#and this year it’s only the first week of school! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kookochan · 3 days ago

Text

End Of Time

They were dancing under the rain, knowing it wouldn't last forever. Memories were collected and hearts were stolen. Maybe it was never about the rain.

Summary: What if an exchange student changes your whole life, and you're scared of the day he needs to turn back? +18

exchange student jungkook x fem!reader

warnings/content: violence (slap), mention of blood, sexual content (loss of virginity, unprotected sex - don't be stupid!), family issues, alcohol, angst, fluffy love TT

wc: 17,3k

˚₊✩‧₊2024˚₊✩‧₊

"We are really happy to have you guys here. The atmosphere in the team is also awesome!"

The interviewer has a soft smile while saying so. They have been sitting here for only ten minutes, and more than half of the time is already over. Her eyes turn to the more introverted person in the room.

"Jungkook, you are one of the best players this season. We talked about your career a lot, but you're the only one who isn't sharing his personal life. Like a relationship, for example. Or your first love!"

"Firstly, thank you for the compliment. And yeah, first love and all that-" he says with a polite smile. His mind is going back to a time when he met you for the first time. "I like to keep things in my own little world. That's why I'm not sharing a lot about it."

Jungkook is praying that the interviewer wouldn't ask any further questions. Today he is lucky, and the topic changes; all the attention goes to someone else. He is safe, and for a moment he is thinking back to the old times.

˚₊✩‧₊2014˚₊✩‧₊

It was a Monday, and you hate the first day of the week. Today should be a little better than the other days because some of the new exchange students were coming. The teacher gave you the job to assist them on the first day. Her reasoning: You were the class representative. You don't know how you managed to be one, but you liked your job.

"Yn"

You turn around to see which of your annoying friends was calling for you, only to be met with Tae. "What do you want?! It's not even 9 a.m. Let me live!" You say annoyed that he caught you that early.

"Calm down, dude. I saw some of the exchange students already. Some of the ladies said one of them is hot. We're lucky to be with them on the first day. Do you have a plan for the day?" He informs you while walking to the class. You don't know how he managed to get all this information. He is always the last one to come to school. It looks like he is excited about the whole situation. You don't want to lie; you are also curious about the newbies. They will be in your class for only 6 months, but maybe you will have a chance to make new friends. The exchange students from last year were two girls who just came to bully others, so it was no fun. But this time it sounds like some of them are also good-looking? You need to check on that.

"Hmm, it would be a lie when I say I planned something. Isn't it too strict anyway? Let's just show them the school and eat together. That should be enough for the first day," you say while thinking of other options just in case he isn't agreeing with you. You turn to Tae to see if he has anything to say, but he just nods. "And did you really come here that early to get all the information?"

"Nah, I forgot my book and needed to do the homework. So I came a little earlier today. I can already feel the missing 2 hours of sleep," he makes a crying face. You roll your eyes and laugh. "Did you see Jiho or Jia?". "Nope."

—

"It's getting awkward standing here and waiting for them," Jia says with an annoyed noise. The whole class was waiting for the home teacher to come and introduce the new students. But the whole process was taking longer than expected.

After fifteen minutes, you could hear the teacher coming while talking to the students. She didn't introduce them but started talking about important things and the school. Your eyes wander to the two boys standing next to her. And yes, you do know who the girls were calling hot. You could feel his charm, and now the whole situation is more fun for you.

—

Jungkook is happy to be with you and your friend group. At first he was scared if he could make new friends, and if not, he would be depressed for six months. You guys were hanging out during the school day and sometimes after that. He is also happy that Eun could find friends. For him, Eun is also a nice friend, but he knows that they're opposite personalities. Anyway, the first four weeks were comfortable for him, so he hopes that the rest of the time will be like that too.

It was early in the morning, and he was walking to school. Looking around, he notices that you're walking to the subway station. He runs towards you. "Good morning. Caught you!". You jump a little, holding your chest. "Why are you coming like that?!" you point a finger at him. He only laughs at your cute attitude. "Oh, come on, why are you acting like you saw a monster or something? That breaks my heart," he says dramatically. You roll your eyes. "We are getting late, so hurry up!". You can see his pout when you make faster steps.

He is fast getting into the tram, and he is holding a seat for you too. You sit between him and the window—the seat he was reserving for you. He smiles and looks around. "Are you coming today? Tae asked to hang out near the beach and grab some beer in the group chat. I didn't see your reply."

"Oh, I saw the messages in the morning, so I couldn't reply. But yes, I am in."

"Okay, that's nice to hear!" he says while smiling. No, he doesn't know why he gets so giddy when you're around. He is throwing away all the complicated thoughts. He only knows you for like four weeks. He needs to calm down.

—

The school day was kind of stressful. You got your test results, way lower than expected. You did learn weeks before, and you were confident that you could make it. Okay, it would be a lie to say you would nail it because math is not your strongest subject. Knowing nothing will ever help you understand it makes you feel down. Now you're walking with your friends and Jungkook to the convenience store to grab some snacks and drinks. It feels suffocating; you would rather go home and, you don't know, learn more?

Jungkook can see the little cloud above your head, so he walks a little faster to get to you. You are in your own little bubble, not seeing him looking at you. He taps your head to gain your attention. "We are going to chill and not to a funeral." You stick out your tongue. "I thought it was your funeral. How lame". He tries not to laugh, but it just works for two seconds. "No, seriously, what's the matter?". You shrug. "Just math. I really am too stupid to understand that shit."

"Come on, man, you act like you need to be perfect! It's okay to fail one subject, and I can also help you a little. Tae asked me too, so we could make a learning group." He suggests kindly. You think about it a little, and then you simply nod. Now his smile goes even wider; you watch him for a while.

"Oh my God, finally we're here! I thought we would never make it!" says Tae while breathing like he did six marathons. You break the short eye contact with Jungkook and turn to your friends. "You are so dramatic. And don't get thousands of snacks like last time; we need to walk a little to the beach. I will let you carry them!" You just watch him run into the store without listening. Jungkook laughs about that and follows the others. Sometimes you can't believe how they are older than you. Okay, 1 year is not a big gap, but anyway.

After a little shopping tour and two more arguments with Tae, you are walking to the beach. The sun is slowly going down, and you like the vibe. You are lucky that no one had the energy to go that far on the beach, so it is quite enjoyable. Sitting down, you open up the beer, thinking about life. Everyone else looked also deep in thought. Maybe sometimes this is the best way to sort out your mind. When the sunset is almost over, Jiho sighed. "It's getting depressing. Let's go swim." Yeah, funny you thought, never ever. Of course, all the boys jump for the idea and are running towards the water. Your eyes linger a little longer on Jungkook's body. He is giving a show for real, the way he takes off his shirt and flexes his muscles.

Jungkook is aware of your gaze. For him, it's just a confirmation that you also do find him a little attractive. No? Is he delulu? Maybe! He enjoys the time playing in the water, but the wet jeans are giving him a hard time. After a quick check with the others, they come back to the spot where you and Jia were lying. Jungkook watches your figure, and he is wondering if you were asleep. He can't stop thinking about your emotions and the fact that a school subject is bothering you that much. Are you a perfectionist? You definitely don't look like one.

You could hear the movements next to you, so you open one eye to see what was happening. "Did you have fun?" you ask with a little smile on your face. "The water was a little cold, but besides that, it was fun. Do you want to go into the water too?" he asks while wiggling his eyebrows. You laugh at him, "No, it's too cold for that." His relaxed posture turns a little worried. "Are you cold?". You make a quick 'x' with your fingers.

"The boys and I are going to play basketball tomorrow in the late afternoon; do you want to come watch? Maybe we could go grab some lunch after," he suggests. Deep inside, he wants you to come, but you were taking a long time to answer. "Sure, why not? But I need to do some school stuff beforehand, so if I don't reach my goal, I will stay home." He rolls his eyes. "You need to go easier on yourself." You hum, and then you just watch the night sky. After a little hesitation, Jungkook lies next to you and watches the stars. It was comfortable.

You guys are sitting there for one more hour, and then you call it a night. Tae is the one who couldn't understand his limits with the alcohol, but it's nothing new. Jiho takes him home, and you bid goodbye to your friend Jia, who is living on the way to your house. Now you are alone, walking with Jungkook. There is a comfortable silence between you two. He is staying alone in a small apartment, but you know that there was a shorter route for him to go home. Anyway, it feels safer to have someone next to you, so you don't even ask him about it. When you reach your house, you turn fully to Jungkook. "Thank you for walking with me," you say. Jungkook acts surprised, "Naah, it's nothing. It's on my way home, so no big deal." You smile at that and wave him goodbye. He watches as you were walking the stairs. When he hears you entering the code and the closing door, he starts walking away.

The house is quiet. It looked like everyone was sleeping. And you are happy to finally get out of your shoes. Just in the moment where you open the shoe rack, you see your dad's shoes. You sigh. Yup, this will be a suffocating weekend; it is the only thing that you could think of. Walking to your room, you just pray that no one from your family, especially your dad, would bother you.

–

You are learning for like 5 hours, and you can feel the headache coming. Standing up, you walk to your bed and kneel down. A little box underneath is smiling at you, and you grab it. Going back to your desk, you open it to see all the sketches and drawings that you made. To free your mind, you used to paint something, and every time you're drawing, it feels like a dream. You wish you could become a famous artist who has done a lot of art. But deep down, you know the opinion of your parents. They were strict about your future. For them, you needed to become a doctor or a lawyer. Everything under that must be powerful as well, or you failed your whole life. Last time you had a conversation about going to an art school, you ended up with house arrest. That's also the reason why you need to hide everything related to that. With the knowledge that nobody is home, you start sketching.

You flinch with the phone ringing. The first reaction is hiding everything on your desk. You put everything in your box. After closing it, you put it back under your bed. The person who calls you cut the line. Getting your phone, you see that Jungkook was calling you. There is no way to explain the relief that you were feeling. Dropping on your knees, you almost cried. Why would you feel that way? How unfair it is that you have parents who are not supportive of you. The next thing you hear is something on your window. Turning your head, you scream in fear. Only to see Jungkook screaming too. You throw your phone on the bed and walk to the window, opening it. "What are you doing?!" you say while pulling him inside by his sleeve.

"Oh, hi pretty," he says with a grin. He can't be serious, right? You roll your eyes. "You scared me. Also, I have a door." He scoffs at you, "But it's not that dramatic! I'm here to go to the basketball game with you. You can't say no; I climbed up the window!". You look at him unimpressed. "I would also come with you when you just knocked on my door." He has a stupid smile on his face while saying, "So you would go everywhere with me without a doubt?"

You ignore his cheesy question and walk to your wardrobe. Opening it, you are thinking of what to wear. A black hoodie and some black jeans are a safe option. Jungkook is busy looking around your room. It was his first time being here. You had a minimalistic room with the colors of white, beige, and blue. Walking to the wall next to your desk, he looked at the pictures with your friends. "We never took a picture together. Let's do it today," he says. There was an old picture of you, and he takes a quick picture of it. 'Cute,' he thinks. Turning towards you, he sees that you are getting changed. He looks away; he didn't want to be a creep.

After changing, you both walk out of the house. The basketball court was not that far, so you agreed on walking. "Do you think I will win?" he asks. "I never saw you play, so it's hard to say. Tae is actually really good," you say. Jungkook laughs at you, "He lost all the games when we were playing. I'm just telling you so that you don't lose your bet." You think about it for a while: "Okay, I will trust you, but if I lose my money today, you owe me!". He just smiles. Is it normal for him to feel shy all of a sudden? He needs to win; there is no other option.

The match was almost over. Jungkook played with Jiho, and Tae asked a random dude to play with him, so it's fair. Unfortunately, it didn't change the results; they lost. Jia was the one taking a bet for him, so she cursed the shit out of him. While you run to Jungkook to celebrate his win. You both are holding each other's hands and spinning in circles. Yeah, you know you looked like two kids, but it was fun. "Omg, let's stop. I think I need to throw up," you scream at him. He stops immediately and laughs at you trying to balance. "I told you I would win!" he says. You smile at him. Wow, what is this feeling inside you?

All of you are sitting on the grass next to the court. The boys sipping water and Jia handing you the money she lost. You wave it a little in the air. The guy playing with Tae, Damien, stands up. "It was nice to meet you, but I need to go home. Maybe we could play someday again," he says while looking at everyone. "Yeah, sure, it was fun! Thank you for joining us," Tae says. Damien smiles at that and turns to you, "I would like to grab a coffee with you." You look up at him in confusion. He didn't expect an answer from you, so he gives you a piece of paper with his phone number on it. You take it with a little thank you. He walks away afterwards. Turning to your friends, you see Jungkook's eyes boring into your sides. The whole situation is forgotten as Jiho stands up and says, "Let's go eat. I will die".

Walking to the next ramen place, you notice how quiet Jungkook is. You poke his side. "What's wrong? You won a game, bro." Jungkook pouts at you and asks, "Why did you accept his number?". "I accept it from every guy because I'm too scared of their reaction when I don't accept it. Maybe they would curse me out or follow me home? So creepy," you say with a sincere tone. He looks into your eyes. "I'm sorry that you feel that way. So are you interested in meeting him?". He is playing with his lip piercing; why is he getting so nervous? "Nope, he was not my type," you say with a grin. "But why are you asking and sulking about it anyway? Wait, are you jealous?" you ask while laughing. Yup, he feels a burn on his face. You pinch his cheeks, "So cute." Jungkook wants to fall on his knees and cry. But he acts annoyed, saying, "Fuck off," and wishing you would never do that.

–

2 months later...

Your head is on the table. Jungkook, Tae, and you were learning at the cafe for over 6 hours. You understand more than before, but your head was seconds away from exploding. Tae is in better condition. "I told you to drink more soju. Look at me; I feel like a newborn," he says. You whine at that, "Shut up, please." Jungkook comes back to the table with a tray in his hand. He ordered some ramen and vegetables. Sitting next to you, he strokes your hair. "Come on, eat your food, and you will feel better," he says softly. You sit up looking at the food; you don't feel like eating. Until something is next to your mouth, you turn to Jungkook, who is holding broccoli in his chopsticks for you to eat. You pout and eat it. "Hmm, yummy, right?" he says in awe. You really liked it, so you nod while starting to eat. Turning to him, you see him eat with the same chopsticks that you ate from. That makes you smile. And of course he caught that.

Jungkook is happy that you finished your bowl. Now they are waiting for you to come back from the bathroom. He carefully packs some of your belongings into your bag. Tae is watching him the whole time. "I am worried about you," he says. Jungkook looks at him confused. "You know what I mean. Your feelings with Yn," says Tae while looking into his eyes. If there was a chance for Jungkook to flee, he would. But Tae didn't expect an answer or explanation. "I don't want you to get hurt. If you need to talk about it, I will listen," he simply says. Jungkook is shocked but also thankful that he gave him the option to open up or not. He returns Tae's smile.

"Why are you flirting?" you say, looking at both of them. Tae acts like putting a strand of hair behind his ear. "Oh my God, we will go on a date tomorrow!". You laugh, but the fact that Jungkook is too stunned to speak made it even funnier. Jungkook shakes his head and gives you your bag. "Come on, let's go." "Wait, why are you blushing?" you ask. That is the last straw for you and Tae to laugh like fools. Jungkook makes a quick 'tsk' before leaving. You are in tears.

Tae is the first one to get off the tram, bidding both of you a good night. You wave at him. Some minutes later, it is yours and Jungkook's turn to get off. While walking home, you intentionally bump into Jungkook's side. "Are you mad at my comment?" you ask. Jungkook chuckled at that. "No, all good. I know you were jealous," he says. "Woah, you're really delulu," you say dramatically. "Thank you for today, by the way. I did understand a lot. You're really good at explaining!" you add. He smiles and pokes your cheek. "No need to thank me. We can do it more often, but not that intensely. I thought you would die." You stick out your tongue.

"Omg, Jungkook! Look," you say, kneeling down. You start petting the black cat. It is fluffy and super soft. Jungkook takes a picture of you where you are petting the cat. "I want two cats when I move out!" you say, excited. He wants to cuddle with you and the cat. "So you're a cat person. How cute," he says, smiling. "Thank God this one has a home. Look, it has a collar," you say while turning to him. "Maybe it is on his way home," he thinks out loud. You stand up and watch the cat go. "It was so cute, I want to cry," you say, head hanging. He wants to remember this moment forever. Your interaction with the cat, your pout, and your small voice. If he were to die right now, he would be happy.

Walking up the stairs, you see Jungkook standing at the same spot. "Why aren't you going home?" you ask, looking down. "I will wait until you're inside," he says, shrugging. You wave at him for the last time before your door closes behind you. Jungkook walks in the direction of his house but changes his mind. Turning around, he is walking to the next supermarket.

It is suspiciously quiet in your house. After hanging your jacket and putting on your slippers, you walk towards your room. The TV is turned on, but nobody is sitting in front of it. You feel your heart beating faster when you see your open door. Trying to think positively about it, you walk in. Your room looks like a mess. Everything is shattered, and your mother is in a panic. "What is going on here?" you ask quietly. Only when your father turns around do you see your drawings in his hands. Your bag choosing his own fate by rolling down your arm. There are no words to say. Looking into his eyes, you can see the anger.

"What's all of this?" he asks while shouting. "I told you that I'm interested in art. I just sketch or paint when I need to relax," you try to reason. It will not help; they will never understand you. You don't know which part of your answer made him explode, but in seconds he starts ripping all of the papers. "How stupid of me to think that you grew up! Doing this shit instead of studying! Where are the other things? Tell me!" he screams and walks around the room. Your knees give up, and sitting on the floor, you start crying. Taking some pieces of your art while he is destroying everything in your room. Your eyes wander to the open door, your sister standing in the hall with a bowl full of cherries. She is enjoying this. "Look at your sister! She is working hard to get somewhere, and you! How can you be that stupid?" says your mother. Just as angry as your dad. You want to scream, to throw a tantrum, but everything cut off your air. How could this happen? Your dad comes up to you, forcing you to stand up. "You will tell me where all of your stuff is," he yells in your face. "I did nothing wrong," you sob. It's unfair, you want to say. But your head is like under water. Too many thoughts, but no voice. "How dare you talk back to me?" he asks. The next thing you could feel is a burn and pain in your cheek. He slapped you. You could feel the metallic taste in your mouth. For a second, everyone is shocked. But who would he be when he apologized? Instead, he grabs your arm and walks towards the door. "If you don't want to live with our rules, then you can go live elsewhere," he screams. The door shuts in front of your face.

You stand there for a while. Your mother or sister would open the door for you, right? But after minutes that felt like hours, you turn around. They will not open the door. Walking down the stairs, you feel empty. By the time it started raining, you looked down. You are wearing some slippers and have no jacket. In your hands are some pieces of paper that you called art. There is nothing in your mind; you just start walking. The rain is fast in soaking you wet. Near a park, you see a bench. No time to think about it more; you sit down. You look down at the pieces of paper and at the bloodstains caused by the rain that is rinsing your face. Empty was the definition of what you are feeling. The cold air makes it worse than it is. You pull your knees to your chest and bury your face on top of them. Crying felt more painful than before. Also, you are scared that some creep would come near, but you have no energy to move.

Jungkook hates his decision to go grab some things from the supermarket. He was at the supermarket, but not only there; he also made a stop at the bookstore. He bought two new books and was ready to gift you one. Walking back home, he curses at himself for not getting an umbrella. Near the park, he sees a girl sitting on a bench. He looks at her and wonders why she would be sitting in the rain with only a shirt and slippers. At the same time, you look up at the noise of footsteps. The last person you both expected to see was each other. Jungkook looks at your face; the first thing he notices is the cut in your lip. That was enough for him to run towards you. Kneeling down on the ground, he holds your face with both hands.

"What happened?" he asks while being consumed by angst. Your small hands hold his wrists. You couldn't answer his question; you are sobbing and shaking from the cold. He starts taking off his jacket and helps you put it on. "Do you want to go home?" he asks while stroking your hair. Jungkook never experienced something like that. He wants to kill everyone who was the reason for your situation. Also, he doesn't want to hurt you more, but he is scared. Scared of the reason you were in this situation. "I can't go home," you say, trying to wipe away your tears. "Let's go to my house," he asks. Unsure if he would scare you away. But you only nod. He turns around. "Piggyback," he says, and waits. You position yourself, and he stands up to walk to his house.

After a quick walk, he gets into the house. Letting you down carefully, he walks to his room to get you some dry clothes. When he comes back, you already start changing. You smile at his oversized black shirt and sleeping shorts. Getting the white socks, you start laughing. Jungkook turned to you while making tea. "You really wear toe socks?" you ask cutely. He smiled, "They're really comfortable!". It was weird wearing those, but you felt comfortable. He comes back with two cups, giving you one. "Thank you," you say, taking a sip. "I will go change quickly, okay?" he asks. You nod, drinking from your tea. You feel warmed up, but you know that you will have a cold tomorrow. Jungkook comes back wearing similar clothes as you. He smiles at you and gives you a blanket. Leaving once again to get the first aid kit.

Hugging the blanket, you turn to him. "I had an argument with my family," you say. He sits next to you, listening carefully. "You know, I wanted to go to an art school. I love drawing and everything about art. My family was against it. They want me to become something high. Don't ask me why they think being an artist is low or bad. Anyway, the first time we had that argument, like two years ago, I had house arrest. And yes, I am stubborn, and I didn't stop drawing. Today they found my box with all the sketches. My father turned red. He ripped them into pieces, and when I told him that I hadn't made a mistake, he slapped me. Oh, and he threw me out. " You could feel a tear escaping from your eye. Jungkook is quick; he pads the tear away with a broken smile. "I mean, they are my family. Why can't they accept me with my interests and opinions? Is it that wrong to have dreams? I don't get it; I just want to be loved. Is that too much to ask for?" Your voice sounds whiny. You lean your head against the armrest and cry. "You don't need to question yourself. Of course, it is normal to have expectations of your parents. It's their fault if they're not supporting you. And I know maybe it's easier to say than to do, but you shouldn't give up on your dreams because of them. You're a person who can decide what to do with your own life," he says while playing with your hair. You turn your head to look at him. "Thank you for being with me. I really appreciate it." He smiles at that. "No need to thank me. I will always support you." You sigh and say, "Jungkook, you're leaving in three months. It makes me more sad." Jungkook doesn't want to think about it. "Come here. Let's clean your wound first and then blow-dry your hair," he just says. He is gentle while cleaning your wound, and he also helps you blow-dry your hair.

"Do you feel a little better?" he asks, watching the way you look around. You hum, "I like your home! You put a lot of effort into it." Jungkook smiles at your voice. "Thank you," he says. You come back to him, sitting next to him. Awfully cute, he thinks. You know it will make everything more complicated, but you cuddled up to him and closed your eyes. He welcomes you into his arms. Playing with your hair to make you fall asleep. He couldn't help thinking about your family. It makes him so angry to know that they were treating you like that. He wished he could protect you from everyone.

–

The next morning feels worse than the last night. A headache is bothering you, and you are freezing. You get up from your lying position, looking around. Last night you fell asleep on the couch, and now you're lying on the bed. Jungkook is nowhere to be seen. Standing up, you walk to the living room, which also has the kitchen built in. Opening the door, you can smell some delicious food. Jungkook is cooking something and looks really serious in the process.

"Good morning," you say, pouting at your own voice. Jungkook smiles at you, "Good morning. You did catch a cold, right? Poor baby, come here; I cooked some soup." You walk to the table and sit down. "It's so cold," you say while holding the bowl he was giving you. He sits in front of you. "I hope the soup will warm you up a bit," he adds. For the record, the soup looks delicious and smells like a dream. Without a doubt, you eat it up.

"They asked about us in the group chat, and I told them that you're sick," he says after eating up as well. Only now do you realize that your phone is in your bag at home. Also, it was Monday. Monday is a school day. Your mouth hangs open now. "Oh my god, I totally forgot about school. Why are you here? You should go," you say, frowning. He simply looks at you disgustingly. "You really thought I would leave like this?". You shrug. Jungkook stands up to clean the table and starts to hum a song. That is a good moment for you to go to the bathroom and wash up. Peeking out of the bathroom, you ask him, "Is it okay for you when I take a quick shower?". He turns to look at you. "Yes, of course. In the closet, you can find some fresh towels."

After a quick shower, you come out to find him lying on the couch. You lay down, your head next to his stomach. Thinking about what you want to do. You can't stay here forever; your family will look for you. "I will go home later," you say quietly. He is watching you the whole time. "Are you sure? You can stay here as long as you want," he says, stopping his hand to find your hair. "Thank you for letting me stay. But I need to talk to them someday. Maybe I can move out?" You look up in his direction. "Yeah, maybe that's the best for you and your family. Maybe you need some time alone without them. But are you really going to change your dreams?" he asks hesitantly. "I don't know. I want to become an artist so bad," you say, feeling the urge to cry. "Look, my parents want me to become something important too. But I want to be a basketball player. I will do everything to make it," he says, smiling. "You sit up and show your pinky finger. "Let's make a promise. I will become an artist, and you will be a professional basketball player." He shows his pinky finger too and says, "Promise." So you make a pinky promise. He wants to hold your hand forever.

The knocking on the door made both of your heads look in the direction. Your fingers are no longer in a hug. "Aaah, I forgot to tell you that the others wanted to come over. After hearing that you're sick," Jungkook says while smiling with his teeth, He stands up to open the door, and the first one running in is Tae. "Yn, I missed you so much! Are you feeling better?" he asks you right away. You laugh at his words. "I missed you too! And yes, I feel a lot better." Jia puts some snacks on the table, and Jiho's eyes are going between you and Jungkook. "Jiho, no need to look like that. It's not just me having a cold. I had an argument with my parents," you say, knowing he would state some stupid shit. All of them sit down to listen to you.

After telling them the whole story without the part when your father slapped you because you're too embarrassed, they looked sad and angry at the same time. "Girl, you're really talented, and I don't think you should give up because of them," Jia says. Jiho and Tae quickly agree. "You can talk to them, and if they don't listen, their loss. We can organize a small apartment to live in." Tae suggests. "I don't know about that. I want to move out, but no money, dude," you say, trying to be realistic. "We can be roommates if you want. Those dorms will let us in, right?" Jia says hopefully. You nod. "You're right; we could try that. But don't feel like you need to do that. I can move in with some random girl." Jia rolls her eyes. "Come on, you know I hate living with my brothers. I was thinking about moving out too." You give her a flying kiss. "You know we can send your dad sketches as a letter," Tae says, like he had the best idea in the world. All of you started laughing. "He would kill us," you say while laughing. "Thank you for being my friends," you say after a while. Is it normal that Jungkook is hearing the word 'friends' echoed?

–

Jungkook is walking you home. He wished you could stay a little longer, but he knows that you need to talk to them. Back at Jungkook's place, you guys did some research about a dorm and the chances of a room in the middle of the school year. Luck was never on your side. The next free room was at the end of the year. So you wanted to talk to your parents about it and spend the rest of the school year at home until you can move to the dorm. In front of your house, Jungkook turns to you and says, "If anything happens, you just need to look out of your window. I will wait here a bit." You don't know what to say. He is caring a lot for you, and you don't know what to think about the meaning behind it. It's just that you feel special when he talks to you. "Thank you. I will inform you about everything. Don't worry!" you say while walking up the stairs. Jungkook walks over to stand under your window. He would burn the house down if your father tried to hurt you again.

You knock on the door, already hearing some steps. The door is opened by your sister. "So you came back," she says, trying to provoke you. The funniest girl, you thought. You walk in, knowing your parents would sit in the living room. Your mother is the first one to notice your presence. "There you are! I know you would come and apologize to your father," she says, a little too happy. You can't control your laughter. "No, I'm not here to apologize, mother. I just came back because I live here. And I don't want to live like you want me to. If you don't like my decisions and dreams, it's your problem. I can live with the fact that you will never support me. If you want, you can act like I died and whatever. I will move out at the end of the school year anyway and will live for my dreams."

The room is silent for a while. Your father turns to you and says, "I knew you would never become someone big. It was my fault for not seeing how stupid you are. Do whatever you want! At the end, you will come and beg me to help you out. And on that day I will laugh in your face. Just wait for it. Oh, and I will count the days until you're out of this house. You can go find a husband or a dorm; I don't care anymore," he says, venom in his voice. He really thinks he won? It is a win for you.

Turning back to your room, you look out of your window. Jungkook is standing there with a straight face. You quickly grab your phone from your bag and take a picture.

YN: Someone is watching me -.-

You see him looking around.

Kook: There is no one?

YN: [picture send] Looook :(

Jungkook looks up.

Kook: Omg, he is so good-looking 😍

You laugh at that.

YN: Jokes aside, I'm good. You can go home🙂‍↕️

Kook: Want to talk about it?

YN: Let's Facetime while u walk home

You quickly call him on FaceTime. Letting him stay on your desk while you try to fix your room. You tell him everything you and your father said. "I'm proud of you that you told him right away," he says while watching you move around. "Thanks. Can you see my room? It's such a mess. What was his intention, man?" you ask him while standing in the middle of it. Not knowing where to start. He is actually sad seeing your room in that condition. The last time he came, it was calming. "Yeah, I can help you tomorrow if you want," he suggests. "Nah, no need; I will throw away the stuff," you say. He watches you throw a lot of stuff into a plastic bag the same size as you.

