelf — one of the squad after a cup match, another of you and Beth pulling stupid faces at the camera. A soft throw blanket is half-fallen off the back of the couch. A candle you forgot you lit earlier is still flickering on the coffee table.

“This is the, uh—living-slash-existing space,” you say, gesturing vaguely. “Teddy thinks it belongs to him.”

Teddy immediately hops onto the couch, circles twice, and settles like you’ve just proven his point. Alexia grins.

You lead her into the kitchen, flicking on the under-counter light. “I don’t cook much, but the kettle works. Coffee pods are in here.” You tap a cupboard. “Mugs — there.”

She opens it, scans the shelves. “All mismatched.”

You shrug. “I collect them. Kind of.”

“I like it,” she says, softly. “It feels like someone lives here.”

You duck your head, smiling.

You show her the bathroom next — small, clean, stocked with too many hair ties and one towel you warn her not to use because it’s definitely Teddy’s now.

And then the hallway. Two doors.

“That one’s mine,” you say, thumb over your shoulder. “The other’s yours while you’re here.”

She doesn’t hesitate. Just peeks inside. A double bed, made neatly. Fresh towels folded at the foot.

She steps inside. Smiles softly looking around more.

You clear your throat. “I didn’t want it to feel weird.”

“It doesn’t,” she says. “It feels like you thought about it.”

“I did,” you admit.

It slips out quieter than you mean it to, but you don’t take it back.

Alexia meets your eyes. “Thank you. For having me.”

You nod toward the room. “Make yourself at home, yeah? My place is your place.”

She steps a little closer. Not much. Just enough that you feel her presence like a hum. “I already feel at home,” she says.

And the way she says it. It makes your chest ache. In the best way. You raise your eyes when they moved away from hers, "I'll um, leave you to unpack" you take a step back, "Teddy" you call, he appears around the foot of the bed, "Come" you give Alexia one final look and you walk back down the hallway.

She smiled opening her bag as she heard you chatting away to Teddy about getting him some treats, asking for various tricks from him.

⚽️

You tried to cook. You really did. But somewhere between boiling the pasta and burning the garlic, you gave up and ordered takeaway. Alexia didn’t mind. In fact, she looked almost relieved.

Now you’re both curled up on the couch, watching a show on a streaming app neither of you are paying attention to, warm plates in your laps and the soft, flickering glow of your fairy lights stretching across the ceiling.

She’s in one of your hoodies now. You hadn’t meant to offer it — just handed it over without thinking when she mentioned how cold planes make her feel.

It swallows her in all the right ways.

Teddy’s curled at your feet. Loyal again. For now.

“Okay,” she says mid-bite, glancing at you. “I need to know something.”

You look over, wiping your fingers on a napkin. “What?”

She gestures with her fork. “Do you actually like this pasta place, or is it just close?”

You fake a gasp. “You don’t like it?”

“I didn’t say that,” she says, trying to hide her smile. “I just—your face when you handed it to me said, ‘This is the best I’ve got, but I know it’s not the best in the world.’”

You laugh. “Alright, yeah. It’s proximity-based love.”

She hums thoughtfully. “Respect.”

The TV plays something forgettable in the background — neither of you are really watching it. The kind of background noise that just fills in the edges of something far more focused. Like the way she’s sitting. One leg folded beneath her, turned just slightly toward you. Or the way you’re watching her mouth more than listening to her words.

She puts her plate down on the coffee table, wipes her hands, then leans back. “You were nervous,” she says suddenly.

You blink. “When?”

“Earlier. At the airport. In the car.”

You roll your eyes. “Was it that obvious?”

She smiles, soft and real. “A little.”

You look down at your plate, then back at her. “I just… didn’t want it to feel weird.”

Alexia tilts her head slightly. “It doesn’t. You make it easy.”

That catches you off guard. You blink once, then set your plate down too. The silence stretches. But it’s not awkward. It’s warm. “I’m glad you came,” you say.

She leans her head back against the couch, eyes on you now in that slow, deliberate way she does everything. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she says.

Alexia is fiddling with the sleeve of your hoodie — pulling at the hem with her thumb like she doesn’t realise she’s doing it. She’s not really looking at you. Not often. Just quick glances. Then back down. Then away.

