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kaylopolis · 5 months ago

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Alastor's Shadow (18+) Chapter One

Pairing: Alastor x F!Reader, Alias: Thestral

Synopsis: There’s a new Overlord in town and it isn’t the Radio Demon. Six years after you fell into Hell, you finally earned your seat at the table as Pentagram City’s newest and baddest. Now, with the Extermination coming six months earlier than planned, it is time to implement your ultimate endgame. After all, who doesn’t love a bit of power and chaos? Your plans bring you to the doorstep of the Hazbin Hotel as Charlie’s newest Redeemer, but who you find waiting for you will not only turn your entire plan upside down but also challenge your grab for power…

Tags: Slow burn, rivals to lovers, eventual smut

Word Count: 67+ and counting (of the whole fic)

Chapters: 10/??

Warnings: Minors DNI! 18+! May contain disturbing, gruesome, and graphic sexual scenes. Graphic violence. Blood. Obsession. Mentions of abuse. Mentions of substance abuse. Trigger warnings will be given at the beginning of each chapter.

Link to Masterlist: Masterlist

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Author note: Hoteliers, This is my first attempt at a fanfic, but I was just so inspired and wanted to post it somewhere after writing like +67K words (and counting). So here goes nothing I guess?

<3 Stay Smutty

Chapter One - The Commercial

Content Warning: None but let me know if I missed any!

“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than the one derived from fear…” - Mahatma Gandhi

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Your fingers find the brass handle as anxiety builds in the back of your throat.

Are you nervous? Why are you nervous? The commercial seemed so inviting and everyone seemed so nice - even if it was a bit glitchy in some frames. If they are indeed as altruistic as they appear, then you’ll be fine!

But, what if they don’t accept you?

Nonsense, you just need to show that you care, that you can help. After all, Princess Morningstar wouldn’t turn help away, would she? You were there in the courtyard a few days ago when Heaven’s clock ticked down from one year to 6 months: 182 days right before your eyes. Damn… But it gave you an opening - a reason to repent as opposed to just showing up out of the blue and inventing some backstory in an attempt to explain your sudden desire to achieve redemption. It was an opportunity you couldn’t refuse.

“Okay, so the Extermination is coming in six months instead of a year. No big deal…”

As you stepped into the Hotel, you couldn’t help but be underwhelmed by the state of the place. From the outside it seemed big and glamorous - despite the random bits of cell phone tower and… was that a mast from a ship? On the inside, it was worse. Way worse. It wasn’t gross, it was an array of stuff… that was probably the best way to put it. The carpet was torn, the wallpaper peeling, parts of the wall had been tacked together with newer planks of wood to repair unknown sources of damage. It was… Well at least it didn’t smell… that bad…

Emerging into the foyer, small suitcase in hand - after all, you didn’t own much - you searched for the front desk, but the only thing resembling any sort of check-in area was a bar where a cat-bird thing was organizing bottles.

To your left was a small inlet before a fireplace, fit with television and radio where two demons sat, listening to a blonde haired bellhop pace.

“… well just handle it! Right!?” The girl grabbed at her hair.

No, not a bellhop. Princess Charlie Morningstar. God, she looked just like her dad. The only thing she got from Lilith was her height. Probably a good thing…

Your heart sank at the sight of her. Biting back the flood of memories threatening to spill down your face, you take a deep breath and enter.

“Yes,” a grey demon stood, a waterfall of dark hair brushed the floor as she walked. “We will.” She grabs Charlie’s shoulders, forcing her to stop pacing.

They still hadn’t noticed you. Was this eavesdropping? Were you being rude? That wouldn’t make for a great first impression.

You took a few hesitant steps forward hoping they’d hear your heels clack against the wood.

“Oh please,” the spider-looking thing sitting on the couch scoffed, staring down at his phone as he talked. “Ya’ had less than half a chance before you started all this salvation bullshit. And now… ain’t no silver linin’, toots.”

You cleared your throat, having practically snuck up on the group.

“Oh my gosh!” The blonde squeaked as the grey demon with ridiculously long hair pulled a spear on you, stepping before the Princess.

You dropped the suit case immediately, raising your arms to show you meant no harm.

“Who are you? What are you doing sneaking around?” She demanded.

Your eyes flit to the “X” eye patch, then to the silver tip mere inches from your nose.

Oh shit, this girl’s the Fallen. Relax, you accounted for that. So long as she doesn’t recognize you…

“I’m sorry!” You squeak, taking a half step back. She follows, her spear not leaving your face. “I tried making noise but you must not have heard me. I was just looking to check-in but…”

“Huh!” The Princess gasped so loud it made your ears pop.

Pushing the ex-Exorcist - huh, funny - aside the blond grabs your shoulders and squeezes. “Are you a guest!?” Her eyes sparkled.

“Well, yeah. I was hoping…” you didn’t get a chance to finish before she brought you into a hug so tight you couldn’t breathe. She lifted you off your feet and spun you in a circle before placing you back on the ground.

“Yay! Vaggie, our very first guest!” She sang.

“Hey!” The spider finally looked up from his phone. “I’m sittin’ right ‘ere ya’ know?”

Did he have six eyes or two? Hard to tell but the pink dots decorating his face blinked when he did.

Creepy.

“Okay, hun,” the Fallen drops her spear, taking Charlie by the arm in an endearing way, but you really knew it was to hold her back. “Let’s give our guest some space. Let her breathe. She can’t be redeemed if you suffocate her and she dies… Again.”

“Right,” she laughs, reigning herself in. “Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel!” Her arms fan out to the room, gesturing to the rundown establishment.

You musture a genuine smile, not because you’re impressed with the place but because the Princess’ happiness was infectious.

“My name is Charlie!” She takes your hand in hers.

“My name is Thestral,” you answer between the vigorous shakes rolling up your arm.

“Okay, that’s enough,” the Fallen pulls Charlie away from you. “I’m Vaggie. The guy on the couch is Angel and Husk is behind the bar.”

Angel gives you a mindless wave, frowning at something on his phone. The bar cat tips his hat to you before pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

Was the bartender supposed to drink the supply? Also, wasn’t it barely nine in the morning?

“Let me get your bag!” Charlie snatches the hardback suitcase before you have a chance to protest. Dragging you by the elbow, she insists upon a tour.

The Hotel was cute - if not a weird hodgepodge of thrown together dimensions. The bar was clearly cut from somewhere else, the piano room is definitely not of this century, and don’t get you started on the pool. All in all however, it was cute. You could see yourself here, in the library reading late at night with a glass of red, in the music room practicing your piano, on the back balcony enjoying the breeze and screams of innocents. It wasn’t perfect - nothing compared to the luxury you experienced before Hell - but it felt home-y.

“This is you!” Charlie pulls a key from her pocket as she stops before a door. “Angel is to the left and Alastor is just across the hall.” Grabbing your arm once more, she drags you inside.

It’s cute but humble - something you’d expect from a bed and breakfast and not a city hotel. The room is huge, with a four post bed wrapped in white sheets, neatly tucked into the sides military style. To your left is a small sitting area with a couch and coffee table. Past that were two doors, one leading to a small walk-in closet and the other a tile bathroom.

Frankly, coming from sharing a cramped city apartment in Cannibal Town to this was a huge step up as far as you were concerned.

“Here you are!” She dropped a black key in your hand, a cat’s eye decorating the handle. Finally, a room to call your own. “Nifty cleans on Sundays and…”

“Wait, my room gets cleaned?” You scrunched your nose in confusion.

“Of course! We don’t want you to have anything to worry about when you stay with us. Redemption is the goal, afterall!” Charlie sang.

That was going to be a problem…

Charlie stood staring at you for a long moment, her eyes sparkling in the low light. Her hands cupped her chin as she smiled at you with such emotion you were surprised her face didn’t split in half right there. She looked like a small child, waiting for a candy bar or something.

God, you didn’t realize how enthusiastic she would be about all this. Now is definitely not the time to tell her you had no intentions of being redeemed. You were just here for the chaos. Frankly, any normal person would feel guilty right about now, but not you.

Oh, you had far bigger plans for Ms. Morningstar, she just didn’t know it yet.

“Okay,” Vaggie steps up, grabbing her by the collar. “We’ll let you get unpacked. It’s Sunday so brunch is at eleven in the kitchen. We’ll come get you and show you the way. If you need anything there’s a rotary phone by the bed, just call Husk at the bar. He’s always there…”

“A rotary phone?” You scrunch your nose.

Sure enough, a black rotary phone sat on the bedside table. What century was this? Cannibal Town was stuck in the 1900s but at least they had cell phones.

“Yeah, the Hotel Manager is a bit outdated with his tastes…” Vaggie grumbles. You sensed tension in her comment but didn’t ask for further details.

“Anyway!” Charlie puts a hand on your shoulder. “We’re really, REALLY glad you’re here.” She breathed in your face, her voice cracking with the threat of tears.

God, she even had Lucifer’s mannerisms…

You huffed, blowing off the extra emotions her smile pushed into you. “Thank you for taking me in.”

Watching as the Exorcist pulled the Princess back down the hallway, you shut your door and collapsed against the wood.

“Fuck,” you breathed. Charlie was going to be someone you could only handle in small doses.

The Princess definitely didn’t recognize you and neither did Vaggie. She might be Hell Royalty but she was oblivious.

Did she know about Vaggie? Maybe she did and has already accepted it. This place is about second chances after all.

It didn’t take you long to unpack, after all you didn’t have many personal possessions. A few sets of clothes, some boots and heels, your toiletries and makeup… The suitcase was only half full when you packed it with every possession you owned. Now all you could do was stand before the mirror in the bathroom and stare at yourself as the anxiety began to build again. You fixed your red lipstick over and over until it drove you mad. Throwing the makeup back into your bag, your mind turned to your outfit.

You were dressed in black slacks which sat high on your hips, fanning out at your legs. Tucked into your waistband was a white button up, giving you the hourglass appearance. Your silver hair was twisted into a bun at the back of your head, a metal clip holding it in place. Your eyes seemed to glow in the dim light, your yellow irises emitting their own form of light.

Out of all the animalistic appearances in Hell, you were gifted the rare form of a somewhat normal human shape. No tail, no ears, no horns - well, in your normal state anyway. It was just you, with skin as pale white as Charlie’s and a nose tipped in black. You stood a normal five foot four, but in heels you could argue five and a half. You didn’t have canines as sharp and distinct as others, but hey who needed them? You preferred fighting with your hands, anyway.

Frankly, you were boring compared to the Sinners and Natives of Hell. The most interesting note was the tattoo which spanned your back from shoulder blades to your hips, but that wasn’t important at the moment.

Your mind returned to your clothes again. They were nice, nothing too flashy and definitely not Velvette brand, but were they too much? Weekend brunches in Cannibal Town were always such a classy affair, something you were expected to dress up for despite the messy array of food which was served.

Was that expected here?

As if on cue, a door opens in the hallway and footsteps echo across the carpet.

Perhaps you should ask.

Racing to the door, you peak your head out to find Angel heading to the stairs, his nose stuck in his phone.

“Uhm, excuse me?” You chirp. It was barely audible and he wasn’t paying attention but you were a new voice, which definitely drew him from whatever battle was playing itself out on his screen.

“Oh, hey!” He tucked the cell phone back into his pocket. His face contorted into a smile, he was doing his best not to show his frustration but it was still quite obvious. “They put ya’ right next to me aye?” He leans against the doorframe, one arm on the wall, the other three at his hips. “Just a fair warning. I can get a little loud. If ya’ know what I mean?” He winks at you, a knowing smile spreading across his sharp teeth as he elbows your side.

God, he was tall, he’d have to be like six foot three or something.

Up close, and with his attention fully on you, you could finally study his eyes: right eye sclera black, left white. Someone owned him, but with restrictive conditions.

You already knew the answer: Valentino. Hey, what can ya’ say? You did your homework.

“Do you guys dress up for brunch or is it more casual?” You smiled, doing your best not to stare at the pink dots blinking back at you on his cheeks. Still creepy.

“Oh, uh, I dunno, toots. I normally just go in whatever I have on.” He gestured to his pink striped shirt and long boots.

Casual it is then.

“But if ya’ prefer. I could go in nothing at all,” he purrs, his eyebrows wiggling at you suggestively.

You couldn’t help but giggle. You got the sense that it wasn’t genuine flirting. That he was trying to make you smile more than anything else. He enjoys entertaining others like that. Probably why he became a Porn Star - and such a famous one at that.

His face lit up at your laugh.

“Great, the wire in this bra is killing me!” You mime a pain in your back, eliciting a laugh from the spider demon himself.

“I like yous,” he holds out a hand to shake. “Names Angel Dust.”

“Thestral,” you shook his furry hand - he had so many, you wondered how he went shopping for shirts.

“Thestral? Like the dead horses from ‘arry Potter?”

“You know your JK Rowling?”

Angel had to have died in like the 40s/50s - from what research you did before coming here. How did he know about the books and movies made popular in the 2010s?

“Yeah, she ended up down here after she died. Kept writing weird shit about her characters. Really changed my views on the Potterverse. It was shocking for a while but you can only be so entertaining on Sinstagram and Vitter for so long these days.” He shrugged.

