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pretzel-box · 4 months ago

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STREAMER AU MASTERLIST HERE

PART 5: PAINT YOUR DOUBTS

Tags: Fluff, Drama, Angst, Stolen Identity, did I mention drama already? Also Painter!

Words: 3k

Authors Note: It’s almost Thursday and I couldn't wait. If it's weirdly written or you see mistakes: This was edited on my phone and I am suffering. Please bear with me.

Allison could see the lovestruck gleam in Sebastian’s eyes, and she knew she had won. Leaning closer, she gently rested her forehead against his, her lips curling into a sweet smile as her fingers intertwined with his. “I love you,” she whispered softly, her voice dripping with sincerity. “I always have.”

Sebastian drank in her words, soaking up the affection he so desperately craved. Those three simple words were enough to seal his fate. He pressed his lips to hers once more, the kiss soft but full of unspoken promises—promises to never leave her side, to always be there. In his arms, he finally had his Jelly, and he knew he would never let go.

As Sebastian held her close, his heart pounding as if it had been waiting for this moment all along. In his arms, he believed he finally had everything he ever wanted. Allison—Jelly—was his, and there was nothing that could break this moment.

Their kiss deepened, Sebastian’s grip on her tightened, not out of force, but from a sense of security, like he was holding on to the one thing that could keep him grounded. He pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against hers once again, his breath heavy but steady.

"I never thought I'd have you like this," Sebastian murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "I waited so long... I was scared I’d lose you before I ever had the chance."

Allison smiled, a hint of triumph hidden behind her gentle gaze. “You’ll never lose me, Sebastian,” she reassured him, her fingers tracing lazy circles on the back of his hand. “I’m right here. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Inside, she felt a surge of victory—Sebastian was completely hers now. She had taken Jelly’s place, and he was none the wiser. Allison savored the way he looked at her with devotion, not realizing the depth of her manipulation. She had him right where she wanted him.

But as the two stood there, locked in the warmth of what felt like love to him and power to her, a tiny flicker of guilt brushed against Allison’s mind. She quickly pushed it away. This was for her, for her happiness. Being close to Solace, even if it meant betraying her friend, was worth it.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Sebastian continued, his eyes soft as he gazed at her. "It feels right—finally."

Allison leaned in, pressing another kiss to his lips, silencing him for the moment. She didn’t need to hear his words of devotion; she had already won the game.

And as they stood together, the world outside of this moment seemed distant. For now, Sebastian’s world revolved around Allison—his supposed Jelly—and she would make sure it stayed that way.

“How about I pick you up for lunch tomorrow? We can finally test out the new sushi bar you wanted to try so badly.” He whispers against her lips, hoping she would agree to his planned lunch date. He remembered every single thing about her, the way you excitedly rambled about sushi once. Sebastian had mentioned it to Allison again and of course she had to play along, telling him about a sushi bar that opened near their place.

The truth? Allison hated sushi. The smell, the texture, the taste—it all repulsed her. If she wanted the taste of raw fish, she'd rather go lick the ocean. But she couldn’t let that show, not now. Not when Sebastian was falling deeper into her trap. If she had to eat sushi to keep him hooked, she’d swallow every last bite with a smile.

She nodded, giggling like a schoolgirl. “Of course, I’d love to. Just the two of us,” she said sweetly, masking her distaste behind a charming facade.

Sebastian’s face lit up, his heart swelling at her response. “Just us,” he echoed, his voice full of affection. He kissed her forehead softly, pulling her closer in a warm embrace. “I can’t wait. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.”

Allison smiled sweetly, but internally, she was already dreading tomorrow. The thought of raw fish made her stomach turn, but she couldn’t show any hint of discomfort. She had to play her part perfectly. If sushi was what it took to keep Sebastian wrapped around her finger, then she would endure it.

“Neither can I,” she said, her voice dripping with false excitement. She leaned into his chest, hiding the small grimace that flashed across her face for a brief moment. Allison could handle this. After all, she had gotten this far.

Sebastian stroked her hair, feeling content in her presence. To him, everything was falling into place. He had his Jelly, the one person he had been dreaming of for so long. Nothing could go wrong now.

As the night wore on and they eventually parted ways, Allison’s mind raced. She needed to make sure her disguise as Jelly was airtight. No slip-ups. She couldn’t afford to reveal her true identity now, not when Sebastian was already so smitten. She would suffer through sushi if that’s what it took. She had worked too hard to let it fall apart over something as trivial as food.

Tomorrow, she would smile and pretend to enjoy every bite. Tomorrow, she will play her role perfectly, just as she had from the start.

The next day arrived with the soft rumble of Sebastian's motorcycle pulling up in front of Allison's place. She stood at the entrance, wearing a carefully curated outfit that screamed casual, yet put-together. Her heart raced, but not out of excitement—more out of the looming dread of what she would have to do once they reached the sushi bar.

Sebastian flashed her a grin, his helmet already in hand as he handed her a second one. "Ready?" he asked, voice warm and full of affection.

Allison nodded with a smile, sliding on the helmet and hopping onto the back of his bike, wrapping her arms around his waist. The engine revved, and they sped off down the road, the cool breeze whipping past them as they navigated through the city.

The sushi bar was quaint, tucked into a quiet corner of the street. Sebastian parked the bike, helping Allison off before they entered the place together.

They were greeted with a soft glow from the restaurant's paper lanterns, the delicate smell of rice and fish wafting through the air. Allison tried to suppress her gag reflex as they were seated by the window. Sebastian looked relaxed, glancing over the menu with a small smile on his face, oblivious to her discomfort.

"I think I'll try the chef's special. What about you?" he asked, looking over at her expectantly.

Allison forced another smile. "That sounds great. I’ll have the same."

The waiter soon arrived, jotting down their orders and disappearing into the kitchen. Sebastian reached across the table, taking her hand in his. "I’m glad we’re doing this. Feels like it's been a long time coming."

Allison nodded, keeping her facade firmly in place. “Me too.”

But just as things seemed to be going smoothly for her, the door to the restaurant swung open, and her stomach dropped.

It was you.

You walked in, scanning the place casually before your gaze locked onto them. Sebastian noticed too, sitting up straighter, a grin forming on his face. He waved you over.

“Hey! Come join us!” Sebastian called out, his voice breaking through the serene ambiance of the restaurant. "Allison's here too, and you're her friend, right?"

You hesitated for a moment, unsure of what you were walking into. But with no real reason to refuse, you offered a polite smile and walked over to the table. A thousand questions flew through your head as you tried to come up with a reasonable idea why the two of them sat together. “Hey guys,” you greeted them, sitting down as the waiter brought you a menu.

It wasn’t until you sat that the tension became palpable. You looked at Sebastian, then Allison, back and forth, trying to piece together the dynamic between them. The two of them seemed strangely close, almost too close.

Sensing your confusion, Sebastian spoke up. “I meant to tell you… actually, I was going to soon. Allison and I are… we’re dating now.” He said it with pride, glancing at Allison with that same lovestruck expression you recognized all too well.

Your heart sank. A thousand thoughts flooded your mind, each one cutting a little deeper than the last, but you kept your expression neutral, unwilling to let anything show.

“Wow, that’s… that’s great,” you managed to say, forcing a smile that you hoped looked genuine. “I’m really happy for you both.”

Sebastian beamed, clearly oblivious to the sudden shift in your demeanor. Allison, meanwhile, met your gaze with a triumphant smirk barely hidden behind her own facade.

You swallowed hard, your appetite vanishing as the reality settled in. Sebastian had moved on, with Allison of all people. But you had to play along. “So, what’s good here?” you asked lightly, trying to keep the conversation going while your mind raced.

Sebastian eagerly dove into a conversation about the menu and what he planned to order, but you could hardly focus on his words. Your thoughts were too loud, too heavy. You felt like an outsider sitting at the table with them, despite their warm invitation.

Pretending to be happy for them both was the only option you had.

In the span of the next five days, Allison seemed to make your house her permanent residence. She was loud, obnoxious, and clung to Sebastian like bubblegum that just wouldn’t let go. Your motivation to stream was at an all-time low, work had drained you completely, and the heartbreak you were going through felt like the final blow. You’d posted a community update on your streaming account, apologizing for your short absence without getting into much detail. Thankfully, your fans were understanding and flooded the post with messages of support. At least the strangers on the internet still had your back.

It was Thursday evening, and you carried two boxes of Chinese takeout—your favorite. Every third Thursday of the month was Chinese Takeout Thursday, a tradition you and Sebastian had started. Either one of you would bring home food, and the two of you would settle in for an episode of How I Married a Wall Dweller, your favorite TV drama.

You kicked off your shoes and set the takeout on the counter, feeling a brief flicker of hope for a cozy evening. But as you moved through the apartment, a soft, melodic strumming drifted out from Sebastian’s room, followed by Allison’s unmistakable, girly laughter. Your heart sank.

Sebastian was playing guitar for her.

He’d never played guitar for you. He always claimed he wasn’t good enough, that he didn’t want you to hear him make mistakes. Yet here he was, strumming away like he had nothing to hide, serenading Allison while you stood there, boxes of takeout in hand, feeling like you didn’t belong in your own home.

You grabbed one box of takeout and tossed the other in the trash, not even caring. The excitement for your shared tradition had evaporated, leaving a dull ache in its place. With a heavy sigh, you retreated to your room, settling into bed and turning on your favorite TV drama. The room felt unusually cold that night, a chill that settled deep in your bones.

Allison, however, wasn’t resting easy. The more you withdrew from Sebastian, the more threatened she felt. She couldn’t stand the thought of you finding solace in streaming—one thing she couldn't control, especially since she knew how much Sebastian cared about your streaming career.

So she concocted another plan: get Jellycatfished banned.

It wasn’t difficult. You’d been careless enough to use the same password for everything, and Allison had no trouble logging in to your streaming account. It took her mere minutes to get you banned by triggering multiple violations. She knew Sebastian would be concerned and question what had happened, but she was ready with a perfect excuse:

The platform must have made a mistake. They banned you for no reason.

It was flawless. You’d be out of the streaming scene, and she’d make sure Sebastian stayed oblivious. No more streams, no more collaboration invites—just her and Sebastian.

Another win for Allison.

The moment the notification hit your inbox, your heart sank. Your account—Jellycatfished—banned. All the hours, all the work, gone in an instant. It felt like the final straw. You could handle work stress, you could even tolerate Allison’s constant presence, but this? This was your safe space, your escape, and now it is gone.

Without thinking, your first instinct was to message Solace. He deserved to know. You quickly typed a message, your hands trembling as you tried to explain the situation.

"Hey, I just got banned from the platform. I don’t know what happened... but I thought you should know."

What you didn’t realize was that Allison had already gotten to him. She’d mentioned it casually when he asked why you hadn’t been streaming, spinning her story about how the platform must have glitched and banned you for no reason.

Sebastian had seemed concerned, sure, but Allison’s explanation had been so confident, so convincing, that he hadn’t questioned it too much. So when your message came through, his response was quick but flat.

"Yeah, you mentioned that during our date earlier. That sucks, but I’m sure it’ll get sorted out."

You stared at his reply, your heart sinking even further. The words didn't make sense, not at all. Date? What date? The realization crashed over you, an emotional tidal wave that made your head spin. You flung your phone onto your bed, letting out a muffled scream into your pillow, your nails digging deep into the fabric as rage, betrayal, and frustration surged through you. Allison had done it. She had somehow stolen your account, your identity, and now, it seemed, she was trying to steal everything else too.

As the echoes of your scream faded into the stillness of your room, you pulled yourself up and grabbed your phone again. The silence around you was stifling, heavy with the weight of everything you’d just uncovered. You took a breath, your fingers trembling as they hovered over the keyboard.

"Solace, we are not dating."

The reply came quickly.

"What do you mean, we are not? We had so many dates already, Ally. You want me to actually officially ask you out? Let me prepare at least, cutie."

He didn’t get it. He didn’t catch the weight of your words at all.

You hesitated for a moment, then typed, "Solace, I am not Ally. It's me. Your roommate."* You added your name for clarity.

And then... silence. Nothing. No response. No footsteps coming toward your door. Nothing at all.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hallway, Sebastian was staring at his screen in growing confusion. It’s you and not Allison? How? His thoughts raced, his heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to process. He quickly opened another chat, the one he’d been using with Allison for weeks, his fingers moving frantically across the keyboard.

"Babe, why is my roommate on your Discord?"

Miles away, Allison had just stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around her as she glanced at her phone. Her face paled, her heart skipping a beat when she saw Sebastian’s message. You sneaky little worm... she thought, fury bubbling inside her. You were trying to expose her, daring to unravel the web she’d so carefully woven. But Allison wasn’t going to let that happen without a fight.

She quickly typed back, her fingers flying over the screen.

"Oh god. Seb, I didn’t want to tell you at first..."

“Your roommate is in love with you…they are actually stalking me now since I became your girlfriend and they are jealous. Seems like they even hacked my discord and pretended that they are me…What if they got my streaming account banned too?”

"I'm so sorry, Ally. I promise I'll get this sorted out. No matter what happens, you're my priority, and I support you."

Sebastian’s words echoed in his head, gnawing at him days later as the whole situation weighed heavily on his nerves. He hadn’t even had the chance to talk to you yet, having blocked your Discord account per Allison's suggestion. She'd convinced him it was safer that way until she could switch out her email and password.

Sitting in Painter’s little tech shop, Sebastian sipped on his cup of instant coffee, his mind swirling. "Man, you look horrible," Painter, his friend and confidant, remarked from across the counter. Painter’s small shop was filled with parts and gadgets, tech stuff scattered everywhere, but today it felt heavier with the weight of Sebastian’s troubles.

“It all makes sense now, Painter. The movie nights, Chinese takeout days, working together...Meeting them in the Sushi Bar even. God, I was so blind." He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair before pulling out his phone and sliding it over to his friend. Painter picked it up, scrolling through the chat history and screenshots Sebastian had saved before blocking you.

As he scrolled, Painter’s brow furrowed. Something wasn’t sitting right. His fingers moved faster across the screen, pulling up messages and logs, all while Sebastian sat there, completely spaced out. Painter and Sebastian had a close bond, and having his friend type on his phone wasn’t unusual. In fact, they often shared stuff like this.