Jungkook is already home, but you are in the flow of cleaning up, so he starts to clean up too. When both of you are done, it is already 2 am. You lay down on your bed with your phone. It didn't last long until you fell asleep. Jungkook comes back to his phone after realizing that you're not answering. He sees you sleeping and smiles. Okay, he takes a screenshot. Wishing you a good night, he hung up.

–

2 months later...

The time passed quickly. Now there are only four weeks left until Jungkook is returning home. You spent all day together, sometimes just the two of you, other times with your friends. Not only Tae, but all of your friends could see that Jungkook had obvious feelings for you. You were good at hiding what you felt.

It is almost 11 p.m., and you are working on your sketch. To be honest, you have been working on this one for weeks. You want to give it to Jungkook as a gift. It was a portrait of him wearing his favorite basketball team's jersey. The number '97' on the front side. The cozy mood in your room shifted when you heard your phone ringing. You sigh and pick up. "What do you want, Tae?". "Yn, could you come and pick us up? We are soooo full of drinks that it is cra-," he says while burping at the end. "Who are we?" you ask. You could hear the music in the back.

"Me and Jungkook silly," he says, laughing. Did you hear him right? Jungkook never told you about going out tonight. "Send me your location," you say, not waiting for a response. You hang up. You change into a pair of jeans and a tight black top. Getting your purse, you walk out of the house. Walking to the next taxi point, you check out the location. Fortunately, it was not that far away.

You step out of the car and walk into the location. It is a really crowded bar. You should wear something else and dance a little. Walking through the people with a small 'excuse me,' you give your best looking for them. In one corner, you see both of them with pretty girls around. Oh, okay, someone has fun; you thought watching Jungkook. He feels a burning stare on his face and immediately turns in your direction. You never saw him that drunk. He is waving at you with puppy eyes and a big smile. For a minute, you feel like a sky full of stars. You walk to them to stand in front of the table. Tapping your feet on the floor, you say, "What is going on here?" Tae gets scared and stops talking to the girl next to him. "It was so boring without you," Jungkook says, trying to reach your hand. Cute, you thought. The girls are not that happy about your arrival. You turn to one of them. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to take them home." Surprisingly, she is kind and left with the other girls. "And you both! Follow me," you say, trying to look dangerous. You walk to the door, and after looking over your shoulder, you see that they are following you with their heads down. Oh, you totally feel like their mother.

Outside, you look at both of them. "Let's wait here for a taxi," you say. Then you decide to bring both of them to a wall on which they could lean. They are drunk as fuck. And of course there are no taxis around. You sigh in annoyance. "Can you both walk? There is no taxi; all are full. Maybe we could grab a coffee somewhere and go with a bus?" you suggest. "I'm fine; let's go," Jungkook says with a smirk. You want to rip that out of his face because you're melting. You stand in the middle of both, Tae holding one of your arms and Jungkook acting like he is totally fine. You guys start to walk down the street.

After ten minutes, you see an open cafe. You turn to Jungkook, "I will grab some coffee. Stay here with Tae, okay? You guys can also sit down on the sidewalk," you say. He nods his head, watching you walk in. "Look at those; they are laughing at us," Tae says while looking at a group of men. Jungkook looks in their direction. The group of men stopped talking and turned fully to them. "What are you looking at?" one of them says. "You're laughing at us!" Tae says. All of the men start laughing. "Come on, stupid boy, turn around. Your ugly face is giving me a hard time," another man says. "Who are you calling ugly?" Jungkook says, walking in the direction. At this moment, you walk out with two coffee cups in your hand. You are shocked to see that some of the men are walking towards Jungkook and that Jungkook and Tae are walking to the men. "You little shit, I will fuck you up," the man says. That is a clear signal for you to cut in.

"I'm so sorry, please stop this," you say while walking to Tae. Jungkook gives you a side eye. Not liking the fact that you apologized. "Go to the side, lady, if you don't want to get hurt," the shorter man says. "Who are you to talk to her like that?" Tae says. Jungkook was ready to throw a punch. You watch all the men standing there. There are five people, and you would count Jungkook and Tae as one person due to the fact that they were drunk. Without thinking much, you throw both of the coffee cups in the direction of the men. A loud gasp is heard from them. The coffee was hot. You turn to Jungkook and Tae and scream, "Run!".

You never ran away like this. The group of men is hot on your tracks. You feel like passing out at any moment. The energy is leaving your body. Jungkook notices that and holds your hand to pull you with him. After a run into small alleys, you stop. They lost you. Jungkook leans on the wall. Tae is sitting on the floor, and you are holding your knees. All of you needed a moment to catch your breath. When you look at both of them, you start laughing. It is so loud that an old woman opened her window to yell at you. With that, you walk away.

On your way, you finally found a taxi. Firstly, you made a stop at Tae's house. You help him get inside. Returning to the taxi, you give Jungkook's address. He is leaning against the window with a big smile. You look at him in question. "Are you mad at me?" he asks. He stopped smiling and looked like he was seconds away from crying. "Why should I?" you ask back. "I didn't know that he wanted to go to a bar. I would tell you. You know that, right?" He reaches for your hand. Now he is playing with your fingers. "Don't worry, I know you would tell me. I was just a little shocked," you say while smiling at him.

The car stops in front of his house, so you head out and help him get into the house. He sits down on the couch, and you help him get out of his shoes. "Next time when you go to a bar, you shouldn't drink that much. You both did! What would you do if nobody could get you?" you scold him. "I swear I said just one glass, and then he said, don't be a pussycat; drink more," Jungkook says. You look at him annoyed, "Wow, so smart of you." After helping him take off his shirt, you ask, "What were you guys talking about with the girls?". He scrunches his nose and replies, "Nothing; they were bubbling. Why are you asking?". You hum and toss the clean shirt in his face. "Ouch!" he says, still catching it. "Oh, sorry, I thought you saw me throwing it," you say. "Noooo, you're jealous!" he says after putting the shirt on. He quickly changes his jeans into black jogging pants. "I'm not jealous," you say. "I don't believe you! Don't worry, baby, you will be my number one forever," he says while wiggling his eyebrows. "Oh, shut up. Come on, go do your nightly routine, and then go sleep," you say after tossing the clothes that he took off into the laundry basket. "But you will stay here, right?" he asks with puppy eyes. You nod and smile at him.

After his nightly routine, Jungkook went to bed and fell asleep in the same second his head touched the pillow. You watch him from the doorframe. A little sad about the fact that he is leaving soon. You wish he would stay forever. Also, you do know that you two had a different bond than with the others. But nothing precious like this lasts forever, right?

–

It was early in the morning, and you were standing in Jungkook's kitchen. You were never good at cooking, but today you want to top your own skills. Tasting the soup, you scrunch your face. Yeah, you should do a favor for everyone and never cook again. You add some seasoning to make it more tasty. It is weird to feel that much like it's your own home. The thought of this ending soon makes you sad.

You are in your thoughts when Jungkook comes out of his room, his feet sweeping the whole floor. You turn around and watch his tired face until he looks up to meet you. He immediately starts smiling, "I thought you left." You gasp, "I was cooking for you! Come eat some, and then you can take some painkillers," you add. Jungkook rushes to his chair and starts eating. "You don't want to eat?" he asks you. You just shook your head. "Nope, I will meet Jia later. We have a girls date." He nods. Watching him eat was enough for you to light up your mood.

"Why did Tae want to go to a bar?" you ask while cleaning the space you used for cooking. He is done with eating. "I don't know; he told me he felt like it," he answers. It would be a lie if he said that he is not scared of your opinion about him now. The last thing he wants is for you to get a false impression of him. You walk towards him and hand him the painkillers with a glass of water. He gives you a flying kiss and swallows. "I need to go now. You can rest a bit," you suggest. Jungkook looks at you with puppy eyes. "Have fun," he says. You waved at him and left the apartment.

After doing his morning routine, Jungkook sits down with a paper and a pen. If anyone were to tell him that he was going to write a letter, he would definitely laugh at that. But no, it was the truth. He was shy to say the thoughts he had in his head, and he was a better writer. So why not write a letter about his feelings? He starts writing, and it got longer than he expected. After some hours, he finishes writing and looks around. Of course he needed to rewrite the letter over and over again. So he stands up and throws the scattered papers away. On his way back, he gets an envelope to put his letter in. Will he ever be able to give it to you?

–

11:30 PM

Jungkook wakes up from his sleep. His phone is vibrating the whole time. He doesn't know when he fell asleep. Sitting up, he gets his phone and sees missed calls and messages from you. He feels nervous scrolling through the messages.

Yn: I think I'm in trouble?!?!?!

Yn: Could you maybe pick us up?

Yn: I guess you're asleep. Sorry for disturbing.

He didn't waste more time reading all of your messages; instead, he called you right away. It took you longer to answer, and he didn't even realize that he was holding his breath. "Omg, Jungkook?!" you ask, out of breath. "What happened? Are you okay? I fell asleep, so I didn't see your messages," he asks. You sigh and add, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. We got in trouble with some guys. We're at the hospital right now. But we're okay! Jiho is on the way." Jungkook stands up and walks to the door. "I'm coming," he says while rushing down the stairs. You could hear him running.

"Thank you for coming, Jiho," Jia says. You could see that she was tired. "Jiho, could you bring her home? I will walk; it's not that far," you ask him. "Is Jungkook coming?" he asks back. "Yes, he was on his way. I will walk with him; don't worry," you say and wave at them. At the same time, you see Jungkook rushing towards you. You try to smile because you know he would scold you a little.

"Omg, what happened?" he asks right away. "Good night to you too," you say, half joking. You pull him with you while walking home. "We just had an argument with some dudes. They were bullying a young boy, so we tried to help him. But they were a little drunk and started to push us. Then the police came out of nowhere, and we escaped without realizing that we didn't do anything wrong. That's it," you say nonchalantly. He looks at you in shock. "Did you get hurt? Why would you run away?!" he asks while checking up on you. "I just scratched my arm because I felt down. But it doesn't hurt anymore," you say, holding his wrist. "Yn! It's so dangerous to get into an argument with strangers. Why would you do that?!". "Oh, come on, Jungkook! I just wanted to help that poor boy!" you say, scoffing. He looks at you like, 'Oh, really?' "You could call the police," he says. Yes, you could, but in that moment everything happened so fast that you forgot to think about it.

"Stop scolding me! I will never call you again," you say, getting mad at him. "Oh, come on! You know that I'm right. I'm just thinking about you. Show me your injury," he says a little softer. "I don't want to," you say, pouting at him. He starts stroking your hair. "Come on. I'm just worried about you, and I don't want you to get hurt." You give him a side eye. "Next time call me and I'll show them what it is to argue with you," he says, wiggling his eyebrows. It's his way of making you laugh by saying random things. You just want him to go on and see his limits. "I'm getting sad. Are you ignoring me for real? Did I say something wrong? That wasn't my intention. I just got scared, and also I don't want to come to the hospital and see you in other conditions," he says, looking at his shoes. "I'm not mad! I just wanted to give you the silent treatment. I know that it was stupid to get into a fight with them. That was the last time. We were a little stupid, I promise," you say, patting his head. He immediately smiles up. It was nice to know someone cared for you.

–

School days are always boring and tiring. Today is exactly the same way. You and your friends are sitting in the school cafeteria because of the one lesson where the teacher was sick and you guys had study time for your own. You are drinking mango juice while taking notes for the next lesson. "Did you look for some colleges to go to after finals?" Jia asks. Tae scoffs at the question, "Why is everyone asking that? My parents also started talking about it, and I really feel nervous." You pat his back with a sad smile. "I'm interested in laws, maybe in that area something," Jiho says. To be honest, you are thinking about this question a lot because you know you have to deal with your parents. You had a lot of discussions with them, and you know their opinions will never change, but it felt like a big stone in front of your dreams. It's hard to go on a lonely journey without them, and you're scared that things will turn out differently than expected. Jungkook notices that you were deep in thought, so he slightly taps your arm. Turning towards him, you smile softly. "What about you? Art, is it right?" he asks and tilts his head, remembering the pinky promise. "I'm not sure about it," you answer honestly. The other three are deep in conversation, so it feels a little easier to open up. "What's that supposed to mean? I thought it was a big dream of yours," he says, looking a little confused. "Yeah, it is. But I'm not ready to deal with my family, I guess.".

"You know it's your life, and nobody should dig into it. Why would you give up your dream for them? I know they're family, but at the end of the day, you can try what you dream of." He is looking into your eyes with hope. "It's easy for you to say so, Jungkook. I've been dealing with them for over five years about this topic. It was not allowed to own things based on art. Do you really think they will be okay with it? I know I told them that I would move out and live my dream. But I don't know what if I'm the only one thinking it is worth it? Sometimes I overthink about it. At the end, my decision is my dream, but I'm also confused." you say with a straight face. "Look, I know what you mean, but if you go to that college, they will accept it at the end of the day, and you're thinking too much about it," he says. "No, they will not. They will wait for a moment to see me fall so that they can say we told you. And you know they would never offer me a helping hand. If I go for my dreams, I will lose them. And this doesn't even sound scary. I would be okay with that now, but will I be in the future?" you say while shaking your head. "Ah, come on, that's too dramatic. You need to take a risk sometimes. I also have the feeling that you're scared. Why don't you trust your skills?

Don't be a chicken and be scared of a new way!". He is scolding you for your words.

It is strange to feel hurt by that because he was trying to give you some courage. You also don't know why the next words come out like that. "Sorry that I'm scared to be alone and confused about my future. I wish my parents would be like yours, sending me to other cities and countries for my dreams. We are not on the same boat, Jungkook." His words feel like salt over a wound. How pathetic! You need to give up all your dreams for your parents, and other parents would give up everything to fulfill their children's dreams. Jungkook is stunned to say anything; it totally took him off. You gather your things and thoughts. "I need some books at the library; see you in class" are your last words before leaving. Jungkook watches you and turns to his friends, who are looking at him questioningly. "What happened?" Tae asks. "I think I crossed a line without realizing." He could feel a sting in his chest. It never was his intention to hurt you or make you feel uncomfortable.

Jungkook wanted to talk to you again, but you were busy doing other stuff. Ignoring him till the end of the school day and also disappearing on the way home. For him, it feels like weight.

–

"Oh, come on, man, slow down," Tae says while trying to get the bottle in Jungkook's hand. "I texted her, and she didn't even respond to me. She will never talk to me again? Fuck, I never thought I would make her feel hurt," he responds. The boys met for a drinking session, and he was already tipsy.

"Bro, maybe she wanted to think it over before talking with you. She does that a lot. You know we had a lot of arguments, and she never ghosted me," Jiho says with a little smile. Jungkook finishes his glass full of soju. "I don't know," he says. He will try every chance to talk to you again, but he feels like shit knowing that he hurt you. "You can buy something really big for her birthday! It's on the weekend, remember?" Tae suggests. Jungkook freezes on his spot. "Her birthday?" he asks. "Yeah, on Saturday," Jiho answers. "She will not invite me to her birthday, right?" he cries out. Both men are shocked and watch his little tantrum. "I will go and talk to her," Jungkook says while getting up. Tae tries to stop him, but it isn't working. He is already on his way to you.

You are brushing your hair after a shower and also think about the conversation with Jungkook. Yeah, you totally overreacted because he never wanted to make you feel bad or anything like that. You decide to talk to him tomorrow and tell him that you're a little sensitive and that you are sorry for the reaction. After finishing your nightly routine, you walk to your bed. At that moment, someone familiar opens the window and crawls in. You are so shocked that nothing comes out of your mouth, and you grab a pillow to throw it at him. Jungkook looks up to meet your eyes.

"Oh my god, are you crazy?!" you whisper at him. "Hi," he says with a lazy grin. "You are not answering my messages, so I needed to reach out," he adds. "I wanted to talk to you in person tomorrow, dummy," you answer. You walk to the door and lock it. Turning back, you sit down in front of him. "Look, I know I hurt you, but that was never my intention. I just wanted to help you make a decision. But I know it's not okay to say you're a chick. You're not! I should empathize more. I can understand if you don't want to talk to me, but give me a chance. Hmm, I will do everything you want! Maybe I could buy you so-" He starts talking, but you cut him off with your hand on his mouth. "I'm sorry I overreacted a little bit. You know I'm really sensitive with this topic because everything seems like a burden to me. But I never forget our pinky promise. Don't worry," you say and reach for his hand. He watches the way you are holding his hand and moving your thumb up and down. "No, I'm sorry. I wanted to make you feel better and feel supported, but it was the wrong way. I know how hard it is for you. How you're struggling with them. You feel little with them, right?" He is looking straight into your eyes. You could feel the tears threatening. "I feel lonely," you confess, and a little tear escapes your eye. He is quick enough to catch your tear with his fingers. "I will be here for you," he says. "You're leaving soon," you reply. "I love you," he says with a smile. "You're drunk" is the only thing you could say. "Maybe! But my feelings will not change because of alcohol," he whispers. Maybe it was like a promise. It wasn't easy to hold onto that because knowing that all of this will end soon made you feel sick.

For a moment you want to hold the time and forget everything else. You lean forward to kiss him. He caught that quick and also leaned in. Kissing him felt like a new wave of hope. He is holding your cheek to deepen. After some seconds, you pull away to catch your breath. Jungkook smiles at you and kisses your cheek. "Come on, drink first, and after that, we can sleep on my bed," you say while standing up. Jungkook sits down on the bed waiting for you. On your desk is a cup of water that you hand him. He drinks all of it while looking at you. It makes you nervous, and you couldn't hold your laugh. "You're cute when you're drunk," you say. He pouts at you, "Just when I'm drunk?". You help him lay down and take your own spot. Jungkook pulls you into his arms and starts stroking your hair. Tonight, after a long time, is the first time that you fell asleep right away. And your sleep was actually good.

–

The next morning came fast. You are the first one to open your eyes, watching him in his peaceful sleep. You start playing with his soft hair. If there was a chance of a wish for you, you would wish for him to stay with you. But you're not selfish enough to ask him to stay. Would he consider that anyway? You watch him open his eyes and look around before finding yours. He smiles at you lazily and brushes one strand of hair behind your ear. His movements are soft, and you want more.

"Did you sleep well?" you ask him while sitting up. He is holding your hand and nods. "I would like to offer you breakfast, but if my parents see you, we are both dead," you say. Jungkook finally sits up and pats your head. "All good. I will wait for you on the bench so we can go to school." You nod and stand up to go to the bathroom. He didn't want to let go of your hand, but he gave up soon. After finishing your routine, it was Jungkook's turn. You start to change your clothes when Jungkook finishes his job. He froze on his spot when he caught you without your sleeping shorts. It didn't take him long to turn around and quickly say, "Sorry." You laugh at that and try to hide your red cheeks that you got. When you're done, Jungkook escapes from the window, and you prepare two sandwiches for the way.

As promised, he is waiting on the bench with a big smile. "Here, I made you a sandwich," you say while offering. He takes a bite without taking it from you. You watch his face getting angry. Yep, that is a good sign. Then he takes it from your hand and starts eating.

–

It was Thursday, and Jungkook was five seconds away from getting on his knees to cry. Tae is holding his arm because he knows what will happen when Jungkook stops you. For the record, it was after school, and everyone wanted to go on a shopping trip, but without you. The reason was obvious: your birthday presents. And of course you asked them if they wanted to grab a boba with you. They needed to make some weird excuses, and your face changed into a sad expression. As you walked away while saying, "Okay, I will go alone and see you tomorrow," Jungkook was ready to call you back. Jia turns to the men standing next to her and says, "I will go with her. I bought my present a long time ago." She is rushing to get to you. "Calm down, dude. She will understand," Tae says to Jungkook. So the men club walks to the nearest shopping mall. Tae and Jiho are deep in thought about the perfect gift. Jungkook knows what he wants to buy.

"Where were you, man?" Tae asks after Jungkook came. "I bought the present," he answers. "Dude, I thought we were going to look together. That's unfair," Jiho says while pouting. "I knew what I wanted to buy, so it was easy. Now I can help you guys," he says. Tae waves with the bag in his hand and says, "We already bought something." The three of them went to the food court and ate. Jungkook is sitting with his phone in his hand, waiting for your response.

Kook: What are you doing??

sent

Tae and Jiho shared a knowing look. Both want to say something, but it is easier while they were practicing than now. "Are you feeling something towards yn?" Jiho asks. The question so heavy that also Tae choked on his drink. Jungkook looks up in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asks. "Come on, don't act stupid. You know what I mean. Just answer the question". All of them are quiet for a moment.

"I never felt something like this towards someone," he says after a while. Tae smiles at his words, "We can tell." Jungkook shrugs his shoulders. "I know it's unrealistic. I will leave soon. I don't know how I will turn back to my usual life and pretend like nothing happened here. I can't ask her to come with me, and I can't stay because I don't know if she is feeling the same way. Thinking about it makes me feel like dying slowly". Both men are listening to him with a sad expression. "Every end can be a part of a start. Just because you're leaving doesn't mean it will end. You can go to a college in the same city or nearby. Meet up every other day. It's all about communication, Jungkook. If both of you want a future together, then it will work out. You both just need to make some efforts. You should find the answer to her feelings first," Tae says while tapping on Jungkook's shoulder.

Jungkook nods. "You think we could work?" he asks with teary eyes. "Of course. Love shouldn't be about a perfect plan. It will make it more passionate when you need to fight for it. Time will show you at the end if it's working. And if not, you will at least not regret anything," Tae answers. "Thank you, Tae. That was a big help for me," Jungkook says and wipes off his tears. A small sob is heard. Both of them are confused and turn to Jiho, who was crying. "I'm all whiny when it comes to love struggles," he says, struggling to speak. "I never saw Jiho like this," Tae says and starts laughing. Jungkook joined him and thanked God that he met friends like them.

–

You are sitting with Jia, sipping from your boba. Your mind was on someone else, yes, of course Jungkook. Why would he go without you? Now some scenarios going inside your head. How ridiculous to think about the worst cases; he is seeing someone. Jia senses that you were deep in thought. At the same time, she is checking the birthday group for pictures of the gifts that the boys are sending. Your phone vibrates, and that is a good thing for stopping your weird thoughts and a help to come back to this moment. Jungkook's message makes you smile; he was thinking about you. But who would you be if you answered right away? With a lighter heart, you start talking with your best friend and forget to reply.

–

Kook: Are you alive?!

sent

Kook: Are you ignoring me? TT

sent

He is seconds away from walking to your house and climbing up the window. It is enough for him to fuck up the plan and tell you everything about the present shopping just to clarify that he would love to go to the mall with you, and he would never say no to a boba date. He randomly stands up from his bed and picks up his jacket. If you're not answering, then he will get the answer face to face.

Yn: Why would I ignore you? o.o

Jungkook heard his phone vibrating and threw away the jacket in his hands. Jumping on the bed to lie back and answer quickly.

Kook: Idk... you didn't reply

Yn: Sorry, my battery died:(

Kook: nah it's okay now I know that everything is fine

Yn: yes! Good night 🫶🏼

Kook: good night <3

He needs to see you tomorrow to check if you're sulky at all.

–

You are walking to the classroom with a big smile on your face. This morning you decided to cook for yourself and Jungkook. Okay, you're not the best cook, but it tasted really good. Halfway through the hallway, you stop in your tracks. Is that Jungkook with the pretty girl from the other class? They are talking and laughing. You never saw them talk before, so it's hard to understand from where the closeness came. You watch them a little, and seeing her touching him the whole time makes you sick. The feeling is new in your heart, but you don't want to overthink it. Could it be that your weird scenarios from yesterday were true? Are they more than strangers? Bitter, you feel bitter.

Jungkook talks with Yuna about a school club. Explaining that he was gone next week, so he couldn't extend any of the clubs. He is talking to her for the first time, but he can feel that the girl in front of him wants to know more about him. The conversation is smooth, and he has fun. Until his eyes wander off to the back, and there you are standing. You look a little confused. His eyes meet yours, and that is a signal for you to walk away. Jungkook's face drops quickly, and he cuts the conversation off gently. Wishing her goodbye, he walks to the class.

By the time you are sitting at your desk and looking at something on your phone. The weather is perfect. Jungkook sits in front of you. "Good morning," he says. You didn't look up but answered quickly with a good morning. From the corner of your eyes, you could see him sulking. "Are you mad at me because of yesterday? Come on, I will tell you about it tomorrow!" he says. This is a big hint because tomorrow he wants to count down your birthday. "I'm not mad at you because of yesterday. I just thought we were close enough that you would tell me about the girls you're seeing," you say while putting your phone away. He opens his mouth to say something, but he is stunned. "I'm not seeing anyone. Why would you think that?" he asks. You start looking at him in disbelief. "The girl from earlier wants you. It was so clear," you say. He laughs at that and adds, "I don't care about that; I want someone else." Why is he wiggling with his eyebrows right now?!

"Anyway, I don't care. I cooked lunch for both of us, but now I don't want to share," you say with a pouting face. "Aw, don't lie. You care! And how cute of you to cook for me as well. Can we please share? I want to taste it," he says. You start glaring at him, but his cute face is no help. He starts playing with your fingers. "You know the day I came to your room a little drunk after our first fight?" he asks, not looking up. You nod. "I remember what I said. And I was honest about it". He looks into your eyes. You never answered, but that also never was his intention. He wanted to talk about his feelings, and he will wait until you can talk about yours. His words are enough to make you smile. "I like serious men," you say. "So you like me?" he asks. You look around the room; everyone was inside their own bubble. You come closer to kiss him on the cheek. "Answer your own question," you whisper. It feels like a dream.

At lunchtime you take out two lunch boxes. One in front of Jungkook and one in front of yourself. He opens it with sparkling eyes. "It looks so good, omg," he says. You also cut the vegetables in star shapes. He laughs at that and starts eating. You watch his expression, and seeing him angry was a good sign. Eating happily together is peace for both of you. "Do you have plans for tomorrow night?" he asks after finishing his food. "Hmm, no. Why?" you look at him. "Let's do something together and count down. On Saturday we could celebrate with the rest of the group," he suggests. "Okay, I'm in. What are we going to do? you ask. "It's a surprise," he answers, smiling.

–

It is Friday night, and you are getting ready to meet Jungkook. You decide to wear a black skirt and a cropped brown turtleneck. In front of the door, you wear your leather jacket, scarf, and black Converse. Of course you told your parents that you are going to Jia.

Walking down the street, you see Jungkook waiting. He looks hot with his hair done and an outfit that is matching yours. He sees you coming and waves. Only then did you see the red roses in his hand. That makes your heart skip a beat. "Hi," you say with a shy smile. "Hi, you look beautiful," he says and hands you the roses. "Thank you! They're so pretty, like you," you say while smiling like an idiot. "Come on, let's go. We only have 30 minutes. We will count down at home," he tells you the plan for the night.

After a quick walk, you could see the sea shining. The stars are beautiful, and you feel happy after a long time. "Actually, I wanted to eat the cake here with you, but then I decided to only watch the stars with you instead," he says. "You know that I love the night and the sea," you say. Now you were walking beside the water. It is calming to walk while listening to the water. "I think you were right. That girl from yesterday found me on Instagram and texted me," he suddenly shares. You look at him confused and ask, "What did she say?". "If I want to meet her," he replies. You frown at that. It is selfish to want him only for yourself because, yeah, he is hot, and every girl would want him. "Don't worry; I blocked her right away," he says after the pause. "Why would I worry?" you say, trying to hide the relief. "So you would be okay if I went out on a date with her?" he asks, surprised. "Slow down," you say faster than expected. Jungkook couldn't control his laugh. "Don't worry, baby, I'm all yours," he says, holding up both of his hands. You turn to him with an annoyed expression. "Stop teasing me." "Me? I would never. But you're pretty when you're jealous," he says and continues to laugh.

"You wish for a tragic death," you say while putting the roses behind you. Then you push him into the water. It is so sudden that he loses his balance and falls into the water. You start laughing at him. But you didn't expect him to pull you. It is not deep enough, but your clothes are wet anyway. Both of your laughs ringing in the air. Jungkook places his hands on your waist and starts to dance. Both of you lost in each other's eyes. When was the last time you felt this happy? He starts to sing a love song you never heard before, but you love it. After he finishes, it is a sign for you to move closer. His lips so dangerously close to yours. You start kissing him while your fingers make their way up to his hair on the back. He quickly matches your lip movements. Slipping his tongue inside your mouth. The moment is like an old romantic story. You break the kiss to catch a breath. Both of you are smiling happily. Until you splash water into his face. A second of silence before you grab your roses and start running in panic. He is so fast, "Yah! Don't run away!" he screams behind you. Now you know what to wish for when you blow out the candles.

