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sugary-strawberry-shortcake · 3 days ago

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Blossom Reverse (Yandere Batfamily x Neglected! Poison Ivy's Daughter! Reader)

Chapter 5

A/N: oki here we get to know more about my boy Tim!! and quite a lot about Y/N's emotions. I'm going to start writing for other fandoms soon too!! and are any of you fellow lactose intolerant people and get the feeling when you consume too much dairy (ice cream in my case) and now you're regretting all of your life choices...

btw I tried to add everyone from my taglist post on the taglist, if you‘re still not on it then text me privately:)

There was too much to figure out.

And too little time.

YN sat on the floor of her room, knees tucked to her chest, her back pressed to the side of her bed. The faint hum of her phone charging on the desk, the scent of dying lavender in the corner, and the emptiness of the room made it feel like she was caged in glass.

Seven days.

That’s all she had.

One week before the landlord gave the apartment to someone else.

One week to fake a signature.

One week to secure enough money to hold the place.

One week to find freedom.

Or at least— survival.

⸻

Her heart was pounding in that quiet, pulsing way that made everything feel wrong. Her fingers wouldn’t stop picking at the threads of her sleeves. Her thoughts looped in circles.

She’d never done anything like this.

She didn’t lie.

She didn’t forge.

She got straight As. Smiled at teachers. Shared her notes. Brought cookies to class on test days.

She wasn’t supposed to know how to survive alone.

But she didn’t have a choice now.

Not after she knows what her fate will be in the future. Not after her brother‘s weird behavior and how she does not want to get even more hurt by them once again.

Her phone buzzed with a low battery warning. She glanced at it, then reached for the notebook on her desk. The one she used to plan out real things—school schedules, homework lists.

Now she flipped to a blank page.

And started writing:

✦ Money

• trust fund balance: ❌ (can’t touch it, Bruce sees it)

• Cash on hand: ~$400

• Part-time jobs? No ID

• Fake bank account?

✦ Signature

• Needs to look like a Italian parent

• Has to pass legally

• Needs someone good. Discreet. No questions.

She stared at the words for a long time.

Then, almost against her better judgment, she wrote down what she’d been avoiding:

One week or I lose the place.

Her stomach twisted.

But then—

A spark.

A memory.

She’d overheard some classmates once. Talking in the hallway. About a guy at school who could “fix grades,” “clear detentions,” even “make permission slips appear.”

Not a real criminal.

But the type of person who existed in the gray space.

She didn’t know his name.

But someone would.

_____

The next day, she was sitting with her school friends at the launch table.

The courtyard buzzed with spring breeze and quiet laughter. YN’s friend group was circled under the trees as usual, books and bento boxes spread around them.

She smiled. Laughed. Ate half a sandwich.

And then, when the conversation shifted to something else—she leaned a little closer to the girl beside her.

“Hey,” she said softly. “Can I ask you something… a little weird?”

The girl blinked. “Sure?”

“I, um…” Y/N played with her straw. “I kind of need someone who can fake a signature. Just once. For something small.”

Immediately, three heads turned toward her.

“What?”

“You?”

“Why?!”

YN let out a soft, nervous laugh and waved her hands.

“No, no—it’s nothing bad, I swear. I just—my dad’s been super busy and stressed lately, and I didn’t want to bother him for something this small. But I need this form signed or I can’t submit my entry for a scholarship program. It’s silly.”

Her voice was light. Sweet. Convincing.

It always was.

They believed her.

Of course they did.

YN Wayne didn’t lie.

Didn’t cheat.

Didn’t need to fake anything.

⸻

One of the girls bit her lip. “I mean… there is someone.”

“Who?”

The group exchanged looks.

“He’s kind of… off-limits,” one of them whispered. “Not in a scary way, just… he’s not exactly PTA-approved.”

“People go to him when they want things handled,” another said.

“Things they don’t want teachers—or parents—to know.”

Y/N tilted her head. “Handled how?”

“Fake IDs. Signature work. Lab grade bumps. Stuff like that.”

She tried not to flinch.

“Do you know his name?”

A pause.

Then one of them finally leaned in and said it.

“His name’s Silas.”

She found him exactly where her friend said he’d be.

Back wall of the school, behind the arts building, where the vines were dry and the shadows hid the rusted fences. A place students weren’t supposed to linger—let alone the sweetheart of Gotham Academy.

He was sitting on a low concrete ledge, knees wide, blazer unbuttoned, a black pen flipping rhythmically between his fingers. The faint scent of cologne, cigarettes, and old ink hung in the air. He was an average tall teenage boy with dirty blonde hair and sharp facial features. His brown eyes showed a maturity above his age.

She stopped just short of the wall.

He looked up.

And blinked.

“…Huh.”

His voice wasn’t surprised exactly. Just curious. Dry. Like the universe had just dropped a snowflake into his cigarette ash.

“Didn’t expect to see you here, Princess.”

Y/N clasped her hands in front of her.

Her uniform was perfect. White shirt tucked, skirt neat, hair braided into soft waves over her shoulder. Stockings uncreased. Shoes polished.

She looked like she belonged in a floral ad campaign, not standing in shadows near someone like him.

“I need a favor,” she said.

Silas raised an eyebrow. “And here I thought you were gonna report me for existing too close to the east wing.”

“I won’t ask questions,” she said calmly, “if you don’t.”

He leaned back on his palms.

“Now this,” he said, eyeing her with quiet amusement, “this is interesting.”

YN reached into her bag and pulled out the folded application form.

“I need a signature,” she said softly. “A parent one. For someone named Lucia Forenzi. Can you do it?”

Silas took the paper, flipping it once in his hand.

“Lucia Forenzi,” he repeated, smirking. “Let me guess. Italian ballet prodigy studying abroad?”

Something twisted in her throat.

She didn’t answer.

Just looked at him, wide-eyed and pleading.

He studied her.

She wasn’t shaking.

But her eyes were too still.

Too trained.

Too controlled.

It was the kind of look people had when they were lying about something they were terrified of anyone finding out.

“Right,” he muttered, sitting up straighter and pulling a different pen from his inner pocket. “No questions.”

He clicked the cap.

“Still gotta charge you, sweetheart.”

“Of course,” she said quietly. “How much?”

He looked her over, calculated something she wouldn’t understand.

“Sixty-five.”

Her brows lifted for a breath—but then she nodded, already reaching into her bag.

No hesitation.

No negotiation.

Definitely hiding something.

She passed him the cash folded neatly in an envelope.

“Neat,” he muttered, sliding it into his jacket. “Didn’t even crumple it.”

He bent over the paper and began working the signature with practiced, deliberate strokes—flourishes, pressure points, the little inconsistencies that made fakes real. He was good. Too good.

She watched silently.

When he finished, he blew lightly on the ink and handed the form back to her.

YN took it carefully. Slipped it into the protective folder in her bag.

Silas leaned back again, like the job meant nothing.

“You’re not built for this, you know,” he said lazily.

Her gaze flicked to him. “For what?”

“Lying.” He smirked. “You twitch every time you breathe wrong.”

She looked away. “I’m not lying.”

“Sure.”

She hesitated—then, voice lower:

“Do you know how to make money?”

He tilted his head.

“I mean… quickly,” she added. “A lot. Like… maybe a few thousand.”

That got his full attention.

His brows lifted.

Silas straightened slowly, eyes scanning her again, this time truly seeing the stress behind her face.

“You asking for you?” he asked.

She nodded.

Barely.

Silas looked at her longer than he should have.

Her question—so quiet, so sincere—echoed oddly in the air between them.

A few thousand dollars. Quickly.

Not pocket change. Not school lunch money.

Real money.

And from her.

He should’ve shrugged it off.

Should’ve handed her a few names, offered her options—favors-for-cash setups, under-the-table digital work, hush-hush favors for the rich kids who liked to get dirt without getting dirty.

He knew all those doors.

But he didn’t say a word about any of them.

Because she wasn’t the type of girl who knocked on those doors.

And he’d seen enough people walk through them and never come back out right.

⸻

“Why do you even need cash?” he asked, tapping the edge of the concrete beside him. “You’re Bruce Wayne’s daughter, aren’t you?”

Her eyes darted away.

She didn’t answer.

Didn’t lie.

But the silence stretched.

Her shoulders were stiff. Her eyes fixed on the sidewalk. Her cheeks flushed pink—not the pretty kind, the embarrassed kind. Ashamed.

And in that moment, Silas actually pitied her.

Because she really didn’t belong here.

Not in his part of Gotham.

He watched her for another second, then exhaled slowly.

“You don’t want to do what it takes to make that kind of money,” he said flatly. “Trust me.”

She looked up at him again, startled.

“You’re not like the others who come to me,” he added. “They already made peace with the kind of things they’re willing to do. You? You’d cry if you saw how fast that road burns.”

Y/N’s mouth parted.

But she didn’t speak.

She just listened.

Silas reached back, adjusting the chain around his neck, then muttered, “I’m not gonna say anything about this. Don’t worry. But don’t come back here asking about that again.”

She blinked fast.

Then nodded.

And smiled—gently, sweetly, the kind of smile that shouldn’t belong on someone trying to break the law.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “Really. And… I hope you find your way, too. I think you could.”

Silas didn’t respond right away.

But he watched her walk away.

Watched her braid swaying behind her, her shoes clicking too neatly on cracked pavement.

She didn’t look back.

Unbeknownst to her, three boys down the alley had been watching.

One of them stepped forward the moment she was gone.

“Yo, that was her, right? The Wayne girl?”

"Did she just pay you for something?”

“What’d she want?”

Silas didn’t flinch.

Didn’t look up.

Didn’t answer.

He just lit a half-burnt cigarette and said flatly:

“She wanted nothing.”

______

The building still smelled like old cigarette smoke and forgotten furniture polish.

The same chipped door. Same crooked number on the outside.

Same old man behind the cluttered desk, now flipping through paperwork and scratching his balding head with a tired sigh.

When she stepped in, he barely glanced up.

Until he did.

And blinked.

“Oh. You again.”

She nodded. “I brought the signature.”

She walked across the dusty floor, careful not to make her footsteps too loud, and handed him the form tucked in its sleeve.

The man squinted at it, pulled on his reading glasses, and grumbled under his breath as he scanned it.

“Lucia Forenzi… yeah, this’ll work.” He leaned back, letting the form rest on top of a stack. “Now we just gotta finalize the rest once you get your deposit together.”

YN hesitated.

She folded her hands together. “Do you think I could ask… for one more week? For the deposit, I mean?”

He eyed her.

She wasn’t trembling. But her voice was gentle. Careful. Like she’d been rehearsing it in her head for hours.

He sighed again.

“Kid… I usually don’t let stuff slide like this.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I just—my ID is still stuck in customs back in Milan. And my bank account—American one—isn’t ready yet. I’m trying to… get something together.”

He stared at her.

Young face. Braided hair. Nervous posture. Accent just strong enough to carry the lie.

If she’d been anyone else—he’d have told her to get lost.

But she looked like a girl completely alone.

And despite the fact that he spent half his pension at poker tables and owed a guy named Ray twenty bucks from last month’s betting pool…

He had a daughter once.

Long ago.

She never looked this scared.

“One more week,” he said finally. “That’s it. No more games.”

She smiled—grateful, glowing, almost guilty.

“Thank you. Really.”

He cleared his throat. “You said you don’t have cash yet, right?”

She nodded. “I… I was actually thinking of trying to get a job.”

“A job?” He barked a short laugh. “You got papers for that?”

“No,” she admitted, softly. “But I’m good with plants.”

He squinted again.

“Plants?”

“I grew up around a lot of gardens. I know how to take care of things. Keep them alive.”

He looked around his office.

Half-dead potted thing in the corner. Wilting ivy on the window ledge.

“Tell you what,” he muttered. “The building’s got some rooftop planters the old tenants abandoned. Overgrown with weeds now. You clean ’em out, replant something nice, keep it alive? I’ll knock a bit off your deposit. Even give you a little cash if you do a good job.”

YN’s eyes lit up.

“You’d let me?”

He waved a hand. “Not gonna stop someone from doing free labor. Especially if it means I don’t gotta call some overpriced nursery.”

She smiled—real this time.

And for a moment, she didn’t feel like she was running.

Just planting something new.

“Thank you,” she said again, shouldering her bag. “I’ll come back after school tomorrow. If that’s okay?”

“Door’ll be open.”

She nodded once.

Turned.

And left.

The air outside smelled like pavement and car exhaust and early spring.

She took the bus home.

One hand on her bag.

One hand curled quietly in her coat pocket.

___

Tim

The hum of cooling fans filled his room.

Screens glowed softly around him—multiple tabs open, city feeds on low volume, encrypted Wayne Enterprises backend files half-scrolled through. He didn’t really need to be there. Most of his work for the day had been finished hours ago.

But he was restless. Edgy.

Something was gnawing at the edge of his mind.

He didn’t know what.

That’s when he saw it.

An unlabeled USB left near the base of one of the older servers—something Alfred had probably pulled from the manor archives or the mainframe logs.

Tim plugged it in without much thought.

Inside: dozens of folders. Video files. Unmarked. Untouched.

Most were labeled by year.

He opened one at random.

Then stared.

The footage was grainy but clear.

A school auditorium.

A handmade banner above the stage: Gotham Academy Winter Performance.

Kids lined up in stiff uniforms and glittery costumes.

And there—center left, third row—YN.

Maybe six. Seven.

Singing. Slightly off-pitch, swaying back and forth like she’d practiced a hundred times.

In the bottom corner of the footage, he could hear the applause.

Not much of it.

Definitely no one from the family.

Tim frowned.

Why hadn’t he seen this before?

He clicked through another.

Grade 4 Science Fair. YN Wayne.

Her booth was filled with little potted flowers and soil diagrams. He saw her holding a laminated sheet, explaining something with shy excitement to a panel of judges.

And again—no one from their family there.

Not even Alfred.

⸻

Tim leaned back slowly.

And something in his chest twisted.

He hadn’t seen her in weeks—months even.

Not really.

She’d always just… been there.

Quiet. Predictable. Not part of the mission. Not part of the crime board, or the investigations, or the emergency Gotham alerts.

Just soft footsteps in the hallway. Soft baking smells from the kitchen.

A small knock on his door, back when she used to knock.

He remembered when he first arrived.

Jason had just died. Bruce was… hollowed out.

And Tim, desperate for validation, had stepped into Robin’s boots with too much weight and not enough air.

She was small back then. Four? Maybe five.

Always trailing behind Alfred with wide green eyes. Always hugging something—blanket, plush rabbit, her own braid.

She’d tried to talk to him.

At first, it was just questions.

“Do you know how to make things explode without hurting the garden?”

“Why do your hands always have ink on them?”

“Do you like stories about space?”

Tim had nodded politely. Answered once or twice.

But Bruce needed him.

Dick kept him moving.

There wasn’t time.

And when she tried harder—when she came into his workshop with sticky notes and clumsily drawn circuit boards, when she made him a chess board with mismatched floral pieces to match the ones in the cave—

He’d smiled.

“Thanks. Maybe later.”

Then closed the door.

Later, he said something to Dick.

He didn’t even remember what sparked it.

Just a comment about how she was “always hanging around,” how she was “cute, but a distraction.”

“She’s kind of a liability,” he’d said.

And behind him—

She had been standing in the doorway.

Chessboard in hand.

⸻

Y/N

She hadn’t cried.

Not then.

Just smiled and nodded and said it was okay.

But she never brought him another project again.

She still helped him, sometimes, when she thought he wouldn’t notice. Repaired a snapped wire. Left tea near his monitor. Cleaned up wires on the floor.

But she stopped knocking.

Stopped asking.

Stopped trying.

Because what was the point?

He didn’t want her.

None of them did.

⸻

Tim

Tim sat still, staring at the paused frame.

Her tiny hands. Her proud smile.

And not a single member of the family had shown up.

Not even once.

His gut twisted.

How had he missed her?

How had they all missed her?

He opened another folder.

And another.

And slowly, it stopped feeling like research.

And started feeling like regret.

He searched her full name on instinct.

He wasn’t expecting much—maybe a locked account, maybe nothing at all.

But it popped up right away. She was not that secretive or paranoid to even have a private account. Not that that would have stopped him.

@y/n.wayne_loves_poppies

Gotham Academy | Greenheart Club 🌿 | 🧁 Sometimes I bake, sometimes I bloom 💚

Her profile picture was soft. Smiling. Just slightly blurred in that way that made it feel unfiltered, uncalculated.

It hit him harder than it should’ve.

She looked… older. Not by much. Just enough to make his stomach twist.

He hadn’t even known what her current face looked like.

She still had the same eyes. Same gentle expression.

Same softness. Same adorable delicateness.

He opened her highlights.

“Flowers” was the first one.

Clips of blooming vines, petals unfolding in slow motion. Her fingers gently touching the edge of a stem.

“Baking” came next. A video of cupcakes she made for a class birthday. Another of heart-shaped sugar cookies dusted in gold powder. Kids laughing in the background. Her voice behind the camera, barely heard.

She’d tagged her friends. Liked their comments. Replied with hearts.

There were no comments from any of them.

None of her family.

Not one from him.

Tim swallowed.

He scrolled down to her posts. The oldest one still up was from two years ago. Her sitting in the greenhouse. A short caption:

“🌸 Sometimes things only grow when they’re ignored.”

He hadn’t seen it.

Didn’t even know she had an Instagram.

He clicked through dozens of pictures.

Birthday cupcakes she made herself.

Class awards she never mentioned.

Photos at the museum—her smiling with two friends in front of a lunar exhibit.

She liked astronomy.

He hadn’t known that.

She liked baking.

She liked poppies.

She watched weird indie romance films with sad endings.

He hadn’t known any of it.

Tim leaned back in his chair.

His throat was tight.

His chest was quiet—but hollow.

He had missed everything.

She had been right there.

For years.

And he’d let her walk past him like she was just background noise.

But not anymore.

He reached forward slowly. Hands steady. Mind turning.

I’ll fix it.

He could ask her to play chess.

Tell her about his newest case.

Ask her about her favorite constellations.

Share her posts. Leave comments. Make her feel like she mattered.

Like she existed.

It wouldn’t happen all at once. She wouldn’t trust him yet.

But that was okay.

He had time.

He’d be different now.

He’d be better.

He’d be her brother.

_____________

Y/N

The familiar scent of lemon polish and old books greeted her as she stepped through the manor’s doors.

Alfred was in the hallway, arranging a vase of cut lilies—probably delivered by a vendor she’d never met, for a dinner party she’d never be invited to.

He turned when he heard her.

“Miss YN,” he said, surprised. “You’re home early.”

She gave him her usual small, polite smile. “I didn’t feel well. Just a stomach ache.”

He didn’t respond right away. His eyes stayed on her face longer than usual.

Searching.

Reading.

He’d always been the only one who looked.

But even now, his gaze held something else—worry.

She shifted under it.

He finally nodded.

“I’ll bring you some tea. Chamomile?”

She nodded quickly. “That would be perfect, Alfred. Thank you.”

⸻

She walked up the stairs without another word.

Every step felt heavier.

Her bag weighed more now—holding the fake signature, the crumpled plan, the reality of how little time she had left before she needed to vanish.

When she stepped into her room, she took a moment.

Let the door close behind her.

Then just stood there.

It used to be pink.

Green lace trim.

Fairy lights.

Stuffed animals in the corner.

After she came back—after she knew what was coming—it all went away.

She changed the curtains to gray. Folded the soft blankets into storage boxes. Swapped her old bedspread for something plain, something neutral.

Something invisible.

Because that’s what they wanted from her, wasn’t it?

Not sweetness.

Not softness.

Not the girl who drew them family portraits and wrote their names in glitter pens.

They wanted quiet.

So she became quiet.

She sat at her desk and slowly unpacked her notebook.

To-do lists. Rent deadlines. Sketches of job plans. A fake identity plan she knew would fall apart in front of any real system—but she had to try anyway.

She stared at it blankly, trying to remember which lie came next.

And that’s when the knock came.

It was soft.

Two short taps.

She blinked.

“Alfred?” she called, gently.

She opened the door—

And stopped.

Her fingers froze around the knob.

Because it wasn’t Alfred.

It was Tim.

⸻

He stood in the hallway, backlit by the glow of the antique sconces, hands shoved into his pockets like he didn’t know what to do with them.

His hair was slightly messy—like he’d run his fingers through it too many times. His posture unsure. His eyes… searching.

And behind all that awkwardness—there was a smile.

Forced.

“Hey,” he said, voice quiet. “Didn’t know you were home early.”

She stared at him.

He was tall. Way taller now. Broader than she remembered. Dressed in one of his clean-casual post-Enterprise outfits, too neat to be an accident.

And she felt tiny.

Small. Frail.

Forgettable.

Her doe eyes flicked up to meet his for a second.

Then away.

She stiffened without meaning to.

Her voice came out softer than she intended.

“…Hi.”

Tim’s gaze drifted over her head, into her room, and lingered.

His brows pulled together slightly.

He wasn’t trying to be obvious, but he couldn’t help it.

The room was… muted.

Clean, neat, and stripped bare of her.

No soft colors. No floral bedspread. No paper flowers, no paintings on the walls. The only thing alive was the half-drained diffuser on her desk and a dying succulent on the windowsill.

It didn’t match what he’d seen online.

Not the photos. Not the tone of her captions. Not the girl who made cupcakes in cat-shaped molds and cut strawberries into hearts for her friends.

The Y/N on Instagram smiled in pink and baked things for people who didn’t deserve it.

This one?

This one was standing in a doorway, blinking up at him like he was a ghost.

Tim pulled his eyes back to her and offered a slightly nervous smile.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you.”

She didn’t say anything.

He scratched the back of his neck and stepped back, giving her space.

“I, uh… I realized I hadn’t talked to you in a while. Just wanted to check in.”

Still no response.

So he tried again.

“School going okay?”

Her fingers curled slightly around the doorframe.

She gave a small nod. “Yeah.”

A beat of silence.

He tried not to fidget.

“And… you’re feeling alright? I heard you left school early today.”

Her eyes widened—just for a second. A flash of instinctive fear.

Then she quickly covered it with a half-smile. “Just a headache. I’m okay now.”

But her voice was tight. Careful.

Like she wasn’t sure what game he was playing.

Tim could feel the wall between them.

He hated it.

But he also knew he’d helped build it.

He cleared his throat.

“Cool. That’s good. Uh… I was thinking maybe sometime—if you want—we could play chess again? I still have that old board. The one you made when you were little.”

He smiled at the memory.

She didn’t.

Her lips parted slightly.

Her eyes dropped.

And then—quiet, confused, almost painful:

“…Why are you here?”

Not angry.

Just… asking.

Like it didn’t make sense to her that he’d show up at all.

Because it didn’t.

Not in her first life.

Not in the years where she had knocked on his door a hundred times and only ever heard “I’m busy.”

Tim blinked.

And for the first time, his smile dropped entirely.

He looked at her.

Really looked at her.

And all the data in the world couldn’t tell him why the question hurt so much more than he thought it would.

Tim’s awkward smile didn’t quite match his eyes.

“Yeah,” he said, shrugging, scratching the back of his neck. “I just—y’know. Miss my baby sister, I guess.”

It didn’t sound right in her ears.

Not with the years of silence still echoing in her memory.

Not when she remembered standing outside his door for hours, holding something she’d made for him—only to be brushed off again and again.

But now he was here. Smiling.

Like it hadn’t all happened.

Like none of it mattered.