“Huh, for some reason that doesn’t surprise me, but thank you. The last place I lived, everyone was expected to dress for meals and I just wanted to be sure.”

“No problem, toots. If ya’ don’t mind me askin’, how long yous been down here? If ya’ didn’t know about the Potter thang, it couldn’t have been that long?” His accent: New York?

“Just shy of six years, actually,” you rubbed the back of your neck anxiously, feeling the bubbles beginning to fester inside you.

You’ve done work to gather information before, but you’ve never had to act like you were now. You were always behind a mask… How many details were too many to share?

“Oh, damn, just shy of being a Fleshy!” He smiles.

“A Fleshy?” You scrunch your nose.

“Yeah, the living or whatnot.” He pulls out his phone again, frowning at the notification screen before pulling up an app. Something was definitely bothering him. “Hey, whatcha say we head down a little early? I can pull up her Vitter page and show ya’ some good ones?” The spider demon smiled, frustration weighing down his eyebrows. He had a single gold tooth which sparkled in the low light.

“Sure!” You tried to respond not too excitedly.

This was the plan. Get in early with one of the Hotel mates and use it as a way to get information on the others.

You had thought it was going to be Husk. What bartender didn’t love gossip? But here was Angel offering himself up on a silver platter.

You only had about an hour before brunch was served, but those sixty minutes laying in the alcove by the fireplace were the most hilarious minutes of your life. Angel had you laughing so hard you were crying. Things were going well. Despite the constant text messages from Valentino you pretended not to notice chime across the screen.

At about eleven, a small girl named Nifty - who introduced herself as the housemaid - emerged from the kitchen to announce that brunch was ready, and as everyone piled into the room and found their designated places, you realized you didn’t know where to go. It was like being the new kid at school walking into the lunchroom with a sack lunch and not a friend in the world to rescue you.

“Hey” Angel waved you to the only available seat left, which just so happened to be at the head. “Sit next to me, will ya’?”

Relief.

“No! That’s Mr. Alastor’s seat!” Nifty protested from her place by the oven. Her entire body practically vibrated with energy.

“Mr. Alastor?” That name definitely did not come up in your research.

“Relax, Tiny. Smiles is on the terrace this morning drinkin’ his tea.” Angel leaned back in his chair, one set of arms folded behind his head. “What he doesn’t know won’t kill ‘em. Or maybe it will and we can finally be free o’ him and his creepy, ol’ timey ways. Either way, we’ll be fine.”

You blinked a few times before hesitantly falling into the seat. Nifty gave a great sigh as she watched you sit, not liking it but allowing it. She busied herself with serving platters of food, her lips twisted in a pout.

It’s a chair. You didn’t think it was that big of a deal? Maybe he was one of those people who was territorial with their things?

As you sat and passed the food around, you couldn’t help the hairs which prickled on the back of your neck. How could you have missed another guest at the Hotel? You swore you wrote down everyone you saw in that glitchy commercial and did thorough research before coming here. You were never this sloppy.

“Can I get you anything to drink, Thestral?” Charlie was at the fridge with five different bottles of liquid in her hand, eagerly awaiting your answer.

“Coffee would be great,” you smiled through a mouth full of eggs, one hand over your face to be polite. God, Nifty was a great cook. You usually never ate breakfast but this was amazing.

The Hotel inhabitants sat and talked like family. This place has only been open what? Two weeks? And already they got along like they’ve lived together for years. It was kinda cute actually but spelled issues for your plans. A close-knit group like this - especially so fast - only meant it was going to be harder to work your way in. Sure, Angel hung out with you for the past hour and you had a great time, but that was just surface level stuff. You were going to need to dig deeper.

“No! Nobody look at me,” Husk grumbled from a few seats down. “That machine is a nightmare.” He motioned to the silver espresso machine sitting on the corner countertop behind you.

It looked brand new, barely been touched! A machine like that probably cost hundreds and they weren’t using it?

“I’m sorry.” Charlie frowned from her place by the fridge. “We’ve had it for a while and no one can figure it out. Husk took a look at it last and although he tried, we got nowhere. Nifty bought beans for it and everything…”

A small smile found your lips, “Mind if I take a look?”

“Goodluck with that kiddo, that machine is cursed,” Husk buried his head in his arms, the orange juice in front of him bubbling with alcohol - which you would guess was more booze than orange at how much of his flask you saw him pouring into it earlier.

Seems like everyone knows, as no one glanced his way when it happened, but no one seemed to mind his drinking habits this early in the morning. Most likely a recurrent behavior then…

Husk was an old soul, probably the oldest one in this room. The cat had a history of gambling debts which mysteriously disappeared one day - the day he fell from power. You didn’t know the exact details but you heard it wasn’t pretty afterwards. The Vees swooped in pretty fast and gobbled up what remained of the fallen Overlord’s territory. It’s part of the reason they are where they are now. You wondered if the others knew about him? Maybe, seeing as how he’s found himself at the hotel built on second chances.

Taking the beans from Nifty, you quickly check over the machine. It’s a simple Breville Barista model, nothing too top of the line, but still a commercial appliance.

You wonder who they sent out on the errand to get this because they clearly had no idea what they were getting. This thing was meant for a high end coffee chain, to be used for hours straight, not sitting in a run down hotel’s kitchen. Regardless, you knew the model and how to use it.

Preheating the machine, you fill the grinder with beans before asking, “Hey Husk, pick your poison.”

He blinks at you a few times before answering. “Double espresso.”

Simple enough.

Clicking a single wall basket into the portafilter, you fill the metal device with ground beans before tapping it flat. Sliding it into the machine with a click, you grab two shot glasses and watch as the brew fills to the line, the fresh scent of chocolate, caramel, and nuts fill the kitchen. You pour both into a white glass and send it down the table to Husk who sits dumbfounded at the end of the kitchen. In fact, everyone had stopped eating completely to watch you work.

Anxiety bubbles in your stomach as you count the eyes boring into you.

Oh, fuck. You drew too much attention to yourself.

“Fuck, kid. This is good.” Husk chirps from the end of the table, having taken his first sip. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

“I worked at a cafe just outside Cannibal Town when I first got here,” you rub the back of your neck, an uncomfortable laugh escaping your lips. “They had a machine just like this, but far bigger.”

That was true. After you fell, you were set up with a place to stay and a job at the local coffee shop which sat inbetween Cannibal Town and the border zone. It didn’t only serve certain… appetites, but was meant for a wider audience. You served everything from finger cakes (yes, fingers in the cakes) to bagels and cream cheese alongside the coffee creations.

“Oooh, Cannibal Town. This kid’s got bite,” Angel laughs. “I didn’t know you swung that way.” The spider demon shovels another pile of eggs onto his plate. He ate a lot.

“Oh, no. Not really, I just happened to… land there.” Technically you weren’t lying.

That first day in Hell was brutal. You smacked into cement face first, a pile of blood and broken bones. Luckily the streets weren’t crowded, and you were found and taken care of before anyone even noticed.

“So you just stayed in Cannibal Town for fun?” Vaggie didn’t look impressed. In fact, she looked suspicious - ever the hypervigilant soldier she was designed to be.

“Well…” There it was, the rubbing on the back of your neck again. By the end of today, your skin was going to be raw.

God, why was this so much easier with a mask on?

“Hey!” Charlie cut in, clearly sensing your discomfort. “You don’t have to tell us.” She cups your hands within her own. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters. We can get to know you at your own pace. Don’t push yourself. Okay?”

You offer her a sweet smile.

Wow, the Princess was really buying your act - or lack thereof, by how anxious this job was making you.

“Now, do you know how to make a cappuccino?” She motioned back to the machine. You silently thanked her for the change in conversation.

A genuine smile formed on your lips, “what kind of milk?”

The rest of the brunch passed quickly after you showed off your artistic masterpiece that was to become Vaggie’s coffee. The Princess ordered the beverage for her girlfriend, and after making a butterfly out of the milk atop the bubbles everyone else quickly got in line and ordered their own.

It didn’t bother you, in fact it made you more comfortable. You got to observe their behavior and interactions as a silent third party noting the ways in which they teased each other.

Husk could be a grump but you got the sense that he was a big softie. You couldn’t tell if Angel was actually flirting with the cat demon or just pushing his buttons, either way, the barkeep slunked out, flask in hand, with red cheeks.

When the chair started rattling, Nifty was prohibited from drinking anymore caffeine. She put up a pretty good fight but as soon as she saw a bug, she took off after it, needle in hand.

Angel returned to the couch, face in his phone, clearly stressed about something.

After helping with the dishes - Charlie protested but you insisted - she invited you to join the three of them by the fire where you had found them earlier that morning. You didn’t really have anything else to do, other than to try and win over the Hotel natives.

You could go hide in your room - the Lord knows your social meter needed the break. The group was welcoming but was… a lot. Especially Charlie, but the Princess and Vaggie had questions about the commercial and how Sinners were handling the recent date change for the Extermination. You shrugged and offered whatever you could - which wasn’t a lot.

“They’re desperate,” you answered.

“That’s right, they’re desperate. Maybe desperate enough to try anything to escape the Extermination,” Vaggie smiled, smacking her fist against her hand.

“Worked for me,” you shrugged, watching Angel from the corner of your eye.

Your heart melted a little for the spider demon. Valentino was known to be ruthless and manipulative - and the way he treated women… It was why you never took a job from the Overlord, let alone gave him a card. In fact, none of the Vees had your card. You didn’t like them, but you didn’t need to see how it affected Angel to decide that.

“This would be a perfect time to recruit more Sinners for the Hotel! We should get more rooms ready!” Charlie beamed. Of course she would find a way to spin this into something good.

“Cute idea and all, but are you really gonna go out in all this?” Angel turns his phone around, videos of the Doomsday Distract flash across the screen.

It was pretty chaotic, but when was that place not on fire?

“Well, it’s not like all Sinners are going to show up on our doorstep like Thestral did.” Charlie offered, motioning to you.

She wasn’t wrong…

BOOM!

Ah, perfect timing, Princess.

The entire Hotel rocked as dust and debris filled the foyer burning your lungs and eyes.

“Show yourself, Alassstor!” A voice echoed from outside.

The four of you ran to the now collapsed wall, veering into the streets to get a better look. Husk simply rolled his eyes and took another drink.

He was used to this?

Floating above the cobblestone streets was a yellow blimp equipped with an army of… eggs?

“Who are you?” A voice chimed from above, but it was… different - static-y…

“Who am I? Who am I?! I am the great Ssssssir Pentiousssss!” Deep within the zeppelin stood a black and yellow snake at the helm. He was dressed to the nines in army regalia.

Hmm, Sir Pentious? Had you heard of him before? You wracked your brain trying to think but nothing immediately came of mind. He had resources - clearly Carmilla Carmine supplies him by the brand on the metal - but was he a threat? He did put a hole through the building.

You spun studying his dirty work.

A missile? Sloppy, but still a step up from the lowest rung of demon.

“Inventor, architect of dessstruction, villain extraordinaire!” The snake twirls his arms, gesturing to himself and his work.

You scoff. Yeah right…

“Ooh you tell 'em boss!” The eggs chime.

What the fuck…? The eggs are sentient? Now that’s kind of interesting.

Testing the waters, you let an invisible finger of power slip from you and slither over to the zeppelin. It poked and prodded till it found a way through the metal before coming to rest by the snake demon’s tail. Gently, you caressed his form, searching for the power his soul possessed.

Yes, he definitely still had his soul, but from what you gathered - or rather, lack of what you gathered - this demon was no more a threat than a mosquito was to an elephant. But a better question was, what brought him here?

A chime of static fills the air, like little bolts of electricity, making the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

What the…?

You spin, checking behind you to find the source of the static snaking its way down your spine, but no one was there.

Charlie yelps, bringing your attention back to the group, as a trail of shadow crawls between her feet, giving way to a demon in red materializing from the darkness.

How did he do that?

The demon’s back was to you, his attention fully on the blimp. You didn’t recognize his silhouette. His deer ears, hooves, and antlers were pretty iconic, but you didn’t know any demon like that. He wasn’t a Hellborn, his profile didn’t fit any of the creatures Hell bred. So a Human Sinner then?

The demon stood before you, a red suit complete with red-tipped black boots, and black slacks. His jacket was long, ending at his knees. The hair atop his head was cut cleanly, red and tipped in black, and tousled ever so perfectly.

Yeah, you had no idea who this guy was. Which did not sit well with you.

Nifty materializes on his shoulder. When had she slipped out here? “Ooh, he’s a bad boy,” the tiny demon sings.

Okay then…

The demon lifts her from his person and drops her gently onto the cement. “Ha, well if all that's true, you'd think I'd have heard of you!”

His voice isn’t just static, it’s like a radio?

The snake drops his smile. “I attacked you literally last week.”

The red demon cocks his head.

“We've done battle, like... 20 times.”

The demon brings both hands to his staff. No, that’s not right, microphone? “Well, you must have been really bad at this.”

You snort, but do your best to stifle the giggle into your palm.

The demon stiffens. You swear you see his shadow elongate in your direction. A trick of the light? An hallucination? You look to Angel for direction but he’s too busy watching the interaction, clearly entertained.

“Silence! Now cower! For when I've ssslain you, the almighty Vees will finally acknowledge me as their equal.”