You are getting inside Jungkook's apartment. He tells you to wait in the living room. You use the time to take off your jacket and put the flowers on the table. Because of your wet clothes, you sit down on the floor. Five minutes later, Jungkook comes back with a birthday cake. Your favorite, strawberry cheesecake. The lights of the candles a beautiful contrast on his skin. He starts singing happy birthday, and you couldn't resist hiding your face with your hands. He sits down in front of you, placing the cake on the table. "Come on, blow it off," he says. You close your eyes for a moment. Thinking of the perfect wish, him. Opening them, you blow out. He claps his hands and starts cutting the cake. You don't know why you want to cry right now. Feeling emotional about the whole situation. Tears pour down your face, and you hate yourself for ruining the moment. Jungkook looks up to give you the slice. "A big slice for the birthday prince—" he stops mid-sentence. You could see the worry in his face. "What happened?" he asks. "I don't want you to leave me," you say with a sob. Saying it out loud made it more painful. He would be gone next week. Jungkook swallows the lump in his throat. "I don't want to leave too," he says, reaching for your hand. You couldn't stop crying, and he comes next to you. Hugging you tight, you lean on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for ruining this now," you told him. "Yah come on. For me it's important what you feel. Never hide it from me, okay?" he says. You nod your head. His gentle fingers are wandering on your back.

Pulling away, you look into his eyes. He brushes your hair away. This time it is him who leans closer to kiss. It feels more intimate than at the beach. He pulls you into his lap while holding your waist. The kiss deepens, and you start to move on his lap a little. Feeling a heat between your legs. His hands sliding inside your cropped turtleneck. You break the kiss and look at him with lust. "Do you want to go on?" he asks with a low voice. Nodding your head, he stands up with you on his arms. He places you on the bed and gets off his shirt. You watch his body while he gets onto the bed and starts kissing your neck. "You're so pretty," he whispers. "Can I take this off?" he asks while his fingers pull at the turtleneck. "Yes," you say a little nervous. You help him get it off. His hands start discovering your body quickly. And the next, your skirt was gone. Lying between his legs, he starts placing kisses around your boobs and stomach. Playing with the hem of your panties, he looks into your eyes for confirmation. You nod quickly and brush his hair with your hand. He takes them off, and they find a place on the floor. "Fuck," he says and starts playing with your sensitive folds. Your moans fill the room. Jungkook is quick to start with his tongue. "You taste amazing, baby," he says. You start fisting his hair. It felt better than imagined. After some time you moan his name, "Oh my god. I think I- I'm coming," you say. "Come pretty girl," he says softly. It is enough for you to shake underneath him. He swallows you happily.

After coming down from your high, you open your eyes. He is watching you like you are the prettiest night sky. The next thing gone is your bra. His fingers and tongue playing with your boobs gently. You had enough courage now to start wandering your fingers on his chest. They quickly find his belt, which you open right away. He helps you take off his pants. Only in his boxers, he watches your body. In his eyes you were the most beautiful he ever saw. His fingers find your folds again. This time pushing in. You moaned at the sudden stretch. He adds one more finger and gently pushes and pulls out of your hole. When he thought it was enough, he pulled out and licked his fingers with a smile. You smile back at him and play with the hem of his boxers. He takes them off, and your eyes wander to his dick. Yeah, he definitely is big. "I need to tell you something," you say. He caresses your face and says, "Tell me, baby." "I never did this before. It's my first time," you whisper a little embarrassed. He smiles at that. "We can stop here if you want." You pout, "No, I want this." "Okay, we will do this together. It will hurt a little, but then you will feel amazing. Trust me?" he says, planting a kiss on your jaw. "I always trust you." "It's also the first time for me," Jungkook says. Now feeling more emotional. You smile at him. "Shit, I have no condom. I can go and buy some," he says, frustrated trying to get off. You stop him. "It's okay for me. I'm on the pill". He nods at that.

"Are you ready?" he asks while starting to stroke his dick. "Yes," you answer. One hand is holding yours, and the other one is guiding his dick to your entrance. He slowly pushes his tip in. "Relax, baby." Pain shoots up through your body as he pushes his length into you inch by inch. You moan his name, and he is kissing your neck while his free hand caresses your hips. With a final thrust, he is all nestled in. He waits for you to adjust to his size. You close your eyes, feeling tears filling. It feels stretched, and it burns a little. But feeling Jungkook's lips on your body makes it all better. "You can move," you say. That is a sign for him, so he starts to slowly pull back and push in. He moans at the sensation. Quickly finding a pace that is okay for both of you. It is more than fucking; it is making love. Your bodies and hearts were one. His room is filled with the sound of bodies and moans. The night is long until you shook underneath him, reaching your high. He soon after spilled his thick ropes of cum into you. Feeling it makes you moan into his lips. After controlling his breath, he slowly pulls out and watches his cum spilling out.

Jungkook helps you clean up, and you took a shower together. You are in his arms like a koala when you turn back to his room. Wearing one of his shirts. He sits you down on his desk with a kiss on top of your hair. Then he turns to the bed and starts changing his sheets. You see the little bloodstain on it. After unfolding the fresh sheets, you lay down. He hugs you tight. "I love you." You kiss his cheek as an answer to his words. Sleep was pulling you, and Jungkook was happy to watch you.

–

Jungkook is the first one to wake up. He enjoys the view and starts playing with your hair. His head full of questions, are you going to regret everything? Your eyes flutter open and meet his. You smile at him and move closer to warm up. He smiles at that and hugs you even more. "Good morning, baby," he says. You place a kiss on his neck. "Good morning. Do you want to know what I dreamed about?" you ask. He nods his head. "About the cake. I forgot to taste it," you say, pulling away. You jut out your lip while watching his movements. "You can eat all of it if you want. Come on," he says and stands up. Holding his hand, you walk to the living room. You sit down on the floor and start to eat. "Whoa, so tasty." Jungkook carefully watches you with a smile.

He suddenly stands up and walks back to the bedroom. Soon coming back with a box in his hand. "I forgot to give you your present," he says. Sliding the little box on the table towards you as a signal to open it. You look at him confused. Opening the box, you see matching silver rings with little diamonds around them. You start laughing, "Are you going to propose?". He rolls his eyes. "Marrying you is on my list, but it's too soon," he adds. "So romantic," you say while getting shy. You take out one of the rings and try it on your middle finger. With joy you show him it. "Now showing me a middle finger? Tsk," he says. You take out the other one, which is a little bit bigger than yours. "Which finger?" you ask. "Index," he answers. You slide it on his finger. He touches your hand. "It looks so cute." You take out your phone and take a picture of your hands. "I love it," you say with a big smile. "Thank you, Jungkook," you add after a little pause. "But I want you to wear it forever until I buy you a new one," he says. You nod at him, "Of course. But you too!". "I promise," he says.

After eating more cake, you started getting ready for the celebration with your friends. All of you rented a party room with karaoke and music. Dancing to party hits and singing your lungs out. Of course, alcohol wasn't missing. Tae forced you to play a drinking game. Both of you are already tipsy. Jungkook watched you the whole day, drinking fewer. When you called it a day, everyone started getting home.

You knew that your family wasn't home, so Jungkook helps you to get into your room. "I need to do my routine," you say and walk to the bathroom. He helps you get your makeup off and brush your teeth. Sitting on the bed, you wait for him to give you your pajamas. He helps you change and tucks you into bed. Patiently waiting for you to fall asleep. "Happy birthday," he whispers before leaving.

–

1 week later...

If you could stop the time, you would do it right now. It was one day before Jungkook returns home, and you felt more than sad. You talked a lot about this topic, but none of you had the courage to ask to stay or come. But you decided to stay in contact and go to a college that is near to meet. Why is it feeling like it will never happen and everything will end in this city?

When you arrive at the restaurant for the last dinner, you fight not to cry. It's your fault to have such a relationship with him while you knew he would be gone soon. You try to not think about it tonight. Walking inside, you can already see everyone sitting at the table. "I'm so sorry for being late," you say. "Nah, all good. I also came seconds before," Tae says. You sit down next to Jungkook (it was the only free chair). He smiles at you and you return it. Everyone starts to order food and drinks. After some time the table is full and you start eating.

"I can't believe that the time flew by so fast," Jiho says in disbelief. "Time is so crazy," Jia adds. You silently eat your pasta. Jungkook is worried about you. He can imagine what is happening inside your head. But he knows you will try to play it off tonight. Finishing your food, you start to sip from your wine. Tae gives Jungkook a little side eye, and you catch that. Perfect, your plan wasn't going anywhere. Everyone knows about my feelings, you think. It feels uncomfortable that every one of them looked at you from time to time. Oh, they want you to cry. The waiter quickly took the empty plates. You start eating the fruits and think of their story. The silence is killing you.

Tae waves a bag in front of Jungkook's face while he is busy looking at you. He turns to the bag in surprise. "That is a little gift from us all. I know we will see each other again, but I want you to remember us in this memory," Tae says. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it," Jungkook says. He pulls out a box and opens it to see the black watch. "It's so pretty," he says and starts wearing it right away. Why is it so warm in here? You can feel your eyes getting watery. And at this second you start scolding yourself. It was the last dinner together, and you don't want him to remember it like a funeral.

"I remember the first day when we were waiting for the exchange students. You were standing next to the teacher like a proud little kid," you suddenly say and start to laugh. "Oh my god, yes! They acted like it's a big mystery," Jia adds, also laughing at the memory. Jungkook is happy to see you laughing. "I was nervous, okay? New city and new people. It's not that easy," he says to defend himself. "Ah, come on. There were already rumors that you are hot," Tae says. "Everybody wanted to see you," Jiho says with a grin. You could see his ears getting red. "Are you shy?" you ask him with a smile. "It's a little embarrassing," he answers with a pout. You laugh at that and poke his cheek. "Come on, I would feel like an idol if I were you," you say. He sticks his tongue out. The night goes on like that. Everyone telling a funny story and you feel the bonding.

Getting out of the restaurant, you start walking to the nearest station. Because of the sea, it was a lot windier, but it felt good. "Let's leave a memory of us behind," Jia says and kneels down. All of you walk towards her. She takes out a black pen that is thick enough to write on the ground. It was a little place on the floor full of names. She started writing the names. You smile at the heart she drew next to them. "We need to meet here in ten years," she says. You think about it; in ten years, where are you? What happened in your life? Are you in touch with Jungkook?

Like always, you bid goodbye to your friends. Now only you and Jungkook are walking together. "I will miss you," he says suddenly. It cuts through the silence and your heart. "I will miss you too," you say. "I never expected you to return my words, but do you have feelings for me?" he asks with soft eyes. You turn to him. "Do you think I would be like that without having feelings for you?". He nods, but you know that this is not what he is asking for. "I know that you want to hear the magic three words," you say and pause for a moment. "I will not say it to you," you add. He looks confused and asks, "Why?". "I'm scared that it will be the end of us. So I'm giving you something to wait for us," you say. His head now hanging low. When he decides to look up, you see tears streaming down his face. It is the last straw for your own tears. "This will never be the end of us, right?" he asks with a sparkle of hope. You shrug your shoulders and step closer to him. Hugging him tightly, you kiss his neck. His hands find their place on your waist. The time should stop now.

–

In the morning, all of you stand in front of Jungkook's house. It was time to go for him. He started saying goodbye to everyone. Standing in front of you, he hands you an envelope. "This is for you," he adds. You take it and smile at him. "If this is the end, will you come to my first gallery event?" you ask him. He smiles at that and answers, "I will. And will you come to my first match?". "I will," you say while wiping off your tear. He kisses you on the lips a little longer than planned. Turning around, he waves goodbye to all of you. "I will miss you," Tae says with teary eyes. "I will miss you too. Thank you for everything," Jungkook says before getting into the taxi. You watch the car drive away. Without saying anything, you walk back home. You realize that you never walked back alone from his house. This was reason enough to start crying.

Walking into your room, you lock the door. You sit down on the floor and look at the window. Can he crawl in? You look at the envelope. Why does it feel so suffocating? Opening it, you start reading the letter he left:

Dear Yn,

It's my second time writing a letter. And I needed a lot of tries to finish this one. My first letter was a confession about my feelings towards you, but I managed to say I love you. I wished I could tell you all of this, but I know that I will break down. If you're reading this, it means I'm on my way home. First of all, I want to thank you for everything. For every moment that you shared with me. I wish I could stay a little longer or promise you that this is a beginning. Maybe we will never see each other again, but never forget that these moments will always remain special to me. I will hold my promises, so please do it too. Live for your dreams and never give up, okay? If this is our end, I wish you a lovely future. A true love, someone who would stay with you no matter what. I hope you're not mad at me for leaving. I just know that it's unrealistic to say, Fuck everything; I will stay, or I will take you with me. Why are we so young? Anyway, I will always be there for you no matter what. Please call me if you need to. Never forget that I love you. I will wait for the day that you will say it back.

Your (I will always be yours)

Jungkook

Note: Please listen to the CD. I wrote the song and sang it for you.

You can't control your tears. It hurts so much that you want to cry until there are no more tears left. "I love you so much," you whisper. He was the only one who wanted your happiness. Not your family; it was him who supported your dreams. Of course your friends were also there for you. But he was special. Your first with a lot. With shaking hands, you take out the CD and put it in your CD player. Jungkook's soft voice starts playing. The song familiar to your ears. He sang it at the beach on your birthday. You cried yourself to sleep. Hoping he would be in your dreams.

–

˚₊✩‧₊2024˚₊✩‧₊

You are standing with a little group of people talking about your last works. It was your first gallery event, and you feel excited about it. More and more people come to look at your work. At the end you're happy about every single piece. You could see Tae, Jia, and Jiho standing at the table. Excusing yourself, you walk towards them. "Hiii! Thanks for coming," you say. "Everything looks so good," Tae says. You smile at him, "Thank you." "At the end it was worth it," Jia says with a smile. "Yeah, you're right," you answer. After talking a bit, you walk away to look at your own pieces and answer some questions. You stand longer at one piece, which is your favorite. You gave it the title 'end of time.' A beach at night, with two people dancing and a bucket of roses on the sand. It reminds you of your 19th birthday.

"This looks familiar," a voice says. You turn to him in disbelief. "You came," you say with a low voice. Jungkook smiles at you. "I promised." You return the smile and play with your ring that he gifted you ten years ago.

–

┊͙Epilogue - 2014┊͙

Jungkook is sitting on the train wiping his tears. He decides to listen to some music for distraction. Opening his travel bag, he finds a small bag. He doesn't remember putting this in his travel bag. He takes out the frame and starts smiling. It is a drawing of him with his favorite jersey on. Your signature on the right side. His tears start to flow again. He grabs the piece of paper and starts reading:

I hope you like it! Sorry for sneaking this in, but I wanted to surprise you. I know you're sad about the whole situation, but stop being so. I know that this will not be the end. How ridiculous it would be for two people who love each other to break contact just because they're not living next door! Right? I love you, but despite it, wait to hear it from me, okay? Now stop sulking and enjoy your ride back. <3

Today he is smiling for the first time thanks to you. You make him feel sad and happy at once. He is happy that he had the chance to get to know you and love you. And also being loved by you. He played all of his luck on this, and he regrets not a bit.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Thank you for reading! This is my first work, so I hope you enjoyed it. Also, English is not my first language, so excuse me for mistakes.

I love and hate open endings. Do you think they met at the gallery for the first time after ten years? Maybe I will write a part 2 about all the things that were left open. Depends on how many people are interested in reading this.

I would be happy if you could leave a review. Feel free to ask me questions or talk about anything (press the button in my bio)! Feel loved ♡

#kookochan #jungkook #jeon jungkook #jungkook drabble #jungkook imagine #jungkook scenarios #jungkook oneshot #jungkook au #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #jungkook smut #jungkook fic #jungkook fanfic #bts #bts x reader #bts au

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pleasantphantomhologram · 2 days ago

Text

Pairing: Jason Todd x Y/N

Warning: NONE, PURELY FLUFF <3

Summary: Adulting as a girl in this shitty world means that every single bare minimum thing that your soon to be boyfriend/crush did is such a treasure for you. You easily impress by this type of man because all men in your life including your dad are very shitty. But, with Jason Todd, your new boyfriend, everything has changed and HE teaches you more than that.

A/n: hey bare minimum gurl, how is your day lately? Yes, i am still on my holiday, and I want to write this things that happened around me. Yes, many of my girlfriends are having a boyfriend, but they are easily impressed by all this bare minimum act that their boyfriends did. All i could say is… please don’t ever settle for bare minimum, gurl. You deserved so much more 🥰

Being a girl is hard. That’s the only fact that you know since you are in school and now an adult working woman who has lived in Gotham city for almost 3 years. Yes, you are working so hard to be here, and now all of your hard work is paying off. You are a copywriter for some big agency here. It’s not that you are having this ‘Sex and The City’ dream, at some point you hate your job, but at least, the pay is not bad and you can afford this small studio apartment with your furry pet, a british shorthair cat named Zach.

It seems that your life is perfectly fine, but, of course it’s not because you are just a girl. You love reading romance novels, it’s like an escapism of your sometimes shitty boss. You have this certain type of favorite trope and dream boy, but, in real life you are very easy to impress by the bare minimum thing that every bumble match guy does to you.

You have many ex-(shitty)boyfriends, and there are also shitty crushes and it seems you never learnt from your previous relationship. But, when you meet this 28 year old man named Jason Todd from one of the parties that your friends held, everything seems different.

He is not just asking about how’s your day, or how he is always checking you out (and you are not even in a relationship yet!), but every once a week he send you a bouquet of your favorite flowers (He asked you this when you two were on your first date).

On your second date, Jason, who initiated everything, he researched the most favorite cafe to go on a date and made a list of what to do after that. He did bring you to your favorite book store and said he knew this information because he saw your Instagram story gushing over new books here.

“ To be honest, I know that you like this place because I saw your IG story a week ago.”

“You remember that?” Y/N asked with a disbelief tone. It surprised you that this man remembered the nonsense IG story that you made sometimes.

“..Shit, am I wrong? So, sorry I don't know if it made you uncomfortable.” he said.

“No.., no, it is fine. It is just… No one besides my friends is paying attention to my nonsense IG story.” You said.

“It is not nonsense, I think you are just being you and that’s cute.” You blushed at his words. Damn you Todd, she cursed in her heart.

At the end of the date, Jason Todd took you to the front of your apartment and said that he is so happy to spend time with you and surprise-surprise he said…

“Hei, Y/N i.. uhh, i like the way our conversation goes from the first time we’ve chatted, and… uhh, can we take this to another level. i … I like you. a lot, actually. and this is my first time that i felt this. And.. I don't know what’s the best time to ask you to be my girlfriend? shit, is it too soon?”

You can’t help but giggle a bit, oh my why he is so cute.

“Jay…, I like you too.” You confessed to him.

“Really? But, I think I just did the bare minimum things the guy did. You deserve more than this. Okay, I will show you how a man should treat his partner more than bare minimum.”

From the moment he told you that, you two were in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. Every weekend he visits your apartment and bring your favorite snack and food, and snacks for Mr. Zach! The first time he visited your apartment, he even steals Mr. Zach attention with his charming smile. For your information, Mr. Zach is not like you, he is hard to impress by humans, but with Jason, everything seems easy for him.

“Hello, who is this gentleman? Wow, he is so majestic.” Said Jason.

“His name is Zach.. he is..” You are stunned a bit when Mr Zach is already on Jason’s lap purring over him.

“Oh my God. he never does that to any stranger.”

“Well, I think Mr Zach approved of me as your boyfriend? Right, Mr. Zach?” Zach kept purring on his lap.

If your cat approved of this man, how can you not melt on his hand then? You thought, you will fallin so hard to this man, and you don’t even know if you will recover if you two break up.

True to his word, he always shows youi how much he care about this relationship. He posted about you on his instagram and never try to hide his relationship with you. he is fuckin smitten with you. When he is at your apartment he always listens to your rambling like…

“Guess what..” you said

“What is it babe?”

“You remember Samantha, the project manager that I told you about..”

“The girl you said is so useless and not very helping.”

“Yes…. Today someone found out she is the mistress of our Art Director.” Jason gasped with an excited tone.

“No waaaaayyyy..”

“Yes waaaaaay.. I can't believe that the tea is boiling.” you chuckled. Jason smiles at you.

It feels so natural the way this dynamic with Jason, he always listens to what you say, he genuinely cares about you, and you just realize that this is how it feels to be loved by someone.

----

He likes to spoil you rotten, you are totally his queen and he doesn’t stop to show how much he loves you. Every little things he did always made you melt, like for example that time when the weather is getting cold, he always remind you to wear your jacket and when he pick you up from your office, he always make sure that you wear your jacket neatly so that you don’t get cool when he takes you on his motorbike.

“Wait, let me fix your jacket first.” he said.

“It is already good.”

“It doesn’t hurt to check again.” he smiled at you. Ugh, you love him so much.

When you two are officially one year together, He asked you if you want to move in with him to this apartment that he newly bought. It’s an apartment with three bedrooms and one of the room he designed to be your mini library and cozy place to read with a big sofa on the corner.

HONESTLY, YOU WANTED TO SCREAM AT THIS POINT, IS IT A DREAM?

“You are lying right?” You asked with a disbelief tone.

“No baby, it is the truth. I am so sorry if this is too sudden. I.. I just want to be with you and wake up next to you every single day of my life. But, if you are still not ready yet, it’s okay baby, you can just visit it whenever you like.” He said while caressing your face. Now, you are totally crying.

“Oh my God, Jaybird you are totally peace of shit,” and then you kiss him and hug him.

“Okay.. I will move in with you.” when he heard the yes, he is smililng widely and kiss her again.

“Thank you, Y/N. Thank you for bring so much happiness to my life.”

“Jaybird, I love you too.”

#jason todd x reader #DCU #dc comics #dc universe #jason todd #Jason Todd x Your Name #JasonTodd #fanfiction #DC Fannfiction

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ohmybueckers · 3 days ago

Text

Never Strangers: Chapter 1

Part 1: Prologue

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: Mentions of Maya’s dad being a bit of a pos but otherwise none

Note: Finally got this proofread and feel good enough to publish the prologue! There’s going to be a fair bit of jumping back and forth between 2019 and 2023 especially in the first few chapters, but hopefully the transitions between the two will be pretty seamless. I hope every is having a wonderful holiday season!

November 2019

I’m outside, ready when u are

Maya Morgan read the text that illuminated her phone, which was sprawled on her dresser. She huffed as she hurriedly finished the remaining steps of her makeup routine. A couple sprays of perfume, a swipe of chapstick, and a packed purse later, she threw her bedroom door open, calling to her dad and his girlfriend that she would be back before curfew. After taking a moment to mentally prepare herself, she swung the door open and began her battle against the fresh snow in her front yard.

Even after living in New England the majority of her life, nothing could have prepared Maya for her first Minnesota winter. Windchill bit at her exposed ankles as she dashed out the door and across her front yard, cursing herself for not wearing taller socks with her low tops. Her struggle was met with a loud laugh, even as she reached her destination.

“Open the door, Paige!” Maya yelped, earning further roars from her blonde friend. Regardless, the car door unlocked with a pop, which prompted Maya to throw it open, push herself into the passenger seat, and close the door as fast as she could without slamming it.

“There’s no chance you’re from Boston if that is how you react to a little snow.˝ Paige quipped, yet still turning on the passenger seat warmer without needing to be asked.

"Okay, Boston doesn’t do winter like this," the younger girl groaned in response, throwing her head back against the seat that was slowly rising in temperature. "My dad said to tell you good luck on the game tomorrow, by the way."

There were many things Maya expected when her mom sat her down last January and informed her that her dad would be moving to the suburbs of Minneapolis in May and taking her with him. She expected the pains of adjusting to a new school, and adjusting to living with her dads girlfriend (who loved to parent her despite 1) only meeting her a year ago and 2) being young enough to somewhat reasonably pass as her older sister). What she did not expect was to befriend the top women’s basketball college recruit of her class, famous enough that she received multiple texts from old classmates back home after tagging Paige in a story.

It’s not like there’s any reason why they should have become close - Paige lived a couple suburbs over and went to a different school, outside of which the majority of her time was consumed by basketball. Save for her brief career on her middle school volleyball team, Maya’s main extracurricular of choice had always been mock trial. They could not have led more different lives if they tried.

Just a week into adjusting to life in Minnesota, however, the Bueckers family invited them to dinner. Maya’s dad and Paige’s dad had apparently roomed together in college and Paige’s father, ever the nice midwestern dad stereotype, had taken it upon himself to welcome his old friend to the state.

——

May 2019

“So Riley, your dad says that you’re going to be a junior this year.” Paige’s father turned to face Maya at the dinner table, their pasta dinners long finished. “Given any thought to colleges yet?”

“Dad.” The blonde whom Maya had met just twenty minutes ago groaned. She sat directly opposite Maya at the table, making their only interactions up until that point an awkward introduction as the darker haired girl first entered through the door and a series of glances as their parents chatted about their college days.

Maya didn’t quite know what to make of her yet. She seemed nice, sure, and she was tall, towering over her 5’4 frame. Her dad raved on the car ride over just how good at basketball she was too - number one ESPN recruit who had just committed to the University of Connecticut a month prior. Weirdly enough, it almost seemed like her dad was more aware of Paige’s accomplishments than her own.

“She still has another year before she applies Bob, let her rest.” Paige’s stepmom gently scolded. Her son, who could not have been older than seven years old, sat fiddling with his remaining food beside her, an action she had been trying to correct throughout the meal. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, sweetie.”

Maya shot an appreciative look towards the woman, who returned it with a warm smile. “Um, I’ve been looking into some schools. I should have in-state tuition to U of M by the time I apply. Mom’s still trying to decide if she’s staying in Boston or moving to Stamford, but UMass Amherst is also on the table…”

“Well you know if she does end up moving, you got a built-in tour guide for UConn with this one.” Paige’s dad interjected, nudging at his daughter who looked like she would rather be anywhere but at that table. “Ok, so what about your major…”

“Oh, you don’t need to know that yet!” Paige’s stepmom interjected once more, shooting a sharp look at her husband.

Truthfully, though, Maya didn’t really mind. College was one of the few things she was sure about those days. “Probably economics and criminal justice, maybe with a business related minor. I want to go to law school after.”

“Oh, we have a lawyer in the house!” Mr. Bueckers exclaimed.

“Hey dad, I was thinking I could maybe drive her around the neighborhood? Show her ‘round?” Paige spoke up, looking to Maya with her eyebrows slightly raised. Though she hardly knew the girl, Maya quickly clocked that look as a lets get out while we can kind of look.

“I guess why wait to be a tour guide when you can be one now.” Mrs. Bueckers spoke, seemingly catching on to their plan. “Go ahead, girls.”

The girls left the table with their plates and a chorus of “thank you”’s, giving each dish a quick rinse before Paige reached for the keys. Once they were in Paige’s car and Maya could reasonably conclude there was no chance of Bob Bueckers overhearing her, she said, “Thanks for the save back there.”

“I remember how stressful those college conversations were. Dunno why my dad seems to love them so much.”

“I really don’t mind.” Maya shrugged, “Sounds like your conversations were an extra layer of awful, though.”

“Wasn’t so bad. Colleges have you visit when recruiting you, basically show you the best parts of being apart of their program. It’s super nice. Then they put you through it after you’ve committed to playing there.” Paige chuckles. “Besides, it was always kinda UConn for me.”

“Same here. Not UConn, but with law. My mom showed me Legally Blonde once when I was ten, and the rest is history.”

They fell into a somewhat uncomfortable silence as Paige backed out of her driveway. Fidgeting with her dark brown hair, she scans the girl next to her. Her mother had practically drilled into her from birth that any event where first impressions were involved warranted dressing up. However, seeing Paige in ripped black jeans, a white tank top, and red sneakers, she suddenly felt a bit insecure about her black skirt and white blouse.

“You want aux?” Paige asked, interrupting the other girls insecurities by handing her the cord. Maya grabbed it, happy for any lifeline out of the quiet atmosphere between her and this girl who she had quite literally just met. The beginning of Jumpman rang through the speakers, prompting the blonde to look at her with curiosity.

“You like Drake?”

She’s acting as if he’s some underground artist, Maya thought with an eyebrow raised. “Who doesn’t?”

As if she could detect some unintended edge in the brunettes voice, Paige quickly attempted to do damage control. “I guess I just didn’t think… never mind. Who else you listen to?”

The next twenty minutes of their drive consisted of Maya shuffling through her “May 2019” playlist, with Paige offering feedback. They watched the sun set as the car was filled with songs from Brent Faiyaz (earning an “Okay, you got taste” out of Paige), Ariana Grande (“7 Rings is fire, I’ll give you that one”), and One Direction (to which Paige said “now you lost me”).

After around 6 songs, Paige decided that the two of them needed a treat to wash down their dinner and turned into a McDonalds. “Not as good as Culver’s, but it’ll do.”

“What’s Culver’s?” Maya asked. Paige reacted as if she had been shot.

“You’re messing with me, right?” Maya shook her head no, to which Paige’s horror grew only more apparent. “Oh my God, you’re serious?”

“Paige, I moved here like a week ago.” Maya couldn’t help but be amused by just how dramatic Paige was being about this. The basketball star was funny, she would give her that one.