He stood for a second longer, maybe expecting her to say something.

She didn’t.

So he nodded toward her desk. “Need help with schoolwork?”

“No, thank you,” she said quickly. “It’s… a group project. I have to call Maya soon.”

That name again. The lie she’d built to protect her escape.

Tim nodded. “Got it. Well… I’ll let you get back to it then.”

She gave a small nod. “Okay.”

He hesitated.

Like he wanted to say something else.

Then didn’t.

He stepped back and left.

She closed the door behind him slowly.

Then locked it.

And exhaled.

⸻

The light outside was dimming into gold.

She sat cross-legged on her floor, her notebook open, sketches of furniture and ornaments she’d seen lying unused around the mansion: antique vases, decorative trays, crystal bookends—small enough to pack into a backpack, valuable enough to sell at any downtown collector’s shop.

She hated it.

She hated the idea of stealing.

But this wasn’t theft—it was a last resort.

And she was careful.

Nothing from the family’s main rooms.

Nothing with names etched into them.

Nothing anyone would miss.

They already forgot her birthday every year.

Already forgot her when she left the table.

This wasn’t new. They were good at not missing lost things.

In the back of her notebook, she was already drafting the lie she’d tell her friends:

Mom is an Italian businesswoman. Wants me back home to get more familiar with my roots.

No forwarding address. Just a long goodbye.

Her fingers trembled a little as she wrote.

But her voice in her head was calm.

You can do this. Just make it through one more week.

That’s when the knock came.

Sharp. Heavy.

Not gentle like Alfred.

Not hesitant like Tim.

Her heart froze.

She scrambled, grabbing her notebook, papers, burner phone, shoving them under the blanket and pulling it flat with both hands.

She stood up, forcing her face into something neutral—her eyes wide, breath tight.

And then she opened the door.

He stood there like a statue.

Tall. Broad. Impossibly built.

Bruce Wayne.

Her father.

Dark suit, no tie. Shirt collar open. Shoulders squared, posture perfectly relaxed—yet utterly intimidating. Shadowed jaw, sharp cheekbones, tired, steely eyes. His presence filled the doorway like a wall.

And her body forgot how to breathe.

He had never stood there before.

Not since she was three years old and Alfred had shown her the room.

Never once.

And now?

Now he looked at her like he was searching for something he’d misplaced.

She stared up at him.

Small. Still. Shaking without showing it.

Bruce

It had been a week since Alfred brought it up.

A full week since that quiet, direct conversation—the kind Alfred rarely initiated unless he knew something was slipping too far.

“She’s asked for money, Master Bruce. Not out of greed. Out of fear.”

Bruce had nodded, said he’d look into it.

And then he hadn’t.

Not because he didn’t care.

But because some part of him had locked the thought away. Too proud to admit what it really meant.

Too afraid to admit that somewhere along the way—he’d forgotten her face.

Until now.

He walked through the upper hallway slowly, unfamiliar with this wing despite technically owning it. The shadows here were deeper. The air, stiller. This part of the manor was quiet in a way none of the other children’s corridors were.

And when he reached the end of the hall and saw her name—engraved gently on the door, the paint fading—his chest clenched.

Why was she this far away?

From everyone?

From him?

He made a decision right then.

She’d be moved.

Her room was too far.

Too far from him.

That would change.

He lifted a hand and knocked twice.

Sharp. Measured.

And the door opened.

⸻

Y/N

She looked up at him, and the breath stalled in his lungs.

She was…

Still small.

Still delicate.

Still had those wide, soft doe eyes he remembered vaguely from the time Alfred had first placed her in his arms. Her hair a little longer now. Her expression tighter. Guarded.

But the girl who had once followed him with awe and silent hopes was standing there, now looking at him like—

She didn’t know who he was.

Or maybe, like she remembered too well.

⸻

Bruce

Bruce’s voice didn’t crack, but it softened more than he expected.

“…Hi, little leaf.”

It was a name he’d never said before.

A nickname he’d never used.

Not even when she was a toddler.

But it came to him then—natural, instinctive, like something that had always waited behind his tongue.

“Little leaf.”

Because she was so small.

So quiet.

So easy to miss in the wind.

He glanced over her head with ease—she didn’t even came past his chest.

His eyes swept her room.

Muted.

Cold.

Devoid of life.

Nothing on the walls. No bright colors. No scattered crafts. No signs of who she was—just a blanket on the bed covering something, maybe books.

It looked less like a home.

More like a holding space.

Something in him twisted sharply.

⸻

Y/N

What. The. Hell.

Her thoughts were loud.

Exploding behind her face as she tried to keep her features neutral.

First Dick and Damian

Then Tim.

Now him.

Bruce Wayne.

Her father—in name and blood only—who hadn’t stepped into her room since she was two years old.

He looked… the same. Towering. Dark. Dressed in one of his half-armored casuals, broad enough to block the entire hallway behind him.

His voice had been low. Calm.

Little leaf.

She nearly recoiled.

He’d never called her anything before. No pet names. No warm nicknames. He barely called her by her name at all.

So why now?

She stared up at him, stunned, her hand still gripping the doorframe. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

Her thoughts twisted violently in her head.

Why is he here? Why is he suddenly pretending like I exist? What is wrong with them?

Is this some game?

Is this part of whatever’s going on with Tim and Dick? Did something happen?

Did someone tell them to prank me now?

Her fingers curled tighter.

She wanted to scream.

To ask what the hell do you want?

But she couldn’t.

Because he was Bruce Wayne.

Because she was YN Wayne.

Because her entire plan depended on no one noticing her.

And now—suddenly—everyone was.

taglist:

@justwannabecat

@c4xcocoa

@cosmicyuk1

@galaxypurplerose

@nisarelle

@exactlynumberonekryptonite

@holderoflostmemories

@runaaclou

@noclue-0

@devils-blackrose

@runaaclou

@delias-stuff

@wizzerreblogs

@charlenexoxo1

@staarflowerr

@sleep-7372

@unearthlykara

@oliviaewl

@cupid73

@rikkimorris16

@randomlyappearingartist

@fightmebissh

@prettyliciousgal

@plsfckmedxddy

@misdollface

@eissaaaa

@melday0105

@sulleha

@time-shardz

@lovelyflames

@asahi20789

@teabutnerdy

@the-classroom-doodles

@livy111

@omgfangirlland

@shqyou

@rrhhyyaa

@1-800-crazy

@astraeasworld

@edlothia-baby

@the-historical-biscuit2468

@cloudishmagma

@andriuu29

@sincerely-yuna

504 notes · View notes

cheftsunoda · 9 hours ago

Note

Would you consider doing something with a quiet/ reserved reader. I love the idea of a reader who's an up and coming driver but isn't about the press or media at ALL. Like dodging cameras and running away from interviews, and maybe a boy (I don't mind who you pick) misunderstands and thinks that she's running away from them? Maybe add some drama from f1 update twt accounts escalating the situation and painting the reader in a negative light for being "rude" or "impolite".

Thx!! (Sorry for any confusion, English is not my first language but I hope you get what I mean)

miss misunderstood— op81

smau + blurbs

oscar piastri x !quiet/shy driver reader

yn has a lot of pressure on her shoulders— she is the only female driver in f1 and that leads to her consistently having to prove herself to not only her team, who took a chance on her, but the press who are constantly there hounding her. she has always been very shy and reserved— especially around people she does not know. when fans notice how she skips out on interviews and hides from big crowds, the hate pours in, especially after she is seen avoiding a conversation with the grids other most quiet individual— but he is persistent and wont give up on her.

(a/n) : such a cute idea anon! i understood you perfectly fine my love. i hope you enjoy this. i thought it would be fun to pair reader with someone who is also rather quiet and reserved.

fc : amna al qubaisi

—

f1gossipgirls

257,087 likes.

f1gossipgirls : Almost all of our favorite drivers have touched down in Barcelona for media day. Some of our first arrivals include YN LN, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and George Russell.

—

view 32,057 other comments.

username0 : george not dressed properly for the weather pt 899

liked by f1gossipgirls

username10 : yn always looks like she doesn’t want to be there. why is she even in f1 if she hates to do the job??

username15 : everyone is smiling, waiving, talking to fans and press and then there is yn who immediately books it to the paddock and ignores everyone

username22 : ill say it once and i will say it again— f1 is not a silent film. she either needs to speak up and play the role or step aside. good driver or not. that job comes with more responsibilities than just driving around the track.

username5 : she gives off “im better than everyone else” energy and im sick of her.

username00 : every time i try and like her, she gives us absolutely nothing. cold and awkward isn’t a personality, babe.

↳ username9 : yet you guys eat it up when oscar does it. the double standard is insane.

liked by f1gossipgirls

username11 : its always the quiet ones y’all tear apart for not being loud enough. she’s there to drive. not entertain you.

liked by f1gossipgirls

username17 : you guys are extra hard on her because she is a female. and it is sick.

username101 : she minds her business, she’s fast, and she is unproblematic. you guys are just finding reasons to hate her. jealousy is a disease.

liked by f1gossipgirls

—

They say I’m cold. Unfriendly. Standoffish. Like I’m trying too hard to be mysterious or above it all. But they don’t know me. Not really. Because if they did, they’d know I used to be warm. I used to talk too much. Laugh too loud. Hug people without thinking twice. But that was before. Before the phone call. Before the hospital room. Before the person who knew me better than anyone else—who loved me without needing me to be anything but myself—was just… gone.

Losing a parent is something people talk about like it’s a passage. A sad inevitability. But they don’t talk about what it does to you when it’s sudden. When it’s brutal. When the last words you said were something stupid because you thought you had more time. My dad was my safe place. The only person I could fall apart around. He was the reason I started racing. The reason I believed I could do anything. And when I lost him, I didn’t just lose a person—I lost myself. I haven’t spoken about it. Not to anyone.

Not to my engineers. Not to my teammates. Not to the drivers who think I’m just “shy” or “quiet” or “moody.” Because once I say it out loud, it becomes real in a way I’m not ready for. It becomes the thing people pity me for instead of the thing I’ve survived. So I stay quiet. I keep the noise out. I protect the stillness inside me. People don’t understand it, and that’s fine. They think I’m emotionless when really, I’m overflowing and just trying not to drown. I hear what they say. The fans. The media. That I don’t engage. That I don’t give enough. But I didn’t come here to be their favorite. I came here to race. I came here to honor my father. To survive something else. To find moments of peace between the chaos and the grief that still sits like stone in my chest.

They’ll never understand why I am the way I am. Because they never saw me before. Before the silence felt safer than the world ever did. And I don’t owe them an explanation for that.

—

The air in Barcelona is thick with heat and noise—press cameras clicking, fans shouting driver names like spells, a thousand voices layered on top of each other. I keep my head down but offer a small smile, lifting my hand in a quiet wave. They cheer anyway. Some scream my name. Others don’t. Some just stare, waiting for me to trip or ignore them or give them proof I’m “as cold as they say.”

I smile again, even if it doesn’t reach my eyes. It’s not fake—it’s just not loud.

Security walks with me as I cross the paddock. My eyes flicker over the cameras stationed outside team motorhomes, the reporters already calling out names, hoping for a quote. I tighten my grip on the strap of my bag. Just a few more steps.

I keep walking. Fast, but not suspiciously fast. Just enough to dodge the press circling like hawks, waiting for a moment of weakness, a headline, a clipped quote that can be turned into whatever version of me they want to sell this week.

Finally, I step inside Red Bull. The air conditioning kisses my skin. The silence—relative silence—is heaven. I make it to my driver room, push the door shut with my shoulder, and lean against it for a second. Eyes closed. Deep breath. The chaos is muffled now, like a storm just beyond the walls. Then the door opens again without a knock.

“Nice escape,” Max says, completely unfazed. He shuts the door behind him like he owns the building. “You only almost ran over two photographers. New record?”

I huff out a laugh—quiet but real. “Felt like twenty.”

He drops into the chair across from me like he’s been doing this his whole life. Which, to be fair, he basically has.

Max studies me for a second, unreadable as always. “You look like you’re about to vomit. That your media day face?”

“Shut up,” I mutter, a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth.

He shrugs. “Just saying. You do realize they can’t eat you alive on camera, right? Legally.”

“I don’t know. I think one of the Sky guys has sharp enough teeth.”

He chuckles, dry and quiet. “You’ll be fine. Say as little as possible. Give one-word answers. Scowl a little. That’s what I do.”

“You give plenty of one-word answers.”

“Exactly,” he says, proud. “It’s an art.”

He leans forward, resting his arms on his knees, face softening just slightly.

“They don’t matter, you know. The journalists. The fans who think they know you. The Twitter freaks. You’re fast. That’s what counts. That’s what wins. Let them think you’re a robot or a villain or a Bond girl or whatever mood they’re in this week.”

I nod. A slow exhale.

“Thanks, Max.”

He shrugs again. “Just don’t cry on camera. I already have a reputation for being emotionally unavailable. Don’t need yours adding to the Verstappen Cold Front.”

This time, I laugh out loud. He grins. Mission accomplished.

“Go be scary,” he says, pushing himself up. “And if you panic, just pretend they’re all standing in front of your car at turn one.”

“I’d drive through them.”

“Exactly.”

He leaves without another word, and for the first time all morning, I feel like I can breathe.

—

I answer with the same even tone I always do. I deflect, redirect, smile where I’m supposed to. I’ve trained myself not to flinch. But it still chips away at me, a little at a time. I finally escape outside, tucked behind one of the Red Bull displays near the fan zone—close enough to be seen, far enough to feel like I’m not drowning. I sip from a water bottle, hoping the air might settle in my lungs again. That’s when I see her.

A girl, maybe twelve, in a handmade cap with my number scribbled on it in glitter glue. She’s holding a small notebook and a marker, standing with her dad and hesitating like she doesn’t want to bother me. I almost keep walking. I’m tired. Overheated. Ready to shut down for the rest of the day. But something in her eyes stops me. She doesn’t look like the others—she looks like she’s trying to be brave. So I walk over.

Her eyes go wide when I stop in front of her. “Hi,” I offer, voice soft.

She blinks. Then holds out the notebook with slightly trembling hands. “Um—sorry, I just—could you sign this? I know you don’t really like talking to people a lot, but you’re my favorite. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want.”

My chest tightens. Not in a bad way—in the way it does when something hits a nerve you didn’t know was still exposed. I take the notebook and sign it carefully.

“You know,” she says, voice quiet, “I get nervous talking to people too. But I think you’re really brave. I like that you don’t try to be loud just to fit in. You make me feel like that’s okay.”

I blink fast. It’s not the kind of compliment I get. It’s not about speed or podiums or stats. It’s about me. The parts I’ve always kept hidden because the world made me feel like they were wrong. I smile—genuinely this time—and crouch a little so we’re eye level.

“Thank you,” I say softly. “That means more than you know.”

Her face lights up like I just handed her a trophy. We take a photo. I sign her hat. She hugs me before I even have time to react—but I don’t mind. Not even a little. As I walk away, I feel lighter. Like the weight pressing on my shoulders loosened just a little. Maybe I’ll always be the quiet one. The misunderstood one. But to that one girl? I was seen. And that’s enough.

—

The moment I cross the line, the radio explodes.

“P1, YN! That’s P1! You did it! You absolutely nailed that last stint—what a drive!”

I don’t say much. I can’t. My throat is tight and my hands are shaking around the wheel. The pit wall is screaming, my engineer shouting through the static. The grandstands blur into one giant roar. I slow the car down and guide it into parc fermé, P1 board waiting. The marshals are waving, cameras already turned in my direction like hungry mouths. I sit still for a beat. The engine is off, the world is loud, but in my cockpit it’s just… quiet. Then I hear it—Max’s car pulling into P2.

“Let’s go,” I murmur to myself and start the slow climb out.

But my limbs feel heavy. Every emotion I’ve buried all year starts clawing its way to the surface, and I’m suddenly not sure if I’ll make it over the halo without falling flat on my face. And then—there’s a hand. Max, already out of his car, standing beside mine like it’s the most casual thing in the world. He holds his hand out without a word. Just a look that says, Yeah, I know. Take it. I take it. He helps me out of the car, firm but unshowy. As soon as I hit the ground, I sway a little, overwhelmed—but I don’t fall.

He leans in, dry as ever. “You know you’re supposed to breathe when you win, right?”

I huff out something between a laugh and a sob. “I’ll try next time.”

Our helmets clink together briefly as we hug—quick, tight, familiar—and then he nudges me toward my team. They’re already there—Red Bull crew surrounding me, cheering, hugging, spraying water. I let myself fall into it for a moment. I smile, genuinely. I hug back. One of the engineers lifts me off the ground and spins me, and I let them. Because this is theirs, too. Ours. But just as the broadcasters and press start pushing through the sea of mechanics, I slip away—ducking behind the barrier, walking briskly toward the cooldown room before they can catch me.

I hear a few voices behind me—“YN, one word for Sky? Just a few seconds?”

I keep walking. The cooldown room is blissfully empty. Cold, quiet, white walls and a table with water and towels. I sit, press the bottle to my forehead, and finally breathe. No cameras. No questions. No pretending. Just silence. Just peace. Just… me. And for the first time in a long time, it feels like enough.

—

The water bottle sweats in my hands, condensation dripping slowly onto my race suit. I haven’t said much since sitting down, and Max hasn’t asked me to. He’s lounging across from me on the other bench, head tilted back, eyes closed like he owns the room. His suit is halfway peeled down and his hair’s a sweaty mess, but he looks… content. Neither of us are fans of the overexposed post-race routine. The lights. The forced questions. The soundbites that get twisted a dozen ways before the sun even sets. So we sit here, in the eye of the storm, letting the world knock on the door without answering.

Max finally cracks an eye open. “You going to do the interviews?”

I lean my head back against the cool wall and sigh. “Eventually. Maybe. If they don’t forget I exist by then.”

He grins slightly. “You just won. They’ll send a SWAT team if you don’t come out soon.”

Before I can answer, the door opens — fast but tentative — and in walks Camille, my press secretary. She’s breathless. Her clipboard’s half tucked under her arm, and she looks like she’s been fighting off wolves outside.

“YN,” she starts, trying for calm but clearly begging on the inside, “I hate to interrupt, but they’re getting antsy. Sky, F1TV, everyone’s lining up. They want quotes, a soundbite—anything.”

I nod slowly. I expected this. It doesn’t make it any easier.

“I’m not doing the scrum,” I say. “Not the pen. Not the mixed zone.”

Camille looks like she wants to scream into a pillow. “Okay. Fine. What will you do?”

I glance at Max, who’s watching like it’s the most entertaining episode of Drive to Survive he’s seen all year.

“One interview,” I finally say. “That’s it.”

Camille’s already flipping through her mental rolodex. “Okay. Sky? F1TV? Maybe something for social? Martin Brundle is waiting and—”

“No,” I cut her off, gently but firm. “If I do one, it’s with Lissie. No one else.”

Camille blinks. “Lissie—Lissie Mackintosh from Sky?”

I nod.

“She’s the only one who doesn’t make me feel like I’m under a microscope,” I explain. “She’s kind. And she actually listens.”

Camille softens a little. “Okay. I can work with that. But they’ll push back.”

“Let them,” I shrug. “I don’t owe them anything else today.”

She studies me for a moment, then exhales and heads out, already dialing her phone as she goes.

The door shuts again, and I fall back into the silence like it’s a blanket.

Max raises a brow. “Lissie, huh?”

“She doesn’t try to make me a headline,” I reply.

Max gives a nod of respect. “Smart. Wish we all had a Lissie.”

I glance down at my fingers, still slightly trembling from adrenaline. “I just need someone who sees me.”

“You just won a damn Grand Prix,” Max says, standing and nudging my foot with his. “They’re gonna have to see you now, whether they like it or not.”

—

yn's post race interview with lissie mackintosh- barcelona

—

third person pov

YN steps down from the small stage, fingers tugging at the collar of her suit as if she’s trying to breathe easier now that the lights are off. She’s walking fast, already focused on making it back to the safety of the garage. She doesn’t see Oscar until she turns the corner, he is halfway through his own interview with a different outlet. He’s smiling—tired, but still upbeat—and when he spots her, his expression brightens like he’s been waiting for a chance to say something. Oscar turned to YN as she passed by.

“You should really be talking to the winner, huh?”

His voice is friendly. Joking. The kind of throwaway line that’s meant to show camaraderie, not pressure. YN pauses just for a second. She offers a small, polite smile—closed-lipped and barely there. No laugh. No response. Just a nod. And then she’s gone. Quiet steps, fast retreat.

Oscar watches her disappear down the corridor, his smile faltering slightly. His interviewer says something, but he doesn’t really register it.

“…Did I say something weird?”

He turns back to the camera, eyes a little more unsure. In the back of his mind, the question settles in— Does she just not like me? But the truth is simpler. And sadder. She doesn’t dislike him. She just doesn’t have room for warmth in the places where the world watches too closely.

—

twitter!

f1gossipgirls : Race Winner, YN LN, only gave 1 two minute interview with @/skysports Lissie Mackintosh. Oscar Piastri who was P3 today, was also doing an interview when LN happened to walk by and made a joke to which YN just walked off. He then asked the interviewer if he said something wrong. Thoughts?

view 120,004 comments.

username00 : imagine winning a race and still managing to have the personality of dry toast 😭 poor oscar was just being NICE

username22 : as someone who watched the full interview with Lissie — she was genuine and soft spoken. maybe what she needs is respect, not attention.

username08 : i love Oscar but this isn’t that deep. she clearly has boundaries and isn’t fake about it. that’s kind of refreshing.

username09 : she didn’t even thank the fans today. one interview and vanishes? okay ice queen 🧊

username17 : not her making Oscar second guess himself when he was literally just being sweet? i would NEVER recover.

username20 : this is why she’s boring. no charisma, no interviews, no interaction. i said what i said. 🥱

username30 : are y’all ignoring the interaction she had with a younger fan today?? she is such a sweetie, she is just camera shy.

—

ynfromredbull

liked by maxverstappen1, oscarpiastri, redbullracing and 1,7005,002 others.

ynfromredbull : good shit.

—

view 74,032 other comments.

lissiemackintosh : Honored to have been the one to share part of this day with you. Congratulations again, YN! ✨

liked by ynfromredbull

username0 : i feel like max is the only one that understands her.

maxverstappen1 : good shit indeed.

liked by ynfromredbull and redbullracing

oscarpiastri : Insane drive today, YN. 💪🏻

liked by ynfromredbull

↳ username0 : oscar is much better than me bc id be a hater rn

alexalbon : can someone pls nerf the redbull team. i am tired.

liked by maxverstappen1, ynfromredbull and redbullracing

username10 : can y'all shut up now- she is literally taking pictures with fans.

↳ username0 : wowww one time in her whole career.

carlossainz55 : such a beast. congratulations yn

liked by ynfromredbull

—

I don’t like nights like this. Too many people. Too many lights. Too many eyes that don’t know me but swear they do. I don’t stop for cameras, I don’t pose, I don’t even slow down when someone calls my name. I just head straight inside the theater like I’m late for something, even though I’m not. I keep my eyes low, find the row I asked Max to save for me, and drop into the seat beside him with a quiet exhale. He glances at me, unimpressed but amused.

“Nice entrance. Scared three PR people on the way in.”

I almost smile. “Was aiming for five.”