Nifty reappears on the demon’s shoulder, garnering his attention. “Ooh! Wait, who are the Vees?”

“Oh, nobody important,” the red demon sings.

Nobody important, eh? For someone to so easily dismiss the Vees like that they’d have to either be stupid or think themselves more powerful - in both cases, they’re stupid. I agree, independently, the Vees are more annoying than anything. One by one they weren’t a threat, but all three together…

Testing a theory, you let that tendril of power sneak from your core, and just as you had Sir Pentious, you let it slither to the base of the demon’s shoes. Delicately prodding…

SMACK!

A slap hits your power so hard it sends your head spinning. You fall backwards into Angel who wraps his arms under your shoulders to steady you.

“You okay, toots?” Angel whispers in your ear, your vision spinning.

Holy shit.

It was either the sheer force of the blow or the dizziness in its wake, but you swore you saw faces laughing at you in the shadows.

“Uh,” you shake your head, willing the sting to subside.

Jesus, what was that? You’ve never had a reaction like that before…

“I think so?” You find your feet. “Just all the excitement… Caught me off guard.” You give him a fake laugh. He shrugs it off.

What the fuck…?

The next thing you know, Charlie’s grip is on your arm. “I promise it’s not always like this!”

From the corner of your eye, you see Vaggie shake her head. “Yes it is..” she grumbles before swearing under her breath in… Spanish?

Patting Charlie’s arm, you assure her that it doesn’t bother you. That Cannibal Town - and anywhere else in Pentagram City for that matter - were far worse than this place. Which was true. The only place you could get any peace and quiet was the Wrath Ring - way out in the country. Not that you’d been to the Wrath Ring… Technically…

The attention is finally turned away from you when an array of tendrils shoots from the red demon’s form. They descend upon the blimp, shredding it to pieces. The eggs spark into a panic as their helmsman desperately shouts commands.

Maniac laughs bubble in the demon’s chest as he slowly gets to work. It takes a moment before you realize it, but he isn’t taking his time because he has to, he’s doing it to toy with the snake demon. He enjoys the destruction.

You watch as the tension in the demon’s shoulder slowly diminishes with each attack. The pure enjoyment brings a small smile to your lips.

So this guy enjoys chaos just as much as you do, huh?

“Um… Alastor!”

Ah, so this is the famous Mr. Alastor?

The Princess slowly approaches the demon, but it isn’t fear you smell wafting off her person, it’s… anxiety? “I think he’s had enough.”

Vaggie is on Charlie’s heels in an instant, her hands flying to her back to summon her spear just in case.

So little Ms. Morningstar wasn’t afraid of him, but Vaggie sure as Hell doesn’t trust him. Interesting.

“Nah. He’s got a few more hits in him.” Angel crosses his arms, clearly entertained by the onslaught. Despite the chaotic scene before us, his eyes occasionally flit to the red demon - keeping him within eyesight.

Hmm, Angel didn’t trust him either.

You take a step forward but Angel pulls you back, shaking his head.

The snake demon falls from the zeppelin, landing face first with a smack on the pavement. You couldn’t help but grimace. That had to hurt.

Alastor twirls his staff - microphone? - as an egg falls and breaks into pieces at Charlie’s feet.

“Thanks for another forgettable experience!” He sings.

Okay, that you do laugh at. This guy was pretty witty, you had to give it to him.

The four Hotel Natives shoot you a look of disbelief as you giggle into your hand. Looking between you and the red demon, fear slowly etching across their brows.

Alastor’s shoulders stiffen as he turns, finding the source of giggles rumbling through your chest. His smile is pulled taut across his cheek, but the look he gives you… it wasn’t confusion necessarily swimming behind his eyes, more so like he didn’t know what to think.

The giggles die down as your cheeks heat under his gaze.

Was he not used to people finding him funny?

“Thank you… For letting your guard down!” The snake’s tail whips forward and rips the corner of Alastor’s suit from his person. A small chunk of fabric gives way. “Aha! Yah!” The snake celebrates before noticing the purely demonic smile overcoming the red demon’s face. “Oh, shit…”

The red demon’s antlers grow as an aura of green overtakes the atmosphere. From his microphone an explosion of green bursts through, sending the snake demon flying across Pentagram City.

Hmm… Why didn’t he just kill him? He’s just gonna come back. The mosquitos always do.

“Well, it looks as though I need a visit to the tailor!” The demon inspects his jacket. Despite his jovial attitude, you could see the irritation in his eyebrows.

A mask. This demon was wearing a mask.

Finally, now that the chaos was over, you had a chance to inspect the red demon. He must have felt your eyes on him, for when he finally looked up, his gaze was locked with yours. Your cheeks heated under the pressure of his gaze. His eyes, glowing like red crystal in direct sunlight, made your legs feel heavy and your chest tight.

Was it getting harder to breathe or was it just you? Are you… Are you intimidated right now? No. You’ve never been intimidated by a demon in your life. Angels maybe, but never a Human Sinner. What was wrong with you?

“And who might this be?” Your heart fluttered at the purr in his voice.

Twirling his microphone behind his back, he took a step towards you, standing tall at his full height. He had to be an entire foot taller than you, now cast in his shadow. It felt eerily colder in the shade, but there was something else there too. An extra presence you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

The demon was dressed to the nines. His red suit perfectly tailored to his form. It splayed out around his hips, accentuating a waist line supporting a broad chest. His hair was cropped short around his angular face, his eyes half-lidded as they bore into you. The red of his irises practically glowing. He was a classy demon, clearly not of this century. He regarded you with a sense of curiosity - an aura of green still lingered, however. It was meant to intimidate you, not necessarily threaten you.

Okay, this guy thinks he’s tough shit, huh?

Before Charlie had a chance to intervene, you thrust your arm forward, meeting his eyes, not backing down to his overwhelming sense of self importance.

“Thestral, pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Alastor.” You offer him a soft smile.

You took the shift of stiffness in his shoulders to mean that you had made the wrong move. This was a demon who carried himself quite highly - probably used to lesser demons cowering in his presence, not laughing at his jokes or meeting his eyeline let alone offering their hand first. At that, he didn’t know what to make of you, which made you dangerous. Which made you a target of interest.

Shit.

Day one and you’re already fucking up the whole “lay low” part of the plan.

“Oh, darling, you flatter me,” he takes your hand. “Just Alastor will do.”

A shiver rolls down your spine as the tips of his claws scrape across your skin, so sharp they could cut flesh. They probably have, but you weren’t worried. He couldn’t hurt you anyway. Not really.

“Well, ‘Just Alastor,’ thank you for the entertainment.” You cross both arms behind your back mimicking his stance. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Angel’s jaw drop.

“Of course! I live to please! I’m not the Hotel Manager for nothing!” There it is again, a small shift in his body language. He didn’t know what to make of your lack of fear.

The static is interrupted by a laugh track, sounding as if from a live studio audience - from a radio.

“So does that mean you’re going to do you’re job?” Vaggie takes a step forward, motioning to the half destroyed wall of the Hotel.

“Of course! Can’t let my new project fall into disrepair already! What would the papers say?” With a snap of his fingers, black ink demons appear with construction tools.

Five. Five faceless demons. Which means he owns at least five souls. But that was not nearly enough power to equate to the destruction you had just witnessed.

By the time you turn back to him, he’s already strolling down the cobblestone path and off into Pentagram City. You couldn’t help still feeling watched, however, like the sensation of his red eyes still on your form, but nowhere to be found.

You spun but again, no one was watching you.

“Word of advice, stay away from him,” Vaggie crosses her arm in Charlie’s, ready to lead her back inside.

“Yeah, Hairclip,” Angel Dust appears behind you, poking at the silver metal in your hair. “You got a lot of balls on you to stand up to that one.”

“What does that mean?” You scrunch your nose in confusion.

“Well…” Charlie takes a step forward, touching the tips of her fingers together with anxiety. “Alastor can be a little…”

Before she has a chance to respond, Vaggie and Angel offer suggestions.

“Creepy.”

“Unpredictable.”

“Insane.”

“Murderous.”

“Bloodthirsty.”

“Aren’t those basically the same thing?” Angel shrugs.

“He’s a bad boy,” Nifty chirps by your ankle.

Where did she come from?

“Temperamental,” Charlie offers with an awkward smile.

Why did that not feel like a compromising adjective?

“The point is, Alastor is dangerous. It would be best not to poke and prod him too much,” Vaggie runs a hand through her ridiculously long hair, huffing.

Poke and prod… Shit! Shit! Shit! That force I felt slap my power away earlier, was that him? Did he know it was me? No! No! No! This wasn’t good. This was anything but good.

The blood melted from your face.

“Hey toots, you don’t look so good. Maybe we should get ya’ back inside?” Angel’s arm comes to rest on your shoulder, leading you towards the doors. “Don’t sweat it too much. He’s harmless as long as you’re not a threat. He won’t lay a finger on ya’, we won’t let him. Right gurls?”

“Right.” They chime as you made your way through the double doors.

This job just got a lot more complicated…

SCREECH!

“What the fuck is that?” Husk yells from behind the bar, his claws over his ears.

The television by the fireplace hisses, having turned itself on.

“Welcome home!” The box sang. “I’m going to make you wish that you stayed gone!”

The screen jumped through a few stations of fuzz before settling on a news broadcast. Vox, the media demon, sat behind a reporter’s desk, going on and on about… the Radio Demon?

As if in response, the radio in the foyer screams to life, making the five of you jump.

“Salutations! Good to be back on the air!” You recognized the old timey voice as Alastor’s.

“What the fuck is goin’ on!?”Angel screamed over the noise.

Vaggie ran over to the television and ripped the cord out of the wall. No good, the television continued to flash images of Vox screaming as if he could hear and respond to Alastor’s radio.

The Exorcist fisted the cord in frustration before pulling her spear from the Void. Charlie stopped her, however, preventing her from destroying the only piece of real technology in this building besides the coffee maker.

The Hotel Natives and you were subjected to the torture that was Alastor’s and Vox’s tantrum, until finally, they both shut down.

“Holy Jesus, what the fuck was all that about?” Angel screamed, his ears ringing from the noise.

“Fucking Vox and his ego,” Husk grumbled from the bar. The cat poured himself a drink.

“Ahhhhhh!” A eardrum splitting scream pierced the air, making you all, yet again, jump and cover your ears. Vaggie ran to the radio and shut it off rescuing whatever was left of your hearing from… well, whatever the fuck that was.

“Was that part of Alastor’s bit?” Angel asked the room.

No one answered, for no one knew the answer. Seems Alastor is a big mystery around here.

“Drink anyone?” Husk raised a bottle of whiskey in question.

Fuck, after that you needed one. Silently cursing yourself for your lack of thoroughness in your research, you joined the bar cat.

You huffed as you sat on the stool.

“You good?” Husk asked, pulling out a menu.

“Yeah,” you rubbed your temples, willing the forming headache away. “Just a lot of homework to do.”

____________________________________________

It was late, the sky turning towards darkness as opposed to its usual red light.

The Greed Ring always smelled like metal to you. Not copper, like blood, but like the cold steel of coins. You weren’t in the Greed Ring, of course. Sinners couldn’t travel out of Pride - technically. Yet the stench clung to them nevertheless.

You landed at the bottom of the cement path leading to the mansion, outside the gates.

Normally your meetups were discreet, often conducted in the shadows of terraces, rooftops, or alleyways. Oh so rarely did people invite you inside.

But not this time. This employer loved appearances so much so that he rented out a mansion on the edge of town just for this: a meeting that would last five, ten minutes tops. The vanity of Greed…

The demons next to you jumped as black smoke began to curl away revealing a hooded figure.

“I believe I am expected,” a deep voice growled from beneath the fabric. Concealed in shadow, the shark demons opened the gate to let you pass, their guns shaking in their hands. Nearing the door, another set of demons stepped to the side, their eyes filled with fear.

Ugh, how you so enjoyed the scent of terror as it wafted in waves from their forms. Pathetic, honestly.

You found Crimson sitting before his fire, a glass of whiskey in hand, his hat set on the table next to him. The imp rubbed the bridge of his nose between forefinger and thumb, clearly it had been a long day. The servant standing next to him, whiskey bottle and towel in hand, leans down to alert him of your presence.

“Huh? What?” The crime lord jumps to his feet. “Already!?” He lets out a joyous laugh, before finding his hat and setting it between his horns.

Out of the corner of your eye, the waiter slinks from the room. The liquid in the whiskey bottle jostling as he shakes in fear.

“Chaz is swimming with the fishes already, aye!?” Both hands grabbing the lapels of his suit jacket, he stands before you, offering you a seat at the end of the table. Sliding into the head chair, he offers you a drink, which you refuse of course.

He takes a long sip of his whiskey, letting the burn sink in before continuing. “Did he suffer?”

You frowned. No questions. He knew this. That was part of the deal. It was always part of the deal.

“Ah, come on, can’t fault a guy for trying?” He laughs, but you aren’t amused.

As if on cue, a shark demon enters the room, dropping a suitcase onto the table before skittering out of the room. Crim opens the case and turns it towards you to reveal fat stacks of cash lining the case’s bottom.

“It’s all there, I assure you.” He lights a cigar and leans back in his chair. “Pentagram City currency, not the Native stuff.”