"I'm sorry, man. This really sounds tough," Painter mumbled, his voice distant as he dug deeper into the details. Secretly, Painter unblocked your Discord, his technical expertise kicking into high gear. After a few moments, he managed to pull up something that made him pause: the IP address.

He cross-checked it with the logs and Sebastian's own information. It was the same IP. How could that be? Painter’s mind raced. If this account really belonged to Allison, there was no way it would have the same IP as Sebastian’s unless…

Painter’s heart sank as the realization hit. The only possibility was that the account was yours. You had been telling the truth all along.

#sebastian solace #sebastian solace x reader #sebastian solace x you #roblox pressure #sebastian solace fanfic #pressure #pressure x reader #streamer au #pressure painter #painter

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neomujinjja · 3 months ago

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Reunited

Pairing: Leehan x reader

Length: 695 words Genre: Request, fluff

Synopsis: Due to his busy schedule, you haven't been able to see or talk much with your boyfriend. But now that he's finished with comeback promotions, Leehan and you are content to stay in the one another's space for the next 24 hours

Warnings: use of leehan's birth name, reader is lowkey obsessed w/ leehan's scent (my bad 😬), mention of reader standing on tip-toes, description of a soft make out, smelling each other

Note: i tried copying leehan's texting style but y'all be the judges of how i did. hopefully it sounds somewhat like him based off his weverse. also hoping the texts between reader & leehan make sense 🙇‍♂️; someone let me know if they don't & i'll edit this so it does

── ⋆⋅ಇ ⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅ ಇ ⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅ ಇ⋅⋆ ──

You burrowed your nose further into the pillow in your grasp. The casing only carrying the faintest hint of your boyfriend's scent. You pouted, whipping your phone out from the depths of the blankets.

'The pillow doesn't smell like you anymore ˃̣̣̥᷄ ᴖ ˂̣̣̥᷅ ‎'

'You won't need it much longer. I'll see you soon ��'

You sat up quickly as you read and reread Leehan's reply. Fingers hastily typing on your phone's virtual keyboard, not caring about properly spelling (thank god for autocorrect).

'REALLY?!

When?

I'll make your favorite'

'🧐

Jellies!'

'Kim Donghyun. *picture* '

You scooted yourself to your bedside, slipping off from it and into your house slippers. Making your way to the wardrobe, you pulled out a pair of bermuda shorts and one of the shirts Leehan left behind. Bringing the piece of clothing to your nose, you sighed happily. It was hard to get used to how much you missed Leehan during the boys’ comeback schedules. You began getting ready to go to the store while thinking of a proper dinner for the two of you. Deciding on mini pizzas, you then searched your kitchen; making a mental list of items to get alongside your boyfriend's gummies. Patting your pockets, you double-checked that you had your wallet, phone, keys, and headphones. You placed one earbud into your ear as you entered the elevator, humming as you played the music. The grocery trip was uneventful, your focus on quickly returning to your apartment. You knew from experience that the both of you would want to cuddle after reuniting which meant you needed to finish the other small chores on your list before then. Thankfully, it was only 11 am when you arrived home; you wouldn't have to rush in your cleaning. You got to work: putting away the groceries along with the clean dishes, then wiping the counters before dusting and sweeping.

"I'm home" you heard Leehan call out from where you were tidying up the bedroom. You rushed to the corridor, throwing your arms around the tall male. His own wrapped around you, the two of you enjoying the physical touch.

"I missed you" you whispered as you slightly pulled back to look at your boyfriend. Reaching for him with your tiptoes, you leaned up to kiss Leehan.

"I missed you" he replied back as he tightened his hold on you. Gesturing with your head, you motioned towards the coach with a questioning eyebrow. Leehan nodded, separating enough to grab your hand before moving to the couch. Maneuvering yourselves around, you and Leehan attached back to one another.

"Your hair's still soft," you said as you caressed his blonde hair. "I'm glad." Leehan hummed, eyes closed as your fingers went over his face. Taking advantage of your position, you plastered kisses onto his lips. Leehan reached around, holding your nape to keep you in place. He gently nipped at your bottom lip, coaxing your mouth open. His fingers fidgeting with the hem of your shirt. You felt ticklish as Leehan's digits sometimes grazed your side. His tongue licked up into your mouth, exploring the cavity in soft earnest. There was nothing that compared to kissing Leehan. Each time felt like the first and left you lightheaded. But kisses like these were your favorite type when it came to Leehan. You enjoyed being able to just feel the love between the both of you. Languidly sucking and licking at each other's mouth, unable to get enough but not desperate for more. Running out of air, the two of you finally separated from another. You leaned your forehead onto his, breathing heavily into each other's space.

"Is this my shirt?" Leehan asked, his voice teasing despite him still catching his breath. You hid your blush by tucking yourself into Leehan's shoulder.

"I told I missed you," you mumbled with a pout. You inhaled Leehan's cologne before adding "and your scent". He laughed as he pulled you tight against him. Leehan placed a kiss onto your temple, getting a sniff of your scent for himself. The two of you got comfortable, relaxing your holds on each other.

"I missed you just as much."

#kpop #kpop x reader #kpop x poc reader #kpop x gender neutral reader #neomujinjja #kpop imagines #kpop fluff #boynextdoor x reader #boynextdoor fluff #leehan x reader #leehan fluff #bnd x reader #bnd imagines #bnd fluff #leehan imagines

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lichenes · 7 months ago

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OMG I'M SO GLAD SOMEONE IS WRITING ABT SKI AGGUUUUU. there's so many joost fics (which I love) but I've been looking for aggu fics in the depths of the internet for soo long ( ´_ゝ｀)

anyways, can i please request something where the reader catches the eye of aggu during a concert or smth, and the whole interaction between them is cute and flirtatious? ski aggu is a BIG ladies man, so, reader is obviously falling for his pick-up lines ect. thank you!! ^3^

Literally! Where are the Aggu fics?? I've seen edits of this man with 19k likes on tiktok and literally noody is posting abt him here!! Anyway! Once again, need him biblically. I'm a sucker for irl scenarios :"") Loosely based on that one video of sbd holding Aggu's hand; jealous. Enjoooy<3 CW: flirting wc: 686

•───────•°•❀•°•───────••────────•°•❀•°•────────•

The crowd, alongside you, was singing the lyrics to “wie du manchmal fehlst”. You were standing in the first row, mesmerised by Aggu’s form. Throughout the night he would run around the stage but during this song he walked closer to the crowd. You realised at that moment that he was making a beeline for you. You quickly thanked your earlier self for wearing something revealing and extended your arm towards him.

When your fingers connected with his own your brain short-circuited. Suddenly the room started spinning. You were literally holding Aggu’s hand. You kept singing hoping your singing skills were satisfactory, if he heard them. He looked down at you and gave you a smile as if to reassure you that it was happening in real life. You saw his grills alongside the grin he flashed you and my god, did he look good from that point of view.

He moved around near the crowd for a moment more and went back to his usual theatrics. You got a video of him holding your hand which might’ve been the happiest moment of your life so far. He moved away from you after a moment of closeness to get close to other fans, avoiding holding hands with anyone else. The song was one of the last ones he performed so not long after he said his goodbyes he walked backstage.

After the concert Aggu posted a story in English pertaining to the person who held his hand. It so happened to be you. You dm’d him, sending the video as proof if he wanted it. He didn’t answer quickly. Your anxiety was rising with each passing hour. Suddenly when you were just about to go to sleep, you heard a notification. “How’d you like the concert?”

You couldn’t believe this. “I loved it!! I honestly was sooo happy when I got the tickets and-” You stopped for a moment, deleting the message entirely. “It was lovely!” You tried to seem nonchalant but it couldn’t be denied that you were fucking texting The Ski Aggu. He sent you a voice message.

…

Holy shit. Did he expect one back? What did he say? What was even going on?! “Mmm, glad you liked it. I couldn’t help but notice such a beautiful person among the crowd.” It was only a few seconds long but it made your heart flutter like a ballad sung by the greatest singer to ever live. You gathered all your courage and pressed ‘record’. You rambled for a minute straight and when your phone buzzed with the message reaching its full capability you decided against sending it. ‘Okay. We can do this.’ You thought about what you wanted to say and attempted to try again. Then a message popped up. “Hesitating gorgeous?”

…oh my god.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” You responded, quickly regretting your decision. He saw the message and started typing. “Good.” Your heart stopped for a second. You pressed record and began rambling once more. Sent. Okay. Alright. “You’ve got a voice as gorgeous as your face angel.” The answer came quicker than you expected. He sent another voice message. “I was thinking, maybe you’d like to meet up today? I heard you’ve got great clubs here.”

You were frantically getting ready, suddenly forgetting how to do eyeliner and what clothes suited you the best. “I’m here.” You read the message in your notifications. You brushed your teeth quickly and ran out the door, almost breaking a leg on the stairs. You saw him in his car waiting, scrolling through tiktok. He was wearing his usual clothes and you started feeling a bit too overdressed. His reaction to your appearance swept you off your feet.

“Hi dov-” Looking up from his phone he saw what he would describe as the embodiment of the word breathtaking. His jaw almost went slack from seeing you in those clothes. “My goodness, you’re even more beautiful now. How’d you do that?” You blushed. “Tried my best with what I have.” He looked at you with lust in his eyes. “Oh and you’ve got so much.”

•───────•°•❀•°•───────••────────•°•❀•°•────────• masterlist

#x reader #ski aggu #ski aggu x you #ski aggu x reader #ski aggu fanfic #flirting #fluff

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dearly-somber · 16 days ago

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LET ME IN (20 Cube) | p.sh

-> pairing. frat boy!sunghoon x fem reader

-> genre. fwb (friends-with-benefits)

-> rating. 13+

-> w/c. 1052

-> warnings. Suggestive ending (and overall dialogue), Sunghoon is kind of insufferable lol

-> a/n. First ENHYPEN fic go !!! (This is old, it gets better </3)

-> collection. songfic

-> started. ???

-> fin. Jan. 12th, 2021 @ 21:49

-> edited. Thurs., Oct. 25th, 2022 @ 22:06

You walked into the on-campus café, wearing a collared long sleeveed shirt with stripes on the arms, the torso up until your upper arm being fully black with the words "sad, lonely & bad at math" printed on the front. You were also wearing some chains and a necklace with a cross that fell just above the print on the shirt. You were wearing a high waisted, ripped jean-short with a belt that had a chain attached, your shirt tucked in, with a pair of black combat boots and a messy bun holding your hair out of your eyes.

You were known for your rather grunge/ goth-like outfits, and a lot of people admired you for being able to pull it off quite well.

You went over to the cashier, who you had formed a homie-bond with after seeing him so many times. "Hey, Y/N. Usual?"

"That's right!" You said with an enthusiastic smile, tapping your fingers against the counter while waiting for your drink. You checked the time on your phone and sighed as you turned to look at the entrance. He's going to make me wait again, huh?

You rolled your eyes distastefully before turning back to the cashier with a smile as he handed you your drink. "Thanks, Niki!"

"No problem!" You waved at him before sitting down, deciding to check the notes you had made on your phone while waiting for one of the most popular guys on campus who you just so happened to have an... Interesting relationship with.

"Y/N! You're here!" A familiar voice rang through your ears and you turned to glare at him, annoyed.

"Sunghoon. What have I said about making me wait? Especially after messaging me to meet up."

The boy in question merely smirked, always having enjoyed pressing your buttons. He looked good, as always, with his nicely styled brown hair and black and beige silk shirt, wearing his necklace with the black jewel embedded in the middle, the cold metal resting just underneath his neck. Sunghoon walked over, sitting across from you and checking you out as you sipped lazily at your drink.

"You look good in this outfit." He said approvingly, nodding at you as he drew his eyes away from your outfit to meet your eyes. You rolled your eyes dramatically, leaning against the palm of your hand.

"What do you want?"

"What? No 'Yeah, Sunghoon! You look good too!'?" He asked, pouting and fluttering his eyelids as a stupid tactic to make you feel bad.

"You always look good, you self-absorbed piece of shit. There's no point." Sunghoon smirked, leaning forward and raising his eyebrows.

"Did you just say I look good?"

"You missed the 'self-absorbed' and 'piece of shit' part, but yeah. Now please tell me what the hell do you want? I don't want to be seen talking to you for so long."

"Aww, why not?"

"Park Sunghoon." You said warningly, glaring daggers into the depths of his soul. He laughed mutedly, flashing you a toothy grin before straightening up slightly and leaning his head back to show off his neck.

"I wanted to invite you to a party I'm throwing at my place to welcome our newest member."

"You guys accepted another member?"

"Yep. His name's Ni-ki. He's here right now, actually." With a shocked expression you turned around and looked back at Ni-ki, smiling at him half-heartedly. This innocent soul would have to live with some of the biggest dicks you'd ever met. Of course, Sunghoon was one of them, the other most well known one was Lee Heeseung, the oldest frat member at this point.

"He's a good kid. You better let him stay that way." You said seriously, pointing an accusatory finger at Sunghoon. He pouted, leaning against both of his hands with a glint in his eye.

"You've seen him around a few times and you're already protective, yet I'm the one you've scre—"

"Shut up, Sunghoon." You hissed, your hand having shot out to cover his mouth. He smirked into your hand, kissing your palm and making you pull away a bit flushed.

"Are you coming or not?" He asked with that stupid grin of his, already knowing your answer.

"Yeah, I'll be there. But only for Ni-ki. Plus, I haven't seen Jungwon or Jake in a while." Sunghoon scrunched his nose in what you assumed was distaste before standing up before you slid out of your chair. You cleared your throat, squinting at him slightly. "What happened last time won't happen again." You said sternly, however Sunghoon was completely unfazed, leaning over and winking over his shoulder.

"We'll see about that, love!" You groaned at the nickname, briefly talking to Ni-ki and heading out to plan your outfit.

It was the day of the party and you arrived somewhere in the middle of the celebration, wearing jeans and a loose fitting AC/DC t-shirt.

It seemed like there was still a lot of people left, but it was open enough to easily find Ni-ki and some of his friends by the pool table. You went over to congratulate Ni-ki first, saying hello to Jake and Jungwon, who you actually knew the most outside of the Sunghoon situation.