You’re talking about random things. Easy things. Football. Training. Travel. Things you are confident you have in common.

She tells you about a weird airport coffee she had in Zurich. You tell her about the time Teddy accidentally got locked in your bathroom for 20 minutes and emerged looking personally betrayed.

And every now and then, there’s a pause that lasts a little longer than it should. But neither of you fill it. You just let it be. Eventually, you nudge your leg gently against hers. “You’re quiet.”

Alexia shifts. “Am I?”

You smile. “A little. For someone who just flew here to hang out with me.”

She huffs a quiet laugh. It’s barely there. “I’m just…” She trails off. Shrugs. “I’m not good at this part.”

You tilt your head. “What part?”

She stares at the coffee table like it’s got answers. “The talking part.” You wait. She finally looks at you — really looks. “I know how to show up to a match,” she says, voice low. “How to lead. How to win. That makes sense to me. But this?” She gestures between you. “This is…” She doesn’t finish.

You finish it for her. “New.”

She nods. And for a second, you think maybe she’s going to stand up, shift away, hide behind something safe. But she doesn’t. She just sits there. Awkward. Present. Willing.

You offer a small, understanding smile. “We don’t have to figure it all out tonight.”

She exhales, a little lighter now. “Good. Because I didn’t bring a tactics board.”

You both laugh. Softly. Easily. She doesn’t say anything else for a while — just leans back again, arms crossed over her chest now, head tilted slightly in your direction.

Eventually, she mumbles, almost like it’s for herself, “I’m glad I came too.” You nudge her foot with yours, with a gentle smile.

Alexia’s sitting sideways on the couch, one leg tucked under her, the other stretched out slightly, your hoodie sleeves pushed halfway up her forearms. You’re close, but not quite touching.

The conversation’s slowed to a hum — soft music talk, playlists, half-confessions about guilty pleasure songs. She mentions a Catalan band you’ve never heard of, and while she’s scrolling through her phone to find a song, your eyes drift downward.

And then you see it. A couple of faint lines on her knee. Pale, clean, but unmistakable. The scar. You pause. Not out of shock — you knew. You remember the coverage, the months out, the comeback.

But seeing it? That’s different. It’s not just a story now. It’s her. She notices your eyes drop. And for the first time all night, she goes still.

“Yeah,” she says softly, not quite looking at you. “That’s… that.”

You meet her eyes again. She doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t hide. But there’s something guarded in her voice. Like she’s used to people staring at it, asking about it, expecting something from it. You don’t ask. You just nod once, gentle. “Looks like strength,” you say, matter-of-fact.

Alexia’s brow furrows, unsure if you’re serious. But you are. She shifts slightly — not closer, but more open somehow. Her hand moves instinctively toward her knee, fingers grazing the scar once, like she’s reminding herself it’s still there.

“Sometimes it feels like I left a part of myself in there,” she murmurs. “The version of me from before.”

You let that hang. Then, quietly, “The version of you now scored against me. Twice.”

She huffs a breath. “Only one actually went in.”

“Still counts.”

She glances at you — and her smile is tired, genuine, laced with something like gratitude. Not for the words. For the way you didn’t try to fix it. Just saw it. And stayed.

The playlist she queued has faded into a quiet acoustic hum — soft, wordless, like it knows it shouldn’t interrupt. The light in the room has gone warm and low, one lamp casting golden arcs over her face as she leans back into the couch, knee still bent, hand still ghosting near the scar.

You don’t speak. You wait. And eventually — slowly — she does.

“I didn’t think I’d come back,” she says, voice low, eyes fixed on the ceiling like it’s easier not to look at you. “Not really.”

You blink, still, letting her keep control of it.

“Everyone kept saying I would. That I’d be fine. That I was strong, that I’d be back in a year. But inside…” She swallows. “I didn’t feel strong. I didn’t even feel whole. I felt… like I’d been cut out of myself.”

You shift just slightly. Not closer — not yet. But enough to let her know, I’m here. She breathes, slow.

