#and they don't even know to what extent he did
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blakeswritingimagines · 2 days ago
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Drama Queen
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Summary: You learn the hard way of your boyfriend's darker side.
Word Count: 3.0k
Warnings: Mean! Logan and Sweet Fem! reader, Dark Yandere! Logan, Name-calling, No protection, Begging, Roughness, Degradation, Slight crying, Slight finger sucking towards the end, Talk of more rounds, Talk of being fucked dumb.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-men character/s nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them.
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Logan was never a man to be messed with, especially when it came to his loved ones. He was fiercely protective of the people he cared about, and even more so when it came to his romantic relationships. At first, he was charming and loving, but behind that façade he held onto a dark obsession, one that drove him to extreme lengths to keep you close to him. He grew intensely possessive, watching your every move and checking in on you constantly. He was always the one in control, always needing to know where you were and what you were doing.
You unaware of the extent of his obsession and possessiveness. He was always watching you, no matter where you went. He would follow you to work, your favorite spots in town, and even into your own home. He would hack into your electronics, track your phone, and secretly record your every move. He knew your schedule better than you did, and would always be there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to swoop in and assert his presence. He would use his knowledge of your life to manipulate you and make you feel dependent on him. In your innocent and naive worldview, you were unaware of the extent of Logan's obsession and possessiveness. You just thought he was a bit overprotective, always checking in on you and wanting to know where you are. You figured he was just being an attentive boyfriend who was worried for your safety. As your relationship with Logan progressed on, his possessiveness and jealousy grew deeper. He couldn't tolerate any other man even glancing in your direction. One day, a male friend of yours approached you, and Wolverine immediately saw red. He angrily confronted you, demanding to know who this man was and why he was talking to you. You tried to explain that he was just a friend, but Logan refused to believe it.
As you stood there, trying to reason with him, Logan was seething with anger, the veins in his temples pulsing. "Who was that man?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "Why was he talking to you?" You felt a pang of fear, unused to seeing him this way. "He's just a friend, Logan," you explained, your voice shaking slightly. "We've known each other for years." Wolverine's eyes narrowed, his gaze intense as he studied your face, searching for any sign of deception. The air around him crackled with tension, his body coiled like a spring ready to snap. "A friend," he repeated, the word dripping with skepticism. "One who looks at you like…that." He gestured vaguely towards the memory of your interaction, his jaw clenched. "I don't like it. I don't trust him. And I sure as hell don't want to see you talking to anyone else like that either." His tone was commanding, leaving no room for argument. "From now on, if you're going to talk to men, they'd better be me." You bristled at his possessive tone, feeling a flicker of anger. "Logan, I'm free to talk to whoever I want," you shot back, your voice firmer now. "You don't own me." Logan's grip on your chin tightened, his fingers digging into your skin. "I don't own you? Then why are you still here with me?" he demanded, his voice low and menacing. "If you're so desperate for freedom, then leave. Walk out that door and never look back." His other hand came up to wrap around your waist, pulling you flush against his hard body. "But if you stay," he continued, his breath hot against your ear, "you'll submit to me completely. Body, mind, and soul. Because that's what I crave from you. Total surrender." He nipped at your earlobe, sending a shiver down your spine. "So what's it going to be? Freedom or me?" His words were a challenge, a test of your resolve. Your heart thumped in your chest, a mix of anger and arousal swirling within you. You knew you should stand your ground, but the heat of his body pressed against you was hard to resist, and the fierce possessiveness in his voice tugged at something primal within you. "You're impossible," you ground out, trying to sound defiant, but your body betrayed you, pressing against his. He smirked, knowing he'd gotten to you, and his grip on your chin and waist tightened further. A triumphant smile spread across Wolverine's face as he sensed your resistance crumbling.
"Impossible, huh?" he chuckled, the deep rumble vibrating through you. "I prefer to think of myself as irresistible." His hands roamed your curves, exploring every inch of you with possessive hunger. "You can deny it all you want, but your body knows the truth. It craves my touch, yearns for my dominance." He captured your mouth in a searing kiss, claiming you thoroughly as his tongue battled with yours for supremacy. When he finally broke away, you were left panting and dazed, your senses reeling from the intensity of the encounter. "Were you born to submit to me?" he murmured, his voice a husky whisper. "Is it in your very nature to be owned, to be mine and mine alone?" Your mind was a whirl of confusion and desire, your body responding to his touch in spite of your resistance. You couldn't deny the truth in his words, how your body seemed to ache for him, how your pulse quickened whenever he touched you. But the idea of submitting to him completely, of being owned by him, was both terrifying and appealing. "I… I…" you stuttered, unable to form a coherent thought as he continued to caress you with possessive hands and lips. Every touch seemed to stoke the flames of your desire, making it harder and harder to remember why you were supposed to resist. "No?" Logan's eyes gleamed with victory as he watched you struggle with your desires, your resolve weakening under his relentless onslaught. "No?" he echoed, his voice laced with amusement and anticipation. "Then prove it, bitch. Show me you can resist me." With a sudden movement, he released you, stepping back to create distance between your bodies. His arms crossed over his chest, a challenging glint in his eye. "Go ahead, walk away. Leave me and never look back. If you truly want freedom, then take it." The offer hung in the air, a gauntlet thrown down. But even as he spoke the words, Wolverine's gaze remained fixed on you, tracking every subtle shift in your posture, every fleeting emotion that crossed your face. He knew you wouldn't leave, not when your body was screaming for his touch, begging to be claimed once more.
You stood there, stunned by his sudden absence, your body immediately aching for the feel of him against you. The heat that had pooled in your core was still there, begging to be satisfied. You knew what he was doing, testing you, trying to get you to give in to your desires. But as much as you wanted to give in, to let yourself surrender to him completely, you refused to buckle under his challenge. "You're an ass," you muttered, your voice filled with annoyance and desire. Logan's smirk returned, wider and more arrogant than before. "An ass, huh?" he drawled, uncrossing his arms to stalk towards you once more. "Maybe I am. Maybe that's exactly what you need, someone to put you in your place and remind you who's really in control here." He grasped your wrists, pinning them above your head roughly as he leaned in close, his breath fanning over your face. "Because right now, baby, you're nothing but a needy little slut, craving my cock like a drug. And I'm more than happy to give it to you, to fill you up until you can't think straight anymore." His hips pressed against yours, the bulge of his erection evident even through their clothes. "So… beg for it." Your breath hitched at his words, the dirty talk making your mind fuzzy and your body overheat. His hands on your wrists, the press of his body against yours, all of it sent a heady mix of desire and submission coursing through you. Despite your best efforts to keep a straight face, your voice quivered slightly as you spoke. "Get real," you repeated, your voice a weak attempt at conviction. A small hitch in your breath betrayed your growing desperation, and you could feel yourself starting to crumble under his intense gaze.
Logan's grin widened, his eyes burning with triumph as he sensed your faltering resolve. "Oh, I'm very real, sweetheart," he purred, his grip on your wrists tightening ever so slightly. "And so are your needs. You want to be dominated, used, fucked senseless by me. Admit it." He rocked his hips against yours, the friction sending sparks of pleasure shooting through your veins. "Begging is such a pretty sound coming from your lips. I bet you'd look even prettier on your knees, choking on my cock while you plead for more." His free hand slid down to cup your sex through your clothing, applying just enough pressure to make you gasp. "Come on, baby. Let's hear those sweet, submissive moans. Beg me to fuck you like the desperate little whore you are." You bit your lip, trying to hold back the whimper building in your throat, but it escaped anyway, a needy little mewl that sounded far too much like submission. Your knees nearly buckled at his words, the crude imagery painting vivid pictures in your mind. You could almost taste the saltiness of his skin, feel the thick girth of his cock stretching your throat as you pleaded for more. His hand on your sex sent jolts of electricity through your body, making your clit throb with need. "Please," you whispered, the word barely audible over the pounding of your heart. "Just… please." Your face flushed with shame and arousal, you met his gaze, your eyes pleading for the release only he could provide. "Fuck me," you begged, the words tumbling out in a rush.
A wicked grin spread across Logan's face as he heard your desperate plea, his eyes darkening with lust and satisfaction. "That's it, baby. That's what I wanted to hear," he growled, his voice rough with desire. Without warning, he spun you around and bent you over the nearby table, sweeping its contents onto the floor with a crash. "Such a good little slut, begging for my cock like it's the only thing that matters." He yanked his shirt off over his head, revealing his chiseled torso and the impressive bulge straining against his jeans. "Time to give you what you need, baby." The cool wood pressed against your heated skin as he yanked your pants down, exposing your dripping sex to the open air. "Fuck, you're soaked already," he groaned, running a finger teasingly along your slit. "Such a needy little cunt, so ready for my cock." He freed himself from his jeans, the thick head of his dick nudging insistently at your entrance. "Brace yourself, sweetheart. I'm gonna ruin this tight pussy," he promised darkly. Your breath caught in your throat, the anticipation and excitement coursing through you. His hands on your body, the rough way he manhandled you, it all sent a thrill through you. As he positioned himself behind you, you gripped the table, bracing yourself for the inevitable. "Logan…" you gasped, your voice filled with a mix of fear and desire. "Please, be gentle." Logan chuckled darkly, amused by your plea for gentleness. "Gentle? Oh baby, where's the fun in that?" he teased, rubbing the tip of his cock teasingly along your slick folds. "Besides, we both know you don't really want gentle. What you want is to be fucked hard and deep, to feel every thick inch of me splitting you open." Without further warning, he grabbed your hips and thrust forward, burying himself to the hilt inside your tight heat. "Unnngh fuck!" he grunted, savoring the exquisite feeling of your walls clenching around him. "So goddamn tight. This pussy was made for my cock." He set a brutal pace, slamming into you with powerful strokes that shook the table beneath you. "Take it, you filthy slut."
Even as the words left your lips, you knew it was a hopeless plea. Logan was not a gentle and caring man, especially not when it involved you like this and what he wanted from you. He chuckled darkly, the sound sending a shiver down your spine. A sharp cry tore from your throat as he entered you, the sudden fullness overwhelming your senses. Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes from the intensity, but your body quickly adjusted, welcoming the intrusion. Each harsh thrust sent shockwaves of pleasure through you, your inner walls fluttering and gripping him tightly. "Ah!" you moaned shamelessly, pushing your hips back to meet his brutal pace. The obscene slap of skin on skin filled the room, mixing with your wanton cries. Logan groaned in approval as he felt you start to move with him, meeting each punishing thrust with equal fervor. "That's it, baby. Fucking take it," he snarled, one hand tangling in your hair and yanking your head back as he continued to pound into you. "This is what you were made for, to be my personal fuck toy." His other hand reached around to rub tight circles on your clit, the added stimulation making your walls clamp down on him like a vice. "Gonna fill this greedy cunt with my cum, mark you as mine inside and out." He could feel his orgasm approaching, his balls drawing up tight as he chased his release. "Come on, slut. Cum on my cock like the desperate whore you are. Scream my name for everyone to hear who you belong to!"
Your back arched sharply as he pulled your hair, the slight pain only heightening your pleasure. His fingers on your clit sent jolts of electricity through you, pushing you closer and closer to the edge. "Logan! Oh fuck," you cried out, no longer caring about keeping quiet. The depraved words falling from his lips, claiming you as his property, only fueled the fire raging inside you. Your body tensed, every muscle drawn taut as your climax approached. With a final, particularly deep thrust and a pinch to your clit, you came undone. "Logan!" you screamed, your vision whiting out as wave after wave of intense pleasure crashed over you. Your pussy spasmed wildly around his cock, milking him for all he was worth as you rode out your high. Logan let out a guttural roar as your walls clamped down on him like a silken fist, your orgasm triggering his own explosive release. "Fuck! Take it all, you filthy slut!" he bellowed, slamming into you one last time before hilting himself fully inside you. Thick ropes of hot cum painted your insides as he emptied himself, marking you as his territory. His hips jerked erratically, riding out the waves of his intense climax. After long moments, he collapsed against your back, both of you panting heavily as you came down from your highs. "Goddamn, baby. That was incredible," he murmured, nipping at your ear. "You took my cock so well, like you were born for it." You whimpered softly as you felt his hot seed filling you up, marking you from the inside. Your legs trembled with the effort of holding yourself up, your whole body feeling like jelly in the aftermath of your intense orgasm. As he slumped against you, you couldn't help but lean back into his solid warmth, despite the degrading things he had said and done. There was something oddly comforting about being wrapped up in his strong arms, even if it was purely physical. "Mmmm," you hummed, tilting your head to give him better access to your neck. "Wow." Your voice was hoarse from screaming, a physical reminder of how thoroughly he had claimed you.
Logan smirked against your neck, feeling smug and satisfied. He loved seeing you like this - wrecked, marked, and utterly spent from his thorough claiming of your body. "What's the matter, baby? Cat got your tongue?" he teased, his voice a low rumble in his chest. "Or maybe it's just because I fucked you so hard and stupid, you can't even string two words together." He slowly pulled out of you, both of you groaning at the sensation. A trickle of his cum dribbled out of your used hole, and he swiped it up with his fingers, bringing them to your lips. "Clean up the mess you made, slut. Taste how good we are together." His eyes gleamed with wicked intent, already thinking about all the other ways he could use and debase you before the night was through. Your tongue darted out instinctively to lick his fingers clean, tasting the combined essence of you together. The flavor was musky and slightly bitter, but not unpleasant. It served as a tangible reminder of your submission to him, of how thoroughly he had claimed you. "Mmmm, delicious," you purred, your voice still husky from your earlier cries. Slowly, you pushed yourself upright, turning in his arms to face him. Your eyes met his, hazy with post-coital bliss and a hint of mischief. "You always know just how to satisfy me, Logan," you murmured, trailing a finger down his chest. "But I hope you're not done with me yet. Because I have a few ideas of my own on how to make this night even more… memorable."
Logan's eyebrows shot up in surprise and intrigue at your bold statement, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Oh? Is that so?" he drawled, his hands coming to rest on your hips possessively. "Well, color me curious, baby. What kind of naughty ideas do you have rattling around in that pretty little head of yours?" He leaned in close, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispered, "Because you should know by now that I'm always up for a challenge. Especially when it comes to pushing your limits and making you scream my name." His hands slid around to grab your ass, squeezing the firm globes roughly. "Why don't you tell me what you have in mind, sweetheart? And I mean everything. Don't leave out a single dirty detail."
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fandomsandfoxlore · 3 days ago
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For real! There's still so much we don't know about Atsushi and he is supposedly the main character. While we do have a considerable amount of lore on him, we don't know the "how"s and "why"s. I'm not asking Asagiri for an info dump here, but after 120+ chapters we should at least have a good enough understanding of why he is who he is today. Especially after the latest bombshell reveal. Like, it's cool and all and I'm not upset about it... I just need CONTEXT! How is it possible? There has to be some reason he is "different".
All we know is he grew up at "the orphanage" and it was traumatic and played a huge role in why he is the person he is now. But HOW did he end up there? Who are his parents? What is it that makes him so special? Or maybe a little more about the orphanage director and how he knew all that he did.
Even Dazai, who is probably the character we know the most about, is still not as fleshed out as he should be, especially considering how much of the story has been devoted to his past. Yes we know his reason for leaving the PM, we know how he met Oda and that he was the person Dazai cared about most in the world. But again, there are still so many questions! How did he meet Mori and end up mixed up with the PM to begin with? Considering he was roughly 13/14 (maybe younger) when his shady activities started, how did he end up there as an actual child? Any "new" information we get about Dazai lately is just much of the same but from different POVs.
The same can be said for pretty much every character. I just feel like we should know more about them at this point. Some people say that the characters' pasts don't really matter in a story like BSD where the focus is on the present. To a certain extent I agree, I don't need to know their entire history, but knowing a little more than surface level lore helps us (the audience) understand them more, it gives us some insight. I know there is SO many fan theories and headcanons for any given BSD chara out there, some really well thought out and extremely logical stuff too! And I'm not invalidating anyone's theories and personal headcanons. That isn't what annoys me. What annoys me is that the fans are essentially writing their own stories as they would like it while Asagiri has never confirmed anything. We're basically writing a portion of BSD for him, which is just lazy writing on his part.
This is one of the main things that drags BSD down for me. It's a good story and I do enjoy it, despite my issues with how Asagiri handles the writing. BSD is good, but it is far from being "great"
(P.S. Please don't come for me, I'm not hating on anything. I'm just looking at things critically and without bias. It's the World Lit major in me talking, not cringe fail fangirl Savannah 😂)
Also where's Atsushi's backstory. HE'S THE MAIN CHARACTER.
Who are his parents? Why was he in the orphanage in the first place?
And what about the Headmaster? How much did he know about Atsushi's ability? Did he want to tell Atsushi something the day he came to Yokohama? Was his death really an accident or was he silenced?
WHY DO WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT?!