"Come chat with me..." Think of the devil and he shall appear, you thought as Sunghoon whispered into your ear, his breath fanning your neck and sending a chill down your spine. He pulled you into a corner of the living room, leaning against the wall and holding you where you were by your waist. He smirked at you, raising a brow suggestively.

"You're really persistent, you know that?" You told him as you instantly regretted what you were about to do.

"Well, persistence often pays off..." He grinned as you rolled your eyes before pulling him closer by his nape, kissing him roughly. He groaned into the kiss as you moved closer and tugged at his hair, eventually making him lift you up by your legs and taking you upstairs.

When you woke up the next morning you found yourself wearing a shirt that wasn't yours and was 2 or 3 sizes to big, turning around to look at a smiling Sunghoon.

"What was it that you told me yesterday?"

"Oh, fuck off—" You muttered as you kissed him again.

#enhypen x reader #park sunghoon x reader #enhypen sunghoon #enhypen angst #enhypen smut #enhypen fluff #ao3 #archive of our own #kpop x reader #kpop smut #kpop fluff #kpop angst #sunghoon x reader #sunghoon smut #sunghoon angst #sunghoon fluff #Spotify

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ccswife · 5 months ago

Text

Oh No..

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part 4: is it working?

pairing๛: kate martin x iowau!reader

synopsis๛: kate catches you watching your saved edits of her

warnings: slight angst (barely)

not a lot of dialogue in this one, but low-key proof read :D

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It's sunday morning, and you wake up to a bright ray of sun in your face, peeking through the barely-shut curtains. turning over in your very, very warm bed, you notice the time on your phone.

as well as some notifications..

9:23AM

notification center

3 messages from bear🐻

[goodmorning star sunshine!]

[hows the hangover?]

[r u alive]

you reply to her texts and chat for a little bit. she admits halfway through your in-depth conversation about what you drank and what color your throwup was, that she didnt remember anything from last night. ANYTHING. your head was already reeling from the raging hangover you had aquired, and this made it ten times worse. you begin to play a game of eenie-minie-moe with yourself. "do i tell her? do i say nothing? do i ruin it? do i protect my own feelings?" after at least 7 minutes, you come to the conclusion to not say anything. hey, you know what they say! ignorance is bliss!

you climb out of bed and grab some clothes to go take a hot bath. bathes are very good on tense muscles, and aroma-therapy helps to ease anxiety, reduce inflammation and sooth headaches. it was about 10 when you hopped in, and you planned to stay there till the water got cold. after the fact, you showered quickly to wash the grime off and get the hairspray out of your hair. finally getting dressed into a comfy pair of sweats and a oversized shirt, you go to cook some breakfast. cooking breakfast always was a good thinking time for you, as it wasnt super busy in the mornings and you could stand there and watch the eggs or pancakes cook whilst contemplating every decision you have ever made leading up to that moment. todays topic was " what the hell did i do to get into this position with the girl i love!" and it did not dissapoint! feeling that the topic was actually taking years off your life, you decide to give yourself a kate break and call out of work for monday. you used the "im sick *cough cough* and i never take days off!" excuse and it worked surprisingly well!

after a calm morning and breakfast, you chilled on the couch and put on a random show for some backround noise. it was now about 11ish, nearning 12. scrolling through instagram reels, you get a notification that kate posted on her story. (yes, you have her story notifs on.) clicking on the notif, it brings you to her story.

you nearly dropped your phone.

another woman....hiding her face..... LUNCH DATE?!?!?!?!? so shes seeing someone? you've never seen this woman in your life, so obviously a secret. even from you, her best friend. honestly, it took some life out of you. with everything going on between you two, you didn't exactly know how to feel. did you deserve to feel like this, like you had been "betrayed"? part of you knew that that was a little dramatic, but nevertheless still very valid. if there was one thing that Kate and the girls had taught you, its that your feelings will always be valid, whether they change or stay the same. these specific feelings made you lose your appetite, and frankly the will to live. aggressively turning your phone off, you get out of the deep crevice you were shoved in on your couch and make your way back to the bedroom.

"and here, I shall lay"

you dramatically say as you fall onto the bed, draping a hand on your forehead as you do so. you opt to watch "Crazy Rich Asians", just to believe-in some sort of love, and cuddle up in between the sheets. half-way through the movie, you feel multiple buzzes from your phone. opening it up, you see a bunch of texts from a very worried gabbie and caitlin. they know what happened last night, so the story she posted as alarming to them as well.

shhhh🤫

gabbie babbie wabbie

y/n are you alive

sos

hello

caity baby

we saw kates story

obviously its not u cuz ur not tagged

r u ok

gabbie babbie wabbie

lil harsh there cait...

caity baby

whoops sorry

but r u alive

get out of bed

gabbie babbie wabbie

y/n🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

hello🥺🥺🥺

answer pls we miss you and wanna know ur alive

caity baby

y/nnnnnnnnnnn

after scrolling through the messages, you liked a few and explained you were ok, and that you took tomorrow off and are gonna lay in bed for a while. they remind you to eat and be good to yourself and you reluctantly agree and promise to them that you'll comply. finally finishing your heart-wrenching movie, you fall into a light sleep. periodically you respond to your texts, as kate had been texting you quite normally. this includes all the regular nicknames and stupid jokes she always made. you'd be lying if you didn't love the normalcy she was exuding, and that it didn't bring you comfort in your relationship. it just solidified your decision to not tell her about last night, in order to keep what you two have now. you were sure that you could shove all the feelings down and support your long time best-friend in her romantic endeavors (not with you). at about 7 o'clock, kate asked if she could 'stop by' and obviously you agreed.

IF you were being 100% honest with yourself, you were seriously nervous. you hoped that you wouldn't slip about what happened and how you felt about the insta story. at exactly 7:16pm, kate knocked on the door of your apartment and you graciously let her in, immediately being engulfed into a bear hug. she had the biggest smile on her face as she pulled back to look at you.

"hello beautiful" she tucks a piece of hair behind your earn, rubbing her thumb against your blushed cheek. "I missed you today! it feels like its been forever" she pouts at you, doing her signature puppy eyes.

you giggle at her and reply in a blissful tone. "ive missed you too katie bear, how was your day?" pulling away from you, she starts to walk to your bed room, you following close behind. " it was actually really good! I had a really good lunch today. you would've died at how good it was. it was some Italian place downtown." she draws out the emphasis on 'really', and continues to talk as she plops on to your bed. " I went out with my friend nancy, she graduated last year and is interning at a dental place by school" you join her on the bed. "oh yea? is she a new friend?" curiosity killed the cat, but you tried to be as discrete as you could with the tone of your voice. obviously since she was talking about it, she is open to the subject. kate goes on to rant about how she's her new friend, how they met at a coffee place, blah blah blah. then she gets to the surprising part.

"-and then after we talked about edits, she mentioned how she has a whole folder of them! I dont think ive met anyone with a folder of women's ball edits! it was so funny, and then she mentioned how there were a few of me in it! I laughed so hard I-" after she said that you stopped listening and internally crashed out. never met anyone with that?????? does she not remember catching you???? it genuinely boggled you how one of the only people that remembers every single detail about you could forget that. deciding again not to say anything, you mentally join back into the conversation and give her 'mm's and 'ohh yea's to let her know you were acknowledging her rant. the conversation slowly turned into showing each other stupid tiktoks and reels. both of your eyes began to droop, and whilst laying on each other, the two of you fell asleep.

and together you peacefully slept, blissfully unaware of anything else happening in the world

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a/n ◕‿↼ : wooooo finally chapter 4!!!! I finally got a laptop so this is way more fun and wayyy easier to do so im a tad bit more motivated. I know this one wasn't the most exciting and didn't hav much dialogue but there's a lot to come guys dont worry I'm cooking up some good chapters. love you pookies! enjoy pls🤗

#Spotify #kate martin x reader #kate martin #lv aces #wnba basketball #iowa wbb #las vegas aces #wbb x reader #wlw #wlw fanfic #iowa hawkeyes #iowa women’s basketball #oh no #gabbie marshall #caitlin clark #girls kissing girls

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gremlinmodetweeker · 5 months ago

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A Walk in the Woods

So, I had some struggles in my life. I've been homeless since about July 27th, but I've been staying at a friend's home. I'm on disability, so it's hard to make ends meet.

In the depths of my despair, I wrote about König's lonesome walks in the woods.

Edit: As of August 13th, I do nearly have a home now. However, I am still posting this because it reflects an important feeling and something I think about with König. I love writing him as goofy and awkward, but I think sometimes it's important to remember the reality of being a soldier.

TW: Suicide reference, ptsd, references to gore, warfare/active combat discussion, depression, mental illness

Story below Cut

A Walk in the Woods

König goes on long walks alone sometimes.

You might be tempted to come with him, but that would defeat the purpose of the walk, so he’d just have to have you tag along and take another walk later, most likely when you’re asleep.

Long walks in the woods help König calm down. He likes the silence of the forests. Sometimes, if he’s lucky, he’ll hear an owl hooting or see a bat fluttering by. He’s thankfully not the type that mosquitoes are attracted to, so bugs tend to leave him alone if he just gives himself a light spritz with bug spray. He thinks that long ago, his body adapted to the forests. Maybe it was because it was the place he felt most himself, maybe it was because it was where he was most alone. The forests never bothered answering his questions.

On these walks, König has the time to finally think about what’s been going on in his life. When he walks, he thinks about how long he has left to serve. Will he retire when he hits the golden age, or will he retire when his body gives out? Will he even make it to retirement? He doesn’t know. He wonders what will happen to you when he retires. He also doesn't know, which is worse. It frightens him terribly that he knows there’s nothing he can do to protect you from the reality of living with a partner in the military. He’s gotten to a point where he no longer sees warfare, but he does hostage rescues in dangerous cities in more dangerous countries. How long until there’s a chink in his armour?

When he walks he thinks about how he’ll divide his will. He needs to be prepared, as much as he wishes he could live forever. His mother made it until she was in her late nineties, his father just turned one hundred when he passed. He comes from longevity, but does he truly want to live that long? He’s done so much damage to his bodies throughout his years of service. His body could only go on for so much longer, and he didn’t know how long he could last.

When König was younger, he was brave and proud of taking after his grandfather by going into the Austrian Jagdkommando. He was revered by his younger siblings, and his parents had been nothing but proud of him for his decisions. He’d been a strong recruit and quickly risen the ranks to a prestigious title.

Now, as he walks through these lonely woods, he doesn’t quite know how much value his title holds anymore. What worth is a badge and a name if you spend most of your life looking at your partner through a phone, really? Is he even worthy of being a father if he has to spend months overseas? He’s missed so much of his loved ones' lives because of this godforsaken burden he carries. No amount of money could buy back the time he’s lost with his family.

And yet, still, he works. He trains in the barracks, readies his bodies for the next onslaught of bodies and screams when he is deployed into the next battlefield. He knows that when he comes home, he’ll have new nightmares to wake up screaming from. And who will be there to comfort him but you, frantically awoken by his thrashing and screaming as he shoots and kills all over again in his mind’s eye. He lives it over and over again every night. He will until he sleeps one final time. He’s trapped on lands you’ve never seen, lands he hopes you’ll never see in your lifetime. He’s seen so much carnage, there is so much blood on his hands and these same hands are the ones that hold you, cherish you, fuck you. He’s covered you in blood.

His walks carry him deep into the forest. There, he finds a clearing where he’ll look up to see the sky. Some days it’s blue and wide as the sargasso sea, some days it’s swathed in a darkness only split by the twinkling eyes of the gods above. Every time he looks up, he hopes that someone somewhere will see him begging on his knees for forgiveness. He tells you he doesn’t pray anymore, but he prays every time he comes to this clearing. Not for himself, no he’s long since been sent to Hell. He prays for you because he’s afraid that he’ll drag you down with him.

When he comes home, he’ll smile and hug you tightly. You always ask about it, but he never tells you where he went. He keeps telling himself he’ll bring you some day, but he knows he never will. You’ve seen him weak, but he can’t bear to have you see him like this. He wants you to see him smile and laugh and hold his children up above his head and fill the air with the sounds of joy and youth. He’s a strong and powerful aurochs of a man. You may see him stumble when he goes out to the hardware store to fix the latest leak in the sink, but he wants you to see him as a reliable pillar of support.

He prays that you will never see him out in the woods alone. He’s terrified that one day, one fateful day, you’ll go into his clearing to find him way up high among the tree branches.

Story Masterlist

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scmoobly · 1 year ago

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Wanna Be Yours | Bucky Barnes

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary: Even months after Bucky had rescued you from HYDRA, you still had a separation anxiety that made you paranoid when he wasn't around. And so did Bucky.

Content: [bucky being unable to stay away from you] [Comforting] [minor pining for each other] [alluding to s³x]

Warning: Mild mature themes

A/N: first buck fic😍✋️That I'm posting anyways. Not saying my draft isn't full of horndog shit BUT PLEASE PAY ATTENTION THIS PART IS IMPORTANT. Please watch this bucky edit before reading. It'll give you a visual of this fic. I'll leave the link in the comments as well so it's easier to copy. Okay, enjoy ♡ https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNMdKCFQ/

Not proofread, Sorr :)

"Bucky."

"Hmm." A low grumble echoed from the other end of the call, the familiar rattle of his metal arm easing the anxiety in your chest.

"I miss you."

"I'm working." He responded with the same monotonous effect. He'd been dispatched on a mission nearby, along with Natasha Romanoff only about 20 minutes ago.

She was a glorified babysitter that Steve had assigned to accompany Bucky just in case he got himself in trouble.

As grateful as you were that they'd helped Bucky save you from HYDRA, you weren't that well acquainted with the avengers to know their relationship with each other so the fact that you were left at the tower alone while Bucky was out with someone else just didn't sit well in your stomach.

"I miss you." You repeated mechanically into the phone. It was a habit hard to kill even though it had been months since you'd been freed from the shackles Pierce constricted you in. You were no longer a soldier, but it wasn't like you could just turn off or forget years of torture.

When there was no response, you opted to repeat yourself another time before he interrupted you. "I miss y-" "I know."