“I’d watch games and feel like I didn’t belong anymore. Like I’d already been replaced. And I didn’t want anyone to know how scared I was because… I’m not supposed to be scared. I’m her, you know?” She finally looks at you now. “La Reina” You meet her eyes, steady. She adds, barely audible, “But I felt like glass.”

The words hang in the room — fragile, but not broken. You nod once. Then say the only thing you really believe in this moment. “I think you’re better now.”

Her brow pulls, confused. “What?”

You lean back, resting your head on the couch, looking up like she did. “You’re smarter. Sharper. Your passes don’t just thread — they cut. You’ve got control most people don’t even understand. And there’s a weight to the way you move now, like you know exactly what it costs to step back onto the pitch.”

You turn your head to her again.

“I’ve watched you before. Really watched you. You were always brilliant. But now?” You shrug. “You’re something else.”

Alexia stares at you, mouth parted slightly — like no one’s ever said it that way. Not like that. Not to her. She doesn’t say thank you. She just shifts — this time closer. Not dramatic. Just enough. Her shoulder brushes yours. Her knee bumps your thigh. And she lets out a breath that sounds a little like relief. “Thank you,” she murmurs eventually, eyes back on the scar. And then, softer: “I’ve never said that stuff out loud.”

You nod. “I know.” The quiet returns — not heavy this time. Comfortable. Like something sacred just happened, and you both know it.

She’s close now. Arm resting lightly against yours. Your hoodie sleeves bunching at her wrists. The scar still visible — but no longer raw. You glance down at her, the way her gaze has softened since she spoke, how her edges feel less guarded, like your living room gave her permission she didn’t even know she needed.

You swallow once. Think. Then speak. “You know… when I moved to Germany, people said it was career suicide.”

Alexia turns her head slightly, brows faintly drawn. Listening now. Not out of politeness. Intention. You stare ahead.

“Agents stopped calling. Interviews dried up. One coach — someone I used to really trust — told me I’d disappear. That I’d ‘fade out quietly.’” You huff a laugh, but there’s no humour in it. “I hadn’t even unpacked yet.”

Alexia is silent. Not interrupting. Just there.

“I’d scroll through social media and see all the squad updates, the camps, the conversations I wasn’t in anymore. And I thought… maybe they’re right. Maybe I peaked.”

You pause. Swallow.

“I started believing it. Like I was a mistake that was just waiting to happen.”

Alexia shifts slightly, her arm pressing into yours, grounding you.

“But then,” you continue, voice quieter now, “I played. I worked. And I kept showing up. And slowly… something changed. Not in them. In me.”

Alexia tilts her head. You glance at her.

“I stopped playing to prove people wrong,” you say. “And I started playing like they didn’t get a say.”

There’s a pause. And then—so soft you almost miss it—she says, “I noticed.”

You look at her. She’s watching you now — full on. Not blinking. Not shrinking. And when she speaks again, it’s steady.

“You didn’t disappear. You became better.”

You smile, but there’s a knot in your throat. Because you know she means it. And you never expected to hear it from her. Alexia leans her head back against the couch, her body still relaxed but her voice dipped low again.

“I know what that doubt feels like,” she says. “And I know how heavy it is to prove yourself to people who already made up their minds.”

You nod. “It’s exhausting.”

She murmurs, “And lonely.”

The room goes quiet again. But this time? Not lonely. Just two people sitting in a space neither of you were sure existed — honest, open, real. No spotlight. No pressure. Just you and her. And the ache you’ve both come back from.

⚽️

It’s late.

So late the playlist stopped a while ago. So late the city outside your windows feels like it’s on mute. You both stretch at almost the same time — that lazy, reluctant movement that means okay, maybe we should sleep but neither of you want to break the quiet just yet.

You stand first. Alexia follows. She’s still in your hoodie, tugging it down slightly, bare feet padding across the floor as you walk her to the guest room — side by side in a hush that feels warmer than anything words could’ve done.

You pause at the door.

She turns to face you, one hand on the doorframe. Her hair’s a little messy now, eyes slightly glassy with exhaustion. Her voice, when it comes, is soft and almost shy.

“Thanks for tonight.”

You smile, slow. “Thanks for coming.”