I WANT TO GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ATSUSHI NOT READ THE TENTH LN ABOUT DAZAI
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mins-fins · 10 hours ago
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beyond the moon !
"you aren't about to lose such a worthy position to some hunky nepo baby".
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synopsis: breaking news: the worst possible person you know is actually more than half decent in bed. of course, it's an easy slam dunk. you will begrudgingly admit that jaemin is pretty nice on the eyes—even if he has the personality of a barbed wire. it's a match made on this soul sucking earth. it's only a little perfect.
pairing: na jaemin x male!reader
genre: alternative universe, main hospital scenery, somewhat grey's anatomy fusion, interns the fic, strangers to rivals to rivals who hookup to friends who hookup to lovers, fluff, some angst, slightly suggestive tones, humor, crazy ass pining that's barely realized until 10k words in, some background relationships that provide other drama
warnings: swearing, explicit language, so many mentions of sex, almost tiptoes into borderline smut like five times, sexual humor, reader and jaemin are both equally emotionally underdeveloped and horny, drinking, the impending stress of the medical field, mentions of death, a bunch of medical jargon you probably don't care about, mentions of surgical procedures, some blood.. i think thats it
word count: 16.7k
notes: hello, merry christmas, happy one year anniversary to my hyuck work which started my whole nct saga on tumblr.. im afraid i am very mentally ill 😓 so!! surgeon jaemin!! originally surgeon jaemin was a serial killer but then i lost wave of that draft over the summer and i tried to do it again 😚 this was half based on early greys anatomy because why the fuck is that show so long and um my own life lowkey?? ofc im not sleeping with my fellow interns but i have seen too much of a hospital i have begun to see the white corridors in my fucking dreams.. save me please life has not treated isa mins-fins well 😭😭 and NO dont listen to user junjiie this is not a self insert i swear!! im still going to the hospital later today soooooooo i lost anyway 🤷‍♂️ lowercase intended as usual and last long work of the year 💖
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 1: do ethics matter when the dick is good? (hyperbole.. actually not)
frankly, it began on a mundane tuesday.
well as mundane as a tuesday for you could be, a week following getting dumped would typically be dedicated to mourning but guleum grace hospital is equally as busy each particular day. you did not underestimate the sheer amount of regular patrons at hospitals, your internship was all about that in fact, pouring your blood sweat and tears into some amateur surgery you had about a twenty five percent chance on performing correctly, however, any chance was any chance.
it isn’t as if you were some lunatic brisked with insanity who valued his work in an irregular fashion, you’d surmise that you were a regular workaholic, the epitome of an overworked medical student stereotype, it all sucked the soul out of you, though your scrubs remained spotless and the eye bags stuck in a much acquainted manner.
unfortunately, your heart attack inducing student debt won’t allow for you to simply quit, neither will your pride, your extent of competitiveness, and your bright need to prove your overbearing parents wrong.
getting into a deathly inviting internship program is enough, what’s shit is surviving, and surviving would be easy if not added on by such a nuisance.
what nuisance? you may ask, well the nuisance that so happens to b—
“present the case l/n”.
you somehow retain your sigh, if the distress is displayed through any means of visibility then doyoung merely doesn’t give a shit. “uh— samuel lawson, fifty two, has been in and out of hospitals four times in the last three months with complaints of sporadic, mild to moderate pain in his chest. we picked up on a heart murmur and his echo showed left ventricular hypertrophy with a repolarization abnormality”.
“what would you recommend?”
“the best course of action is to replace his aortic valve with a porcine valve and prescribe anticoagulants to improve the prognosis”.
“good, and why do we want to pay attention to his kidneys in this situation?”
“his kidneys?” you echo, former exhaustion manifesting in the unscathed widening of your eyes. there’s a whistle, lee donghyuck opting to feign forgetfulness to your very presence, as if he even knows the answer.
you aren’t as easily absentminded, you’ve been hard of thinking recently, read all those printed words yet none of them stuck to the confines of your brain. there’s then a sigh, you initially assume from doyoung, but of course it isn’t.
“ah dr na, how kind of you to join us, perhaps you could remind me of the answer?”
arms folded over his chest, jaemin doesn’t miss a beat. “since his heart isn’t functionally effective his kidneys work as a compensatory mechanism, we’ll need to take increased renin and aldosterone secretions into account when considering general anesthesia and how soon he can go into surgery”.
“i see somebody has been doing their homework” you graciously avoid his eyes, glowering in jaemin’s direction as he offers a meager eyebrow raise. “good job na, you’ll definitely be scrubbing in”.
you pray for his early death.
it’s a seamless lesson whilst interning, competition is everything; you love competition, you live for it even, and na jaemin just so happens to be the nuisance which troubles your every week.
it’s something to even survive your first year of interning, let alone in time for when the seven year residency rolls around. only the best become surgeons, a perfectly manufactured system that is definitely not flawed and has most likely not been the cause of many related mental breakdowns.
you’ve had some undisclosed issues out with na jaemin since the beginning of your program, his awareness manifests in his knowing glances, if swiping cases from under your feet and making your life as hellish as possible is equated to diverting entertainment, na jaemin is elated. at least he has the familial connections to ensure the acclaim, the regarded son of na kiwoo, one of the most well revered orthopedic surgeons in the country. now you aren’t petty enough to spew the claim that na jaemin is bad at his job, he isn’t, however, you are petty enough to state the fact that him getting extra time to redo the practical board exam would’ve never been granted to anybody not with the same fucking last name.
and you suppose somebody else could also reign as worthy competition, but you’re conceited, unabashed in the likeness of your own smarts, you didn’t brave the trenches of medical school to lose such a worthy position to some hunky nepo baby.
~
it’s about half past twelve when huang renjun stumbles into the on-call room.
“you drinking on the job?”
he glares, you smile, there’s something concerning his anger which gets a satisfying kick out of you. you were sat at a desk, overloading on coursework you’d give not even a mere glance toward once you got home, the placid diagrams of human arteries burned into your brain. you spent most of your day, resounding to most of your shift, hanging about downstairs in the E.R, handling skimpy stitches from those who couldn’t help but do something idiotic on a saturday morning. who knew? you’re aware dr. kim probably holds a much lowered opinion of you; however, you still preserve hope that he’ll allow you to scrub in on that upcoming LVAD replacement he has scheduled for later in the week.
“can you believe who got to scrub in on that corpus callosotomy?” his undertone indicated irritation, you did not have to take a glance backward, you could distinctly picture the snuggle frown tugging at his lips.
“can i buy a vowel?”
your response earns a hefty scoff, the ghost of a smile lingers as you take in his much visible exasperation. it appears he wants to look intimidating, but his docile like features do not sell such a point home. “kim wonil, can you believe it!?”
“oh really?” you click your tongue, the raise of an eyebrow paired with the raise of a nearby head, it’s lee jeno’s, you make out. “wow, maybe i should start sleeping with mark lee too”.
“well it’s not like anyone knows if they’re sleeping together— he’s basically just his protégé” what a gentleman lee jeno is, feigning unawareness at the whole thing.
“uh huh, me when i’m fucking the only attending neurosurgeon” you seethe. “seriously, you think he’s taking any under the table offers?”
“you’re an asshole”.
you simply blow renjun a kiss.
whilst renjun may be adamant on the whole civilized pursuit, you would say that sleeping with one of your bosses basically equates to getting favored treatment, you suppose your wavelength on that won’t ever change. “is that coursework?”
your eyebrows raise once renjun leans over your shoulder, you don’t make an effort to nod your head. “that’s coursework, what the fuck are you doing?”
“i’m not about to have a splitting headache at home, trying to keep my sanity intact, you know”.
“more like wither your sanity— oh, hey jaemin”.
“hi” jaemin allows renjun the decorum of a smile, because for some reason renjun is the only other intern he has the gall to treat in the manner of a regular human being. he settles in the bed across from you with a look and doesn’t even try a glance in your direction, muttering a small greeting to jeno.
“do you want ibuprofen? i have some in my locker” renjun mutters softly.
you wave a dismissive hand. “no, i’m seriously about to max out on painkillers right now”.
“maybe it’s a tumor” jaemin unexpectedly adds, he doesn’t look up from a book.
“you wish”.
“i do”.
“it could be a caffeine headache” jeno helpfully reckons from where he is across the room, leaning up on his elbows to give you a sympathetic look.
“or the stress” renjun decides. “or your just sleepy because of the stress, i’m getting tired because of the stress” he then makes his way over to the dormant bed and flops right onto it.
“tumor~”.
“why the fuck do you care?”
“i most certainly do not”.
“drop dead asshole”.
“guys..” jeno weakly begins, glancing between you two as if silently picking a side.
“sorry” you feel little remorse towards the tumor hopeful fuckface, simply for everybody else. “the exhaustion is making me mean”.
it appears that a nearby zhong chenle utters the insult of you’re always mean somewhere above you, and then the room grows claustrophobic for you in about five more seconds.
when your chair emits a high pitched screech, renjun’s head rises. “where are you going?”
“gonna find something to do”.
then you shuffle out of the on-call room, feigning ignorance at na jaemin’s continuous stare.
~
later that week, the one person you observe when you walk into the on-call room on wednesday for your mid-shift nap is na jaemin, the current bane of your existence. you’ve been bumping shoulders in the O.R for the past week, and you’re beginning to think that the world is attempting to kill you early, those mystifying forces rambled about in storybooks manifesting whenever his name happens to appear in your mind.
you pause once you step in, meeting his eyes for a charged second before clenching your teeth, they’ll probably begin bleeding soon. you starkly consider backing out, but you can’t surrender your pride to this guy, that would be letting him win, so you sigh and lean your back against the door.
“i’m just here to sleep,” you voice. “waving my white flag”.
“you should be thanking me”.
you’re baffled. “excuse me?”
“i’ve saved your ass like twice this week, god kim would’ve literally eaten you alive if i weren’t around”.
your mouth dries up, jaemin seemingly revels in such a factor, swinging his legs sideways and out of the bed. “you’re terrible under pressure it’s a wonder you even made it through medical school”.
your left eye twitches, the one singular time you try to be civil, he just— he just decides to..?
“you’re so infuriating and arrogant and selfish—“
“oh really? love it when you talk down on me..”
“and you’re so— annoying god why does everyone like you? i hate you, hate you and your stupid privilege and i couldn’t care less what you think because you’re a fucking suck up! stop backing me up if it makes you so mad”.
jaemin then blinks, slow. “finished now?”
“yes” you drop your arms at the side, breathing having gone shallow as pure fury swirled in your ribs. you hate what jaemin does to you, whatever the fuck this is and why is the rooms temperature skyrocketing? that should be impossible in a hospital of all places, but you shouldn’t give it much thought because jaemin will probably begin over analyzing the singular movements of your facial expressions.
you hate feeling like you’re losing, you feel like your losing even if there’s no prevalent competition, it’s just.. jaemin.
that’s really why.
“good” jaemin replies. “i hope you don’t mind”.
and when he pushes you up against the door you think exactly three specific things in the second it takes for him to do that. 1; jesus this guy goes to the gym how the fuck are his forearms so huge? how is he finding time to hit the gym with such a consistent shift? 2; you should’ve gotten more words in cause oh he got the last laugh, and 3; you suddenly remember you never followed up on that post-op for patient 3109– but then all of those thoughts fly out the window when jaemin leads forward to kiss you.
na jaemin is kissing you, full on lips, hands-on-your-waist kissing you, and all you can do is suck in a breath as you then release a soft sound.
jaemin is ridiculously good at this, all soft despite his rough edges, how funny. he pulled off, taking your bottom lip with him before diving back in.
“i meant everything i said” you pant, even as jaemin pressed you further into the door and your arms wrapped around his shoulders in an effort to continue. you exchanged in a similar manner, frenzied and practically leaning half of him backward with your sheer force.
“i know” he grunts, so effortless in all he does, thumb finding the gap in your uniform which he very much decided to exploit. “but you want me anyway..”
“fuck you”.
so smart y/n, you’re getting into heaven with that one—
he chuckles as he mouths against your neck, light open mouthed kisses along your jaw, tugging at your shirt which acted as an obstacle. “that’s the goal”.
“smart ass”.
“well..”
it was the first and only time.
it actually should’ve been the first and only time, but then again, your decision making is particularly fuzzy.
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 2: he’s a hotshot, so unfortunately a hotshot..
you’d been skilled enough to pick out your friends at guleum grace hospital on your first day. frankly you had met a good chunk at the intern mixer the hospital had held a week before you were all due to start, but you were the slightest bit nervous with the whole before day apprehension. lee jeno was an easy one, his timidly boyish attitude made for good company, smile replicated by his eyes as he hung around the refreshments table. he laughed at every single one of your jokes, he was sympathetic to your family predicament, much too familiar with such a thing.
lee donghyuck was similarly not a struggle, he seemingly mirrored many of the traits you found stuck to you and carried around throughout your turbulent adulthood. he clung to your side and assigned you the duty as his titular “person”, whatever that meant.
then there was huang renjun.
it isn’t as if he was unapproachable, per say, he was simply perpetual to consistent avoidance. he exchanged regular smiles yet didn’t divulge any further, somewhat unfriendly and argumentative, especially when donghyuck got on his nerves.
trivially, the only true reason you two became friends is because you assisted him in vomiting up his guts after he’d got a lashing for a mistake in the earlier days. your hand remained on the small of his back for the entire fifteen minutes, and when he finished unleashing his true extent of vulnerability upon you, he threatened you to keep your mouth shut, that threat just so happens to be the bow which ties the knot to your relationship.
renjun is able to refer to the patients as the human beings they are, sensitive and overly stubborn sure, but he’s decent under all the sour looks paired with plentiful insults.
zhong chenle? in a completely different league.
“fifty bucks y/n’s little conquest works at this hospital” he opts to enter, sliding into the spot beside you and exchanging a few looks as if he dumped his life savings onto the table for you to gorge on.
“fifty bucks my wha— how’d you even..?”
“aeri likes to gossip” chenle replies, full of cheek. “and a little birdie told me they saw you leaving the on-call room all flustered”.
“a little— who?”
“i can’t tell you my sources”.
“what if i just had a really good nap?”
“thirty bucks it’s an intern” renjun decides to add on, and you blink his way in sheer betrayal. yes they’re right but you didn’t divulge your weeks ago on-call room hookup story time to anybody, you just.. thought about it.
“that’s what yizhuo was saying! you know we have a bet right?” he digs through his pocket before pulling out an unscathed piece of paper. “let’s see we have dr suh from plastics, yeonjun, dejun, and our very own nepo baby na jaemin, pretty good don’t you think?”
“why is jaemin on the list? take jaemin off the list,” though you swipe for the paper, chenle’s got some fast ass hands.
“no no hear me out, okay? he has my vote because the tension is undeniable but i’m on your side and i don’t think you’ll give into his whims”.
“what whims?”
“his seduction tactic including starting petty fights?” renjun recalls, blinking in your direction as if attempting some newly discovered form of communication. “he probably gets off on that..”
“oh he does!”
and then they begin, you simply sigh as you make the effort to finish your lunch, acquainted with the leftovers you again had to heat up because there was little time for you to actually cook something new.
“jaemin’s a freak, wonil said—“
“we can’t trust anything he says, he’s literally fucking dr. dudebro” you steal a fry off chenle’s plate, humming along with your bite.
“i thought they broke it off?” renjun asks in denial, though his gleaming ‘i knew it’ look would completely beg to differ.
“oh come on! everybody knows they’re still fucking, no mystery, no thrill”.
renjun crinkles his nose at the display of crudeness, you don’t forget to recall the thirty bucks he entered into this godforsaken betting pool. “can i kill him?”
your hands raise in mock surrender. “not in front of me, we swore an oath of peace” you rise from your place and keep your plate in your bag. “besides there’s no mystery, no thrill”.
“don’t leave me with him!” renjun squeaks. “where are you going!?”
you do not let up the walking, however, you allow him at least one reassuring smile.
“to see a guy about a thing!”
~
in a rare act of perfect timing, you’re just able to sprint to the elevator as soon as it’s closing. by the power of the universe’s most evil, jaemin is the only one inside, and he blankly stares as you hold your folders out to hold the door before ducking in. you hit the button for the sixth floor and begin panting as you lean against the wall.
jaemin barely spares a glance, but his smile says everything. “back for more already?”
“did you tell anyone about us?”
he opts to chuckle at that one. “us? we sleep together once and you’re already thinking there’s an us baby?”
“shut the fuck up, na, like half our class is in a betting pool for when i’m going to let you into my pants so i swear to god if you told anybody i’m going to ship you to the O.R and harvest all of your fucking organs”.
the threat shines brightly above him, smile shimmering. “i’m sure you’d love to do that”.
his smile is endless and the point by which his stare begins is simply dark, it’s that stupid dead-eyed stare that could murder anyone just by one mere glance. if looks could kill, your insides would’ve been splattered all over this elevator currently.
finally, jaemin rolls his eyes.