You heard a soft sigh from the other line, a few minutes of silence passing before it disconnected with a distorted click.

•

10 minutes later

The door to Buckys bedroom swung open, revealing you sitting in front of it with your legs curled up to your chest, the same inexpressive look in your eyes as they looked up at him.

"How long have you been sitting here?" His brows knotted, and his forehead creased revealing a hint of worry. "Since you left." You answered to which he could only respond with a deep exhale.

Bucky walked closer to you, crouching down to your level before gently sliding a few strands of hair behind your ear, his thumb caressing the skin of your cheek with caution.

Leaning into his touch came much easier to you than most things. Having Bucky close was your only source of comfort after he'd rescued you. His presence grounded you in a whole new world that felt like it was caving in around you.

A world where no one knew who you were but him, and you depended on him to not forget yourself.

"Let's get you to bed." Before you could say anything, Bucky had already hooked his arms around your body, lifting you up with almost zero effort. Your own found their way around his shoulder, eyes glued to his stone cold expression as he moved you nimbly over to the bed and set you down.

"Are you hungry?" He questioned further while reaching for the covers to which you'd responded with a light shake of your head.

"Just missed you." A low hum erupted from the depth of his chest.

Pulling the covers over your legs Bucky sat himself down beside you on the edge of the bed, leaning his back against the headrest before stretching his hand out in your direction, lacing his fingers through your hair.

Forget the Avengers. Your own relationship with Bucky was a mystery, if not anything else. One thing was clear, though. You were definitely not friends. At least you didn't want to be.

The years you'd spent being tortured and trained at HYDRA's base was something only he had the capability to understand. Naturally, your heart ran to him to seek any kind of empathy or comfort, but you'd both been wrung so tight that any sense of emotional sensitivity had been drained from you almost completely.

It took him a long a while, but he'd warmed up to the Avengers, finding his old best friend in Steve, a good companion in Sam, and a supportive team in everyone else.

However, it wasn't so easy for you. Bucky was all you had, and you'd worried your dependence on him in trying to fit back into society would someday become too much of a burden. The vehemence of your affection for him seemed to be concealed by the expressionless look on your face and the thought that he would someday choose to want someone who showered him with love unlike you.

Little to your knowledge, Bucky had his own apprehensions when it came to you. He'd thought being around the Avengers who'd protect you at any cost would make you feel more comfortable and safe. That it would help you open up.

That was the reason he had insisted for you to stay at the tower after the rescue mission. Well. Half of it anyway.

He couldn't stand the thought of you being alone the way he was, holeing up within the dark confines of his room. As hypocritical as it was, he cared too much to see you turn into the version of himself that he'd barely managed to escape.

You deserve to feel the warm flutter of happiness in your body. You, more than him. More than anyone.

That's why he'd rushed back to the tower halfway through his mission after you'd called, leaving Natasha to deal with the aftermath.

He could almost still feel the wind on his face from how harshly he'd revved the engine of the Harley Davidson Street 750.

"Bucky?"

You whisper softly while looking up at him, your doe eyes making him take in a deep breath. "Y-yeah?" He didn't realise how long he'd been staring or how close you'd gotten, your breaths mingling with each other, caressing the others' skin and sending shivers up and down his spine.

Close. Too close.

Too close not to do anything about it.

His metal arm that had been stroking your hair slid down to hook around the back of your neck, the cold vibranium thumb tracing circles on your jaw, and you couldn't help leaning into the touch, sucking in a breath, you closed your eyes in contentment.

"Bucky.." You purred, your cheeks filled with unfamiliar heat. Blushing? Bucky was making you blush.

Meanwhile, Bucky seemed to be awestruck as he blinked in disbelief. "You.. smiled." It was brief, a very small one, but he definitely caught it, and suddenly he couldn't think of anything more beautiful than the sight of it.

He wondered what it would take to see your lips tug upwards just a little more. To hear you laugh if he was lucky enough.

Buckys mind was clouded. Filled with the image of heaven that you'd graced him with, and suddenly he was closer, his lips hovering dangerously close to your own.

"Smile for me, doll."

Your eyes widen when his lips finally pressed against yours, knocking the wind out of you. However, it only took a few seconds for you to melt into the sensation. You had been craving it after all.

Your body began to curl up in an effort to be as close to him as possible, fingers grazing the outline of his stubble. A muffled whine slipped from your lips, causing Bucky to chuckle into the kiss before parting only slightly, an adoring look in his eyes. One you couldn't fathom was meant for you.

"Somehow, that was even better." He cooed, sliding his hand down your arm, the side of your body before resting on your hips, giving it a little squeeze.

"Come here, babydoll." He murmured with a feverish look in his eyes, using both hands to hold onto your hips and move you to straddle his lap. The pet names only served to make your ears burn hotter.

As soon as he'd settled you on top of him, you could feel how tight his pants had grown around him. Your chest heaved up and down as the alien feeling of arousal bubbled in your stomach and in between your thighs, making you squirm and let out little mewls.

"Shh, shh.. calm down, sweets. I have you." It felt like his lips had been taped into a smile. He wanted to ingraine the faces you were making in the deepest part of his thoughts. "I'm right here." He continued, leaning close to leave a trail of wet kisses down your neck, pausing at your shoulder to breathe in your scent before continuing down your collarbone, your arm all the way down to the back of your hand.

"You smell intoxicating. And you taste even better." Your breathe hitches for the millionth time. There was nothing you could think to say in response to his sweet words. Your silence was fine with him, though, because you displayed your innermost feelings on your face, and it was all he needed.

With both hands, he pressed your hips down onto him, eliciting a gasp from you. "Mm. And those delicious sounds you make. You must be an angel given human form because you make me feel like I'm in seventh heaven-" Bucky huffed out the last bit, his own chest heaving in anticipation.

You'd already showed him more emotions in that very second than you had the last few months you'd spent with him, and he was more than eager to explore what more he could pull out of you..

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes headcanon #bucky x you #james bucky buchanan barnes #marvel #marvel fanfiction #bucky fanfiction #james bucky barnes #james barnes #marvel x reader #marvel x you #marvel x y/n #bucky x y/n #bucky x female reader #bucky fluff #bucky fic

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heavens-moonlight · 6 months ago

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𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 | 𝟬𝟱: 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗦 𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗦

𝟬𝟰 : 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗦𝗢𝗡 | 𝟬𝟲 : 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗦

Author’s Note: I didn't expect to be gone for so long but life just got in the way T_T. I'm still doing well and will see this story to the end! Updates won't be as frequent so I'm not going to put dates on when in case I disappoint like last time and can't stick to a set schedule. More chapters will be coming soon (the next one is written, just needs heavy editing). Call me crazy but if I'm not satisfied myself with what's written, I feel like readers won't either so I have to take my time and make sure it's good enough. Hopefully this long one makes up for my unintended hiatus and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it in the comments! Also, please let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist. Thank you to those still reading (and those just finding this now). It means a lot to me ♡

"Jun-Hee, please come back to me..." You place your hands on either side of his face and turn it toward yours. He stares at you, the only thing visible in the dark being each other.

As Jun-Hee stands frozen in shock, eyes shadowed by grief and body trembling uncontrollably, your heart aches at the sight. Without another word, you step closer, sliding your hand from its previous position on the side of his face down to hold his hand. In your mere presence, Jun-Hee's rigid posture begins to relax and his breathing, steadier.

Even when shrouded in darkness and even on the brink of despair, you would always be one another's comfort. And that, in itself, exists enough hope to spare.

"I can't do this without you," he whispers, hand clutching yours like a lifeline, his eyes refusing to look away from your own.

You smile up at him, but the sadness seeps through and the corners of your lips don't curl upward like before, the crinkle of mirth not quite reaching your eyes. "As long as we have one another, we have yet to lose."

The two of you watch forlornly in stunned silence as chaos continues to unfold all around, students like passerby thieves in the depth of night.

What was the price for stealing a life?

Seconds tick by, the passing of time like that of a fever dream where you can't escape the confines of an endless nightmare.

One Mississippi.

[ғᴏʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜʟᴇs, ᴏʜ ʜʏᴇ-sᴜɴɢ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴇxᴇᴄᴜᴛᴇᴅ. ᴏʜ ʜʏᴇ-sᴜɴɢ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴄɪᴛɪᴢᴇɴ.]

Two Mississippi.

[ ғᴏʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜʟᴇs, ᴋᴀɴɢ ʏᴇ-ᴡᴏɴ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴇxᴇᴄᴜᴛᴇᴅ. ᴋᴀɴɢ ʏᴇ-ᴡᴏɴ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴍᴀғɪᴀ. ]

Three Mississippi.

[ғᴏʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜʟᴇs, ʟᴇᴇ ʜʏᴜɴ-ᴊᴜɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴊᴜɴɢ-ᴇᴜɴ, ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴄɪᴛɪᴢᴇɴs, ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴇxᴇᴄᴜᴛᴇᴅ.]

Four Mississippi.

"Jang Hyun-Ho!" You immediately swivel your head to the right, recognizing Kyung-Jun's voice, seeing him pick up a phone that slides his way after rebounding haphazardly from a mistaken kick of desperation. He holds it up high just as the lights flash a dark scarlet hue, the deepest of the shades of red in the beam's spectrum. In its opaque midst, his Cheshire smile appears ever more sinister, pristine teeth stained with the color of blood. "Better find your phone quickly." With a taunting shake, Kyung-Jun chucks the device clear across the room carelessly and it clatters a short distance before settling deep underneath the lowermost bleacher seat.

You look back and forth between Hyun-Ho and Jun-Hee, torn on who to help. Regardless, you still had the chance of resurrection, to revive one of them, but with that comes the knowledge that you'd eventually have to first let go of one of them entirely.

Five Mississippi.

You would rather lose yourself all together than having to choose between either of them and watch as your world falls apart.

Making up your mind, you pull Jun-Hee along and he trails behind, not questioning where you were headed. Hyun-Ho is already on all fours by the time you reach the sidelines, face pressed against the ground and trying his hardest to reach beneath the small space to retrieve his phone.

Although he has long arms, they're neither thin nor flexible enough to reach far.

"Your muscles are useless." You move Hyun-Ho out of the way lightly and settle Jun-Hee on the ground next to you so that he's seated resting against the bleachers, finally catching on to what was going on.

"How can you still tease me in this situation?!" Hyun-Ho drones at the absurdity, whipping his head back and forth as more bodies drop dead all around. "Go, and don't worry about me. I'd give up a thousand of my chances for your one."

[ ғᴏʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜʟᴇs, ᴋɪᴍ ʏᴇᴏɴ-ᴊᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴇxᴄᴇᴜᴛᴇᴅ. ᴋɪᴍ ʏᴇᴏɴ-ᴊᴜ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴄɪᴛɪᴢᴇɴ. ]

"We promised each other, remember?" Even in the dark lighting, you can feel his eyes softening.

You don't mind the floor, laying down on your stomach with your arm outstretched. Even in his blank state, Jun-Hee instinctively extends his hand out, palm upwards for you to rest your face on rather than have it press against the dirty surface.

Your fingers tiptoe against the cold wood, feeling around for the phone, but all you sense is dust. Not giving up, you flatten your arm further, stretching your fingers as far as they can go, finally coming in contact with a sharp and hard edge. Without wasting another precious moment, you swat it slowly and surely outward, ensuring that it wouldn't get caught or trapped beneath the bleachers forever.

One more sweep and you hold in your outspread hand Hyun-Ho's lost phone.

"Hurry and vote." You push the device towards him. "So long as it's not for the person who has the most votes. We can't afford to give anyone else up." Before he can say anything, you pull Jun-Hee back to his feet again and run into the center of the gym, digging around at every single phone that someone else hasn't already picked up.

Even without words, you end up looking for Jun-Hee's and he, yours. To the right by the upturned trash can, two phones lay stacked atop one another, area not yet ransacked.

You hastily grab them and flip to inspect the phone cases. Thankfully, one of them is Jun-Hee's, the shared photo booth picture sets you two took together peeking through the back pocket.

"I found yours!" You press Jun-Hee's phone into his palm, encircling his fingers around it tightly as you both escape to the edges of the gymnasium, out of the way of others searching.

His grip on you tightens, not ready to let go yet; neither your hand nor the temporary sense of safety you provided.

"And what about yours?"

Right as he says that, Kyung-Jun meanders over with your phone resting in his hold, the lavender outlined case easily recognizable even in the dark. Matching photos with Jun-Hee's of the two of you during happier times stares back at you.

You have absolutely no clue where he managed to find it or why he looked for yours in the first place, but you knew he would never tell you even if you were to ask.

Surprised, you peer up at him but he avoids looking directly at you in favor of cradling your hand to place your phone facedown into your palm before leaving just as quietly as he had come.

Jun-Hee is as taken aback as you though he doesn't question it, mind still focused on the impending doom and punishment he riddled on everyone.

Not long after, Da-Bum, Jung-Won, and Yoon-Seo come bounding over, their own phones in hand. The thought comes suddenly to you, unbidden, as to why Da-Bum and Jung-Won always seem like they're together as of late.

It seemed unexpected that either had developed mutual feelings, for both preferred solitude over company if they could help it. Not being able to put a finger on it unsettles you for some reason, the pair appearing together solely when night falls only to be more indifferent than strangers during the day. Maybe Da-Bum feels indebted to your group for the help, or maybe Jung-Won is simply protective for the sake of it, your mind concludes for you. Regardless of whatever case it may be, if you thought any more about it, you would spiral into an oblivion of unanswerable questions.

[ᴋɪᴍ sᴏ-ᴍɪ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ.]

[ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴋɪᴍ sᴏ-ᴍɪ.]

[ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ.]

[ᴄʜᴏɪ ᴍɪ-ɴᴀ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ.]

[sʜɪɴ sᴇᴜɴɢ-ʙɪɴ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ.]

[ᴋɪᴍ ᴊɪɴ-ʜᴀ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ.]

[ᴀʜɴ ɴᴀ-ʜᴇᴇ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ.]

[ᴄʜᴀ ʏᴜ-ᴊᴜɴ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ.]

"Eun-Ha it is then," Jung-Won says to your group coldly. "Vote for her."

"What? No!" you outright reject, and Jung-Won is taken aback. "I'm not going to side with So-Mi on this without proper reason."