“Still, Maya, that’s insane.” Paige emphasized, surprising the other girl by using her name. Maya decided she liked how it sounded coming from Paige. “Okay, next weekend come back to my place, I’ll take you to Culver’s, and you’ll be happy you moved out here.”

Maya couldn’t help but feel a glow in her chest at Paige’s insistence on seeing her again, a feeling she chalked up to being happy to have at least one friend in this town.

Not so sure about that, Maya thought, but the sight of Paige’s face and the tone of her voice, so sure of herself, dulled the sting a little. Offering a small smile, she said, “deal.”

——

Maya kept up her end of the deal, and the two of them had been inseparable since. Well, at least inseparable in a metaphorical sense. They had about one month together before Paige left for Team USA training, with Maya leaving for a mock trial intensive program around a week later. They still found ways to bond despite the distance, with Paige practically spamming Maya with Instagram memes in her limited down time, while Maya found a stream to watch her games and texted her thoughts (despite her very limited knowledge of basketball terms - that was an effort Paige was still working on).

Even as school started for both of them, with Paige starting senior year at Hopkins while Maya attempted to navigate junior year at a new school, the two of them always seemed to find time together even when it appeared there was no time to be found, even if it was just Maya helping Paige with her precalculus homework or Paige doing shooting drills at the gym as Maya cheered her on, reading a new case for mock trial in the process. Their dads joked that this was bound to happen, that Paige and Maya were just like them.

I don’t know if my dad felt about Bob the way I feel about Paige, Maya couldn’t help but quip to herself every time her dad would say such a thing.

“I have a good feeling about this season.” Paige spoke, eyes still on the road. “As long as I don’t get some freak illness or injured again, I’ll be straight.”

“You’ll be great. You always are.” Maya turned to look at a home that decided to decorate for Christmas over a month too early, missing the way her friend’s cheeks flushed at the compliment.

Paige turned into Culver's, a spot that quickly became a go-to for Maya and Paige excursions. The line for the drive through was at least six cars deep, giving the two of them plenty of time to play their favorite game. “If I win this one, we’re getting a vanilla concrete with Oreo.”

“And if I win, we’re getting the Fanta float.” Paige replied with a grin, earning a groan from the dark haired girl in the passenger seat.

“Paige, that sounds nasty.” Yet she still reached her hand out, the two girls muttering rock, paper, scissors under their breaths before making their decisions. Maya confidently chose rock.

Paige chose paper.

“Lets go!” The taller girl exclaimed with the same vigor as if she scored a buzzer beater. This earned a chuckle out of Maya, dulling the sting of her orange desert fate.

At least this means I get to choose our food, Maya thought. “Ok, we’re getting cheese curds then.”

“A true midwesterner already! They grow up so fast.” Page fake cooed earning her an eye roll from the other girl.

10 minutes later, they sat in the parking lot with Paige working on her Fanta float while Maya stuck to the cheese curds. Though they were fine doing just about anything together, this was their favorite: going to get food, sitting in parking lots and listening to music.

Paige took a sip of her float, immediately after popping a curd in her mouth. The combo prompted a nose scrunch from the basketball player. “You know how much I love cheese curds, but this is kinda a questionable pairing.”

“I think that’s on you.” Maya chirped back. A One Direction song begins playing from the brunette’s shuffled songs, earning an “oh hell nah” from Paige followed by a laugh from Maya. though Paige had been successful in making her tolerate Minneapolis (love was still too strong of a word), she hadn’t reached quite the same results when it came to converting Paige to being a Directioner.

The blonde reached for Maya’s phone in the cupholder in order to change the song, an action that Maya would never think twice about usually. However, at the corner of your eye, she saw Paiges brows furrow slightly. “Jack snapped you again?”

Oh god, my thought. Sure enough, she took a look at her screen, which was illuminated by a notification. It’s safe to say she was not in the mood. “Yeah, I guess.”

Jack and Maya met in AP Chemistry. Somehow, the boy got her Snapchat early on in the semester, taking no time to wait to ask her out. For some reason she agreed, despite not really knowing much about Jack other than the fact that he was on the soccer team and absolutely sucked at chemistry labs (Maya was not completely unconvinced that he wasn’t just trying to get with her for homework answers).

“This is like the third one in the past 20 minutes.” Maya couldn’t figure out if she was imagining the edge in Paige’s voice or not. “Date went that well, huh?”

If only she fucking knew. “He asked to see me again.”

“Ah.” Paige wasn’t even trying to hide her annoyance at this point, her response uncharacteristically snippy.

“What?”

“I just didn’t think he was your type. He just seems kinda … flavorless.” Paige dragged the last word out, scrunched her nose as if she smelled something foul. The girl next to her let out a noise in shock, although she was also clearly fighting back a laugh (and losing).

“Oh my gosh, Paige!”

“Sorry!” Paige threw her hands up in defense. “Okay, tell me what you like about him.”

In all honestly, Maya liked that Jack was there. She liked how he went out of his way to get her Snapchat, in a moment where she was looking for any distraction possible from what she actually wanted. She liked how he pursued her so heavily, and she liked the status from it. But when it came time to being alone with Jack, she froze

“You do like him, right?” Paige asked, her voice uncharacteristically serious. Maya really wished she hadn’t.

Paige didn’t need to know that Maya felt more when she received the blondes notification on her phone than when Jack kissed her. Even sitting in a car like this on a Friday night, fast food in hand and listening to music felt more intimate than anything she had felt with guys. Besides, Jack had already asked Maya out again, and Maya declined. Why he was still trying, she had no clue.

It’s not like other people in her life hadn’t already suspected something else was going on. Even her own mother tried asking if Paige was into girls in an unsubtle way that only nosy parents are capable of. The issue was that Maya didn't know. She didn’t even know if this meant she was gay herself. They never talked about it.

In mock trial, it was basically Maya’s job to know exactly what to say and when. Very few times found her speechless. This was one of those times.

Her lifeline came in the form of the Culver’s employee, pulling Paige away from the interrogation in order to pay for their food at the drive-up window. Despite her attempt to protest, Paige paid for both items, and Maya was hit with the guilt of knowing she was acting this closed off to Paige, the one who she knew cared so deeply for her even if not in the way her heart hoped. This was still her best friend.

Their silence continues as Paige finds a parking spot. As Maya opens her mouth to apologize, Paige beats her to it. “I shouldn’t have said all that shit about Jack, I’m sorry. If you like him, I support it.”

“You don’t need to apologize. You’re right."

Maybe Maya was imagining things, but she could have sworn Paige’s eyebrows rose with some emotion close to hope. Looking down and fidgeting with her black hoodie, she continued. “I think I liked the idea of Jack more than who he actually is.”

“Yeah?” Paige edged her on, her voice low, and Maya attempted to ignore how it made her heart beat faster.

“Our date was honestly… really boring. He just started talking about himself and didn’t ask me a thing about myself. He took me to this one part of the park and tried to kiss me, but he just ended up kinda choking me with his tongue. It was awful.”

Maya’s mom always told her she had an issue with rambling, but it was only moments like this word truly hit her. She wanted to slam her hand in front of her mouth if that’s what it would take for her to stop fucking talking about kissing Jack in front of Paige - it felt wrong somehow.

Luckily, Paige seem to find it amusing, as she appeared to be attempting to hide a smile but failing. “Well, I’m glad you realized you deserve better.”

Paige said the next part quietly, almost too quietly to the point where Maya was not sure if it was intended for her ears. “Anyone would be stupid not to treat you well.”

This is so unfair, Maya thought. It’s unfair that Paige could look like this and say things like that and expect her not to fall for her. She was positive there were plenty of other teenagers in metro Minneapolis that would say the same about the blonde. She could name at least five from her high school alone.

Although the last thing Maya wanted to hear about is if Paige had chosen any of those admirers over her, it was her easiest distraction from the heat rising to her face. “It’s hardly fair that you know all about my love life and I know nothing about yours.”

“Well, I’m basically married to basketball at this point…” Paige chuckled, looking at the roof of her car and tapping her fingers on her knee. If Maya didn’t know the blonde so well, she would’ve thought she was nervous. But that couldn’t be the case - Paige never got nervous.

“Can I get a serious answer?” The younger girl cursed herself for being so inquisitive. Paige was practically giving her an out from hurting herself and yet here she was, trying to get information she really didn’t wanna know. “That guy that asked you to homecoming, what about him?”

“Sucks for him.” Paige shrugged, though her blue eyes still failed to meet anywhere close to Maya’s face. Casually reaching for the Fanta shake, she added with feigned nonchalance, “Asking out a girl that doesn’t even like guys.”

Oh. Oh.

“So is there any lucky girls?” Maya asked, knowing damn well that this was going to hurt way worse if the issue wasn’t that she was a girl, but that she was her.

“Maybe one. I’m not sure.”

“Well, what’s her name?”

“We don’t gotta do that.” Paige sounded playful yet stern, defensive in a way that she hadn’t heard out of the blonde in any scenario other than basketball or maybe disciplining her younger brother Drew. Certainly that tone had never been directed towards Maya.

And yet without thinking, she still pushed. “Oh come on, Paige, why not.” At this point, she was about to ask around the parking lot to see if anyone had duct tape to put over her damn mouth.

“You know why.”

Paige’s eyes finally met hers with a glint of something Maya couldn’t put a name on. All she knew it was sharp enough to look seemingly straight into her. The car filled with silence so quiet that my had no choice but to listen to the top of her own heartbeat and the beginning beats of Exchange by Bryson Tiller.

And in that moment she realized just what Paige was trying to tell her.

Maya had rehearsed this moment in her head a million times, different scenarios in which Paige may confess her love for her. However, they were always overly exaggerated and entirely unserious, because she could not fathom the idea of it actually being possible for her. Yet here they were, illuminated by the blue Culver sign (perhaps not the most romantic place for this to happen), and for an uncharacteristic second time in one night, Maya was speechless.

Maya could have sat there for the next five minutes and thought of a game plan on what to say. But this was real time, and with each second that passed without her saying anything Paige’s confidence seemed to slip, her head dipping and refusing to look once more. It broke Maya’s heart, so she blurted out, “What if I do?”

If Maya felt her heart race during other conversations with Paige, this one made her feel as though she was on fire. Especially when she saw the expression on her face after the brunette’s question, curiosity blending into adoration mixing with hunger. A pale hand rose, reaching to brush Maya’s hair away from her face, cupping it in the process. “This okay?”

Maya gulped. She supposed her prayers from earlier have been answered, because she couldn’t speak. All she could offer Paige was a weak nod that she hoped conveyed just how okay this was.

“What about this?” Page whispered, moving her face dangerously close to hers. Maya closed her eyes, feeling as if she kept looking at Paige she might burst into flames. She could sense Paige get closer, closer, closer, until there was a whisper of a kiss on her tanned cheek. She inhaled sharply, her breath stuttering.

Logically Maya knew where Paige’s lips would land next. Paige, however, was seemingly taking her sweet time, relishing in the reaction from the girl she had grown to be smitten over the past few months. It was clear that Paige would tease Maya like this for hours if she could.

Maya was never known for her patience. In a swift mood, almost perfectly timed as Bryson sang “I hope she’s waiting for me”, Maya’s hand met Paige’s cheek, and the two connected.

Maya had only kissed two people prior to this. Her first kiss was at a middle school dance when she was 13, and apparently it was so bad she swore to her mom she would “never kiss a boy again”. As established in the prior conversation, Jack had an affinity for too much tongue.

Kissing Paige was nothing like kissing either of them. She was soft but not too soft, and her lips tasted like a mix of strawberry Chapstick and a little bit of Fanta slushy. They seem to melt together, as if this could be their last breath and both of them would be equally as content. Paige kissed as if she would hang the moon and the stars for Maya if she could.

When the two finally separated, it took just one glance before the two were smiling. And then, Paige broke, sending herself into a fit of giggles. Maya didn’t know if it was the cutest thing she’d ever seen or if she was offended.

“Did not think I was going to do that tonight.” Okay, cutest thing in the world it is.

“I’m happy you did.” Maya’s voice came out no higher than a whisper, like Paige truly took her breath away. This statement seemed to bring the blonde back to her usual calm, if not overly confident, self.

“Oh yeah?” Paige’s smirk was cocky, as if she just won the most important game of the season. In a way she had.

Paige leaned back in, and the two of them continued kissing surrounded by the glow of the Culver’s sign. Maya weaved a hand gently to brush through the blonde’s hair, earning a content sigh in return.

If Maya knew what was to come of them in a few months, she probably would have savored this moment longer.

#paige bueckers #paige bueckers x oc #paige bueckers fluff #paige bueckers angst #uconn wbb #uconn women’s basketball

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luvvictoria · 1 day ago

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( ♡ ) pairing : Choso x fem!girlfriend!reader ( ♡ ) warning : f!reader, NOT PROOF READ , kinda cringe, sex , explicit content , age gap , idk bro ( ♡ ) a/n ✏️ : I DON'T KNOW

In the initial year of your collegiate journey, the relationship with your roommate was far from harmonious. His reticence and the occasional terse remarks created a palpable distance between you. However, as the days turned into months, a remarkable transformation unfolded; the two of you began to cultivate a genuine bond, gradually shedding the barriers that once separated you. Now, you find yourselves utterly inseparable.

You reclined on Choso’s bed, your back against the wall, knees drawn close to your chest, a cigarette delicately held between your fingers as you scrolled through your phone.

Choso lounged nearby, his back resting against the headboard, a joint perched between his lips, the fragrant smoke wafting through the air. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow upon his features.

“switch?” he murmured, taking a deep drag from the joint before extending it toward you.

"Yeah, sure," you murmured, setting your phone aside to take the offered joint. You inhaled deeply, the familiar burn in your lungs momentarily overshadowing the lingering tension of the day. You held the smoke in for a second before exhaling a stream of white that curled into the air, mingling with Choso's.

"So, what's the plan tonight?" he asked, his voice low and rumbling like distant thunder.

You shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe hit the library?"

Choso chuckled, a rare sound that made his usually stoic face crack into a smile. "Yeah, right. Like you ever go to the library."

The truth was, you hadn't stepped foot in there since the first week of school. But something about the way he said it, the teasing lilt to his tone, made you feel a bit defensive. "I could, you know," you said, meeting his eyes.

He took the joint back and took another hit. "I know you could," he said, his voice softening. "But that's not really your scene, is it?"

You couldn't argue with that. The library was his domain, where he studied and sometimes dozed off in the quiet corners, surrounded by the scent of old books and the hushed whispers of other students. You, on the other hand, preferred the chaos of the student lounge, where the smell of stale pizza and the din of voices filled the air.

You both fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound the occasional crackle of the joint and the faint murmur of life outside the dorm room. It was strange how quickly things had changed between you two. At the start of the year, you'd barely spoken, living together in a tense stalemate of unpacked boxes and awkward nods. Now, his room felt more like home than your own, and his company was a balm to the stress of classes and the constant pressure to fit in.

You studied Choso, the way the light played across the ink on his face, the tension in his shoulders as he leaned back, his eyes half-closed. He was still a mystery, even after all this time. A quiet, enigmatic presence that you found both intimidating and intriguing. But lately, there were moments where the mask slipped, and you caught glimpses of something deeper, something that made you want to know him better.

A sudden power outage plunges the room into darkness, leading to an intimate conversation that reveals hidden feelings and shared vulnerabilities.

For a moment, neither of you moved, the only sound the distant murmur of the hallway outside. Then Choso sighed, a heavy, weighted sound that seemed to carry more than just smoke. "You know, I never really talked much before I met you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

You frowned, surprised by the sudden confession. "What do you mean?"

He took another drag, the ember at the end of the joint glowing like a tiny firefly in the darkness. "I just… kept to myself. My brothers, they were all I needed."

You felt your throat tighten. "What changed?"

There was a pause, and you could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he considered his words. "You," he said finally. "You made me realize that there's more to life than just fighting."

The revelation hung in the air, unspoken emotions thickening the darkness. You swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling in your chest like a warm stone. You'd never known that your presence had had such an impact on him, that your friendship had been the catalyst for his personal growth.

Without thinking, you leaned over and pressed your lips to his, the joint still smoldering between his fingers. The contact was electric, a spark that had been building for months, waiting for the perfect moment to ignite.

Choso's eyes widened in surprise before his arms wrapped around you, pulling you closer. His kiss was firm and hungry, his lips moving with a newfound urgency that sent a shiver down your spine. The cigarette and joint fell forgotten to the floor, forgotten in the heat of the moment.

Your hands found their way to his hair, the stringy strands slipping through your fingers as you deepened the kiss. His tongue met yours, a dance of fire and need that spoke louder than any words could. The mattress creaked beneath you as you shifted closer, the scent of his cologne and the lingering smoke enveloping you both.

Breathless, you pulled back, your eyes searching his in the darkness. His gaze was intense, a silent question that hung in the air. You didn't need to see his face to know what he was asking; the answer was in the way your bodies fit together, in the racing of your hearts.

With a nod, you both stood, the tension between you palpable as you navigated the room by feel. Clothes were shed in the shadows, fabric whispering to the floor, leaving only the sound of ragged breaths and the occasional clink of a belt buckle.

The bed dipped as you both climbed onto it, the mattress shifting under your combined weight. His hands roamed your body, exploring every curve and plane, leaving trails of fire in their wake. You gasped as his thumb brushed over a particularly sensitive spot, arching into his touch.

He leaned down, capturing your mouth again as his hand moved lower, cupping you gently. You moaned into his mouth, the sound muffled by his insistent kisses. His touch grew bolder, stroking you through your underwear until you were trembling with need.

With a deft move, he pulled the fabric aside, his bare skin against yours sending a jolt of pleasure through your body. You reached for him, your hand finding his hard length, stroking him in time with the rhythm he set.

Choso's breath hitched, his eyes closing briefly before he broke the kiss to gaze into yours. "You're sure?" he murmured, his voice thick with desire.

"More than sure," you whispered back, your voice a hoarse rasp.

He positioned himself over you, his body a warm presence in the cool darkness. You felt him at your entrance, and for a moment, everything stilled. Then, with a gentle push, he entered you, filling you in a way that made you gasp.

The initial discomfort gave way to a deep, all-consuming pleasure as he began to move, his hips rocking into yours with a steady rhythm. The darkness heightened your senses, making every touch, every kiss, every sensation feel more intense.

You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him closer, urging him deeper. The sound of skin against skin filled the air, a secret symphony only the two of you could hear.

The tension grew, coiling tighter with each thrust, until you couldn't hold back any longer. You moaned his name, your body shuddering with the force of your climax. Choso followed shortly after, his grip on you tightening as he found his own release.

You lay there, entwined, the only sound your mingled breaths and the occasional crackle from the forgotten joint on the floor. The darkness felt safe, a cocoon around the two of you as you processed what had just happened.

After a while, Choso spoke, his voice low and filled with wonder. "I didn't know it could be like this."

You swallowed, your heart still racing. "Me neither."

He leaned down to kiss you again, softer this time, his lips brushing against yours with a tenderness that made your heart ache.

As the power flickered back on, casting the room in a harsh, artificial light, you realized that the dynamics of your friendship had irrevocably shifted. But instead of fear or regret, you felt a warmth spread through you, a sense of rightness that you hadn't known before.

You didn't know what the future held for the two of you, but in that moment, you were both ready to face it together. forever altering the course of your relationship.

The sudden darkness took you by surprise, the room plunging into silence as the glow of your screens and the low hum of the fan disappeared. Choso's hand shot out, catching the joint before it could fall to the floor.

"Well, that's one way to clear the air," he quipped, his voice a touch nervous.

✨ Enjoyed this story? ✨ If you’d like to support my writing, consider leaving a tip or commissioning a custom fanfic on Ko-fi. Every bit helps me and my family, and I’m so grateful for your support! 💕

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wolfpackenthusiast · 3 days ago

Note

heyy, I was thinking about an embry call where he imprints on Bella's best friend but he just tries to ignore her, but she's so sweet and pretty that he just loves her, and she's curly

Too sweet

Pairing: Embry Call x F!imprint!reader

Summary : you’re too sweet for Embry to resist.

Warnings : not proofread, like one swear word, kissing

A/N : i really hope you enjoy this!! + we’re going to act like Embry already phased before new moon + Please leave more reqs i love writing these!!

—————————————-

You’ve known Bella for as long as you could remember, you, Bella and Jacob were extremely close when you guys were younger, but when she moved, she left you and Jacob behind. While you missed her deeply, you stayed close to Jacob, you didn’t want to let your little friendship break due to Bella’s move.

Now, Bella was back in town years later, of course you and Jacob were going to greet her, it had been way too long since you’ve seen each other!

Apparently Jacob had gone to see her a few days prior with his dad, giving her a truck as a “welcome home” gift, so you went to see her on your own.

You git to the swan’s residence, just as you remembered it, the cold air breezing past you as you go up to knock on their door, you knew they were home, since there were cars out front.

After a few seconds, Bella answered the door, “Oh, Y/n!” She said, while you pulled her into a hug. “It’s good to see you,” you said, pulling away while she ushered you inside, away from the cold.

Over the next few days, you’ve caught up with Bella, growing close once again, like how you were as kids, you found out she was going to start going to the same school you currently attend, Forks Highschool.

You made her sure she was comfortable when it was her first day, she made friends very quickly, but she made sure not to ditch you, thankfully.

You told her about the kids at school, including the Cullens and how odd they were, despite all of them being totally gorgeous, they were definitely a bit weird, especially Edward Cullen. You didn’t fail to notice them make eye contact in the cafeteria, that’s weird, but you tried not to think too much into it.. maybe he was just not used to seeing her, she was new, after all.

After lunch, you were walking her to her next class, which happens to be Biology. Once you made it to the door, you noticed the only empty spot in the class was next to Edward himself. “good luck with that.” You nudged her lightly.

“It’ll be fine, hopefully, see you after class.” She said before entering the class and sitting next to Edward, while you made your way to your own class, hoping that class didn’t go bad for her.

Over the next few weeks, you’ve seen the two interact more, it was definitely one of the most weird things you’ve seen in a while, and soon, they started dating! Lucky her.

You were curious, how did she manage to date Edward Cullen? And recently, she stopped telling you things, which was really weird; she told you everything! Why stop now?? There’s definitely something going on, and you’re going to figure it out.

And so, a couple days later you went to a book store in Port Angeles, looking at their books while truing to recall everything you knew about the Cullens, specifically, Edward Cullen.

Eventually, a book caught your eye, a book about vampires and the Quiluete legends. You sat down in a nearby chair and skimmed through it, thats when you realized, a lot of the Cullen’s have the same traits as a vampire would, pale white skin, ice cold skin, you remember bumping into Alice and accidentally brushing your hard against hers when she handed you something you dropped, her skin was extremely cold. Vampires also tend to sparkle in the sunlight, and the Cullen’s often don’t show up to school on sunny days, everything here and the cullen’s match like puzzle pieces.

You just figured it out.

They’re vampires.

That makes sense on why Bella hadn’t said anything, she must know, since she’s dating Edward and everything, but you’re going to confront her just in case.

It was already dark out when you left the book store, you ended up buying the book just in case it’d be handy later, you had to walk a while since you had to park more on the outer part of the city, closer to the forest.

You unlocked your car and put your book in the back seat, you were about to get onto the drivers seat, but then..

Suddenly you were tackled.

You looked up at the person who tackled you, anf they had

Red eyes.

Their touch was ice cold.

Oh shit!

“I’m done for!” You thought, shutting your eyes tightly, but before anything could happen, you felt their weight get lifted off you, along with loud growls and barks. You opened your eyes, only to see a giant greyish-black wolf growling at the vampire who was originally trying to hurt you, the vampire ended up running off, danm, you didn’t expect them to be that fast.

The wolf looked back at you, and you both locked eyes. You felt this.. pull to the wolf, you knee this wasn’t any ordinary wolf, there’s no way they’re that big, either!

Were they a shifter?

You read about them when you were looking up your research about vampires, that there were shifters, or so-called werewolves, this was definitely one, but what was this feeling? Who were they?

Before you could even get up, the wolf ran off, how were you supposed to find them now??

You tried to shake that feeling off as you headed to Bella’s place, but you were so curious on who the wolf was.

Soon enough, you made it to Bella’s house, getting out of your car, bringing the book with you as you walked up to the door, knocking on it.

As Bella answered the door, you spoke up before she could say anything, “we gotta talk,” you said before she moved to the side, letting you come in.

You two talked about the whole Edward thing, and he ended up genuinely being a vampire, you were right! Though, you felt uneasy letting your best friend, a human, date a vampire. But, she reassured you that they didn’t feed off of humans, they only drink animal blood, so they considered themselves “vegetarians.”

That put you at ease, at least you knew she’d be okay with them.

Until..

Edward left, and Bella was devastated. That made you upset, how could he just leave like that?!

You tried to be there for Bella as much as you could, but she seemed to wnat to he alone for awhile, so you gave her some space.

Then, she started hanging out with Jacob, which was cool.. you even joined in sometimes, you were happy she was getting better, but that wolf still never left your mind, who were they?

And one say, Jacob disappeared on you guys, and obviously that upset Bella, it had been a few weeks since that happened, and now she had dragged you to his house to confront him, but when you both got there, he was fast asleep.

But who else was there? Sam Uley’s little group, so obviously Bella went to confront them.

But one if the boys caught your eye, when you and Bella got closer to the group, you and one boy locked eyes, and you got that same feeling you did when you stared into the wolf’s eyes.

But before you could process anything, Bella slapped another one of the boys, causing him to start breathing heavily, and before you knew it, he turned into a wolf.

A wolf?!

It wasn’t the same wolf you saw by Port angeles.. but maybe if this was a wolf pack.. maybe the wolf you saw wad the boy you locked eyes with!

You were snapped out of your thoughts when you heard Jacob’s voice, he phased into a wolf and quickly tackled the other wolf, next thing you know, Sam ordered the other boys to take you and Bella to someones house, Emily, was it?

When you arrived at the house, you noticed the boys just messing around, seeming not to really mind the situation.

“Shouldn’t we go back and see if Jacob’s okay?” Bella asked, obviously a bit concerned and confused of the whole situation .

The boys just said that they’ll be fine and not to worry about it too much, your eyes kept wandering to the boy you locked eyes with less then two hours prior, gosh, he was pretty handsome.

They sat down at the table, where some food lies. “Save some for your brothers.” A woman speaks up. “And ladies first, muffin?” She asks, you and Bella decline politely.

Though, you decided to sit down at the table, next to the boy you were randomly attached to. He seemed to grow a but nervous, and so did you.

“Hey!” You spoke up, trying to hide the nervousness in your voice with a cheerful tone of voice.

“Hi,” he said,

“What’s your name?” You asked curiously.

“Embry.. Embry call.” He said, taking a bite of a muffin. “You?”

“Y/n L/n.” You said, slowly growing comfortable. “It’s nice to meet you,”

“The pleasure’s all mine.. you’re not freaked out at all, though?” He asked

“Nah, not really, i did some research beforehand..” you said, not mentioning you’ve seen a shifter not too long ago.

“So you basically know the legends, hm?” Another boy asked, his mouth full.

You nodded, “mhm.”

“What about imprints?” He asked, which he got kicked under the table for the question. “Ow!”

“Imprint..?” You repeated, unsure of what that was, it wasn’t in the book you read, now, you’re curious. You looked at Embry beside you, it seemed he was staring at you too, but he looked away when you looked back at him.

Over the next few days, you saw Embry around, so you always tried to make small talk with him, you wanted to get closer with him, but he was always so reserved, not in a cold way, but it was like he didn’t see any interest in you, always keeping your conversations short or not even noticing you, did he not feel the same way you did..?

Despite that thought, you kept trying, like today,

You were at the store, and you ended up spotting him “hey, Embry!” You jogged over, a smile on your face

“Oh hey Y/n,” he said, a usual greeting “how are you?”

“Im great!” You said, “you?”

“I’m good,” he said.

“I got something for you,” you said, you happened ti see something in a nearby shop that reminded you of him, you were going to give it to him at the next bonfire.. but here he was, so might as well give it to him now.

“Oh for real? You didn’t have to,” he said, a small smile on his face now as he faced you fully.

You pulled a grey wolf charm out of your pocket, “here,” you said “i’m not sure what you’ll do with it, but it just reminded me of you.”

He thought that was so sweet, she was thinking of him out of all people? Gosh, he didn’t know how long he could keep his little distant act up. “Thank you, Y/n,” he said softly, “also, there’s a bonfire this Saturday, come, it’ll be fun,” he invited

Oh my gosh!! An invite straight from the guy you liked himself! Usually you’d get invited by jacob, but by Embry?! You’re over the moon!! “‘Course i’ll go!” You said, obviously happy.

“You’re pretty cute when you smile, y’know?” He murmured, “n-not that you’re not cute all the time-!” He backtracked, and you laughed

“I get it. calm down, Embry!” You said, you can tell his act was cracking.

When it was time for the bonfire, the bonfire was a blast! You had a lot of fun! You met some other girls, Rachel, kim and Leah, as well as meeting Seth! He was such a sweetheart, like a little brother to you. And now, you and Embry are walking on the beach.

“Hey, Y/n?” He spoke up

“Hm?” You looked over at him, wondering what he was going to say.