She nods, then looks down like she might say something else. But she doesn’t. You step back slightly, hands in your hoodie pockets, eyes flicking to hers.

“Goodnight, Alexia.”

She looks up at that. And for a second — just one second — the look on her face says everything else she didn’t say. Then she nods, once. Barely a smile. But it reaches her eyes. “Goodnight.”

She slips into the room. You don’t linger. Just turn toward your own — quiet footsteps down the short hall. You push the door open and Teddy. Right there, already curled up in the middle of your bed. One eye open, tail thumping lazily against the duvet like, about time.

You smile, rubbing the back of your neck as you sit on the edge of the bed. Your phone buzzes on the nightstand. You pick it up.

Alexia: Sleep well. You talk less than I thought you would. I liked it.

You stare at the message for a second, then type back:

You: You talk more than I thought you would. I liked it too.

Teddy sighs dramatically. You laugh under your breath. Then switch off the light. And for the first time in a long time, you fall asleep not needing to prove anything. Because she’s here. And you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

⚽️

You wake to the smell of coffee. And the distinct sound of Teddy betraying you. You roll out of bed, hair a mess, hoodie tugged low over your hands, padding barefoot into the kitchen where—There she is.

Alexia.

Still in your hoodie. One sock on, one foot bare. Mug in hand, eyes still puffy with sleep, standing at your counter while Teddy leans against her legs like he’s never loved anyone else.

She glances up when you walk in, and her smile is soft. Unbrushed. Unfiltered. Real.

“Morning,” she says, voice husky.

You squint. “How’d you find the biscuits?”

She holds up the mug in salute. “I’m elite. And you left a post-it that said ‘left cupboard, top shelf, if teddy won't leave you alone'.”

You grin. “I knew past-me had potential.”

She turns back to the counter, pouring more water into the kettle, while Teddy attempts to wedge himself between her and the cabinets, tail sweeping the floor like a metronome.

“You realise he’s using you,” you say, grabbing a clean mug.

“He can use me all he wants,” she says, reaching down to scratch his ears. “He’s warm.”

You watch her — the way her fingers slide under Teddy’s collar, the way her mouth twitches when he tries to climb into her actual lap. It’s not a moment. Not a capital-letter Event. But something in your chest aches anyway.

Because she looks right here.

You grab the eggs, start cracking them into the pan. She pulls down two plates without being asked. Neither of you talks much. Just a few sleepy comments, heads bumping once as you both reach for the cutlery drawer.

When you sit across from her at the little kitchen table — plates steaming, dog underfoot — she catches your eye as you tuck your leg up under you. She doesn’t look away. Not for a while.

You hold it. You hold her. And the smile she gives you. It says I see this. I feel it. I’m here.

After breakfast, you throw a hoodie over your tee, pull on your trainers, and rattle Teddy’s lead. He loses his mind, of course — spinning, barking, pawing at the door like it personally wronged him.

“You wanna come?” you ask, glancing over your shoulder at Alexia.

She shrugs. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

She throws on a coat of yours on hook, slips into her trainers, and follows you out the door — hair tied up, sleeves rolled down, sunglasses perched on her head like she forgot the sun lives here too despite the cold.

You walk through quiet neighbourhood streets, Teddy darting side to side, nose in every hedge. You and her? Side by side. Not touching. Not saying much. But every now and then, you catch her watching you. And when you glance back— She doesn’t look away.

You loop around the quiet end of the park, the noise of the street fading behind you, and find your bench — tucked under a tree just starting to bloom, a little weathered, sun-warmed. Teddy bounds ahead, lead dropped loose in your hand, tail sweeping in wide arcs like a painter’s brush.

Alexia sits first, arms wrapped around herself like she’s trying not to take up space but still wants to stay close. You drop beside her, leg stretched long, hands resting over your thighs.

For a while, you both just sit. Watching Teddy. Letting the quiet settle.

Then Alexia speaks, voice dry. “You really weren’t kidding about him being enthusiastic.”

You glance at her. She’s staring at Teddy, who’s currently rolling in something deeply questionable on the grass. You sigh.

“Yeah but he’s loyal.. until someone has better snacks anyway.”

She snorts. “I didn’t even have snacks.”