Yoon-Seo nods her head, assenting. "If we vote for her too, she'll die. We can't do that."

"What other choice do we have?" Jung-Won looks tense as she scrolls through the tally of votes yet to end.

"We'll scatter our picks so that we all get one vote each. I'll choose myself."

"We don't know if that's against the rules," you tell Yoon-Seo. "You can vote for me. Jun-Hee, you too."

"But—" they both oppose at the same time.

"I'll be okay." You look between them, resolute.

"Seol-Hwa..." Jun-Hee utters, more forlorn than ever.

"I'll gladly bite the bullet of two votes if it means we can hold out just that much longer. You and I both know we neither have the luxury nor time to think this over. I can take the small risk to save another innocent classmate."

"We don't know if she is," Jung-Won retorts.

"I know what I know and I trust my instincts. You can vote for her if you feel like it." Never before in your life have you ever seen less than eye-to-eye with Jung-Won but with the existence of this deadly game, it has become a given and no longer a rarity.

You watch as Da-Bum and Jung-Won eye one another nervously, your curiosity peeking over how they got so close so fast.

[ᴊɪɴ ᴅᴀ-ʙᴜᴍ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴏʜ ᴊᴜɴɢ-ᴡᴏɴ.]

[ᴏʜ ᴊᴜɴɢ-ᴡᴏɴ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴊɪɴ ᴅᴀ-ʙᴜᴍ.]

[ʜᴀɴ sᴇᴏʟ-ʜᴡᴀ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴋɪᴍ ᴊᴜɴ-ʜᴇᴇ.]

[ᴋɪᴍ ᴊᴜɴ-ʜᴇᴇ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʜᴀɴ sᴇᴏʟ-ʜᴡᴀ.]

[ʟᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴏɴ-sᴇᴏ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʜᴀɴ sᴇᴏʟ-ʜᴡᴀ.]

[ɪᴍ ᴇᴜɴ-ᴄʜᴀɴ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɴᴀᴍ ʏᴇᴏɴ-ᴡᴏᴏ.]

[ɴᴀᴍ ʏᴇᴏɴ-ᴡᴏᴏ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɪᴍ ᴇᴜɴ-ᴄʜᴀɴ.]

[ᴊᴀɴɢ ʜʏᴜɴ-ʜᴏ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ.]

[ᴋɪᴍ ᴅᴏɴɢ-ʜʏᴜɴ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ.]

You bite your lip in frustration as the two boys vote hastily, most likely swayed by the majority and not having been within earshot of Yoon-Seo's suggestion. Your eyes meet across the room, soulless and empty, shells of the people you once were, looking back at one another in a haze of blinding lights.

As the red hue morphs back into a dulled white, it feels like you have all just descended into hell and back, heaven now much too far out of reach.

[ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛᴡᴇʟᴠᴇ ᴠᴏᴛᴇs, ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴇxᴇᴄᴜᴛᴇᴅ.]

Eun-Ha sits lifeless on the ground in the middle of the circle, fingers twisted around her phone, the one precious vote failing to be her saving grace. "I said I was a citizen," she whimpers in tears, going around and grabbing everyone's hands, pleading uselessly. Those that voted for her look away guiltily, the possibility of her innocence still up in the air. "How many times must I tell you it wasn't me?" Her steps stagger, not yet able to accept the unfair death sentence hanging above her head, everyone an executioner. "Why?" She repeats like a mantra. "Why me?"

Secretly pulling out your phone, you make sure no one knew of it. In the moment, everyone's attention was directed at Eun-Ha's spiraling emotions and you quickly click on her name, the first person you were choosing to heal.

You look up as Eun-Ha's footsteps squeak against the floor, her hands covering the tears streaming down her face as she runs through the glass doors of the gymnasium until her figure can no longer be seen rounding the corner.

Fate, please be less cruel.

No matter how hard you try to fight it, as the music crescendos over the speakers like a cursed lullaby, you can't fight the heaviness settling over you. Your eyelids heavy, droops to cover your eyes in a blanket of darkness as your body sinks to the ground.

Even above water, you feel like you're drowning on air.

Whether it's in sleep or reality, the pull of the void is too strong for you to resist, and you can't for the life of you, seem to get away, forced to succumb to it.

[ɴɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴀs ᴄᴏᴍᴇ.]

You're suspended on the threshold of subconsciousness and consciousness, light spots flickering behind your eyelids momentarily before they dissipate and you're forced to come back to the realm of the living.

As your eyes refocus upon opening, extricating yourself from the caress of sleep that miraculously enveloped you, you feel so, so tired of everything.

Would it be better to give in or give up?

Jun-Hee is beside you but doesn't utter a word, his gaze fixed on an empty space in the distance, eyes rimmed red. Your hand itches to reach out toward his but you instead will it to remain still, digits curling into your palm, nails clenched hard enough to create crescent divots intersecting the creases in your hand.

How do you even begin to comfort him when you can't so much as do it for yourself?

Yoon-Seo sits to your right, hand over her eyes as silent sobs rock her body, trembling back the telltale sign of her suppressed cries.

"Joo-Young..." Mi-Na calls, your attention turning to the pair. Your hand comes up to clasp over your mouth as you realize a white sheet had been laid upon her face.

Try as you might, you couldn't pretend not to know the one thing that meant.

"No..." you whisper out.

"Joo-Young," Mi-Na repeats, still receiving no response from her friend. Even shaking her foot does nothing to change the silence. "This isn't funny..."

Yoon-Seo scrambles over on shaky legs, dropping to her knees in front of Joo-Young's rigid body.

"She's acting weird..." Mi-Na mumbles, hand unsteadily reaching toward her friend. As she grabs the corner of the white cloth, the incoming announcement has her hand dipping to the floor limply.

[ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛ, ʟᴇᴇ ᴊᴏᴏ-ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴡᴀs ᴇxᴇᴄᴜᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀғɪᴀ. ʟᴇᴇ ᴊᴏᴏ-ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴄɪᴛɪᴢᴇɴ.]

Yoon-Seo throws back the cover to the onslaught of gasps at the pale, lifeless body beneath, already stiffening up due to rigor mortis.

Irrespective of everyone's state of mind, the announcement drones on monotonously, unfitting of the somber atmosphere.

[ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴠᴏᴛᴇ ᴄʟᴏsᴇᴅ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ɴᴏᴍɪɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴏ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʟ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄʜᴏsᴇɴ ᴄʜᴀ ʏᴜ-ᴊᴜɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ.]

[ᴀʟʟ ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴄɪᴘᴀɴᴛs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪғʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀғɪᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴠᴏᴛᴇs.]

The staticky sound over the speakers is drowned out by Mi-Na's cries, yet to comprehend the death of her friend who she fell asleep beside last night, only for one of them to wake up in the morning.

Quietly, Yoon-Seo pulls back Joo-Young's shirt collar, fingers trembling against a ligature mark bruised red like branding done by the devil. "Strangulation..."

Mi-Na ignores Yoon-Seo's remark, beelining for Jun-Hee and grasping him by the neck of his button up shirt, shaking him in hysterics, resentful. "I said I wouldn't follow your plan," she reiterates her sentiment from the previous night. "If we hadn't listened, none of us would've gathered here only to end up like this." Jun-Hee is shoved back with every word, every accusation. "You killed them all and now it's on you!" Mi-Na nearly spits in his face, angry tears staining her face.

"Stop it!" So-Mi shouts.

You merely stare, not daring to move an inch. Everyone else remains rooted to their spot, the events of last night yet to fade from memory. Even Jun-Hee acknowledges his fault, allowing Mi-Na to throw him around and curse in his face. Nothing could make him feel better. Tears well up in your eyes as you dissect the gravity of the situation, pitying how responsibility can so easily become liability.

"They're not wrong," Ji-Soo voices, voice barely above a whisper. "We simply survived by pure luck. You and Kyung-Jun...neither of you can fix this nor return the lives lost."

Kyung-Jun, who had been sitting in the chair he fell asleep in last night, stands up and kicks it aside, sending it skidding across the floor. "Fuck you," he swears with venom at Ji-Soo. "If you know what's good for you, then keep my name out of your mouth. It's not my fault to share." He turns to her, glaring. "Did I suggest the idea first?" Pointing straight at Jun-Hee, Kyung-Jun shakes his finger condescendingly. "This happened because of you, and only you."

"I'm sorry," is all Jun-Hee manages to say as he staggers away from the scene, wanting to be alone.

No one runs after him.

This time, not even you.

You sit motionlessly, only having the heart to count how many steps it takes for Jun-Hee to walk away, and wonder how many it will take for him to come back.

"Whatever," Kyung-Jun waves his hand dismissively. "The class president got us into this mess, and the only way for us to get out of it is to go to the very end. Let's vote him out today." He casts a hidden sidelong glance over at your soulless gaze after Jun-Hee's retreating form and turns away, adding nothing more to fuel the fire but neither does he retract his statement.

Jung-Won steps forward, sizing up Kyung-Jun without a single fear of the possible consequences in doing so. "You—" At her address, his head swivels back, cat-like eyes sharp as daggers. "You said it was a good idea and went so far as to collect our phones. Why change your tune now?" She crosses her arms in front of her chest, gauging. "Care to tell us why you were the only one relaxed last night?" Jung-Won raises one eyebrow defiantly. "Is it because you took your phone back secretly?" Scoffing, she ridicules him. "Don't play innocent when you're the most suspicious."

You whip your head toward Jung-Won, wondering how she possibly found that out in the commotion. It finally clicks to you that either he had both his and yours hidden in his possession or he only had yours to look for after already having secured his survival with a vote. No matter which way you looked at it, Kyung-Jun devised a win-win situation. The clear advantage had compelled him to so readily agree with Jun-Hee and avoid the brunt of blame.

Of course he wouldn't change.

"Yah," he voices lowly and menacingly, stepping closer to Jung-Won, staring her down. "Isn't it obvious? How are we to trust Jun-Hee? For all we know, he could be Mafia." Turning to look at everyone in succession, he yells loudly, those nearest to him jumping from the sudden sound. "GUYS! Our lives depend on this game." His eyes shift toward Jung-Won pointedly. "Why entrust someone else with mine? I just used my brain, something you all don't seem to do." Despite his anger being directed at Jung-Won, he punctuates his words with punches to Da-Bum's chest, a mere bystander beside her. "If not, last night I would've been another corpse in the mountain of bodies."

"Stop it, please..." Yoon-Seo nearly begs, tiredness seeping into her voice. She throws her hands up in frustration. "Do you still want to fight after everything that's happened? How long must we stay here and anxiously wait out our turn?" Even when no one answers, Yoon-Seo adds, "Won't we even attempt to find our way back home?"

Though the schpiel was aimed at Kyung-Jun and not even her, So-Mi sneers, rolling her eyes, displeased. "How naïve do you have to be to think that we can? It's not that we don't want to. We can't."

Yoon-Seo turns to her. "This game—if we figure out its purpose, we can find a way out without anyone else dying." Silence envelops the room as she looks around, eventually gesturing to the bodies strewn across the floor. "Before that, let's move everyone."

Mouth hanging open, So-Mi looks at Yoon-Seo in shock. "Excuse me?!"

"We can't leave them like this. They were once our classmates. The least we can do is to allow them rest in the freezer."

As Kyung-Jun turns on his heel to leave, Seung-Bin and Jin-Ha are quick to follow, no ounce of sorrow hanging over them.

Yoon-Seo, ever-courageous, latches onto Kyung-Jun's wrist as he brushes past her. "Stay and help."

He yanks his arm back, grumbling under his breath. "Crazy bitch.”

Woo-Ram backs up Yoon-Seo, indignantly criticizing Kyung-Jun. "How cheap of you to always walk away by yourself, leaving others behind. Is it not in your ability to leave half of your heart to care for someone? Not even a single person?"

Kyung-Jun advances, ready to round on him, but So-Mi and Jung-Won block Woo-Ram off from his path and you're once again left floundering in the dark searching for answers to the unexpected dynamics established over the course of just a few days.

Not giving up, Yoon-Seo grabs Kyung-Jun again, on the brink of pleading.

You get up to your feet unstably, shuffling over to pry her quivering fingers away as no one else steps up to side with her. "Yoon-Seo..." you get out listlessly. "Don't waste your time on those who will never understand. We don't need them. We'll be fine on our own." You don't look back as the two of you task yourselves with the act, the others watching on aghast.

Mindlessly, you go through the motions, forcing your arms and legs to cooperate, mind numb as you drag the cold and bloody bodies of your fellow classmates.

So many hopes and dreams have yet to blossom, but this is where they'll remain, wilted and buried forever, never to bloom.

You kneel on the ground, aimlessly orientating limbs to lay properly and force the tears to stay suspended on the rims of your eyes, not allowing them to fall and desecrate the bodies of your schoolmates. Your thoughts blur as you move on autopilot when someone suddenly tugs you by the forearm up into a standing position.

You come face to face with Kyung-Jun, the force with which he pulls you up propelling you inches away from him as he fights with himself to keep up the angry facade, glint slowly fading as he catches sight of your eyes. Through the haze of tears, his features blur in your vision, the distortion of expression leading you to see only concern.

You attempt to yank your arm out of his grip but he doesn't intend to let you do so. Seeing you flinch, he realizes the force of his strength and relaxes his hold around your forearm, fingers lingering at your wrist.

"Let go."

"Why are you doing this?" he questions, the scene drawing the attention of the others, yet none dare to intervene.

"Because I actually care," you grit through your teeth, only loud enough for him to hear, tears cascading in rivulets down your face.

Away from the veil of tears, there's no mistaking the look on his face this time, pupils wavering back and forth between your own. The realization of the night in the infirmary dawns on him as he finally understands that you are the type of person to care for everyone, regardless of all else.

Kyung-Jun's eyes trail every path your teardrops make as it etches marks onto your face, his hold becoming lax. You pull away roughly and swipe at your tears with your sleeve, returning to the matter at hand and choosing to ignore him completely.

Everyone is more than surprised when Kyung-Jun moves you out of the way and wordlessly transports the bodies himself, enlisting the aid of Seung-Bin and Jin-Ha, who after being forced to get over their initial shock, have no choice but to listen and reluctantly follow along.