He stopped walking “well.. i know i’ve been a bit distant every since we met, and i’m sorry for that,” he said, grabbing your hand, that made your heart race, what was going on?!

He continued, “i just, i don’t know, you’re way too sweet to resist anymore, i wanna say.. i imprinted on you.” He said

You did some research on imprinted when Jared mentioned it, it was like when a wolf finds their soulmate, their Other half.

For real?” You said in disbelief, and he nodded. “So, where does leave us?” You asked, gripping his hand a bit tighter. “Do you.. like me? As in romantically?” You asked “i know it’s my choice on our type of relationship, but would you genuinely want a romantic relationship?” You asked

“You’re way too sweet.” He said “i’d like that,”

Your faces got closer, inches turns into centimeters, your arms were around his neck, while his arms were around your waist, “can i?” He asked, and you nodded.

He closed the distance between you two and pulled you into a deep, passionate kiss, this is all you could’ve dreamed of, and that dream became a reality.

—————————————-

Word count : 2.2k

Extra A/N : I didn’t rlly know what you meant by curly so i didn’t really put that detail in, i’m so sorry dear!!

#embry call #embry call x reader #Embry call x you #Embry call x y/n #jacob black x reader #fanfics #jacob black #the twilight saga #twilight fanfiction #twilight x reader #fanfiction #fluff #twilight wolfpack #twilight saga #twilight #twilight x y/n #twilight wolves #romance

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alabasterwasps · 3 days ago

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The only solid birth year we get from ANYONE is Tim, who was born in 1988.

We get this info from the doxed records, and he shares a birthday/year with his actor. So it’s safe to assume everyone else also does, at least the year.

Alex’s birthday is April 4th but his Joseph’s is May 21, 1988.

Jay’s actor Troy was born May 17th 1988.

Brian’s actor Brian was born April 17th, 1989.

(Collected info from online, idk how correct they are).

According to Jay, Alex started working on MH in 2006. The extent of what had started we don’t know. I would guess either script writing or early filming.

They were all only 18-19 in 2006, and depending on how old they were when they left highschool only one or two years into college.

Alex is technically the oldest with Jay following only a few weeks later, I would imagine they probably have gone to college the fall after graduating so they could’ve started as early as 17, maybe 18, entering college in 2005.

Tim is complicated because he didn’t go to highschool. According to his records his last year of school was 2nd grade when he was 7/8 years old. So he would’ve been schooled in the care hospital he was placed in until he turned 18. If he was a year ahead of Brian, it probably wouldn’t have mattered because they probably schooled him longer?

So they entered college at the same time in 2006.

Depending on course requirements, assigned student films are given a semester or school year to complete. However it isn’t unheard of, if someone is taking an extensive film major that may take a couple years, to have a larger film due at an end of the course which could be 2 to 4 years. It’s not common but not unheard of.

If this is the case for Alex, it’d make sense. In 2005, He’d have been given maybe a semester of learning how to direct and film and write, then come spring of 2006 be given the project. He writes the script over summer break and by fall he does casting and he has all year to film. Filming starts late Winter 2006 and runs into Spring, it’s why the earliest shots seem to have mostly dead woods.

Back tracking just a bit, Brian enters, seems like he knows Alex. It’s possible they went to highschool together, honestly very likely the town they are in is a small one. Maybe they were even in a drama/theater club together but that’s totally speculation. They knew each other before college.

Brian knows Tim at this point, presumably having several classes with him and them having their slowly growing friendship. It’s possible they were roommates. It is possible Brian met Tim earlier but we don’t know how strict Tim’s hospital care was as a teenager and how much he would’ve been allowed out but it could be possible they’ve known each other a few years too. But whatever is the case, he knows Tim. So, when invited to the auditions he brings Tim.

Alex’s film has a year of work time, starting in the cross over of 2006/2007. It is due by the first class of the following fall/start of school year, 2007. He gets all year and all summer to film.

But then stuff with the Operator starts happening. It also means that Seth, Sarah, and Brian are all missing or presumed dead in 2007.

Alex either never turns in the film or he edits it together like we see glimpses of and something not finished to his vision is turned in, it doesn’t matter.

Months go by, after Alex stopped inviting people over, stopped talking to people, plans on moving, is when Jay calls him about the tapes, about wanting to preserve them or finish them, or just have them. I would again guess by what little we see of outside this is fall/winter of 2008. This is that scene we see with Jay at his house getting bags of tapes. Jay is the last person Alex has contact with other than Amy, but we don’t hear much about her during this time as she likely lives with her roommate Jessica here.

That’s when Alex shoves the tapes into Jay’s arms and tells him to leave (and then beats the snot out of him after).

It’s a couple months later, after Alex totally goes MIA, that Jay starts watching the videos, compiling them, and that’s when he starts posting in 2009. The events roll out as we know them there.

#marble hornets #alex kralie #brian thomas #jay merrick #tim wright #timeline #dunno could be wrong but #this is how i’ve mapped it together #i also likely won’t use this either it was just fun to do #and that’s checkmate

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fuctacles · 2 days ago

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Dude, That's My Ghost! - the smut

Ayo, the smut part of my gift for @hellfireloserclub is now up on Ao3! Tysm for the great prompts that made it happen :D <3 And thanks @steddieexchange for organizing! I love writing gift fics <3

First piece here, second below, or you can read it in full on Ao3

La Petite Mort

After a week of Eddie making him come before sleep, Steve finally asks:

"What do you get out of it?"

The hairs on his chest move gently with invisible fingers raking and tugging at it.

"...I like watching...well...that sounds bad..."

Steve laughs.

"Yeah, a bit."

"...it feels good...making you feel good...I always liked giving...and now it feels like..."

Steve waits, but when all he gets is quiet static, he frowns.

"Like what?"

".....like I have a body again...for a second...I can feel you against me..."

His eyes widen.

"Oh. I thought it was just my imagination."

"...what?..."

"When I come, it feels like you're here."

They ruminate in silence for quite a while, before the radio starts switching through stations, like Eddie's trying to grasp a thought. His thoughts must be going very far away, considering Steve stops recognizing the language of the stations he's catching.

"...la petite mort... "

Steve raises his eyebrows.

"The orgasm thing? Uh..." He knows Robin had mentioned it to him at some point. "The little death?"

"...oui..."

"Okay, come back to America, please," Steve snorts, and the stations start switching back. He hums in thought. "So it's like I die for a second? And our souls touch?"

"...that sounds... both sweet and disgusting somehow..."

"Yeah," Steve chuckles. "But do you think it's possible?"

"...dude...I summoned...a demon...everything is possible..."

"Fuck, you're right." He falls back against the pillows. "So when I die, will we fuck as souls?"

"...you proposing to me?..."

His next laugh is dry and humorless.

"I lost my soulmate, so might as well."

"...what happened?..." Eddie manages to ask softly despite the jarring sounds of the radio.

"I don't know," Steve shrugs, his mood plummeting. It's been half a year and it doesn't stop hurting, still doesn't make sense. "I met him and our marks just... disappeared."

"...wait!..."

"Dude!" Steve jumps, startled by the sudden peak in volume.

"...sorry, but... I saw your mark?...the little bird..."

"Ah," he smiles, genuinely this time. "It's Robin. I guess I was too greedy wanting two soulmates, right? She's my platonic one, but I was hoping the other would be The One, you know?" he sighs. "Still kind of cruel of the universe to dangle it in front of me and then just... yank it away."

"...what the fuck man..."

"I know."

"...I'd make a rebound joke... but that's just fucked up..."

They don't speak for a while, radio static being the only sound in the room.

"I mean, I still have Robin, and now I have you too," Steve thinks out loud, staring at the crooked ceiling. "I don't have a soulmate, you don't have a body, maybe it was meant to be."

"...you ARE proposing to me!..."

Steve laughs.

"Sure, why not? Wanna seal it with a kiss?"

It's fun, having Eddie around. Maybe the most fun he's had since high school. He doesn't tell Robin, afraid she'd try to psychoanalyze him, but she knows him too well and worries anyway.

"You never go anywhere."

"You stopped hitting on the babes."

"What about your bi awakening?"

So he goes out with her, meets new people and acts his best, thinking all the time how much better it would be in bed with Eddie, with the phantom touch of his hands and mouth. He can't get drunk with him, but maybe they could dance, somehow?

When he gets back, all the air is pushed out of his lungs as he's being pressed against the door.

"What the fuck, man?" he laughs.

"... I am...so bored..."

"Did you read through the books I brought?"

"...twice..."

An invisible mouth is assaulting his neck and he wishes it could leave marks.

"Jesus," Steve breathes out, "The library nerds will think I'm one of them—ah!"

He's suddenly pulled to the floor, his zipper flying open.

"You're that bored you need to suck cock?"

"...I always need... to suck cock...."

"Okay then, have at it."

It's only after he comes, ruining another pair of jeans, that he remembers his trail of thought from earlier.

"Do you want to dance?"

"...what...?"

"You can pick the song. I was at the club with Robin tonight, and I thought..." he trails off, shucking away his jeans and pulling up his boxers. It's quite an unorthodox dancing attire, but he doesn't know what his partner is wearing anyway.

The radio switches to something new. It's still heavy, the way Eddie likes it, but more suitable to embracing each other in a slow dance. A metal ballad. Something presses to Steve's front, grabbing his hips. He sighs.

"This is nice," he says, hands hovering before hopelessly falling at his sides. "I wish I could touch you."

His head is cradled towards an invisible shoulder. He can feel the pressure, but the comfort is barely there, and he wonders if this is all he's going to get until the day he dies.

They dance to a couple of songs before falling into bed, too exhausted for anything else. The presence of another person next to him lulls Steve to sleep.

Almost every day, he brings Eddie new books and newspapers, figuring it would do him good to be up to date with the outside world. Usually, he has nowhere to be, so he enjoys the scraps of companionship when he reads silently, while he pretends to be doing his coursework.

He's watching the pages of the local paper flip in the air, when suddenly, there's a slam on the desk they share.

"...HE...SHAVED...MY HAIR!..."

"Fuck!" Steve slams his knee against the wood. "What happened?!"

The newspaper slaps in front of him, on top of the books he's been half-reading through, and one of the photos dents under an invisible finger.

"...He!...Shaved!...My hair!..."

Corroded Coffin headlining at the Halloween Festival

"...He stole my body!...and my band!!!..."

"Eddie, please stop yelling," Steve winces at his ghost friend's volume. He snatches the paper to get a better look at the small, black-and-white photo.

"...Can't!..."

Eddie keeps trashing in his periphery, all the loose objects around them rattling like there's an earthquake. Steve swats him away, moving closer to the lamplight. He taps the face of one of the men in the photo.

"He kind of looks like that guy from the festival," he muses, turning both his head and the paper like it could make the photo clearer.

"...That's me!..."

"This," Steve points to the front-man with a shaved head and a guitar in his hand. "Is you?"

"...Yes...except...it's the demon!...and he cut my hair!..."

He stares at the photo.

"It was in May. I've talked to a demon. I shook hands with a demon." Then, a dreadful realization hits him. "Eddie," he chokes out. "What was your soul-mark?"

"...nail bat..."

"Oh my god..." He drops the paper and falls heavily back on his chair. "I saw it disappear." Involuntarily, he looks at the empty skin of his forearm.

"...What...was yours?..."

"A swarm of bats," Steve answers, tracing the space with his finger.

"...fucking love bats..."

He laughs.

"...why nail bat...?"

Steve hums. He doesn't like talking about it.

"I fought monsters with it," he gives the short version and Eddie, thankfully, doesn't pry.

"...that's badass..."

"Thanks," he smiles. "We're soulmates," he finally says out loud, then frowns. "Were soulmates?"

"...well...we both still have souls..."

"Right. But do you think he could have... fucked it up somehow? The bond?" Steve worries.

"...I still like you...and have no other marks...do you?..."

"Just Robin and you, apparently."

"...so..."

"So..."

"...soulmates?..."

"Soulmates." Steve smiles genuinely into the ether.

#steddie #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #mine #steddie fanfiction #soulmate au #steddie soulmate au #ghost eddie munson #steddie fic #steddie one shot

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toomanystoriessolittletime · 6 hours ago

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Christmas in paradise

Summary: After a PR nightmare Clara "kidnaps" her client and best friend Dieter Bravo to a private luxury island to spend six weeks away from all the glitz and glam of Hollywood. Spending so much time together one on one might finally lead to confessions that will make them more than just friends...

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x OFC named Clara

Wordcount: 10.8k

Rating: E

Warnings: friends to lovers, Dieter being involved in a PR Nightmare, humour, fluff, cooking, getting sober, feelings, kissing, skinny dipping, smut (protected sex, oral sex), happy end

A/N: With all those pics of Pedro on vacation coming out you would think I started writing this fic in the last couple days when actually, I started this fic in November 2023. This is my longest one shot yet, and I hope it does not disappoint!

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Full Masterlist // Dieter Bravo Masterlist

Clara’s days start early.

They always did.

Her alarm woke her at 6 am (on good days), she got out of bed, took a shower and drank her first cup of coffee. Had breakfast on her way to the office where she drank her second cup.

Then after 8-12 hours (sometimes 15 hour days) in her office dealing with her clients she made her way back home, getting take out on her way back. Where she would eat and then fall asleep in front of her TV.

Those were good days. Days Clara preferred. Sometimes she even got free days for herself where she could go and meet her friends (the few she still had) or get a massage at her favourite spa.

She once met Kate Walsh while in the spa and while Clara dealt with celebrities on the daily, thanks to the girlcrush she had on Kate she couldn’t even form a sentence to introduce herself.

Good days were there. Occasionally.

But… there were clients who made her life a little more… complicated. Which honestly was the part of her job she enjoyed up to a certain degree.

That was what PR was for. Dealing with the outside perspective and well… scandals.

She was married to her job which was why her actual husband, David, felt the need to search for someone who could…. Fulfil his needs more than Clara could.

The divorce had been unpleasant.

David and her had been highschool sweethearts, which meant there was no prenup. David had big plans back in college, wanting to open up his own law firm, and become a big name. And even though he was a law student the last thing both thought about at the age of 20 was signing a prenup.

15 years later Clara came to regret that decision. While David was a more or less successful lawyer, her career had gone through the roof with her own PR Firm and office on the upper west side in New York and in downtown Los Angeles.

David might have been the one who cheated on her and ended the marriage, but he made sure to take half of everything she owned with him when he left. And the worst part of it was, she didn’t even care.

Instead on the evening after they had finalised their divorce she went out to dinner with a client of hers.

Well… he was more like a best friend, yet definitely a client. Probably the most exhausting client she had, but one of her closest friends at the same time.

Dieter Bravo.

Dieter and Clara have known each other their whole life.

They lived on the same street growing up.

They went to the same school

They both moved to New York at the same time.

But they only really got to know each other when Dieter was fired from his first manager after he was caught with well… his managers wife in the restroom of a restaurant.

It was actually Clara’s mother who had called her and given her Dieter’s number.

Clara signed Dieter as a client and he became like a…. Pimple that wouldn’t go away. In a very nice way. If pimples could be nice.

It was him who was there for her after the divorce.

Sighing she rolled her head as she sat at her desk, her sixth coffee of the day cold in the mug that said “I’d rather be with Dieter Bravo” that he gifted her a couple years back as a Christmas gift.

There was a knock on the door and she looked up, her assistant slowly stepping in with a sorry expression, a big bouquet of Peonies in her arms.

Clara groaned loudly as her assistant set down the flowers in front of her.

“When did they get delivered?” Clara asked.

“About fifteen minutes ago,” she said. Clara already felt the nerves fluttering in her belly. She never got flowers. The only person who sent flowers was Dieter when he fucked up.

“Did… Is there any news out yet on what he’s done now?” Clara asked. Her assistant shook her head.

“But this is… a big bouquet. Bigger than the last time and…”

“It’s my favourite flowers,” Clara sighed, glancing at the clock.

It was after 5pm already.

“He sent me flowers too,” her assistant said and Clara blinked at her, slowly.

“And there’s also lemon sponge cake from the Magnolia Bakery outside….”

Clara took a deep breath, before she reached for her phone.

“What did he do now?” Clara asked herself with a sigh.

“I’m going to check all sources and stay in late,” her Assistant said. Clara smiled at her as she looked up.

“Thank you. Order Pizza too. Whatever he had done now might end up with a night shift. You don’t have to stay though, you know that right?” Clara asked.

“I know. But my girlfriend is out of town so… nothing else I have planned for tonight anyway.”

“You deserve a raise,” Clara winked.

“Wouldn’t say no to that. You want me to bring the cake in?”

“Let me call him first. Maybe I’ll need the cake to throw it at him when he gets here.”

Clara’s assistant laughed before she left her alone, her phone in her hand.

Clara unlocked her phone, opening the contacts to search for Dieter’s name, her thump hovering over his name.

He hadn’t called yet.

Usually he would have at least tried to call her by now.

Taking a deep breath she pressed the dial button, bringing her phone up to her ear.

Dieter was in panic mode.

And for Dieter to hit panic mode, he must have really fucked up.

But this? This was not even entirely his fault? It happened at his house though which was more than enough.

It also happened while he was in his house.

At his party.

With way too many people around he didn’t even know.

But the line of coke (or two) and some champagne made Dieter forget about how shitty he felt.

It was high Dieter who fucked up. High Dieter did not think about sober Dieter having to deal with his shit.

Well, high and horny Dieter. Which was…. Daily Dieter. But coke high Dieter was different from weed high Dieter.

And he was always horny really.

Anyways…

The news broke twenty minutes after he had gotten off the phone with Clara.

“Senator O’Conelly overdosed at Dieter Bravo’s house party”

Which was something Clara could have handled. But then three hours later came:

“Exclusive: Senator O’Conelly’s wife was having sex with Dieter Bravo while the Senator overdosed”

Which…. Was harder to handle, but Clara was the best at her job, so she had a response prepared.

But then came:

“Leaked: Dieter Bravo’s Sextape”

Which wasn’t a first. It was just the first time he did not know he’d been filmed. Mostly because he was so high, he did not care.

And this time it was in HD which made “Dieter Bravo Penis” the most googled topic for four days straight.

The senator had fucked Dieter so hard just before he overdosed, he still had bruises from his grip on his waist. Him fucking the senators very willing wife while said Senator overdosed was not Dieter’s fault though.

And while his PR team tried to handle it, there was only so much they could do once the Senator’s wife gave a very tearful interview making Dieter the one who was responsible for putting the Senator in a coma.

She conveniently left out how she had sniffed a line of coke herself while he was getting fucked by her husband.

The only reason the news hadn’t broken earlier was because the Senator’s PR wanted to keep this under wraps but failed because someone on the party had taken photos. And that video.

Fucking Gen Z. Or… whatever.

While there had been scandals around Dieter in the past, and a lot of them, the shit storm this one turned out to be, seemed not to end that soon.

Of course the Senators PR Team pinned the whole story with him as the boogeyman.

Dieter had a reputation so it wasn’t that hard.

What was hard was him being forced to drop out of the HBO series he had signed because of the backlash. Or losing the Deal with Kit Kat.

God the Kit Kat deal. He would be missing the weekly care packages.

But the hardest was the disappointed look in Clara’s eyes whenever they face-timed.

He could deal with almost everything, but Clara being disappointed? He couldn’t even explain why it was hitting him so hard, the one worded answers from her and the obviously acted smile she threw his way.

Clara had become what he would call best friend. If he had friends.

She’s been with him through thick and thin (okay mostly because it was her job to fix his shit) but somewhere along the way the phone calls became more private than professional. He made sure to always have her favourite tea stocked at home for whenever she was in town and… something just wasn’t right when he wouldn’t hear from her every day.

He’d taken a whole month off once she told him about her divorce and practically moved in with her.

It was the last time he had been mostly clean.

Apart from alcohol and weed, but that did not count anyway did it?

“We’re here Mister Bravo,” Dieter looked up at the driver, nodding once at him.

Dieter had no idea where he would be going. He only got Clara’s message that a car would pick him up at 4:30 am and that she already instructed his PA to pack his suitcases.

Maybe she was planning to kill him and frankly, he wouldn’t even blame her. What were the suitcases for then though?

Dieter got out of the car, finding himself already on the airfield of the small airport, the car close to a private jet. He saw two younger men carry his suitcases out of the car and put them into the trunk of the plane.

Dieter looked up into the dark sky, taking a deep breath before he made his way towards the stairs leading into the plane.

A grin sneaked to his face when he saw Clara sitting already cozied up into a deep blue blanket, her dark hair in a bun on top of her head. Her head turned towards him as she heard footsteps and she sighed exhausted, yet could not fight the smile.

“One day you are going to be the death of me, Dieter Bravo,” she shook her head and got up to her feet, Dieter meeting her halfway to hug her close and kiss her cheek. She wanted to let go, but he kept his arms around her.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and Clara squeezed him.

“I know you are,” she whispered, kissing his cheek.

„You gonna throw me out of the plane over the ocean?“ He teased and she rolled her eyes.

„Don’t give me any ideas,“ she scoffed.

They both settled into their seats, taking their shoes off as the crew got through the routine of getting ready to take off.

“So where are you kidnapping me to?” Dieter asked, pulling his glasses off. Clara looked at him.

“You’re paying for this, so I don’t know if that counts as kidnapping.”

“True.”

“You have to get off the radar of the tabloids. And while I know I could just…. Make you stay at home or force you to another stay at a rehab clinic, I don't really trust you to just stay there by yourself. I know you too well,” she began.

“So I booked you a 6 week stay on Gladden island. And I’ll be babysitting you.”

“On an island.”

“A tropical private island with 24 hour service.”

Dieter gave her a look.

“Before you say anything, think about me having to put out a official statement about your penis. Again,” she raised her left eyebrow.

“But it’s a nice looking penis,” he mumbled with a small pout and Clara groaned.

“Okay, okay, okay. Six weeks. Private Island. Check.”

“No internet. No drugs. No hookers.”

Dieter pouted even more.

“You know I’m a sex addict right?”

“Not diagnosed.”

“Dr. Google says otherwise.”

„Then I have a brain aneurysm since I’ve seen the video of you snorting coke of the cock of that senator,“ Clara grunted and Dieter winced.

„No sex, really?“ He whined.

“I’m afraid it’s gonna be you and your hand from now on.”

“Would you want to have sex with…”

“Please do not finish that sentence. I have a vibrator that will take care of my physical needs and an iPad full of books for the rest, thank you very much.”

Dieter took a deep breath, closing his eyes to stop himself from picturing her with her vibrator, spread on a bed, working herself closer and closer…

“Dieter?”

He opened his eyes.

“If you want to leave, you have to do it now. But if you walk out of his plane, I won’t be representing you anymore. I know I am getting paid for this but…. I can’t deal with scandals like this anymore.”

His heart squeezed in his chest at the look in her eyes.

“I won’t leave. I think we both need some time apart from ourselves and our lives,” he said and she nodded before her eyes focused on her iPad.

“Where exactly are we going?” Dieter asked.

“Belize.”

Clara wasn't as exhausted as she thought she would be once they got to Belize. Dieter on the other hand looked like dead on heels. Or… Crocs.

His hair was unkempt, dark circles under his eyes after the 12 hour flight.

The first thing he did was put on a cigarette, inhaling it like his lungs did not know how to work otherwise.

Clara took off her sweater, revealing a pink top underneath.

It was early afternoon in Belize and they weren’t even at their final destination yet.

More than once she asked herself if spending so much time with Dieter without anyone else around would be a good idea.

They were friends, of course. But they had never spent more than five days together and that was in a big city when they both could flee at any given point.

Even in the time he had partially moved into her place they still got out to handle appointments or have dinner.

To flee the private island they’d have to wait for someone to pick them up by boat or helicopter.

And then there was the drug problem.

Frankly, Clara did not know how bad it was exactly. She was the last person to judge anyone and their life choices, but she was getting scared something would happen sooner or later to Dieter that would take him from her.

Which was a strange way to think because he wasn’t hers in the first place.

But he was a friend.

A good friend.

Her… only good friend really and she wasn’t even sure if he knew her birthday. Then again he knew other things.

Like her favourite flowers. And Pastries. And that she talked in her sleep.

“I’m starving,” Dieter snapped her out of her internal whirlwind. She pulled her hand into her bag, searching for….

Dieter’s eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree at the big pack of Kit Kat’s she held up.

“You know the way to my heart Clara honey bunny,” he grinned and she rolled her eyes with an affectionate smile.

“You better share with me, Bravo,” she threw the package at him.

“Nope,” he said and walked towards the car that was waiting for them already, their suitcases in the trunk .

This place was beautiful.

The sun was setting when they got to the port, the sky in so many colours, she couldn’t wait to watch it everyday.

Dieter was quiet beside her as he watched her watch the sunset.

There was a soft smile on her lips, her eyes glistening. Maybe he could get some art supplies so he could paint her while they were on the island.

She didn’t know that in a secluded corner of his studio at home there were some paintings of her that he painted, mostly after coming down from a high. When he felt lonely and vulnerable.

He only had to think of her to feel a little lighter. A little more himself.

Maybe this trip was the best idea she could have.

He needed some time away from all of… all of the people who called themselves his friends.

When Dieter moved to LA almost 25 years ago he was young and full of hope and dreams.

But the longer he stayed in LA and got into the industry and met more and more people, the more he changed.

Sometimes he wondered what 16 year old Dieter would think of the man he had become.

Sure, he was a successful actor with an Oscar and some Emmy’s. Also a Golden Globe. And rumour had it the musical he just wrapped filming was on the road to get him another Golden Globe and maybe a Tony too. If he did not get kicked out of the Academy.

But… he couldn’t remember the last time he was 100% sober and clean on a set.

Or when the last time was he really had fun on a movie set.

He was getting older and his doctor was getting more and more concerned with the way he treated his body.

But… it was easier to call his dealer and get some coke or LSD than to talk about his feelings to a therapist.

It was easier to drink another glass of wine than tell his manager that no, he did not want to make another shitty cliff beasts movie.

It was easier to get a groupie into his bed instead of finally acknowledging that he had been in love with someone for the last ten years without acting on it.

Clara smiled at him as she turned her head, letting it fall against his shoulder.

Dieter closed his eyes to just feel her so close.

“I am going to be sleeping for the next 24 hours,” she mumbled and Dieter chuckled.

“Think you can make it to bed or do I have to carry you from the boat to wherever you kidnapped me?” he teased.

“Don’t want you to break your back, old man,” he could hear the smile in her voice and he dramatically rolled his eyes.

“I’ll have you know I am working out now,” he said seriously. She looked up at him, suspicion in her eyes.

“There better not be some kind of sex joke in there…”

“Hey, Cardio is very important. You should try it too,” Dieter grinned. She was about to answer him when someone called her name and she turned around.

“The boat is ready,” the man said.

“How long until we get there?” she asked, pulling away from Dieter who definitely did not miss her warmth immediately.

“About 40 minutes.”

Clara could see the island in the far distance. The last hues of sun had disappeared over the ocean some time ago and it was almost dark.

Dieter was snoring next to her and she rolled her eyes to herself.

There was a part of her that was scared of spending so much time with him. Not because they did not like each other. It was clearly the opposite.

But…. frankly she did not know about how many drugs and things he consumed. She knew after Cliffbeasts he got more careful but apart from that?

She had been with him at his Doctor’s appointment afterwards where the Doctor told him that he had been incredibly lucky and that he should take this near death experience as a wake up call.

His heart was already suffering, even though only a little, but Dieter would turn 45 next year.

And if he continued his life with the substances like this, there was a big chance he would not make it to 50.

The thought of losing Dieter had put Clara in a state of fear and shock after.

Yes, she was only his PR Manager.

And a friend.

Maybe a very good friend?

And maybe… maybe sometimes her feelings for him lingered on the verge to more but….

She had no right to tell him what to do.

It was dark when they finally got to the island, leaving both Dieter and Clara so tired they just let them be shown their bedrooms only to fall asleep quickly after a refreshing shower.

But while Clara stayed asleep throughout the night, Dieter woke up three hours later, unable to fall asleep again.

So he put his boxer shorts on (remembering in the last moment that he wasn’t alone and Clara would probably appreciate not seeing his penis again so quickly, even though he kinda wished she would) and explored the villa.

It was luxurious to say the least.

He opened the extra large fridge in the kitchen, finding it stocked with all his favourites and some of Clara’s too.

Where the fuck did she find this place?

His mind wouldn’t shut up so he focused on making something to eat.

It was how Clara found him almost 4 hours later. The kitchen was in absolute chaos while Dieter had fallen asleep sitting at the kitchen island. Confusion replaced by amusement came to her as she watched the various dishes (or attempts) sitting on the counter. There was a very tasty looking chocolate cake right next to Dieter, his fork still stuck in it.

Then there were pancakes (sweet with chocolate chips and savoury with bacon), some breakfast muffins too.

She grabbed one, biting into it, surprised that it actually tasted good, though she should have known. He always had loved to cook.

She jumped when an alarm went off and Dieter snapped awake, almost falling off his chair.

“You’re awake! Finally!” he smiled, kissing her on the cheek, while he walked to the stove.