“Exactly,” you say, nudging her foot with yours. “He’s just shallow.”

She smirks, then leans back a little, adjusting the sleeves of your coat again. “He’s got taste, though. He likes me.”

You raise a brow. “Are you calling yourself a snack?”

“I’m not denying it.”

You laugh — sharp, sudden, surprised. And it makes her smile wider “You’ve got this whole mysterious captain thing,” you say, squinting at her. “But secretly, you’re kind of cocky.”

She tilts her head, smug. “Only when I’m right.” You roll your eyes, but your grin’s too soft to mean it. There’s a pause. Then, more gently “I like this,” she says, not looking at you now — just forward, at the dog, at the path.

You shift, the warmth of her words settling low in your ribs. “This?” you echo.

She nods. “The quiet. You. Teddy. This bench.” She pauses, then smirks again. “Even your coat.”

You laugh, quieter this time. “You make it look better than I do.”

“I know.” She meets your eyes then. And the silence that follows doesn't last long until you're leaning into each other laughing about it.

You clear your throat, picking at a thread on your sleeve, when the little old lady that you see everyday was eyeing you with annoyance, "So, um… are you always like this when you’re off the pitch?”

Alexia blinks. “Like what?”

You shrug. “A bit smug. Surprisingly funny. Secretly soft.”

She narrows her eyes, mock offended. “Secretly?”

You smirk. “I mean, the brand is very serious captain with cheekbones that could cut glass.”

Alexia hums. “Cheekbones and a scar. Very dramatic.”

“Oh, absolutely. You’re one trench coat away from being a Bond villain.” That gets a real laugh — full-bodied and sudden. She leans her head back against the bench, still smiling.

Then, “You make this easy,” she says, softer now. “Being here.”

You glance at her. And for a second, it’s all there again — the pitch, the free kick, the weight of it all.

But here, it’s light. You bump your knee gently against hers. “I’m glad you came, Alexia.” She doesn’t look away this time.

“I am too.”

You stretch your legs out in front of you, glancing sideways at her — Alexia, sitting there so casually now, one foot tucked beneath her, face tilted toward the sun like she’s been here a dozen times instead of just once.

You reach down to pat Teddy’s back as he wanders close.

Then glance at her.

“Do you like clichés?”

She lifts a brow. “What kind of question is that?”

You shrug, casual. “Like, romantic comedies. Grand gestures. Saying the same dumb things everyone else does. Standing on famous streets pretending you’re having an authentic experience.”

Alexia leans back, lips twitching. “You’re stalling.”

You grin. “Maybe.”

She squints at you now, playful. “Okay. Ask me properly.”

You turn toward her fully, arms folded over your chest like you’re about to deliver something serious.

“Would you like to do all the ridiculously cliché tourist things in Munich with me today?”

Alexia’s head tips slightly to the side, considering.

You keep going.

“I mean the whole deal — the Marienplatz selfie. Pretending to care about the Glockenspiel. Giant pretzels. A walk through the Englischer Garten where I’ll tell you lies about German history I definitely make up.”

Her smile creeps in slowly — then fully.

“I want lederhosen photos.”

You gasp, dramatically. “That’s advanced cliché.”

“I’m committed.”

You laugh. “God help us.”

She leans in slightly. “Only if you wear them too.��

You groan. “I’ve made a mistake.”

“You offered.”

You hold her gaze for a second, heart kicking a little louder now beneath all the lightness.

And she’s still smiling.

But there’s something genuine behind it.

Like maybe, for the first time in a long time, she’s just saying yes to a day that doesn’t come with pressure, or cameras, or expectations.

Just you.

She nudges your knee with hers. “So? We going or what?”

You whistle for Teddy. “Marienplatz, prepare yourself.”

⚽️

You start with Marienplatz. Because of course you do.

The crowds are already gathering under the watchful clock of the Neues Rathaus, phones out and necks craning toward the tower. You know the Glockenspiel starts at eleven. You’ve seen it a dozen times. It’s slow. It’s slightly underwhelming. But you still pretend like it’s sacred.

“People clap after this?” Alexia murmurs beside you, watching a small bronze knight rotate in a slow, juddering circle.