You ignore the money. You knew it was all there. You knew none of the bills were traceable. Crim was a pro when it came to moving money around. You didn’t have to worry about covering your tracks from this job like the last ones. Honestly, you didn’t deal in money that often. Your trade was in souls, but Crimson was a Hellborn, and head of a mafia gang at that. You’ve never done business with a Hell Native, so you were hoping your reputation was enough of a threat to keep him quiet.

But, the money wasn’t why you took this case.

You narrowed your eyes at him, knowing he could see their yellow glow - the only part of your face anyone ever saw - before slipping a black gloved hand from your cloak. His eyes find your fingers, uncurled before him expectantly, as the scent hits your nose.

Fear.

You knew this diphsit wasn’t stupid enough not to be afraid of you. Was it the sight of your claws? Or the red still staining the leather?

“Right. Right.” He dug into the hidden pocket of his jacket, producing an obsidian calling card. The flames from the fire flicker across its metal surface as he holds it out to you.

Finally, you had won this card back. It had taken forever to track it down after the last person you entrusted it with lost it in a game of cards. Of all the things to wager! You’d have killed the demon, but senseless death wasn’t part of your repertoire.

The card disappeared from the Pride Ring soon after, passing amongst the hands of Hell as it made its way downwards. It eventually became useless, a piece of metallic junk which eventually landed in Crimson’s hand. He figured out what it was, of course he would. He had eyes and ears everywhere - even in the Sinner’s Ring. So when he appeared in Pride a week ago and summoned you in the dead of night you knew you had to do whatever you could to get the calling card back.

Even if it meant taking down a low level mark and solving some petty personal drama. The calling card now safely tucked away in the leather of your shirt, you stood and made your way to the door.

“Ain’t you gonna take the money?” Crim motioned to the suitcase still sitting open on the table.

With a flick of your wrist the case closed, locked itself, and slipped into the Void.

As you exited the room you could hear the imp demon call out after you, “Pleasure doing business with yous!”

Crim was known to be a man of his word, or he’d soon find himself a dead man…

Link to Chapter Two!

Masterlist Link: Masterlist

#alastor smut #alastor x reader #alastor #alastor x you #hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel x reader #reader insert #x reader #alastor x reader smut #alastor shadow #smut

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personasintro · 1 year ago

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Mutual Help | #38

↳ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬; in order for you to pretend to be his girlfriend, he helps you with your sexual desires ⏤ he calls it mutual help

⇢ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: jungkook x reader

⇢ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fake dating au, fluff, angst, smut, slow burn

⇢ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: explicit language

⇢ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 14.1k+

⇠ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯. | 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱 | 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 ⇢

Seokjin's parents, or whoever from his family owns this cabin, surely know their style around interior design. As soon as you stepped into the huge wooden cabin, you could confirm Jimin's words of his parents being loaded. There's no denying that. Apart from the luggage laying here and there, everything is very neat and the whole place smells like wood with a hint of freshness.

There is an art hanging on the wall, a few pictures of snowy mountains and trees which makes you think this cabin is mostly used in winter. When you step out of the corridor, there's an open room with two big couches on opposite sides with two circled coffee tables between them. The fireplace looks modern but still matches the warm toned interior very well.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

You almost jump at the sudden deep but tender voice beside you. Taehyung smirks when he notices the way you flinch and lightly nudges him in the arm.

"Have you been here before?" you wonder, glancing at your friend who nods.

"Just once, it was like three years ago but this place has been renovated since then." he explains, hearing you hum in return as you stare at the flames in the fireplace.

This specific corner of this room is most likely used to just sit down and chill. Despite its modernity and size, it seems like a cozy place to be at and you can imagine yourself just sitting there, talking about whatever. It's even better that there's no television.

"Is this an old cabin? That's why they renovated it?" you ask, dragging your suitcase closer to you as you and Taehyung stand and admire the interior together.

"Oh no," Taehyung chuckles, "This place was beautiful even before they decided to renovate it. I mean, it looks way better now since the interior is more modern and it's up to date. It screams money in every direction you look but still... the previous interior had its own charm if you know what I mean."

"Yeah..." you murmur, "People renovate when they don't know what to do with their money." you think out loud, wondering how it'd feel like to be completely loaded.

And here you are, with a broken car that might be already fixed but it's still old and will need another fix in the near future. Luckily, you've managed to save enough money to be able to afford a newer car. Just two more months with your usual salary and working in a club, and you're all free to look for a better car.

"So..." Taehyung starts, lowly and cautiously, shifting from one foot to another which just makes you snort and arch your brow at him. "How are you?"

"How am I?" you chuckle, "Why are you asking me this?"

You're not stupid. You could've recognized his prying tone from the second he opened his mouth and he does a terrible job at trying to act as casual as possible.

"With Jungkook and Haneul being here," he clears his throat, "And Kiko."

You straighten yourself, sighing as Taehyung keeps his eyes solely on you watching you like a hawk. It's been a while since you and Taehyung talked alone, just the two of you without any of your friends. Sure, you called him because you were worried when Jimin told you he was sick. But there is only so much the phone call can do. It makes sense he voices out his worries, even though part of you knows Taehyung loves gossip and lives for the drama. Still, you can see honesty and genuine worry in his brown soft eyes.

And it's only fair he's asking you this, specifically. He probably thinks this trip will end up with drama, considering Jungkook is here with Kiko and you are with Haneul. Most importantly, he still thinks you and Jungkook were dating. Even though he could see you and Jungkook being the same old you, from all those times you've hung out with your friends after your 'break-up', this time you're not kissing or touching each other because you're no longer dating.

Regardless of that, he finds it weird that all of you are here and are about to spend the New Year's Eve together. And you can't blame him. It's weird for you too but you pushed your bitter emotions and thoughts about Kiko aside. All you want is to have fun and celebrate New Year with your boyfriend and friends.

Looking around, you realize there's no one around you and everyone is in safe distance from you and Taehyung, catching up with each other.

"Come here," you murmur to him, taking him by his wrist and pushing him aside, closer to the wall so you're not standing in the middle of the entrance. Dragging your suitcase with you, you ignore Taehyung's doe eyes and the quite intrigued look he gives you. "I've to tell you something."

"Spit it out sis, I'm all ears." Taehyung says excitedly, causing you to snort as you scold him with your frown.

"But you've to promise me not to yell when I tell you."

Thinking about this now, you should've told him when you will be alone with him but now it seems to be like the right time. You just have to make sure Taehyung won't catch any more eyes and ears as soon as you tell him. You know him. He can be quite expressive.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Taehyung widens his eyes, suddenly eyeing your stomach that's perfectly hidden with your sweater.

You almost choke on your spit. "What? No!" you exclaim.

"Ahhh, I hate when you keep me waiting. Tell me." he whines like a little kid, causing you to roll your eyes at his impatience. Is this how Jungkook feels like when you're being impatient and whiny? Probably.

"Okay," you sigh, embracing yourself to tell Taehyung the truth but not before you look around to see if there are any prying eyes on you. There are not. You're the least interesting pair to look at, not when everyone seems to be too invested to catch up with one another or give praise to Seokjin about the cabin.

Here we go.

"I don't really feel weird about Jungkook being here with Kiko, well, I do feel a little bitter over it." you roll your eyes at yourself. A little bitter? A lot, actually. Judging by the way Taehyung raises his brow, he probably thinks the same thing.

"As you should," he purses his lips, nodding furiously as his fluffy hair bounces on his head. "God, I still can't believe he's with her. Not after everything she did to him. Can you believe that?"

"Tell me something about it." you murmur, but Taehyung doesn't stop there.

"You are so much better than her," he says, almost proudly at himself for saying it as it makes you chuckle in amusement. "Sorry, I know you are with Haneul right now but still." he shrugs innocently, causing you to wave him off.

"Well, the thing is..." you start, looking around once again as Taehyung's brows pinch together in confusion. "I know how it makes Jungkook look because he brought Kiko and we were dating--" The way you say dating causes Taehyung to frown even in bigger confusion.

"I mean... I know you guys are... well, you. So I'm not even surprised you seem unaffected by your relationship, okay maybe a little bit but I'm not catching up. You better spit it out before I start whining again." he warns you, causing you to laugh silently as you shake your head at his goofiness.

"Me and Jungkook never dated. It was all fake," you tell him quietly, leaning closer to him so he can hear you perfectly as his mouth hangs open as soon as you say it. He freezes in his spot and you push his chin up to shut his mouth as he slowly looks at you.

"Please say something, this is already getting too awkward for me."

"Fake?" Is all he mumbles, quietly and innocently as he widens his eyes.

"Yeah, we had this deal and it included me pretending to be his girlfriend."

"What? No!" he suddenly whines loudly, or more like yells, causing Seokjin and Hoseok to look at you from afar as you scold Taehyung with a nudge to his forearm.

"What do you mean no?"

"I've been shipping you for months!" he exclaims, causing you to shush him again as he ignores you and looks completely shocked at the sudden news. "Woah, I can't believe this. You guys played it all along? This is so fucking dissappointing."

You snort at him. "Come on, me and Jungkook are friends."

He rolls his eyes. "Oh friends for sure," he spits sarcastically, ignoring the way you press your lips into a tight line. "But you were all over each other, you can't possibly make me believe it was all fake!"

"Taehyung, be quiet please," you scold him, pleadingly staring at him as he just shakes his head in utter shock. "We were all over each other because we--oh fuck it. We were hooking up."

Taehyung dramatically spreads his hand over his chest as he gasps. "You were hooking up?" he whisper-yells, lips stretching to a wide smile. "Well, at least that's something. How was he?"

"Tae, I'm not telling you that."

"Is he bigger than Haneul?"

"Taehyung!" you scold him, cheeks red as Taehyung devilishly cackles. "I just thought you should know. I felt so bad for not telling you and Jimin from the start. You kept asking about us and were so confused all the time, I really felt bad. But it's not something you go and talk about so freely." you tell him, mainly trying to change the topic which Taehyung eyes you for a moment but doesn't say anything about it.

"No, I get that," Taehyung says softly and understandably, "Wow, I need a shot after this."

You laugh at him. "Come on, let's go upstairs to check our rooms. You are sharing a room with Jimin, right?"

He nods, stopping you by calling your name quietly when you're ready to take a step. "I won't tell anyone. It's your and Jungkook's private thing, as much as I'm disappointed by the news," you roll your eyes playfully, "But thank you for telling me. I won't tell anyone, not even to Jimin."

"Oh, Jimin already knows." At this, Taehyung's jaw falls on the floor as he looks scandalized.

"Jimin? He knew?"

You sheepishly shrug, "Yeah, he only found out recently though. It was when we went ice-skating, me and Jungkook got into an argument and then I told Jimin. It was me who asked him not to tell you, I'm sure it was very hard to keep his mouth shut since you guys are like friend soulmates or whatever. I wanted to tell you by myself or with Jungkook, but now felt like a good idea."

"So who else knows?"

"Only you, Jimin and Kiko, I think. That is if she didn't tell Hoseok which I personally think she probably did."

"What? She knows too?" Taehyung is even more shocked, scrunching his nose.

"Yeah, Jungkook told her. I mean, I can understand that. At least she doesn't have to feel too uncomfortable with me being here even though I don't really care if she does or not. But it's better for everyone if she knows the truth. And you know Jungkook, he's been always honest."

Sounds like Jungkook, Taehyung thinks.

"Does she at least know you were banging her man?"

You snort at Taehyung, pushing him to the side as he laughs. "Yeah, he told her that part too."

"You said you and Jungkook argued. Did his competitive ass annoy you again?"

You smile at that, fully knowing what Taehyung means. It happened more than once that you got annoyed when you and Jungkook were hanging out, with Jimin and Taehyung too of course, and he got too competitive at whatever you were playing or doing. It caused arguments between you two, or more accurately you being annoyed and pissed at Jungkook while he kept making fun of you and teasing you for being so grumpy.

"No, I wish it was one of those stupid arguments that aren't really arguments," you admit, "I just said something painful and hurt him, even though he asked me to respect his decision."

"Oh, shit. Don't tell me you brought up Kiko cheating."

You cringe, just enough of an answer to Taehyung. "Yeah, it's even worse because Jungkook just voiced out his worry about me going late from work and using public transportation. So I told him to worry about his own girlfriend and he said something about not having to worry about her because she's not stupid... and I might've said she's just stupid enough to cheat. I know, I know!" you exclaim, already seeing Taehyung's pursed lips and the whole face that screams 'not cool'.

You feel your insides uncomfortably squeeze from the recall of your and Jungkook's argument. There's nothing you can do to change it, what's done is done. At least you and Jungkook managed to work it out.

"I feel bad enough about it. I was being such a bitch. He asked me a couple of times to respect his decision and I just brought that up. I hurt him that time, Tae."

"Don't blame yourself too much," he tells you, "You guys are both so fucking stubborn but whatever happens between you two, you manage to work it out." he says as if he could read your previous thoughts.

"We did manage to work it out," you admit, "He's just so good and seeing him with her, out of all people is just..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Ever since Jungkook told us in a club she cheated-- well, I might've called her a bitch."

You gasp, "No you didn't!"

"I sure did," he muses proudly, "But hey, I'm just having my friend's back. Jungkook definitely deserves better but that guy is so fucking stubborn and too blindly in love."