“christ, relax, no i didn’t, i definitely don’t know anything about a bet either”.
you let out a much needed breath and again allow yourself to lean against the wall of the elevator. the only worse thing than people thinking your friends with jaemin is people thinking you’re actively sleeping with jaemin. well— okay you suppose there are worse things to be known for but being pegged as the intern banging na jaemin is definitely up there.
“i meant what i said by the way, that was a one time thing”.
“of course”.
“stop fucking smiling like that”.
it appears to be his innate need to ensure your irritation, his smile barely resists the clear urge to grow at the sight of your frown. “god, thought you liked my smile?”
“it’s never happening again” you insist. “no more sex, not with you anyway”.
“great” jaemin replies. he finally does turn to face you. “so when you say never again are you actually making a definite final decision or are you simply playing hard to get?”
“what do you think?” you retort, you’re two floors away from your destination, the lab reports you’re clutching much vicely resulting in sweaty palms.
jaemin licks his lips, all high and mighty. “i’m sure you don’t want to know what i’m thinking”.
you look up to meet his stare in a singular effort to glare equally as hard, it’s futile. jaemin’s got the eyes of a predator, as if he’ll pounce if you attempt a single move out of this elevator, it’s striking, his eyes trail all the way up from your terribly expensive shoes and up your body, stopping at your mouth.
he seems pleased with himself, tipping his head forward when the elevator dings at your floor.
you allow a squint, briskly leaving him behind. it’s only three steps out of the elevator that you realize you left him without an answer, therefore leaving him with the last word, but you conclude you’ve walked too far to shout, yet it seems jaemin has no qualms.
“you know where to find me!” he calls.
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 3: good sex is addicting! healthy? eh..
naturally it happens again..
and again,
and once again.
if you were in a better place of mind, perhaps if you didn’t contain loads of work on your shoulder and slumped with courses of continuous caffeine, you’d find the right mind to chide yourself for making such a stupid decision, but you’re simply a selfish and desperate man. this is like— the best sex you’ve had since undergrad, not that there were many good examples to be the judge of that one anyway (with little offense given to shotaro, he’s a sweetheart but you two barely ever got it on as it is).
the thing is, you’re beginning to have a little fun with it. sure, you’d felt as if you were betraying yourself after the second or third time but it’s now become its own little adventure. sneaking around and whispering in the hallways in tandem with disappearing into random storage closests is fun.
jaemin is merely jaemin when it’s all over, barbed wire esqe jaemin with a personality you’d liken to some miserable children’s movie villain.
but it works, it isn’t as if you’re doing this because jaemin has a to die for personality, you’re doing it because you’re stressed, despite the fact that he is probably the main contributor of such stress, he at least helps you relieve that stress.
“somethings up with you,” jeno makes apparent when he walks past the couch, casual, conversational.
droning on the television is some nature documentary you don’t recall turning on, acting as background noise as you observe the surgery dr. kim assigned you. you technically aren’t allowed to bring your work home but you’ve also always enjoyed poking holes into rules, you bring your teeth down on a goldfish cracker that you’ve had between your fingers for about five minutes.
“what?” you finally reply.
“you seem different” jeno rewords graciously. “brighter, less.. porcupine-y”.
“i can be mean if you want,” you decide. “you want that puppy?”
jeno turns red, continuous head shaking as he clears his throat. “i just meant— i don’t know, you seem a little less miserable than before, not all grouchy, i’m happy for you”.
“pfft— thanks, always knew you loved me nono”.
his chagrin at such a nickname manifests in his much particular nose scrunch, his arms folding over his chest stubbornly. “don’t call me that.. so anyway, what changed?”
“hm?”
he leans over the couch, staring you down suspiciously, unnaturally nosy. “you can’t just decide to not be miserable overnight, what happened?”
you tilt your head up at him. “i’m getting to scrub in on proper surgeries, and i’m getting laid!”
jeno appears surprised, though gladdened anyway. “oh really? so who’s the guy then?”
you squint at him. “chenle put you up to this?”
“what?” he seems taken aback, but equally completely caught. “no?”
you open your mouth to rebut that clear lie, yet you’re both interrupted by lee donghyuck barreling into the room, looking too good for a regular saturday night, fancy overcoat draped over his arm that he definitely stole from renjun.
“stop looking at me and help me put this on” he motions towards his empty wrist and a fancy looking bracelet.
jeno simply whistles lowly.
“where are you going dressed up like this?” you inquire in the manner of a scrutinizing parent. “you got a date?” you don’t miss his avoidance of eye contact once you actually fasten the thing around his wrist.
“..yes”,
jeno applauds happily, much too excited, as if he were the one going on a date.
“give us a spin” you chide.
“seriously?”
both you and jeno nod in unison.
donghyuck begrudgingly obliges.
“you look good” jeno states.
“very good” you ruffle his hair irritatingly, and he hisses as he bats your hand away, muttering his small thanks. “have fun!”
you make sure to blow him a kiss on his way out, donghyuck makes sure to slam the door on his way out.
jeno then turns to you. “can i guess your guy’s name?”
“no!”
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 4: secrets out eventually!!
you suppose you had to eventually tell your friends at some point, of course that would include admitting zhong chenle is right and that sucks the life out of you for a much identifiable reason. the other three are bound to find out about jaemin soon enough, because whilst you’ve never been a talker, it’s getting annoying to do the constant walk of shame to jaemin’s apartment.
“i’m really trying to understand what your problem with me is” jaemin grins, all teeth, perfectly straight purely white fucking teeth. you’re back in the closet again, you can’t help but surmise that there’s a joke in there somewhere.
“i thought you didn’t care?”
“i don’t, it’s simply so cute how you get angry, kinda turns me on”.
you decide to ignore that one, wiping your mouth over with the back of your hand. you then focus on getting your shirt back to its original, somewhat normal looking form, god you’re so reckless.
“i’m just saying.. if you put effort into actually getting to know me we’d actually be pretty good— fuck ow!” he winces in the manner of a kicked puppy, all because you twisted a piece of skin between your fingers.
“i’m not interested in getting to know you, thought i made that clear” you voice.
“only thing you’ve made clear is that you believe it’s your god given right to hate me since no one else does”.
“oh you make me feel so special, i’m sure there’s someone else in this world who hates you as much as i do”.
“sure y/n” jaemin begins, “i find it hard to believe you actually do hate me” he nips at your ear, you really shouldn’t let jaemin kiss your neck, but you don’t push him off, he’d throw a hissy fit.
just as his hand begins venturing downward the closest door creaks open, and you two jump apart as if you’ve been caught, standing in the doorway is none other than lee donghyuck.
“what the fuck?” he whispers, quickly closing the door behind him. when he steps into the dingy white light, you notice the wet tears against his eyelashes, everything else is erased from your mind.
“hey” you begin, voice soft. “what’s wrong? did something happen?” you smooth over your scrubs.
“nothing” his voice gives it away. “we can’t cry mid shift anymore?”
no, but donghyuck hasn’t cried over a patient in a while, that’s typically your prerogative.
“it’s wonil” he sniffs. “stupid fucking kim wonil,” he sits down on an upturned bucket, once you kneel beside him, he pulls you into a hug to bury his tear streaked face against your neck. “i’m gonna have to change my name and transfer to gwangju instead!”
you look over donghyuck’s trembling shoulder at jaemin, who appears just as clueless as you are. he instead opts to patting the small of his back in support, rubbing soothing strokes. “could i have some elaboration, babe?”
“he used me” he says, holding onto his sobs. “took me on a stupid fucking fancy date and then i caught him with mark lee— oh my god, he.. he lied to me, he said they broke it off months ago but that obviously wasn’t true and he kept scrubbing in on the important surgeries, i thought he— we were going out for months and i just, fuck i feel awful y/n”.
well that’s.. not what you expected to hear at all. your head spins.
“wait— wonil? that’s who?”
“can we not talk about that part right now?” he simply allows for the tears to free fall, you attempt to wipe them as best you can.
sure, it’s nothing.
“did he tell you? how’d you even find this out?”
“no he didn’t i saw them” he covers his face with his own hands, distraught. “and he didn’t even care..”
“then none of it is your fault” you assure, patting the side of his arms. “he’s an asshole”.
it doesn’t quell donghyuck enough, his shoulders continuously quivering. “i had a bad feeling, i really should’ve known better—“
“he’s a cheat, he should know better, don’t beat yourself up over this”.
“i fucking loved him y/n” he rests his head onto your shoulder, something twisted and horrible lodged in his throat, tears endless.
~
it’s raining because of course it’s raining.
“it’s storming pretty bad” jaemin quips, conversationally. “do you not want me to call you a ride?”
you simply allow a small breath to escape your lips, hair tousled as you slip your jacket on through your arms. “nah, the bus works just fine” you say, wiping your hands on your pants despite your much irritation.
“and i’m guessing you don’t want to wait until it’s let up either?”
“i have to get home cause jeno’s working late and— hyuck’s alone, don’t want him to be..” you mutter, glancing down at your watch as you crinkle your nose at the time. “he’s been baking since the whole wonil thing happened, need to make sure he doesn’t burn down the apartment”.
jaemin doesn’t have to put anymore work into convincing you. “alright, have fun”.
you do the typical before leaving checkup, you have your keys, your phone, cash, and a bus pass, good. it’s silent, awkward, not much of a regular conversation when he isn’t bending you over a table.
but there’s something you really need to know.
“hey jaemin?”
“hm?” he doesn’t look up from his phone.
“should we talk about.. this?”
“well talking about it makes it weird”.
you consider your next words very carefully. “i’m lonely, you know”.
jaemin then puts his phone down. “i’m lost”.
you’re unaware of why exactly you feel the need to divulge context about whatever your relationship happens to be, you keep thinking back to donghyuck and you remember the liabilities caused by workplace relationships. you’re afraid you can’t stomach another complicated relationship, situations that wrap around your head in a nauseating fashion. not that jaemin is boyfriend material or anything but���
“the first time we hooked up? in the on-call room? i did it because i just got off a bad breakup and i was stressed and.. you were my first option”.
jaemin remains frozen in his place, gaze pointed, chest perfectly accentuated in his shir— stop looking there y/n. “what i’m trying to say is that i was desperate and it’s important you know that because—“
“get to the point”.
“i don’t want this to.. you know, be more than what it is, like.. domestic and shit”.
“oh jesus, okay y/n” he pinches the bridge of his nose, as if you irritated him. “you’re asking me not to fall in love with you right? you could’ve just said that then”.
“it sounds stupid”.
“and your other option sounded better?”
“whatever, i’m going, good talk”.
“great talk”.
“stop trying to get the last word in”.
“i’m not trying to do anything”.
“goodnight”.
“don’t say things you don’t mean”.
“fine, i hope you have a terrible one, i hope your roof catches on fire and you sleep through it and it all comes crashing onto you so your death is all slow and painful, happy?”
jaemin smiles, waving you off with each of his fingers as you storm out of the door, into the pouring rain, slamming it shut behind you.
you take a short walk and an even shorter bus ride home, yet when you enter your apartment you’re absolutely drenched.
the whole house smells of sugar and semi-baked sweets, it almost reminds you of home, back when you’d fuck shit up with your sisters in the kitchen. the now added on pain is the continuous ringing of the fire alarm, donghyuck standing at the counter fanning smoke with an empty box of brownie mix.
you sigh as you kick off your shoes.
“what the hell did you do?”
“i have it under control” donghyuck whines.
“hyuck—“
“don’t step any closer” he threatens, butter knife in hand.
your hands raise in mock surrender, a flat look sent his way. “you’re being ridiculous”.
“sorry” he puts the knife down, breathing labored. “help me?”
you two sit down on the kitchen floor and have brownies and ice cream for dinner, an ironic feat for a pair of medical professionals, but this is simply one of those things licensed under free will you have as an adult, the kind of thing that makes you think maybe parental supervision is a good need. besides, sugar is good for heartbreak.
“i don’t wanna go to work tomorrow” donghyuck mutters, beginning to consistently tap his head onto the counter, as if attempting to bash his brains out. “this is so stupid”.
“it’ll be fine, i’m sure no one will question you up front”.
he glances upward. “my former sort of boyfriend is fucking the most popular attending neurosurgeon, and people think i was homewrecking whatever the hell they have going, you think people just forget that?”
you lick your spoon clean. “yeah it’s not looking good,” you admit, scratching the back of your head. “but i’m here to help you through it, and samoyed will be there to bark at anyone who looks at you funny”.
donghyuck gives a weak laugh and leans his head onto your shoulder. “yeah yeah, whatever..”
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 5: fuck the domestics, fuck na jaemin.
of course because the universe has a really good sense of humor, mark lee and kim wonil are the first people you and donghyuck see when the elevator dings on the first floor. wonil looks at a loss for words, you’d pride him on such amusement if you weren’t looking to cause him bodily harm.
“uh” mark starts.
“we’re taking the stairs” and since you’re a good friend you do not complain when donghyuck drags you up four flights of stairs.
in his valiant efforts to stay away from neuro, donghyuck gets assigned to obstetrics for the day, whilst you end up back with dr. kim in cardio, which is always a simultaneous blessing and curse. the patient you’re seeing—kiara— has been going back and forth on getting the surgery for a while, and doyoung seemed more than relieved when you showed up with those signed consent forms.
you worked your ass off to get onto this case. you stayed up late all night reading into the procedure, designing a diagram which detailed the surgical process despite the fact that you wouldn’t be carrying it out yourself. observing a complex surgery like this is a rarity for interns, so you intend to soak up every bit of knowledge you can.
so, by design, you’re also standing beside the operating table when her pulse dips, her clutched hand falling dormant in your hold. after the frenzy of orders getting called out and defibrillators charging, there’s nothing but the long, insistent beep of a flatline.
dr. kim calls out the time of death.
realistically, nothing could have been done. she’d waited too long to take the surgery, her vascular walls were weak. it was the best surgeons in the room, and if they couldn’t save her then maybe it was just her time.
you break down in the tunnel despite all of that, you’re sitting on one of the beds against the wall, aware of your own ridiculousness, yet allowing for the tears to brim up anyway.
the only reason kiara was terrified of getting that surgery was because she was afraid of dying on that table, she was scared of dying, and you’d held her hand while they put her under, promising she’d be okay.
that was the mistake.
patient outcomes are never promised, and as much as they remind you, as much as you’re aware that this is in your line of work, death just so happens to spring up on you instantaneously, you can never really fully prepare for it.
“she was going to die anyway” you don’t have to glance up to meet the face behind the voice, simply acquainted with the sight of jaemin’s shoes.
“i know”.
“so why are you sitting here feeling sorry for yourself?”
you sigh, massaging a finger to your temple, your head hurts, it all hurts. “go away” another sob pushes itself up out of your chest, another sniffle, more snot.
but would na jaemin ever genuinely listen to an order? absolutely not. he did not go away, he stepped closer, a hand gracing your shoulder.
your own shoulders slump, you’re completely and utterly disappointed in yourself.
“i don’t need you to say anything,” he breathes. “i’m just telling you that it’s okay..”
“it’s not okay” you seethe. “would you have made the same mistake? would you be in my position if it was you?”
you take everything too personal, you need to start thinking like a surgeon, there’s no room for sensitivity in a field like this, dr. kim had said. he made you break the news to her family, have to watch the washed over expressions and the chorus of sobbing as you attempted to contain your own.
“well i wouldn’t have gotten attached..”
and it sounds so condescending, lowly, superiority reigned over your head. you’ve had a terrible day, and all you can do is sob in your own pity as jaemin just stands there.
it’s so easy to get swallowed up in your pride, tout your pigheadedness in front of jaemin on a regular front with spouted curses and illusions high. you suppose jaemin doesn’t have the best standards for you, you didn’t even do anything, but the fashion of your personality you’d displayed was enough of a case.
“y/n” jaemin calls, soft, you almost don’t hear him. the mattress dips with his added pressure, a hand coming to touch the side of your face, fingertips cold as they tuck strands of your hair behind your ear. jaemin’s hands are always cold. “y/n, hey”.
you don’t respond, can’t do anything but let jaemin pull you against his chest. it’s an odd feeling because it’s the thing you needed from the last person you expected to give it to you. you exhale shakily, closing your eyes and reveling in the prospect of being held.
“you suck at this” you sob, on principle of course.
“hush” jaemin murmurs. he rests his chin atop your head, and he says nothing more, doesn’t even pull away either. you cry until you have no more left to give, your shift isn’t quite over yet, you have charts to finish and labs to read over. you push at jaemin to let you go.
“m’fine” you sniffle, posture straightening as you wiped the tears from your cheeks. you feel reckless, embarrassed, like a child. your face is burning hot, but at least you feel better. jaemin is staring, as if he’s experiencing a certain thing for the first time.
you look away.
“i’m fine” you repeat. “don’t look at me like that”.
jaemin clears his throat as if snapping out of an episode. “i know you don’t care for my opinion, but i think you’re doing great”.