He throws backward glances at you all the while, not understanding or being able to pinpoint why and how infuriating it was that you were the only one who seemed to be able to get under his skin by doing nothing, by your presence alone, yet he doesn't think he'll get the chance to ever find out.

You drop to the floor even as everyone heads to the freezer, fingers pressed into the palms of your hands.

As you uncurl your trembling digits one by one, it reveals stains that bleed into every fold of skin.

One in particular is a darker shade of red, seeping deeper into the crease.

Your eyes trace the curve adjacent to your thumb, path now extended.

Life line.

Yet, you can't find it in yourself to rejoice at the sight when the one thing symbolizing your prolonged existence is a promise written in blood.

After Yoon-Seo requested to be alone to pay her respects to those who passed, you wait outside the ice-cold room, sitting on the floor with your back pressed against the sealed doors.

At the sound of footsteps, you look up to see Jun-Hee. Silently, he crouches down before you, simply looking at you before he lifts his hand toward your cheek. Your eyes follow as his fingers hang suspended in the air by the side of your face.

He closes his eyes once before opening them again and letting his hand drop into his lap, a dark look flitting across his soft features. "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

You let out the breath you weren't aware you were holding. "What for?"

Jun-Hee slumps against the metal frame beside you, head leaned back and eyes avoiding yours. "Everything."

You watch him intently.

"I shouldn't have done what I did last night," he tells you, angling his body toward yours.

You shake your head, sensing him drawing into himself. "Don't blame yourself. None of us could possibly know what would happen."

"No, it really is my fault. I'll live with the guilt forever."

"I won't let you live with it alone..." You scoot closer to him, your arms pressed against one another's.

"How—" his voice shakes as he gazes at you, the space between his eyebrows creasing. "How can you still stand to talk to me? To look at me? To be next to me?" You make to speak, but he continues on before you can get a word in. "It hurts, Seol-Hwa." With a weak murmur, he rests his head on your shoulder.

"It's okay to be hurting. Cry if you have to." You lean your head atop his. "I'm here for you."

"Are you not repulsed by me?"

"Is that why you drew your hand away earlier?"

He sits back up properly but doesn't reply. You grasp the answerless answer all the same.

"Jun-Hee," you say, fingers still itching to intertwine with his as you look down at your hands touching in the gap between your bodies, but not enough to hold. "Until this game is actually over, people will keep dying. There's no way we can fight that, no matter how hard we try, but if you really want to be responsible—to still be responsible—think of how to find a way to get everyone out safe, okay?"

"Okay," he agrees, smiling the faintest for your sake.

You stare at him in the momentary silence that follows, wishing you could tell him what you truly mean. Instead, you mask your feelings, settling for a word of comfort that doesn't overstep the boundaries of friendship. "You can always come to me. When you're happy...and when you're sad."

This time, he reaches out to cradle your face without reluctance, without hesitancy. "What did I do to deserve you?" His thumb brushes across your cheek lightly. "Our friendship is my life's biggest dilemma."

"Good or bad?"

Your question draws a soft chuckle from Jun-Hee. "Good, I promise." He gets a faraway look in his eyes for a second as he mumbles, "Almost too good for me to ever change it. Even though I find myself wanting to, more and more, every single day."

"What do you mean?"

He pulls his hand away and smiles faintly to himself. "Later. I'll tell you later."

Although confused, you let it slide. "I'll hold you to that." You get up, brushing off your skirt before angling your hand down, outstretched for Jun-Hee to take. He grabs it and stands up, the two of you facing one another. "Me and you against the world?"

"Always," Jun-Hee affirms, pulling you in by the hand, so close that the toes of your matching white sneakers are aligned.

"Jun-Hee...?"

"Can you hug me? Just so I know that it will be okay?"

You stretch on your tiptoes, placing your arms around his neck and pull him in nearer as his wind around your waist, drawing you tighter against his chest, hands settling at the small of your back. He snuggles his face into the line of your shoulder and presses closer, breathing in deeply.

"Everything will turn out alright." You rest your chin on his shoulder and lean your head against the side of his.

"I believe you," Jun-Hee exhales out shakily, squeezing you that much tighter so that you have to rise higher on your toes.

"Let's not give up until this is over, yeah?"

"As long as I have you by my side, how can I?"

The two of you slowly extract yourselves from one another, the sound of something tumbling in succession on the other side of the sliding metal doors making you and Jun-Hee dash in without another thought after a second glance at each other.

Yoon-Seo lays in the middle of strewn empty crates, hands around her neck and gasping for air.

"Yoon-Seo!" You stoop beside her as Jun-Hee makes to prop her up while you dig in her skirt pocket for her inhaler, administering it to her quickly.

Given the sudden commotion, the rest file in, having heard the ruckus and loud exclamations, crowding around to see what exactly was going on.

Yoon-Seo still struggles to breathe as you assess her level of consciousness, supporting her the best you can. Eventually, her eyes close and she passes out.

You recruit help from Hyun-Ho and Dong-Hyun, Na-Hee trailing them as they take Yoon-Seo to the infirmary to rest. Unfortunately, that meant you and Jun-Hee had to sit down with the rest and discuss what to do going forward.

Thankfully, you realize with relief and a weight lifted off your heart, Eun-Ha is back and sitting with Yeon-Woo and Eun-Chan, very much alive and very much safe.

The only seat remaining is between Jun-Hee and Kyung-Jun, and you gingerly settle down in the middle, not acknowledging the latter even as he speaks up.

"Let's not drag this out and cut to the chase." Kyung-Jun sits spread eagle, leaning his elbows on his knees with his arms hanging down toward the floor as he looks up with his head slightly bowed, addressing everyone. "If you're part of the Mafia, speak up."

Jung-Won purses her lips, thinking it idiotic. "Are you aware that your mouth runs before your brain does? Do you think you would reveal yourself if it were you?" she says sarcastically.

Kyung-Jun whistles, in disbelief at her sassiness. "Okay, that was bad on my part. Let me try again. To rephrase, I'm giving you all a chance to condemn someone. Who would like to start?"

"So-Mi," Eun-Ha inserts without missing a beat.

"Yah! It's not me!" So-Mi shrieks, extricating her headband roughly from her hair and tossing it on the ground with a clang.

"Did I say it was you?" Eun-Ha crosses her arms and sneers, much bolder and more confident after having revived. "I simply called out your name. Why are you already on the defensive?

Kyung-Jun leans back in his chair, watching the scene unfold with amusement, the rest eyeing warily the two girls with nothing but a wall of animosity between them. "We'll come back to this," Kyung-Jun resolves, merely rolling his eyes at So-Mi's glare, unbothered.

Dramatically, Seung-Bin suddenly slams his hand against the table in front of him, a resounding outburst that's sure to have hurt his palm more than he let on. "Disclose if you're on the Police team too." Met with radio silence, he menacingly tries a different approach of threatening answers out of everyone. "Are you not going to?"

Da-Bum repositions himself in his chair, looking up and down from his clasped hands settled in his lap. "I...don't think they would do that either, just like the Mafias won't."

"Of course they won't," Yu-Jun agrees, making everyone turn toward him, still suspicious about his role.

Given how he was healed without imminent danger or justification to be saved, he was high on your list as a fellow doctor who chose to protect himself first and foremost. That was one of the reasons for you deciding not to ever pick yourself, otherwise the group could come to a certain conclusion if they put two and two together.

"Fuck," Kyung-Jun curses, looking out over everyone gathered. "Why the hell won't you cooperate?" When no one responds, and not knowing what more to say, he turns your way but looks past you at the last minute, instead turning the focus on Jun-Hee. "Banjang, it's you, is it not? Only citizens died because you didn't allow us to vote. Tell me then, was it all part of the Mafia's plan to get rid of as many citizens as possible?"

In a deadpan manner that leaves no room for argument, you don't look at Kyung-Jun when you defend Jun-Hee. "That's not true. If you read through the alerts of everyone who passed last night, a Mafia was caught in the crossfire too. Why would they willingly give up their own member if it was supposed to be a foolproof plan?"

You can feel Kyung-Jun staring a hole through the side of your face but it quiets him for the time being.

"At least we can be almost sure about who one of the doctors is," Woo-Ram voices, everyone's eyes flickering over to Yu-Jun, virtually indisputable.

He finally notices the attention on him and rejects the assumption feebly without a strong counterargument. "I'm telling you it's really not me." Yu-Jun looks to his girlfriend for help but Ji-Soo misunderstands the look as throwing her under the bus.

"Who do you take me for?"

Mi-Na points between the couple. "It has to be you two. Who else would bother to save Yu-Jun?"

The boy in question turns to Mi-Na, half offended and half frustrated. "I don't know why they decided to save me either. Would I be dumb enough to protect and out myself simultaneously if I had that role?"

Even Ji-Soo turns to study her boyfriend as he speaks and you're now positive with the way he's shielding that he was indeed the other doctor aside from yourself. "Maybe it really isn't him," Ji-Soo helps out. "By the same logic, you'd be saying that either Eun-Chan or Yeon-Woo had saved Eun-Ha, but the two of them were more shocked at her resurrection than she was."

Mi-Na uses that mention to segue into the next point of discussion. "Kim So-Mi."

"Me?" So-Mi huffs, widening her eyes in anger. "Again?"

"Eun-Ha said you were a Mafia yesterday. Did you pick her because she caught you red-handed?"

Hesitating, So-Mi turns her body toward her accuser. "I only voted for her because she was going to vote for me first."

"That's a weak excuse and you know it," Eun-Ha chimes in. "Don't forget I saw what you did on the mountain. Did you think I would disregard it and let it slide? After you nearly killed me yesterday?"

"What happened on the mountain?" Kyung-Jun presses, glancing over at you without your noticing, eyes trailing down to your legs still littered in bruises and cuts yet to heal.

Eun-Ha smiles sarcastically. "So-Mi purposefully tried to push Dong-Hyun and Seol-Hwa downhill so that they would fall outside the lines and be executed."

"You bitch!" So-Mi points a finger at her. "I almost slipped myself trying to grab his hand."

"You clearly didn't try hard enough," Eun-Ha retorts. "That same day when we came back, Dong-Hyun himself said that you never did so. You had no intention of doing it." Eun-Ha glances over at you briefly before continuing. "If it wasn't for Seol-Hwa risking her own life to help her friend, he would've most likely impaled himself on that tree stump down by the edge of the cliff." The description leaves little to the imagination and you close your eyes against subconsciously reliving the unwanted memories.

"This is all circumstantial evidence!" So-Mi screams, feeling cornered.

"Both Dong-Hyun and Seol-Hwa are still here. She hasn't corrected me, and if we're to go and get Dong-Hyun right now, I'll bet everything I have he would side with me." Eun-Ha smirks at So-Mi. "The three ghosts you failed to make are back to haunt you."

"What motive would I have to do it? Huh?!" So-Mi provokes, running out of options to act blameless.

"Easy," Eun-Ha leans forward, at the edge of her seat, not breaking So-Mi's gaze. "Dong-Hyun had to go first because you knew he's stronger and the only way to endanger him would be petty tricks like telling him to check the fading boundary line, knowing there was a fifty percent chance of him being wrong." She shrugs, using her face-up palms like a scale, weighing. "If he was unfortunate and was out of favor with the Lady of Luck, you knew either way Seol-Hwa, being the kind person that she is, would have done everything in her power to save him. If you played your cards right, you could've rid of both of them at once."

"And what would Seol-Hwa have anything to do with me being suspected like this?!" So-Mi fumes, vein protruding from her neck.

"I think everyone in the school knows this by now. They'd have to be blind or living under a rock not to." Eun-Ha laughs mockingly, hiding her smile behind her hand. "It's obvious how much you like Jun-Hee but he could care less about you when he'd probably turn the world upside down for Seol-Hwa. That's the only vendetta you have against her."

Jun-Hee shifts back and forth in his seat next to you, uncomfortable at being involved in So-Mi's villain origin story, and you try not to blush at what Eun-Ha is implying, entirely inappropriate for the situation.

So-Mi flushes in embarrassment, even more so that none of her friends were coming to her defense. "Do you really think I'd be that petty?!"

In a turn of events, it's not Eun-Ha but Kyung-Jun who replies to her. "Yes, we do. We've all seen what you're like at school and all the things you've done."

"You're no saint either, Go Kyung-Jun," So-Mi says to him bitterly.

He cackles in her face. "Maybe, but unlike you, at least I'm not a murder suspect."

"Fuck you—"

"Thanks but no thanks, because I wouldn't like you either." Kyung-Jun swats his hand flippantly at So-Mi before he reaches out and pulls your chair toward him, metal squeaking against wood. The rest turn and look, entirely baffled at the sight. You don't move very far as Jun-Hee drags the other side of your chair back toward him, not letting go even as Kyung-Jun releases his hand instantly, smirking. Jun-Hee probably doesn't realize that his hand has instinctively settled on your knee, without any intent to move it away. "Now that was a test." He motions with a circling finger from you, to Jun-Hee, and finally to Eun-Ha in succession before stopping directly in front of So-Mi, miming drawing an 'x' in the air level with her face. "And you're the only one who didn't pass." As So-Mi gapes at him, he turns to Jun-Hee. "Don't worry." He throws a sidelong glance, tilting his head at you, gesturing. "I'm allergic to nice people."

"Take of it what you will," Eun-Ha concludes, having said everything she needed to get off her chest. You can't help but beam to yourself seeing her back to the best version of her she could be. You've been suspicious of So-Mi from the start with all her power trips and victim mentality. It was about time someone put her in her place, and who better to do it then the person she expected to have finished off last night.

"Aside from So-Mi's inferiority complex," Mi-Na begins again. "Anyone else have anything to say?"

As a last resort, So-Mi turns the table on Mi-Na herself, knowing an attack on Eun-Ha would just be her announcing she'd like to be voted off. "What about you then? You're a Mafia, right?" She stands up, gaining height advantage as she approaches Mi-Na. "You and Joo-Young had a big argument yesterday."

"We did have one but why would I kill her over it? Friends fight all the time about the littlest things."

"You lick her boots as if you're her servant in front of her and then proceed to badmouth her behind her back. I guess you found the perfect alibi last night handed to you on a silver platter."