“Every time,” you whisper back. “It’s powerful.”

She gives you the driest look you’ve ever seen and it almost takes you out.

You snap a selfie right there — her unimpressed expression next to your exaggerated awe. It’s perfect. You don't even check it before saving.

From there it’s Viktualienmarkt — where you insist on finding the most absurdly oversized pretzel possible. Alexia watches you barter with a vendor and somehow ends up paying instead. She splits it with you anyway. You walk through the stalls like locals, even though you're both definitely not.

You buy her a little pin shaped like a beer stein. You stick it to her jacket pocket. “Souvenir,” she says.

You end up in the Englischer Garten by early afternoon, the kind of place where the trees stretch wide and people picnic like they’ve got nowhere else to be. Teddy loses his mind over a pigeon and nearly pulls Alexia into a fountain.

You don’t let that one go quietly. “Two time Ballon D'or, and you still couldn’t hold the line.”

“It was a very fast pigeon.”

You laugh until you’re leaning against her, shoulder to shoulder, catching your breath while Teddy runs victory laps around you both.

At the beer garden, you sit under the shade of chestnut trees, and Alexia orders something she can’t pronounce while you pretend to translate and definitely make it worse.

She tries white sausage and doesn’t hide her reaction.

You raise a brow. “Too real?”

“I can mark out midfielders. I can’t defend this texture.”

You toast anyway.

Later, you wander without purpose — through side streets with painted shutters and ivy-streaked balconies, past musicians playing under archways and little kids holding balloon strings tight to their wrists. Alexia keeps her sunglasses low on her nose, watching it all.

“I get why you like it here,” she says.

You glance over. “Yeah?”

She nods, then adds softly, “You fit here.”

It sticks.

You end up near the river as golden hour starts to take the edge off the buildings. There’s a stone ledge overlooking the water. You sit. She leans back on her hands, face turned to the sky.

“Okay,” she says finally. “This was... fun.”

You grin. “You sound surprised.”

“I am. I didn’t think cliché could feel like this.”

“Like what?”

She glances at you. Her expression doesn’t change much — but her voice does. “Easy.”

You don’t say anything for a second. Just smile. Then bump her knee gently with yours. “Think we earned ice cream?”

She tilts her head. “Is that part of the cliché package?”

“Obviously.”

You walk back into the city with cones in hand, Teddy leading the way again, tail wagging like a metronome keeping time with your steps.

And somewhere along that walk — maybe crossing a street, or brushing hands as you trade bites of each other’s flavours — something soft settles between you.

Not tension. Not expectation. Just understanding.

⚽️

You swing by the flat first — the front door barely closed before Teddy flops dramatically across the hallway floor like he’s survived something immense.

Alexia kneels down beside him, ruffles behind his ears, and says, “You’ll be alright without us.”

He sighs like he won’t.

You both change quickly — nothing fancy, just different hoodies, fresh faces, the kind of casual that looks better on her than it has any right to.

The bar you pick is a local one — tucked into a side street off the main square, part wine bar, part café, part 'we might have regulars but we won’t pretend to know your name unless you want us to.'

You take the corner table. The lights are soft and golden, the walls cluttered with mismatched frames and shelves of wine bottles. You order a bottle of white you’ve had before — one you hope she’ll like — and a snack board that arrives faster than expected: warm bread, cheese, olives, salted almonds.

She looks around, impressed. “You bring all your international friends here?”

You raise an eyebrow. “Only the ones who knock me out the champions league.”

“Fair,” she says, hiding a smile behind her glass.

You’ve barely had a sip before you reach into your bag and pull out a battered Uno deck.

Alexia blinks. “You brought cards?”

“They have them as you walk in. I’m competitive,” you say, shrugging. “And brave.”

She laughs once, short and sharp. “You’re going to regret this.”

“I’ve already accepted that.” You deal. And it begins.

It starts civil. Friendly. Smirks over skips. Light jabs when she stacks draw twos. You both pick at the snack board between plays, hands brushing occasionally as you reach for the same olive.

But by the second game, It’s personal.