“you what..?”
jaemin nods, doesn’t elaborate on any of it, it’s awkward.
your pager beeps, and once you glance down at the location, you silently curse at the location being half across the hospital.
“right, um thank you, i guess i’ll.. uh, see you later?”
“you know where to find me”.
jeno seeks you out first once your shift is over, apprehensive as always.
“you okay? i heard what happened..”
“yeah m’fine” you pause before the doors to allow jeno to catch you, donghyuck and renjun won’t be done for another hour, and it’s once again pouring outside. “i just need to shower and sleep for fifty hours”.
jeno is already looking at you when you glance over. you’ve heard your fair share of stories concerning surgical failures, much too close to one when in your childhood, but experiencing one firsthand just really took it all out of you.
“i’m going to get better at this surgeon thing right? i have to?” you ask.
“you will” jeno replies, silent. he links your fingers together, a warm feeling. he then nudges you, the slightest bit of comfort in the affection laced gesture. “we both will”.
~
there’s a small switch flip after that.
jaemin remains jaemin. perfectly polished jaemin, hardened in the face of death, all precise and unphased, yet you lay your heart bare for it all, fortitude at the forefront of your emotions.
occasionally, you find yourself looking over at jaemin when he’s too engrossed in his work or conversation to notice.
when you observe him, you attempt to figure out where the fortitude of his beating organ lies. it appears jaemin acts in kindness when he thinks no one else is looking. you wonder if that’s a true display or if that’s simply another mask he wears around for the hell of it, getting into the sweet spots of littler kids is a spectacular move. then again, it takes a special kind of evil to be mean to kids. sure, jaemin’s a bit of an asshole, but he isn’t all bloods evil.
that isn’t such a hard concept to grasp.
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 6: running out of terrifically timed titles
the tumultuous disarray of your life provides solace, somewhat regular sex escapades with jaemin continue and donghyuck is often too tipsy once you get home from your shifts later in the week. you surmise he’s simply coping with his situation in manners he’s accustomed to, though both you and jeno would love to chide him for the unhealthiness, you two also can’t talk, ever since you found that unlimited espresso machine in the second floor cafeteria, it’s basically become your life source. jeno will scold you for that one when he eventually finds out, though it’s good to know jungwoo doesn’t mind, simply passing you with mild apprehension whenever you go grab another cup.
you guess you can’t talk about anything, but you also can’t help worrying about your friend.
“l/n, did you follow up on those scans i asked for?” dr. kim unabashedly ambushes you whilst you’re in the middle of a good speed powered walk, files almost tumbling out of your bundled arms.
“uh— yes, they redid them so they aren’t blurry, and i also put in that psych eval you requested, i have all of them here”.
“nice work, will you be available to scrub in tomorrow morning?”
you blink at him, baffled. “i— oh my god yes, thank you um..” you honestly didn’t expect that one after the prior incident with kiara. you assumed for sure doyoung would stand between you and the O.R for a couple of months.
“is there a reason you’re still standing in front of me?”
you blush, embarrassed. “i’m sorry i just.. i know you don’t think i’m cut out for this so I’m unsure of why you chose me”.
for a slim moment, there’s genuine in doyoung’s eyes. “well i’ll have you know opinions can change, will you move out of my way now”.
you pause. “of course, sorry, thank you, i appreciate it”.
“you’d better” he beams, placing yet another stack in your arms. “could you drop these off at the nurses station for me?”
you make your way back downstairs, still reeling from the previous words said to your face, when you hear a familiar voice.
“is dr l/n here? well, no— he’s an intern”.
you look up from the nurses station immediately, catching a glimpse of osaki shotaro’s identifiable tuft of hair, golden blonde, still dyed. he hasn’t changed since you last saw him, well you suppose a few months really don’t provide anything substantial in the area of change.
“taro?”
when he glances up, he breaks into one of his bright smiles and he parts (hyperbole) the hallway to get to you. “y/n, hey, hi”.
“what— what are you doing here? is everything okay? is your mom oka—“
“i’m fine, everyone’s fine it’s just.. i mean— i don’t know actually i was just nearby and i wanted to see you? i know i’m the one who broke up with you and all but i was sure there was a high chance you’d be here instead of.. well anywhere else”.
“yeah” you laugh. “yeah that is true”.
“it’s nice to see you” he fiddles with his bracelet, reaching over to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear, a natural habit, you grab onto his wrist before his fingers can grace your skin. shotaro pauses for a moment, cheeks colored pink in embarrassment as he slips from your hold.
“sorry— i um.. can we just talk actually?”
your face warms rather quickly. “uh..”
“oh hello” jaemin appears—literally out of nowhere—“are you here for a patient?”
“no actually he was just leaving—“
“i’m shotaro” he tilts his head to read jaemin’s id card. “you’re.. dr na?” he extends his hand for a handshake, jaemin ignores it. you almost want to tell him off for such a thing.
“yes, you must be the boyfriend”.
“ex boyfriend” you both say.
jaemin inhales a bated breath, handing you a stack of files. “jungwoo said to give these to you, the chief needs all the records manually inputted before you get off your shift today”.
“but—“
“we’re all splitting work, that’s your stack and this is mine”.
“i’m supposed to be having lunch” you frown.
jaemin shrugs, nothing of helpful. “do them after, i don’t care, i’m just the messenger”.
“it was nice meeting you”.
“sure” jaemin flashes a noncommittal smile, then, as quick as he came, he’s gone.
“is he always like that?” shotaro inquires, you sigh, much loudly.
“yeah, kind of, at first glance..”
“so lunch! can i treat you?”
you chuckle. “well i can’t leave so i hope you don’t mind hospital food”.
it’s (surprisingly) a very enjoyable experience for you.
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 7: coupling 1000
on tuesday, lee jeno walks into the locker room looking slightly askew, yet completely elated, brightened in some unusual fashion.
you let out a low whistle. “now what the fuck has you so happy?”
“nothing”.
“is it a guy?”
“no!” jeno refutes, the bright red hue paired with the shrill squeaked ‘no’ do naught for his argument. “it’s not that”.
“you have that after guy glow”.
“you’re insane”.
“he’s right though” jaemin wraps an inviting arm around his shoulder, jeno full on pouts. “you look awfully stunning this morning, jeno”.
“fuck?”
“you’re okay”.
“damn, why’s it feel like every intern in this hospital is getting some but me?” donghyuck grouches, you instantly share a look with renjun.
at the inevitable silence, donghyuck groans again. “don’t answer that”.
“yeah cause you’d only be told the obvio—“
“good morning~” kim jungwoo sings, much too delighted for the time of day. “glad to see all of you interns actually in on time, l/n and na you’ll be helping mark prep his patient, zhong and lee one you’ll be in the pit, and.. huang and lee two on charts, any complaints? wonderful! get going!”
mark lee has the discontented mannerisms of a teenage boy, awkward stutters and all, you often neglect to recall that he’s a revered surgeon prided for performing some of the best brain operations in the country, technically your boss.
you haven’t spent much time around him, you actively avoid kim wonil for the sake of donghyuck’s (and your own) sanity, looking into the eyes of mark lee, he appears bashful, shyly boyish in a manner akin to a formerly stranger lee jeno.
“guess he’s still avoidant”.
you snort, jaemin sucks his teeth, you then sigh with your tongue prodding at the side of your cheek. “well he can’t look at you without thinking about..”
now that you think about it, you’ve never really had a conversation with kim wonil, what’s even with the guy?
“oh” his face drops in that distinct kicked puppy fashion, you merely sigh.
“just give him space, okay? he’ll surely come around”.
“space.. really?”
“space is good” jaemin chimes in. “and either way he’s not your intern, we are, can we go now?”
he’s always been ever so impatient.
~
yang jungwon is a twenty year old college student with a tumor pressing down on his frontal temporal lobe. “it’s affecting his impulse control,” mark warns. “so if he says something a bit forward, that’s why”.
“forward?” you question.
when mark, you and jaemin walk into jungwon’s room, his mother is sitting beside his bed, smoothing over his sheets with her hands. mark bids them good morning and introduces you two as the interns which will be overseeing the surgery, the first thing jungwon says is:
“jesus you all are hot, is that requirement here? why are you all so hot? are there more of you?”
“jungwon” his mother softly chides.
forward, you hum, jaemin only makes an agreeing noise beside you.
“sorry, was that rude? i’m very sorry”.
“he’s usually shy” his mother explains. “he doesn’t mean to be offensive”.
“no offense taken ma’am, that’s probably the nicest thing a patient has said to us in a while” mark replies. “how are you feeling won?”
“my mom’s nervous so now i’m nervous and the food here sucks by the way, i don’t really wanna have brain surgery but i have to be optimistic so yay!”
“that’s the spirit!” mark cheers. “okay, dr. l/n here is gonna run a couple of tests to make sure everything is okay, dr. na will handle all the paperwork, if you still want to proceed i can have you scheduled for O.R two bright and early tomorrow morning, i’ll make sure everything goes smoothly for you okay?”
“can i get snacks from the vending machine to make it go smoother?”
“i’ll do it” his mother offers. “don’t give dr. l/n a hard time, okay?”
mark leaves with jaemin and mrs. yang to grab snacks and necessary consent forms, you begin putting on your gloves to give jungwon a routine examination.
“dr. l/n can i ask you a question?” jungwon asks.
you remove the stethoscope from your ears, giving him a small smile. “go ahead, i’m all ears”.
“well it’s more of a personal question” he twiddles his thumbs, smile stretched widely as he tilts his head towards you. “are you two like.. together?”
“me and who?”
“the other, other hot doctor with all the teeth, the one who was in here just now”.
“me and.. na?”
“yeah, is he your boyfriend? he was looking like he wanted to eat you, i was honestly getting worried by how intense he was staring”.
that shocks a fit of laughter out of you. “no no, he wasn’t—he’s.. he’s not my boyfriend”.
“oh okay, well if nobody’s told you yet then i’m a hundred percent sure he wants to jump your bones, and also be your boyfriend”.
you clear your throat, flustered by jungwon’s sense of earnesty. “we’re not together, just coworkers”.
“do you have a boyfriend?”
you sigh and lean forward, pressing two fingers on either side of his neck to feel for a carotid pulse. “you’ve said the word boyfriend an awful lot in these past few minutes,” you pause. “no i don’t”.
“okay” jungwon says. “this is going to sound a bit presumptuous, but if i survive the surgery, will you go out with me?”
you skillfully sidestep such a question. “that’s not presumptuous, dr. lee is one of the best brain surgeons in the country, he’s going to make sure you come out just fine, your most likely outcome is positive”.
jungwon stops, blinking up at you, galaxies in his pupils. “i think we might be soulmates”.
“yang jungwon”.
“that’s me”.
“you’re cute, and sweet, and funny— but i absolutely cannot go out with you”.
“is it the brain damage thing? i’ve been told that’s a dealbreaker”.
“don’t be cheeky, how old are you again? twenty?”
“twenty going on twenty five”.
you laugh. “you have your whole life ahead of you to find a soulmate, people don’t really have a good time dating me, you’ll be dodging a bullet”.
“what, why not?”
“won—can i call you won?”
“you can call me anything you want..”
“won” you stress, “i spend about eighty hours a week in this hospital, i barely have time to eat or sleep or even think about anything that doesn’t include cutting someone open, my last boyfriend dumped me for that reason, i couldn’t do that again, and i definitely don’t think you want to”.
“ah i see” jungwon says, he’s silent for a while before he asks: “you’re saying it would make sense for you to date someone who works as much as you do, like another doctor, right?”
“well that wasn’t the point but i guess that makes sense then”.
jungwon smiles as if he’s figured out something. “so do you like dr. na then?”
“dr. na is standing right there” jaemin chimes in. you two both turn to see him standing in the doorway, “i have consent forms, i already went over the procedure with your mom, i’m aware mark probably covered it with you, but if it would make you more comfortable i could go over it with you myself”.
both you and jungwon stare at him.
“what?”
“is he always like this?”
you smile in his direction, giggling as you ruffle his hair. “yeah”.
“didn’t peg you as the type to flirt with patients” jaemin utters later in the nurse station whilst you two idle around in feigned ignorance as if you don’t have mountains of work weighing on your shoulders. jungwon had personally asked for you to scrub in on his surgery, and it’s clear jaemin was just the slightest bit envious, you would be too if in his shoes. mark’s surgeries are always the most fun to watch.
“i wasn’t flirting, he was simply asking invasive questions so i entertained him, he’s a nice kid, it’s called having good bedside manners”.
“are you saying i don’t have good bedside manner?”
“your words, not mine”.
“i don’t care, you were definitely flirting back”.
“i thought you didn’t care?”
“i don’t”.
“well there’s your answer”.
jungwon comes out just fine, you and jaemin however, you take a while to recover.
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 8: well i guess he’s fine..
at the end of the week you typically only prefer to gorge on the junk food remained tucked in your refrigerator and embrace the warmth of your bed, but everybody knows you don’t always get the things you want, especially you in your kicked rock of a life.
“are you ready?” renjun bounces on his heels, changed out of his scrubs already, breathing down your neck in an effort to fasten your process of changing.
“what are you all doing tonight?” jaemin inquires, suddenly nosy.
“well i wanted to go home to eat ice cream then sleep all night, but since it’s the last wednesday of the month and we have tomorrow off renjun wants to go do karaoke at the local bar”.
“it’s kind of our tradition!” jeno offers, he’s sat down on one of the benches, lacing up his dunks. “you should come with us, drinks are half off until midnight”.
“you should come! it’ll be so fun, y/n has the voice of an angel”.
your cheeks color red in embarrassment. “well actually—“
“stop trying to be humble now, just admit it” renjun then turns to jaemin. “please? you literally never hang out with us”.
you can’t see renjun’s face, but you know he’s using that pleading puppy look to sell his point.
you watch jaemin crumble in real time.
“alright, guess it couldn’t hurt”.
what hurts is your throat after demolishing a flurry of early 2000s hits. now your ears are beginning to pain as renjun, donghyuck and chenle go head to head, they’ve rapped to super bass three times in a row, and donghyuck continuously doubles over in laughter whenever chenle messes up a single lyric. you aren’t complaining though, this is about the happiest you’ve seen donghyuck in the week, it makes you feel all warm seeing him laughing and all full of bashful insults.
jaemin has been nursing the same beer since you’ve arrived, tucked away on the couch in an effort to not participate in such nonsense. it dawns on you that you normally don’t hang out with him outside of the hospital much, and you wonder if he even has friends outside the hospital.
before you stop yourself, you’re wriggling out of jeno’s lap and making your way over to jaemin. he looks over when you get close, eyes traveling from the loose neckline of your shirt to your face.
“hiii”, you greet.
“hello, you’re drunk”.
“just a little” you giggle, hiccuping on nothing. “you look all moody and broody in the shadows, are you not having fun?”
“i am, you guys are just..” jaemin pauses, again glancing back at the scene before seemingly taking back a few words. “i am”.
you hum, whistling in the air. “i need some fresh air, come with me?”
jaemin nods, following behind you in the manner of a shadow out of the establishment. you two end up sitting on the sidewalk, chilling air offering you solace as you attempt to sober up.
it’s chillier than it was before, but you bask in the cold instead, short sleeves acting as nothing of a barrier.
“that was quite the performance back there” jaemin says quietly.
“thank you, yeah i can’t compare to donghyuck but singing is.. you know, just a hobby”.
you shiver offhandedly, jaemin observes for a while before offering you over his jacket, caging it around you in his lingering warmth. you yearn to comment on it, he practically dares you to, so you take it in silence.
“you know what would be amazing? a hot spicy bowl of kimchi jjigae”.
it’s been a while since you’ve been able to cook a genuine meal, the shifts take it all out of you and turning on any kitchen appliances gives you anxiety after a long shift. eating is a whole shove and go sort of a thing, you don’t pay much mind to it anymore. “now why would you put that in my head? i’m hungry” you whine.
“i know a good spot near the hospital, their stuff is like home”.
you ignore the mention of home.
“you’re just making it worse”.
“sorry” jaemin is not sorry. “maybe we can go together after work sometimes”.
“oh, like with the other interns? that’d be nice..”
jaemin looks caught, he swallows down nothing. “no i mean.. just us”.
you freeze. “oh”.
“what? having sex with me is okay but dinner is completely out of the question?”
“no” you reply defensively. “it’s just— us, you know? we can’t even go a few words without arguing, we don’t do dinner, the only thing we have in common is that we’re stuck up surgeons, we don’t do dinner”.
jaemin presses his lips into a flat line, the kind of thing he does when he’s looking for something nice to say. “we’re friends”.
you almost lurch forward, perhaps drinking was not a good idea. you blink, completely knowing of your upcoming decision.
“you know what? yeah, let’s get dinner”.
“right now?”