He snorts, and just like that, I feel a little more human. Max has always understood the value of silence. He never pushes, never demands more than I can give. We talk a little—about the ridiculousness of the event, the car updates, the championship—but mostly, we just sit. It’s enough. Until I feel a shift. I don’t even have to look up. I can sense someone walking toward us with too much hesitation, like they’ve already decided I’m going to run. When I do glance up, I’m met with wide brown eyes and a nervous smile. Oscar.

“Hey. Sorry—YN? Can I talk to you for a second?”

Max raises a brow. I pause, heart twitching in my chest for reasons I don’t fully understand, and then I nod. I follow Oscar into the hallway, the noise of the event fading behind me like static. The lighting is dimmer here. Softer. Still too bright. He turns to face me, shifting on his feet like he’s rehearsed this five times already.

“I, um—did I do something to upset you?”

My stomach drops.

“What?”

“After the race. I made that joke and you just… walked off. And I get it if you’re not a fan of me or something, I just—” He laughs nervously. “I keep thinking I said something wrong.”

I blink. I want to laugh, but I don’t. Instead, I look down, ashamed.

“No. You didn’t do anything wrong.” My voice is quiet, barely above a whisper. “It’s not you. It’s just… me.”

He looks confused. Still gentle, though. Waiting. I don’t know why, but I want to explain—just a little.

“When I was younger, I lost someone. My dad. He was… my person. The one who made the noise of the world feel a little less loud. And after it happened, I kind of… shut off. I don’t like being watched. I don’t like being asked to smile when I don’t feel like it. I just… exist better in the quiet.”

Oscar doesn’t speak for a long moment. But his expression softens in a way that makes my chest ache.

“You don’t have to explain,” he says eventually. “But thank you for trusting me.”

I nod, throat tight. Then, a flicker of guilt. “And I’m sorry for walking off like that. You didn’t deserve it.”

He smiles, shy and genuine.

“So… you don’t hate me?”

That makes me laugh. Just once, but it’s real.

“No,” I say softly. “I don’t.”

There’s a pause, and for the first time since I got here, I feel something shift in my chest. A crack of light.

He nudges me lightly with his shoulder. “Cool. Friends, then?”

I think about it. About how hard it is to let people in. About how much it scares me.

Then I nod. “Yeah. Friends.”

—

3 month time skip

ynfromredbull

liked by oscarpiastri, maxverstappen1, lando & 2,409,001 others.

ynfromredbull : as my counterpart @/maxverstappen1 would say— these last few months have been simply lovely. 🏆💪🏻

—

view 127,002 other comments.

username0 : this caption is the most personality i’ve seen from her all season.

username14 : i can’t believe she is leading the wdc rn

maxverstappen1 : id sue for copyright infringement if i wasn’t so proud

liked by ynfromredbull

oscarpiastri : very artistic post yn

liked by ynfromredbull

↳ ynfromredbull : thank you mr. piastri

liked by oscarpiastri

↳ lando : OMG SHE SPEAKS

liked by ynfromredbull

↳ lando : yn i didn’t mean that in a bad way pls don’t drive me off the track

liked by ynfromredbull

georgerussell63 : it is against fia regulations to have a teddy bear in the car. RACE BAN (she is still destroying all of us— it would not help save the season)

liked by ynfromredbull

—

f1gossipgirls

428,023 likes.

f1gossipgirls : For the first time in her F1 career, YN LN has not walked into the paddock alone. She walked in with none other than Oscar Piastri himself. Not only did she walk in with him but the two stopped for the press multiple times and stopped to talk with fans. Many people say that this is the most they’ve seen her smile in her whole career. Thoughts?

—

view 15,539 other comments.

username00 : from Oscar “did I do something wrong?” to Oscar walking her in and making her smile… the arc is so insane

username15 : f1gossipgirls is finally being NICE about her. this is how powerful love is

username17 : i haven’t seen her this relaxed since she debuted. i’d cry if i wasn’t already crying.

username22 : this is NOT a drill. she SMILED. she TALKED. she STOOD STILL for the PRESS. what is happening

username0 : So now she wants the attention? Pick a side. Either be private or don’t.

username14 : she’s literally only tolerable when she’s standing next to a man. that’s so sad lol

username20 : i’m sorry but this whole “she’s just shy” thing got old last season. f1 drivers are public figures. she knew what she signed up for.

—

It happens slowly. Like sunlight through tinted glass — warm but filtered, creeping in without permission. Oscar’s been around a lot lately. Not just in the paddock, where we’re both supposed to be, but everywhere in between. Track walks, post-race debriefs, long flights, short layovers, dinners in quiet towns we don’t name on social media. He’s become part of the background noise of my life, and for once, that doesn’t scare me.

I notice it when we’re sitting side by side in the sim room, not speaking, just existing. The silence between us feels easy now. Familiar. Like I don’t have to earn my space — I just have it. I notice it when he hands me a coffee before I’ve even asked, the way he always remembers I take it black with a splash of oat milk, no sugar. Or when he throws a hoodie at me because I always forget I get cold before FP3.

I notice it most on the plane ride. He’s asleep beside me, his head tilted toward me, headphones slipping. I’m staring at the clouds and thinking about how close I am to the title. Closer than I’ve ever been. I should be terrified. But I’m not. Because he’s here. And for some reason, that grounds me.

He mumbles something in his sleep and leans slightly toward my shoulder. I freeze. Not because I’m uncomfortable — but because I’m suddenly too comfortable. My heart stutters. It’s a dangerous thing, comfort. I’ve avoided it for years, convinced it would disappear the moment I reached for it. But Oscar—he never asked me to reach. He just stayed.

Now I’m sitting in row 8F of some transatlantic flight with a soft-voiced Aussie curled up next to me and a World Championship lead in my lap — and all I can think is... God, I might actually be in love with him. And that’s scarier than any press conference I’ve ever dodged.

—

I could already feel the heat of the Monaco sun pressing down as we stepped out of the car. The walk to the paddock always felt long, even when it wasn’t. My palms were tucked into my jacket pockets, nerves dancing beneath my skin like they always did. But this time, I wasn’t alone.

Oscar walked beside me, chatting softly about absolutely nothing — the weather, the coffee at the hotel, the chaos of the Monte Carlo grid. I appreciated it. His voice was grounding. I didn’t have to say anything, and he didn’t expect me to.

I kept my eyes low, used to the flashes of phones and the buzz of people trying to get my attention. Normally, I’d keep walking. Fast. Direct. No room for error. But then I heard it.

“YN!”

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t aggressive. Just… hopeful. I slowed down without thinking. Oscar noticed instantly and stilled beside me.

“You good?” he asked quietly.

I nodded. “Yeah. Just… give me a sec.”

I turned toward the barricade. A young fan was holding a poster of my car from Australia. I’d won that race. My name was scrawled across the sidepod in sharp lettering — a moment frozen in time I’d barely let myself process. I took the marker from their hand, signed it quickly but neatly.

“Thank you for today,” the fan said, eyes wide. “You’re… amazing. You’ve always been amazing.”

The words hit me somewhere in the chest I didn’t know was sore.

“…Thanks,” I said, almost too quietly. Then louder: “Thanks for saying that.”

They smiled like I’d handed them gold. I took one photo — just one. And then I stepped back beside Oscar, who gave me a subtle smile. Not too proud. Not too over-the-top. Just there. Solid. Steady. We weren’t even halfway through the paddock before a Sky Sports reporter called out.

“YN! Oscar! Over here?”

I froze.

Oscar looked at me. “Wanna skip it?”

I shook my head. “Just one.”

We walked over together. I didn’t say much — I never do — but I stood there. Present. Listening. And when they asked how I was feeling going into the weekend, the words came before I could edit them.

“Focused,” I said. Then, after a breath: “And a little less alone today.”

Oscar glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. There was a flicker of something soft there, something understanding. It felt… safe. When we finally reached the Red Bull garage, I exhaled for what felt like the first time in twenty minutes. I peeled off my jacket, tugged at the brim of my cap, and tried to disappear through the back. But Max was already leaning on the pit wall, headset half-on, watching me with that unreadable Verstappen face.

“You smiled,” he said, completely monotone. “Terrifying.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t start.”

He smirked just slightly. “I’m just saying… if you become media friendly, I’m going to have to be the difficult one now.”

“You already are,” I deadpanned.

Max laughed under his breath and tossed me a bottle of water. “You did good, LN.”

And for once, I let myself believe it.

—

The world was quiet around us. The kind of hush that only existed in moments like this — between heartbeats, between stares. Monaco’s lights flickered just beyond the windows, gold threads pulling through navy silk. I could hear the sea in the distance. Oscar lay beside me, legs stretched across my duvet like he belonged here. He wasn’t touching me, not yet, but he was close enough that I could feel every inch of space between us — and it made my chest ache.

“You’re quieter than usual,” he said softly, barely above a whisper.

I turned my head toward him. “That’s saying something.”

He smiled, tired and tender. “Fair. Still true.”

I didn’t answer. Because truthfully, I was scared. This was all new. The closeness. The comfort. The way he looked at me like I wasn’t hard to figure out. Then he said it — no fanfare, no buildup, just a simple truth.

“I think I’m falling for you.”

It should’ve terrified me. But it didn’t. Not really. It cracked something open.

I stared at him, eyes burning, heart folding in on itself. “I think I already have,” I breathed, voice barely there.

The silence that followed was thick — not heavy, not awkward. Just real. He reached over, his fingers grazing mine so gently it made my skin buzz. It wasn’t a grab. It was an invitation. And for once in my life, I accepted. I laced my fingers through his and sat up, pulling open the drawer next to my bed. There was only one thing inside — an envelope. Worn at the edges, the flap taped down three times because I’d opened and closed it more than I should have. I handed it to him. His brows furrowed as he opened it slowly. The photo slipped into his hand.

Me, at six. All tiny teeth and wild hair, grinning up like the sun had never set. Standing next to a man in a racing suit. His hand was on my shoulder. The same eyes. The same smirk. My father. Oscar looked between the photo and me, and I saw the shift happen in real time — confusion to understanding to quiet reverence.

“That’s… is that who I think it is?” His voice cracked just slightly.

I nodded, swallowing hard. “My dad.”

I didn’t say his name. I didn’t need to.

“He died when I was eight. It was… it was violent. Sudden. One second he was there, and then he wasn’t. He was my safest place. My everything. After that, I… broke. I stopped talking for months. And when I started again, it was never the same.”

He didn’t move. Just stared at me like I was something delicate, like if he breathed too loudly I might fold in on myself.

“I never told anyone,” I continued, voice barely holding. “I didn’t want pity. I didn’t want to be treated like some ghost of his shadow. I wanted to be me. Just me.”

Oscar’s fingers tightened around mine — not too much, just enough to remind me I wasn’t alone anymore.

“You are,” he whispered. “You’re everything.”

I looked at him then, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like hiding.

“I think he’d like you,” I said, smiling through the burn in my throat.

Oscar leaned in, resting his forehead against mine, and whispered back, “I like you more than I should.”

And in the soft glow of the Monaco skyline, wrapped in the quiet I used to fear, I finally let myself feel it all. Love. Safety. Peace. Him.

—

liked by maxverstappen1, redbullracing, ynfromredbull & 8,029,003 others.

f1 : Your 2025 World Champion, YN LN! Incredible drive this season, YN. This is well deserved.

tagged : ynfromredbull

—

view 239,492 other comments.

username00 : MY QUEEN! CONGRATULATIONS YN.

username15 : gonna be insufferable about this for the next 40 years ok????

susie_wolff : YN has made history. I am forever proud of her.

liked by ynfromredbull and f1

username30 : people doubted her, the press dragged her, and she STILL smoked them all. cold-blooded. we love a quiet assassin 💅

lissiemackintosh : I’ve seen your journey up close. You are everything this sport needs. Congratulations, champion. 💫

liked by ynfromredbull

oscarpiastri : No one more worthy. What a season, YN. 🏆🤍

liked by ynfromredbull

lando : MY GOATTTTTT LFGGGG

liked by ynfromredbull

lewishamilton : It’s been inspiring watching you come into your own. World Champion sounds good on you. 🔥

liked by ynfromredbull

maxverstappen1 : Couldn’t be more proud. YN deserved this more than anyone.

liked by ynfromredbull

—

ynfromredbull

liked by maxverstappen1, oscarpiastri, lando and 12,037,024 others.

ynfromredbull : this is what it is all about. thank you all. it is an honor to be your 2025 world champ. i hope you grow to love me as much as i love all of you.

—

user has disabled comments on this post.

—

We were far from everything — the noise, the cameras, the endless headlines. Just a small coastal town somewhere in Portugal, sun-drunk and slow, the kind of place where people didn’t care about championship points or last names. Oscar and I had spent the day walking through sleepy markets, eating too much gelato, and laughing at nothing. Now, the two of us lay tangled together on the bed in the little apartment we rented, the linen sheets kicked down to our ankles and the windows cracked open to let in the salt-kissed night air. His hand rested on my stomach, thumb drawing slow circles over the hem of my shirt. The world outside our window was quiet, but my mind wasn’t. Not tonight.

“I want to do it,” I said into the stillness.

He turned his head, his voice a low murmur against my temple. “Do what?”

I hesitated, even though I already knew he’d understand. He always did.

“The interview. I want to finally say it. Talk about… him. All of it.”

Oscar sat up slightly, enough to look at me properly. “You’re sure?”

I nodded, throat tight. “It’s time. I’ve hidden behind the silence for so long. And I don’t want to anymore.”

He searched my eyes, then gently tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “You don’t owe anyone your pain, you know. You don’t have to justify who you are.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But I want to tell the story. My story. People have made it for me for so long — all the gossip, the assumptions. I’ve let them believe I’m cold or arrogant or just awkward. But the truth is…” I swallowed. “The truth is, I’m just someone who lost the one person that made the world feel safe.”

Oscar’s hand found mine under the sheets, his fingers warm and steady.

“I think he’d be proud of you,” he said softly. “For everything. For surviving. For being brave enough to do this now.”

I blinked hard, staring up at the ceiling to stop the tears from spilling.

“I miss him so much, still. Every day. Sometimes I think that little girl in the paddock died with him — the one who used to talk to everyone, who smiled without thinking about it.”

He pulled me into his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “That girl’s still in there. I see her every time you light up after a race. Every time you laugh when you think no one’s listening. You’re still her. Just… grown, and stronger.”

I breathed him in — the cologne I’d come to associate with safety and something close to peace.

“Will you be there? When I do it?” I asked quietly. “When I finally say his name?”

“Every step,” he said without hesitation. “Always.”

And in that moment, with his arms around me and the stars blinking somewhere above the rooftops, I knew I wasn’t alone anymore.

Not in the silence. Not in the truth. Not ever again.

—

‘hey lissie— its yn. i want to do an exclusive interview with you. if you’re willing.’

’omg hey champ— obviously id be willing to. where do you need me?’

’my house. next week? i can send a plane your way.’

’ill be there. i am honored, yn. truly.’.

—

world champion, yn, sharing her truths from her home in monaco with lissie mackintosh - 1/2/2026

—

ynsenna

liked by maxverstappen1, redbullracing, oscarpiastri & 17,023,004 others.

ynsenna : i’ve spent most of my life trying to be quiet enough not to be noticed. not because i didn’t have anything to say—but because grief took the words from me before i ever had the chance to speak.

this season changed my life. not just because of the results, but because i finally stopped running from the part of me that hurt the most. my father was everything to me. and losing him the way i did shattered something i didn’t know how to rebuild—until recently. the truth is- i’m proud to be his daughter. but i’m also proud of the woman i’ve become, entirely on my own.

to those who’ve seen me when i couldn’t see myself—thank you. to the ones who stayed kind even when i stayed quiet—you mean more than you know.

and to the person who reminded me i’m allowed to be loved, messy and whole—i love you.

—

user has disabled comments on this post.

—

twitter!

f1gossipgirl : YN just did an interview from her home with Lissie Mackintosh going into detail about her childhood and revealed that Ayrton Senna is in fact her father. She spoke about how her father’s tragic death left her emotionally shut her down for most of her life— and she chose silence as form of self protection. She led Lissie through a room in her house which held a large collection of her father’s helmets and trophy’s and she shared a few photos of them on her instagram today— which her new instagram handle is @/ynsenna. She also revealed in this interview that she is indeed dating Oscar Piastri. Oscar was behind the camera silently supporting her during the interview. Thoughts?

—

view 802,482 comments.

username0 : i’m crying real tears. she carried the weight of that legacy in complete silence. absolute warrior.

username14 : Oscar being behind the camera and just silently supporting her???? marriage. immediately.

username20 : now it all makes sense. the silence, the eyes that always looked a little sad. she’s been carrying so much. proud doesn’t even begin to cover it.

username15 : she didn’t win the championship for the world. she won it for her dad and for the little girl who lost her dad. i’m not okay.

username17 : everything about this interview was raw and honest. we don’t deserve her but god do we respect her.

username30 : the fact she said nothing for years and let people think the worst of her, just to protect herself?? she’s not cold. she’s human. and she deserves peace.

—

oscarpiastri

liked by ynsenna, maxverstappen1, lando & 10,273,005 others.

oscarpiastri : proud to know you. proud to love you. you are the strongest human i know. you made him proud, sweetheart.

—

user has disabled comments on this post.

—

The interview with Lissie had gone live less than twelve hours ago. I’d barely blinked since then. I was curled up on my couch, hoodie three sizes too big, hair in a bun, face completely bare. Oscar sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, his back leaning against the couch between my legs. I absentmindedly ran my fingers through his hair while he scrolled through TikTok with the volume low. My phone buzzed every five seconds on the table, but I ignored it. Oscar didn’t ask questions. He just stayed. And he was quiet in that way that felt like peace.

The soft hum of city traffic below filled the silence until—

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Someone was knocking on my door like it owed them money. Oscar and I both jolted.

“Are you expecting someone?” he asked, twisting to look at me.

“No—wait. Shhh. Listen.”

BANG BANG BANG.

Then—“YN! OPEN UP! YOU OWE US A DAMN EXPLANATION!”

That voice. That unhinged tone.

“Oh my god,” I whispered. “Is that—Max?”

Oscar looked up at me. “Should I get the bat?”

I was still laughing as I padded to the door, the sound of voices growing louder.

“Carlos, stop pressing the buzzer, it’s annoying.”

“She’s probably ignoring us—”

“She probably moved to Brazil, bro.”

“Shut up, George.”

“YN, IF YOU DON’T OPEN THIS DOOR I’M GETTING THE SPARE FROM CHRISTIAN!”

I opened the door. And immediately got hit with a wave of chaos. Max was at the front like the ringleader. Behind him stood Charles, Lando, Carlos, Pierre, Yuki, Lewis, George, and Alex, all staring at me like I’d just casually announced I was royalty.

“Hi,” I said blandly.

“‘Hi’?! That’s all we get?” George sputtered.

Max shouldered his way in first, eyes wide. “You—YOU—” He pointed at me. “Are Senna’s daughter and you didn’t tell anyone?!”

“I told Oscar,” I mumbled, leaning against the door frame.

“Yeah, okay, Oscar gets a free pass,” Lando said dramatically, waving a hand as he walked in. “Since he is the boyfriend.”

“I can’t believe you’re his,” Pierre said, mouth open as he stared around the apartment.

Yuki beelined for my kitchen. “Do you have snacks?”

Carlos gave me a look that was half stern, half soft. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Lewis stepped forward, eyes kind. “You didn’t have to. But… damn. That was powerful, YN.”

“Yeah,” Charles agreed, nodding slowly. “I cried, but that might’ve been the wine.”

The room was buzzing. Full of movement, questions, half-jokes, too much cologne, and disbelief so thick I could feel it crackling in the air like electricity. And yet, through it all, I just… Chuckled. I mean — this was my life now? Eight world-class athletes pacing my apartment like it was a race strategy debrief while Oscar, my boyfriend, my soulmate, looked like he wanted to protect me from the emotional onslaught with nothing but a throw pillow.

Max stared at me. “What’s funny?”

I smiled — wide and honest. “You guys are all losing your minds in my living room. Like I’m a unicorn or something.”

George raised a finger. “To be fair, you are. We just didn’t know it.”

Lando turned toward Oscar. “You knew. You absolute sneaky bastard.”

Oscar held up his hands, all innocence. “She told me. I didn’t say anything. Not even in the group chat.”

“I’m so proud of you, and also I hate you,” Pierre muttered, clapping Oscar’s shoulder.

And then — without warning — Max said, “Alright, that’s it. Everyone shut up.”

I blinked. “What—”

He lunged. Then Lando. Then Charles. Then George. Before I could even think to protest, I was being dragged into a ridiculous, suffocating, all-limbs, too-many-colognes, full team group hug. My face was squished between Max’s shoulder and Pierre’s head. Oscar laughed and wrapped his arms around all of us from the outside.

Someone yelled, “We’re proud of you!”

Someone else yelled, “She’s a Senna but she’s our YN!”

And I think it was Alex who shouted, “WE LOVE YOU, WORLD CHAMP!”

I couldn’t breathe. Not from the pressure of the hug — from the feeling of it all. Acceptance. Support. Love. After years of walls, of silence, of solitude, it all rushed in like the wave I didn’t know I’d been bracing for. And I let myself sink into it. Maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to carry the legacy alone anymore.

—

566 notes · View notes

juicykvnture · 2 days ago

Text

MONEY HONEY

Bruce Wayne x camgirl!reader

tags: AFAB reader, brief age gap mention (reader is in her 20s), Bruce is low-key a little jealous and down bad, nicknames (sweetheart/baby) mutual masturbation, praise kink, webcam use, phone sex,

a/n: the DILF propaganda has gotten to me..

wc: 2.7k | masterlist

Your whole camgirl side gig isn’t exactly something you shout from your rooftops about. But, it keeps your lights on, your ass in a nice apartment, and your feet in Louboutin heels.

You don’t tend to tell your friends what you’re at. Respectfully, that isn’t their issue. Weekly dinner reservations at Nobu and bottles of Dom Perignon should be enough to keep their running mouths occupied.

You have your own rules, you stick by them.

You pick and approve who watches your content, you pick how far you go, grateful that you’re in the position to do so. You don’t meet them in real life.

All you are is a fantasy to them, and you keep it that way.

You’re a pretty girl on a screen with a penchant for men with big bank accounts and more money than they know what to do with.

One of those men just so happens to be Bruce.

He came across you by accident, really. It was a couple of months ago by now.

You didn’t really know him, you didn’t really care. You never saw his face or heard his voice, all you saw was his money. He was always there when you did your regular streams, silent apart from hefty donations and notifications that he’d just ordered sets upon sets of pretty, lacy lingerie to your p.o box.

It’s started to shift recently. More money coming into your account, more matching sets, a new ring light since you’d grumbled under your breath about yours not working properly at one point, flowers.

Fuck, when’s the last time a guy even got you flowers?

He always made sure to outdo your other followers - tips of ten dollars sometimes, a twenty or a twenty five here and there. That’s cute and all, but to him? literal pocket change.

Not good enough in his books, not good enough for a pretty girl like you.

He has no reason to hate it, he’s just as bad as they are. But the green-eyed monster on his shoulder just has to prove he’s better, sending hundreds when he felt like it, just to watch your eyes widen.

Then came the messages.

They were few and far between but felt different than the thirsting, basement-dwelling idiots who usually drooled over your streams.

He kept it classy, always.

Less of the “show me your tits” and more of the “you look gorgeous, the pink lace suits you” followed by an “I’m sending you the blue next”

You like it, more than you’d really want to admit to yourself.