"As long as he is happy." you shrug, ignoring the way Taehyung glances at you for a few seconds.

"I really was happy for the two of you when you said you're dating. I was very confused and shocked at the beginning for sure, I think we all were, I just can't believe you faked it." he chuckles in disbelief, causing you to give him a gentle smile and a shrug.

"I'm sorry for lying to you guys. We felt guilty about it this whole time."

"No, it's okay," Taehyung waves you off, "Dammit, I was saying the other day to Jimin that you and Jungkook looked so good together."

You awkwardly nibble on your lower lip, simply shrugging. "That's just because you were shipping us." you try to joke, seeing how Taehyung purses his lips and determinedly nods.

"I sure was," he agrees, "But hey, Haneul seems like a nice guy. I'm happy for you."

"He is," you smile. At the mention of Haneul, he must be waiting for you in your room for the next few days. "Should we get upstairs to check those rooms?"

"Yeah, let's go." Taehyung says, still looking quite shocked from the news but overall he gives you a reassuring smile as he leads you upstairs, helping you with your suitcase at the stairs.

The second floor and its design is just as magnificent as what you've seen of the cabin so far. The mixture of white paint and wooden ceiling creates a modern but very warm feeling to it. Your attention to the wonderful interior is washed away as soon as you see Haneul, peeking from one of the rooms with a big smile as he waves you over. You smile, making your way towards him and curiously stepping into the bedroom, while Taehyung informs you he's going to check on Jimin and their room.

"It's beautiful here," Haneul comments as soon as your mouth falls open.

The bedroom is not huge but probably bigger than the bedroom and kitchen together back in your apartment. There's nothing special in the room besides the bed, two chest of drawers and a tall wardrobe. What else do you need there, right? From the looks of it, it looks like the bed is king size.

"This was the last room with one bed. I hope you don't mind." Haneul informs you, murmuring the last sentence self-consciously as you turn around to be met with him nibbling on his bottom lip.

Letting out a gentle chuckle, you walk towards him before you hug him. "Of course, I don't mind. We're sharing a bed when you sleep at mine, remember?" you cheekily remark, looking up at him as he sheepishly nods and grins, pleased with your answer as he pecks your lips.

When you pull away from each other, you decide to unpack some of your clothes. Everyone seems to do that, judging from the constant rustling and people walking here and there, until Seokjin calls for everyone to come downstairs in ten minutes.

"I guess he wants to tell us something." you think out loud as you neatly place one of your jeans into the drawer.

"How long have you known him?" Haneul asks, placing his own clothes to the other chest of drawers, stealing a glance at you before he goes back to his task.

"Who? Seokjin?"

He hums, kneeling to his suitcase to pull out more of his clothes.

"I don't know to be honest. He's not exactly my friend. Jungkook, Jimin and Tae introduced me to him since he's their friend, along with Hoseok and Namjoon. You'll meet them later," you tell him once you see him frown in confusion at the foreign names. "But I've seen Seokjin a couple of times, nothing fancy. Just whenever I hung out with the guys and he was there with the rest of the gang."

You glance at Haneul whose eyes are attached to his own task, but you notice the way he nods along your words. He's cute while he does it, making you smile at him. He genuinely seems curious about your life and never fails to try and get to know you even more. It's one of the things you appreciate about him the most.

"Should we go downstairs?" you ask after a moment. You can always place the rest of your clothes and stuff later.

"Yeah, let's go," Haneul says, closing his suitcase as he drags it beside the chest of the drawers, so it's not placed messily in the middle of the room. He does the same thing with yours which you thank him for. Just as he's ready to take your hand, his phone starts to ring.

"It's my mom," he says, brows pinched together for a moment. "I've to take this."

"Yeah, of course. I'll wait outside or downstairs." you tell him, giving him some privacy.

He gives you a gentle smile, thanking you as you're already getting out of the room and closing the door to muffle the sounds from other rooms and a hallway. Just as you're walking out of there, you bump into a firm body that makes you let out a surprised yelp and almost stumble back to the closed door.

"Easy there, tiger," Jungkook muses, hands securely on your shoulders to prevent you from bumping into the door. "Barely an hour here and you're ready to run for the hills?"

His amused toothy grin is the first thing you see when you fully take him in, your eyes rolling but your own lips twisting to a grin. Typical Jungkook. It wouldn't be him if he didn't have any snarky remarks.

"Not yet, bunny," you remark back, satisfied smirk curving on your lips when Jungkook scrunches his nose at the nickname. "I hope there won't be any reasons for that."

Jungkook opens his mouth, probably saying another smart remark back but he's quickly cut off by fuming Taehyung whose feet thump against the hard floor.

"Jimin is so freaking annoying," Taehyung complains as soon as he walks over to you, pouting like a little kid as you snort. "Can you believe that? I specifically told Jimin I want the bed near the window and what did he do?"

You open your mouth, barely taking a breath before Taehyung is already opening yours, not waiting for your answer. You hear Jungkook holding back a laugh as he amusingly stares at Taehyung.

"He said he wants that bed too!"

"Tae," you bite back a laugh, "How old are the two of you exactly?"

"That's not the point!" he exclaims, making you put your hands in surrender.

"How did you guys solve it?"

"We played rock, paper, scissors of course."

Of course, they did. They do it all the time. There's not a day when you don't see them playing that kids game to make this fair. To be completely honest, it's what everyone does when you hang out and can't decide on things. However, Taehyung and Jimin are a completely different story when it comes to bickering. They're acting like a married couple that's been married for forty years or two siblings that just have to bicker every five minutes. There's no between, honestly.

Snorting, Jungkook looks at Taehyung's scowl. "I get it that you lost?"

"I did." he grumbles.

You're almost certain by the end of the night, Jimin will leave the bed for Taehyung just because he cares about him. And Taehyung would do the same thing.

Taehyung's goofiness is nothing new to you or Jungkook, or to anyone who knows him well enough to know that's a significant part of him. But there are different stages when he gets like this and when he lets out annoyed huff, aimed at no one else than Jimin, you can smell the sudden whisk of alcohol coming off his breath.

"Taehyung-ah, are you perhaps drunk?"

Jungkook arches a brow at Taehyung, staring at his and your friend questionably as Taehyung cutely widens his eyes as if he's been caught by his parents. He goofily grins, just proving your assumptions to be right.

"I'm not drunk," He doesn't look drunk, that's right. But without a doubt-- "I may have drank two or three shots. But don't look at me like that, you two! It's your fault!" he accuses, whipping his fingers at the two of you as you both stare at him with big eyes.

"Our fault? How is that our fault?" Jungkook exclaims, scrunching his face in a frown at the accusation as you already rub your forehead, staring low at your feet.

"I know." Taehyung whispers, leaning towards Jungkook who just pulls away and flicks him in the forehead at the obvious smell of tequila coming from him.

"You know what?" Jungkook whispers back, clueless as he glances at you, seeing you acting as if you're not there in the first place. "What is he talking about?"

"Jungkookie, I must say," Taehyung says, patting Jungkook's shoulder. "I'm disappointed."

"Wha--"

"Oh god, he knows about us." you exclaim, no longer standing Taehyung's talking and walking around the topic.

There's a high chance Haneul will walk out of those doors any second, he definitely doesn't need to hear any of this. Thank god, Taehyung is at least quiet and not loud as usual. Luckily, Jungkook doesn't need any more explanation because he understands you right away, brows shooting up in understatement.

"Ah," Jungkook lets out, "What's so disappointing about that?"

"Don't even ask," you interrupt Taehyung as soon as you notice him opening his mouth. He already said enough. "You," you point at Taehyung who just grins amusingly. "Don't blame it on us. We all know you wanted to taste that tequila you bought at the gas station."

Taehyung frowns before he grins all over again, shrugging innocently. That's right. He thought he's being sleek with the huge bag that was supposed to be 'full of snacks' as he said when Jimin questioned him. However, the clinking sound is what gave him away as he stepped into the car.

Although, Jungkook looks a little clueless about the whole tequila thing, only because he drove in his own car and not with you. Nevertheless, he seems to get the point as you notice the corner of his lips quirk up in an amused smirk when Taehyung doesn't even hide it anymore.

"Where is your room?" you ask Jungkook, changing the topic to not make it seem as if you're making an alcoholic out of Taehyung. He's not. He just loves to have fun and taste alcohol whenever there's a party going on. He might've started a little bit earlier to your taste but it's Taehyung. You can't be surprised at this point.

"There," Jungkook points towards the direction of his room, which undoubtedly he is sharing with Kiko.

Just as you look in the direction he's pointing at, luckily their room is on the opposite side and one room away from yours to be completely opposite, the door opens and Kiko comes out of it. She looks around for a second, noticing Jungkook straight away and with that you and Taehyung too. You swear you see her tense a little bit before she puts up a small smile and makes her way towards you.

Jungkook quickly turns around to you, specifically looking into your eyes as he points his finger at you. "Behave," he warns you, turning around to Taehyung before you can get a single reaction out of you.

"And you too." he tells Taehyung, causing his own mouth to open in a silent surprise as you snort under your breath.

"I'm not doing anything." you reply to him, scoffing a little bit but you put a little smile once he looks back at you, brows scrunched while his dark eyes remain on you sternly.

"I'm serious." he manages to get through his teeth, giving you a last warning before the door opens from your room and Haneul comes out, a little surprised by the amount of people standing in front of it.

"Oh," he lets out surprisingly, eyes looking for you. He finds you in a second, giving you a little smile but you notice something weird in his eyes as you get closer to him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" you place your hand over his forearm gently, head tilted back to have a proper look at him.

In the distance, you can make out Kiko's voice. "Hey Taehyung." she says gently, a little bit more braver than when she was greeting you.

"Hi." he greets her back casually.

You turn your attention back to Haneul who rubs his face a bit as he lets out a sigh. "It was just my mom. Apparently my grandma doesn't feel too good. She's been sick for a while." he explains, your features twisting in a worry and apologetic look.

"I'm sorry. You wanna go home?" you ask him gently, voice quiet and tender as you hear the rest of your friends (and Kiko) talk about something which you don't pay attention to.

"Ah, no. Mom said she'll keep me updated. There's nothing I can do anyway. My parents are going to hers to look after her."

It's definitely not good getting this kind of news, especially when he's here to relax from all the stress from college and have fun. It's saddening and you just hope whatever has been going on with his grandmother will pass and nothing bad will happen.

Nodding, you don't say anything else although there's a need inside you, wanting to assure him that if he has any doubts about being here you could just go back with him. But you decide not to say anything, it'd just make it look as if you don't want him here and there's not a place to talk about this some more.

Especially not when Haneul obviously wants to change the topic, turning his attention to your friends as he makes out with a new person.

"Hey, I don't think we've seen each other." he says kindly, taking a closer step to them as his eyes look at Kiko.

You watch her lip balm lips turn into a welcoming and sweet smile, something you want to roll your eyes at even though you're not sure why. Have you really grown so opposed to her?

"Hi, yes, I don't think we've met." she tells him, already stretching her thin arm towards him as you watch your boyfriend take it with a polite smile.

"I'm Haneul."

"Kiko, Jungkook's girlfriend." Oh, god. Can you roll your eyes now?

Clearing your throat, you snake your fingers around Haneul's wrist and pull him to you a little. "Seokjin called us, I think we should go." you speak, clenching your teeth while your eyes look at Haneul as he nods and lets you tug him a bit, not noticing the sudden shift in your behavior.

Little do you fail to notice the way Jungkook gives Kiko an apologetic smile, gently taking her hand.

"She'll come around." he tells her quietly, looking in front of him to watch your back, hand grasping Haneul as if somebody would snatch him from you.

Yeah, you'll come around. Right? At least he hopes so. He doesn't know how many more pep-talks he can give you.

"Friends, family... welcome!" Seokjin calls out happily, looking at everyone. As soon as you've made it downstairs, everyone has gotten comfy on two huge couches and chairs while Seokjin has stood up on the little step to make himself higher.

The closest to him, in one of the chairs, is sitting what you believe is his wife. You remember her from their wedding, she appears to look more soft and natural, minus the wedding dress and make up she had on. Even then, she was very beautiful and without doubt just right for Seokjin. You're not blind. He's handsome and wouldn't go for someone ugly for sure. Who knows, maybe he's not that type to care about the looks of others. And she's also Kiko's best friend which makes you feel a little uneasy, even though she looks kind and sympathetic.

"Some of you've been here before but to those who haven't, or have it doesn't really matter," A round of chuckles resounds in the huge open room and even you and Haneul let out one at Seokjin's awkward posture. Even from this distance you can tell the tip of his ears are turning red.

"Hyung, cut it short. Your ears are red." Taehyung calls out, cackling when Seokjin chuckles awkwardly but sends a glare at Taehyung who has managed to erupt another round of laughter from everyone.

"Anyways, I wanted to say welcome regardless if you've been here before or not. Make yourself home, there are many more rooms you can use..."

Seokjin's words somehow blend as you look beside you, Jungkook's arm pressed against you as more people are squeezed on this couch. It's hard to focus on Seokjin's words and him explaining important information about the cabin when there's Jungkook, whispering something into Kiko's ears which makes her giggle. You tap your fingers against your knee, pursing your lips a little to mute their annoying whispers but it's hard to do. Jungkook chuckles at something and presses a kiss to her cheek, at least it looks like he did from where you're sitting.