“no time like the present!” you shout, holding your hand out for jaemin as you rise from the sidewalk. he takes it, intertwining your fingers as you haul him off the ground,
“what about the others?”
“they’ll be fine” you excuse. “come on”.
you realize belatedly that it’s about midnight, which means most, if not all restaurants serving kimchi jjigae are closed. you two end up at the popular twenty four hour ramen spot instead, and you take time to sober up as you two wait in line. hanging off jaemin’s arm, you simply allow your head to lean against his shoulder, the other making no room for little complaints, you’ll regret being all clingy in the morning, but for now, it’s all up in the air. the waitress who seats you eyes you in that knowing way, she thinks you two are a couple, you decide to not correct her, there’s no benefit, she ensures a comment about how cute you two are.
“first thing i want to do after getting my license is..” jaemin begins. “treat the uppers at one of these places, like a celebratory dinner”.
“ramen for surgeons?”
“basically”.
you hum, tongue hot, all warm. “you wanna split this with me?” you inquire, referring to the takoyaki before you on a plate.
“can you even eat all that?” jaemin poses, clicking his tongue as he eyes the spread of appetizers. you aren’t a quitter, especially after a week of subpar meals you didn’t even bother turning on the stove to create. you raise your plate in his direction, offering a takoyaki ball which he takes a stab at.
“have you always wanted to be a surgeon?”
jaemin sighs. “we don’t have to do this”.
“do what?”
“the thing where we ask each other questions and pretend to care about the answers”.
“i do care” you press. “aren’t we friends? answer the question, minjae”.
“is that supposed to be a nickname?” jaemin grumbles. you’ve always had a knack for nicknames, jeno your main victim. “it sucks”.
“answer the question”.
he sighs again, but this time he’s smiling. “i mean, guess i always had the feeling, i was obsessed with that surgeon game when i was younger, i would sneak into my dad’s office and read up on all of his procedures, i read a lot of his stupid textbooks and was hooked forever”.
“oh”.
“yeah”.
“well it probably helped your family’s full of doctors huh?”
he pauses. “not really”.
you stop for a moment. “your dad is na kiwoo, he’s crazy good at his shit, he invented a whole new way to transplant bone marrow! your uncle is literally the chief of surgery at the hospital we intern at!”
you probably appear nerdy, you scratch the back of your ear, somewhat embarrassed. jaemin stares, clearing his throat. “my parents didn’t want me to become a surgeon”.
you are absolutely gobsmacked, jaemin goes through the effort of physically putting your jaw back in its place. “seriously?”
“absolutely, they did everything to make sure i wouldn’t get into the medical field, wanted me to get some bullshit sports scholarship, they refused to pay my tuition and basically said i ruined their dreams of having an olympian son so i went no contact”.
you scoff. “god”.
“right” he grins, though there’s little genuine. “i tried so hard to get into any program that didn’t have to do with guleum but look where i ended up”.
you blink as you attempt to process the influx of information. “but you’re destined for greatness— you’re your parents’ legacy”.
he dismissively waves. “it would be great if they cared, they have their noses buried in their work, can’t believe they thought i wouldn’t take it personal”.
“you’re still mad?”
“what do you think?”
and then he chuckles. you deliver a small smack to his shoulder, along the lines of an affectionate gesture. “they’re dickheads, you’re gonna be one of the best surgeons in the world, besides me”.
jaemin is now the one who’s surprised. “did you just compliment me?”
“hm.. think you’re hearing things”.
“sure” he stops. “so what about you, then? what got you into this program?”
your nose scrunches. “my sister, she always had complications growing up but she had to get a lobectomy when she was young because she had a tumor, after that she couldn’t talk for a while, we spent a lot of time at the hospital so that’s where the interest came from”.
“i didn’t know you had a sister”.
well you didn’t exactly care. “i have three, never a moment of peace”.
“oh i bet”.
your expression falters for a moment. “dad and mom didn’t want me to, get into the medical field that is, they thought i couldn’t do it, said it was a future depicted in failure and that i’d quit at the first loud shout”.
“you? quit?”
he appears genuinely shocked by such a revelation. “are you surprised?”
“kinda” he mutters, opting to glance directly at you. “you’ve always been so persevering, can’t imagine you quitting anything”.
you shrug. “they weren’t around much, i had to kinda fend for myself with three girls running around”.
“well you did it didn’t you?”
“yeah, all those my little pony reruns and sugar cookies” you muse, shaking your head. “i should not know as much as i do about that show”.
jaemin laughs at that one, and you can’t help the pride which swells in your chest. you belatedly realize that you’re enjoying this conversation, you two haven’t had a petty fight in a while, go figure.
“you aren’t that bad”.
“surprise”.
“so why are you so hellbent on proving it then?”
“preconceived notions go a long way, people hear my last name and think seven thousand different things, it gets tiring trying to prove them wrong, i don’t care anymore”.
but if his voice is anything, then he definitely does still care.
“okay so how exactly do you plan on getting home?” he inquires to you, leftover bags swinging in the light wind.
“the night bus”.
“you don’t drive?”
“i would kill myself” you blurt, and jaemin snorts. “don’t laugh, highways are terrifying, besides, the bus is empty at this time”.
“do they really run now?”
you stare flatly. “of course they do, i memorized the running hours”.
he has half a mind to giggle at that one, you then grab onto jaemin’s hand as you drag him towards the nearest bus stop.
your building lights remain blindingly bright once you finally reach your stop, jaemin following behind you in the fashion he always does.
“you really didn’t have to walk me”.
“i needed to make sure you’re in safely” he emphasizes, as if that makes any sense, he opts for an eye roll to sell the stubborn bit.
“aww, what a gentlemen you are minjae”.
he grumbles at the nickname, though his smile threatens to jump up at every glance.
for the first time since you and jaemin eloped, you take a glance at your watch, shocked at it being half past two already. “don’t you have work today? why didn’t you say anything?”
jaemin shrugs, flatly, very jaemin. “you guys were having fun, my shift’s at noon, it’s fine”.
“okay well, goodnight?”
“goodnight,” jaemin replies, and he leans forward for a peck, it’s short and sweet, by the time he’s done, you realize all too late, cheeks gone red as you instead blink.
“uh” you begin, very intelligent y/n, stellar. “that was.. um—“
“you okay?”
“no! i mean— yes i just, that was nice it was nice..” you exhale, “can i have another one?”
jaemin gives in, cupping your cheeks and drawing you in for another kiss. it shouldn’t go on for as long as it does, but you’re much too embarrassing to admit such a thing, instead you let him do it again, and again, and again, all soft against your lips.
“we probably shouldn’t do that again because..” your lips attempt to twitch up, you try to fasten that sincere expression on your features. “well you know—“
“right, no domestic shit” jaemin smiles, all teeth, so cocky.
you refuse to give him the satisfaction of a smile, turning towards the entrance in order to hide it. “goodnight”.
“goodnight” jaemin lingers for a moment, as if he wants to say something more. however, it appears he changes his mind once you glance back at him, he mirrors your turn back and begins walking off.
it’s not until you put the leftovers away and begin undressing for your shower that you realize you forgot to return him his jacket.
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 9: the crush-not-crush phase
jaemin does the friend thing exceptionally well, he relays obscure anecdotes that you giggle at and sneaks in slight jabs when doyoung’s in the middle of an important sentence that has you nudging him in the stomach with your arm.
like right now, he’s droning on about a moment when a nanny almost burned down his parents house whilst trying to cook for him and you’re very much interested, sneaking snorts under your breath.
renjun, jeno and donghyuck all arrive, tapping you on your shoulder, you turn to glance with the slightest confusion.
there isn’t an exchange of words, they simply observe jaemin until he smiles, making up a story about having to go check up on a patient.
they all silently watch him leave.
“why’d you scare him off?” you complain, almost tapering off into whining territory.
“i just want to know what’s up with you two” renjun finally says.
you groan, donghyuck pushes as he takes a seat beside you. “we are not having this conversation again”. 
“is he your friend? your boyfriend? an eight month conquest? your shotaro replacement?”
“why does everyone think we’re dating—“
“i ran into him when he was leaving your room this morning” jeno drawls, flat, irritated in that soft way he always is. “i’m about to ask him to start pitching in on the water bill”.
“he’s not over that often”.
your argument falls flat at donghyuck’s eyebrow raise. “he has been this month, do you like him?”
“okay— i hook up with him a few times doesn’t mean i like him”.
“you two keep sneaking off every time we hang out, you basically made him our new pseudo roommate and you were doing that thing you do when you like someone”.
“what thing?”
“you get all giggly and playfully mean—“ donghyuck tucks his hair behind his ear and flutters his eyelashes, squealing in what you suppose is a high pitched imitation of your voice; “oh jaemin you’re sooo funny!”
you land a punch, neither renjun or jeno reach to stop your action despite donghyuck’s extensive complaints.
“i’m not— it doesn’t matter, how could i like jaemin? he’s a fucking shark, do you not remember what he did to me in my our first month?”
renjun glances around, as if searching around for a better excuse you could tout. “your point?”
“i don’t like him, i’m not dating him, it’s all for sex”.
“how long has this been going on again?”
you wrack your mind for an answer. “we started right after i got dumped so.. around late august?”
“oh my god” donghyuck says, his eyes blown out dramatically. “you’ve been sleeping with na jaemin for THREE MONTHS!?”
you decide to assault him again. “can you not be so loud?”
“and you haven’t killed him yet? ew, you do like him”.
“i don’t— what does—“
“oh you totally do! holy shit, is the dick that good!?”
when you take a liberal pause, renjun immediately crinkles his nose. “don’t actually answer that”.
“i wasn’t going to”.
“you were having sex flashbacks!”
“was not, get over yourself” you snark.
donghyuck looks one mouth opening away from speaking when mark lee suddenly shows up, plopping himself at your table. “is this seat taken?”
“yes!” you and renjun yell in unison.
donghyuck clears his throat. “actually, you were just leaving weren’t you?”
“we were?” you ask dumbly, donghyuck nods, tipping his head towards the door.
oh, you realize what he’s trying to do.
“right” you begin slowly. “just leaving, just going”.
“me too” adds renjun.
“i haven’t finished my sandwich yet..” jeno pouts, and renjun sighs as he grabs ahold of his collar, dragging him away from the lunch table where you’ll leave mark and donghyuck alone. “c’mon, they have something to fix”.
~
when you enter the kitchen the following saturday, donghyuck offers you a mere glance from his book before sighing. “jaemin’s?”
“yep” you pop the p, crouching down as you open the fridge, offering a squint as if your aid will magically appear given your gaze. “are we out of grapes?”
“jeno ate em all, why?”
“nothing, guess i’ll just starve”.
“are you gonna sleep over?”
“i don’t know..”
“sounds close to a yes”.
you glare, donghyuck chuckles.
“practice safe sex youngling!”
you flip him off, he offers you a kiss instead. “sure”.
“enjoy your weekend off!”
you pause before the door and turn back to give him a look, itching to ask a question you’re aware doesn’t have a definite enough answer. “so.. is everything good between you and mark now?”
“i’m working on it” he says, “just working on it”.
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 10: blurring the line just a bit
you stumble into jaemin’s room and fall into his bed with your legs tangled. you feel warmth encapsulate you instantly. there’s lightheadedness, as if you’re drunk, intoxicated by the familiar scent of simply jaemin. his hair is in his eyes, yet for a long moment he simply stares. you doubt there’s a definitive way your imperfections could be glimpsed at in the vague orange lamplight, a small frown tugs at your lips.
“what?” you whisper, tentative.
“nothing” jaemin replies, equally silent. “it’s just— you’re just.. you look pretty like this”.
you blank for a moment, brightening yet attempting to shove it downward, reddened. “good, thought you were about to change your mind”.
“hush”.
when jaemin leans down to kiss you it’s soft, and your brain does that stupid malfunction thing once again, you sort of don’t know what to do with it. it’s syrup slow, the way jaemin licks into your mouth and his fingers trail up underneath your shirt, like you two have all the time in the world. you take in a long breath, tugging impatiently at his shirt which acts as a hurdle for you. he chuckles, you feel his smile against your own growing one.
you frown, such an expression heartens jaemin to no end. he’s torturing you, pressing slow soft presses against your soft skin, each press marked by his growing smile as he drags his mouth across each particular edge, exponentially leisure, nothing of vigor and more of attention to specific details. you squirm gradually, jaemin digs the pads of his fingers into your hips to hold you still in place, there’s a gentle edge to it that makes your head spin.
“hey” you tug at jaemin’s hair, and when he glances up at you there’s that huge urge to punch him, or maybe kiss him, do a crazy combination with the grin he’s sporting. “could you— fuck speed it up”.
“don’t you rush me y/n” he drawls, blinking up at you through his terribly beautiful eyelashes. “today is special”.
“it can be special when you get to it”.
“so bossy, maybe you should be in control then”.
despite his clear amusement, lingering insults on his tongue, jaemin again leans down to kiss you. it seems he enjoys that aspect, you don’t let go of his hair, hand on the back of his neck pressing him closer. it’s a good kiss, the slightest bit scary to you. you think you could get used to this, get accustomed to the sight of his dirty blonde hair and his hands pressing into the skin of your hip, possibly leaving marks.
it seems a little scary, but it also seems.. well, it makes you have all those mushy feelings you shouldn’t be having, feelings you’d have a heart attack at having three months ago.
you suppose you are blurring the lines a bit here, teeth ground and face buried into his neck, as if you were attempting to crawl into his skin. jaemin holds you and talks you through it like a lover would, it does terrible things to you, terrible terrible thoughts swirling around in your brain.
in the morning, you awake alone. you lie there for a moment, sunlight peeking through the curtains, then you allow your head to fall once more, taking in a deep breath which inadvertently means you’re smelling jaemin’s pillow. you shake your head instantly at such a thought, it’s really all over for you.
you settle for a moment before finally rising from your place, more of rolling off jaemin’s bed and almost breaking your bones with the fall on the floor.
you go through the motions, brushing your teeth and attempting to fix your hair, eventually just leaving it half done. you then venture into jaemin’s closet, grabbing at a random black hoodie and pulling it over your head.
you hear a commotion, head whipping in the direction of the door. you blink, poking your head out of the bedroom door. “jaemin?”
“i’m fine, it’s all fine! nothings burning down”.
you shuffle your way out of his room, feet mute against his bare floor. jaemin has his back to you, in nothing but a practically see through white shirt. “what’s this?”
“breakfast” he muses, eyes seemingly jumping when he catches a glimpse of you.
you lean over his shoulder, nosy as ever, his face is flat. “what?”
jaemin squints. “do you not like pancakes?”
“what kind of question is that? everyone likes pancakes” you reply, breakfast is one of the most foreign meals to you, you haven’t had an actual real breakfast meal in a startling while. “i thought you didn’t like strawberries”.
“they’re not for me” he says, nose scrunched. he uses a fork to cut up the pieces, getting an equal amount of each ingredient before holding it up to your face. “open up”.
“i know how to use a fork myself, you know”.
“open up”.
you drop your mouth open and allow jaemin to feed you, he observes you eat like a hawk. “good?”
you nod enthusiastically.
jaemin smiles, a real, toothless smile that blossoms alluringly over his features. “alright, eat breakfast, then we can go back to sleep”.
you pause, chewing. “i could’ve helped make breakfast”.
“well i didn’t want to wake you” you’re unaware of when he got closer, you opt to not question it, simply allowing his arms to circle around your waist and for him to kiss you once again. his presses are slow, lazy, warm, his sigh in tandem with him pushing you up against the counter.
“can’t i eat?”
“you look good”.
“my hair looks like shit..” you mumble, in response he ruffles it, which earns a grunt as you attempt to escape his hand by leaning backward. “and you just ruined it again”.
“i didn’t do anything” he’s got that smile on again, the one without his teeth, you found you enjoy capturing glimpses of that one much more than you’d ever gloat. “now eat, lord knows how long it’s been since you’ve had breakfast”.
he makes it up to you by helping you wash your hair in the shower, practically putting you to sleep with his ministrations, hand motions paired with a warm stream of water a dealing blow. he lets you do the same for him, sneaking in kisses between rinses to make your time a bit more difficult, water flicked your way resulting in slight squeaks. you spend the afternoon on the couch, bickering over what to watch before eventually settling on a drama you’d been recommended, cuddling closely, though napping quickly overtakes you. jaemin is heavy against your chest, and when you wake up past sunset, there’s a noticeable cramp in your arm, yet it’s the happiest you’ve felt in years.