"No wonder," Jin-Ha chimes in, hatefully. "Joo-Young did treat Mi-Na no less than a dog."

"That's not true at all!" Stumped, Mi-Na turns to read the room but everyone is still processing all the accusations that have sprung up.

Kyung-Jun pinches the bridge of his nose, irritated. "Dammit, you all talk so much. Where was this fervor when I asked initially? Just turn yourself in or you'll see blood. I won't say it twice."

After a short pause, Woo-Ram dares to question him. "Why did you do that, then?"

"What the fuck are you going on about?"

Woo-Ram looks up, sitting backwards in his chair facing Kyung-Jun. "Why did you hide your phone if you knew the consequences of forfeiting our votes?" He scoffs, shaking his head and sending his hair into his eyes. "You purposefully didn't tell us, right?"

The room is silent, with all you can hear being the thoughts echoing in your head circulating around his repetition of what Jung-Won had said this morning.

Did they perhaps discuss it, or did he arrive at the same exact conclusion? How come Jung-Won isn't the one to bring this up now when she was the first to point out Kyung-Jun hours earlier?

Something gnaws at you for even starting to suspect Jung-Won when you hadn't initially. The feeling only hit you in the midst of disarray and now it refuses to leave no matter how hard you try to dissuade yourself that it couldn't be Jung-Won. You steal a glance at her, but she's simply staring at the ground, hands holding the sides of her chair, feet still and flat against the floor, body unmoving.

She's one of your closest friends—one of the few people you trusted the most. Surely, she wouldn't lie to you this way, would she?

Oh, how the betrayal would hurt.

Kyung-Jun's angry defense reels you back into the conversation as he once again, deflects the blame onto Jun-Hee. "I told you. How can we trust this bastard?"

"If you didn't believe it then, why tell us to follow through?" Woo-Ram pushes, dead set on incriminating Kyung-Jun.

You had no idea what Woo-Ram's role was, but you knew for sure Kyung-Jun wasn't part of the Mafia. He may be inhumane, caring about no one aside from himself, but all the things he's done in the name of self-preservation has been in-character, matching his notorious personality. The only thing that troubled you about him was his cornering of Jun-Hee.

Kyung-Jun chuckles darkly. "Don't try to cast the spotlight on me now. It's too late for that, Woo-Ram." The way he says the name scares you, like he knows something no one else does. "It's you who killed Joo-Young. Do you think I wouldn't know?"

Stammering, Woo-Ram grips the backrest of his chair tightly, fingers turning white from the force of his hold. "W-What?"

"You confessed to her only for it to end in rejection," Kyung-Jun details bluntly. "She spread the incident online where in place of sympathy, all you received was criticism. No one took pity on you and instead sided with her, bashing the one who bared their heart." He laughs sardonically. "Usually, people root for the one who professes for their courage in speaking up, yet you were a lost cause." Kyung-Jun raises one eyebrow, going in for the kill. "You've always been nothing but pathetic in the end."

"Did you seriously think I meant what I said to her?!" Woo-Ram whisper-yells. "I was joking. It was a prank. I was dared to do it." Judging by his digressiveness, you knew the cat's out of the bag.

"Don't try to fool me. I'm no idiot." Kyung-Jun brushes his hair back only for it to flop back down in its usual style by the sides of his face. "You kneeled and begged her to take down the post. Everyone here knows it. We all saw how much you groveled." He turns to Mi-Na, inciting her to join with a snap of his fingers. "C'mon. You say it. You were the one who recorded the whole thing and uploaded it."

You eye Mi-Na as she agrees without reserve and you sigh, realizing just how everyone lacked a sense of loyalty.

"It doesn't pertain to this!" Woo-Ran pounds the back of his chair in irritation. "What does that have to do with this game?" By saying that, he was basically admitting to it.

"IT DOES BECAUSE YOURE A GODDAMN MAFIA!" Kyung-Jun shouts back, control of the conversation now back in his court. "You killed Ju- Won first because it would've been suspicious if you went for Joo-Young first, correct?"

You have no idea how Kyung-Jun manages to sidestep every single allegation thrown at him with ease, ultimately making his opponents seem more suspicious than him. Though you believe he has no important role, there was no denying how formidable of a player he is in this game.

"How can I be a Mafia when you're still an option? The one who relentlessly blames others," Woo-Ram retorts blandly. Even he himself seems like he knows he's on the losing end of the fight.

Kyung-Jun stands up all of a sudden, his height towering over the rest seated. "Fuck it," he says, raising his phone in the air as he makes a show of pressing the button underneath Woo-Ram's name.

[ɢᴏ ᴋʏᴜɴɢ-ᴊᴜɴ ʜᴀs ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋ-ᴡᴏᴏ ʀᴀᴍ.]

"Don't listen to him!" Woo-Ram turns and appeals to the rest. "It's really not me!"

Looking down, Kyung-Jun pats Woo-Ram's cheek mockingly, more like a slap to the side of his face before grabbing his chin and squeezing roughly, angling it up so Woo-Ram has no choice but to look at him. "These are the eyes of a killer. He's one hundred percent Mafia through and through," Kyung-Jun declares with certainty, pushing Woo-Ram by the chin, twisting his neck to the side harshly.

Before a fight can break out, So-Mi grabs a hold of both of Kyung-Jun's arms and tries to pin them down. As far as you were concerned, So-Mi and Woo-Ram were good friends but not to the point where she would go out of her way to help him. There was more to this interaction than meets the eyes.

You jump in your seat as Kyung-Jun casts her to the side callously, her hip slamming against the edge of the nearest table with a hard thud, sure to leave a bruise. She yelps in pain, hand holding her side. "Hands off me, you filthy bitch. You're next after him." He throws an unnoticeable look in your direction before rounding on So-Mi. "You've done much worse than Woo-Ram."

A single tilt of Kyung-Jun's head is enough to send a quiet message across to his lackeys, both pulling out their phones, screens bright.

[sʜɪɴ sᴇᴜɴɢ-ʙɪɴ ʜᴀs ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ.]

[ᴋɪᴍ ᴊɪɴ-ʜᴀ ʜᴀs ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ.]

"You lot of jerks!"

Kyung-Jun shuts Woo-Ram up instantaneously by effectively yanking him by his collar, choking him one-handed, eyeing the room as he addresses everyone. "You should all vote for him too. Who knows what trivial reasons he has hidden to kill you?" His eyes slide over toward Mi-Na sitting on the edge of her seat. "He holds so many grudges against you. Since Joo-Young is dead, you better watch out. Maybe it'll be your turn soon." He releases his fingers effortlessly and Woo-Ram drops like a dead fish face first onto the table, gasping for air.

With that, Kyung-Jun saunters out of the room, his friends in tow, Seung-Bin shoving Jun-Hee out of the way as he tries to get them to stay.

Slowly one by one, everyone disperses, Ji-Soo taking hold of Yu-Jun's hand and dragging him away the catalyst in driving the others to follow suit, filing out without listening to Jun-Hee's calls. You can tell by his eyes just how much it pains him having lost so much respect, authority as class president having diminished in the blink of an eye.

[ᴄʜᴏɪ ᴍɪ-ɴᴀ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ.]

"That crazy witch." Woo-Ram makes way to locate Mi-Na, but Jun-Hee stops him.

"Don't," Jun-Hee warns. "Think of what this will make you look like if you go after Mi-Na just as Kyung-Jun said." He squeezes Woo-Ram's shoulder. "I'll persuade them."

Before he can leave, Yoon-Seo walks in, supporting a still-limping Na-Hee, Hyun-Ho and Dong-Hyun behind them.

"What's going on? What happened?" Yoon-Seo looks around at all your stricken faces.

"I fell prey to Kyung-Jun's plot," Jun-Hee acknowledges. "I shouldn't have let them vote for Woo-Ram."

"Do you think they would've listened to anyone but themselves?" Jung-Won questions, her point standing.

"Instead of talking here, don't we have to sway the others to choose someone else?" So-Mi brings her nails to her mouth, biting at it worriedly.

"Who would we ask them to vote for?" Jung-Won shoots back, exasperated at So-Mi's inept attempt at rational thinking.

"I don't know," So-Mi drags the syllables out, pricked. "Anyway, it'll be fine as long as it's not us."

"Of course you would say that." You fix her with a sharp gaze, analyzing from your spot atop a table beside Hyun-Ho.

"What's that supposed to mean, you bit—" She steps toward you but Jun-Hee is quick to shield you behind him and she backs down, quieting.

"If only we knew more about the other team," Na-Hee mutters.

[ɪᴍ ᴇᴜɴ-ᴄʜᴀɴ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ.]

[ɴᴀᴍ ʏᴇᴏɴ-ᴡᴏᴏ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ.]

[ʙᴀᴇᴋ ᴇᴜɴ-ʜᴀ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ.]

[ᴊɪɴ ᴅᴀ-ʙᴜᴍ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ.]

"How can they do this to me?!" Woo-Ram laments loudly, pacing the room.

"Right!" So-Mi exclaims, cutting him off. "Ji-Soo and Yu-Jun are on our side. I'll find them and talk to them."

Yoon-Seo turns to Woo-Ram, kindly assuring him. "It's okay. We'll find a way."

He's having none of it though, nearly crazed. "A way?" He chuckles sadly. "A way?!" His fists pound the table forcefully and Yoon-Seo, standing closest to him, flinches. "Screw this. I have no choice. It's me or Kyung-Jun. It won't end before one of us dies." He delivers the ultimatum, leaning forward conspiratorially. "Let's do the same thing he does; vote for anyone else."

Jun-Hee turns to him, dismayed. "You would stoop to his level...?"

"He always bullies others. That reason alone is enough as to why that scumbag deserves to die. Kyung-Jun will do anything to survive." He looks at the half circle of people, meeting all your eyes. "Say he kills me today. What will happen tomorrow then? Who do you think will be the next sacrifice?" Woo-Ram takes pause for emphasis. "You—it will be one of you, and he won't stop until the whole class roster is wiped clear." Woo-Ram points to himself then at the door. "Make a choice."

"Woo-Ram is right," Na-Hee agrees, even though she wasn't present for the entirely of the discussion. "I'll vote for Kyung-Jun."

"Me too," So-Mi supplies, glancing at Woo-Ram.

"Then I'll follow," Jung-Won gives her word to Woo-Ram, which only further unnerves you. Just what deal did the three of them have to keep sticking to one another?

Seeing the rest of you hesitate, Woo-Ram implores, sweating and eyes glazed over in a frenzy. "Guys, if you don't help me, I'll die. Can you live with the fact that you sent me to my death? Please. Please help me," he begs.

Due to his guilt tripping, everyone ends up voting for Kyung-Jun in rapid succession, but your finger hovers between the two candidates, torn.

[ᴋɪᴍ ᴊᴜɴ-ʜᴇᴇ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɢᴏ ᴋʏᴜɴɢ-ᴊᴜɴ.]

[ᴋɪᴍ sᴏ-ᴍɪ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɢᴏ ᴋʏᴜɴɢ-ᴊᴜɴ.]

[ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴡᴏᴏ-ʀᴀᴍ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɢᴏ ᴋʏᴜɴɢ-ᴊᴜɴ.]

[ʟᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴏɴ-sᴇᴏ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɢᴏ ᴋʏᴜɴɢ-ᴊᴜɴ.]

[ᴀʜɴ ɴᴀ-ʜᴇᴇ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɢᴏ ᴋʏᴜɴɢ-ᴊᴜɴ.]

[ᴏʜ ᴊᴜɴɢ-ᴡᴏɴ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɢᴏ ᴋʏᴜɴɢ-ᴊᴜɴ.]

[ᴊᴀɴɢ ʜʏᴜɴ-ʜᴏ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɢᴏ ᴋʏᴜɴɢ-ᴊᴜɴ.]

[ᴋɪᴍ ᴅᴏɴɢ-ʜʏᴜɴ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɢᴏ ᴋʏᴜɴɢ-ᴊᴜɴ.]

"Why are you hesitating?" Woo-Ram probes, all attention directed at you.

"I'm still thinking," you answer, feeling bad for him but also not wanting to make the wrong choice at the same time.

"About what?" So-Mi's eyebrows raise, incredulous. "Are you seriously considering all the lies Kyung-Jun told?!"

"Seol-Hwa," Jung-Won adds in, in a much nicer tone. "There's nothing to contemplate. Woo-Ram's right. Kyung-Jun is trouble." She looks at you warmly but all you can sense is the distance between the two of you, ever-widening.

"You and Kyung-Jun..." So-Mi starts, crossing her arms. "I wasn't going to say anything, but what's with the unspoken truce all of a sudden?"

Jung-Won pats your hand softly. "If he's blackmailing you, please tell us. He shouldn't do that to you of all people."

"No, it's not like that," you reassure, pulling your hand away gently, her touch cold. "I just don't want to vote rashly and then have us deal with the consequences in the morning. Have we not regretted things enough?"

"We have a lot of time remaining," Yoon-Seo settles nicely, ever the peacemaker. "Don't feel pressured to make a decision yet. We all know how difficult it always is." She smiles softly at you, genuine.

Woo-Ram doesn't say anything aside from staring helplessly at your phone, the only one yet with a vote placed.

"You let me know if that punk is messing with you," Hyun-Ho drapes an arm around your shoulder protectively. "I won't let him live it down, okay?" His fingers squeeze your shoulder comfortingly.

"We know what he's like," Jun-Hee intones. "He can bend lies and turn them into truths, so you can tell us even if it's hard to say. I'll always believe you, no matter what."

"Or..." So-Mi picks up again. "Is it something you can't ever tell us?" She smirks lightly, no one else ever the wiser to the slight uplift of the corner of her lips. Her hand comes up in a fake show of shock, mouth open behind her fingers. "Did you sleep with him and now you have to be on his side, afraid he'd use that secret against you? You can say you slipped up."

Before anyone can react, you use your hand with the phone still in your clutch and smack it clear across her face. Filled with so much force and ire, it snaps her head to the side, hair flying in disarray. The skin below her left eye bleeds from the cut, the surrounding area already left with an imprint.

She whips her head back your way, fingers clasping her cheek gradually turning red as she gapes at you in plain and utter disbelief.