She slams down a reverse like it’s a tactical sub in a final. You pull a draw four from your hoodie pocket like a weapon of war. She narrows her eyes. You lift your brows, mock-innocent.

It’s deadly serious. It’s ridiculous. And you’re both grinning like you haven’t stopped since this morning.

The bar starts to fill in slowly, but your little corner stays quiet — like a bubble you haven’t noticed growing around you. Just you, her, your wine glasses catching the light, and a stack of discarded cards that tells a very messy, very entertaining story.

Somewhere between games, you pause — mid-sip, watching her draw her hand.

“Are you always like this?” you ask. “Lowkey evil under all that calm?”

She looks up, unbothered. “Only when provoked.”

You laugh, leaning back. “Remind me not to cross you again.”

She smirks, eyes flicking up at you over her cards. “You already did,” she says, laying down a wild card.

The round ends. She wins.

You groan dramatically and throw your cards onto the table. She raises her hands in mock celebration, then quietly steals another piece of cheese from your side of the board.

“You know,” she says casually, chewing, “This might be the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

You blink. She doesn’t look up right away — just flips the deck over and starts reshuffling it absentmindedly.

But you’re watching her. And there’s no doubt in your mind. She means it.

⚽️

The walk home from the bar is slow. No rush. No real conversation either. Just a lot of little smiles. Shoulders brushing sometimes. The city quieter now — streetlights pooling in soft circles at your feet.

When you reach your building, you both slip inside quietly, Teddy greeting you at the door with a sleepy grumble and a thump of his tail.

You toe off your shoes, hang your jacket, glance over at her — and then, impulsively:

“Wanna see something stupid?”

Alexia blinks. “Not usually the way someone convinces me to follow them, but… sure.”

You grin.

You lead her through the flat — past the living room, into your bedroom. Teddy hops onto the bed like he’s reclaiming his kingdom. You move to the window — the one you always leave cracked just a little — and unlatch it the rest of the way.

You glance back at her.

She’s standing with her arms folded, watching you like she’s bracing for something truly ridiculous.

You duck out first — onto the sloped bit of roofing just beyond the window, socks scraping softly against the tiles. You crouch low, then stand carefully, balancing with practiced ease.

You turn and beckon. Alexia just stares. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

She steps closer, looks out.

The drop’s not that bad. 22 feet, maybe. But the tiles are slick with dew, and there’s no railing, no barrier, no sensible adult supervision.

“This is wildly unsafe,” she mutters.

You just smile. “Come on. I’m not gonna let you fall.”

She glares at you, muttering something in Catalan that sounds very judgmental. But you can see it — the twitch at the corner of her mouth. She’s not really mad.

She’s just concerned. Which somehow only makes it better.

After a few more seconds of muttering under her breath, she sighs dramatically, steps up onto the ledge, and eases herself through the window with surprising grace — a little unsteady at first, reaching for your hand instinctively.

You catch it. Steady her. “See?” you say, squeezing her fingers lightly. “Easy.”

“Still stupid,” she mutters.

But she doesn’t pull away. You lead her a few steps up — careful, slow — until you both settle onto the slightly flatter part of the roof, side by side, legs pulled up to your chest..

She finally looks up the whole city stretches out in front of her.

The rooftops curve into the skyline, lights twinkling like fallen stars. The dark river cuts a lazy path through the buildings. A few stray sirens whine in the distance, but mostly it’s just quiet. Wide and open and impossibly still.

Alexia exhales — a soft, almost disbelieving sound. The corners of her mouth lift. And whatever worry she had before melts off her shoulders.

“Okay,” she says, voice lighter now. “Maybe it’s worth the risk.”

You bump your knee against hers. “Told you.”

You sit like that for a long time — no rush, no plan. Just the two of you, the city breathing around you, your hands close enough to touch if you dared.

Every now and then, you glance over and catch her watching the lights, the horizon, the night itself like she’s letting herself believe she could belong to something this simple.

The climb back in through the window is quieter than the climb out.

Alexia moves slower now, heavy with the kind of tired that comes after a day full of laughter and nowhere to be but here. She drops softly into your bedroom, feet padding across the floor, hoodie sleeves pulled down over her hands again.

You follow behind, closing the window gently behind you.