He likes it too. He likes watching your pretty face, your lips curling up into a soft smile when you open up all of his gifts, showing them off on your streams. He doesn’t mind that everyone watching can see them, it doesn’t matter. It matters that he bought those for you and that he’s the one getting his own personal photoshoot later.

You watch notifications pop up on your laptop with a sigh, your inbox flooded with messages, and questions from anything from where you live to why the hell you’re not streaming tonight.

You’re not streaming tonight cause you’re fucking tired, a girl needs her rest.

You’re just gonna take a few photos for your number one fan and call it a day. There’s a bottle of Chardonnay and half a pint of Ben and Jerry's in your freezer just calling your name.

As you fix up your nightgown, reaching over to turn off your laptop, a notification catches your attention.

@BRUCE_W: Hope you got the flowers in one piece, no stream this evening I take it?

You blink, staring at your laptop for a moment.

@CHAMPAGNESWEETHEART: they’re gorgeous, thank you!!

You hesitate for a moment, your nails dragging over your keyboard.

@CHAMPAGNESWEETHEART: I wasn’t planning to, but for you I could ;)

Three little dots come and go at the bottom of your laptop screen, like he’s typing and then pausing once more.

In reality, he’s just trying to get his words together, trying not to come across as weird. He doesn’t really know how to do this kind of stuff. He’s out many women through his mattress in real life, but this whole online thing? fuck no.

@BRUCE_W: is it alright if I call you?

You don’t usually take private calls. They take away both time and money from regular streams you could be doing.

But this is Bruce of all people. He’s solely responsible for the overpriced wine you’re sipping on and the LaPerla set you’re lounging in. You didn’t even know underwear could cost that much..

@CHAMPAGNESWEETHEART: gimme two seconds ;)

That sudden, random burst of confidence has you piling on another layer of mascara for good measure, pushing your tits up a little in reflection of your screen before cringing slightly - he’s just another guy, it doesn’t matter.

@BRUCE_W IS CALLING

You push your laptop down your mattress slightly, pulling your robe open a little more, just so he has some more cleavage to look at since he pays you so good.

You lean over, accepting the call and holding in a breath.

It goes unsaid, the sight of this Bruce guy before you isn’t entirely what you expected.

He’s much hotter, much older than you thought he would be.

It kinda clicks now, the fact that even in your comments he’s had more gentlemanly manners than your other regulars.

Luckily, you like your men like you like your wine, rich and.. slightly older.

Perhaps it’s the salt-and-pepper stubble or just the way they carry themselves, relaxed like they’ve done this all a million times before.

You observe him for a moment longer, noticing the dark room he’s in, his tie loose around his neck as he adjusts his own laptop.

He grips his whiskey glass a little tighter, words escaping him for a moment as he eyes you before offering a curt nod.

“Hey,” He seems a little uncertain at first, taking a drawn-out swig of his whiskey before leaning back in his chair.

“You're new to this I take it?” you offer a small smile into your hand, watching the screen from under your lashes.

“Wow, I thought I was subtle.” Bruce murmurs, setting his glass down for a moment.

He’s cursing himself silently. He’s never had any problem talking to women in his whole life. It’s ridiculous how a pretty girl on his screen has rendered him speechless- you’re what? twenty-something? It’s fucking embarrassing.

He can’t help letting his eyes wander down his laptop screen, shifting his thighs slightly when he sees the set he got you peeking out from under your robe.

“You look gorgeous, the pink set is to your taste, I take it?”

“It’s my favourite so far,” you nod, pushing your robe down your shoulders slightly, just a little bit, just to tease.

He makes a mental note to buy you more, to send them to you in every single colour he can get his hands on. He’s trying not to spiral thinking about it actually, imagining you modelling every single thing he wants to dress you up in.

But now just isn’t the time to fantasise about that stuff, not when he has you on the screen in front of him. Just for him, for once.

“How does this work?” He clears his throat, setting the glass down and trying to ignore the way his slacks feel tighter.

“However you want it to work.”

Your answer has his hands sliding down to rest on his thighs, leaning back in his chair.

You leaving it up to him like that has a way of making his spine tingle, he can tell you’re a little bit tired at least. It’s nice actually, it doesn’t feel like you’re putting on as much of an act.

"Can you talk to me first, for a little bit?" He managed to reply, his eyes taking in the view in front of him.

“Please?”

“Anything you wanna hear about?”

“Not really,” he swallows, his eyes fixed on your cleavage.

“I just like your voice. Is that a strange thing to say?”

You feel your cheeks heating up slightly, shaking your head as you pull your robe open by another little fraction.

“No, not at all.”

You can tell he doesn’t want this to feel like a transaction.

After a few minutes of back and forth, a lot of his initial hesitation has dissipated. You do genuinely seem like a sweet girl. He likes the way you act on your streams anyway, but since he’s technically calling you after hours it feels a lot more intimate, real even.

“Tired?” He rasps softly into his glass, arching a brow when he hears you trailing off slightly, watching you move to lean back against your plush headboard.

“A little.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll try not to keep you up too long, sweetheart.”

You’re not one to really care for pet-names that randos on the internet give you but good God, does that make you feel things.

It has you pressing your thighs together, more than it fucking should.

“I don’t mind.” You murmur, thankful that he isn’t there in real time to notice the way your cheeks heat up.

Seeing your reaction made his eyes soften.. and his cock throb a little, letting out a small sigh as if he were relieved, glad he isn’t bothering you. He didn't realise how on edge he was until you took that weight off of his shoulders.

"Good." Bruce murmurs, his eyes watching your hands fiddling with the sleeve of that robe, his mind wandering.

"Can I ask you to.. take that off?"

“You can ask for anything you want.” You nod, gently twirling your fingers around the tie of your robe, pulling it open.

Your compliance, along with the sight of the soft lace pressed against your skin has him swallowing, his narrowed gaze roaming over every single contour of your body.

"Good girl." He muttered under his breath. Those two words felt almost foreign to say, but he said it anyway, seeing you like this.

You shouldn’t care. It’s just work.

But fuck, does it feel like more than that.

His hands fidgeted on the arms of his chair, resisting the urge to undo his belt, his cock straining in his slacks getting harder to ignore.

Noticing his discomfort you shift slightly on your bed, running your fingers over the lace of your bra.

“I’m not gonna stop you, you know that?”

Bruce's eyes flickered up to the screen, seeing your small smile, your fingers gently playing with the lace. Those words alone were enough to make his hands immediately move to work on his belt, fumbling with it to take it off before popping the button of his slacks, letting out a groan under his breath.

"I was just... trying to be polite."

Watching him makes you bite your tongue slightly, trying to hide the way you press your thighs together again, your eyes locked on his through the screen as you slowly slide your hand down lower, running your thumb over the bow at the front of your underwear.

“I never asked you to be.”

“Fuck, I feel like I buy you dinner first,” His hands quickly went to the opening of his slacks, not wasting time to pull out his hardening length, giving himself one firm stroke.

Your mouth is agape for a split second, staring at your screen with wide eyes.

It’s just work. None of this is real. None of this matters.

But you know what does matter? The fact you’re wet and can’t even hide it under that thin, pastel pink lace.

"Shit." He murmured, trying to keep his eyes on the screen.

His left hand moved from the armrests to grab at his whiskey to down it in one go, taking in the sight in front him.

"Are you wet, sweetheart?"

“Yeah?” Your nod is less confident than you’d like it to be as you run your fingers over the lace again, letting out a shaky breath. You shouldn’t care - this is literally just part of what you do.

"Take them off for me, baby." He panted out, his dick now straining in his boxers so hard it’s almost painful. His other hand gripped onto his thigh, his fingers digging into his legs to ground himself as much as he could.

"Let me see you."

You’re repeating your mantra over and over in your head. You’ve got zero reason to be as turned on as you are, it’s just work.

But your pussy seems to disagree on that one.

With another nod, you hook your fingers into the thin fabric, gently pulling your underwear down your thighs, the sight making Bruce bite his fist to hold back a groan.

He literally can’t take it anymore. He can’t be polite.

“Holy fuck,” He lets out another groan as he takes himself in his hand, spitting into his palm.

Okay, you liked that more than you should’ve.

"You have no idea how... good you look right now." He rasps out, his head tilting back against his chair.

"All... for me, yeah?" His hand on his thigh moved up to his chest, fumbling the top few buttons on his shirt. He needed to feel a little cooler or he’d have a literal heart attack.

“Yeah,” you manage another nod.

“Spread your thighs, baby. Show me how wet she is.”

Well, now it’s your turn to almost have a heart attack, spreading your thighs open as your fingers curl into your bedsheets.

“There she is, good girl” Bruce moaned under his breath, his hand on his cock starting to move faster.

"Pretty girls... like you.." His tongue came out to swipe at his lips, the sight in front of him making him lose his train of thought, reaching a hand up to loosen his tie.

"They deserve to be taken care of, right?”

“Right,” you echo, unable to hold yourself together at this point, going against your usual logic and reaching your hand down, groaning under your breath at how your body betrays you with how embarrassingly wet you are.

Your arm instinctively goes to drape over your eyes, shaking your head as you mumble something incoherent, your fingers rubbing over your clit.

“No no no, look at me,” Bruce chokes out, biting down on his tie to hold back yet another groan.

“Your hands are mine, alright?”

That makes your head fall forward, your back arching at the thought of it.

“Uhuh,”

You don’t care that you’ve never met him, you don’t care that you probably never will, but fuck, the things you’d let him do to you if you ever did.

He bites his tongue for a moment, brows knitting together as he feels himself starting to leak even more, giving his cock another hard pump.

“But my hands are probably bigger than yours, aren’t they?”

That makes you whine under your breath. You know he’s right and now you can’t get that fucking image out of your head - his large hands holding your thighs open, holding your neck maybe, his fingers in your mouth, his fingers against your pussy-

You’re trying not to drool at the thought of it, it’s not working and he can tell exactly what you’re thinking.

He’s thinking the same thing.

“Poor girl, everyone gets off to you but no one to get you off? You just wanna get fucked, don’t you?”

You can’t tell if he’s being condescending or not - but he likely is.. unfortunately, you like that.

“F-fuck,”

Progress, he’s made you lose your composure and swear. Not so classy now, are you?

Watching your back arch and your fingers move faster when he says that has his mouth falling open, sweat clinging to his chest under his open shirt.

He’s been through enough women to know what it looks like when one’s about to cum, but dear god you might just be the prettiest one he’s ever seen.

It makes him lose his shit altogether actually, a dishevelled mess when he sees your thighs shake, too distracted to realise that he isn’t far behind you, groaning under his breath with his mouth agape as he stares at the mess he’s made of his tailored slacks, chest heaving as his own cum drips down his fist, he’s embarrassed, fumbling with his laptop to shut the screen off.

Jesus Christ, he’s Bruce Wayne. Not some 20-something year old. He’s been around the block! He should be able to do better than this!

It’s like you’re blacked out for a good while, regaining a sense of reality with slick dripping down your thighs as you come down from your high, mascara pooling under your eyes as you stare at a notification on your laptop, making you press your legs together again.

@BRUCE_W: I’m serious, I owe you dinner.

He owes you a lot fucking more than that.

a/n: DILF ERA IS COMING SEND ME INSPO IN MY ASKS I BEGGGG!?!!?? I NEED IDEAS (lmk if u want more Bruce idk??) 🙏 (John Constantine I have my eye on you with ominous intent..)

also wtf thank u for 200 followers I love you!!

#dc x reader #dc comics #dc universe #bruce wayne #bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne x you #bruce wayne x y/n #bruce wayne x fem!reader #bruce wayne smut #dc smut #girly!reader #batfam x reader #batman #batman x reader #batman x you #batman x y/n

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nothoughtsjustfic · 3 days ago

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Pretty Boy - L.JH

🧶Who: Lee Jihoon (Seventeen) x reader 🧶What: Fluff. Smut (18+). Established relationship. 🧶Word count: 4.6k 🧶Warnings: Jihoon’s habit of walking around half naked. Kind of sub Jihoon, but it’s not really a thing. He’s just a simp, really. They’re generally very much on equal grounds. Body worship (Jihoon receiving). Vague mentions of hickies/love bites (Jihoon receiving). Nipple play (Jihoon receiving). Oral (Jihoon receiving). Short mouth fucking moment. Hand job (Jihoon receiving). Jihoon cums on himself. It’s all very soft, really. 🧶Summary: “Sometimes, your boyfriend forgets how pretty he is. It's your job to remind him.”

Minors do NOT interact. I WILL block any account that interacts without an age indicator in their bio.

Masterlist

A/N- This was a very spur of the moment decision to write because I decided Jihoon needs a fic titled “Pretty Boy”. The cardigan mentioned is the one he wore during a God of Music live recording (I didn’t realise it’s actually a jumper until trying to find a picture of it, oops). Thank you to @lovetaroandtaemin for reading this over for me and assuring me that the smut isn’t shit due to my lack of practise these days 💗

After living with Lee Jihoon for two years now, and dating for another year before that, you’re used to the man shamelessly strutting around the apartment in as little clothing as possible.

Often, you return home and find him lounging around in just his boxers. You’ve kind of become desensitised to his partial nudity at this point, even if he’s ridiculously attractive and favours tiny little boxers that leave nothing to the imagination. Sometimes, you can’t help but jump him when your hormones run wild, but mostly, you just appreciate the view and carry on with your life.

It's normal.

What isn’t normal is for him to decide to add one of your creations to the mix.

A few days ago, you gifted Jihoon a cardigan that you had spent months secretly crocheting for him; a difficult task when the man is always home if not working or at the gym, so you hadn’t gained many opportunities to lovingly create it.

The cardigan is an amalgamation of colourful granny squares, attached together to be oversized on your boyfriend in the way you think makes him look so precious. All the colours against his skin look so pretty, even better than you imagined.

And Jihoon has been far more enthusiastic about the gift than you expected. That’s not to say you thought he’d be ungrateful, because you know Jihoon appreciates everything you give him, even the cheap keyring you won from an arcade game months ago. He especially adores everything you’ve handmade for him and looks after it all so carefully that you knew he’d love the cardigan too.

But you truly hadn’t expected the sheer joy and infatuation he’s shown for it.

Every single day since you gave it to him, Jihoon has worn it. In fact, as soon as you gave it to him, he immediately pulled it onto his naked torso and curled up into a colourfully adorable little ball on the couch at your side.

In retrospect, it may be your own fault for Jihoon’s latest habit. You had given him the cardigan when he was in nothing but his underwear, so he had first worn it with just his underwear and realised how soft the material is against his bare skin.

So now, every single day, you return from work to find him wearing the cardigan with his usual loungewear. Or on the days you’re home before him, you get to witness his sheer determination to shower and get into his new favourite home attire: the cardigan and his boxers. His tiny, leave-nothing-to-the-imagination black boxers, so short that they don’t even peek out from the hem of the cardigan at the top of his thighs.

In fact, you can only catch glimpses of the black material through the holes in the cardigan and are supposed to act completely normal about this.

Clearly, Jihoon doesn’t think there’s any problem with it. He thinks he can just waltz around looking so fucking pretty without you losing your mind.

You’d say he’s doing it on purpose and teasing you, but there’s not even the slightest hint of the usual mischievous glint he gets in his eyes, or the quirk of his lips from the start of the smirk he favours when he’s teasing you.

Today, he’s decided to make it even worse by tying his recently bleached hair up messily, to get it out of his face as he games on his laptop at your side on the couch. A few strands keep falling into his face, making him constantly have to try and tuck them behind his ears, but they’re just too short and only stay in place for a minute at most.

You know that he’s going to get frustrated in a minute, so you get up to go to the bedroom and grab your little bag of hair bands and clips and return to his side. He glances at you and smiles gratefully when he sees the pouch balanced on your legs before he focuses back on his game.

After picking out a couple of cute little flower clips, you place them neatly in his hair and earn an appreciative kiss on the inside of your wrist when he grabs your hand quickly as it retreats, just to squeeze gently and kiss your wrist, then let go.

Although your task is finished, you don’t move away. Don’t look away. Can’t look away. Jihoon is just so fucking pretty, and you’re utterly mesmerised.

At first, Jihoon doesn’t even realise that you’re staring at him, he’s too focused on his game, but then he happens to glance at you and catch you looking at him. Still, he doesn’t realise that you’ve been staring at him appreciatively for a handful of minutes and just gives you a little smile and a soft kiss before turning back to his game.

But now that he’s caught you once, he seems to be very aware of your gaze on him as less than a minute later, he peeks at you and raises a questioning eyebrow. “What?” he wonders. “I’m not even being loud.”

“Do I look pissed off?” you counter, raising your own eyebrow at him.

He eyes you carefully, as if this is a trick question, before shaking his head a little as his expression begins to turn perplexed. “No.”

“Well then.”

“Right,” he murmurs and gives you one more bewildered look before turning back to his game. Though only seconds later, he’s looking back at you with a confused exhale that makes you snigger. “Okay, seriously, babe, what?”

“Can’t I admire my pretty boyfriend?”

“You’re literally insane,” he mutters, pink blooming over his cheeks as he looks back to his screen shyly.

It always amazes you that even after three years together, Jihoon still gets shy when you call him pretty, or beautiful, or gorgeous. But something about “pretty” always gets to him. He’s never admitted it, but you know he loves it when you call him pretty; but only if you mean it with everything in you. Like you do now.

“For my pretty boyfriend, yeah,” you confirm and lean forward to kiss his cheek. His shoulders lift as he tries not to giggle shyly at the praise paired with the sweet kiss.

“Ah, stop,” he complains weakly and gently nudges you backwards with his elbow, even as you whine and nuzzle under his jaw with your nose affectionately. “L-love,” he stammers, fingers fluttering over his keyboard. “I’m playing.”

“I’m not stopping you, pretty boy.” As soon as the petname is out of your lips, Jihoon whimpers softly and you know you’ve got him. “But, if you turn it off, I can show you just how fucking pretty you are to me.”

“Fuck,” he breathes out and doesn’t even bother turning he game off, just closes the lid of his laptop and moves it to the empty space on his left.

“Let's go to bed. I want to lay you out and worship you,” you murmur against his skin. You feel his soft groan against your lips more than you hear it.

Knowing that he’ll follow, you get up and head to the bedroom to set the bed up; pull back the covers and adjust the pillows to put yours right in the centre.

Jihoon always prefers to lay his head on your pillow when you’re being intimate, so that he can fully immerse himself in you with your scent right by his face. It’s another thing he’s never admitted to, but you still know. You know him too well at this point to not notice these things about him.

Without a word, as soon as Jihoon is in the bedroom, he crawls up onto the bed and lays on his back to get comfortable in the centre of the bed, while you sit on the edge and watch him.

Once he’s still, you lean over with one hand resting gently on the centre of his chest and press a soft kiss to his lips. “Comfy, my love?” you check. He hums in confirmation and nods. “Good.”

Satisfied with his position and comfort, you get onto the bed properly to kneel over him with a knee either side of his hips and work on undoing the buttons of the cardigan.

When they’re all undone and you push the material aside to bare his torso to you, Jihoon starts to sit up ready to remove it, but you tut and gently push him back down. “You look so pretty in it, baby. Keep it on so you’re surrounded by my love, hm?”

“It’s the cardigan that’s pretty,” he replies in a murmur, eyes darting down to look at the material pooling either side of his waist on the bed and still covering his arms.

“Excuse you, Lee Jihoon, how dare you insinuate that you’re not leagues prettier!” you exclaim and pinch his nipple lightly, making him yelp and lift his hands to cover his always so sensitive nipples.

“Hey!”

“Take it back!”

“You’re biased as my partner; you have to call me pretty!” he defends and bats your hands away when you reach towards his chest again.

“I called you pretty before we even started to date!” you remind and lean over him, planting your hands either side of his head. “Now, stop disrespecting the love of my life or we’re going to have issues, understand, Lee Jihoon?”

He softens at your words, your reminder of how intensely and utterly you love him. His eyes round out a little as his hands slip away from his chest. “C’mere,” he all but whispers as he reaches up to cup your face and gently pulls you into a kiss full of love and devotion; appreciation for you and an urge to show you just how much he adores you with his lips moving against yours. His tongue flits out to drag against yours slowly and spill soft moans into your mouth as his fingers press into your skin as if he wants nothing more than to imprint himself over every inch of you.

The kiss breaks with heavy breath and a handful of lingering pecks as neither of you really want to be apart; but you both need to breathe if you want to have the chance to live a long, happy, and healthy life together. Which, you both very much would love to do.

“My love?” he calls softly when you’ve both filled your lungs enough. You hum questioningly in response and lean up further to look down into his dark gaze. “Show me how pretty I am?”

A gentle smile lifts your lips as you lean down and press a lingering kiss to his lips. “Happily, my pretty boy,” you hum appreciatively against his lips before starting your work.

Jihoon’s hands fall to the bed, splaying out and curling into the sheets under him as your lips start a well-travelled path over his jaw, down his neck, across his collar bones, and to his chest.

You pass your adoration through your lips into his skin and know he can feel the intention based on the way his breath is already staggered. Little pants and puffs leave his parted lips as he tries to regulate his breathing when your love is filling his chest and making it hard to get a steady breath. But he’d never ask you to stop, would never want you to. He would choke on your love and still yearn for more.

Jihoon doesn’t think he’s a greedy man generally, but when it comes to you and your love, he always wants more. He wants all you to fill him with your love until it spills out and puddles at his feet. He knows you’d scoop it back up and gently press it back into him as much as he wants. As much as he needs.

You’re everything he’s ever wanted in a person, even before he knew what he wanted. You’re everything he never knew he needed until the first time you did this; spent so long worshipping his body until he was a shivering mess on his bed, and you curled up at his side to hold him without asking or even wanting anything in return.

He knew from that day that you’re it for him; the only person he wants to have in his bed. The only person he wants to spend his life with.

You know how to lift him up, and how to hold him down on solid ground whenever he needs it. He tries his best to return that care and attention, and he hopes that he does a good job. He’s not very good with words and actions in day-to-day life, but he can lay here when you want him to, can let you show him how pretty you find him because he knows you genuinely mean it and need him to believe it too.

He can do a lot of other things in bed too, things he knows you love, and he’s always willing to try out new things too. But that’s not what this is about. This isn’t about how much Jihoon can fuck you into the mattress or use his mouth and hands to send you to another plane of existence.

This is about showing Jihoon how pretty he truly is.

Jihoon’s breath catches when your lips brush over his left nipple, fingers of your left-hand dance over his ribs to meet his other nipple and teasingly trace featherlight around the very edge. He whimpers quietly and wriggles until you apply more pressure and stop teasing; press your thumb to one nipple and drag your tongue over the other.

He gasps and without even looking, you know he’s closed his eyes and has that little furrow in his eyebrows that he always gets when pleasure starts to build in his body.

As much as you love playing with Jihoon’s pretty nipples, you know he gets very sensitive and desperate to cum very quickly if you spend too long on them, and that’s not the aim of this today.

Slowly, you move your mouth down his torso; kissing, sucking, and licking every dip and rise of his well-toned body as you listen carefully to every breathless moan and pleasure fuelled hitch of breath coming from your boyfriend. You don’t need to pay such close attention to his breathing to know which areas are more sensitive, which areas cause him to twitch and grip the sheets tighter. But you like the noises he makes. They’re almost as pretty as he is.

When you reach the elastic of his boxers, Jihoon lets out a soft whimper, nearly desperate for you to remove the item and make him cum already. Yet, he doesn’t try to make you.