~
it’s no wonder things change after that.
you see jaemin in the hallways of the hospital, messy hair paired with eye bags and your heart starts beating erratically. it remains in such fastened motions whenever he sends you a smile at lunch, or when you’re around the rest of your friends and can’t help but just.. stare. your chest warms inexplicably whenever he purposely bumps into you in the locker room or leans against you once he’s worn out, in the manner of a mind reader who knows what exactly such things to do your weak heart.
you’re still hooking up, obviously, but it’s become so ridiculously domestic that you’re unaware of when such lines began blurring.
jaemin brings you coffee, placing it atop the nurses station and patiently awaiting your response, smile akin to a cat bringing their owner a dead rodent as a gift.
you blink at it, then up at him, smiles all high. you recognize the doodles on the cup as from the cafe down the street, yet your mind is still the slightest bit woozy from a frankly terrible three hour sleep. “what’s this?”
“a little pick me up” he replies. “can’t just keep throwing back espresso shots, that’s unhealthy”.
how jaemin even figured that out is something you neglect to mention, you presume he’s some sort of alien mind reader, completely inhumane. you would’ve bitten back with a snarky remark a few months ago, yet it appears your mind is full of gray static now. you shake your head and go back to reading over the patient notes.
“i can’t drink that”.
“it’s your order” he drawls, and your eyes again shoot up.
“what.. uh— shit”.
jaemin pokes at your shoulder, sliding the cup over and encouraging you to take a sip. you’d argue with him, if you could with how he’s staring.
he was right, it is.
“how’d you even..?”
“i have my ways,” he brightens.
“thank you” you whisper.
“it’s nothing” he leans in to dart a kiss to your temple. “take it easy, okay?”
and your world successfully tilts on its own axis, you really need a word for that one.
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 11: desperate times desperate looking man
“i feel like i haven’t seen you in ages,” renjun whispers. you’re sneaking into the NICU between patients, like you typically do when swallowed with work. the tiny preemie babies are so cute, they’re simply giving it their all to survive, it encourages you to keep going in the slightest bit. also did you mention they’re absolutely adorable?
“are you finally moving out? are you taking jeno with you? am i free?”
“i’m not leaving, stop trying to divorce me” you say, smacking donghyuck’s shoulder in retaliation to such words. “has jaemin been acting any weird around you?”
“you mean like— weirder than normal?” donghyuck raises an eyebrow, renjun distracted by cooing at the sleeping NICU babies. you always wondered the extent of dreams infants have, constantly intrigued by such a thing.
“no not really” he replies, nudging renjun slightly in an effort to get him back on track. the older startles out of his admiring daze, blinking in your direction.
“jaemin? jaemin’s always been weird, why are you asking?”
“i don’t know he’s acting.. different, i’m a little worried”.
“different how?” renjun does his award winning judgmental gaze, amping up your consciousness.
“well you know how i slept over at his place last weekend—“
“and spared me the ear bleeding noises yes”.
“shut up, this morning he got me coffee before rounds started, he kissed me and told me to take it easy, since when has jaemin cared about that?”
renjun and donghyuck exchange one mere glance before the latter speaks up; “you know what that sounds like? i think you sucked and fucked your way into a relationship”.
“don’t swear in front of the babies!”
“and don’t ever say sucked and fucked again” renjun glares, nose crinkling in disgust.
donghyuck sucks his teeth, though ignoring renjun’s distinct complaint. “seriously y/n, if you can’t see with your huge fucking eyes that jaemin has something for you, that might be a huge problem”.
your arms drop at their sides, readying up some terrible rebuttal when your pager goes off, you immediately sigh once jaemin’s name pops up. “speak of the devil” you muse.
when you walk into the E.R you spot him immediately.
“hey, what’s up?”
“just need you to come look at something for me” he immediately says. “i have a theory, but i need a second opinion”.
a smug smile creeps onto your face. “are you asking me for a consultation right now?”
he rolls his eyes. “don’t act coy, there’s a lady with glitter glue in her ears, you seriously have to see this”.
you let him lead the way.
~
it’s eerily quiet in the intern locker when you walk in to grab your phone, one single being in the room, that of na jaemin, lying back on one of the benches, leg propped up. once he catches sight of you, he sits up.
“hey”.
“hi” you reply.
“out or in?”
“out, apparently i hit my eighty hours for the week, jungwoo cut me off”.
“that sucks, i’m on call tonight”.
“that does suck” you hum, shoving your phone in your bag as you eye the suspicious way his leg is propped up. “what’s up with your leg?”
“nothing, it’s just— my knees a little sore, that’s all”.
you frown slightly. “let me see”.
“you know i’m an adult, right? i can take care of myself”.
“hush” you respond, flatly staring as jaemin sits back on the bench, allowing you to poke at the wrap around his knee.
“it’s an old injury” he says. “it’s supposed to be fully healed but it still troubles me sometimes”.
your mouth drops open in a silent ‘ah’, “speed skating, right”.
“yeah, i was just telling choi about it, i don’t know why everyone is so surprised i used to speed skate”.
“you’ve been telling everyone about your secret past? i don’t feel special anymore, na jaemin” you tease. you sit up on the bench, satisfied jaemin wasn’t lying about wrapping it up properly. you’re supposed to go meet your family after this, but you don’t want to leave jaemin’s side just yet, call it obsession.
“relax” jaemin drawls, giving you a salacious wink. “they all know i only have eyes for you”.
you ignore the heat rising in your ears. jaemin has been much more forward with his advances lately, unabashed, little shame, which reminds you—“everyone thinks we’re dating, you know? you’re fueling the fire”.
“you know i don’t care what people think of me”.
liar.
“well i care” you answer. “about us, about.. uh— well, people always talk, you know? makes me anxious”.
“you sure you want me to stop flirting with you? really?”
“yes” you have an airy undertone lacing your voice, eyes sliding towards jaemin’s mouth, you realize lately that all you want to do is kiss him. you’re about fully prepared to when your phone buzzes in your pocket.
“you got somewhere to be?”
you shoot off a text to your younger sister to assure her that you will indeed not be late. you meet jaemin’s eyes and hesitate for a moment, though you’re unsure of why. “yes actually i have a reunion, well— not exactly a reunion but my parents want me to come home for some reason, probably gonna try to set me back up with my ex like they do every single time..”
there’s a small shift in his expression. “oh? didn’t they try to do that last week? or was that something else?”
“shotaro offered last week and i couldn’t turn him down, they’re trying to push me back to another ex”.
“ah”.
you pick up your bag and stand to head out of the door.
“i promised my sisters i wouldn’t be late, can’t leave them alone at home, if they make anything good i’ll bring around leftovers” you look over your shoulder. “text me when you get home?”
jaemin neglects to respond, you squint as you look at him.
“jaemin?”
“what? oh yeah, yeah, i’ll text you”.
~
jaemin does not end up texting.
you’re aware of that because you continuously glance over at your phone whilst your parents mutter on their meticulous jargon, sneaking in less than vague insults pertaining to your character. you keep checking for some sort of ping, a rogue emoji or videos of his cats that he enjoys sending so much. you only get texts from donghyuck asking what kind of pasta noodles he should buy for dinner, nothing else.
“are we boring you?” your youngest sister inquires, her head leaning against her head as she takes liberal glances towards your own phone.
you sheepishly put your phone away, you have no idea what anybody has been droning on about for the past few minutes, and you’re much too embarrassed to ask. “sorry no, please continue”.
later, you get home and crawl into your sheets, swiping the notification bar one last time to see if jaemin sent anything. disappointment. you tossed and turned for a moment, uncomfortable in the air of your room. it’s late, jaemin clearly had a long day and crashed as soon as he got home. he isn’t obligated to text you everyday, especially when you’re both equally busy in your own right. nevertheless, you briefly entertain the idea of showing up at his place just to see how he’ll react.
that would be crazy, you freak, is what your inner conscious speaks. he’s not your boyfriend or anything.
you do wish jaemin were here, though, he warms your presence in just the slightest.
you get up one last time, grabbing a dormant pusheen plushie left on your floor and pressing your face into it, a silent scream escaping your lips. you peer over at your phone one last time, finally deciding to take a leap.
goodnight, you text, pausing. you take a few moments, typing out i miss you a good six times before deleting such an idiotic message, you two saw each other no more than a few hours ago, why would you even send that? your hands are clammy.
maybe he caught something?
in the next minute, you practically jump up on your feet as your message is registered as seen. you sit up on the bed, observing text bubbles pop up and disappear for several minutes. eventually, jaemin settles on simply hearting your message.
he didn’t even say it back, but your heart is racing, and an irreversible warmth encapsulates you. the sides of your mouth curve upward involuntarily as you think of jaemin, his stupid jokes and his wide smile and his messy blonde hair, lying in bed deciding over how to respond to a ‘goodnight’ text. it’s just a text. a mere reaction even, nothing of a true response, yet this is a feeling you haven’t had in a long time.
lovesickness, you realize.
oh lord.
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THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 12: and zhong chenle was right in the end
“fucking finally” chenle’s mouth does that swivel upward and he beckons renjun closer. “pay up”.
“what? no, this doesn’t count, he hasn’t even told jaemin how he feels yet” renjun argues.
donghyuck taps his feet onto the floor, nudging you with his shoulder as he shares a knowing look, you stick out your tongue, though completely anxious about your upcoming circumstances. “told jaemin how i what?”
chenle sighs as if the whole world rests atop his shoulders. “jaemin romances you every single day, cooks for you, buys you cute gifts, asks for free consults and you’re still wondering how he feels for you? you sure you were at the top of your class back in university?”
jaemin walks in then.
“jaemin!”
you internally wince at the extent of your excitement, tone overwhelming. “um.. hi”.
“hey”.
“you never texted”.
“must’ve slipped my mind”.
“cool— uh, listen” over jaemin’s shoulder, chenle gestures you a thumbs up, renjun making a cut throat motion across his neck whilst donghyuck simply observes the whole thing in the manner of daytime entertainment. “uh.. i’m— we’re ordering in tonight, pizza and a movie are you down?”
jaemin opens his locker and doesn’t look at you. “sounds a little boring, sorry..”
“we don’t have to watch the movie” you suggest, screw shame, you’re as desperate as they get.
he blinks over at you, as if attempting to keep himself grounded though looking into your eyes.
“i’ll pass, have fun though” he replies, “see you all tomorrow” then he’s picking up his jacket, rushing out the locker room in an instant, cutting you off quickly. he practically runs into jeno on his way out, startling the other into donghyuck’s personal space.
“what’s up with jaemin? he looks like his cat just died”.
you turn to renjun and chenle. “he just rejected me, right?
“that money is literally mine” chenle grits his teeth.
“you’re all useless”.
by the time you make it to the lobby, jaemin is about finished with his daily wrap up talk with the receptionist, bag over his shoulder and head pointed towards the door. you’re fully aware of how pathetic you must seem currently, but you suppose nothings worse than not getting the truth out of him.
“hey.. hey, jaemin, slow down?”
jaemin blinks again, the irritated furrow of his eyebrows jumping out at you immediately. “what do you want?”
“i want you to talk to me”.
“what’s there to talk about?”
“you— gosh, you’re so confusing, you know? i can’t read minds, can’t you just tell me what i did wrong?”
and how you ended up outside is beyond you, perhaps it was the better decision, after all, arguing in front of the front desk lady is about as embarrassing as it gets.
jaemin scoffs, glancing down at his watch as if he’s unaware of the time, his apple watch lights up and the background is a picture of his cats, the wallpaper is helplessly adorable, it endears you to no end.
“you didn’t do anything”.
“well you don’t exactly make that obvious with how you’ve been avoiding me, you’ve been weird ever since i told you i started hanging out with shotaro again”.
“that— that has nothing to do with it, what you do out of work is none of my business”.
you try not to feel hurt by that one, you’re aware of what jaemin is trying to do. “so what is it?”
jaemin bites into his cheek. “can’t you drop it?”
“no” you refuse, slightly blocking his way though he could probably carry you on a bad day. “you’re going to have to tell me or get through me”.
“are you insane?”
that almost earns a well deserved fit of laughter, you suppose you are at this point. “you’re being immature, we have all night”.
jaemin gives a long hard stare, and you actually think he’s about to push you out of the way, leave you rejected on the cold sidewalk, but then he sighs, picking at the ends of his hair before breaking into a sigh. “i let you down, you know?”
you blank, arms dropping at your sides as you instead give continuous blinks. “what the fuck are you talking about?”
jaemin looks a crossbred of punching you and kissing you. “of course you don’t remember it’s— god you say things and barely even mean them cause you just talk so much, you know? you make me mad cause you do these little things that just piss me off and i just don’t understand you, you care about people so much and you’re so bossy but you’re also so.. cute, and nice, and you’re funny and you always do these things that make me realize i’m stupidly in love with you, there, that’s it”.
your heart resounds like a drum in your ears. “jaemin—“
“i fell in love with you, okay? and i know you told me not to, didn’t want us devolving into any domestic shit but.. i am, present tense, i’m in love with you”.
oh, you suppose there’s always a catch.
“you done now?” you ask.
“am i— yeah” jaemin laughs, dry and all. “i’m done, are you happy? can i go home now?”
“no” you pull him by the front of his jacket to kiss him, it’s cute that jaemin is clearly surprised by it, the broken whimper he allows to escape when you bite into the swell of his bottom lip is even cuter. his hand comes to cradle your jaw, and for a few sweet moments you forget you’re in front of your building of occupancy. you pull away with your cheeks hot as you rest your foreheads together, suddenly amused.
“thought you would’ve let your parents set you up with your ex”.
“and you didn’t think to ask me?”
“i mean— we never talked about.. this”.
“because you said it would be weird!”
“oh so i’m the bad guy now?”
“yes! yes you are!”
“i told you i was in love with you all you had to say was—“
“shut up” you snap, cupping his impossibly perfect face between your hands. “lord i like you so much, love you an excruciating amount and i miss you all the time even though i see you everyday, you’re so annoying and you have that addicting smile and it’s— you piss me off”.
“as you’ve said before”.
“but.. you know, guess it wouldn’t hurt to try”.
he kisses you again and you can’t help how you smile against his own lips.
“you wanna come back with me?”
jaemin pretends to think it over, as if your fingers aren’t entwined and you don’t already have butterflies alive in your stomach. “i’m worried, what happens if my helmet swallows your tiny little head whole”.
“so romantic na, i’ll have to give you an award for that one”.
“aww, really?”
“no”.
jaemin sticks out his tongue, one last peck given to your lips before you two were off.
when you get back to your place, jaemin falls asleep on your lap midway through the movie like an exhausted old man, or maybe just the young surgeon subjected to the torturous work hours at guleum grave hospital just trying his best. you can’t believe how fond you are, gaze brazen in a manner that renders you nauseous. unable to resist, you reached out to tuck strands of his hair behind his ear.
you hate yourself, it’s just the slightest bit terrifying, you’re fearful at the oncoming future and the enigma of na jaemin in his all. you just want to make sure he wants this, the mushy and sticky feelings which come with the whole process. he is a mystery, yes, but he’s also kind, and patient, and so full of boundless devotion that he probably isn’t even sure he retains.
jaemin jerks awake once jeno flicks on the lights of the living room, but he settles down quickly once he realizes he’s in your lap, you run your fingers through his hair, quietly aching.
he blinks up at you slowly. “i missed the movie”.
“you did” you murmur, “wanna go to bed?”
“yeah” jaemin grabs ahold of your hand in his hair, fingers intertwined, beginning to leave light kisses on your wrist, just above your pulse. he’s so cute like this, so soft looking with his delicate feeling lips and soft all around the edges. you might get sick from the absorbent amount of love you happen to be feeling, his eyelashes flutter in your direction, a smile tugging at his lips which you mirror.
it’s a match made on this soul sucking earth. it’s only a little perfect.
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shadebloopnik · 11 months ago
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Lucifer saluting Sir Pentious is everything to me.
Hats off to you Sir, you made it, in Heaven.
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lliinnkk · 1 day ago
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You are so right. I think this also ties into your other post about the characters and their hypocrisy. The majority claimed that they wouldn't play the killing game and they'd all get along, but they ended up excluding others and taking precautions for their 'safety' from the game.
Likewise, Damon and Eva are the ones who say they shouldn't let their guards down or be so willing to socialise with the others, but they're the ones who reveal both of the blackmails they have to each other even though neither blackmail was actually about the other person.
Just like the daily life, I think the deadly life here is the same. Hypocrisy: Eva's actions in the murder don't match her words in the trial room, where she comes up with excuses - she "had no choice", she was "isolated and backed into a corner by the others"
That's kinda bullshit really. I don't doubt that she is a mathlete and was ostracised, but....I don't believe we heard the full extent of the story. Especially since she really doesn't come off as a sort of 'insane' character like Nagito and Korekiyo who might kill because their own morals are grey/black.... Ugh, I don't know, it's quite difficult to come to a conclusion on her
It's a very refreshing take though, as you said!! In the Dangan games, none of the murders actually take place because of any blind hatred like this. Teru kills Imposter because he thinks there's a threat, Peko kills simply so that Fuyu wouldn't have to, Kaede thought she would free everyone and so did Gonta. Kaito did hate Kokichi but that's not why he killed him
And this death is also possibly one of the worst deaths as well, almost on par with Nagito's. Alone in the dark, hallucinating whatever he must have been seeing. He must have been in a lot of pain and stress when he died, feeling like he had to attack, and then got electrocuted really horribly. I don't know what electrocution is like, but I'd assume it'd be quite painful and maybe not completely instant either
To summarise: girl why????