That's it.

"Can you guys shut up? I don't hear him." you scold, eyes boring to Jungkook even before he turns around to look at you.

You see him glare at you, clenching his jaw a little at your obvious jab as you give him a sweet smile before you cuddle to Haneul. However, your boyfriend is too interested in what Seokjin is saying that your interaction with Jungkook goes completely unnoticed. He does pull you closer to him, sneaking his arm around your shoulders as you make yourself comfortable.

Seokjin talks for a few minutes, mainly warning everyone not to break any of the vases that apparently his mother adores. It's funny how an almost thirty year old man looks a little scared at the mention of a possible accident of one of the vases breaking. The whole conversation is comfortable and even funny, chuckles and laughter resounding every few seconds.

"...oh, there is no staff around to clean this place while we're here, so please everyone... just clean after yourselves and don't make too much of a mess. Or if you do, just clean it."

Of course, they usually have staff around to clean this place and keep it nice and neat.

"Okay, so I bought some stuff before coming here but I'll need someone to go grocery shopping. Someone should also stay over with me to prepare the wood and fire outside. We should prepare the food for grilling, so I need someone in the kitchen with me too."

Hoseok offers to stay, along with Namjoon as Seokjin's wife is staying in the kitchen with her husband. You see Seokjin talking to Hoseok, most likely talking to him about all the tasks as Hoseok nods along. You stand up, along with everyone as you look around before you see Namjoon making his way towards you.

Your lips automatically stretch to a huge smile. "Namjoon, hi!" you exclaim happily.

God, was he always this tall? He looks just like you remember him on the camping trip. The only difference is his choice of clothing, perfectly matching the weather. He's wearing washed out jeans with mustard colored sweater while his hair stays brushed up. Now that you see him, it got longer.

"Here's my hiking partner!" he calls out cheekily, grinning with his dimple popping as you laugh. You do remember complaining, he's obviously hinting at that. But you weren't that bad, were you? "Hi."

"How are you? It's so nice to see you again," you tell him, still smiling as Namjoon fills you with how he's been, which doesn't really involve that much just that same old stuff. He asks you the same thing and you technically say the same thing back, there's nothing much to tell him. He's not your close friend but it's always nice to talk to him.

"Oh, this is Haneul. My boyfriend." you introduce Haneul, who's been politely smiling the whole time the two of you have been talking.

"Oh," You notice his brows shoot up for a moment, eyes looking behind you. You look back, noticing Jungkook who's in the middle of conversation with Kiko and Seokjin's wife whose name you still don't remember.

"So I heard," Namjoon shakes himself out of the surprise, even though he looks like he heard the news about you and Jungkook breaking up. Still, a grin stretches onto his lips as he outstretches an arm to your boyfriend. "It's nice to meet you, man."

He probably finds it weird to see everyone here; you, Jungkook, Kiko and now your current boyfriend. But just like on the camping trip, he doesn't ask questions and keeps himself out of it. You watch them greet each other, manly just like guys like to do it with the whole 'bro hug'.

"So, did your girlfriend finally make it?" you ask, remembering you've seen him with a girl when you arrived.

An automatic smile makes its way on his lips. "Ah, yeah! Sweetheart, come here! Let me introduce you." he calls out.

It takes a few seconds to fully see who he called over, until a gorgeous girl smiles at him and walks over to you. She's gorgeous. Her dark skin is what captivates you the most, it looks like there's not a single flaw on her skin as it's glowing underneath the lightning of Seokjin's expensive lights. Her dark and curly hair looks soft, touching her shoulders delicately as she flashes you with white and perfect teeth.

And he thought you're a model when he asked you about your job.

"This is Maya, my girlfriend. Sweetheart, this is Y/N. I don't know if you remember but I told you about her when I went on the camping trip."

Maya looks at you, a warm smile spreading on her plump lips. "Ah, the camping trip that I didn't go to," she jokes, causing Namjoon to chuckle as he gives her a kiss into her hair. "I wish I could go, I heard all the funny stories from there. I'm Maya, nice to meet you!"

You chuckle, taking her hand and shaking it in a polite greeting. "It's so nice finally meeting you! I'm glad you could make it this time." you tell him, smiling at her.

You're not sure if you, or Jungkook, would define the camping trip as a completely fun one. Sure, there were fun times that you experienced but overall, the end of it just made an impact on you both. Specifically on Jungkook, considering he had a second heartbreak in the spare of a few months. Everyone else seemed to have fun that time. Well, apart from Kiko as well who seemed to be just as sad about everything and Hoseok who had her back the whole time.

You introduce Haneul to her before the atmosphere lifts up to a casual conversation of Maya describing her excitement to be here, and finally spend some time with Namjoon's friends too.

"Sorry to interrupt," A manly voice suddenly joins the little circle you've made, Seokjin stopping just right beside you as he looks at you and Haneul. "You two are going shopping for some groceries. Is that fine?"

Everyone probably has their own task to do and it seems like you and Haneul were the only ones without one.

"Sure, but we don't have a car and I don't know a way around here." you admit.

Sure, someone could lend you a car but it still doesn't change the fact you don't know it around here. It's your first time here and even though you could easily use navigation, you'd rather not. You don't feel confident enough to be driving around on unknown roads and streets. And there's a lot of snow on the roads anyway.

"Ah, Jungkook is going too. You're going with his car and he's driving. I just need more people to pick and buy groceries. There's a huge list of things that everyone seems to desperately want and need right now," he rolls his eyes a little at that, not hiding his annoyance but you can see he's joking, judging by the way he laughs. "It's a lot. But if the four of you go, it'll be quicker and there's a lot of things to buy anyway."

Four?

You look behind Seokjin, finding Jungkook standing just a few meters away from you with no other than Kiko standing beside him. She clings to his arm, kissing him on the cheek as they both have somewhat intimate conversation.

Great. Just great.

Not wanting to show your annoyance, or cause any drama, a tight smile makes its way on your lips as you glance at Namjoon. Somehow, he seems to be the only one that's catching on the awkward situation and offers you a crooked smile. Maybe even Seokjin knows how awkward the drive will be, but something tells you he could care less about whatever drama or situation you've going on.

They don't know about your unwelcoming feelings towards Kiko. All they see are two exes driving together with their current partners which naturally makes things awkward.

Mustering the last pieces of confidence, you offer everyone a smile as you and Haneul bid your goodbyes. Haneul is completely clueless to the inner battle you're having, joining you while being his happy self.

Even Jungkook can tell as soon as he glances at you approaching, the little annoyance hidden behind your eyes. Straightening himself, his brows almost shoot up apologetically. It is what it is.

"Are we going?" you ask casually, ignoring Kiko's eyes on you.

"Yeah, sure, let's go. Seokjin already gave me the list." Jungkook says, leading everyone outside as you make your way down to his car.

The way down there is quiet, everyone just simply making it down the hill without falling or stumbling on the snow. You and Haneul take the seats in the back, Jungkook obviously taking the driver's seat as Kiko takes the passenger one.

Is it weird to see her sitting there when it has always been you who used to occupy that seat? It's weird to be sitting in the same car with her. So much for trying to avoid that when you were coming here. Universe must be hating you for allowing this to happen.

Jungkook's playlist starts playing as soon as he turns on the engine, his car roaring to life as Haneul starts sharing his excitement about the car and riding in it. Being a college student that pays for his part of the rent could possibly dream about affording such a car. Jungkook happily answers his questions, his tone remaining casual and even a little cocky.

Jungkook has never been that type to brag about things he can afford or own, he's not doing that right now either. But he seems to be somehow proud to tell all the information about the engine and car model itself. The car takes your breath every time, so there's no doubt it takes Haneul's breath too.

"...it has plenty of cargo space, so it's really spacious." Jungkook says, his voice slowly coming back to your ears as you stare from the window.

"That's amazing!" Haneul lets out excitedly, like a little boy. It's truly cute to see him being so excited about a car, it makes you smile.

"I heard you're still in college. What's your major?"

Yeah, and your smile is gone.

You know you're just being bitter. She's trying to make a conversation, but you'd be rather if she would just keep her mouth shut and stop being this nice and welcoming person. You're bitter, you know that.

However, Haneul seems to be more than happy to answer and make a conversation with her which annoys you even more. He's the one that sits right behind her, even leaning closer to her seat as he answers her.

"Real estate. I wasn't sure what to pick, my mom said picking something amongst business is for the best, so I..."

You can feel eyes on you, staring into the rear mirror just to see Jungkook's eyes already set upon you for a second before they go back to watching the road. Even just that second made you stop breathing for a moment, not sure what to make it out of his dark eyes. It's not like he was warning you, but simply checking your reaction which made you just squirm on your spot. Sighing, you look away and spend the next ten minutes listening to your boyfriend having a friendly conversation with Kiko.

No one questions your silence and the lack of interest in their conversation.

"...meat, ginger, more rice and water bottles. Okay, we have all of this," Jungkook speaks thoughtfully, lips slightly pursed in thought as he reads Seokjin's list of groceries.

He said he bought something on the way to the cabin but god, he wrote every single possible thing to that list. Your cart is almost full and since there's a good amount of everything since there are eleven of you, so you've to make sure there is enough food for everyone.

"Oh, we need potatoes, tomato sauce, gochujang and those shrimp flavored snacks. I think Hoseok likes them, I don't know the name."

"Ah, I know what those are. I'll grab them." Kiko offers, gently placing another kiss to Jungkook's cheek as he sheepishly grins down at her, watching her walk away.

Pushing away the urge to roll your eyes, you sigh and look at Haneul whose eyes are already on you. He gives you a smile. "I'll grab those potatoes, so we can go." he says, causing you to nod as you thank him.

It's not like you're annoyed to see Jungkook being happy. It's not that. It's just enough to be spending too much time close to Kiko, especially since she doesn't hesitate to kiss or touch Jungkook every few seconds. You've never been a fan of PDA anyway and it feels like she's just rubbing it into your face because from what you can remember, she has never been this affectionate before. You've no idea what she's trying to prove but that woman annoys you to the roots. Still, you seem to be unaffected, usually brushing off the attention she almost seeks.

Jungkook opens his mouth, eyes already staring at you as you interrupt him before one single word can make it out. "I'll find that tomato sauce and gochujang." you tell him, turning around on your heels and not waiting for any reaction from him.

You're not being petty. Someone would say you are. But honestly, you don't need any lecture he's about to give you or him trying to speak to your soul in desperate need to act like you like his girlfriend. He knows that's not the case and the more he pushes, with Kiko's desperate need of showing off her boyfriend, just pisses you even more. You were relatively fine as long as you didn't have to spend alone time with her.

Finding the aisle with sauces takes you a few moments, you take the time to walk through different types of aisles until you find it. There are various types of tomato sauce and you're quite puzzled which one to pick. There are cheaper ones but expensive ones too. Since Seokjin gave you his card, it shouldn't matter to you which product you choose, not caring about the price. Still, you don't like to waste anyone's money even if he's the one buying and obviously the one being loaded.

You decide to choose the one you usually buy for yourself. It's a proper medium when it comes to its price and you already know it tastes good, even though you don't think there could be that much difference when it comes to a tomato sauce.

Standing on your tiptoes, you do your best to reach for your chosen brand of tomato sauce. The tip of your tongue slightly peeking from your lips, your fingers lightly brush against the dark red can and you almost curse under your breath, growing annoyed at the height.

That's until you feel someone behind you, chest brushing against your back before it's almost pressed against you. You almost focus on the scent coming off the body behind you but the tattooed hand grabbing a can of tomato sauce reveals the identity of the person behind you sooner.

"Let me get it for you," Jungkook mutters raspily, grabbing one of the cans as you turn around.

You almost bump him straight into his chest, causing him to take a step back as he holds it for you.

"Here."

"Thanks," you mutter, taking it from him as you place it into the cart he pushed here. You didn't even hear him coming. "Are you stalking me now?" you joke dryly, peeking at him under your lashes causing him to snort.

"You wish, shorty," he says, patting the top of your head as you grunt at him in disapproval. "No, I just went to grab some more snacks and I saw you struggling a bit here."

"Is one can enough though? Shouldn't we get more?"

The one you were going for is a bigger version of the one you usually buy for yourself. You've no idea what Seokjin wants to cook that needs tomato sauce, but one big can probably won't be enough for eleven people. You don't have to be perfect at math to know this.

"Yeah, we probably should." Jungkook muses, reaching for one more and almost backing you to the aisle with his chest. But you don't move, nor scold him like you usually would. You stand there, feeling his body rubbing against you for two full seconds until he straightens himself but is still close to you. You've to tilt your head to be able to look at him properly.

"Do you know what personal space is?" you mutter, feeling your cheeks getting red for some reason. Oh fuck, what is happening?

"You out of all people know that I don't," he jokes cheekily, causing you to take a deep breath as you look at the aisle behind him. "Hey," he suddenly speaks up, sighing when you stubbornly stare at the pasta packages instead of him.

"Look at me woman." he groans, poking you in your cheek which annoys you even more, but at the end works because you glare at him and look at him just like he wished.

"What? You're so annoying, by the way. Do you know that?"