He knows you’ll take good care of him and make it worth the wait; even if his impatience wants to make him stick his own hand in his boxers to wrap around his practically throbbing length. But he’ll wait. He’ll wait as long as you make him. It’s always worth the wait; you’ve never failed to make him see stars when you do this.

He isn’t entirely surprised when you tease your fingers along the edge of the elastic, drag your tongue against the dip in his hips before moving further down. But it does make him let out a little noise of complaint that you only laugh softly at, a single exhale of air against his skin as your lips twitch up in amusement before you get back to work.

Jihoon knows you won’t be satisfied until you’ve kissed over every patch of exposed skin, until you’ve tucked bite marks into the insides of his thighs just at the hem of his boxers where only your eyes and touch are granted the privilege of knowing.

So, he waits as your lips trail his thighs.

He waits as your fingers wrap around the backs of his knees to lift his legs and allow you space to nip at the top of his calf to make his whole body twitch.

He waits as your tongue teasingly edges under the leg of his boxers to get at that tiny little hidden inch of extra skin.

He waits as your hands turn down his boxers little by little.

He waits as your mouth gives all the new skin thorough attention.

He waits as you toss his boxers aside and suck a collection of marks into the crease of his thigh while he pants and moans, hips moving and cock aching for your touch.

And finally, he’s rewarded.

Today, you don’t dance around it. Today, you think he’s really got the message. Today, the precum leaking from his cock is too pretty to resist and you lap at it shortly before abruptly taking the tip of his cock into your mouth.

Jihoon gasps sharply, body curling and shoulders coming off of the bed at the sudden wet, warmth wrap around his sensitive tip, before he drops back down with a string of curses, praises, and thanks. It makes you giggle, and the vibrations travel along his cock, where it’s sitting heavy on your tongue as you take him a little deeper, making him moan.

Finally, Jihoon loosens his grip of one hand from the sheets. His right hand unfurls to reach down and thread into your hair; to rest his palm flat on your head, even if his knuckles hurt from how tight he’s been gripping the bedding until now.

“F-fuck,” he breathes out, hips canting up to slide more of his cock into your mouth. You adjust your position to make it easier on you to take him then hum, patting his hips encouragingly with both hands. It’s been three years of this, yet he still always checks, “You sure?” he pants, peering down at you. The flat look you give him makes him chuckle before he moves his hand from your hair to caress your cheek fondly. “Alright, love, remember to pinch me if it’s too much.” You hum in agreement to the rule put in place from the very first time Jihoon fucked your mouth, and then he starts moving his hips.

Just like every time, Jihoon starts slowly, gradually moving his hips to drag his heavy cock over your tongue and tease the back of your throat without pressing into it.

Back when you first got together, you had assumed he did it for your sake; but now you know that it’s mostly for him. He doesn’t want to get overwhelmed by going faster and not appreciate the feeling of your perfect little mouth welcoming his cock in so eagerly.

The sight of your lips stretched taught around his thick cock, as he edges further into your mouth and hits your throat, makes Jihoon groan and move his hand from cupping your face and to the back of your head.

He’s not pushing you, not holding you down or pulling your head to lead you. He’s just resting there, thumb randomly stroking against your hair because Jihoon can’t stop himself from rubbing his thumb against you whenever his hand is resting against any part of you. It’s pretty much ingrained in his very being at this point; to love you in every little way he can.

“That’s it, love,” he praises thickly, still watching the way his cock slides in and out of your mouth, even if it means he’s curled up a little, using far more muscles than necessary to fuck your mouth. You can feel his thick thighs contracting under your hands with every roll of his hips and see his abs tensed with the effort of keeping his head up high enough to watch.

At times like this, ‘pretty’ doesn’t quite fit your boyfriend. He’s mind-numbingly hot and it makes you whimper a little.

This is where Jihoon thrives; where he doesn’t question your comments because the man knows he’s hot. He works hard enough on his body to know and be confident in that. His mouth turns up at one side in a smug smirk, teeth peeking out his parted lips, but he doesn’t say a word and moves his lips a little harder. A little faster. A little deeper.

The fact that he’s breaching your throat with every thrust tells you that this has all run away from you a bit. You were supposed to be showing Jihoon how pretty he is, but he’s just reminded you how ridiculously hot and muscular he is.

Abruptly, you pull off of him, pressing both hands against his hips to force him back down onto the bed.

“Babe!” he exclaims in complaint, though when you wrap your hand around his dripping cock, he slumps against the mattress and drops his hands down to his sides, splaying out and letting his eyes flutter closed.

“That’s it,” you approve and stroke your free hand over his thigh reverently, gently digging your fingers now and then to massage away the lingering tension from his efforts. “You’re very good at distracting me, pretty boy.”

“Y-you’re very good with- fuck,” he curses as your thumb passes over the tip of his cock and presses against his slit teasingly, before moving back down to work your hand up and down his slick length in the way you know he likes best.

“I’m good with fuck, good to know,” you muse, and giggle when he shoots you an unimpressed look, but it goes, and he chuckles before motioning you to come to him.

Obligingly, you lean over, grabbing his right hand as you go so that you can link your fingers together on the pillow beside his head as you hover over him. Jihoon reaches up to cup your jaw in his left hand and tug you into a deep kiss, his tongue dragging against yours and tasting the lingering flavour of his precum. He’s letting out continuous, soft, and low moans and groans as your hand continues to work over his length.

You know he has to be close, but he’s holding out, letting you bring him his orgasm at the speed you deem appropriate. It always made your heart swell knowing how much he trusts you to look after him in such a vulnerable and intimate way. If possible, you think it makes you fall in love with him a little more every time.

When his hands start to twitch and his kisses grow distracted, you know he’s teetering on the edge. It’s a sight you never want to miss, so you lean up enough to be able to look down at him, to see both his pretty, pleasure pinked face and leaking cock in one view.

If possible, you’d frame a picture of Jihoon like this and hang it on the bedroom wall to look at whenever you want. But Jihoon had refused when you asked, so you have to make do with your memories and bring him to orgasm as often as he’ll allow you to be blessed with the visage.

“Love,” Jihoon manages to get the petname out in warning amongst his panting and moaning, muscles starting to pull taut.

“I know, pretty boy. Show me,” you encourage.

Jihoon nods mindlessly a few times before he abruptly stops breathing for a second, then moans long and low as his back arches and his climax hits him. You watch entranced as his cum lands over his exposed torso, painting his stomach and chest so prettily you hope you never forget this sight.

His hair has half come out of the messy bun he’d put it in, and the clips are dangling from blonde strands beside his head, no longer keeping anything in place. His skin is splotchy; reds and pinks melting over his skin in no discernible pattern. His muscles are shuddering, trembling as pleasure courses through his body. He’s a mess. And he’s never looked prettier.

Carefully, you drag your hand over his cock to work him through his orgasm before you let go, not wanting to overstimulate him. He’s already exhausted, and you know he can’t handle being overstimulated in these sessions.

Knowing that he needs a moment to himself to gather himself, you press a kiss to his forehead before getting up to go to the bathroom and get a warm, damp cloth and a dry towel. Plus, a quick stop to the living room to grab his mostly full glass before you return.

He looks a little more like himself now and smiles tiredly at you as you place his glass down then climb up onto the bed to his side.

“How do you feel, my love?” you ask as you begin to use the damp washcloth to clean him gently.

“Good, real good,” he assures as he puts his hand on your thigh to mindlessly stroke. “You always make me feel good.”

“I’m glad I’m doing my job as your partner right then,” you return, giving him a cheeky smile that he chuckles at. “Feel pretty now?”

“The prettiest,” he confirms, making you smile a little wider, truly happy with his response. Especially as you know he means it.

“You are,” you agree and quickly pat him dry before bundling the wet cloth inside the towel and tossing them in the vague direction of the washing hamper to deal with later.

Once you’ve urged Jihoon to sit up enough to swallow down the remainder of his drink, you adjust the pillows back to normal and pull the blanket up over your bodies as you curl up against him. Jihoon hums happily as your head rests on his shoulder and his arms wrap around your body.

For a little while, you’re both quiet, contently enjoying just existing in one another’s bubble. At peace where you belong, tucked in each other’s loving embrace. You think that nothing could be better than this.

“I love you,” Jihoon says in a soft voice to not break the calm, fuzzy atmosphere, but his words are still so full of affection you can feel it overflowing and spreading over your skin. “With everything in me, I love you.”

It seems you were wrong. One thing could make this better and that’s your boyfriend speaking the depths of his adoration for you into the air and letting it settle over you both like a warm, cosy blanket.

“I love you just the same, Jihoon,” you promise and seal it with a kiss to his neck, where you can feel his pulse thrum under your lips and hope it will take the message right to his heart. You think it might, as Jihoon’s chest expands a little bigger as if his heart is momentarily swelling with the addition of your extra love, before it spreads throughout his body and he settles back down, holding you that bit tighter and pressing his own kiss to your head.

You think that really, you will never find another who can make you feel the way Jihoon does. From the very first day you met, he stole your attention and over time, your heart, and a piece of your soul to blend with his own.

Or perhaps, he always had a part, but you just didn’t know what you were missing until you met him, and he took the time and effort to show you what it means to find your other part. Your other half. Your soulmate.

You never believed in soulmates until Jihoon, always scoffed at the thought. But you think that if anyone was designed to complete your heart and soul, it’d be your pretty boy.

Don’t forget to reblog if you liked to help spread the story and let others read it too! And don't be shy to leave comments or send an ask so I can see your thoughts 🥺 💖

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deswhomst · 1 day ago

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i went into ginny and georgia season 3 like “oh this is that one guilty pleasure kinda cringey show ive liked for a few years now” but omg the writing this season was so good !!!! it was a masterpiece imo. i did not expect all that to happen—plus the acting!!! it was so well done i’m actually weirdly proud of it. dumping some thoughts here

S3 SPOILERS:

i used to really like paul but he disappointed me baddd. i’m not saying his situation was completely easy but he totally abandoned them (including ginny and austin) and i lost all respect when he hit the wall beside georgia—and i GET that georgia faking a pregnancy was wrong, too, but he got violent and that’s never okay imo.

i am SO happy that ginny confronted zion about being absent, too, because everyone keeps saying that zion is such a great father and while he’s not horrible, he has definitely lived his life while georgia had to give hers up. yes it was her choice but he could’ve fought harder, too. so im not saying i hate him or he’s totally bad but i like that there was accountability for that this season.

ginny and georgia!!! <333 i feel like this is the closest the two have ever been and i recognize the situation was very fucked up and traumatizing but i loved them being in each other’s corner. really embodied the us against the world thing

poor austin oh MY GOD he framed his own father for a murder he saw his mother commit that’s insaneee. he’s never ever going to be okay after this because even if his dad was an asshole, it was still his dad and he was good to austin so it’s bound to be scarring. like austin chose georgia over gil because like ginny said it came down to either his mom going to prison or his dad and that’s not a choice a kid should ever have to make

also see the way georgia has never once bad mouthed gil to austin even tho he abused her bc she wanted him to have a good image of his dad but gil started talking shit about georgia to austin the second he could says a lot

that scene where the CPS people (?) took ginny and austin from georgia’s house was so so sad

really enjoyed ginny and abby’s friendship this season

and omg max :(( i felt so incredibly bad for her. putting aside all the drama with her friends, the way she looked after marcus this season was so precious. she knew that if she told her parents, he wouldn’t talk to her, but she cared about him and did the right thing ultimately—i’m sure someday marcus will realise that she was really there for him and she possibly saved his life by pushing him to get the help he needs.

coming to her friends, they were genuinely mean to her a lot. max was unfair in the previous season but she clearly learnt from it and grew as a person and she kept thinking that she was the problem for a while but they did genuinely leave her out quite a lot and that never ever feels good.

the way when ginny got pregnant all she needed was her mom :((

JOE PUNCHED GIL !!!! JOE PUNCHED GIL !!!!

JOE AND GEORGIA KISSED !!!! they’re so endgame it has been obvious from the beginning but i’ll be honest i did start having my doubts when paul & georgia seemed to be doing so well. that ship has drowned now lmaoo BUT OMG THAT BABY BETTER NOT BE PAUL’S </3

also i’m kinda?? idk, happy for georgia? if she decided to keep the kid, that is, because she had ginny and austin when she was very very young and not at all stable so if she were to have a baby now in a better position in life that could be healing for her and maybe the cycle of traumatizing her children could finally end but who knows we will see. also would understand if she doesn’t want to have the baby but knowing georgia she probably will have it

#queue #i know probably no one will read this but i had to get these thoughts out there #ginny and georgia season 3 #ginny and georgia spoilers #gng #ginny and georgia #ginny & georgia #georgia miller #ginny miller #austin miller #max baker #joegeorgia

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glassmitu · 13 hours ago

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OKAY BUD LISTEN NOW U GAVE ME SHEDLETSKY X READER AND ME HAPY UNDERSTAND??

Masterlist — Forsaken

Request — Shedletsky x reader random, headcanons,,

⭑𓂃 ⌗ Staff — ok blud, you gotta do my request once i send it.

SHEDLETSKY

𖣠 In general, Shedletsky would woo you really hard when he is courting you to be honest. He'll show up his swords and all with such smug smile.

𖣠 He also shares his chicken with you, i mean c'mon dude! Take his hints! Don't friendzone him.

𖣠 He would often protect or save you from the killer in rounds, and if it 1x1x1x1 who is the killer, he'll try to show up for you but will not if he has low health to be honest.

𖣠 He loves to hug you from behind as a suprise hug, he likes how suprised you get but once calms down when it is him.

𖣠 He is all nice and such, but he can get quite moody too. Especially if it is because you don't seems to reply back to his courting.

𖣠 Still that fuzzy warm feelings inside him whenever he is close to you is getting too stronger now. But you don't even anknowledge it for now.

𖣠 He is waiting so patiently trust, but your lack of notice is getting on his nerves. Better hurry up or he'll have to confess somehow.

#𝐎𝐎 #forsaken x reader #forsaken #roblox forsaken #shedletsky x reader #fluff #headcanons #Fanfiction

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walkingnearfoxes · 2 days ago

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Work Perks (Homelander x Reader)

You’re Homelander’s new favorite worker bee. It’s a mixed blessing.

NSFW. Warnings for dubious consent, coercion, toxic workplace power dynamics, oral, anal, and it’s the Homelander we all should be running.

Some perks came with having caught Homelander’s attention. One of them was moving from a cubicle in the trenches of Vought Tower to your own private office. Another was that an offhand comment about knee pain resulted in a state-of-the-art convertible standing desk, accompanied by a bouquet of roses next to your keyboard. He even left a note.

Need to make sure those knees are in working order, right? ;) - The Homelander

You don’t know why he felt the need to write you a signed note. He’s the only one in your life with such a frivolous grasp of an insurmountable bank account.

Keeping the positives of this “relationship” in mind was important. When Homelander’s advances started becoming obvious, you thought your coworkers would hate you. No one else at Vought rocketed to importance as quickly as you had, and you wouldn’t fault anyone for seething at the favoritism. Instead, whenever you passed an old office buddy in the lunch room or the halls, they gave you nothing but sympathy. Homelander had kept up his shiny reputation with the world for decades, but the inner sanctum knew better. Each shiny toy bestowed upon you came with a cost. They knew a contract with the devil had been signed, and you weren’t the one holding the pen.

So, with little other choice, you focused on the good parts. The desk cost more than two months’ rent, and it kept your knee from locking during your insane hours. Your productivity soared to the point that you were smiling to yourself when the door opened.

“Oh, look at you,” Homelander coos as he struts towards you. “My little worker bee in her element.”

There goes your productivity. Still, you smile at the hero as he saunters closer. “Hi, Homelander.”

“Hi,” He stops to run his gloved hand over the desk’s outer edge. “So, what do you think? You like it?”

“Very much,” You tell him honestly, your fingers still typing away at your dozens of e-mails. “Thank you.”

Homelander waves his hand in mock modesty. “Oh, come on. You’re the one making the company run, right?”

A huge exaggeration, but that’s his specialty. He slowly takes off his gloves and leaves them by your monitor. He then saunters over to the desk controls on the side of the wood. With a quiet hum of intrigue, he presses the button to raise the desk. He keeps hold until it’s as high as it can go, leaving the keyboard in line with your neck. He then lowers it all the way down so the keyboard aligns with your knees. He then repeats the process, not minding that you’re still trying to do your work. He does it again. And again. Up. Down. Up. Down.

“Please stop that.”

He laughs, but obliges. You feel him walk behind you to stand behind your back. One hand settles on your waist. His chin comes down to rest on your shoulder. He says nothing for a while and watches your attempt to continue working, his fingers lightly drumming against your waist. Finally, he chuckles. “Your blood pressure’s awfully high. Tough e-mails?”

You swallow heavily as your typing rate continues to decrease. “Yeah. Very tough.”

Homelander chuckles again and gently kisses the side of your neck. “You’re so cute.”

You have no reply to that, and he allows you to work for a few more minutes. You manage to get two more emails sent. As usual, it doesn’t take long for him to get bored. He starts brushing soft kisses along your neck, soft kisses that evolve into sucking against your skin, sucking that turns into little nibbles along your collarbone. One hand stays on your waist while the other trails down your skirt. He grabs a handful of your ass. You let out a sharp gasp. “Homelander-”

“I don’t like this dress,” He mumbles against your skin. “It’s not flattering.”

You’ve had this dress for years. Prior to Homelander kicking down the door into your life, you had a very average living. An average living didn’t afford you the luxury of buying the lavish outfits Homelander prefers.

“We’ll have to replace it,” Homelander says, emphasizing his point with another full squeeze of your ass.

“I like this dress,” You murmur. He’s begun taking over your wardrobe, but you have been more resistant to losing your personal style.

As if reading your thoughts, he breathes a dark chuckle against your neck. “Aw, my little doll doesn’t like dress up? What’s the problem? A million people in this building would kill to be in your pretty little shoes.”

There’s an edge of a warning in his final words, but you don’t dare take the bait. You don’t want to tell him what he perceives as envy is horror. Maybe a few poor souls haven’t seen through Homelander’s porcelain grin, but you remember your coworkers' sympathetic looks with each new “gift.” You didn’t offer yourself to the wolf; he found you.

Homelander’s hand slides underneath your skirt. He growls against your neck as he feels the soft fabric of your underwear, dexterous fingers wrapping around them and pulling down. You gasp quietly, your fingers finally pausing in the frantic typing. “Homelander, I have so much work to do today.”

“Okay? I’m not stopping you.” You feel his eye roll as he lets go of your waist, but only to continue pulling your underwear down your body. It ends with him kneeling between your legs, his hot breath too dangerously close to your sensitive skin. “Fuck, I love the smell of this cunt.”

There’s a window on your office door. If anyone passed by, they would see this. That doesn’t stop Homelander from pushing his face up your skirt and licking a slow line up your pussy. You gasp, your hands flying forward to grab the edges of your desk. He chuckles against you. One of his hands grabs the back of your thigh to hold you steady, and the other moves to grab a handful of one cheek, squeezing and spreading you wide. When he’s decided you’re steady, he licks you lazily. The Homelander loves to eat you out. He does it whenever and wherever he can. He’s loud and unabashed, growling and sucking on your lips like you’re his favorite meal. It leaves you shaking every time. His hold on you and your white-knuckle death grip on the desk - the desk he gave you - keep you from turning into a puddle. He barely touches your clit until little moans of pleausre start escaping your lips. Only then does he angle his tongue down to flick at your little bud with a practiced precision that makes any remaining good sense flee your body. “Fuck, Homelander...”

“That’s my girl,” He growls in approval, pressing his face impossibly closer against your cunt. His hand on your ass travels around to thumb at your clit lazily, his tongue pressing up inside you. The gentle fucking of his tongue is so distracting that you nearly miss how his thumb travels south, rubbing slowly over your ass, and then presses against your asshole. You gasp, unconsciously bucking back into him, and his thumb slowly slides inside of you, and you moan. Homelander’s low chuckle against you is sinful. “I knew you’d like that.”

You can’t form a reply by his design. He goes back to sucking your clit, his thumb slowly fucking your ass, and your orgasm takes you by surprise. You hear him growl as your juices drip into his mouth, a meal he eagerly takes, and the pleasure rolls through your body. You bury your face against the desk to stifle your moans from alerting the rest of the building just what the leader of the Seven is doing to you in your office. You’re still recovering as you feel him pull away. Homelander lifts one of your legs onto the desk, your shin resting on the cold wood. “Up we go,” He murmurs, then reaches over to lower the desk so your hips are in line with his. “Damn. This thing really is multi-use, isn’t it?”

Your legs are fully spread, your skirt tossed up. It sends the gifted roses to the floor, but Homelander doesn’t spare them a glance. Your raised leg leaves you little mobility, but he seems to get a real kick out of leaving you at his mercy. You hear the familiar sound of his belt - that ridiculous eagle - coming undone, and then his hard cock is pressed against you. He feels hot, and your fingers curl to fight an arch back into him. Then, he slowly presses his cock against your ass. You jolt; you haven’t done this with him before. “Homelander…”

“Oh, come on,” He growls, need and impatience heavy in his voice. “You came like a faucet at just my thumb in your ass. You telling me you don’t want this?”

You’re not rejecting him; you’re not even sure if you could. But he turns sex into a marathon and leaves you a mess every time. You don’t know if you could handle him fucking your ass over your desk. The thought alone makes you shake, but that gives you your answer. You let out a shaky breath. “Just…just be gentle, please.”

He surprises you by leaning forward and brushing a kiss on the top of your head. “Of course…gonna stretch my doll nice and gentle,” He murmurs against your hair. He takes himself in his hand and slowly, achingly, pushes inside. His hands both move to your hips when he bottoms out. The moan out of his mouth is filthy and loud. If you could think straight, maybe you’d be concerned about the whole floor hearing you. But even if they did, they’d know exactly what was happening and who was doing it. No one in their right mind would interrupt the Homelander now.

He fucks your ass slowly at first, giving you space to adjust, but never stops moving. His grip on your hips will leave bruises, and you remember how much he’s holding back. This man could tear you apart without even trying. In a way, he already is. His cock has a way of fucking the most difficult parts of this situation out of your mind. The more your body adjusts to him, the more heat tingles along your spine. Your eyes roll back, your moans getting louder to match his own.

“That’s it. Knew you’d like this, you slut,” Homelander growls, emphasizing his words with rougher thrusts. “Been wanting to fuck this cute ass for so long.”

One hand deftly moves around to rub quick circles at your clit, and then pinches it between his fingers. That’s it for you. You whimper through your orgasm this time, the pleasure sending the energy out of your body, and he follows right after. He almost sounds pained as he comes inside you, his hand on your hip shaking against your skin. His face rests against your head, and for a long moment, he says nothing. Finally, he curses under his breath. “Fuck.”

You shift, his softening cock still inside you. “What?”

“I really wanted to fuck your tits,” Homelander complains. He reaches around to give one of your breasts a squeeze. “They look so good in this blouse.”

You can’t help a quiet huff of laughter. “You got really sidetracked, then…”

He snorts and leans down to kiss your exposed collarbone. “Can’t say I’m disappointed,” He kneels down and finds your panties, pulling them back into place. When you squirm, he chuckles. “Relax. You won’t be wearing them for long.”

That only means one thing. You’re getting no more work done today. You’re getting whisked away to Homelander’s penthouse, where your only job is to please him. To survive him.