“How long have you been awake?” Clara asked.

“Dunno. Couldn’t sleep. Made breakfast instead,” he put on the pink mittens, carefully taking out whatever he made.

“For the whole week?” she asked and he shrugged.

“No drugs means I have other cravings. And you don’t want to have sex so….. I am making food.”

“Is that… Lasagna?” you asked.

“After my mama’s recipe,” he nodded proudly, setting the casserole down.

“It smells delicious,” her mouth watered.

“Grab a fork and get into it,” Dieter grinned.

“It’s 7 am.”

“And?” he looked at her with raised eyebrows.

Clara chuckled before she grabbed a fork.

The first day was spent being very lazy, fighting off jet-lag and eating lasagna all day. Dieter told Clara that he had explored the house and might move into the private theatre.

They spend the whole afternoon in the private theatre watching Harry Potter and eating chocolate cake. Clare feel asleep during the second move, her head resting on Dieter’s shoulder.

And Dieter watched her instead of the movie until he fell asleep too.

Only to wake up shivering.

He was sweating, not knowing if he was hot or cold.

„You okay?“ Clara asked tiredly and Dieter closed his eyes.

He was fidgeting, nervous. Usually he would take something now. Something to calm him down.

But he was on a island in the middle of fucking nowhere and hadn’t had anything in almost 48 hours. Dieter closed his eyes, trying to calm his fast beating heart.

„Wait here,“ Clara said before she got up.

She knew what this was.

Before leaving for this trip she had sat down with specialist in drug rehab who tried to explain everything that could happen once his body realised that it would be not getting a new fix.

Doing this without medical assistance could be scary, but she wanted to help Dieter through it. She wanted him to get better.

So she got some medication that would help him through it from the doctors. Only through the first couple of days. A doctor would visit them tomorrow and then every other day until Dieter would not need it anymore.

Clara knew this could be hard. There was a reason that there were rehab centres and clinics for recovering drug addicts. And with Dieter already being in his forties and taking drugs for the, she guessed, at least twenty years…. She just hopped she could help him through this.

Because she did not want to wake up one day to the news of him passing away from drugs.

And so she had planned everything.

Quickly getting through her luggage she grabbed one of the pills and walked back. Dieter was focused on the movie when she sat down next to him, his head turning towards her, his eyes glassy. She could see his hair clinging to his forehead, most likely due to the cold sweat.

„I know you are probably going to hate me for a bit for bringing you here, but I just want you to know that I love you. And I want you to get better,“ Clara said and Dieter sighed.

„I’m a real mess huh?“ He asked and Clara found herself smiling, reaching over to brush over his cheek.

„You just need a little help sometimes. We all do,“ Clara said, before she gave him the pill she had gotten.

„According to the doctors I spoke to this should help you with the withdrawal symptoms,“ she said and Dieter nodded, not even questioning her as he reached for the pill and swallowed it down.

„Maybe I should just sleep through the next few days. I never got through more than five days before I quiet rehab,“ he said, disappointed and anxious.

„Well, you’re stuck here for the next six weeks. With me. Maybe getting away from everything is gonna be what’s good for you in the end,“ Clara smiled before she laid down again next to him.

The following week was a long one.

Clara could see how Dieter was in pain but he never lashed out at her. He slept through most of the day, the doctor who came to visit them helping with infusions of vitamins and everything he needed when he was there.

Clara had taken to sleeping next to Dieter in his bed, wanting to be close in case he needed something. Or in case he got worse.

More than once she found herself in Dieter’s arms when she woke up in the morning, his breath hitting the back of her neck in warm puffs.

She knew he was a cuddler, and she was touch starved as hell so enjoyed it whenever it happened.

By day eight Dieter began to feel better.

„I can’t believe we’re on a private island and I haven’t even been out to the beach,“ he mumbled into his pillow, some true crime documentary on the tv in his room. Clara had made them some toast and eggs for breakfast which they ate in bed.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this lazy and relaxed.

„We could just… go outside?“ She suggested, her head tilting towards the open sliding door that opened directly to the pool, private beach and the ocean.

Dieter followed her line of view, contemplating what getting out of bed and onto the beach would entail.

He still felt like shit. But not as bad as it had been the day before. Or the day before that. He didn’t know why but somehow it seemed…. Easier this time around. Getting off drugs. Dieter slept through most of it all, the withdrawal symptoms only really hard in the first couple of days. By now he just felt exhausted and wanted to lay in bed all day.

In bed with Clara around who smelled so damn good all the time.

Meanwhile he couldn’t remember when he even took his last shower.

Frowning he narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember.

„You’re thinking this hard about going outside?“ Clara teased and he shook his head.

„Thinking about when was the last time I took a shower,“ he grunted, before he smelled under his arms, shuddering.

„It’s been…. Some time….“ She helped, looking at the TV with sucked in lips. He groaned theatrically before he took a deep breath and got out of bed. Yeah, no. He could smell himself and not in a good way.

„I’m gonna…“ he moved his head towards the bedroom and Clara nodded.

„I’ll meet you out at the beach after,“ she said, watching him disappear into his en suite bathroom, the door slipping closed behind him.

She took a deep breath, hoping that the worst was behind them before she got out of bed and began to strip down the sheets to wash them.

Once the sheets were in the washing machine she went into her room to put on her bathing suit and cover up, grabbing the sun lotion. Dieter was already outside when she walked the short path down to the beach. His bathing shorts were hanging low and she allowed herself to take in the broadness of his back in as he stared out at the ocean.

„We’ve had this view since we got here?“ He asked as he felt Clara next to him. She hummed and he looked down at her. She had her hair up in a messy bun, her face free of any make up that she usually wore whenever they saw each other.

Dieter always thought that she was beautiful.

Had been since he was a child.

The prettiest princess of all he used to say.

He used to think they would get married someday. But somewhere along the way he got the offer he always dreamed off and moved from New York to LA and their calls got less and less until they stopped. It had only been his own stupidity that brought Clara back into his life and while she was his PR Manager, she was so much more.

He didn’t think there was anyone left in his life who would have just taken him out of this toxic environment he found himself in back home just to help him, so he could get better.

She genuinely cared about him and he wanted to find out if maybe, just maybe she cared more about him than just as a friend.

Because Dieter had been in love with Clara since he was probably six years old, even though he only realised it around 10 years ago..

„You gonna help me with the sun screen and I help you?“ Clara asked, holding the bottle out. Dieter nodded with a small smile before they walked over to one of the numerous beach chairs and she sat down in front of him.

„You feeling better after that shower?“ She asked and Dieter opened the bottle. Clara took off her cover up and Dieter swallowed harshly at the amount of skin in front of him he was about to touch.

„Like a new person. I think…. I think I’m over the worst part,“ he said, squeezing the bottle to bring some of the sunscreen into one of his palms, rubbing it between both hands.

„I still think about taking drugs all the time though,“ he confessed before he slowly brought his hands down on her back, feeling her jump.

„Sorry,“ he hummed, beginning to rub the sunscreen into her skin.

„I already looked for NA places in LA and in New York,“ she said and he found himself smiling.

„Of course you did. Always prepared,“ he said with a smile and she looked over her shoulder at him with a small smile.

„That’s what I get paid for,“ she winked before she turned her head back towards the ocean. He stilled for a moment, before he continued to rub the sunscreen in.

„Is that… Is that the only reason why we’re here? Because of your job?“ He asked, anxious for her answer. She turned around then, sitting in front of him.

„No. If you were any other client I would have quit back when that video of you your ex wife arguing went viral,“ she said and he sighed, letting his head fall down, chin against his chest. He felt her hand over his and he looked up at her.

„I care about you and your life Dieter. I just want you to genuinely be happy,“ she said.

„I don’t know what makes me genuinely happy,“ he whispered, feeling like a scared child.

Her smile softened.

„Maybe you’ll use this time away from everything to find happiness, then,“ she winked, before she grabbed the bottle of sunscreen.

„And now turn around so I can put lotion on your back,“ she sassed and he chuckled before he turned around.

„It rubs the lotion on it’s skinnnn,“ he said with a squeaky voice, gasping when he felt the cold lotion drip directly on his skin.

„Do not test me, Bravo,“ Clara warned but he could hear the smile In her voice.

It was the day after that he found the atelier on the other side of the villa. Clara was in a call for work and he ventured out, exploring the villa.

It was a beautiful place of earth she had found.

Earlier today the doctor had come to visit him and he was glad to find out that he was doing better. The doctor also agreed to help with a surprise for Clara which he would bring with him on his next check up which would be in four days.

Now he found himself staring out at the ocean as he sat in front of the beginnings of a painting he started, his favourite muse already staring back at him from the canvas.

Clara’s words of him using this time to find out what makes him happy echoed in his ear as he looked at it.

It was her. It was always her.

And maybe he took all these drugs to get over the pain and the feelings of never being good enough for her.

Because what did he have to offer her?

He had money, he had a career, he had awards.

But Clara didn’t care about all of that. She cared about Dieter the person and he had no idea who that was anymore.

Sighing he got up, making sure to close the door behind him as he ventured towards the kitchen. He could hear Clara talk in the living room just around the corner and he decided to cook something for her.

What most people didn’t know about Dieter was that he loved to cook.

He took one look into the fridge and decided to make some carbonara, with fresh pasta of course. He hummed to himself as he searched through the kitchen cabinets for the pasta maker. He knew it was somewhere. He had made the lasagna on the first day from scratch after all.

As he cut the pancetta, the rest already prepared, the water heating up for the pasta he heard footsteps, looking up to find Clara walk into the big kitchen.

„Whatcha making?“ She asked with a tired smile, sitting down at one of the barstools at the kitchen island.

„Carbonara,“ he smiled.

He had a kitchen towel slung over his shoulder, a white shirt beneath. She could see some paint on his shirt, her smile softening knowing he found the atelier she had set up for him in the house.

He seemed… lighter.

The far away look in his eyes was gone, replaced by brightness as he prepared their dinner.

„Can I help?“ Clara asked and Dieter looked up at her with a warm smile and she felt butterflies in her belly.

„I saw some garlic knots in the fridge. Maybe you can pop them in the oven?“ He asked. She nodded, getting up from her seat. She prepared the garlic knots, continuing to watch Dieter out of the corner of her eyes. He was roasting the pancetta, the kitchen filling with the smell of it. He walked past her, his hand resting on her hip as he reached for the cheese.

Giving her a warm smile he got back to work.

„Maybe you can teach me to cook while we’re here,“ Clara smiled and Dieter grinned.

„Or I can just continue to cook for you. I like taking care of you,“ he said and Clara was glad her back was turned towards him, her face flushing.

„And what about once we go home? I gotta go back to sad microwave dinners and take out?“ She asked as she sat back down on the kitchen island.

„Or you gotta keep me around,“ he said with a wink and she smiled at him.

„I don’t think my kitchen has been used for actual cooking since I bought the new apartment. It’s kinda lonely there to be honest,“ Clara sighed and Dieter looked up at her.

„It’s the same with my place. It’s way too big to live there alone. Maybe we should move in together,“ he joked.

Clara’s lips twitched into a smile.

„Oh yeah? You sure we wouldn’t kill each other within a week?“ She teased.

„It’s been working just find here,“ he shrugged, his palms resting on the cool surface of the marble kitchen island, as he leaned towards her.

„You have been asleep most of the time we’ve been here,“ she winked playfully.

„So I’ll ask you again when we leave,“ he winked back and she chuckled.

„Do that.“

„Where would we live?“ He asked later, food eaten and kitchen cleaned. Clara and him had made themselves a fruity cocktail before they walked outside, sitting down in the warm sand, listening to the ocean. The sun had almost set completely and with how far away they were from everything they could see the stars come out, more and more each minute.

„Mhhhh…. Which one do you wanna hear? The realistic one or the one I would dream of?“ She asked, her head falling against his shoulder as she sat next to him.

„The one you dream of,“ he said softly, his arm coming around her from behind, his hand resting in the sand next to her hip.

„I always wanted to live close to the ocean. I’d love to be able to walk on to my little balcony of my very big bedroom and see and hear the ocean first thing in the morning. If we were to live together it would have to be somewhere far away from LA. Somewhere we you could relax and paint and where I could… find an actual hobby instead of working twenty hours a day. Maybe I could take cooking lessons. I like to cook, I am just terrible at it,“ she mused and Dieter smiled.

„I’ll give you cooking lessons. I told you so,“ he mumbled.

„But what when you have to work?“

„In this dream reality I don’t work. Honestly? Acting doesn’t make me as happy as it used to. So if we’re talking about dreams? I wouldn’t be an actor,“ he said and she looked up at him.

„What would you do?“

He hummed, looking away from her and back towards the ocean.

„Maybe I’d give art lessons to kids. We could set up a room in that dream house of yours for that, right?“ He teased and she agreed.

They continued to look out until the sun had fully set, the only light coming from the house behind them and from the stars above them.

„Would you have someone live there with us? A boyfriend or husband?“ Dieter asked quietly after a while and looked down at her. She shook her head.

„In my dream there is no one but you, Dieter,“ she whispered and Dieter felt his heart jump in his chest as one of her hands came to rest on his knee.

„What about you?“ Clara asked and he took a deep breath, her head tilting up to look at him. Even though it was dark they were so close that she could see all of him. Instead of answering he, his head dipped lower, his nose brushing over hers.

„I would really love to kiss you, Clara,“ he whispered and she shivered when she felt his breath brush over her skin.

„Dream you or real you?“ She whispered back.

„Both,“ he hummed and without any more words she closed the small distance between them, connecting their lips in a soft kiss.

It lasted only a few seconds but they both felt out of breath as they looked each other.

„I’ve wanted to do that for years,“ he said and she sucked her bottom lip in as she sat herself up so she could get closer.

„Why haven’t you?“ She asked.

„You were married and I was… am a mess,“ he shrugged with a awkward smile.

„I can handle your mess,“ she winked and he grinned.

„I know,“ he said before he leaned in again, kissing her with more eager now, his hands reaching for her, pulling her closer and Clara let him, climbing into his lap, her hands first on his shoulders then in his hair as they kissed, tongues playing with each other.

„I can’t believe I’m kissing you,“ he mumbled against her lips, making her giggle.

„You imagined it before?“ She asked when they parted, her still in his lap, his arms around her. She had one of her hands in his hair, her other hand on his cheek.

„Oh yeah. All the time. But I didn’t want to lose you as a friend, so I never made a move,“ he sighed.

„What changed?“ She asked, genuinely curious.

„I think I was getting tired of denying myself the one thing I always wanted,“ he said and her thumb brushed over his bottom lip.

„Me?“ You whispered and he nodded, kissing her thumb.

„You make things… quiet. Like cocaine,“ he grinned and she rolled her eyes.

„Do not compare me to the drug that almost killed you,“ she said with an eye roll.

„Might get addicted to you,“ he mumbled, pulling her closer, kissing her jaw.

„I think…. I could live with that,“ she whispered as she tilted her head down to kiss him again.

When Clara woke up in the morning from that day on, it was in Dieter’s arms.

And if Dieter wasn’t in bed, he was in his studio, painting away on canvases she wasn’t allowed to see yet.

The last two weeks had been… interesting.

She thought the switch from being just friend to… more than friends would be awkward but surprisingly both Dieter and her slipped into… whatever they were now easily.

At the end of the day not much had changed.

They were still best friends and loved each other.

Now they only kissed and touched each other whenever they wanted. And they did that. A lot.

She could hear the speedboat approaching outside, the doctor that came to see Dieter now only coming once a week when groceries and other things they needed were delivered to their little private island.

She never in her wildest dreams thought that not only she would love to spend so much time with Dieter but she would not look forward to get back into their old lives.

But that was still two weeks away. Two weeks, that would hopefully give both of them all the answers they were searching for not only for themselves, but on how their relationship would change once they had to leave their little cocoon.

She heard Dieters before she saw them.

His naked feet hitting the wooden floor as he walked towards the main entrance. Only in the last second he seemed to see her, his eyes softening and walking towards her, kissing her softly.

„Can you stay in our room?“ He asked.

Another recent change. While they hadn’t actually had sex yet, they had been sleeping in the same bed since the first time they kissed. It was…. So different than both of them had experienced in the past.

While before Clara, even in the beginning when she was in love with another person, still cherished her own space at night, she basically was attached to Dieter the moment they got under the covers. Something Dieter welcomed with open arms, loving the way Clara felt against him every night.

She frowned at his request though.

„Why?“

A grin sneaked to his lips.

„You trust me?“ Dieter asked, one of his hands on her hip, his other hand pushing her hair behind her ear. He looked excited, so she nodded.

„Good,“ he kissed her again.

„Then come and meet me in the living room after your next call,“ he said, having memorised her online meeting schedule by now.

„Fine,“ she said, still a little suspicious, eyes narrowing playfully, before she turned around, taking one last look over her shoulder before she rounded the hallway, walking towards their bedroom where she had been working from since they gotten here.

With a deep breath Dieter turned away, walking outside to see if anything was going according to plan.

His doctor and two other men who were carrying various boxes approached and he hoped it was the surprise that had been delayed due to shipping problems..

„You got everything?“ Dieter asked and they all nodded.

„Awesome. Could you just bring all these boxes into the living room?“ He asked and the two men already walked past him into the house, knowing their way around.

„You look good, Mr. Bravo,“ his doctor said and Dieter took a deep breath, a smile on his lips.

„I don’t think I have felt this good in twenty years,“ he said honestly.

„That’s good. Now, I talked to your therapist after you gave me the contact details. Let’s talk?“ He asked and Dieter nodded, showing the man the way inside.

Seconds after Clara’s last call ended, Dieter knocked on the door.

He had spend the last two hours talking to his doctor and then, after he left setting up a call with his therapist back in LA.

There were a lot of things Dieter would have to work through, hopefully with Clara by his side as his partner. He was getting anxious only thinking about not spending every single minute of the day with her but he knew life had to somehow carry on once they left here.

So he would make the most out of the time they had left here, just the two of them.

He hoped she would like the little surprise he had set up.

When she opened the door her eyes widened before her hand flew to her mouth covering her mouth as she laughed.

„Santa?“ She asked and Dieter grinned, his finger flipping the end of his Santa hat playfully. She couldn’t help but laugh when she noticed the matching swim shorts he also was wearing.

Almost giddy he held up a mistletoe over his head and she snorted before she got on her tiptoes, her arms coming up to cross behind his neck, her lips pressing against his.

He would never get tired of this.

„Ready for your surprise?“ He hummed against her lips.

„A surprise?“ She asked, eyes wide. He nodded.

„Come,“ he kissed her again before he took her hand and pulled her towards the living room.

Her lips parted in shock when she walked into the living room.

It looked like a Christmas store had exploded in there. There was a fake tree half assembled in the corner, Three big boxes of what she thought were ornaments next to the couch. Strings of Christmas lights that Dieter must have started to unpack lay on the floor in a tangled mess and she could just almost see where he got frustrated before he just let them be.

She felt his arms come around her from behind, his chest against her back, hugging her close, his chin resting on her shoulder.

„I know how much you love Christmas. And it’s my fault you aren’t spending it in your Fever dream of apartment this year,“ he teased and she rolled her eyes. He had always teased her about her decorations.

„So I wanted to do a little something for you. To show you how grateful I am that you never stop believing in me. Even when I don’t believe in myself anymore. And I… I really wanna change this time. I wanna stay sober, be healthier,“ he promised and kissed her cheek.

„Dieter, this is too much…“ Clara mumbled, feeling the tears in her eyes.

„It’s not enough. You’ve been dealing with my shit for almost twenty years on and off. Let me start to make it up to you,“ he mumbled against her ear, lips brushing over her skin. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

„Okay,“ she whispered.

There was something magical about a lit Christmas tree when she could hear the ocean outside.

They had spent all afternoon decorating the tree, Christmas music blasting from the speakers.

They had sang together (horribly), dance together (sillily), kissed each other breathless (both ready for more).

After they finished he told her that he hadn’t unpacked all the food that had been brought yet. It was when she was sorting through one of the boxes in the kitchen, Dieter also putting stuff away that she found the package of condoms.

She hummed interested, Dieter looking up at her as she held the condoms up with a raised eyebrow and puckered lips.

„You expecting company, Bravo?“ She asked, teasing him.

„I expect nothing. But… I like to be prepared for every scenario,“ he said with a wink and Clara nodded slowly.

„I know that you had a vasectomy before you got married, and you know I had my tubes tied like ten years ago, right?“

He walked over towards her, nodding.

„I also know I haven’t had my blood tested in a while. So….“ He shrugged, his hands on the kitchen counter behind her, caging her in.

„Would you like to have sex with me, Dieter?“ Clara whispered, her lips kissing up his chin with a smile that only widened when she heard him groan.

„More than anything,“ he said, dipping this head so he could catch her lips in a deep kiss.

„Tonight?“ You asked and he groaned against her lips, his body pressing against Clara’s and she could feel him.

„Tonight,“ he nodded, kissing her once more before he took a step back and moved back towards the box he had been unpacking earlier. He smirked at her when he caught her eyes, still flushed and out of breath.

And now she was sitting on the sofa, looking at the lit Christmas tree, with Dieter walking around, closing every window and door for the night before he came back to her, holding his hand out for her to take.

They didn’t talk as he led her to their bedroom, closing the door behind him as she walked towards the bed.

The thought that this could get awkward really quickly crossed her mind, but then Dieter was kissing her. Kissing her like he hadn’t before, his tongue playing with hers as he walked her towards the bed they had shared for weeks.

He guided her onto the it, parting from her lips to look down at her as she slipped into the middle of the bed, her eyes undressing him and he smirked as he took his shirt off, loving the way Clara’s lips parted in appreciation

Before he could talk himself out of it, he slipped the Santa shorts he was still wearing down his legs, leaving him standing completely naked in front of her. Clara’s eyes took him in before she got on her knees, crawling to the edge of the bed.

She kissed up his chest, her fingertips running up this strong back, feeling him shiver. Dieter took a deep breath as his fingers found the fabric of the shirt she was still wearing, groaning once it was off and he could see her boobs.

„Fuck,“ he let his head fall back before he felt her hand in his hair, pulling him down against her lips. He wrapped his arms around her, wanting her closer, his hands exploring her body, one hand slipping beneath the leggings she was wearing.

He would never get tired of feeling her skin beneath his fingertips.

Dieter felt her lips twitch into a smile as he moaned, her fingers lightly scratching over his scalp.

„Can I suck you cock baby?“ She asked and he nodded.

„Never gotta ask. The answer will always be yes“ he grinned and she giggled as she began to kiss down his chest, one of her hand wrapping around his already leaking cock.

„Noted,“ she hummed before she licked at the tip, making him almost jump. Her eyes never lost contact as she parted her lips and took him into her mouth, slowly, almost teasingly exploring every vein and ridge of his length.

Dieter was pretty sure he was gonna die.

Her mouth was heaven and when she began to bop her head? He had to try to remember the lines from the first play he was in to not cum immediately.

And the noises she made?

Fuck.

Clara felt the same, enjoying the weight of him in her mouth as she sucked him off, the moans that came out of his mouth going straight to her pussy. She loved the way he was holding her hair up, winking up at him.

If only she had known how much she would enjoy having him moaning like that, she would have done this so much sooner.

„Fuck… Stop… Stop or I’m gonna cum. And I wanna feel you first,“ he said, taking a step back, his cock falling out of her mouth.

He helped her get out of her leggings before he pushed her down onto the bed, climbing onto it and kissing her. She parted her legs, crossing them behind his back when he was on top of her, loving the weight of him on her.

She blindly searched for the package of condoms she had thrown onto her bedside table, humming when she found it. Dieter kissed down her jaw, her throat, kissing himself down towards her breasts, his lips closing around one of her nipples, his tongue playing it it.

She whimpered, rolling her hips up, feeling the weight of his cock slipping through her folds.

„Wanna eat your pussy,“ he mumbled against her skin and she shook her head.

„Later. Wanna feel you first,“ she said, finally having one of the condoms out of the package holding it up. Dieter released her nipple with a wet plop as he sat himself up, reaching for the condom, opening the package. He made quick work of rolling it onto his cock.

It was then that his eyes dropped between her legs, seeing her for the first time. He released almost a growl before he slipped one of his hands between her legs, his fingers slipping through her wet folds.

She moaned when he brought his fingers to his lips to taste her.

„Gonna have you for breakfast every day,“ he wiggled his brows and she chuckled.

„Promises, promises,“ she teased, her foot behind him slowly dragging up his thigh, teasing him.

„You’ll see,“ he winked before he got into position, his hand wrapped around his cock, teasing the tip of it through her folds, before he slowly pushed in. They both watched him enter her, slowly, Dieter wanting to give her time to get used to his thick length.

„Fuck, Dieter,“ she whined and he looked up at her, her hands on her tits, eyes still fixed on where his cock was filling her.

She finally looked up when he was fully inside of her, and then she smiled and he lost it, leaning down so his chest was against hers as he began to move. The first moan he heard from Clara as he thrusted almost enough to make him cum right then and there.

Her hands where everywhere she could reach as he fucked her, and he made a mental note to have her ride him the next time so he could explore more of her.

„You feel so good, Dee,“ she moaned „I’m so close already.“

„Me too, baby. What do you need? Want you to cum on my cock,“ he panted, still fucking her in deep strokes.

Instead of answering, one of her hand sneaked down between her bodies, starting to circle her clit.

And within minutes she came, clenching so hard around his length that within seconds after he came too, twitching inside of her as he spilled himself into the condom, only imagining how it would feel to fuck her without one.

They looked at each other, both out of breath before he dropped down to kiss her, rolling her so she was on top of him, making her squeal against his lips before they both laughed.

„I could really get used to this,“ she whispered against his lips.

„I hope you do,“ he smiled, before he kissed her again.

The amount of time they spend in bed from that first time increased. A lot. Though it was not just the bed. It was the couch, the kitchen counter, the pool, the floor….

Clara couldn’t remember ever having this much sex, not that she was complaining.

Dieter knew what he was doing and she loved to be on the receiving and of it.

It was Christmas Eve today and she was laying by the pool, naked as the day she was born as she watched Dieter, equally naked walking towards her from the ocean.

Dieter had made the very compelling point that since they were the only two people on an island with no people and especially paparazzi around that he wanted to enjoy it as much as possible.

Of course he had asked if Clara would be okay with him hanging around naked. When she took her clothes off as an answer he had fucked her against the floor.

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched him now, skin tanned and glistening with ocean water as he made his way towards her.

Fuck, she was one lucky woman.

„Put those bedroom eyes away, you already have me naked,“ he teased as he leaned down to kiss her softly, his cold hands squeezing her boobs with a grin, making her jump. She put her arms around him, deepening the kiss and Dieter moaned as he let himself get on top of her, cock already half hard.

„You taste like the ocean,“ she whispered against his lips with a smile and felt him grin before he slowly kissed down her body.

„Rather taste like your pussy,“ he winked before he got in between her legs and began to eat her out.

She woke up to lips kissing up her back on Christmas morning.

With a smile she turned on her back, finding Dieter resting with his head on one of his arms beside her, his other arm wrapped around her.

„Merry Christmas, baby,“ he smiled and she smiled back tiredly.

„Merry Christmas yourself,“ she whispered and he leaned in to kiss her softly.

„I have something for you,“ he hummed and she raised her eyebrows, surprised.

„You have?“ She asked and he nodded.

„Can I show you?“ He whispered and she nodded, letting him kiss her again before she let him led her out of bed.

There were colours everywhere.

When she arranged to set up this room for him so he could paint it was a beige sad little office. She had FaceTimed with the realtor who was responsible for renting the property out and giving instructions how to change the interior of the room and what supplies to get.

Clara hadn’t seen the room in all the time they had been here.

This room was… it was 100% Dieter. She knew he had spent a lot of time in here, she just never imagined that he had painted so much.

And so many versions of herself.

In all colours she could imagine.

He had spend all this time painting her?

She was already fighting tears within the first minute of stepping inside the room, Dieter’s hand still in hers as he watched her.

„This is… This is beautiful,“ she whispered softly before she finally looked at him.

„Still not doing you justice,“ he said and now she felt her tears run down her cheeks, before she wrapped her arms around Dieter, hugging him closely.

„I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, Dieter,“ she whispered when she looked up at him, his eyes softening as he looked down at her.

„That’s good. Cause I know I’m in love with you,“ he whispered back before her kissed her.

One Year later

Dieter had a smile on his lips as he looked up at the canvas hanging in the bright and new hallway. It was one of the pieces he had painted on their island last year, the first one he hung up in their home after the renovations had finally been finished.

The last year had come with a lot of changes. Not just because him and Clara had made the decision to part ways professionally, but because the reason was so they could start their life as a couple.

They both had made this decision, Dieter not wanting her having to deal with everything that he came with anymore.

Not that there was much to take care of now that he had quit acting.

Much to his surprise he had gotten the Golden Globe and another Oscar for his last project, so what more was there left to do for him professionally?

The last thing he had to promote would be coming up in march of the next year and after that he was ready to never see a red carpet again. He still didn’t know exactly what he would be doing now that he wasn’t acting anymore, but thankfully the investments he made and the way he had worked for the last twenty-five years gave him the freedom to take his time to find out.