"Yeah I know thanks to you, you tell me that often," he grins, leaning down to put the can in his hands into the cart. "I just wanted to talk to you. I know this is not your ideal type of a trip and I can sense your annoyance from miles away. But can you please not give Kiko such a hard time? She's trying to get along with everyone."

Of course, this is what he wants to talk about.

The scoff that you give him doesn't go unnoticed by him, but you do notice the little hurt in his eyes when he's welcomed with your cold response.

"I'm not gonna talk to her like she's my friend. She isn't, Jungkook." you point out, words muttered through your clenched teeth. It's even worse when his dark eyes look straight into yours.

"You've barely said a single word since we got into the car. It's obvious to everyone there's something on your mind. I just don't want any fights." he almost pleads, brows raising in a silent plea.

"I'm just not in the mood of trying to act all friendly with her. I'm sorry, Jungkook but that's not what I promised. I haven't even said anything to her." you exclaim, growing more irritated with this conversation. Why does he always want everything to go smoothly and perfectly?

"Yeah, I know. All I'm asking is... you look like a huffy kid. That's all I'm saying." he points out, causing you to actually laugh, sarcastically of course.

"A huffy kid, really?"

"Really," he deadpans, "You don't see me acting like that towards Haneul."

Your mouth falls open for a split second before you react right away. "That's not fair Jungkook and you know that. Haneul has never hurt me like that and he's a good guy."

"Kiko is good too, I'm sorry you can't see it," you roll your eyes again, causing him to take a deep breath almost as if to calm himself down before he continues. "All I'm saying is that you wouldn't feel good as well if I was being a dick to him."

"Yeah, because you've no reason to be a dick to him." you deadpan this time, features twisted in a confusion mixed with annoyance.

"Y/N, please," he whispers, slowly reaching for the restless stray pieces of your hair that have gotten into your eyes but you're too stubborn to move it and break your cold and annoyed persona.

Your breath gets caught into your throat when you feel the tip of his fingers accidentally brush against your cheekbone, a huge red light blinking furiously in your head.

"I don't want any drama." He moves the restless strand behind your ear, retrieving his hand back as you blink at him.

God, you really want to kick him in the balls. How can he always be so soft and gentle with you? It's like he's doing it on purpose, knowing exactly how to act to tag onto strings in your heart. It makes you feel like an ass, guilty even for acting this way even though you could've been way worse. But you don't want any drama too. You're just not going to pretend--

"Kookie?"

Your head snaps to the voice coming from the right side, your eyes meeting Kiko's figure as she walks towards the two of you with hands full of the same snacks. She's looking at Jungkook first before she glances at you, her brown eyes slightly narrowing.

"Is everything okay?"

She visibly eyes the close proximity between you two, even though it's nothing dramatic because he's not that close to you. You mean... you can smell his cologne but he's at least your arm length away from you. It's not like this looks wrong but thanks to your and Jungkook's scowled features, it's quite obvious the tension in the air.

"Ah yeah, we were just talking." Jungkook says, offering her a soft smile as he goes to help her.

"I can do it, Kookie." she giggles once he takes a few bags of snacks from her and you just stand there, not really sure what to do or say.

You busy yourself by grabbing a gochujang package instead.

She glances at you when she puts the bags to the almost full cart, eyes knowingly glancing at Jungkook as if she knows you were talking about her. It makes you realize that she most likely could feel the cold shoulder you've been giving her. She's not stupid enough to not tell when someone just doesn't like being in her presence. Maybe she was the one who talked to Jungkook about you acting this way. But he probably wanted to talk to you because of his own decision and judgment, since you've been in their presence nonstop – in the car and now in the shop. There was no time and place for her to talk to him about this.

"Come on, guys. Let's find Haneul and let's go. I'm getting hungry." Jungkook tells lightly, giving you a glance as he takes the cart with Kiko right beside him, hooking her arm around his.

Nodding, you join them, noticing the way Kiko looks back at you for a moment with an unrecognizable stare before she turns around and pays attention forward.

Once you find Haneul, you go to the cashier while Jungkook pays with Seokjin's card for all the groceries. Your eyes almost bulge at the final price, noticing Haneul doing the same thing that makes you silently giggle. Thanks to Jungkook's spacious truck, regardless of packed presents for you, Taehyung and Jimin, it's easy to load all the bags there.

The drive back to the cabin is somehow more relaxed and you even join in the conversation, mostly talking to Haneul who luckily is talkative enough to make the whole ride and conversation more joinable. Jungkook's words ring in your mind regardless of you being more relaxed and talkative. Now that you're replaying your conversation, he still makes you annoyed by approaching you like that and making you feel like you're the bad guy here. But you can't help but feel slightly guilty because you're completely aware of your kind of bitchy attitude. You still could've been nicer even if you wanted to make it clear that you and her won't be friends.

As you get out of the car, everyone takes a few bags while Jungkook makes sure you and Kiko are holding the less heavy ones (he even takes seven bags just so you and Kiko are holding only two bags). Jungkook and Kiko are walking ahead of you, almost entering the cabin while Haneul is walking right beside you in silence until he decides to break it.

"Hey, what's going on with you and Jungkook's girlfriend?"

You tense for a moment, releasing a sigh. Well, now you feel even shittier since he noticed your inhospitality towards her. It's even worse because he's clueless about this whole thing.

"Why?" you mutter, an obvious act of trying to prolong the time when you actually have to explain yourself.

Whether Haneul notices or not, you don't know.

"Well... you seem to be quiet when she is around. Maybe I'm reading into this wrong, but I get the feeling you don't like her that much. Am I wrong?" he asks hesitantly and carefully, making your features soften from their tensed position.

"Ehh, you're not wrong," you tell him unsurely, seeing his soft brown eyes staring at you in a silent encouragement. Even if he doesn't tell you that, you can see that he appreciates your honesty and doesn't push you to answer if you don't want to. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I just... I don't think it's my business to talk about their relationship," And you're mainly protecting Jungkook's privacy. "But she just hurt him really badly and he got back together with her, it's been hard for me to process that because he deserves better."

You've been repeating this to everyone whenever you're explaining your inhospitality feelings towards Kiko. If you just said that she cheated, you surely wouldn't have to explain that much because it'd be quite obvious while you don't like her that much since you want to protect your best friend. Everyone knowing Jungkook knows he deserves all the love and is the most precious boyfriend she could ever have. But you won't say it out loud, people are not stupid and some of them can probably guess what happened in their relationship. Still, you're determined not to say the actual cheat word in any form.

"Really? She looks like a nice girl. I wouldn't have guessed she hurt him."

Thankfully, Haneul doesn't ask for any details that you wouldn't give him anyway.

"None of us did." you mutter.

"I think it's nice of you for having his back. You're a great friend, Y/N." he tells you, giving you a smile as you force yourself to give him one back.

"Yeah, I wish he could see that. I mean, I think he does see that and overall, he asked me to respect his decision multiple times and it's not really any of my business. But I can't help but feel... bitter and cold whenever she is around."

"I think it makes sense that you're not able to drop it. He's your friend, princess. From what I've seen, you really cherish people close to you. I don't know exactly what she did, although I think I get an idea, and I think it's important to accept and respect his decision because ultimately it's his life and relationship. But also he can't expect you to be just all nice when in your own way, you're protecting him. I do think you should let it go, though."

"I just don't want to pretend that I like her. I haven't even said anything to her. I'm just not interested in being friends with her." you exclaim a little frustratingly, stopping just in front of the entrance.

"And that's okay. Nobody can push you to do that," Haneul says, lifting his lips up in encouragement. "You're not like, secretly in love with Jungkook, right?" he asks sheepishly, but you can see the little panic in his eyes.

"What? No!" you tell him straight away, brows furrowing that he'd suspect such a thing. Just because you care about your best friend doesn't mean you're in love with him. You thought he knew that. He thought he just understood that your friendship is close and special.

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure. Sorry I asked," he says, cheeks slightly tinted red from the cold and embarrassment.

Honestly, you don't think it's something to be embarrassed about. He just wanted to make sure, just like he said. But you're naturally growing annoyed from all the assumptions about you and Jungkook. Someone would say you could've gotten used to it by now. You haven't.

"I know everything is new, our relationship and I'm still getting to know you every second, your friends too. It's interesting to see your friendship with Jungkook, I don't think I've seen friends being that close. But I trust you, I'm sorry if it looks like I don't. I just don't want to get myself involved in something that I don't know of. I really like you, Y/N." he explains, your features softening once again.

Why don't you feel like you don't deserve him? Maybe you don't. You've no idea how much understanding you'd be if you were in his position.

"I like you too." you admit. It's not like you haven't said those words to yourselves before. But it's still a nice reassurement for both of you. It's too soon to admit any deeper feelings but if your relationship will go the same way like it's been going from the start, you think it won't take long for you to admit those deeper feelings.

He leans down, a little awkwardly considering his height and the weight in his hands, but he still makes sure to meet you for a kiss.

Seokjin deserves all the success his restaurant is getting. The food he cooked, with help from his wife, tasted delicious. After you came from the groceries, a supermarket situated twenty minutes from the cabin, you went to unpack all the bags which caused the whole kitchen island to be filled with food and ingredients. Seokjin shooed away everyone who wasn't on the 'cooking team' as he called it. So you took that time to go for a walk around the cabin with Haneul.

It has cleared your mind a little and you've found and let yourself relax in his presence only. The guilt from your previous conversation with Jungkook is still there but talking about it with Haneul definitely helped. It makes you like him even more. He understands you, or at least is trying to.

Hoseok, Jungkook and Jimin cooked a soup, a typical kimchi stew meanwhile Seokjin and his wife, who just helped like he claimed at dinner, cooked his restaurant's special. He used traditional Japanese style of cooking, the same thing they do at his restaurant. There was beef, eggs, mushrooms and more vegetables that tasted amazing. You've never eaten something like that and everyone praised Seokjin, who seemed to like the attention and praise.

You've spent the rest of the evening after dinner playing board games and Taehyung's favorite UNO, sarcasm guaranteed as he spent at least ten minutes whining about the rules. You're not surprised though, you had a hard time remembering the rules yourself but at least you weren't whining about it. You actually tried to act as if you understood it, which made you lose anyways.

With a few bottles of alcohol opened, the board games are long forgotten and placed back to its place. The karaoke machine in the basement – yes they've a whole basement at least a good part of it used as a place to dance and have a party – resounds from downstairs. Taehyung's voice is loud enough to not be recognized, an amused snort leaving your mouth when his voice cracks but he carries on like it never happened in the first place.

You make your way to the kitchen, bringing a bottle of tequila like Seokjin asked you to, too busy cuddling with his wife who seems to be sleepy but determined to stay and watch the fun unfold.

Opening the fridge, you search for its bottle as you notice the brownish liquid after a few seconds. You close the fridge, gasping when you notice Jungkook leaning against the counter.

"Fuck!" you yelp, hand pressed against your chest as you hold the bottle of tequila even tighter. "Why are you creeping on me?"

Jungkook laughs, shaking his head at you as he brushes past you and opens the fridge. "Still flattering yourself as always," he muses, joking as you see his grin before he momentarily disappears behind the fridge door.

He pulls out a bottle of whiskey, shaking it a little in front of you to explain himself. "Just grabbing this."

"Uhm, uhm." you purse your lips, jokingly acting as if you don't believe his explanation as he narrows his eyes at you playfully and even rolls them at you.

"Are you having fun? I haven't talked to you since we came from the shop." he starts, voice empty from all the amusement and joking, sounding more gentle and careful.

"Yeah, I am. I guess there just hasn't been the time to talk." you tell him, watching his brows pinch together.

"What do you mean? There's always time for us to talk."

You chuckle at that, finding it somehow cute how serious he's taking this but to be fair, there hasn't been that much time to talk to him for real. You were spending the time with Haneul as you went for a walk and then dinner happened. Jungkook was seated on the opposite side from you, so he wasn't even sitting next to you. And now that everyone moved to the basement to drink and just have fun, you mostly talked to Jimin and Haneul. It wasn't intentional though. Jungkook seemed to be talking to Seokjin, Hoseok and Kiko of course. He was in that circle, well until you just bumped into each other.

"Well you were with Kiko and everyone else, and I've been with Haneul." you shrug, somehow feeling stupid for even explaining this.

"Y/N," Jungkook says softly, "I wanted you to come here so we can have fun too. Just because Kiko is here doesn't mean I can't talk or have fun with you."

You didn't know you needed to hear that after he just said it. Somehow, his words bring comfort to you and it makes you flutter at his kindness and attentiveness as always.

"Of course, I know that..." you murmur, smiling a little.

"Then let's show Taehyung how to rock at karaoke." Jungkook teases, wiggling his eyebrows at you.

You laugh at him, shaking your head. "I'm not drunk enough!" you exclaim, but Jungkook ignores you and wraps his hand around your wrist pulling you towards the basement.

"Jungkook!" you laugh, as he keeps tugging you almost making you stumble on the stairs.

"You're always saying that excuse, you're not getting away from this. We're gonna show everyone how to do it."

"Jeon!" you laugh, holding a tight grip on the bottle. "At least let me put the bottle before I drop it."

He listens to you, doing the same thing with you but not until he pours himself a whiskey and you tequila. "To have fun and to our singing skills?" he asks, causing you to snort as you nod and go along with his toast.