#my writing #homelander #homelander x reader #homelander x you #i woke up today and chose to sin

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zylokv · 1 day ago

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I LEFT YOU EVERYTHING, YOU LEFT ME WAITING. — MINATOZAKI SANA

❝ what if i did a solo performance? just for you. ❞

synopsis — they weren’t supposed to fall. not like that. not in stolen moments behind the cameras or in the quiet lull between takes. but somehow, it happened anyway — slowly, gently, like a secret being kept. and just as quietly, it all fell apart. someone trusted made sure of that. and now it’s been weeks. she still checks her phone in the middle of the night, hoping. you still think about her smile, and wonder if any of it was ever real. both of you still waiting. both of you still in the dark. notice — emotional angst/unrequited love, miscommunication, implied sabotage, idolxnon-idol, written with realism, metaphors, and a slow and painful unravelling love story. pairing — minatozaki sana x reader ! disclaimer ! this is a work of fiction created purely for entertainment purposes. all events are fictional. while this story may feature public figures (e.g., sana from twice), it is not meant to reflect their real thoughts, actions, or relationships. please remember: nothing depicted in this story actually happened.

you’re early, but so’s the sun. it spills over the rooftops like it has nowhere better to be, catching on the palm fronds and rust-red tin of the surf shack across the street. myna birds argue overhead in the breadfruit tree. usual noise.

you lean against the old tour van, logo half-faded, bumper held together by duct tape and denial. the iced coffee in your hand is more ritual than refreshment.

“you hear 'em yet?” comes a voice behind you.

you glance back. keoni’s stepping out of the gear shed, chewing on dried mango, curls smashed under a cap that’s seen better years.

“nah,” you reply, “but if they’re late, you’re doing the intro hike in that hat.”

he laughs. “they’re idols, not royalty.”

you arch a brow. “tell that to the last crew who filmed here and needed someone to ‘escort the mosquitoes away.’”

“i escorted them straight into the gulch.”

you snort. silence settles for a breath. the crew’s been buzzing—two artists visiting on a break, no cameras yet, just a private walk. low-key, but big. some newer guides offered to take it, but they asked for you. probably because you don’t ask for autographs. probably because you don’t talk much.

a van pulls up, sleek and black, windows tinted like a secret.

keoni gives a low whistle. “showtime.”

you push off the bumper, brush the sand off your legs, walk toward the driveway as the door slides open.

first out: sharp eyes, clipboard, no patience. manager. she gives you a look like she’s seen every kind of idiot and hopes you’re the exception.

“you’re the guide?”

“yep. and you’re the one who’ll yell at me if i let them touch sea turtles, right?”

her lip twitches—almost a smile. she steps aside.

and then they step out.

sana, all light and limbs, laughing at something inside the van. miyeon follows, sunglasses too big for her face, waving like there’s a red carpet no one else can see. they look like they were airlifted straight from a magazine into the humidity without even blinking.

you keep your tone easy. “aloha. welcome to hale‘iwa. i’m your guide today. just me. no cameras yet, so you’re stuck with my jokes until they get here.”

sana gives you a once-over, curious but not unfriendly. “we heard you’re the best.”

“that was probably my mom,” you say. “she has a lot of burner accounts.”

miyeon snorts. “yah—if this turns out to be the 'oops i forgot the water' tour, i’m calling dispatch.”

“deluxe package,” you say. “we only lose a few people on that one.”

behind them, keoni appears with a crate of gear. you nod toward him.

“this is keoni. if you fall into a lava tube, he’s in charge of pretending we trained for that.”

he waves. “i left my rope at home.”

“that’s a joke,” you add. “kind of.”

you help distribute water bottles and light packs. miyeon chatters while adjusting her straps, and sana asks about the flower behind a staff member’s ear.

“left side,” you say, overhearing. “means they’re taken. right side, single.”

sana turns, brows up. “and you? which side do you wear yours on?”

her voice is light. but her eyes aren’t.

you look at her, then smile. “depends on the day.”

“mm,” she says, like she’s filing that away.

you gesture toward the path carved between trees. “alright, we’ll head through a shaded route up to a lookout. no drones, no crowds, just us and the mosquitoes. try not to flirt with them. they take it seriously.”

“do they bite harder when you lead them on?” miyeon asks.

“worse,” you say. “they ghost you after.”

sana lets out a small chuckle.

the trail begins with soft ground, old roots reaching like fingers across the dirt. you point out ‘ōhi‘a trees, explain the legends of pele and hi‘iaka. your voice is steady, practiced—but you’re watching them. especially her.

sana stays close. not too close. she asks about the birdsong, the smooth black rock, the kapu signs carved near the tree line. she listens like she’s used to noise and this quiet unnerves her in a good way.

miyeon’s already up ahead, spinning in slow circles, filming her feet.

the wind shifts. you smell the ocean again, faint but constant, and the distant trace of charcoal from someone grilling down by the beach road.

the first scenic stop opens ahead, a bluff over shallow tidepools and lava shelves. the camera crew’s waiting at a distance, giving you space. they haven’t started filming yet.

you pause at the edge, the sun low behind you, painting sana and miyeon in warm orange light. miyeon lifts her phone, posing without being asked.

sana steps beside you.

“you really live here?” she asks.

you nod. “grew up bouncing between islands. this one stuck.”

“doesn’t it get lonely?”

you watch the horizon. “sometimes. but the view’s decent.”

"yeah, it's beautiful."

she turns her head. just slightly. her eyes linger. not on the ocean.

the tide’s gone quiet, pulled back just enough to reveal the black stone pools scattered like mirrors across the lava shelf. water glints in the shallows. a kolea bird watches from the edge, still as carved bone, its eyes sharp like it remembers more than it should.

hermit crabs trace slow spirals in the wet sand. their shells catch the sun like dropped garnets.

you stand off to the side, close enough to explain things, far enough that they’ll cut you out of the final shot. there’s a mic clipped to your collar anyway. the sound tech gave you a thumbs-up earlier like you did something brave. you’re trying not to think about that.

miyeon’s crouched near a tidepool, poking at the reflection of a fish with a twig she definitely wasn’t supposed to take.

“what happens if i fall in?” she asks, grinning.

“free exfoliation,” you say, and then with a glance at the camera, “not recommended.”

sana laughs behind her, clear and bright like she’s never been tired. she’s squinting into the sun, shielding her eyes with one hand and fiddling with the mic pack at her waist with the other. her hair’s clipped up, loose pieces catching the wind. the stylist tries again to help, but sana waves them off.

“this water’s so clear,” she says, leaning closer to the tidepool. “it’s like a glass bowl.” she pauses. “are the crabs single?”

you blink. “…what?”

she glances over her shoulder with a smile too sharp to be innocent. “you said earlier the flower behind your ear means you’re single. what about the crabs? do they wear little hibiscus too?”

“only the hot ones.”

laughter bubbles up—real, from the crew and from miyeon, who actually claps. sana laughs too, cheeks turning slightly pink as she looks away, back toward the water.

“i like you,” she says.

your breath catches.

then—“i mean the dad jokes,” she adds quickly, teasing. “good material.”

you rub the back of your neck. one of the camera guys catches it and snorts behind the lens. you step sideways again, pretending to check the rocks, subtly trying to disappear.

she doesn’t let you, though.

not really.

her gaze follows you whenever she thinks you won’t notice. when you talk, she listens too carefully. when you point out the limu kohu, the petroglyphs carved deep into the lava, she hums under her breath like she wants to memorize the rhythm of your voice.

you talk about the mo‘olelo behind the sea caves, about the bones buried beneath stone that no one touches anymore. miyeon is still skipping ahead, half-dancing over uneven ground, but sana’s gone still.

she only moves again when you do.

“can we take selfies with the rock that looks like a turtle?” miyeon calls out. “i want to send it to our manager and pretend it followed us home.”

“sure,” you say. “i’ll make sure they consent.”

the boom operator snorts. miyeon throws you a wink like you’ve just auditioned for her next sitcom.

they film for twenty more minutes. the wind pulls at sana’s sleeves. sun glints off the curve of her earring. her questions never stop—what flower is that? how old is this lava? did you always live here?

but it’s not the questions that get to you.

it’s the way she asks. like she’s testing something. like she already knows the answer but wants to hear your voice wrap around it anyway. her eyes flick to you when you think she’s distracted. her shoulder brushes yours once. twice. again.

and you—

you pretend not to notice.

mostly.

when the crew finally calls a cut, it’s late enough the rocks are warming underfoot. someone shouts for a break to reset gear. you lead them higher, where the trail plateaus under a grove of hau trees—broad-limbed and slanted toward the sun, their yellow blossoms falling like pieces of afternoon.

you pass around water bottles, then sit off to the side near a beat-up cooler. your shirt sticks slightly to your back, damp from the walk, but you don’t tug at it. miyeon fans herself with a palm frond, dramatically narrating her own personal survival doc. sana drops down near her, sweat at her temples, but still watching you.

you’re talking with one of the writers—older, in a sunhat and sunglasses and a linen shirt that might’ve been white once. her notebook rests on her knees, the pages half-crumpled from years of use.

“you still eat those li hing mui mangoes?” she teases, scribbling something.

you lean back on your hands. “only when i want to experience death recreationally.”

“please. you loved them in college.”

“i had fewer taste buds back then.”

she laughs, and sana turns her head a little.

college?

miyeon’s still babbling into her phone off to the side, pretending to sell lychee juice like it’s the last product on earth. sana doesn’t look at her.

the writer lowers her voice a little. “you know, i told them you don’t really do this.”

you shrug. “i don’t.”

“they asked why. i said it’s usually a no unless i’m the one asking. and even then, only if it’s raining and you’re bored.”

you glance at her, but say nothing.

sana shifts. the wind picks up, shaking petals from the hau branches. they drift like lazy confetti across the dirt.

“so what changed?” she asks suddenly.

you turn. she’s lounging like she doesn’t care, one leg crossed over the other, arms slack, gaze tilted away from yours. but her voice is steady. deceptively so.

“what do you mean?”

“why’d you take this one?” she asks, still looking at the writer, not you. “if you don’t usually take people like us.”

your jaw works quietly. you glance at the writer. she lifts a shoulder, amused.

“they’ve got their reasons,” she says vaguely, biting the cap of her pen. “probably something poetic. i’ve been trying to squeeze it out for a decade.”

you exhale. “it wasn’t the cameras,” you say at last.

sana raises an eyebrow, just slightly.

“it wasn’t the schedule,” you add. “wasn’t the crew. wasn’t the fee.”

“then what was it?” she presses, eyes on you now.

you glance at her, then back at the dirt.

you remind me of someone. “she was really persistent..” you say blaming the write with a slight grin.

sana’s lips part, but miyeon bounds back in at that exact moment, clutching a lychee like it’s her firstborn. “guys. guys. are we talking about how lucky we are yet? because i’d like to thank the academy and also my sweat glands for keeping it real.”

you chuckle under your breath.

sana doesn’t laugh. she just keeps watching you.

“you’re good at this,” she says, quieter now. “talking about hawaii. like it’s not just a place.”

you glance at her.

“like it’s alive,” she finishes. “like it’s part of you.”

you look down at your hands. your thumbs run slow over the ridges of your water bottle.

“it is,” you murmur.

the breeze softens. miyeon flops dramatically onto a picnic blanket, muttering about hydration. the sun slips through the trees like warm syrup, pooling in patches of gold.

sana stretches back with a sigh. “you should be on camera more.”

“not my thing,” you say.

“why not?”

you half-smile. “i’m better off behind it.”

“maybe,” she says. “but you make it hard to look away.”

you glance up.

she’s not looking at you anymore, not exactly. her gaze drifts somewhere just to the side, like she’s already trying to turn that moment into memory.

you don’t answer.

the wind stirs again—leaves rustling, petals spinning—and for a second, you think the island might be answering for you.

don’t touch that—”

crack.

“…never mind.”

you blinked down at the snapped guava branch in miyeon’s hand. she froze like a guilty raccoon. sana stifled a laugh behind her fingers.

“that was structural,” you muttered, kneeling to check the low railing.

“it looked like a stick,” miyeon said innocently.

“a stick holding up the hillside,” you replied, brushing dirt from the crumbling base.

“well that’s... poor design,” she offered.

behind her, sana giggled again—soft, melodic, eyes crinkling.

“we’ll glue it back later?” she said.

“yeah,” you deadpanned. “we’ll patch it up with good intentions.”

“or duct tape,” miyeon added helpfully.

“or prayer,” you said under your breath.

keoni passed by, handing you a reflector bag. “i gotta check the van. you’re the boss till i get back.”

you gave him a small salute. “pray for me.”

he winked. “always.”

ahead, a lei-making station sat shaded beneath a wide mango tree, the aunty running it already eyeing you with the kind of mischief only decades could earn.

“eh!”

you flinched automatically.

aunty leina sat cross-legged on a low mat, ti leaves in her lap and a grin on her face that could split coconuts.

“you letting these girls break the valley now?” she called, eyebrows up.

you held up both palms. “not my fault, aunty. i said no touching. they touched anyway.”

“you gotta bring stronger tape,” she said, nodding at miyeon. “or one leash. or two.”

miyeon gasped dramatically. “is this bullying?”

“not unless you cry,” aunty said.

you stepped forward, grinning. “aunty, you still mad about that mango bread or what?”

“i should be. was dry as sand.”

“you ate the whole thing.”

“because i was being polite!”

you laughed and bent into a half-bow, holding both hands out as you approached her mat. she grabbed them immediately, pulling you down beside her with a grunt of approval.

“what you bringing me today?” she asked, glancing past you. “celebrities again?”

“not my fault,” you said. “they keep signing up.”

“bring me someone who knows how to hold scissors.”

“we’re working on it,” you said. “miyeon’s banned from touching plant life.”

aunty leina snorted. “you better be getting overtime for this.”

you looked sheepish. “i got lunch duty instead.”

she nudged you gently with her elbow, her voice lowering. “you still the same,” she said. “all quiet till you get somewhere safe. then boom—talking story like you live in my kitchen.”

“you’ve seen me in your kitchen,” you reminded her.

“exactly,” she said. “you forget to shut up.”

sana and miyeon caught up just as you laughed again, wiping your hands on your pants. miyeon dropped onto the mat and started inspecting the flower piles with the reverence of a child in a candy store.

sana stayed standing, brushing her long skirt with one hand.

aunty leaned closer to you again, voice sly. “eh... that one,” she said, nodding toward sana. “she got the eyes. soft kind. watching you like you grew from this land.”

you pressed your lips together. “aunty...”

“what?” she said, all innocence. “i’m just pointing.”

“you’re matchmaking.”

“same thing.”

sana stepped forward just then, crouching beside you. “these are so beautiful,” she said, eyes bright as she gently touched a strand of plumeria. “i don’t want to ruin them.”

“you won’t,” you said. “ti leaf first. fold it once, then thread the flower. you’ll get it.”

she looked at you. “you’re really patient.”

you shrugged, glancing at aunty leina. “i’ve had good teachers.”

aunty grunted proudly, as if you were her valedictorian.

“besides,” you added, handing sana a flower, “you’re better at this than miyeon.”

“hey,” miyeon called from across the mat, flower crown crooked on her head. “i’m art.”

“you’re chaos,” you corrected.

“art is chaos.”

you shook your head, but your smile betrayed you. the camera crew was still adjusting lenses, not yet rolling, and you—usually quiet, usually distant—were sitting easy in the middle of it all, fingers threading plumeria like you’d been born to do it.

aunty leina turned to one of the interns and whispered—loudly—“see how calm they are? that’s why everyone falls in love on this island.”

you looked up. “aunty…”

“i’m just saying,” she said, holding up her hands. “no shame in being charming. just don’t make her cry, eh?”

you blinked—startled by how quickly the teasing could turn real.

sana glanced between the two of you, the corners of her lips lifting. her shoulder brushed yours as she leaned down again, a little closer this time.

“you really are different when you’re not working,” she said, almost to herself.

you didn’t answer. you just handed her the next flower.

the sun caught the tops of the ti plants just right — sharp, soft green against the red of miyeon’s skirt and the white lei she had somehow managed to drape across her shoulder like a fashion statement. she laughed like the whole valley could hear her. probably could.

you kept to the edge of the clearing.

hands in your pockets. back to the wind.

“shoot, no one told me there’d be bugs with wings this confident.”

miyeon was mid-complaint, swatting gently at the air with the back of her hand as a persistent ʻōpeʻapeʻa hovered near her ear. she wasn’t scared—just annoyed, and dramatically so.

you leaned on the nearest rock, the kind smoothed down by generations of rain. the air smelled like crushed guava and warm dust. your boots pressed soft into the soil. the shade wasn’t much, but it was something. the mountain air was cooler here than down by the coast, and softer too. the kind of breeze that told you rain wasn’t far off.

sana’s hands were slower than miyeon’s, more careful. she looked up once — past the camera, past the boom mic — straight toward where you stood. it was just a glance. quick. not meant to land.

but it did.

you tilted your head a little. said nothing.

“leave the it alone,” someone from the crew called out with a grin. “he’s just flirting.”

“he’s standing like he’s auditioning for a romance movie poster,” miyeon shot back. “brooding by a rock.”

“looks like the quiet type,” the sound tech said. “probably writes poems at lunch.”

“no, he carves them into driftwood,” miyeon said proudly. “and releases them into the tide like messages in a bottle.”

sana, kneeling beside her, let out that light kind of laugh she always used when she was on camera floaty, practiced, just a little amused. but her eyes kept darting to the lei she was threading. fingers slow, deliberate. quieter.

“okay, what about you, sana?” miyeon leaned toward her, flowers half-finished and already tangled in her lap. “you like the sweet ones, right?”

“mm…” sana didn’t look up. her voice was soft, thoughtful. “i like when someone listens. really listens. not because they’re waiting to speak.”

one of the younger staffers made a low “oooh” from the side, and miyeon slapped her own thigh.

“wait, that was good. write that down. someone tweet it.”

the director behind the camera gave them a small cue to keep going, motioning a loop with his fingers. filler talk. b-roll footage. make it fun. make it personal.

you shifted your weight near the back of the set, adjusting the strap of your bag as a local aunty passed by carrying iced tea bottles. she nudged your shoulder with hers.

“you watching the show or the girl?” she whispered, grinning.

you gave her a small smile, shook your head. “watching the flowers, aunty.”

she snorted. “the flowers not the only thing blooming.”

you laughed under your breath and leaned a little on the rock behind you. from where you stood, you had a clean view of the clearing — and sana, who kept looking up with these barely-there glances. like she was checking for something. or someone.

you didn’t plan to step forward. but something pulled you. maybe curiosity. maybe just boredom. maybe it was her voice when she said

“and they should love nature. not like, documentary nature. real nature. messy hair and muddy shoes kind.”

you shifted, curious now, and stepped forward. just a little. just enough to stand behind the cam crew. between the lens and the valley, in a quiet limbo where only the breeze could touch you.

she didn’t say anything, but the look she gave you was new. like the warm part of the tide when it first wraps around your ankles.

sana noticed.

her shoulders straightened. her smile twitched.

she noticed immediately.

but she just blinked once and adjusted the strand of her lei. her expression didn’t change much, but something softened. the gaze she gave the camera next was… steady. direct. like she was saying something without opening her mouth.

miyeon clapped her hands. “i want a hot disaster. where’s my hot disaster?”

“in the microwave,” someone from the audio team muttered.

a few people laughed. you didn’t. you were still watching sana.

she was still watching you.

sana kept her hands moving, threading flower after flower. “it’s not that complicated,” she murmured, mostly to herself. “just want someone who makes you feel like… like you’re home.”

you weren’t sure why that stuck with you. maybe because she didn’t say it to the camera. maybe because she said it like it was true.

but you didn’t say anything. you just looked away.

the petals kept turning in her hands.

and somewhere in the footage, a glance was caught. a quick one, soft, aimed right where you stood — too quick to cut, too subtle to explain.

no one noticed on set. not even you.

not really-

but sana’s next smile lingered longer than the last.

just a little. ;)

the director called cut.

not loud — just a quiet wave of his hand, a soft “okay, let’s reset” as the audio crew unclipped wires from behind sana’s back. miyeon immediately flopped sideways onto the grass like she’d been holding up a skyscraper with her spine.

“i’m done,” she announced. “take me home. return me to factory settings.”

sana laughed, brushing stray petals off her lap. “you’re not even sweating.”

“exactly. that’s how you know i’m serious. this is internal damage.”

“internal damage from what?”

“from life, sana. from living.”

the youngest camera op passed by, hefting the b-cam onto their shoulder. “you’ve been sitting down the whole time.”

miyeon sat up just to glare. “i’ve been emotionally standing.”

aunty leina was already weaving between them with a basket, collecting the finished lei and handing out light scoldings. “no toss ‘em like trash,” she said, wagging a finger at miyeon. “you wear it, you respect it. even if you made it ugly.”

“mine is conceptual,” miyeon said, trying to untangle hers from her sleeve. “it tells a story.”

aunty gave her a look. “yeah. a sad one.”

“she keeps lookin’ at you,” he said.

you didn’t ask who. you just lifted the edge of the tarp, pretending not to hear.

“don’t play,” keoni added, grinning. “you know who.”

“nah,” you said. “too hot to think.”

he snorted. “nah, it’s her making you sweat.”

you were saved by a call from one of the producers — they were wrapping early today to give the team enough time to get footage back to the hotel and prep tomorrow’s shoot. that meant packing up, a long van ride back, and the final few minutes of down-time where everyone felt a little looser.

you ducked out from behind the tree and crossed the clearing again, arms behind your back as the breeze shifted west. your steps slowed when you saw sana still kneeling by the lei-making mat, hands resting in her lap. she looked up at the sound of your boots in the dirt.

“hey,” she said, soft.

you crouched beside her, careful not to knock any of the materials still strewn around. “hey.”

her eyes traced yours for a second. a long one.

she looked at you a second too long to be casual. then, like it was just conversation, “so… is this your main job? or do you have a secret life?”

you blinked. “secret life?”

“mm. spy? florist by day, vigilante by night?”

you gave a small laugh. “nothing that interesting.”

her smile curved. “i don’t believe you.”

you hesitated. normally you kept the line pretty firm — smile, wave, answer only what they needed for the show. but the way she looked at you then, like the question was less for the show and more for herself… you found your voice.

“i help out at a café,” you said, eyes flicking toward the trees. “in town. a friend of my uncle’s runs it. nothing fancy, just coffee, pastries, regulars who like arguing about the weather.”

“sounds cozy,” she said.

“it’s loud.”

“still sounds nice.”

you glanced at her — her hair catching the light, her posture relaxed for the first time all day.

“you work a lot?” she asked.

you shrugged. “depends. here when they need me. café when the schedule’s light. not really the sit-still kind.”

she smiled again, but this time it folded deeper. “me neither.”

you didn’t mean to ask it — it just fell out. “do you ever get tired of cameras?”

her smile turned quiet. “yes,” she said, honest. “but… i like meeting people like this. places like this.”

you didn’t answer. you were still watching her eyes when she reached to adjust the lei near her knees. the thread snagged slightly and she tipped forward to fix it — just a little shift of balance, barely a stumble.

you caught her elbow before she could fall.