You lean toward her, eyes innocent and wide, not able to tamper down your satisfaction at the sight of her cowering away.

"My hand slipped."

Powering your phone off, you walk away to echoes of shouts in the form of your name, yanking the classroom door shut behind you with a slam. The sound of its oscillating hinges reverberates repetitively like a gavel hitting the judgment stand with finality.

Your decision has been made.

𝟬𝟰 : 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗦𝗢𝗡 | 𝟬𝟲 : 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗦

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© 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟’ 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨, 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞, 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭. 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞.

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padfootdaredmetoo · 1 year ago

Note

Hi, I love the way you write and wanted to know if you could write something.

The situation would be that Y/N is from the mafia and Tommy and Y/N hate each other. And in a situation (the one you want) they have to work together to get out alive and then in the end something hot happens .... I would really like to read something so peri I have not found something similar on the platform

I would really appreciate it very much and read it a lot... I love your content

Hey Love,

I really tried to make a plot - I think I sucked at it but i still hope you enjoy it! As always I'm very sorry this took so long. I will try to look over this again in the morning as i'm not 100% confident in my sleep deprived editing skills.

Warnings: Peaky themes, murder, smut, sex, enemies to lovers,

Thomas was becoming more and more tired of London. At first he found it calming, the lights and constant flow of chaos was enough to keep his mind off of Grace.

He sat on the edge of his bed, feeling is age and then some. The damp cold air caused his joints to hurt, and his muscles protested another day. He ran his hands over his face and tried to take a deep breath. He had his family, responsibilities, he couldn't give up now.

The phone rang and he moved slowly across the room to pick up the receiver.

“Shelby” He said in a low voice.

“You just waking up now?” A loud voice boomed from the other end. “These Peaky fuckers - I swear-” The man started to grumble and Thomas started to wonder if his responsibilities were really worth all of this.

“What do you want, Alfie?” He kept his voice calm and smooth, not because he felt that way, but because it annoyed the other man.

“No way to talk to a friend, innit?” Something exploded near him and Tommy pulled the phone away from his ear. “Fuck, well don’t mind that. Come down as fast as you can. Pack a trunk with something nice to wear.”

“Why?” Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Need you to bring me back something from Frace.”

“No.” Tommy said flatly. There would never be a good enough reason for him to go anywhere near that place.

“Look, Beaumont’s are closing in on territory. He’s had some choice words about your family, and son. He wants you to meet him and while your there I want you to pop by a friends place and pick up a package for me. Eh? Don't trust it in the post.”

“Meeting him in France to negotiate territory in London is stupid.” Why was everything always stupid and unreachable. His temper was starting to boil over and he lit a cigarette knowing it would do nothing to calm his nerves.

“I don't want you to negotiate with him - if you understand what I’m saying.” Alfie said flatly.

“And if I dont?” Tommy was gripping the edge of the table hoping to steady himself.

“Break our alliance and join up with the Ricci and hope she can get the job done.”

Thomas didn't speak for a moment. He was stuck, give up on months of work in London and hand it all over to the heir of the Ricci family - or go into the depths of hell.

“Though we had an agreement.” Thomas was clenching his jaw tightly.

“That changed when you pissed off the Irish and the Chinese.”

“Fuck” He swore under his breath. “Fine.” He hung up the phone to escape Alfie’s content laugh.

Two train rides. One murder. One package. Then his debt to Alfie was paid and his territory in London was settled.

He survived France once and he could do it again.

______________________________________________

Out of all the preparations he made this was his least favorite task. Charlie clung to him and Thomas fought with himself. Part of him wanted more than anything to stay there, part of him needed to stay composed in front of Charlie to avoid scaring him.

The only consistent part of him was the one that wanted to break down and watch everything burn. He kissed the top of Charlie’s head before gently putting him back on his feet. For a split second he swore there was a look of understanding in Polly’s eyes.

Tommy boarded the train thinking of John and Arthur’s protests to letting him go alone. The invitation was for one, no need to make them relive the past when he could shoulder it alone.

Things seemed normal enough. He was happy to be left alone to rot in his compartment. The motion of the train made him want to throw up, but the silence was nice.

Tap Tap

There was a soft knock at the door and Thomas hoped that they would asume he was a sleep and leave him be.

Tap Tap

As usual he would know no such peace. He opened the sliding door and his stomach gave a hateful lurch.

You were there looking up at him with your big eyes.

“Good evening Mr. Shelby.” He hated the way you said his name.

“Evening.” He said coldly.

“Looks like we were both summoned to this event.” To anyone else this would look like small talk, to him he could see the way your eyes absorbed his every move.

“Looks like it.” He said in the same unimpressed tone. He wondered why you wanted to move in on what he and Alfie had. He’d shut down multiple Italian families over his time in London. No matter how bloody it got you wouldnt relent.

“I’ll be in the next compartment in you want some company.” You winked at him and he watched you move down the corridor and disappear into your compartment.

He shut his door and fixed the curtains back into place. He was going to try and stay sober till he got to his hotel, but seeing your face tore up all his self control. Stupid woman.

He sipped his whiskey and accepted that he would not sleep until he was home. He could feel the chaotic electricity pulsing inside him, nowhere to go, nothing to fight, stuck in this stupid moving box.

The night swallowed up the view replacing the countryside with his sickly reflection. He shut the curtains to avoid the corpse glaring back at him. Anxiety rattled through him at the lack of chaos. Normally Polly was chasing charlie around to get him in the bath. John was yelling at him about something going wrong, the words from his mouth coming from Esme’s mind. Arthur was already sick from drinking trying to hide the kindness in his eyes. Chaos.

His eyes closed. Grace’s face swam into view she was trying to tell him something before she started to scream. His body tensed up and his eyes opened to the yellowing light of the compartment. A loud bang caused him to jump up. He moved into the corridor his feet taking him to your room.

He flug the door open and without surprise found a large mans body on the floor of your compartment. He shut the door and empathized with your far away gaze. He knew that there was a high chance your hands were dirtier than his and despite his loathing, he felt bad for you.

“There are no other people on this train.” Your voice was distant and your glassy eyes snapped to his face.

“Fucking Alfie.” He said under his breath, this was a set up.

“Won't be him. He told us not to bring anyone with us. If he takes us out he knows my brother will take up my place, as would yours.”

“The train is supposed to make a stop, if it doesn't we jump when it slows down through the mountains.” He whispered looking around the compartment as if he could tell if it was bugged.

“Then what?” You whispered.

“We make our way home.” He looked into your eyes and noticed the slightest trace of fear.

“So you and I then?” You cocked your head to the side staring at him suspiciously. He wondered how you managed to stay alive this long when every thought you had was sprawled across your face.

He didn't want to respond so he held his hand out to you and your slender hand fit inside his. He shook on it and wondered how badly you would make him regret this in the future. But that was future Tommy's problem.

You both tore through the train finding nothing suspicious accept for the lack of people. Sitting back in his compartment she turned the radio on and pulled a notebook out of her handbag.

I think we should stay on till Paris

He gave you a curt nod of agreement. Then watched you write out your next message.

Then we kill him

He nodded again before gesturing to the pen. You handed it over to him and in his less elegant writing he wrote out a message.

Call for backup once we stop

There was a strange bit of sparkle in your eye when you looked up at him. You smiled and took the pen back, your warm fingers brushing against his cold hand.

Not enough time. + I like the idea of it being the two of us

He gave a sarcastic smile and looked at the wall. He looked back at you still staring at him, he wanted to know what your game was. There was no need to flirt with him, and yet you always took the time for an extra bit of banter. It had even cost you a couple of times, and yet you always seemed to enjoy bothering him, even when you lost.

He finally gave you a slow nod, not breaking eye contact. He watched your pupils flutter open, the pulse in your neck speed up. He wanted this to aggravate him like everything else you did. Instead his blood seemed warmer under his translucent skin.

Frustrated, he waited for you to break eye contact first. You looked down at your watch, then scribbled down another note.

One hour

It was an hour of silence and he enjoyed your presence in the seat next to him. He focused on your breathing and let time do it’s thing.

Once there everything unraveled very quickly. Antoine Beaumont did not bug the train, nor had he sent more than three men to collect their bodies. They were easy enough to handle.

They showed up at his office. The confusion on his secretaries face was satisfying and Tommy almost jumped as you shot her. His eyes slowly looked to you, your face was dark and set in emotionless mask.

Tommy didn't think the woman needed to die but without time, he moved into the back room and shot the man. He didn't want to hear the saga, the master plan, or what he wanted so badly in London.

He was old and tired. He wanted to go home. As he walked out of the building he had already washed his hands of the situation. He would ring Alfie, have him send his men out to deal with the collateral and get his stupid package.

As he walked down the stairs he heard a pair of heels clattering behind him.

“When is the next train.” You came close enough to his side that you didn't have to raise your voice above a whisper. He looked down at you hiding his surprise. When he shook on it he figured they meant they were agreeing to murdering that bastard. Their alliance was over, and yet you were looking to him.

“Half hour.” He said raising his hand to flag a cab. He opened the door and watched you elegantly slide across the bench seat. He knew that in this moment he was at a crossroads. He had lots of ways of getting home from France. He could close this door and walk away, see you again at the next conflict. Or he could embrace this adventure knowing full well it would probably hurt him just as bad as Grace. Your gloved hand reached out of the cab to grab his, settling his silent debate.

He watched as you navigated this situation. He didn't want to give away his position, he wanted you to make a fool of yourself for him.

You didn't knock on his compartment, you slid the door open and he watched as your eyes analyzed him. He knew from the brightness of your eyes and the glint of pink on your cheeks that you would be the next person to take a piece of his soul. He thought about stopping it. But that sweet comfort only offered by chaos was addictive.

He held out his hand and you smiled at him. Your hand slipped into his once more and he gilded you up onto his lap. Your red lips were curved into a grin, but your deep eyes were holding back. You opened your mouth, either about to tell him what to do, or to ask about what this was. Tommy didn't feel like embarking on either topic, with one hand on your ass he pulled you even closer. His other hand grabbed the back of your neck. Your lips tasted like red wine and drank in the ecstasy that flowed from them.

You tasted like life.

You kissed him back hungrily. You fought him for dominance till he got you desperate enough to submit to him. Your body giving in with a sigh as he gripped one of your breasts. He got your skirt out of the way with little effort and watched as your hands undid his trousers. He moaned as your hands slid along his shaft, your body was so warm. The softness of it was addictive. The weight of you on his lap kept him grounded, he felt held down to the earth. You lined yourself up with the head of his cock. He wasn't ready to let you win.

His fingers brushed past your naval, trailing down to embrace the warmth of your slick folds. You bucked against his hands and he enjoyed the way your back arched for him. He wanted you to be his, he wanted to see you fall apart. He wanted to give you something so good, you would be ruined.

He told himself it was revenge. He would leave you here on this bench and walk off this train with a clear mind and restored purpose to drive you out of London.

When you pressed your forehead against his and let out the softest moan he had ever heard he felt his heart start to thaw. You didn't beg him. You sat on his lap in agony as he pressed into you, savouring the way your body tightened around his fingertips.

He wished you wouldn't have surrendered to him. That you would have kept your guard up. Instead you fell apart for him so beautifully.

He finally couldn't hold back any longer and pushed up into you. The heaviness of the emotion in your cry caused all common sense to leave him. He held your hips tightly and enjoyed the way you bounced on his lap. You swallowed up every bit of pleasure his body could offer. Eventually your release took him under and he watched, he felt you come apart.

You fell against him, resting your head against his shoulder while you caught your breath. He caved and held you against his chest. He had blown his cover. He waited for you to take the upper hand, take the victory and walk out of the compartment.

Instead you stayed there for a long moment.

“Do you like fettuccine?” You whispered and he considered it for a moment.

“Yes.” He wasn't sure he had ever had fettuccine, but he liked the way it sounded as it rolled off your tongue.

“Come home with me and I’ll cook for you.”

He wanted to laugh, for the first time in so long.

“Trying to tie me down?” He said with a faint smile.

“Is it working.” Your eyes were wide and your smile was genuine. He laughed and you kissed his cheek before getting your self straightened out.

He listened to you ramble quietly, enjoying your accent. You spoke to him like he was a friend, not like he was supposed to do something or fix something.

__________________________________________

You have him over for dinner and he actually eats. He enjoys it and you take a lot of pride.

Things are very slow as both of you are secretly waiting for the other to screw the other over, this spans on for months.

After a few weeks without hearing from him you show up at his house with a bunch of food. He opens the door looking beat up with a little boy standing on the stairs behind him.

You start cleaning his cuts shouting at him for not asking you for help. Charlie watches you with your makeup and hair, big fur coat, scolding his father and is very curious about you.

In the kitchen you put the food on the table and find the first aid kit and a fork. You give the fork to Charlie and gesture to the tupperware full of pasta. He snacks while you clean Tommy’s wounds.

Charlie rests his head on the table after eating his body weight in pasta. “I feel so sleepy” He mumbled and you laughed. “That’s the Italian opium hitting.” You smiled at him and he smiled back. “ Don’t worry about your dad. I’ll carry you up to bed later.” He gave you a nod before passing out.

“Is there actually opium in that.” Tommy whispered a sense of genuine anxiety in his tone- you laughed “Just the carbs.”

You called your men in to handle the situation and talked Tommy down everytime he tried to take control of the situation.

“Stop it. I’m handling it.” You snapped at him and you realised that he was never not incharge. “Trust me.” You watched the internal battle in his big blue eyes. Knowing he wouldn't rest, you handed him the phone. His brow furrowed slightly and you told him what to say. He gave the order and you sat on his lap watching the tension leave his body

“You ever going to trust me?” You knew it wasn't fair to ask him this after all the blood he lost.

“I’m trying.” He looked at you through hooded eyes.

“Dont make me wait” You said sternly before picking up Charlie. You felt your heart break a little when his fist clung to the collar of your shirt once you placed him in bed. You tucked him in under Tommy’s watchful eye. Then followed him through to his bedroom.

#peaky blinders #tommy shelby #peaky blinders imagine #tommy shelby imagine #tommy shelby x reader #thomas shelby #thomas shelby imagine #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders request

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