Teddy’s already curled up on the bed, barely lifting his head to acknowledge your return. He gives Alexia one approving thump of the tail. You’re not sure if it’s for coming back safely or for still being here.

You rub at the back of your neck, eyes a little hazy, wine long gone.

Alexia stands in the doorway to the guest room now, hand on the frame. Her expression is soft — not sleepy exactly, just settled.

She looks at you. And it hits again — this moment. How simple it is. How much it means. You lean against the wall across from her, arms crossed loosely, smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

“I’ll make sure you don’t miss your flight in the morning,” you say.

She smirks faintly. “You better.”

“I’ll set three alarms.”

She lifts an eyebrow. “Four.”

You laugh, quiet and tired. “Pushy.”

She shrugs. “Punctual.”

The pause that follows isn’t awkward. It’s full. Of all the things neither of you are saying right now. But it’s okay. You already said so much.

She shifts slightly, head tilting. “Today was…”

You nod. “Yeah.”

She doesn’t finish the sentence. She doesn’t have to.

You step forward, and without thinking, you pull her into a light hug — not long, not heavy, but enough. Enough to feel the warmth of her hoodie, the steady beat of her breath, the soft slide of her hand as it rests briefly on the back of your head.

You pull back just a little. She’s still close. “Goodnight, Alexia.”

Her eyes flicker — tired and unreadable, but warmer now “Goodnight.”

She steps into the guest room and closes the door behind her with a gentle click. You exhale.

Teddy stretches across your bed with a groan like he just ran the city.

You flick off the hallway light, pad back into your room, and crawl beneath the covers.

The room is dark now. But your chest is full. And your alarms are definitely set. Tomorrow she leaves.

⚽️

The alarms buzz you awake just after six.

Teddy barely lifts his head as you stumble into the kitchen, yawning, the world outside still caught between night and day.

Alexia’s already up. You find her sitting on the edge of the couch, tying her sneakers — hair messy, hoodie slung loose over her frame, backpack by her feet.

She looks up when you walk in, and there’s a small, tired smile waiting for you. “Morning,” she says, voice thick with sleep.

You hum a reply, rubbing your eyes. Neither of you rush.

You load Teddy into the backseat. He whines a little, sensing something is different. The drive to the airport is quiet — warm coffee cups in the holders, the radio playing something soft neither of you bother to change.

She leans her forehead against the window once, watching the fields blur into concrete. When you pull up to Departures, you leave the car idling, glancing over at her.

She’s already unbuckling her seatbelt, but neither of you move right away.

The city is waking up outside. You’re wide awake here. Alexia shifts in her seat to face you. “This was…” She trails off, the words sticking again.

You smile, small. “Yeah. It was.”

She fiddles with the ring on her finger.

You grip the steering wheel lightly. “You’ll make your flight.”

She nods. “Thanks for not letting me oversleep.”

You bump your shoulder against hers gently. “Thanks for making it hard to say goodbye.”

That gets a real smile — tired, fond, a little crooked. She opens the door, stepping out into the sharp morning air. You get out too.

You meet her around the back of the car — not rushed, not dramatic. Just standing there, with a sea of taxis and early travelers moving around you like another current you’re not ready to step into yet.

She shoulders her bag. You jam your hands into your hoodie pockets.

Then — simply — she steps closer. You think she might hug you. You think you might need her to.

But instead, she reaches up — slow, careful — and hooks one finger lightly around your hoodie drawstring. Tugs it once. Soft. Playful.

“Text me when you get home,” you say, even though you’re already sure she will.

Alexia nods. “You too.”

And then — because she knows when to let things stay perfect — she turns and walks toward the entrance. You watch her weave through the doors. She doesn’t look back. Not until she’s just inside, bag slung over one shoulder, ticket in hand. Then she does. Just once.

She finds you through the glass — through the crowd and the noise and the press of the world. She smiles. Small. Sure. Enough.

You lift a hand. She does too. Then she’s gone, swallowed into the current of the airport.

You stand there a moment longer, breath fogging in the chill, Teddy’s nose nudging your hand.

You pat his head. Then you climb back into the car. And drive home, to grab a few more hours of sleep before training.

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