“careful.”

sana laughed, a bit breathless. “oops.”

you didn’t let go right away. her skin was warm. soft. a few staff glanced your way, but no one said anything. not this time.

keoni’s voice crackled from the radio on your hip. “van’s ready. we rollin’?”

you tapped the mic. “copy. heading back.”

you let go gently and stood, brushing dirt off your palm. sana followed, slower. her eyes still lingered on your face.

as the group began making their way back toward the main trail, you fell into step behind the crew, trailing just far enough to keep an eye on the path.

sana dropped back too, matching your pace.

after a while, she said — lightly, like it didn’t matter — “so… are you guiding us again tomorrow?”

you paused, then nodded. “yeah. you got me till the end.”

she smiled. bright. quiet.

“good,” she said. “i was hoping so.”

you didn’t say anything — not out loud. but you felt something shift in the way she looked at you again.

like she was filing something away. tucking it behind her smile.

you kept walking.

ahead, miyeon tripped over a root and screamed something about cursed trees. the crew laughed.

sana didn’t.

she just looked at you again.

the clouds barely held together above hanapēpē, drifting thin and drowsy like they'd overslept. the air smelled faintly of seawater and roasted beans.

you had your head bent over the espresso machine, steam hissing softly, a practiced hand steadying the portafilter. your apron, worn and flecked with milk dust, hung loose over your frame. same routine, different day. behind you, the regulars muttered about surf forecasts and the price of mangoes. someone’s kid laughed near the pastry counter. outside, the breeze carried the chime of a wind-battered bell on the door.

you didn’t look up right away when it opened.

your head was down, one hand steadying the portafilter as the espresso ran slow into the shot glass. the smell of milk steaming, the sound of someone slicing into banana bread behind you. your sleeves were rolled up above your elbows.

you glanced up, halfway through a pour.

and there she was.

sana stood near the door like she hadn’t just scoured the whole damn town for you. her hair pulled loosely back, a light blue tank just visible beneath an open white button-down that fluttered slightly when the door shut behind her. a floral skirt swayed at her ankles — patterned, soft, the same blue as her top. like sunlight filtered through water.

you blinked once. nearly over-poured.

she smiled.

"hey," she said, a little breathless. “so… you do exist outside of trailheads.”

your first thought was she matched me. your second was she looks like summer on purpose.

your third was somewhere between how the hell did she find me and don’t smile too much, you’ll look ridiculous.

“only on days off,” you replied, sliding the used portafilter aside. “and only when i need to fund my overly lavish lifestyle.”

she gave a soft laugh, stepping closer to the counter. her hands touched the wood like she was testing its warmth. “mystery solved.”

you raised a brow. “you asked around?”

her cheeks tinted just barely. “i didn’t have that much to go on. miyeon was no help. she said something like, ‘if you wander around with fate in your heart, you’ll find them.’”

you snorted. “sounds like her.”

“and… i did find you.”

you stared at her, fingers stilling on the counter. you weren’t used to people looking for you like that. especially not in a skirt that matched your whole outfit.

“what’ll you have?” you asked after a pause, because you needed to do something, because standing still in front of her felt dangerous.

sana leaned her arms on the counter, watching your face. “something simple. americano.”

“iced or hot?”

“surprise me.”

you glanced down at her skirt again. “iced. you look like you’ve been outside too long.”

she laughed, head tilting. “i have.”

as you prepped the shot, she watched — not in that casual way tourists do, but carefully. you realized you kind of liked her watching. you kind of hated how much you liked it.

“so…” she said, her voice light, “you didn't really say where this beautiful coffee shop were”

you shrugged, keeping your eyes on the espresso. “didn’t think you’d want more caffeine after miyeon.”

“well. miyeon and i got lunch. and then i wandered.” she shrugs slightly feeling as it wasn't worth to mention how she walked for an hour to find you and already had two coffee with miyeon earlier.

you looked up at her then. “wandered?”

her smile twitched. “yeah. i have a good sense of direction.”

you stared for a beat longer. you tamped the espresso with more pressure than necessary.

you didn’t answer.

steam rose between you. she leaned closer through it.

“i like when you’re like this,” she said, and her voice was gentle, not teasing. “you’re… not what i expected.”

you just turned back to the drink. because that thing in your chest — that old twitchy thing that didn’t like being seen — was already shifting too much.

“you’ve got a lot of expectations for someone you’ve known three days,” you said.

“maybe.” she reached out — just a little. and brushed her fingers against a napkin holder. like she wanted to reach you, but was afraid of spooking something. “but you let me ask questions. you don’t stop me.”

“not yet.”

“i think that’s why i came.”

you handed her the cup, warm between both palms. her fingers brushed yours when she took it.

“try not to spill,” you said. you reached for a ragged towel that seen better days while wiping the counter

she took it, brushing her fingers against yours. “are you always this soft when you flirt?”

you blinked confused still wiping the counter clean. “i’m not flirting.”

“okay,” she said, sipping anyway. “but you still haven’t told me if you’re single.”

that made your hand freeze mid-wipe on the counter.

you looked at her carefully. “you always open with that?”

“only when i’ve already watched someone make coffee for me, be soft with a group of grandmothers, and explain lava rock to a camera with their hands behind their back like they don’t want to exist.”

she let her fingertips trace along the edge of her cup, soft and aimless, like she didn’t know what to do with the silence she’d created. you watched her, the slope of her lashes, how the sunlight through the window caught in her hair like it belonged there. like she belonged here.

you wiped your hand on a cloth and came around. you sat across from sana by the window, the light slanting gold between you both.

you opened your mouth. closed it.

then: “...i’m single.”

you didn’t mean to speak. but your voice came out anyway.

she smiled, looking down at her cup like it was just a casual thing. the corner of her mouth lifted, not a smirk, not a grin—something lighter. quieter. like she'd known but wanted to hear it anyway.

“thought so,” she said. low, teasing, but her gaze dropped a second too late for it to be casual.

you leaned your forearms against the table, shoulder tilted in her direction. “you’re very confident for someone who called me mysterious like twelve times this week.”

“i didn’t say mysterious,” she replied, a little sing-song. “i said quiet. and maybe avoidant.”

you rolled your eyes. “you’re not helping your case.”

her laugh was soft. she swirled her cup absently, like she was stalling. then turned her head to you, half-curious, half-playful. “so… do you know who we are?”

you blinked. “you and miyeon?”

she made a face. “nooo, i mean, yes, but—like... the group i’m in.”

you tilted your head at her slowly. “uhh... twice.”

her brows rose, impressed. “you do know.”

you shrugged. “teenage girl i know is a fan.”

her eyes lit up. “really?”

“she’s not here,” you said. “so you’re safe.”

sana laughed, the real kind that crinkles the skin around her eyes. “and you?”

“me?”

“do you like us?”

i like you.

the words came up like steam, fogging your thoughts. but you didn’t say them. you just leaned a little forward and said, “i haven’t heard enough to say.”

her gaze caught yours. “maybe you should.”

“you offering a concert?”

she leaned forward a little. “i could.”

“hm.” she tapped her fingers on the side of her cup. “what if i did a solo performance? just for you.”

your pulse hitched. you blinked once, then exhaled a little laugh into your sleeve.

“you’re too fast,” you murmured.

“you’re too slow,” she shot back, still smiling.

another pause, a longer one. the room faded around her for a second.

your pulse did something strange.

you looked down, biting back a smile,

“so,” she said eventually, her chin resting on her hand. “how’s life these days? giving tours in the morning, drinks in the afternoon?”

“normal,” you said. “no camera at least ”

“i missed you guys already,” she teased. “keoni was my favorite.”

“he liked you too.”

she tilted her head. “what about you?” she leaned forward slightly, like the distance between your knees wasn’t already criminal.

you blinked. “what about me?”

“do you like me?”

it knocked the breath out of your chest. she was smiling, that same bright grin she gave everyone, but there was a question behind it she hadn’t quite hidden. her eyes didn’t match the joke.

you didn’t answer right away. your gaze dropped to her hands wrapped around her cup. the chipped polish on her nails. the slight red tint on her knuckles from the sun.

“i think you’re good at talking,” you said slowly.

she squinted, suspicious. “that’s not a yes.”

you shook your head, a quiet huff of a laugh leaving your lips. “that’s a very nervous yes.”

her smile curled, softer now. she looked at you like you’d just given her a secret.

she leaned forward a little, elbows on the table. “you never answer my real questions.”

“you keep asking them in public,” you said. “that’s your fault.”

she tilted her head. “is this public?”

your throat dried. the café was mostly quiet now, the only sounds the soft clatter of dishes in the back and the hum of a machine you’d forgotten was running. one of the baristas, kahi, glanced over.

you raised your hand, beckoning her.

“can you take over for a bit?” you asked. “gonna take my break.”

kahi smiled knowingly. “sure. take your time.”

sana leaned back in her chair like she’d just won something.

“so,” she said again, grinning. “do you get bored of guiding people around here?”

you shook your head. “not really.”

“why not?”

“because most people leave. and when they do, it’s quiet again.”

she tilted her head. “you like it quiet?”

you looked at her. “i like it when people mean it when they say they’ll remember.”

sana blinked. her lips parted just slightly, like she wanted to ask something else, but her phone buzzed on the table. her eyes flicked to the screen. miyeon.

she picked it up and typed something quick. then she stood slowly, brushing her skirt down.

“i have to go,” she said. “miyeon’s waiting.” she reached for her cup, drank the last of it, then hesitated. her fingers played with the edge of the saucer.

you nodded, standing too, out of instinct more than anything.

she took her time standing, fingers lingering on the table’s edge. the hem of her white overshirt fluttered a little when she turned toward the door.

you stood with her.

she hesitated there, right by the frame, like the sunlight didn’t know which one of you to choose.

you walked her out.

she turned once, soft steps pausing near the corner. “hey... do you have instagram?”

you hesitated. blinked. “uh… i mean. i barely use it.”

“but you have one?”

“…yeah.”

“give it to me anyway,” she smiled.

your fingers hesitated, then reached into your apron for your phone. you pulled it out and handed it over, watching her eyes light up as she typed.

she took it like it was normal, like this happened all the time. except she wasn’t searching for the usual account.

her thumb hovered.

“i’m giving you my private one,” she said.

you blinked again.

“don’t tell anyone.” her smile curved, just a little. “miyeon doesn’t even know i give this out.”

you stared at her.

she tapped around on your phone for a moment, then stifled a laugh.

“wait,” she said, flashing the screen at you. “this is really your username? brewing.beach?”

you looked. winced.

“you said you didn’t really use it,” she said, scrolling. “but this is criminal. zero posts?”

“i wasn’t lying.”

“no bio. no story. no highlights.” her eyes were wide with mock horror. “you’re just… a digital ghost.”

you took your phone back. “i log in. i just don’t live there.”

“yeah, i can tell.” she grinned. “i feel like i followed a shadow.”

“it’s mysterious,” you said flatly.

“it’s suspicious,” she corrected. “feels like i just gave my private account to a tourist who might disappear into the ocean.”

you raised an eyebrow. “isn’t that what you’re doing this week?”

she gasped. hand to chest. “that’s cold.”

you almost smiled. almost. “you’ll survive.”

“i better,” she said. “i just gave my secret account to a stranger with no posts and an unflattering username.”

you shrugged. “you didn’t have to.”

“mm,” she hummed, slow and dramatic. “but i wanted to.”

then her voice lowered. “don’t make me regret it.”

and then she looked up, full eye contact, like she could hear your heart going off in your chest. “that okay?”

“yeah,” you said, but it came out hoarse. “yeah. i won’t tell.”

her smile softened. she typed, handed your phone back, and her username was already followed.

then she didn’t move.

neither did you.

and that was when something in the air changed.

you thought she was about to leave, she even glanced toward the door, like she should—but her feet didn’t follow. instead, she turned back around.

and stepped closer.

your breath caught.

there was barely a handspan between you. her perfume was faint but sweet, like citrus and skin-warmed flowers. your heart thudded stupidly loud in your ears.

“you have this... way of looking at people,” she murmured.

you didn’t know what that meant, but you didn’t ask.

you couldn’t ask. not when she was this close. not when she was tilting her head, eyes flicking down to your mouth for half a second and then back up again.

you opened your mouth to say something—anything—but you didn’t get the chance.

she leaned in.

and kissed your cheek.

but not quickly. not playfully. not the kind you’d brush off with a joke.

no—she pressed her lips there like it meant something.

like it was a secret she couldn’t say out loud yet.

you felt it in your spine. your stomach. your knees.

it was soft. it was slow. it was warm enough to burn through the fabric of your shirt and straight into your bloodstream.

and when she pulled back—barely—her lips ghosted over your skin like she was memorizing it. like maybe she wanted to stay there.

your eyes didn’t open right away.

and when they did, she was smiling.

just a little.

the kind of smile that made the sun look second-best.

“see you around,” she whispered.

then finally—finally—she turned and walked out the door.

and you just stood there.

heart pounding. hand still curled around your phone. breath caught somewhere behind your ribs.

her lipstick light pink, faint, left the softest trace on your cheek.

you didn’t wipe it off.

you weren’t sure you ever could.

your cheek still felt her.

and somewhere in your pocket, your phone buzzed again—new notification. new follower.

shy.shibatozaki accepted your follow request

and suddenly, the room felt like it wasn’t yours anymore.

it was hers.

and you wanted her to come back.

you don’t remember the exact moment your face started heating up for no reason — just that it had something to do with her name lighting up your phone at 11:47 p.m., while the ocean outside your window made that low, steady hush, like even it was trying to hear what she’d say next.

the sheets were tangled around your legs. your hair still damp from the shower. a bead of water slid down your neck, caught in the collar of your shirt. it clung too close at the back. and your chest — it was doing that thing again. not thudding like fear, not fluttering like joy, just… loud. constant. like a knock that wouldn’t stop.

shy.shibatozaki 11:47 p.m. guess what me and miyeon are watching ! i missed you already i loved the coffee you gave ~ !

you didn’t even have to guess. you could already imagine her curled under a fuzzy blanket, face half-glowing in tv light, head leaning into miyeon’s shoulder. something warm stirred in your stomach.

shy.shibatozaki 11:48 p.m. also me and miyeon are wearing our matching pjs 💙🩷 anddd she took the yellow bear headband >:(( not fair right?? :(

a photo came with that one. slightly blurry, but enough to make your chest tighten — sana in blue pajamas, she was wearing her glasses and it was slipping down her nose, hair tied back lazily with a few strands falling over her cheek. miyeon was beside her, grinning while mid jump, wearing a yellow bear headband. it looked like home. she looked like the kind of perfect you didn’t want to blink at in case it vanished.

you bit your pillow and groaned into it.

then you answered. (on some nonchalant shi she aint even know it)

you 11:51 p.m. perhaps queen of tears..? thats the only kdrama i know hahaa...

shy.shibatozaki 11:52 p.m. HEYYY we're not watching qot! HOMETOWN CHA-CHA-CHA!! miyeon said i act like yoon hye jin..? BUT NO >:( anddd they eat so much in this drama :( i luvvv hawaii food but like ugh i miss korean foods :(

you stared at that message longer than necessary. something about it made you sit up. the air had cooled — you hadn’t noticed — but the breeze coming in smelled faintly of rain and seaweed. maybe you were imagining it, but it felt like a different kind of night.

you told yourself she was just being cute. she was always cute. it didn’t mean anything. her cheeks didn’t make your fingers tingle. her texts didn’t sit warm in your pocket. your chest wasn’t rising like tidewater with every buzz.

you were not smiling.

your phone buzzed again.

shy.shibatozaki 11:55 p.m. hellooo did u fall asleep..? earth to tour guide cutie?

you blinked.

cutie???

your legs were moving before your thoughts could catch up. you grabbed your keys. hoodie. slippers. hair still damp. didn’t care. you stepped outside. paused. cursed. ran back in for your wallet. stepped out again.

the streets were quiet — wet pavement glowing gold beneath the streetlights. your footsteps echoed softly. your hoodie clung to your back. a gecko darted across the sidewalk near your foot, but you didn’t flinch. your head was somewhere else. somewhere with blue pajamas and sleepy eyes that missed korean foods at midnight.

you passed the surfboard rental hut. slowed. stopped.

on impulse — stupid, reckless, flirt-level impulse — you pulled out your phone and sent a photo. an old one. from earlier this week. waves curling over the shore, a bright sky behind it, and someone surfing in the distance.

you 12:04 a.m hey, isn't chief hong like a surfer.. or something..? maybe i can help you learn how to surf yk? :) i'm good at riding the waves.

the second it sent, regret bloomed full-bodied through your spine.

wow, you regretted even saying that.

holy fuck should i delete that? was i too straight forward? was that too much? was that real? should you delete it? why did you say that???

shy.shibatozaki 12:05 a.m. WHATT YOU SURF!! AHHH YES maybe you can teach me when i do come back :) ill rate your flips maybeee from you arms~

you almost tripped over the curb outside the store.

you couldn’t even laugh properly. just gripped your phone, heart thrashing, and slipped inside the brightly lit corner mart like it might hold answers on a shelf.

you needed to focus. get the food. get out. do not spontaneously combust in the ramen aisle.

you got ramen. rice cakes. gim. sesame oil. carrots. pickled radish. banana milk. a new blender blade. more gochujang than one person should legally own. frozen mangoes. why. who knew.

you stared at the shopping cart.

“what the hell am i doing,” you whispered.

you don’t even like smoothies.

but your hand still reaches for strawberries.

back home, you dropped the bags on the counter, half-shivering from the night air, half-sweating from the chaos inside your chest. turned on a recipe video. leaned too close. muted it again. swore when the rice stuck to your hands. tried again. heartbeat climbing steadily, unreasonably, like it knew where this night was heading before you did.

you were mid-slice — carrots wet and bright on the cutting board — when your phone buzzed again.

incoming video call:

shy.shibatozaki

you wiped your hands on a dish towel and answered without thinking.

“yaaaah,” she whined, face filling your screen, voice low like she was trying not to wake miyeon. “where did you go? you disappeared.”

you pressed your lips together,

“just stepped out.”

“you didn’t reply to my text for like... nine minutes.”

“how do you know the exact time?”

“because i counted,” she whined. “you’re so mean...”

“just… had something to do,” you said, camera aimed slightly too high on purpose. the kitchen lights were on behind you.

“mmm,” she narrowed her eyes. “are you cooking?”

you tried not to look guilty. “why would i be cooking at midnight?”

“are you at your kitchen..?” she whispered.

you blinked, heart thudding. “...you’re seeing things.”

she pouted. “liar.”

you turned away, pretending to check something on the stove — when really, you were just trying to hide the dumb smile spreading across your face.

on her side, sana yawned. the blanket now tucked under her chin. her glasses had started slipping again, and she didn’t fix them.

“you’re not telling me what you’re making…” she mumbled, eyes blinking slower now.

“nothing important.”

“hmm.” she let that go, surprisingly. “oh, by the way… we might start preparing for our next comeback soon. nothing confirmed but i’m kinda excited. i want a sexy theme” she grinned sleepily. “if we get one… i’ll tell you first.”

you didn’t know what to say to that. you didn’t move. just kept spreading rice over gim like your hands had never learned to do anything else. your chest felt… weird. tight. like standing thigh-deep in surf, waiting for a wave you couldn’t see coming.

“and maybe,” she mumbled, almost to herself, “i’ll bring you something from seoul... like a signed photocard... or a bag of korean snacks... or me.”

or me.

your breath stalled.

she didn’t even seem to notice. her eyes fluttered shut, cheek pressed into her pillow. hair all tangled. lips parted slightly, like she didn’t even realize what she said.

your ears were on fire.

you didn’t say a word. didn’t dare to breathe too loud. just finished wrapping the kimbap roll with your heart pounding like it had picked up the rhythm of every wave slapping the shore that night.

not falling. you were not falling. this was just... curiosity. friendliness. a professional obligation to keep her happy and full.

you smiled. not because of what she said — but because she didn’t finish the sentence. her breathing slowed, soft. the blanket shifted a little as she turned, and her hand stayed on her cheek, curled like she was dreaming something warm.

the strawberry not yet a smoothie. the wind outside whispered her name again — like it was in on the joke. like the waves knew exactly how hard your heart was crashing tonight.

you didn’t wake her.

then you sat down on the floor.

looked at her again.

you weren’t falling. you didn’t do this. you didn’t blush. you didn’t cook for people who flirted with you at midnight. you didn’t send surfing thirst traps.

you weren’t insane.

some mornings feel scripted.

not by the sky or the sun or even the alarm — but by something quieter. something like fate, or a dream that refuses to end.

this is one of those mornings.

the first thing sana sees is the curve of light spilling through the curtains. the second is the soft hum of her phone, still propped under the pillow like a secret. the screen glows faintly at the foot of the bed. not loud, not obvious. just there. waiting.

“...miyeon?” she whispers, still half-asleep.

“present,” miyeon chirps from across the room, already in glam-mode with one eyebrow lined and her pink pajama slightly askew. she’s crouched near the mirror, filming, one hand holding a blush brush like a dagger.

“why is the call still—”

“shhh. don’t ruin it. we’re in the middle of a cinematic masterpiece.”

sana squints. the image is angled badly, tilted like someone dropped the phone and never bothered fixing it. the camera lens is fogged a little from the a/c, edges soft and cloudy like a dream.

but it’s enough.

you’re not speaking. not even looking. just... there. folding a shirt. your hair’s still damp from the shower. your white tank top clings slightly at the back, and the loose white trousers hang soft and low at your hips as you lean over to straighten something on the floor.

the light hits the back of your neck like it missed you all night.

like you were born inside a slow-motion montage. like the universe forgot to warn her that people like you exist in real life.

sana forgets to breathe.

“...why do they look like that,” she mumbles, blinking hard.

“right??” miyeon says, spinning the phone to record sana now. “like excuse me, who gave them the right to clean so attractively.”

“do they even know we’re still on the call…”

“and they’ve been like that for an hour. just tidying things in slow motion like they’re filming a skincare ad for lonely people.”

sana groans and hides her face in the pillow. “don’t say that…”

“you’re blushing.”

“i’m not.”

“you’re in love.”

“shut up—”

“you’re so in love it’s embarrassing,” miyeon says gleefully, zooming in on her. “look at how they're dressed up, they clean up good.”

sana peeks from behind the bear. “…they’re just… really clean.”

“do you think they're an ISFJ? they’re that quiet, competent character who always walks their lover home and then disappears without asking for anything.”

“miyeonnn—”

“sana,” miyeon sing-songs. “do you—wait for it—do you likey~?”

sana groans, kicking at the blanket harder. “you’re the worst.”

but then you look up.

no rush. no shock. just a glance at your screen like you already knew it was still on. your gaze flickers, soft and unhurried, before your lips curl into the gentlest, sleep-warm smile.

your hand lifts in a lazy wave.

“morning,” you say, voice low and quiet. “hope you two slept well. we’ve got the atv tour today, so… time to get up.”

sana short-circuits.

miyeon howls with laughter in the corner.

“you didn’t hang up…?” sana manages, barely above a whisper.

you scratch the side of your neck. “why would i?”

you sound so casual. too casual. like you didn’t just make her heart skip two entire steps.

but then — you pause.

just enough to tilt your head a little, like something’s still on your mind.

“also,” you say, almost as an afterthought. “you didn’t finish what you were gonna say last night.”

sana freezes.

miyeon drops her brush on the table in slow motion.

“so,” you add, still smiling, “i didn’t want to hang up.”

and that’s it. no dramatic music. no fireworks.

sana dies.

just the most quietly romantic thing anyone’s ever said to her.

sana curls deeper into the blanket, face burning so red it could power a city.

miyeon is filming everything.