Who had Eva's Blackmail?
Spoilers for Project: Eden's Garden chapter 1
During the first chapter, we're introduced to the Motive for the characters to begin the killing game, which are these envelopes that contain a photo and a message on the back that reveals their "worst" secret. Damon had Wolfgang's, Wolfgang had Jeans, Kai had Cassidy's, Eloise had Grace's, and Eva had Desmond's.
During the class trial, they tried repeatedly to bring up the motives but nobody ever revealed who had who's motive, or what that motive was aside from Wolfgang's. So that begs the question, who had Eva's blackmail? The person she ended up killing didn't have her blackmail, and as far as Damon is aware she was never actually approached by anyone who handed her an envelope. Meaning someone had Eva's blackmail, but then didn't give it to her.
The reason I think it's important to wonder who had Eva's blackmail is because I believe that her "secret" was something that we haven't heard before. Tozu said that all of the secrets were things that everyone had already unknowingly admitted to, and Eva's "biggest" secret (That being that she's not the Ultimate Liar, but really the Ultimate Mathlete) had been revealed to everyone all at once. This would make her envelope being the same information that everyone already knows kind of useless. (That, and Tozu wouldn't put her secret on the school tablet where everyone could just access the information, because it's supposed to be personal blackmail, if everyone can just know in an instant, it's worthless as a motive)
So Eva's secret has to be something that we don't know right now. I don't believe that Eva's secret was that she "Used to eat in the bathroom stalls" either, like some people have proposed. Because Eva told Damon that after the Motives were introduced, not before. Meaning, her secret could only be something from before the motives were introduced, which means it's something we don't know about yet.
If Eva's secret was something that was really just "lame" or embarrassing, I feel like the person who had her envelope would've followed what Wolfgang asked of everyone, which was to just give her her Blackmail. Unless, her secret was something that was really, REALLY bad. In which case, they either held onto it or showed it to Wolfgang.
The reason I think whoever had Eva's blackmail probably showed it to Wolfgang is because Wolfgang made a declaration to Desmond when they discovered that nobody's doors had locks on them. He said to Desmond to just bring any clues or suspicious things to him first next time instead of bothering everyone, and so if the person who received Eva's blackmail was really worried about it and didn't want to confront her about it, I could see them either holding onto it and keeping it a secret, or just showing Wolfgang for peace of mind.
I guess the only reason I'm so fixated on what Eva's secret was is because it could reveal more about her potential motivations. I always thought, much like Wenona pointed out, that her killing Wolfgang and framing Diana over something so frivolous as her own insecurity about her talent is a little stupid. So i just feel there has to be more to it than just that, you know? I also still think Wolfgang's actions during the whole note exchange thing are a bit suspicious in and of itself.
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jasontoddenthusiastt · 10 months ago
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It is not classist that Jason, a vigilante in a *family of vigilantes*, is violent like the rest | just | because he comes from a poor family
What's (more likely) classist is writers thinking he needs to be taught right vs wrong from Bruce and co and that he consequently makes snap judgments out of some childish grudge-fueled rebellion which makes him dangerous the way a toddler holding a knife is dangerous
#that dumb godzilla vs kong beast wrld issue is a prime example of what I'm talking abt#but I can't even say that's | classism | per se#cause it's also just a product of writers not liking him solely for being in opposition to their bbyg bruce#kelseethe#when will people get it in their heads that shooting someone isn’t “more" violent#than cracking their skulls on cement or ripping their bodies to shreds “but keeping them alive”#things the other bats do pretty regularly and with quite a bit of pride too#it will never not be weird that people see Jason remorselessly poisoning a child trafficker who did it for EXTRA cash#or shooting+killing a dude who was deliberately poisoning his young kid and wife with a drug similar to street fentanyl#and think he should have his edges rounded out#people who say Jason can afford to be “less violent”#are accidentally “Jason should kill less sob sob urban legends is good” schmucks#which is kinda more pathetic than being his anti like at least they *know* what they're saying#even if he was more rageful like in rh gotham war instead of cold/detached like in utrh I'd have that any day#over cheer Jason's “sob sob bad people dying still has consequences I don't really know how to cope with so rubber bullets see” nonsense#ever since his appearance in batman 408. everything Jason has done#he did knowing exactly why he was doing it and what the consequence(s) would be#he believes the extent of “harm” a person causes is always their choice#and he doesn't do more for the sake of revelling in the pain he causes the way bruce does#but whatever he does do he never tries to sugarcoat or downplay which makes it all the more agreeable#and he certainly doesn’t convince himself he does it out of love or compassion or some other mushy horeseshit#like sorry you're of feeble mind but I'm not a wuss and I think it's very logical and cool lol
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dangoulains-devotion · 9 months ago
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thinking just a bit too hard about how the added depth given to tifa and aerith's friendship only increases the weight threatening to crush tifa after the forgotten capital, she already had so much to carry on her weary shoulders, she's going to have to carry even more when mideel happens, and it doesn't even stop after meteorfall, ohg od oh i love her so much i
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#(sobbing and crying and snotting everywhere) AERITH GAVE HER SOMEONE TO CONFIDE IN ON SUCH A TUMULTUOUS JOURNEY#SOMEONE SHE COULD BE AS CLOSE TO FULLY RELAXED AS POSSIBLE#SOMEONE TO GOSSIP WITH OR SHARE HER CONCERNS OR JUST. BE A NORMAL GIRL WITH#YUFFIE'S THERE BUT SHE'S JUST A KID AND TIFA WOULD NEVER WANT TO HARM THE AIR OF CAREFREE CHILDISHNESS SHE MANAGES TO MAINTAIN EVEN IF#ITS BECAUSE YUFFIE IS HIDING THINGS THAT ARE CRUSHING HER#but poor tifa . gentle tifa. is now left to regret. to blame herself.#she has barret who acts like a father figure to her sure - but despite how much she cares about him and values her frienship with him#he's not aerith. he's not someone she can just gossip about first loves with. not someone she can fully Relate to. if you get what i mean#she is left to trace back the thread of how poor aerith got caught in this mess#she was the one to ask aerith to save marlene. but how did they get there? aerith refused to let cloud be a bystander in wall market#how did that happen? she made a risky choice that put her in a position where their paths crossed. why? because cloud was briefly lost#during the bombing mission. why did the bombing mission happen? she couldn't stop it. ETC ETC#NONE OF IT WAS HER FAULT... BUT SHE NEVER WANTED TO DRAG INNOCENT PEOPLE INTO THIS AT ANY SINGLE POINT#AND NOW SOMEONE WHO QUICKLY BECAME A CLOSE FRIEND IS GONE oh lord my heart#all of this added onto the things like how alone she was in nibelheim... it was just her and her dad for some years after the boys all left#and then the Incident happens and she loses that last person she had... and to an extent another she didn't even know was right there(cloud#god i could talk about her and how she has suffered more than jesus for ages (happy easter. lmao)#FF7 Rebirth spoilers#just in case?? for anyone who's only playing the remakes i guess. since this was basically already there the remakes just elaborate on it#i think about 'we found you!' 'i guess you did!' SO OFTEN#these two girls mean the world to me and i will not let you reduce them to love interest rivals#when tifa ran over to aerith's body i think everyone in the world heard my heart shattering into dust#these thoughts are a bit disjointed and don't articulate well what i mean but god. god. i am thinking about her today
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cak31ssuperi04 · 2 years ago
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Throwing my hat in the relationship chart ring. 1bit/beat charts credit to @//likesaly and @///silvercrane14, if this bothers either of you please let me know so I can delete it!
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1bit relationship spaghetti breakdown:
Platonic
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Romantic
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Familial
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Negative
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#Also feel free to ask for elaboration on anything#pieceofcake.txt#Saying Koza is related to the cats is weird but I didn't want to put “pseudo-familial” for Merue and Shitsuna so whatever#adoptive family is family(cats count)#Replaced the close friends line with respect but in hindsight 'friends' could range anywhere from besties to#spoke a couple of times and got along pretty well. Oh well#the 1bit one in particular's timeline is wonky because I don't think a lot of these characters would know each other /during/ 1bit but that#it also leaves out a lot of relationships that would have formed by the timeskip/relationships that would've developed and changed by then#Was tempted to add the main characters to the 1beat chart but(if my 1bit chart wasn't apparent enough) I'm very flippant about how#I want the main character relationships to go#There wouldn't be much change tbh. More of them would be friends maybe.#I did say Izuchi was familiar with the Blue Sun trio to an extent but I lied#which is to say I forgot that they said Blue Sun College of Music and not just a general college#Going to run with it having other branches in the area so maybe he's /heard/ of them or has even watched them perform before#But they're not like schoolmates or anything#I kind of want Sora to be friends with the cats because he shares a va with one of them but I have no idea what circumstances#would lead to them meeting#Also intrapersonal relationships between the fatcats but I haven't decided on those#Got a little too silly with the ''dislike'' lines for Sora and just ended up opting to remove them entirely#they're there in spirit though
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elytrafemme · 2 years ago
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i remember when klavier split off and how, like, happy we all were. because before him it was just me, dahlia, and nightshade all fighting with each other. like not just mental fighting like physically fighting with each other, my first interaction with nightshade was on a discord call where i had to mute because we were co-hosting and throwing shit and threatening each other. and then klavier comes and he’s an instant ray of sunshine and at the very least, me and dahlia realize that we had a missing piece. and the three of us became so much closer, dahlia and klavier were a little queer for each other and klavier made all these friends and dahlia would front to keep me from having breakdowns, or front to buy clothes, or front to talk to my therapist about us. and klavier would come out and listen to his like 7 hour long playlist. and we were happy because i was like, well, they’re not gonna go. they can’t do that. 
and now they’re gone. dahlia last fronted for a life or death situation and then she left and i thought that would mean she’d be around more but, no, that was it. klavier always seems sad or upset with me whenever he fronts. rory and nightshade and cynthia and daisy and all the others i never knew the names of have never come back. the first alter, orchid, she’s never fronted either. not since it was too late. she might have fused with me but it’s hard to say because i haven’t been the same person for longer than two months in a very, very long time. 
like is that not all fucking crazy to you? it’s crazy to me. it’s crazy to think that now people are going to say they were never real at all and it’s like no you don’t get it. i hear different languages i don’t speak in my head. i get flashbacks to trauma that isn’t my own. i have headaches that feel like my brain is splitting open that have lasted 5 hours because of non stop switches. 
it’s not that they were never here. it’s the opposite. 
#don't reblog#nightmare.system#it sucks that i will never believe people when they say they relate to my experiences#because i have gotten dm messages from the most closed off people from strangers even saying they get it#but i don't think anyone understands. because i don't think you can understand something that is nonexistent#to be honest i don't know what reality is anymore. externally or internally. i don't know the reality of my emotions my opinions my anything#and i can think back to all the moments where it should have been obvious#that my brain is just transplanted pieces of dialogue taht other people have said to me#their opinions and their own lives stitched together until it made a person out of me#and maybe that is why it's so deeply fucking upsetting that my alters have gone quiet#because this is the first time in my life that my brain has been 'mine'#and if anything about the way i've acted for months has been obvious it's that i don't know what to do with that#i don't know my age. i don't know who my friends are. i don't know what you think of me. i don't know my values.#i took two tests about my attachment style and i answered the opposite to the same questions on both. within an hour of each other.#and both were honest. but both contradicted. because it is literally impossible for me to believe anything wholly#and that's always been a uniquely me thing. klav tried to get it but he never did. same with the others to a lesser extent#but dahlia was as consistent as most human beings are she had her weaknesses and her contradictions#and she did petty and objectively stupid things while still pretending she was logical#but she was her. and i was fifteen people in a trenchcoat#i don't know why i'm saying all this. i don't know why it matters#i'm just so tired of not being understood. tired of people not trying to understand. and tired of people trying to understand#but never actually getting close.#myself included.
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fideidefenswhore · 2 years ago
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🔥 Henry VIII's first two decades as king
I'll just respond to this for this, not even speaking to whether or not it's true (I haven't studied much in the way of administration of the former) but if it is, it's because Wolsey's (and then Cromwell's) administration was more efficient.
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medicinemane · 2 years ago
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I just think that the main barrier to being good at a lot of different things isn't about that you couldn't be good at it, it's about time, and it's about affording equipment and materials
It's gonna be a lot harder to find the time for even one hobby if you're working full time, and make no mistake, there's a real problem of getting what you need to actually work on stuff
#that's why if I ever did make videos about carving; I think I'd try to stick to just my knife and my gouge; cause that's 90% of what I use#one carving knife and a medium sized flat gouge will do a lot for you; I like my skew and such; but those two are what I need#I even have a feeling you could get by with an exacto (not nearly as good; but the point would be budget)#not sure what you'd use for the gouge#but if I did do videos I might look into it; would be kind of nice to be able to say 'it's not what I'd do; but he's a broke technique'#like... part of why I would only want to put out free stuff and no like... paid courses (which are fine)#is cause I'm used to being broke; that's who I want to help out; the poor fools like me#cause even people I like with woodworking on youtube who are about doing it on a budget... they still say to drop a fair bit of mint on it#and that's more for furniture making; but... love to do that some day too#and you know how I talk about stuff you know making it easier to do other stuff; there's a lot I think I could tackle with my knife#like... I'd like to once again kind of challenge myself if I did get into that#like what can I make with a dirt cheap saw; an exacto; and whatever I find for a gouge#how cheap can I make this to do?#And can I make it something they can do even if they don't have space?#like can I make it so they could do it over carpet if need be so long as they vacuum?#how unideal can I make things and still have it work? cause I think a lot of us are in very unideal circumstances#and to an extent who I most want to teach are the people who are like I was; in many ways still am#no really money making skills; trouble working for whatever reason; just kind of screwed#and I want to be able to say 'I can't promise you this'll work; but I've made it simple enough maybe you can try it'#'and I'm not saying you'll make money; but at least it's something; and at least it might be fun'#like... I can't recommend woodburing; that kit cost at least $100; think more like $200#that's not cash people have just lying around#I get that even asking to spend like... $5 on a saw; $5 on a blade; $5 on a gouge; and $5 on wood... even if I got it that cheap#I get that sometimes $20 is a big ask#I want to be able to say 'I'm not telling you it'll be your masterpiece; or you might not want to upgrade some of this stuff'#'but here's how you can go to some damn mega corp hardware store and come out with enough stuff to do this with little cash'#hard enough to get started on stuff; I want to lower the barrier to entry to as close to zero as I can#course... that means me getting more of my shit together; mean me building furniture and stuff#can carve at this point of course; though haven't in some time cause gotta get that commission out#not saying I make amazing stuff either; or that I know if I can teach at all
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arolesbianism · 1 year ago
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Ok looking at Ellie. Heyyyy girlie do you know. You probably know right. You Might not know but like you know right. If you don't know that'd be great but if you do does Joshua know. Does he know. How old are you two. You're in the starting with A id squad which implies you're an older employee or more accurately have been here longer is this why you give ppl so much shit. Why are you like Jackie's lil lackey. Do you know.
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suiana · 7 months ago
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✎ yandere! criminal who is helplessly in love with you, devoting his life to you and keeping your affections solely on him, and him only.
✎ yandere! criminal who can't help but flirt with you despite being so beaten up. i mean you're just so cute! why wouldn't he flirt?
✎ yandere! criminal who always reminds you that he has the upperhand no matter what his condition is like. he likes playing dirty.
✎ yandere! criminal who commits even more crimes after seeing you talk with someone who isn't him. doctor, you just never learn, do you?
"remember doctor, you may be smarter, but i always have the upperhand."
the criminal mutters, smirking as he leans into your touch. you merely click your tongue, grimacing at the his antics before going back to tending to his injuries.
you were his doctor, illegally caring for one of the most wanted criminals in the country simply because he was once your childhood friend. you knew it was wrong, you knew you should have rejected him the second he came stumbling to your apartment one day with a bloody wound.
but you didn't. you took him in and treated his injury, nursed him back to health and even offered your place as refuge if he ever needed medical attention again.
unfortunately, you failed to realise that the man was crazy in love with you, infatuated to such an extent that he would harm others without a second thought.
"please, you must understand, i've only ever wanted you to love me and not some other bastard. if you didn't talk to him i wouldn't have needed to hurt that guy."
he mutters, looking at you with such a fond expression that you would've mistaken for love. you really didn't know how to respond to his affections. after all, he was your childhood friend turned criminal. things would be even worse for you if you reciprocated him.
so you did the best thing possible and just ignored him whenever he went off on another tangent of his delusional rambles. you daren't speak up and reject him again. oh no, it happened once and you didn't want it to happen again.