And then there was Clara.

He was almost disgustingly in love with her (his sister’s words, not his) and there would be no stopping.

It had taken only six weeks after the island for both of them to make the decision to move in together.

And to their pure luck, while scrolling through Zillow listings one night when he had visited her in New York they had found their dream home.

He never thought he would move to the Hamptons one day, yet here he was, in a big country style house with a wrap around porch and a private beach, living with the love of his life.

With a smile he made his way downstairs, finding Clara in the kitchen, checking on the process of the dinner. They had invited family and friends for their first Christmas in their house together who would arrive later.

They had both taken cooking lessons together in the last two months since they moved in and she loved taking her time to cook with him every day now.

„Hey,“ he smiled and she looked up, giving him a sweet smile back. She had her hair up in a messy bun and was wearing one of his shirts. No make up. She was absolutely breathtaking.

Dieter walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

„Hey,“ she smiled back, turning her head to kiss his cheek.

„Guests will be here in an hour,“ he said and she nodded.

„Just wanted to check before I go upstairs to get ready,“ she said and he nodded. He kissed her cheek, watching her hum as she stirred the soup in front of her.

It was in that moment that he decided that he didn’t want to wait any longer, that he didn’t want to share this moment with anyone else later.

His hand searched for the small box he had been carrying around with him for the last six months, the ring he designed for her inside, Clara still focused on the food as he dropped to one knee behind her, He reached for her hand, as he took a deep breath, smiling at the surprised gasp escaping her lips as she turned around.

She said yes before he could even ask his question.

#my fic #Dieter Bravo #Dieter Bravo x ofc #pedro Pascal #fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction

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dreaminrainbows · 2 days ago

Text

Hello lovies, i hope the holidays treated you well! Here are the fics that got me through December! Always leave kudos and comments!

swallowed in the sea by 28goldensfics/@28goldens | [63k]

It's 1948. It's been years since Louis Tomlinson was discharged from his time as a war doctor; all memories of that time haunt him. To get away, he moved to Orkney, a small town in Scotland on the shoreside. The storms became his crutch and solitude his comfort, watching the rain roll in and the waves lap on the sand. Everything was okay, every day was the same. Until there's a knock on his door in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Can't get you off my mind (I won't even try) by starryhaze/@starryhaze28 | [51k]

“Can we do the thing again?” Harry asks and Louis cocks his head to the side questioningly. “What thing?” He asks softly as Harry puts his empty plate to the side to pull his legs to his chest. “The happy thoughts thing,” he mumbles, resting his chin on his legs. He’s scared Louis doesn’t even know what he means, and feels embarrassed that he brought it up in the first place. “Of course.” Louis nods with a soft smile, putting his own plate to the side and Harry breathes out a sigh of relief. ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ Or the one where everything is just a little too much for Harry until he meets his new neighbour, Louis. An alpha with blue eyes and a soft smile, who always seems to know exactly what Harry needs.

My Heart Lies With You by asphodelknox/ @iamasphodelknox | [31k]

“What did you hit me on the head for?” Louis said. He tried to frown, but it hurt too much. Plus it was hard to frown at someone taking care of him so tenderly. “I didn’t hit you on the head,” Harry said calmly, moving from Louis’s forehead to remove some bandages on his arm. “My friend Niall, the God of Death, hit you on the head.” “Well, why did Niall hit me on the head?” Louis asked. He noticed his lips hurt too, and felt a small gash on them. His arms were covered in scratches and cuts, and as he moved to sit up, he winced at a pain coming from his waist. “What the hell happened to me?” Harry sighed. “Niall… can get a bit… excited.” “Was he excited about hitting me on the head?” “No!” Harry said. “Niall just got away with himself.” “Does he do that often? Get away with himself, I mean?” Louis asked wryly. “Only when an idea gets stuck in his head that he can’t get out.” For being the God of Death, Niall has a habit of acting on ideas without thinking them through. It's probably why Harry ends up with an unexpected but entirely welcome visitor in his bed the day after a Mount Olympus party.

A Road To Something Better by taggiecb/@taggiecb | [25k]

Louis Tomlinson, famous romance novelist, has just had the rug pulled out from under his feet when his boyfriend leaves him without notice. What's the most appropriate response to this? Move a thousand miles away and seclude himself in a tiny lake town, of course. But nothing is as he expects it to be in the very best way, especially not the handsome mayor of McAll, Idaho.

you're shooting stars from the barrel of your eyes by devilinmybrain/ @thedevilinmybrain | [20k]

5 times Louis was gross hot and 1 time Harry was.

I Am the Blinking Light by dearmrsawyer/ @dearmrsawyer | [19k]

There is a legend of a lighthouse far out to sea. It can’t be found on any map, and those who do find it never return. They say a ghost haunts the lighthouse, and you can hear it calling out in loneliness on the ocean waves.

Reverse Psychology by heartbreakwthr | [17k]

“Every day I think I’m going to do it, and I just can’t. He’s too good looking. He’s too kind. He’s way out of my league. And at this point he probably thinks I’m the biggest jerk on the planet.” “I mean, probably,” Liam mumbles. Niall throws a pen at Liam’s face in Harry’s defense. - Or, the one where Louis Tomlinson is an elementary school teacher that has visited the hospital twice a week for the past two months, and is hopelessly out of Harry’s league; Harry Styles is a child psychologist who can’t bring muster up the courage to introduce himself to the biggest crush he’s ever had; and somehow they work together to create the best Christmas party the hospital’s ever seen.

Dancing Is Everyone's Style by WritingWithTheCatBella | [17k]

“My papa liked a boy with pretty blue eyes,” she starts, fiddling with the collar of his shirt, material making way for her soft fingers. “Uncle ZeZe said he is still in love with him,” she babbles, just as a man comes sprinting towards them, his expression a frantic kind with short brown curls bouncing wildly and his long coat flying behind him. The eyes are wide open, undeniably green in a shade no one would ever be able to describe, shining bright even in his current state of fear and oh- Harry. Harry Styles. Harry Fucking Styles.

my heart's against your chest, your lips pressed to my neck (i'm in love now) by DaddyAlphaLouisBabyOmegaHarry/ @bottomhaztoplou | [8k]

Five times Louis gives Harry a courting gift and one time Harry reciprocates.

When Everything’s Wrong (You Make it Right) by SilverStuff50/@silverstuff50 | [7k]

Written for the Omega Harry Fest 2024 Prompt: There is something wrong with his nest. Harry’s rearranged it a thousand times tonight, even in his foggy state just on the edge of a drop. He’s always been able to take care of himself, able to perfect his nest so that it calms his omega down and keeps him away from that floaty feeling but right now fear is overtaking him as he gets closer and closer to the edge. The thing is, he knows what’s missing. But he can’t exactly go knock on his neighbour’s door and ask “Hey, I know you don’t know me but I’m about to drop and need that purple sweatshirt off of your back for my nest so I can stop it.” Or can he?

no faith left to lose by louieshalo/@louieshalo | [7k]

Louis shoves an album booklet — Harry’s album booklet — into Harry’s hands, folded open to a familiar page. “I need you to tell me that that goddamn song is not about me.” His voice cracks a little in his vehemence, and ice fills Harry’s veins as he glances down at the creased page. He doesn’t need to look closely to know what it is Louis is talking about — the title is printed plainly on the page, Second Chances, along with every incriminating lyric, line by line. It’s his most blatant offense off the entire album, probably; sickeningly indulgent and too obviously vulnerable to even defend himself against. The song is a surface-level dip into the fantasy world Harry toys with when the ache of loneliness gets to be too much in the middle of the night, the brief glimpse already toeing over the boundary he’d promised himself he’d set for his career. Most damning, though, is the tiny embossed dedication at the bottom of the page; “For who I’d be if I wasn’t afraid,” Louis recites, looking expectantly at Harry. “What the fuck does that mean? or, the one where they miss each other more than anything.

bite me by finelinegynandromorph/ @finelinegynandromorph | [6k]

harry’s just a single mum trying to enjoy his favorite holiday season. that is, until his hot new neighbor moves in completely alone with a newborn baby

Wonderland by orphan_account | [4k]

For the prompt: Harry the fairy takes up residence in Louis’ attic to hibernate through the cold months, but Louis ends up finding him whilst putting up the Christmas decorations. Queue grumpy Harry being woken up, but he can't go back to sleep once he's tried to hibernate, so he starts following Louis around, full of excitement and questions about his first Christmas.

Day Four: Gift by 28goldensfics/ @28goldens | [4k]

Christmas Countdown Day Four: Gift Harry and Louis are on a break. But, on December 23rd Harry finds a collection of gifts he set aside for Louis and decides to give them to him anyway.

You Don’t Have to Be Lonely Tonight by Neondiamond/ @neondiamond | [2k]

Louis is stuck working the Christmas day shift at the coffee shop. Harry is the sad stranger who comes in to spend the day there.

Do You See What I See by allwaswell16/@allwaswell16 | [2k]

Harry may or may not be rescuing stray animals as an excuse to see the very hot local veterinarian. Or an absurd pet fic inspired by She Is Beauty We Are World Class

we got all night (we're going nowhere) by larryftnoctrl/ @the-larry-way | [1k]

Louis couldn’t believe his luck. Across the ocean from home, he’d found a fellow Brit, an attractive alpha who seemed to like alphas. And most importantly, he seemed to have a cheeky mouth that Louis would love to silence with his own mouth. Or his knot. He wasn’t picky.

(do you think it's easy) being of the jealous kind by larryftnoctrl/ @the-larry-way | [854]

Harry is mad and Louis isn't exactly sure why. (or Louis comes home smelling of another omega and Harry is near heat and jealous)

I wish you all a Happy New Year, hope it treats you good!

If you want to make a difference DO NOT forget to leave COMMENTS and KUDOS! You'll make someone's day or week or month!

#28th appreciation #monthly fic rec #ficrec #trackinghome #trackinghappily #hlcreators #hlficlibrary #tracksintheam #1dficlibrary #1dficvillage #hljournal #larry fic rec #fic rec #larry fanfiction

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tedwardremus · 1 day ago

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2024 Year In Review

This year I came back to fandom with a vengence I never knew was possible.

I published 336,619 words to AO3 in 2024 (This doesn't count my tumblr only fics/drabbles which is crazy to think about. )

I made Harry Potter Social Media AUs and moodboards

Had some fun with House Elf Hotties, ToadButter, and the @nenaandmeldetectiveagency

But most importantly this year has brought me new friends. I would tag you all and thank you for a wonderful year but I would be too embarssed and ashamed if I missed anyone. Please know that I love all of you and thank you for making this year fun.

In 2025 I look forward to finishing the Remadora Lighthouse AU, starting the sequel to Rage Against the Dying of the Light and continue my First War one shot series about the members of the Order of the Pheonix.

My 2024 fan fic review below the cut:

Rage Against The Dying Of The Light - In a universe where James and Lily Potter survive Voldemort’s attack on Halloween night. Most of wizarding society is enjoying newfound peace after a decade of war, except the young heroes who fought the war learn you can never really go back to the way things were before

Padfoot in Privet Drive - Sirius Black follows Harry to Privet Drive after the Triwizard Tournament.

Querencia - The time Lily, James, and Harry spent as a family in their little house in the West Country was far too brief, but it was overfilled with love, laughter, and, above all, life.

30 Times James Potter Thought He Was Going To Die and 1 Time He Did - 31 microfics for Jilytober

It’s here. Now’s the time. I tell myself I’ll be fine -

It was a normal feeling to be nervous, a rite of passage for any mother or father. After all, eleven years old wasn’t that mature—children at that age were still so small, so dependent on their parents for guidance, comfort, and care.

Hope Lupin hugs her son goodbye before he boards the Hogwarts Express.

Interesting House Guests - (Or The time Sirius invited the lads to spend the week at Grimmauld Place)

Tipping The Scales - James helps Lily get back something that is hers from the Slytherin dorms.

Does Permanent Mean Forever? - It is James Potter’s seventeenth birthday, and to commemorate the occasion, he proposes to the gang that they go out and get tattooed.

Your Friend, James - It is the summer before their 7th year, and Lily and James spend the entire holiday writing letters to each other as their relationship slowly changes from friends to something more.

Rumor Has It - Severus doesn’t believe the rumors that Lily finally agreed to go out with James Potter.

A Happy Thought - The 7th-year Defense Against the Dark Arts Class learns the Patronus Charm. James is shocked to learn what Lily’s Patronus is.

Awful Euphemisms- Lily and James exchange laughs while discovering a new level of intimacy.

An Academic Study of Dungeon Dwellers - It was common knowledge that when the weather turned warm, students were impossible to teach and used their precious free time to soak up the sun and enjoy the outdoors. Unless of course, you were the Girlfriendus Potterus, also known by her common name, Lily Evans, who—despite the migration of most students to the sun-drenched grounds—had yet to leave the castle’s confines.

The Office Party - Petunia hoped that staying in London for Christmas would make her seem important. She imagined her parents would talk about her endlessly, telling Lily all about her new, sophisticated life in the city. How big and important she’d become. She didn't imagine that she'd meet the love of her life while at the office Christmas party.

Three Lemons and a Dragon - Once upon a time there lived a Prince named James who had to save his father’s Kingdom by getting married. One day an older woman gifts him three lemons that will lead him to his true love.

Erasmus Lovegoods’s Guide to Brewing Love Potions -At the start of every school year, the Ministry of Magic distributed leaflets to all students taking potions classes regarding the regulations and legality of highly controlled potions.

I’ll Meet You After Dark - An Alternate Universe where the Statute of Secrecy hasn’t been enacted yet. Tensions between the magical and non-magical communities are high.

My dog said I can’t go out with you - Lily had been waiting patiently for James to ask her out for the first Hogsmeade weekend of the term. Sirius insists she turn James down so Sirius can hang out with her instead. (it’s all part of Sirius’ greater matchmaking plan)

Tranquil Solitude (Until You Came Along)- All Lily wanted to do was take a nice, quiet swim on a hot day. And then James Potter showed up. And Lily had already removed her clothes for the private swim.

Midnight Train To London - An escaped yeti causes a magical snow storm that leaves the Hogwarts Express stranded without any power. Head students Lily and James take charge and bring a little holiday cheer to the students trapped on the train.

Summer Fling Don’t Mean A Thing - Lily and James meet at a potions camp over the summer and have a fling. James promises to write to her when the summer is over, but he never does. Then Hogwarts hosts an academic competition inviting all the top students from around the country to attend, including students from Cockersand Coven Academy, the school that Lily happens to attend.

This Town Is Fake But You’re The Real Thing - Teen radio star Lily Evans works for a show on the wizarding wireless network called, The Marauders. The teen soap drama stars James Potter as an arrogant school jock and centers on the secret adventures of his friends in the forbidden forest as illegal animagus and a werewolf. The show’s antagonist, played by Severus Snape, left after a scandal, and now Lily has a romantic storyline with James in the final season of the show. Basically, her life is a disaster.

Field Study - Lily and James get left behind on a deserted island after A Care of Magical Creatures field trip.

These things that are pleasin’ you can hurt you somehow - Lily is stuck in potions for a classroom disturbance she didn’t cause.

In walks James Potter who she had been avoiding all week.

White Winter Hymnals - Holiday themed jily snippets from age eleven to adulthood

Cuckoo (or the unwanted interloper baby in the nest) - Sirius rescues Regulus from the cave and drops him off at the Potters house so he can clean up his brother’s mess. Regulus has an awful time…. until he doesn’t.

Katabasis- Snape gets hurt when he goes into the Shrieking Shack on the full moon. It is time for Remus to face the consequences.

Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter - Sirius is an Olympic athlete competing in the wizard pentathlon, James is a quidditch player, and Lily is a sports reporter. The three of them meet at the Olympic Village. And well, you know what happens at the Olympic Village…

Finding Your Magical Roots - The Black Family welcomes the reality show Finding Your Magical Roots into their home to film a special episode.

101 Padfoots - An accident in potions class results in 101 Padfoots running around Hogwarts while Lily and James work together to round them all up

She Faced Danger, But Never Feared It - Dorcas Meadowes is a healer at St. Mungo’s who specializes in emergency healing. A grandmother in her 60s who believes in caring for all members of the magical community. She is recruited by Albus Dumbledore to join the Order after she publishes and article in the Daily Prophet arguing that the rise of dark magic is a public health crisis.

When Death Would Not Come - Moody and the others will be here soon. Just endure for one more minute. Thirty more seconds. Five more seconds. As long as Neville was okay, she could endure anything.

Goodbyes and Surprise Greetings - Ginny’s brothers have abandoned her at the Burrow while they go to school or leave the country. But then she gets a surprise visitor.

The Past is a Bucket of Ash - Over burnt photographs, Harry had a late-night chat with Sirius about his family history.

Our Troubles Are Miles Away - “Would you like to unwrap your present?” she whispered into his ear, her voice low and teasing, yet so tender it made him ache.

He hesitated. He shouldn’t. He knew better.

(Remus and Tonks have a small Christmas celebration while everyone else is asleep at Grimmauld Place.)

To Guinevere - The New Year's Eve party at Grimmauld Place was a complete bore. But then Ginny walked into the room with a basket of homemade cards.

The Parting Glass - The last full moon, Moony and Padfoot spend together.

Retrouvaille (or the happiness of meeting someone you love after a long time)- The times Sirius and Harry reunited and the times they were forced to say goodbye.

Attinge - Harry shaves his head after the battle. Only Ginny understands why.

Secret Garden - Neville plants Hannah a secret garden on the roof of the Leaky Cauldron. She wants to show him how grateful she is for the gift.

Burnt Cookies - Hannah keeps burning cookies as she gets ready for the Leaky Cauldron’s Halloween party.

Luckily, Neville is there to comfort her.

Tinsel In Her Hair - Neville helps Hannah decorate the Leaky Cauldron for Christmas. He notices something shiny in her hair.

1994 Quidditch World Cup - Harry wants only one thing for his fourteenth birthday: tickets to see the final match of the Quidditch World Cup. Well, two things if you count his sudden desire to kiss Ginny Weasley.

A Time To Mourn - Sirius Black, recently declared innocent by the Ministry of Magic, visits his godson on Halloween.

Feels Like Home To Me - Snippets inside the Potter family home

Werewolf Registration Act of 1947 - A history of magic essay helps Teddy understand his deceased father a littler bit better.

Tethered - Teddy and Vic discover the isolated and deserted Hogwarts boathouse to be the perfect place to be alone together.

It’s All About The Timing - James Sirius Potter has wanted to ask Ellie Longbottom out since he was twelve years old. Unfortunately, he can never get the timing right.

Know Your Roots- Albus Potter is unsure if helping Uncle Neville repot moonwort plants is part of detention or a lame attempt at godfather and godson bonding. It might be both.

Acting Professional - Teddy wants to see Victoire’s new office while at a work event.

Ginny’s Very Serious Investigation - When Luna casually mentions in the postscript of her latest letter that she got married, Ginny is not having it. Who the hell is Rolf Scamander, and why is Luna marrying him without any prior warning?

Snuffles & Son - Sirius raises Harry and opens a shop that specializes in repairing cursed artifacts and places protection wards on family heirlooms. One day, an Unspeakable from the Department of Mysteries walks in with a cursed artifact from his cousin’s confiscated Gringotts vault, requesting Sirius’s assistance.

Be Not Afraid Of Greatness - A collection of Frank Longbottom stories

Without A Trace - Babies don’t just disappear without a trace

The Lighthouse - There is an old fishing town off the jagged rocky coast covered in permanent fog and a broken lighthouse that is no longer able to bring ships safely to shore. Tonks travels to the forgotten place to record an episode of her popular podcast. Imagine Tonks' surprise when she arrives at the abandoned lighthouse and comes face to face with its kind yet lonely keeper—Remus.

#harry potter fanfiction #james potter #harry potter #lily potter #jily #sirius black #jily fanfiction #remus lupin #hinny #remadora

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glossdebut · 2 hours ago

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PRICE OF FAME | MYG ★ 03

✧ PAIRING: yoongi x fem!reader

✧ SERIES SUMMARY: You were about ready to give up, your career nowhere near what you dreamed it’d be when you started at eighteen, bright-eyed and naive. Reality for you these past few years has consisted of pouting at a camera, ignoring whispers of your name at company events, and ensuring that the stupid, tiny designer purses they keep forcing on you can at least carry a flask. But now, you’re helping a friend in need. For the first time in a long time, it feels like you’re doing something worthwhile with your life. Too bad Min Yoongi, the newest thorn in your side, seems insistent on stopping you.

✧ SERIES TAGS: enemies to lovers, slow burn, angst, smut, fake/pretend relationship (not main couple), rockstar!yoongi, model!reader, guitarist yoongi, singer jungkook, bassist taehyung, drummer jimin, manager namjoon, yoongi & maknae line are in a rock band, reader & seokjin are best friends, yoongi & hoseok are best friends (sope duo ftw), yoongi has a tongue piercing, reader is a brat

✧ CHAPTER TAGS/WARNINGS: THE JEJU TRIP BEGINS!, JK is clueless and a little bit annoying, jimin and taehyung are meddlers, seokjin wishes he was fishing, yoongi is a bitch as per usual, aqua uses ANOTHER arctic monkeys song as a plot device, A BIG REVEAL OF SORTS!, idk a lot of stuff happens in this chapter, the exposition is expositioning (see series masterlist for series warnings)

✧ CHAPTER WORDCOUNT: 7.4k words

✧ AUTHOR’S NOTE: hi everyone! happy belated taehyung day and happy new year! writing this chapter kicked my ass. it sat at 1k-ish words for almost the ENTIRE month until i miraculously busted out the final 6.4k in less than 48 hours. but it’s hereeeeee! a big thank you to tanni @yooniivrse for beta reading and mj @kkaetnipjeon for answering my many, many questions about jeju <3

P.S. the jeju house in this is modeled after an airbnb i found online (with a few alterations to fit my perception of yoongi’s taste) so if my description isn’t enough for you to picture it, here is the link to the house i modeled it after!

P.P.S. i finally got my taglist sorted out! if your username is missing at this point, it means i straight up don’t have it. comment and/or fill out my taglist form if you want to be added!

CH. 03: WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Jeju is a big change of pace for you.

You spend your days in Seoul with little reason to step outside of city limits. It’s so big, offering anything and everything you could possibly need. When you do happen to travel, it’s always for work, and always to some other booming metropolis. It’s difficult to recall the last time you’d been surrounded by such lush greenery as opposed to the impenetrable walls of slate grey you’ve grown accustomed to.

It feels like a miracle that your manager, Seoyeon, was able to swing this for you, even if there are a few strings. You’re still technically working—you always are, whether it’s through the brand of clothes you’re seen wearing or the model of car you’re seen leaving the airport in. A walking advertisement. But still, she’s managed to finesse things so you don’t have any shoots lined up for the next few weeks.

You don’t think you’ve been to Jeju since your last trip with Seokjin, the summer after you graduated high school. A trip that Seokjin spent fishing and you spent sunning. And the two of you, funded by the money Seokjin had saved up during his second year of college, certainly weren’t staying in a place like this.

Yoongi’s house in Seogwipo is far from what you imagined.

It’s huge, but you knew to expect that, at least. Two floors, four bedrooms, three bathrooms. More than enough space to accommodate a rock band and their instruments (and their egos), which is why it was purchased in the first place.

But given what you know about Yoongi, and the fact that the band only comes here when they need to write an album, you weren’t expecting it to be so… homey.

The walls are painted a soft sage green. Dark wooden furnishings, splashes of charcoal grey and cream. A screened-in patio on the first floor that leads to a gorgeous garden with a wooden (and from the looks of it, hand-built) free standing swing. A terrace on the second floor with a beautiful view of the surrounding beach village.

There are fucking houseplants all over the place, thriving in the natural light the many windows offer. It looks like somebody lives here, even though you’d bet your left tit that Yoongi doesn’t.

It doesn’t look to his taste, or at least what you’d imagine his taste to be. Dark and minimalistic, rather than dark and cozy. Cold, clinical. Yoongi’s apartment is probably as inviting as a hotel suite.

Maybe Yoongi owns it, but Namjoon maintains it. That’d make sense.

You think about asking, just to satisfy your own curiosity, but as everyone disperses to drop their bags, you decide it’s not worth it. Namjoon is preoccupied with his managerial duties, unloading equipment and instruments from the car, and nothing good seems to ever come out of talking to Yoongi anyway.

Jeongguk, ever the gentleman, wrenches your bags from your hands before you even get a chance to figure out which room you’ll be staying in. Hefting the strap of a duffel bag over his shoulder, extra large rolling suitcases in each hand, he carries everything up the stairs with alarming ease, leaving you no choice but to follow. He has your bags, after all.

You follow him silently into a bedroom on the second floor. It’s only when he tosses all of the bags onto the bed that you realize, with shocking clarity, that you and Jeongguk are expected to share a room.

This room. Which only has one bed. Because happy couples sleep in the same bed.

“You okay?” Jeongguk asks, the sound of his voice effectively tearing your eyes away from the mattress-shaped elephant in the room.

You really need to get better at keeping control of your facial features, instead of looking like you’re going to be sick at every perceived complication.

“Is, um,” you start, pointing at the bed. “Are we…?”

Realization crosses over Jeongguk’s face as his gaze follows the direction of your finger.

“Oh, fuck,” he huffs, big boba eyes widening. “I didn’t really think about it, to be honest with you.”

Well, that’s not very reassuring.

“Oh,” you say, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, even though you’re feeling very much the opposite.

Being on this trip is bad enough. You already feel like you’re intruding on something you’ll never really be a part of, despite all of Jeongguk’s insistence that you being in Jeju with him will do wonders for your story’s credibility. But the idea of sharing a bed with him is just… It’s too much. It’s too real.

Somewhere in a hospital back in Seoul, Seokjin is laughing at your expense. You can sense it.

“It’s fine,” Jeongguk says, waving his hand dismissively.

“Jeongguk,” you huff. You don’t want to be a bitch, but you can’t help but get frustrated—on behalf of yourself and his girlfriend, who you’re allegedly doing all of this bullshit for in the first place. He’s been here, has lived in this house for weeks on end as long as they’ve been writing albums here. He should’ve known this would be a problem.

“I don’t think your girlfriend would like it very much if she knew we’d be sharing a bed while we’re here.”

“I’ll figure it out,” he says, apparently oblivious to the irritation that’s starting to come off of you in waves. “I’m sure there’s a couch I can move in here or something.”

“Okay,” you say stiffly. You’re unconvinced, but if he wants to figure out how to move a couch in here unnoticed, that’s up to him.

“Seriously,” Jeongguk insists, squeezing your shoulder in reassurance. “I’ll take care of it. Come on, let’s go back downstairs.”

“You go ahead,” you say, shaking your head. “I’m gonna unpack a little before I head down.”

Jeongguk shrugs, leaving the room without fighting you on it. Thank god, too. You need a few minutes to decompress before you willingly head back into the belly of the beast.

Shit, this was a bad idea. This was all a bad idea, and you just keep going along with it because you’re incapable of saying ‘no’ where Jeon Jeongguk is concerned.

Meeting the band after their last concert was one thing. A necessary evil, in order to sell all of this. Even hijacking their tour wrap dinner wasn’t that big of a deal—it certainly felt good to put Yoongi in his place, you have no problem admitting that.

But this? Sharing a house with the other members who all think you’re someone you’re not, just for some airport pictures? A few Instagram posts? It feels like you’re both taking things too far.

And then there’s Yoongi.

Yoongi, who hasn’t spoken a word to anyone since the plane took off from Incheon. You didn’t think so many questions could be answered with hums and grunts, but you’re almost impressed by how wrong he’s proven you. It’s all in the inflection, it seems.

He’s pissed. Whether it’s still about the dinner, or just the fact that you’re here at all, you don’t know. Normally, you’d jump at the chance to piss him off further, just on principle. But being in such close quarters like this…. All a pissed Yoongi is going to do is cause more problems for you.

You’re deliberating on whether or not proposing a truce would be worth it when you finally leave the bedroom, heading towards the stairs.

Everyone seems to be doing their own part in setting up for the trip. Namjoon and Jeongguk are outside clearing out what remains in the car, visible through the glass of the front door. Taehyung is pacing around the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets and recording his findings in the notes app of his phone. And…

Speak of the devil. Yoongi is helping Jimin set up his drum kit in the middle of the living room, right smack in front of your face as you reach the foot of the staircase.

Since you’ve been upstairs, he’s shed the stupid black puffy coat he was wearing at the airport. The sweater that was underneath too, it seems, leaving him down to a long-sleeved white thermal.

It makes sense–-Jeju is more temperate than Seoul, and the heat is blasting in the house anyway.

He’s sprawled out on the floor, on his back as he attaches the legs to the kick drum while Jimin deals with the toms. It’s not as if drum kit assembly is particularly interesting to you. You don’t know why you stop and look, but you do.