Your glasses clink as they meet each other, the alcohol burning your throats as you make your way to the karaoke machine. You notice Haneul sitting on the couch giving you a surprised look to see you in front of a karaoke machine while Jungkook tries to find a song. Luckily, Taehyung's duet with Namjoon has ended as they happily hand you the mics.

Your boyfriend gives you a thumbs up when you look at him, only now noticing Kiko sitting next to him as he chats to Jia, Seokjin's wife. She's her best friend, so you're not surprised to see them having a nice conversation while giggling. Taehyung plops himself next to Haneul, offering him a tequila bottle. He accepts it, taking a few gulps straight from the bottle.

Haneul doesn't like partying with his friends too much. It's not like he doesn't like it at all, but like he told you, he prefers not partying every Friday like they tend to. He'd usually bailed on them, wanting to just relax in his rented apartment which would usually cause his friends to whine about him not going. Now, you're a perfect excuse for him not wanting to party every single weekend or free day.

But just like every guy his age, or it doesn't necessarily have to do anything with age, he likes to loosen up and there's nothing wrong with him drinking. You see him talking to Taehyung, watching them for a while until Jungkook takes one of the mics from you and grins at you.

"You ready?"

"What did you pick?"

"Jason Derulo, you know this song for sure."

You look at the name of the song. How can you not know this song? Everyone knows this song and the words to it, it brings you back to 2010 and this kind of music. As the electric guitar's sound, the intro of the song starts to play, you and Jungkook move yourselves to have more space. The sound of the new song catches everyone's attention and you hear Jimin and Taehyung cheer loudly, causing you to snort as you shake your head at your friends and their silliness.

"Jeon Jungkook!" Jungkook sings into the mic, instead of saying 'Jason Derulo' as it is in the original song. It makes you burst out laughing as he gives you a grin before he starts singing.

"Everybody's looking for loveAin't that the reason you're at this clubYou ain't gonna find a dance with him, no, noGot a better solution for you girl," Jungkook sings, passionately as he doesn't forget to play his role just right as he's looking at you, pointing at you every now and then as he sways his body to the rhythm.

One of the reasons you love karaoke, when you're drunk enough (thanks to the tequila you actually find yourself having fun and relaxing) is the fact you and Jungkook enjoy it every time. You could be singing about heartbreak, love or a song that doesn't make sense but you make it work as you play your roles just right.

"Just leave with me now, say the word and we'll go,I'll be your teacher, I'll show you the ropes,"

He moves closer to you, swaying his hips as he dances while doing so causing you to laugh at him.

"You'll see a side of love you've never known, I can see it going down, going down,"

This time, you bring the mic to your lips, Jungkook already grinning as he's singing, ready for you to join him which you do.

"In my head, I see you all over meIn my head, you fulfill my fantasyIn my head, you'll be screaming more,"

Taehyung's cheers and sometimes even screams can be heard in the distance, along with Jimin's as the two friends are your biggest fans, drunk fans. Taehyung keeps jumping up and down while sitting, the guy showing his excitement and overreacted fangirling with his entire body. Haneul chuckles at that, being the one who sits next to him as he turns around to watch you and Jungkook. He has never seen you look so free, maybe it's the fact you've had a fair share of tequila but you don't look too drunk. You're just having fun, dancing and giggling to the microphone whenever Jungkook wiggles his brows. Surprisingly to him, Jungkook sounds amazing and your voice isn't too bad as you both sing the chorus together.

"Some dudes know all the right things to sayWhen it comes down to it, it's all just gameInstead of talking let me demonstrate, yeahGet down to business and skip foreplay,"

Haneul's eyes widen at the lyrics, especially when he sees you tilt your head back as you laugh at Jungkook before you subtly bite onto your lower lip, smiling through it. He knows it's just a song and you both are having just fine, but he feels a weird pinch in his chest at the sight of you and Jungkook. He trusts you. He knows Jungkook forms a large part in your life and he's a very special friend to you. You're both close and to be fair, he's still trying to get to know you and your friendship with Jungkook.

So he looks at Jungkook's girlfriend, just out of pure curiosity to see her expression since he's still very new to your relationship but also getting to know you better, which also involves people around you which are your friends.

He finds her silently watching the two of you before she slowly sips on the wine. Okay, he barely sees any reaction from her which sucks because it doesn't do anything with his curiosity.

"Is that normal?" he asks, finding her turning her head slightly to look at him.

Kiko is pretty, very pretty actually. She's wearing a casual outfit, just some jeans and white shirt with mint colored cardigan but somehow she looks elegant in her own way. Maybe it's those dangling earrings that she's wearing and soft waves that she curled her black hair into. Somehow, Haneul deduces that they create a pretty couple with Jungkook. And he hopes it'll stay that way because your obvious close friendship to him is still a ball of wonder for him. And of course, he's just trying to understand it before he can let out any bitter emotions in the open.

Her eyebrows raise a bit at his question and he tilts his back to you and Jungkook, still singing your hearts out, pointing to the two of you. Kiko follows his vision, simply watching before she just shrugs.

He realizes he won't get any more reaction from her. Maybe he expected some explanation or her opinion about your friendship. Most of all, maybe he wanted her to say 'oh, it's totally normal, they're like this'. Keeping a cool head, he knows you're the best person to assure him of this. You explained your friendship to him, you told him you're close to Jungkook and even voiced your worry, worried that it'll affect your relationship with Haneul.

And he assured you he understands it and won't cause any problem just because your best friend is not a female. If there was a female standing next to you, he wouldn't bat an eyelash at that. No one would. That's just how it is.

But he's different. He won't be jealous just because nature tells him to be, or his own male ego.

Taehyung's loud cheers and the round of applause is what shakes him out of his thoughts, his distracted eyes focusing on you to see you smiling giving Jungkook a high-five before you make your way towards him.

An automatic smile spreads on his lips, seeing you cutely approaching him as you sit onto his lap. You wrap your arms around his neck, Haneul already leaning for a kiss which you gladly give him. He pouts when you give him a peck though, he was hoping you'd give him a proper kiss. You just giggle, kissing his cheek.

"I'd say I was your biggest fan but I think it's hard to compete with Taehyung." he teases, watching you tilt your head as you giggle looking at Taehyung who's already doing shots with Jimin.

"I can totally understand that," you muse, glancing back at your boyfriend, both of you chuckling at your friend. "Well, I need another shot of tequila from that excellent performance I just did. You want some?" you ask, arms sneaking off his neck as you brush them against his chest and you see his breath hitch for a second.

He bites into his lower lip, letting it go as he points at his filled glass. "Thanks though."

You smile, standing up as you scurry yourself to the small kitchen where alcohol has been brought. It's just a small room with a kitchen counter with no fridge or microwave. Taehyung drunkenly stands up too, shouting at Jungkook and pleading with him to go one round with him too. The younger one obviously declines Taheuyng but his older friend insists, whining like a little kid which causes Jungkook to sigh as he's already taking back the mic that he put away just a few seconds ago. Shaking head with an amused smile aimed at his friend that drunkenly tries to find the right song.

The theme song of Arirang starts to play a few seconds later, Haneul's attention interrupted for a moment by Hoseok sitting next to him. They haven't talked that much but he's been introduced to him already, so he's quite pleasantly surprised when Hoseok actually starts making a conversation with him.

He's too immersed with chatting to Hoseok, not noticing Kiko standing up too and sliding past them.

In the other room, you pour yourself a tequila shot but don't reach for it to chug it, enjoying the little quietness and muted music accompanied by Jungkook's stable and Taehyung's drunk voice before you go back. You chuckle to yourself at them, putting the tequila bottle back. At this rate, you should bring it with you but you want to avoid anyone spilling and breaking it. Everyone seems to be drunk or at least clumpy and tipsy enough to let that happen. You're sure Seokjin wouldn't appreciate it. At least none of the expensive vases have been broken.

You hear someone else coming to the room, their footsteps gentle but loud enough to be recognized. You expect to see one of the guys with the same purpose like yours to come here. However, Kiko is the last person you expect to come here. Your muscles tense underneath her brown eyes and the look she's giving you. She simply looks at you but that's not what irks you. It's the same softness of her features she always seems to sport.

It's quite obvious she hasn't come here to grab one of the bottles or snacks, or even pour herself a glass when she simply stops just at the edge of the counter and looks at you.

"Are you having fun?" she asks, lightly and friendly that it mildly surprises you.

Your brows furrow momentarily, wondering what's her intention and this conversation. She is trying to be nice and friendly to you, you can clearly see that. But it pisses you off that she knows you're not very fond of her and she just keeps trying to get on your good side. You're fine with her as long as you don't have to talk to her.

"Listen," you start, voice neutral and steady. "We don't have to pretend to be friends."

"We could be." she says right away, almost too quickly but yet, her voice sounds light and offering.

It actually makes you want to snort at that idea. You're that kind of person that wants to be left alone by the person you find irritating in any way. Most importantly, she knows that you're not interested in pretending to be friends with her. You respect her being with Jungkook and you knew what you were getting yourself into when you agreed to come here, with the knowledge of her being here as well. You're not looking for any fights with her and you're not planning to say anything bitchy to her, because you're not planning to suddenly start a conversation with her in the first place. But that doesn't mean you're interested in any kind of pretending just because she can't clearly leave you alone. Ah, it irritates you how good she's trying to be. It actually makes you feel kind of bad for your own thoughts and feelings but you can't help it.

"Are you kidding?" you ask nonchalantly, scoffing slightly as you see embarrassment crossing over her features as she hugs her cardigan closer to her.

She looks at her feet for a second before she braces herself to look at you again. "It'd be best for Jungkook's sake."

Her words actually make you snicker under your breath, no amusement on your face as you look deadly in her eyes. "So you suddenly care about Jungkook's sake? You should've thought about that sooner." you point out, voice empty just like your features.

Again, you watch embarrassment crawling back to her face as she clears her throat.

You're not usually the person who confronts other people. You wouldn't tell her anything if she didn't come up to you and brought this topic first. But now that she actually has the audacity to bring Jungkook's sake, something she hasn't thought about when she went to the same bed with another man, just sparks a new wave of anger and annoyance in you.

Just the obvious look on her face and her silence is saying she probably can't disagree with you because you're right. She knows that. You can see the guilt written all over her face and for a second, you actually feel slightly bad for how small she suddenly looks underneath your gaze. Just like you said, you don't like confronting people and arguing but sometimes it's inevitable and sometimes it comes naturally. But you're also someone who has their friend's back no matter what and let's be honest, you like to voice out your opinion, especially when it's an opportunity for it.

And you weren't raised like this. Maybe it's the alcohol flowing in your blood, even though you know you're not drunk. But you can feel the ease of your muscles and mind. That's enough of a clue for you to know that your mouth is much more free than usual. And most of the things that have been sitting stubbornly in your mind are set free, the words spilling out of your mouth with no limits.

"I'm already trying my best for Jungkook's sake, so let's not push it. I'm not going to act like we're friends because we're not," you inform her, crossing your arms over your chest as she stares at you like you just kicked her in the face. "Listen, I'm not going to send daggers your way but I'm not going to pretend I like you."

Her features twist in hurt but you're not sure if she's trying to hold back herself. You feel bad for saying those things but they're true. They might be hurtful but at least they're honest and you're not pretending to be someone you're not.

So you take your shot, brushing past her as you leave her standing there with her pounding thoughts.

Your mind doesn't feel at ease after that. You feel bad nevertheless of your words being honest. And you know if Jungkook saw your interaction and heard you, he'd be disappointed and hurt. Just like that, you feel annoyed once again because no. You weren't the one coming up to her and you didn't do anything to her. She is the one who came up to you, using Jungkook's sake as an excuse for her shitty behavior and the hurt she caused Jungkook.

Plopping next to Haneul, you find him in the middle of conversation with Hoseok, which is quite surprising because you wouldn't think they've that much in common. Haneul glances at you, welcoming you by putting his arm around your frame as he pulls you closer, offering you a smile as he nods to whatever Hoseok has been telling him. You give him a smile back, mustering the best out of you and he luckily doesn't notice how dishonest it is.

Moments later and you see Kiko, Jungkook's eyes finding her almost immediately while he's chatting with Namjoon and Seokjin. You watch his face light up as she approaches them. Even from them being meters away from where you're sitting, you can clearly see his brows furrow slightly as he scans her features. You watch his mouth moving, asking her something as she shakes her head and tells him something. The conversation seems kind of intimate as Jungkook makes sure to lean towards her, so they can have some privacy.

He evidently voices out his worry while Namjoon and Seokjin seem to get the clue, the two of them fooling around chuckling and talking. Kiko just shakes her head, her hand squeezing Jungkook's biceps as she gives him a kiss to his cheek. Turning around, she leaves him standing there with a confusion written on his face as he watches her girlfriend make her way upstairs.

He seems a little baffled, lips slightly pouting before he looks up. Almost immediately, his eyes find yours and it's like he can see right through you.

And then his brows furrow again, his dark eyes boring into yours even from across the room.

Shit.

#networkbangtan #ficswithluv #ksmutclub #btswritingcafe #bts angst #bts smut #bts fluff #bts au #jungkook x reader #jungkook fanfic #mutual help #personasintro

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