"you look so sexy when you ignore me."
the criminal coos, placing his hand over yours as he brings it to his cheek. you uncomfortably maintain eye contact with him, grimacing as you allow him to mutter and talk about his love. it's okay... just tolerate it...
"oh baby, don't you get it? everything i do is for you."
yeah, you know. he tells you all the time. bout how all his crimes are dedicated for you or done in your name. of course he never says it to the public, he doesn't want you to get jailed! though, he can't help but fantasize about how romantic it would be if you two were both wanted criminals on the run together.
"why must you torment me like this? all i've ever wanted was for you to love me back."
he sighs, not noticing your pursed lips or obvious discomfort.
"never smile for anyone else. only i should have the honour of seeing it. all those other fools will never worship you the way you should be worshipped."
you can't help but twitch at his words. ugh, he always preaches about worshipping you and stuff. it's so... is he mentally insane too?
you get the love part, but the worshipping? you won't be surprised if he prays to you when he's on the brink of his death.
"no one gets me like you. that's why i love you so much."
your childhood friend mutters, finally letting go of your hand after pressing a tender kiss to the inside of your wrist. you allow your hand to limp by your side, standing like an npc as you continue to stare at him as he continues his dramatic talk.
you never knew he yapped so much before. when he was younger he was more introverted, more silent and just clingy. now he can't shut up. or maybe that's just around you.
you continue to listen to the male yapping, not really processing his words. hopefully it'll be over soon... but your hopes were crushed as you freeze in place, eyes widening in horror as he smiles widely at you, eyes fully deranged as he suddenly brings your hands to his cheeks, forcing your cold hands to cradle his cheeks.
"i mean, don't you love me too?"
shit, how do you answer this without meeting a bad fate?
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nikibogwater · 4 months ago
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Actually while I'm thinking about it, I just wanna say that the more live-action remakes Disney shlups out like shoveled manure, the more amazed I am that Cinderella (2015) exists. It breaks literally every standard of Disney's LA remakes.
It's not a shot-for-shot remake of the original 1950 animated film, though it does include small references and homages to it, but only when such things can be incorporated organically into the story.
The creators understood and respected the cross-cultural significance of the Cinderella story. They didn't want to "fix" it, or add some wacky twist to it, they just wanted to make the best possible version of the Quintessential Cinderella that they could.
Everything that could be done practically was done practically. The carriage was a real, the horses pulling it were real, and all of the other animals (with the exception of the mice and lizards, since their performance was a lot more involved than the others') were real living animals, the lizard footman and goose carriage driver were wearing prosthetics instead of just having their animal features added in post, the Fairy Godmother's dress had little LED lights sewn into it so that it would actually glow for real, the ballroom set was built by hand and included real chandeliers with more than 2000 total candles that were all actually lit for the scene, and I could go on but you get the point.
There's a ton of attention paid to little details that make the world feel real and lived in. Ella's shoes are always a little scuffed and dirty. Her farm dress is faded and wrinkled. When she breaks down and runs away to the woods, she rides her horse bareback (which, once again, was a thing Lily James actually did, no stunt-double or editing in post), because not only is that something a country girl like her would know how to do, but it also makes sense that with as upset as she is, she wouldn't want to waste time with saddling the horse. When she's dancing with the prince, it's visually obvious that he is leading her and giving her cues because of course Ella wouldn't know the latest ballroom dances, and would need him to guide her through it.
Hey speaking of dancing, y'know what else this movie does that no other LA remake has been allowed to do (at least not to this extent)? ROMANCE. Land sakes alive, this is one of the most unabashedly and yet still tastefully romantic movies I've ever seen. Ella and Kit are just oozing romantic chemistry from the moment they lock eyes for the first time. It all comes down to the fact that these two characters both have the same core values of courage and kindness, which makes their admiration for each other feel grounded and believable. Richard Madden also really sells Kit's feelings for Ella with the way his eyes go all big and soft whenever he looks at her. And don't even get me started on Lily's performance as Ella. Her quiet awe that someone as powerful as the prince loves her. The timidity and fear that she's not really worthy of that. The selfless determination to protect him from her family's cruelty, even if it means she'll never see him again, I'm just-- *banging my fist against the table and screaming into a pillow*
Absolutely god-tier costume design. No notes, I think Sandy Powell's work speaks for itself. Btw, in case you were somehow still wondering, yes, Ella's ballgown is fully practical--those layers upon layers of dreamy silk skirts are real. CG was only used to brighten up the blue color to make her stand out from the crowd more.
Wicked stepmother was allowed to actually be wicked. The movie never tries to make you sympathize with Lady Tremaine, or shift the blame off to someone else. And her villainy is given an extra layer of depth with the reveal that she is a dark reflection of Ella. They've both lost people they loved, but where Ella refused to let her grief get in the way of kindness, Lady Tremaine became utterly consumed by it. She views the death of her first husband as a sort of twisted justification for pursuing all her worst impulses. She despises Ella for her ability to flourish even while enduring terrible suffering, for being everything Lady Tremaine was either unable or flat-out refused to be.
Also Cate Blanchet absolutely SLAYS in this role. Hands-down my favorite portrayal of the wicked stepmother character.
Anyways, TLDR: Cinderella (2015) is the only Disney live-action remake that can justify its own existence and that's because it actively defies everything the LA remakes are today.
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mellowwillowy · 11 months ago
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"Stop the wedding!!"
So you get to see NRC food fighting RSA in the end lol Yan! NRC vs Yan! RSA x GN Isekai'd Player (Self-aware)
All the people inside the cafeteria turned their attention to you, an isekai'd player.
"(Name)!!" Idia beamed in tears, finally someone saving him! ... wait, someone? Oh no no no no! You are not just 'someone'!! Why did he even bother troubling you to this extent? He should have just kissed the bride!!!
"Make it right in time, you got me, Ace?" "Thank you for kicking me like a barrel toward the ghosts, pal," Ace replied dejectedly but posed no annoyance at all.
"Potato, since when do you have the funds to get yourself such a nice suit?" Vil questioned as he inspected your overall. The makeup and hairdo were not done to the utmost perfection but he can let it slide because anything on you equals absolute beauty.
"Oh, this? So you are smart enough to realize Crowley won't cover MY suit! I mean, he was trying teeth and nails to not let me join Ace and Co!"
"At least he does something right for the first time," Leona added. "White suits you though I thought you'd surely go with Black as usual?" Trey cocked his head to the side questioningly.
"Look, this is what Neige lent me. And all his attires are almost pristine white! I'm telling ya'!" At that statement, you saw Vil twitch despite not being able to move, he must have been very pissed at the mention of Neige's name alone.
"Originally I planned on taking Cheny'a's but I realized how eccentric his taste is so I decided to go with Neige. The RSA students are kind enough to assist Neige in tailoring it to my size too! Got them right in time before Crowley could shoo me!"
"Dude, even the RSA knows how to respect them, I don't know if I should be angry or nah but it certainly leaves a bad aftertaste seeing them wearing what RSA makes for them." Cater whispers something to the person next to him, inaudible to your ears.
"What do you say if we steal the suit and then burn it down in front of them after we are done here? I'd like to give them a nice thank you hug too while we are at it." "And we should leave them some of my... flowers collection too. This alone should be enough to show our gratitude right?"
"I'd say we should try giving them a proper form of token of gratitude too, how about Master Lilia's cooking?" Sebek added with a grin, he had his fair share of Lilia's cooking to the point he'd like to share it with the others.
"Oh? Then I'd have to make sure to add extra 'love' into it." He replied, this time intending to poison people so its horrifying taste was multiplied at natural without him realizing it.
"Wait, why would we even bother giving them a handmade cooki-" Jack was immediately silenced by Cater's eerie smile. He had his fair share and he knew they meant nothing well from it at all.
"Hey Ace, do something! Stop throwing all your work on prefect!" Deuce yelled by the sideline, ready to chew his ears off.
"I agree, you shouldn't let someone magic-less handle this handful situation alone, get a hold of yourself right now will you, Ace?" Azul scowled and started to usher Ace into work.
"Dude! Now all of you are cornering me?" "You haven't finished, Ace?!"
And Riddle's voice was all it took to make Ace cowered like a puppy. Rook shook his head in disappointment, this had taken way longer than the original gameplay.
"Hurry! We should wrap things up as though we are changing a dirty tablecloth into a new one!" Epel yelled out rather... unique lines. Was he trying to be as poetic as Rook? If anything, both Rook and Vil said nothing regarding this.
"Riiiiighhhhtttt, I'm kinda checked out now, to be honest." Idia's eyes immediately widened, not you too?!
Just before the other could chant another "Smooch the bride", you immediately lunged toward the bride. All those gym class training paid off! Basically, this and that until the ghost inflated.
And instead of Rook ordering you and Epel around, you took the steering wheel before anyone could. "Move yer' ass you glorified wood logs! Move move move!"
The lucky person is the person who gets to feel you dragging them. Absolute win!
--
"Urgh, I'm so gonna have phasmophobia now." Idia rolled his eyes as the ghosts departed but to be honest? He was happy to see you barging into the cafeteria like a knight in shining armor for him! (It was mostly the others fighting lol)
Idia was taken by surprise the moment your hand smacked his back. "Would you look at it, the star of the show, a handsome groom adorned in black! You look positively breathtaking, senior Idia."
"Eep-! Oh no, they have graced me with their words that are enough to deafen me! What should I do? How should I show them just how grateful I am to be even considered by them???"
"What did you say? I couldn't hear you really well." "Well, brother said that-" "N-n-no! Nothing! I uh... am thankful... for your assistance." He answered bashfully, his hair tip turned into a shade of pink.
"Now now potato, it's time to change, wearing that must have been uncomfortable right?" Vil immediately pulled you away from the pink introvert. "No...? Neige said that it's meant to be comfortable and it's true!" "Well, we have something even wayyyy more comfortable for you, shrimpy! Come on now, let's take it off and dress you up in something else!"
--
Lilia was leading everyone with a basket of something, a speaker in one hand and Neige's suit in the other hand, "Hey you RSA whippersnappers! Get down!"
The head mage was coincidentally away that day and it allowed the NRC students to lead a protest in front of the academy's gate.
Lilia threw the white suit onto the ground while Leona whistled, signaling Rook to shoot an arrow of fire toward it like an Olympic grand opening. (What a duo.)
"Yeah! Eat this you good for nothing!" Cater and Ruggie immediately took out the pie from Lilia's basket and threw it right onto the students' face. Kalim was generous enough to sponsor lots of baking materials for Lilia with Jamil assisting with the baking. It was badly burnt but still hard as a rock.
Cheny'a was careful enough to avoid Trey and Riddle while Vil was feeling rather generous in feeding Neige~ Oh, and Malleus is always bullseye in his shots, hitting everyone down in no time. He was pretty pissed (sulking) that he was not invited to join your fun. Silver was not being merciful too, he didn't fall asleep at all during this whole thing!.
Rollo was feeling rather grateful but also sad that you did not come to him to ask for his help :( And Crowley just watched everything from the sidelines while praying that nothing bad will be sent to him after this. Well, he's happy with how bright his students are.
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deadsetobsessions · 4 months ago
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Danny hadn't ever been on this side of the equation before.
He stared at his old phone, the prickle of unease scratching at his neck.
Danny was the one that died. He was the one that died and came back. He'd never asked anyone how it had felt to see him die over and over again to become Phantom. Danny was starting to think that maybe he should have, if only so that he wouldn't be blindsided about what he felt now.
"Danny? Y'okay?"
Danny glanced up at the mumbled words, numbed eyes looking at Jason's sleep-heavy face.
"Hm?"
"Ya've been lookin' at that thing for an hour now. You good?"
Danny blinked at him, like the world was a sea of bittersweet molasses and he was the sailor drowning beneath its waves. "...Remember how I told you that you reminded me of my sister?"
There was apprehension on Jason's face now. It was a gentle kind of apprehension, softened by worry and love.
“Yeah…?”
Danny gestured for Jason to come closer. He opened the phone and tapped on Jazz.
“Woah. She kinda looks like me.” Jason tugged at his black hair. “Y’know, if I kept my red hair.”
Danny smiled, sad and tired. “Yeah. She really liked reading. And she always wanted to know more. Help more. Like you,” Danny’s eyes laid on the folded uniform of Robin on the kitchen table. He hugged Jason closer. “You remind me of her.”
“What… what happened to her?”
Danny hadn’t cried for a long, long time. Even when Jazz spoke to him in half remembered whispers and in Jason’s actions, he could not shed a tear. But something about today, something about those pictures, opened up a poorly scabbed wound and Danny’s face dripped with slow tears.
“She died,” he whispered. “I brought the vigilante life to her and she died protecting me.”
“Oh. That’s why you were so mad, then.” Jason looked down at the picture, blue eyes tracing the face of the woman that looked so similar to him.
“Yeah.”
“I won’t die, Danny,” Jason promised.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Jay." Danny squeezed Jason's shoulders before wiping away his tears. He inhaled, a slow, shuddering breath, before straightening. "You are so grounded."
"But- Robin!"
"Jason will always come before Robin. And Jason is grounded because Jason lied to me about being Robin and where he was going and whether or not he was safe."
And really, wasn't that the crux of the issue? Danny didn't have any problem with Jason going out and starting fights. He had no problem with how Jason wanted to help. But the thought of loosing him- loosing his loved ones after only learning to keep them clutched to his heart before he looses them- drove Danny down a spiral that he could not afford to enter again.
How many times had Danny almost lose Jason? How many times did he come to loosing the only good thing in Gotham? How many times had he laid asleep, not knowing whether Jason was bleeding out in an alley somewhere? How close had Danny come to waking up to news of Jason's cold corpse?
It made him furious. More than that, it made him terrified. Never in his half life had he ever been afraid to this extent. Not even for Jazz. It made him want to drown the feeling with enough booze to down a speedster. But he couldn't. Not now, not with Jason. His little brother deserved better than that. Not to mention the shit his little brother would get up to if he weren't fully there.
"But first, you gotta help me with something."
"... Fine."
Danny got up and bee-lined towards his booze stash. They're going out. Right now. He shoved the bottles into a tote bag.
"Let's go. We're destroying this."
"We are?"
"I can't be drunk and teach you how to vigilante."
"You're okay with me being Robin?" Hesitant blue eyes peered up at him. Danny's heart melted, the traitorous little shit.
"Not really. But I can't stop you, so I might as well make sure you live past 25." He jabbed Jason's forehead. "And I'll be reaming out Batman the next time he swings by, now that I'm not pissed as hell. I'll make sure it hurts."
"He's not that bad."
Danny sent him an unimpressed look and Jason mimed zipping his mouth closed, twisiting an imaginary key and throwing it over his shoulder. The little shit thinks he's got jokes. (He does, but Danny's supposed to be mad with him right now, so he'll never admit he thinks Jason's funny.)
They walked out of the apartment complex and turned to the right, right into the alley.
Did his heart give a little twinge every time Jason tossed the booze? Yes. But the hopeful thrill in his little brother's countenance made up for every single penny he spent.
"So... How long am I grounded for?"
At the reminder, Danny's hands clamped around one of the last bottles a little harsher than necessary.
"You... are grounded for- till college." He gritted out, tossing the bottle.
Jason's horrified "For- till college?!" rang nicely against the shattering of Danny's booze. Danny grinned and gave Jason a noogie.
"For till college," He affirmed, joking tone making Jason grumble, struggling to get out of the hold. "Or, for like, a week."
---
"Hey, Danny?"
Danny grunted, rousing slightly from his nap on the couch. They had been watching a show in the middle of Jason's grounding when he had drifted off.
"Did I ever tell you I had a brother?"
Danny's eyes flew open. "... No. Do you want to?"
Danny swiveled his head to look at Jason, who sat with his back against the couch and his head set aglow by the light of the TV. He looked... sad. Lonely.
"His name was Danny too."
Danny's heart shot right up to his throat. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. He died." Danny couldn't help the thought that passed him. Me too, buddy, me too. "I thought you were him. 'S why I talked ta ya, even if y're drinkin'."
Danny tilted his head back, silently closing his eyes in grief. It was fate, that wily Ancient.
"Is that... bad?"
"Nah. You're as good a brother as he was."
"Thank you for telling me, Jason."
"Whatever."
Danny laid back down, the thread of a memory all but confirming his theory.
"Come on, Danny-o, Jazz was being a good sister!"
Five year old Danny pulled the blanket up to his chin, pouting. His mother laughed.
"That's right, sweetie. She was trying to make sure you didn't get sick."
"I don't want Jazz! I want- I want a brother instead!"
His parents exchanged amused looks. "Well, Danny-o, you almost had a brother."
"Really?" Danny turned around, curious.
"Really. If Jazz was a boy, we would have named him Jason!" His dad laughed, ruffling his hair.
Danny wrinkled his nose. "Ew. I like Jazz better... oh."
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