Yoongi is always so buttoned up, both metaphorically and literally. Especially with the chill that’s been permeating Seoul for the past two months. Everyone’s been drowning in layers—except you, thanks to Hyerin. And it’s so, so stupid, but the hem of Yoongi’s shirt is bunched up just the slightest bit as he reaches for a screwdriver. It’s just the faintest hint of pale skin, right above the waistband of his jeans, but it’s more than you’ve ever seen from him. For some reason, you just can’t bring yourself to look away.

But then he adjusts and its gone, forcing you to snap out of whatever bizarre reverie you’ve found yourself in.

When you glance up, he’s staring right back at you. Your eyes zero in on his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip, just a flash of the little silver barbell there before it’s gone again. His eyebrow raises in recognition, like he’s caught you doing something you shouldn’t.

…Are you doing something you shouldn’t?

“You’re doing that wrong,” you blurt, relief flooding you when he breaks first, his head swiveling to look over his handiwork with a furrowed brow.

Your diversion gives you enough time to sneak away towards the kitchen. Yoongi’s muttered ‘what the fuck do you know’ reaches your heated ears as you pass by, but you have no choice but to let it go.

What the fuck. You really need to get laid if an inch of skin can make heat crawl up your neck like this. From Min Yoongi, no less.

★ ★ ★

Time spent hiding in the kitchen reveals the method to Taehyung’s cabinet-snooping madness: building a grocery list.

Once your little freakout subsides, you’re fully briefed on the process, joining him in taking stock of what’s here and what isn’t. To your surprise, many of the shelf-friendly basics have been kept in full stock, leaving mostly perishables (meats, vegetables, and fruits) to be added to the list. After Taehyung’s phone is passed around for everyone’s additions, Namjoon and Yoongi roll out to go grocery shopping at a nearby market.

It isn’t lost on you that the pair are acting a bit strangely towards each other—and it can’t just be because of what went down at the dinner. Ever since you met the band at Incheon, they’ve given Yoongi a noticeably wide berth. But the maknaes still talked to him, despite the lackluster responses (grunts) they received in return.

Even Jeongguk has been interacting with Yoongi, and he was the one who drove him out of Yoojung Sikdang in the first place! You haven’t seen Namjoon look his way all day. He still isn’t, you note, as you watch their car retreat through the window.

Weird.

Not that you care, of course. Yoongi deserved what he got at that dinner, as far as you’re concerned. You don’t regret calling those reporters. You told Seokjin you wanted to make his life a living hell, and you’d meant it.

But still, you can’t help the guilt that gnaws at you at the possibility that you’re playing the part of Yoko Ono. You’re sure Yoongi thinks so.

Yoongi, Yoongi, Yoongi. Who gives a fuck? It’s not like you’re here for him. You’re here for Jeongguk. You just need to put him out of your mind, you decide.

You make your way through the house, intent on finding Jeongguk to help with whatever else needs to get done tonight, when you’re ambushed by two maknaes that are clearly up to no good.

“YN-ieeee,” Jimin sing-songs. There’s a mischievous look in his eye as he grabs you by the hand and pulls you towards the living room.

“Come sit with us,” Taehyung insists, plopping himself down on the couch and patting the space next to him.

“I was actually looking for Jeongguk,” you say, eyeing both of them. But you relent anyway, stiffly sitting down on the couch where they now flank you.

“He gets you all the time,” Jimin says. He smiles brightly, turning his body towards you and tilting his head as he studies you. “It’s our turn. We have a question for you.”

Oh, you do not like this one bit.

“A question?”

“A question,” Taehyung repeats, nodding.

“Okay, um,” you start, unsure of which one of them to look at. You settle on Taehyung, because he’s far less menacing. “Go ahead?”

“What’s going on with you and Yoongi-hyung?” Jimin asks.

Fuck. So much for putting him out of your mind.

It’s a fair question, but still, your head turns so fast in Jimin’s direction that you swear you hear a crack in your neck.

“Wh-what? What do you mean?”

“The animosity,” Jimin purrs. He’s still grinning at you, all perfect teeth and deceptively cute mochi cheeks. “You both just met, right? Where’d that come from?”

This is a nightmare.

It’s not like you can tell them the truth, as much as you may want to. Until you can figure out exactly what it is Yoongi claims to know about you, he pretty much has you backed into a corner. Plus, you’ll be living with him for at least a few weeks. You’re not against ruining his time here in small, inconsequential ways, but this is decidedly not that.

You’ll keep the peace. For now.

“I think Yoongi-ssi and I just got off on the wrong foot,” you explain. It’s not a complete lie, to be fair. “I’ve been meaning to talk to him about what happened at Yoojung Sikdang…”

“That was ugly,” Taehyung says, wincing at the memory.

“Yeah,” Jimin agrees. “Does he really think the photographers were your fault?”

Yes, because they were.

“I guess so,” you sigh. “I don’t blame him, honestly. I would’ve thought the same if I were him. I feel really bad about the whole thing.”

“Don’t,” Taehyung says emphatically as he clasps one of your hands in his. If there’s one thing you’ve learned about Taehyung since you’ve met him, it’s that he’s not very big on personal space. He’s so casual about it, though, that you’re finding you don’t mind all that much.

“We can talk to him if you want us to,” Jimin says. “Yoongi-hyung can be a real asshole when he puts his mind to it, and you don’t deserve that.”

“No! No, it’s fine,” you insist, trying not to panic. For whatever reason, Yoongi has kept his suspicions about you between the two of you. As far as you know, at least. You’d like to keep it that way. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Are you sure?” Jimin asks, eyeing you.

“I’m sure.”

Thankfully, they both seemingly let it go after that. When Jeongguk reappears, he joins the three of you on the couch and the conversation moves to safer topics, all of them excitedly chattering to you about what they plan to do while they’re in Jeju.

Apparently, the four always make a point to visit a nearby citrus orchard when they come here. It sounds fun, and for the first time since Jeongguk invited you, you allow yourself to feel the slightest bit of excitement about this trip. You can’t help it. You fucking love tangerines.

Namjoon and Yoongi return from the market an hour or so later.

Namjoon enlists the help of the maknaes to help him haul bags of groceries inside, leaving you to hover awkwardly as Yoongi moves around the kitchen.

He and Namjoon must’ve talked or something. He looks much more at peace than he did when they left. At least, until he catches you staring.

“What?” Yoongi asks, narrowing his eyes at you as he procures a cutting board from a cabinet.

“Just wondering if you need any help,” you say, a practiced, saccharine smile on your face.

“From you?” he scoffs. “I’m good.”

“At least I offered.”

“You’re a regular Mother Teresa.”

You roll your eyes as you watch him pull what he needs from the knifeblock, silently praying he cuts one of his precious guitar-playing fingers off. But your intent to voice that hope is thwarted by Namjoon and the rest of the members ambling back inside, arms full of grocery bags.

Yoongi clearly doesn’t want you lingering, so after you help clear off the counter, you make yourself scarce until dinner is done.

You busy yourself with texting Seokjin with an update on how things are going. You know he’s probably at work, so you try to keep it as succinct as possible despite everything that’s happened since you’ve arrived—Yoongi’s icy behavior, the confusion surrounding your sleeping arrangement, the (resolved?) tension between Namjoon and Yoongi, Jimin and Taehyung’s interrogation.

And then, because you want him to at least envy you a little bit, you send him pictures of the house—and then brag about your proximity to fish.

You: we’re like a 5 min walk from a fishing port too lol

A few minutes later, your phone buzzes, and you can’t help your snort at his response. It’s a selca of him pouting in his scrubs, covered in stickers of an agonized Mario.

SuckJin: I h8 u

You: <3

The rest of the night goes smoothly, all things considered. Yoongi’s maeun-tang is delicious, which is slightly annoying, but you’re not one to take good food for granted. Plus, the two of you are a lot more amicable during this dinner than the last one you shared together.

After dinner, everyone finishes setting up the equipment in the living room, which quickly turns into an impromptu jam session under the guise of testing the setup. It’s nice, being able to watch them play together without the pressure of a stage, of a crowd. They’re just fooling around, playing whatever sounds right, joking back and forth—and you get to witness it.

You’re just about to get out of their hair and head upstairs when Jeongguk gets up, intercepting you before you reach the staircase.

“Hey,” he says softly, tilting his head towards the patio. “Come outside with me?”

Wordlessly, you nod, confused as you follow him outside. Jeongguk guides you over to the swing you were admiring when you’d all arrived. You can’t help but notice how nervous he looks as you both sit, but you try not to assume the worst.

“I feel like you were kinda mad at me,” he starts, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Earlier.”

About the bed? Yeah, kind of. But you didn’t realize you’d made it so obvious.

“It’s fine,” you insist, shaking your head. “I was more flustered than anything, honestly. I just don’t want to get you into trouble.”

“You won’t,” he huffs, smiling a little. “I moved a couch into our room while Yoongi and Namjoon-hyung were gone. Like I said I would.”

Oh. Well. Now you kind of feel like a bitch.

“I’ll take it,” you offer. “You’re the one who’s here for work, anyway. I’d feel bad if I didn’t—”

“No, I’ll take it,” Jeongguk says, ignoring your responding huff. “Come on, YN-ah. I’ll barely be working while we’re here, anyway. It always goes the same way: Yoongi-hyung pretends like he’s going to let us help, and then he writes the entire album by himself. The rest of us are basically on vacation.”

“Besides, you’re here as a favor to me,” he adds. “Let me take the couch.”

You want to protest, but once Jeon Jeongguk sets his mind to something, it’s pretty much impossible for anyone to stand in his way.

“Fine.”

“Speaking of Yoongi-hyung…”

You groan, leaning your head back against the support of the swing. Everyone wants to talk about Min fucking Yoongi today. “What about him?”

“Is he playing nice?”

“He’s barely spoken to me,” you mutter, turning your head to level Jeongguk with a look. “So yes, he’s playing very nice. For him.”

“What’s his deal with you?” he asks, curious. Isn’t that just the question of the day?

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you say. “Jeongguk, it’s fine. Seriously. He doesn’t like me, I don’t like him, but I’m dealing with it. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Jeongguk clearly disagrees, but he holds it in, which you’re thankful for. At least you can be more candid with him than you can with Jimin and Taehyung.

“Just let me know if that changes, okay?”

“I will,” you mumble.

“Let me know if anything changes,” he corrects, nudging your shoulder with his. “Like… If you don’t want to do this anymore. I know it’s a lot.”

“It is,” you agree, sighing. “But nothing’s changed, Guk. I’ve dealt with assholes before. Min Yoongi is nothing compared to the worst of them.”

If only he could know just how much you mean that.

“I just wish you two could get along,” he says, fiddling with his lip ring nervously. “Yoongi-hyung is a good guy when you get to know him. I’ve never seen him like this before.”

You don’t know what to say to that, partially because you have a hard time believing it. You have absolutely zero evidence that Yoongi is a good guy, and you’re more likely to believe that they’ve all just known each other way too long. That Jeongguk is blinded by admiration for his hyung.

“I’m sorry,” you say, because it’s all you have to offer. “I wish we could get along, too.”

The two of you sit in silence for a few minutes, the swing rocking your bodies back and forth. But you can only take it for so long.

“I’m gonna head up. You coming?”

“No,” Jeongguk says, shaking his head as you stand up. “You go ahead. I’ll be in later.”

You feel bad for leaving him alone when he’s so clearly upset, but you know there’s nothing you can say or do to fix it. Just another thing outside of your control. They’re piling up, aren’t they?

You offer him a sympathetic smile, and then you head inside, leaving him with his thoughts.

★ ★ ★

You’re up bright and early the next morning, a full afternoon of Teams meetings ahead of you. Luckily it’s nothing too laborious—some planning for your schedule prior in light of the new year, calls that were scheduled long before you were invited to Jeju.

Jeongguk didn’t make it in before you fell asleep last night. You find that he’s already gone when you wake, too, blankets left in disarray on the couch he’s wedged into the corner of the room.

Guiltily, you resign yourself to staying locked in the bedroom until you’re done with your work. It’s only right to give him time with his hyungs, something he obviously needs after your conversation last night. You’re happy to leave him be, if that’s what he needs.

You’d set your alarm with plenty of time to scroll aimlessly on your phone before you need to get up, so you do just that, reading through missed texts and Instagram notifications in a groggy haze. After, you wash your face and brush your teeth in the adjoining bathroom before setting your laptop up on the bed.

Your calls go fine, although you’re bored to tears the whole time. You don’t know why Seoyeon even adds you to these things—it’s not like you have any control over your career. They might as well cut out the middleman and brief you on their decisions via email. But instead, you silently snack on a power bar you find stashed in your bag as your life for the next calendar year is mapped out for you, smiling and nodding when necessary.

As time passes, you lose track of how many faces have cycled through your screen. You stay glued to the same spot call after call, your stiffened legs pins and needles underneath you, and you only register how much time has passed when the bedroom door swings open.

“Hey. You in a meeting?”

Your eyes snap up from your laptop to find Jeongguk poking his head into the bedroom. With a quick glance to your calendar, you realize you’ve just finished your last call of the day, and it’s not even two in the afternoon.

“No, I’m all done,” you say, shutting your laptop and waving him in. “What’s up?”

“Namjoon-hyung’s gotta go back to Seoul, so we’re taking him to the airport,” Jeongguk says, kicking the door closed behind him and sitting on the edge of the bed. “And then we’re gonna fuck around in Jeju City for a little bit. See the sights and all.”

“Oh, okay.”

Is this an invite, or…?

“Yoongi-hyung’s staying, though.”

Fuck. Nope, not an invite.

“Is he,” you hum, acting as unbothered as possible.

“We got some songs started today,” Jeongguk says, studying your expression for a moment. “The rest of us are burnt out, but he wants to keep going.”

“Well, do you want me to join you guys, or—”

“I want you to stay and talk to him.”

There it is.

“Jeongguk,” you huff, a protest on the tip of your tongue.

“YN, it’s worth a shot! Maybe if you two have a chance to talk you’ll find out you have more in common than you think.”

“I don’t think he’ll be happy if I interrupt his songwriting to have some kind of Kumbaya moment, Guk,” you sigh.

Jeongguk stands up from the bed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“Can’t you at least try?” he says, his voice clipped as he paces. “Both of you are so fucking stubborn. Maybe you can bond over that.”

He’s one to talk about being stubborn, but whatever. You’ll let it slide, only because you feel so fucking guilty.

A long moment passes, and at your silence Jeongguk stops in his tracks to look at you expectantly. Fuck. Fuck this man and his stupid big brown eyes.

“I can’t promise you anything,” you finally say.

“Like I said, I just want you to try.”

He’s still tense, but at the hint of acquiescence from you, he softens. And that little bit of softness is enough for you to fully give.

“Fine,” you huff. You can already feel a migraine coming on.

“Thank you,” he beams, pulling you into a tight hug.

“Yeah, yeah,” you say, patting his back. Your heart flutters just the slightest bit because you’re a weak, weak woman. “Just don’t get your hopes up, okay?”

“I won’t!” he promises, pulling away with a bright grin. Hopes absolutely all the way up.

Goddammit. You hope Yoongi is feeling talkative today, because if not, you’re going to be the one crushing this poor guy’s dreams.

At this point, you’ll make him talk if you have to. Anything to keep that from happening.

“Go,” you say, nudging him towards the door. “I can’t talk to him until you guys leave.”

He clearly doesn’t need any more motivation than that, because then he’s out the door.

“You’re the best, YN!” he calls as he books it down the hallway, leaving you to flop back onto the bed with a groan.

Well. You’ve fucked yourself now.

***

You allow yourself the luxury of taking a shower before you head downstairs to face Yoongi. Maybe part of you is trying to prolong your peace, but you also haven’t felt clean since you got off the plane yesterday.

Still, you take your time, giving your hair a thorough wash and meticulously applying your skincare. By the time you dry off and exit the bathroom, a large cloud of steam follows you into the bedroom, still lingering in the air as you pull on some clean clothes.

What’s the right outfit to wear while you’re waving a white flag at your sworn enemy? Will a sweater and jeans cut it? You reason that you might as well be comfortable for this, settling on something soft and cashmere for the top—because you’re worth it!—and then pulling on a baggy pair of blue jeans.

Your socked feet finally pad down the stairs in search of the man himself, but you don’t have to look very far.

Yoongi sits cross-legged on the floor in the living room, his signature custom McCarty laid across his lap as he scribbles in the notebook in front of him, brow furrowed.

You know it’s not going to be easy to get him to talk, but you can’t help but feel annoyed when you sit down in front of him and he doesn’t even lift his head. Asshole.

“Yoongi,” you say, waving your hand in front of his face.

It doesn’t make him look at you, still scribbling away, but you at least get a grunt in return this time. You’ll take it.

“Don’t you think you should take a break?” you say. It’s obvious you’re fishing, but looking at him, it’s clear he needs one anyway. He looks exhausted. Did he even sleep? Or did he start working when everyone else called it a night? He’s not wearing the same clothes from last night, white thermal replaced with a black t-shirt and matching beanie, but that doesn’t mean he slept.

Not that you care.

“No.”

Okay, you expected that. God forbid he make things easy for you.

You watch as he drops his pen, gaze still on his open notebook as he strums at the strings of his guitar, humming a half-baked melody under his breath.

“Why’d you pick Jeju?” you ask, satisfaction swelling when he glances up, meeting your eyes. But then it fizzles out when he looks away again.

The seconds tick by and he remains as tight-lipped as ever. Annoyed and antsy, you resort to filling the silence yourself, hoping you’ll get him to break if you just keep talking.

“I mean, it’s nice here, but you guys could write an album anywhere. There’s gotta be a reason you picked here, of all places.”

More silence. You want to give up—you could give up. You could easily tell Jeongguk you tried, and it wouldn’t necessarily be a lie. But you owe it to him to try harder.

Huffing, you reach out and close the notebook between your sitting bodies, earning a sharp glare from the man in front of you.

“C’mon, Yoongi,” you plead. “I’m really trying to get to know you here.”

With a long sigh, Yoongi looks up at the ceiling, his eyes rolling dramatically.

“Okay, fine,” he concedes. “If it’ll get you to shut the fuck up. What do you wanna know?”

Triumphantly, you ask about the house—if you’re going to be forced to make nice, you might as well ask questions you actually want to know the answers to. Who actually owns this house and why seems like as good a place to start as any.

“I own it,” Yoongi says. It seems like he’s going to try and leave it at that, but when you fix him with a withering stare, he continues with a sigh. “It used to be an Airbnb, but after our first stay I wanted it for myself. So once I had enough money from the first album, I negotiated with the owner. Bought it for a ridiculous price, but it’s mine.”

“It looks so well-maintained,” you offer, hoping he’ll continue if you resort to flattery. Plus, it’s true.

“I didn’t just buy it for us,” he says opening his notebook again. It doesn’t go unnoticed that he slides it out of your reach. “My family uses it sometimes, like a vacation home. When I was growing up, they always talked about taking family trips here during the summer, but money was too tight most of the time. Now they can come whenever they want.”

Oh. That’s… actually kind of sweet. Huh.

To your surprise, he entertains more of your questions without a fight. Where does his family live? (Daegu.) Does he have any siblings? (An older brother.) Is the swing outside really handbuilt? (Yes.) Who built it? (Yoongi did.)

His answers are succinct, but at the very least you’ve got him talking. As he continues to strum his guitar, you decide to push your luck and switch topics, hoping he’ll continue to play along.

“What are you working on?”

Yoongi grins, meeting your eyes again. “I’m writing a song for you.”

Uh oh.

He’s fucking with you, right?

All kinds of alarms are going off in your head, but still, you can’t help yourself. “Is that so?”

“Mhm. Listen.”

Without missing a beat, Yoongi starts playing the chords he’s been half-heartedly strumming since you sat down, this time in earnest. And then, his gravelly voice fills your ears as he sings the lyrics he has written down in front of him.

Well, it's ever so funny 'Cause I don't think you're special, I don't think you're cool You're just probably alright But under these lights you look beautiful And I'm struggling, I can't see through your fake tan Yeah, and you know it for a fact that everybody's eating out of your hands

But what do you know? Oh, you know nothing Yeah, but I'll still take you home

What. The. Fuck.

Is this why he’s been entertaining you this whole time? Was it all just a set-up for the most insulting punchline you’ve ever heard in your life?

He doesn’t even bother to suppress his laughter when you snatch his notebook and throw it clear across the room.

“You are such an asshole!” you shout, surging forward to push roughly at his chest.

“Come on, dollface,” he says, shoulders shaking with the force of his laughter. “It was funny.”

“The fuck it was,” you snap, scrambling to your feet. Fuck this. You can really say you’ve tried now, and you don’t think Jeongguk would blame you one bit for calling it quits after Yoongi’s little show.

You turn on your heel, ready to run upstairs and lock yourself in your room until the maknaes get home, when you feel a strong hand grab your elbow. You don’t know when Yoongi got up, but before you can react, you’re whirled around to face him with your back pressed against the banister.

“I knew you were boring, but I thought you’d at least have a sense of humor.”

“Fuck you,” you say through gritted teeth, jerking your elbow out of his grasp. He lets go easily, but for some reason, you don’t move. You don’t retreat up the stairs. Instead, you stand stock still as the both of you stare at each other, your chest rising and falling with your anger-fueled breaths.

Just like he had when he caught you staring yesterday, Yoongi raises an eyebrow at you. A challenge.

“What’s your problem with me?” you manage, unsure of what to do with the way he’s staring you down. Why is he so close to you? Why can’t you bring yourself to move away?

“Stupid question. I’ve been pretty clear about that.”

“No, seriously,” you snap, jabbing your index finger into the center of his chest. “You said you know more about me than I think. What do you know?”

Silence. Nothing but a stupid, amused smirk plastered on his face. Of course. If he wants you to play a guessing game, you will. Not knowing exactly what he’s holding over your head is driving you insane, and you can’t do it anymore.

“Do you know about the photos?” you ask, your voice weak now.

Yoongi blinks at you, bewildered.

“Huh?”

You let out the breath that you were holding. Thank fuck. Thank fuck. Okay, he doesn’t know. Holy shit, you’ve never felt so relieved.

Shaking your head, you soldier on, despite your overwhelming urge to throw up. Your mind wanders to the lyrics he sang to you just a few moments ago. I'll still take you home. Instead of the power bar you ate earlier, a sudden bark of a laugh escapes your throat, visibly startling Yoongi.

“Do you want to fuck me or something? Is that what this is about?” It’s your turn to be amused now, especially when Yoongi sputters and turns bright pink right in front of your eyes. “You’re jealous that Jeongguk got to me first?”

“The fuck? Are you insane?”

“If that’s not it, what the hell is it, Yoongi? What could I have possibly done to make you hate me so much?”

Huffing, Yoongi crosses his arms over his chest. It’s clear that he’s torn about whether or not he should lay all of his cards on the table right now, but you’re not giving him much of a choice. You’re so wired that you might strangle him if he decides to bite his tongue.

Finally, he speaks.

“I just happen to be pretty good friends with Yoo Kihyun.”

Just like that, your hard-earned upper hand disappears and your stomach drops to your goddamn ass.

Oh.

Oh, shit.

There’s a name you haven’t heard in a while.

It’s satisfying, seeing you falter.

In fact, it makes Yoongi feel all the more justified in the way he feels about you. He’d started to doubt himself after his phone call with Namjoon last week, but if just the sound of Kihyun’s name makes you look like you’re about to shit your pants, he must be on the right track.

“I… Oh,” you say, dumbstruck.

Yeah, Yoongi’s fucking caught your ass.

“Good enough explanation for you?” he asks, smug. Rightfully so, too, he thinks.

But then you’re grabbing him by the wrist, glancing around like someone’s going to fucking overhear you or something. Like it’s not just the two of you here.

“Come here,” you hiss as you drag him to the nearest bedroom, which just so happens to be his, slamming the door shut behind you.

Yoongi watches with amusement as you pace around the room, but his patience is wearing thin. He has shit to do.

“If you have more of your stupid fucking questions, just ask them,” he snaps. “You’re wasting my time.”

“What did Kihyun say about me?”

Ah. Wouldn’t you like to know?

But he’ll tell you, only because he’s feeling nice. You’ve put him in a good mood.

“Mostly that you were a shit girlfriend,” Yoongi says, smirking at you as he shrugs.

“I—”

“Felt bad for the guy, honestly. I’ve known him for years, you know, and he’s had plenty of girlfriends. He’s a good looking guy. But I’d never seen him so fucked up over a girl until he started dating you.”

“Yoongi…”

“And then one day, he calls me out of the blue, right? It wasn’t the first time he’d complained to me about you, and I figured I was in for more of the same,” he says, leaning back against the door as you perch at the end of his bed, wobbly. “But he said something pretty interesting, actually.”

“What?” you ask. Your voice is shaky. Yoongi grins.

“He told me he thought you were using him,” he says. “You barely talked to him, never took interest in anything he liked. Hardly spent time with him.” He pauses, before adding, “unless there were cameras involved. It’s a reasonable conclusion to draw, don’t you think?”

When you remain silent, Yoongi’s more than happy to continue.

“I tell him he shouldn’t have to take that shit, you know? It’s not fair. He’s a really good guy. So he tells me he’s going to invite you over, at least give you a chance to explain yourself before he dumps you. He didn’t want it to be a big thing, wanted to end things quietly.”

You whimper at that, your head in your hands now.

“Next thing I know, I’m seeing headline after headline,” he says, tilting his head at you. “And less than twenty four hours later, you’re at an award show, putting on this pitiful act for sympathy.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” you say. Yoongi can’t help but laugh.

“I don’t think Kihyun was lying to me,” he says, matter-of-fact. “He’s not that type of guy. Everyone knows that. Admit it, you were using him. And now you’re doing the same thing to Jeongguk.”

When you look up, you have tears in your eyes. Yoongi’s gotta hand it to you, your acting is getting much better.

“I was a shit girlfriend,” you concede, sniffling. “But I wasn’t using Kihyun.”

Okay. He’ll bite.

“Why even bother dating him, then? You obviously didn’t like him that much.”

“I just—” you cut yourself off, taking a shaky breath. “He was nice. That’s hard to come by.”

“Too boring for you in the end, then?”

Yoongi expects you to snap at him, to get angry, but instead you let out a watery little laugh.

“Yeah, something like that.”

Hm. Okay.

He’s not sure what to do with that.

“Look,” you say, wiping at your eyes as you stand up from his bed. “I don’t know how to convince you that you’re wrong about me, and I’m honestly sick of trying. You want to hate me? Fine. I hate you, too.”

At least they can agree on something, Yoongi thinks.

“But Jeongguk asked me to talk to you,” you add. “He’s hurting.”

God fucking dammit. Yeah, Yoongi noticed how fucked up Jeongguk looked when he finally came inside last night. Part of him was hoping that you two had gotten into it, that Jeongguk was about to buy you a one-way ticket back to Seoul.

But no. It was about him.

Fuck.

“Can’t we just pretend to get along? For his sake?” you ask. “Call a truce, at least as long as I’m here?”

Shit. You really care about him.

Yoongi’s still not convinced the relationship isn’t bullshit, but this doesn’t seem like acting. He thinks about what Namjoon said over the phone, about the idea of losing Jeongguk over something so stupid.

Pretending to get along with you while you’re in Jeju wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Not if it means he gets to keep Jeongguk. He can always have a heart-to-heart with the kid after you fly home.

With a sigh, Yoongi relents. “Fine. But I still don’t fucking trust you.”

“Whatever,” you mutter, holding out your hand for him to shake. Reluctantly, Yoongi takes it.

“Great,” he says, dropping your hand in an instant. “Can I go back to work now?”

“Do what you want,” you say, shoving past him to open his bedroom door.

And then you’re gone.

★ ★ ★

Yoongi doesn’t see you for the rest of the day, but even as he works, you invade every single one of his thoughts. The songwriting streak he’d been on since last night comes to a grinding halt, leaving him with nothing to show for his day alone.

When the kids get back, rowdy and excited, Yoongi’s guitar is long forgotten as he lays across the couch. Lost in thought, he only lifts his head when Jeongguk makes a beeline straight for him.

“YN talked to you?” Jeongguk asks hopefully, and Yoongi’s heart clenches.

A truce.

Well, no better time than now to start.

“Yeah,” Yoongi says, forcing the corners of his mouth to lift up in what he hopes is a convincing smile. “Yeah, Guk-ah. We’re all good.”

Relief flashes over Jeongguk’s face, and for the first time since Yoojung Sikdang, Yoongi’s on the receiving end of one of his genuine, big grins. He feels bad lying to the kid, but it’s not like you’ve left him with much choice. And it feels good to be the recipient of one of those again.

Still, Yoongi can’t help but think about what you’d said earlier.

Yoongi might’ve shown his hand, but in a way you did, too. The photos? What the fuck did you mean by that? Is there something out there that can point to your guilt, and all Yoongi has to do is go digging for it?

Not to mention your resigned agreement when he guessed Kihyun was too nice for you, too boring. Maybe he can’t use Kihyun against you like he thought he could, but the way you’d looked at Yoongi when he was setting up Jimin’s drums…

That he can use.

He’ll hold up his end of the truce, so long as you do the same.

But you can’t blame him for wanting to know the truth.

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