“okay, bye now,” you say, eyes already scanning off-screen. “gotta get the keys from keoni.”

click.

call ended.

the screen goes black.

sana stares at the screen like she’s been hit by a truck made of flower petals and longing.

her fingers twitch.

her soul leaves her body and ascends into the soft sheets of the afterlife.

then she lets out a squeak so high-pitched it sounds like a dolphin being emotionally overwhelmed.

“THEY SAID THAT???” she cries into the pillow.

“they remembered i didn’t finish what i was saying,” she whispers into the pillow, half-horrified, half-melting. “and they said it in their morning voice…”

“they didn’t want to end the call,” miyeon repeats, gleefully filming the aftermath. “do you understand what level of romance that is? that’s a novel ending. that’s page 374 of a fanfic. that’s—”

“i can’t go on the atv,” sana groans, burying herself completely now. “i’ll crash it just looking at them.. i’ll never recover.”

miyeon just smiles like the devil herself.

“you’ve already crashed,” she says, scrolling back to rewatch the smile. “and you’re so not getting up.”

sana bolts upright. “you recorded it, right..?”

“duh.” miyeon holds the phone aloft like it’s a national treasure. “my phone was already rolling since you were asleep. i got the back muscles, the tank top, the morning voice, the part where they said they didn’t want to hang up because you weren’t done talking—”

sana lunges. “let me see it!!”

“oHOH,” miyeon squeals, twisting away like a gremlin, phone clutched to her chest. “you want the video?? you need the video???”

“miyeon, please.”

“say the magic words~”

“i will literally cry,” sana threatens, face already turning red as she tries to grab the phone again. “give me the—miyeon, i’m serious!”

“you’re serious?? like serious-serious??” miyeon’s eyes sparkle like she’s hosting a game show. “on a scale from one to ‘i’m-down-bad,’ how serious are we talking?”

“i won't buy you those tanned friends”

“no you won’t,” miyeon says smugly. “you’re too in love to be mean.”

sana lets out a wail and collapses into the blanket, face burning. “miyeoooonnn…”

“oh my gosh, she folded.” miyeon falls dramatically beside her. “someone’s in loooove.”

sana peeks from the covers. “just let me watch it once.”

miyeon hums. “what’s the magic word?”

sana glares. “airdrop it.”

miyeon gasps, delighted. “OH. OH??? she said airdrop!! she’s desperate. this is beautiful. hold on—lemme queue it up for full emotional impact—rewinding to the part where they scratch their neck, ready—aaaand play.”

sana watches.

watches the exact moment your voice, all soft and quiet and unbearably gentle, says it again.

“you didn’t finish what you were gonna say.”

“so i didn’t want to hang up.”

she actually squeaks. like a mouse. or a broken record. or a seventeen-year-old girl watching her first romance drama in 4k.

and then she slaps miyeon’s arm, hard.

“DON’T PLAY IT AGAIN—”

“TOO LATE, I’M LOOPING IT.”

“STOPPP—”

“it’s okay,” miyeon sighs, falling back onto the bed beside her. “if they looked at me like that and said that in that voice, i’d record it in 4k and build a shrine.”

sana turns slowly. “you mean you did record it in 4k.”

the atvs are parked in a half-circle near the trail’s edge, their engines quiet but still radiating heat. someone’s checking the tires, someone else is untangling cords for the mounted cameras. the air smells like red dirt and sun-dried leaves.

you’re wiping down the atv with a rag that was clean twenty minutes ago. the handlebar grips are dusted over, already sweating beneath your hands. your white tank clings a little from the humidity, loose at the edges but damp at the spine. the same white cotton trousers from earlier—creased, stained faintly at the knees—hang low and light at your hips. your black backpack leans forgotten by the tire, half-zipped, a water bottle poking out.

you don’t notice them watching you.

sana notices all of it. unintentionally.

“they’re gonna get dirty again in five minutes,” keoni says loudly from where he’s standing with sana and miyeon, watching you from across the lot.

“they’re too clean to accept that,” miyeon replies, biting back a grin. “look at that form. they’re washing it like it’s a first date.”

keoni raises a brow. “i’m just sayin’. no point polishing a pig.”

“don’t say that,” sana says, elbowing him with a soft smile. “the atvs are cute.”

“the atvs,” keoni mutters. “or them.”

before anyone can respond, you stand and stretch your arm out—then toss the dirty rag in a perfect arc. it lands square on keoni’s chest, leaving a dark smear on his light shirt.

he stares down at it.

you smirk, still flushed from the sun. “guess now you’re the dirty one.”

keoni lifts the rag off like it’s cursed. “you’re lucky i can’t throw this back. you’re wearin’ your best heartbreak outfit today.”

sana feels something in her chest clench slightly—unreasonably—but she laughs anyway. miyeon snorts and fans herself dramatically.

you’re laughing now too, leaning into the side of the atv where eunji—the writer—stands beside you, both of you mid-conversation. she says something that makes you tilt your head back and laugh harder, hand on your hip, face tilted toward her like this is normal. like this is yours.

sana blinks.

college, she remembers suddenly. that throwaway comment from before. the way eunji looked at you.

but then she shakes it off. maybe they just go way back. maybe it’s nothing.

“so,” keoni claps his hands once. “we divin’ these up or what?”

“dibs on riding with the prettiest,” miyeon declares, flinging her hand toward sana dramatically.

“alright,” keoni calls, tossing a small bag into the front of the seat. “miyeon—you’re with sana. we don't need you crashing all of us and possibly driving us off.”

a few of the crew laugh. people start pairing up, bags start getting tossed into backs, helmets passed around, bags pulled tight with lazy grunts. the clearing smells like hot dust and engine oil.

eunji is already slipping her sunglasses on, stepping lightly toward you.

you’re tightening the gear bag on the back of your atv, easy and quiet. eunji sits behind you like it’s second nature. your backpack bumps gently into her knee. she leans forward to say something near your ear and whatever it is—it makes you laugh.

sana watches that laugh.

miyeon watches her watching it.

then: “girl, you're jealous,” miyeon says flatly. “do you want me to swap?”

“i’m not—!” sana starts, then stops. “just—get in.”

miyeon grins, climbing on like it’s her birthday.

keoni throws his arm around one of the cameramen. “you better hold the camera steady..”

sana shifts slightly, adjusting the strap of her vest. she’s watching the way how you lean a little, how comfortable you look with her.

then, like it sneaks up on her:

“…shouldn’t they ride with the cameraman?”

it’s soft. too soft for the question to make sense, really.

keoni frowns. “why?”

“aren’t they the better driver?”

miyeon squints at her. “uhhh… why do you care so much all of a sudden?”

sana blinks fast. “i don’t.”

keoni shrugs. “they’re always the better driver. but eunji calls shotgun.”

sana looks away, pretending to adjust her strap.

miyeon leans into her side.

“someone’s jealous,” she sings quietly.

“shut up,” sana whispers, cheeks warm.

miyeon grins wide. “don't worry i'll try my best to hear what they're talking about!"

sana only looked back with a frown trying to make sense when miyeon was further away than her.

and then the engines start, one after another. the grove fills with sound, dust kicking, laughter overlapping, the hum of sun and wheels and things unsaid.

you don’t look back as the atv peels forward.

but sana looks forward at you.

and for a moment, it feels like she missed something that used to be hers, even if it never really was.

the beach greets you with its quiet curve of white sand, hemmed in by palms and black rock. no signs, no tourists—just the hush of waves and a wide blue that feels untouched.

you pull the atv to a slow stop at the edge, tires crunching lightly over shell bits and drift.

behind you, eunji swings off without a word. the sun hits her hair and shoulders like it’s warming up just for her.

“still can’t believe this place,” she says, shielding her eyes. “it’s like a movie set.”

you nod. toss the keys to your palm, slide your black backpack off one shoulder and keep it close.

eunji adjusts her sunglasses and starts toward the trees. you follow a few steps behind, half listening to the sea—until, loud and fast—

“YAAHHHHHH—” “sana ya we’re literally gonna die—”

a second atv swerves into view, kicking sand as it jolts to a stop just a few feet from yours.

sana is at the wheel—white tie-strap beach top, loose blue pants, hair already tangled from the ride. miyeon’s behind her, windblown and yelling, one hand still holding her phone up, clearly filming the chaos.

except....

now she’s wearing a green baseball cap (idk what kinda cap it is sorry.), the brim low and lopsided over her brow. and a pale blue long-sleeve thrown over her top, sleeves pushed up to her elbows like she borrowed it in a hurry.

you blink. she hadn’t had that on earlier.

your first thought is that someone from staff gave it to her. the sun’s stronger now, and she’d been squinting earlier, rubbing at her eyes when she thought no one was looking.

it makes sense.

still… you wonder if she asked. or if someone just noticed. offered before she had to.

you wonder if she would’ve asked you.

and then immediately hate that thought—because what would you have given her? your tank top?

you glance down. white cotton. thin, barely enough for yourself, let alone her. now your shoulders are out, your neck already warm, and you frown.

stupid. why didn’t you bring a hoodie or something?

why didn’t you even think—

sana beams, squinting. “we made it!!”

miyeon coughs dramatically. “barely.”

you’re already stepping forward, one hand steadying the atv.

sana swings her leg off and stumbles slightly, laughing. her eyes meet yours for just a second—and you offer your hand. she takes it without thinking, and you help her down. a little dust clings to her shoulder, and you glance away.

“was i that scary?” sana asks, brushing sand off her wrist.

“you were focused,” you say.

miyeon hops off next. “she was possessed,” she mutters. “she didn’t blink for three whole minutes. i checked.”

sana frowns. “yah. you were screaming into my ear the whole time.”

“i was saying your name in prayer.”

staff start laughing behind them finally arriving. one of the managers lifts a camera, catching the girls mid-bicker.

“let’s take photos before miyeon sweats off her foundation,” someone calls out.

“TOO LATE,” miyeon yells back, fixing her hair.

sana looks around. “wait… this place is way too pretty. i need to mark our territory.”

she digs a stick out from the sand, starts writing their names in huge curved strokes: sana ♥ miyeon. then reaches into her bag, pulls out a flag printout of a selfie—the two of them in bear headbands, cheeks puffed—and plants it in the sand like a little flag.

“perfect.”

it lasted for 20 seconds.

a wave creeps in, silent and sharp—and then rolls straight over it.

“NOOOO—!!” “sana do something!!”

the names dissolve. the flag topples.

you’re already walking toward it, knee-deep in saltwater in seconds. you crouch without a word, lift the soggy print gently, and hand it off as you walk back.

sana accepts it with both hands.

“…you saved it,” she says quietly, blinking down at the wrinkled photo.

you glance down. then back up. “…i mean. i tried.”

she reaches out like she’s being careful not to scare it. takes it from you with both hands. the photo is soggy. the ink’s a little smeared. one corner is folded.

“…still cute,” she says.

you rub the back of your neck. “it’s limited edition now.”

miyeon pouts. “the beach is jealous of our love.”

keoni steps in finally, waving the group into motion. “alright, girls, let’s go. hours to film a reel. and then we can like go shopping for souvenirs” his tone knowing at how influencers are so predictable

sana turns, still cradling the picture. “we’re taking some together, right?”

miyeon perks up. “of course. we need cute poses. maybe one where i pretend to propose.”

“again?” sana laughs.

“yah. it’s tradition.”

they start toward the rocks, still bickering, still smiling.

you follow at a slower pace—off-cam, quiet, steady.

and when sana glances back once, half over her shoulder, like she’s checking something she didn’t mean to leave behind—

you’re already looking at her.

while someone looks at the both of you.

the sky is soft and orange, like someone brushed it gently with gold and peach. the kind of light that makes everything feel like it matters a little more than it should. palm trees lean gently over the patio. somewhere below, the ocean taps against the rocks like it’s trying to get someone’s attention.

they’d just finished shopping—bags half-full, miyeon dragging her feet and whining about not buying enough of those tanned friends—and now everyone’s gathered at the long dinner table for one last shoot. the cameras are rolling. the mics are clipped. this is the final scene.

the ache is there.

you sit behind the camera setups, off to the side, your black backpack’s looped over one shoulder like always, like something unfinished. you haven't touched a plate. you just focus the frame.

you don’t eat.

you just watch the light fade.

and maybe that’s why you don’t realize you’re moving until you’re already pulling eunji aside—out of frame, around the corner of the beach patio where it’s quiet enough to hear the waves.

behind you, sana’s eyes flick up for a moment — casual. automatic.

she sees you turn the corner with eunji. she doesn’t look away.

“so, sana-ssi,” miyeon says into her mic, “what are you gonna miss the most about hawaii?”

sana hesitates.

her gaze lingers a beat too long at the edge of the patio.

off-camera.

eunji follows without question. “what’s up?” she asks softly.

you unzip your bag. the black one you’ve carried every day of the tour. from inside, you pull out a small tupperware—wrapped in cloth to keep the shape—and a smoothie bottle. it’s no longer cold. the condensation’s long gone. the ice melted hours ago.

“can you give this to her?” you ask, not looking up. “on the drive back. just say it’s from the crew if you want. i just—i don’t want to make it weird.”

eunji stares at the items. "oh.. kimbab?”

you nod. “and a strawberry smoothie.”

“there’s a note. inside the wrap. give it to her on the drive back. please.”

eunji smiles gently, hesitating on something before she then tucks the food into her own tote. “yeah. of course. i got it.”

you nod once. say nothing more.

and you don’t see the way sana looked up just then from her seat—eyes landing on you and eunji in the shadows. she blinks once. then turns back to miyeon.

on the patio, the camera’s still rolling.

“probably this view,” sana says suddenly, answering the earlier question. “or the shrimp.”

miyeon holds back a smile. “not the crew?”

“they’re part of the view,” sana jokes, looking straight ahead. but her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

she doesn’t say what she wanted to say.

not with you just around the corner, not with something she won’t understand tightening in her chest.

she glances toward the ocean.

not you.

the shoot’s over.

it ends in a blur of bowing staff, camera bags thudding shut, thank-yous muffled by tired voices and the low crash of the ocean below. someone’s still scraping plates into a bin. someone else is laughing near the curb. the whole place feels like the backstage of a play that ended five minutes too soon.

you stand by the entryway, tucked between two rusted railings and a low stone planter blooming with yellow hibiscus. your weight shifts slow in your shoes, like the ground isn’t quite yours. your hands stay buried in your pockets. it’s not for warmth. it’s for restraint.

you hear her before you see her. not her voice — not yet — just the soft scuff of her sandals on the pavement. the sound of someone light on their feet, like she’s trying not to disturb the night.

then:

“there you are.”

you turn.

sana’s walking over, hands tucked into her sleeves, eyes already finding yours like she’d been scanning the whole set for them. same soft top. strands of hair stuck to her cheek. her mouth is pinker than it was earlier — maybe from the sun, maybe from the drink miyeon forced her to finish.

and for a second, your heart is stupid enough to think she might run to you.

instead, she walks slowly. calm. unreadable.

“thought you left already,” you say.

“nope,” she replies, easy. “i was looking for you.”

your throat catches around nothing.

“me?”

“mm.” she glances away for a second — then back. “you kinda disappeared after wrap.”

“you noticed?”

she rolls her eyes. “you think i wouldn’t?”

“you were really good today,” you say quickly to avoid an awkward silence. “both of you.”

she blinks. “seriously?”

“yeah. miyeon too. you guys were— i dunno. like a good pair in a romcom..?”

“what if that's what we we're going for?”

“doubt it.”

she grins. a little bashful now.

then you add, “good luck, by the way. with the next comeback.”

“oh.” she tilts her head. “you remember what i said?”

“barely. and miyeon gave me a twice song quiz and uhh i failed...”

sana snorts. “which one did you miss?”

“all of them.”

“wow.”

“i’m a disgrace to my generation.”

she laughs again — and this time, she smooths a crease from your shirt, fingers brushing you so gently it feels like she’s saying goodbye without really saying it.

“hey,” she says. softer now. “thank you. really.”

her eyes flick to your mouth for half a second too long.

you don’t move.

“for what?”

“just… everything. for making this trip feel special. even when the cameras weren’t rolling.”

you swallow.

the words sit too neatly in your chest. they stack themselves like a house you start to believe in.

“same to you,” you say. “you made it easy.”

she glances at you again — not away from you, not past you — at you.

and in that moment, you believe it. you believe she means it.

you believe she’s holding something back, and maybe it’s only distance, maybe it’s only fear — but it’s not indifference.

“i’ll miss you,” she murmurs.

you freeze.

you want to ask if she means it. you want to ask if she’ll text. if this was ever more than just a week of light flirting and pretty lies.

but you smile anyway. not big. just enough. “i’ll keep failing your quizzes from afar.”

“and i’ll be disappointed in you from korea,” she shoots back, but it’s gentle. fond.

she waves once. then again when she’s at the van. you raise your hand, but she’s already turned away.

the door shuts. miyeon says something loud. sana laughs. they drive off.

you wait. just long enough to be sure she’s not coming back. just long enough to be sure that was the end of it.

then you sling your bag over your shoulder. it feels too light, like something’s been taken out of it.

maybe it’s just the part of you that believed you’d get to say more.

you’re halfway to the curb when someone shouts behind you.

“excuse me!”

you turn.

he jogs up, holding a small cloth-wrapped tupperware and a tumbler bottle, slightly fogged over but clearly warm now.

“this was left at the table,” the waiter says. “one of the guests forgot it?”

you stare.

for a second, you don’t move.

you don’t even need to open it.

you know.

the weight of it. the shape. the faint sweet smell leaking through the folds.

then slowly—slowly—you take it. unwrap it. see the handwriting you recognize. your own.

please eat well. you told me you miss this type of food. remember to tell me about your comeback. with all the love i can't say, your guide.

you stare at it.

the kimbab. the smoothie. the whole thing.

your hand curls tighter around the cloth. you feel the glass bottle shift inside. the smoothie’s warm now.

untouched.

you swallow. the ocean sounds louder all of a sudden.

your chest hollows out.

you stare at it for a long time.

not because you don’t understand —

but because you do.

you don’t even think of eunji. she wouldn’t forget something like this, right? not something made with care. not something that mattered to someone else that isn't her.

but sana—

she didn’t forget.

she chose not to bring it.

you rolled the kimbap in silence at 12am, hands shaky from too little sleep. blended the smoothie twice because the first one didn’t taste like you remembered her describing in one of those tv shows she was in. added an extra note. rewrote it when it felt too much.

you imagined her holding it on the ride to the airport. sipping it on the plane. maybe thinking of you, just a little.

you imagined it meant something.

but it didn’t.

not enough. not to her.

and then, without thinking, you turn and walk—past the entrance, down the small stone path that leads to the trash bins. you lift the lid. and drop the whole bundle in.

no hesitation.

just silence.

you let the lid fall.

and walk away with nothing but silence.

not even the lie that she cared.

two weeks.

that’s how long it’s been since hawaii.

since the wind tasted like salt and sunscreen, since your laugh still echoed when she closed her eyes. since miyeon dragged her half-asleep through customs, arms full of souvenirs they didn’t need but bought anyway, because it reminded her of you — stupid stuff, like the peach keyring you touched once at a market stall, the tiny charm shaped like a surfboard.

since sana sat by the plane window for six silent hours, headphones in but music off, the screen in front of her playing some romcom she didn’t watch. just static. just motion. just the city shrinking behind clouds, and the empty weight of a phone that hadn’t buzzed once.

you didn’t text.

and maybe she should’ve known then.

maybe she should’ve let go the moment the message bubble stayed empty. maybe she shouldn’t have memorized the time difference, shouldn’t have set silent alarms for 2:17 a.m., just in case you replied while she was sleeping — as if knowing the exact minute you might’ve sent something could stop her from missing it.

but she couldn’t help it. she was still waiting.

she took more photos than usual. not for instagram. not for the fancafe. just dumb little things — her coffee order, the new hoodie she thought you’d like, the earrings miyeon said made her look “way too pretty to be single.”

she saved them all.

none of them ever got sent.

it’s late now. practice ran long. her hoodie’s damp at the collar, some strands falling loose.

but her fingers are restless.

so she goes live.

the car is dark. quiet. the windows blur with streetlights, smearing gold across her cheekbones, and the screen lights her face just enough to catch the pink gloss still clinging to her bottom lip. her voice is a little hoarse, like it’s been tucked away too long.

“hi~” she says, drawing it out, soft and breathy. “did you miss me?”

hearts explode. comments fire in from all corners of the world.

she laughs, ducking her head, rubbing at her eye with the back of her wrist. “i look like a mess today, huh? no filters. bare face. very exclusive.”

“you look beautiful no matter what!!” someone writes.

she gasps, presses a hand to her heart. “don’t lie to me like this! not when i’m already so weak.”

fans fill the chat with crying emojis and heart showers.

“we had practice all day today,” she says, tucking a flyaway hair behind her ear. “comeback soon, right? do you guys wanna know the concept?”

they scream in the comments. she hums thoughtfully, as if considering.

“hmm~ what if i give you a hint? just a little one,” she says, holding her fingers close together. “okay. one word only. spicy.”

the chaos that follows makes her giggle for real. someone spams pepper emojis. someone else types “IS IT A DANCE SONG IS IT SEDUCTIVE??”

“yah! it’s a secret!” she scolds, then immediately leans closer to whisper, “...yes.”

she leans back with a wink. the mood is light. good. silly in the way she knows how to be.

but her thumb keeps slipping.

to the viewer list. to the names she doesn’t mean to look for.

and then —

@brewing.beach joined.

her breath catches. only for a second. just long enough that something inside her forgets to move.

you’re here.

you’re watching.

your name — your screenname — floats at the top of the list like a bruise she doesn’t want to press, but can’t stop touching.

she swallows. hard. finds her place in the conversation again.

“also,” she says quickly, “nayeon unnie tripped over her own shoe during cooldown. i wish i could show you, it was like… you know those baby deer videos?” she holds up both hands and wiggles them like flailing limbs. “legs everywhere.”

laughs fill the screen. someone tells her she should post the clip. another fan says you’re cuter than a deer though.

she smiles. lets it land somewhere softer. but the glow doesn’t stay long.

someone else asks about hawaii.

“miyeon said you had the idea for the vlog!! what was your favorite part?”

her breath sticks in her throat for a second too long.

but she makes her voice gentle. normal.

“filming was fun,” she says. “but… honestly, i was kind of out of it by the end.”

a beat. the comments fly too fast to catch.

“i think i got sunburned on like… just one ear?” she touches her earlobe. “very fashionable. very cool. right, once?”

they answer with chaos again. sunscreen jokes. marriage proposals. someone starts a fake petition called justice for sana’s ears.

she laughs, but it’s thinner now. quiet at the edges.

you’re still watching.

and still not saying anything.

you never did.

you didn’t say anything the day she left. not when she waved from the van. not when she said she’d miss you, even though her voice cracked on it. you didn’t reply to her message, didn’t text after the plane landed.

you didn’t even react to the gift.

she had made sure of it — she’d written her number on the back of a photocard, one she picked herself from a pack of outtakes. she wasn’t even looking at the camera in it, just smiling off to the side. the same way she always looked at you when she thought no one would notice.

she slipped it into the box. sealed it herself.

and asked eunji — sweet, harmless, helpful eunji — to give it to you while she was shooting with miyeon.

“just slide it to them when you say goodbye,” she whispered. “please?”

eunji smiled. said of course. said sure. said leave it to me.

but you never reached out.

and sana… believed you had gotten it.

for two weeks, she believed it.

in the back of this car, the memory hits her differently.

eunji's laugh too sharp.

her tone too playful.

how she never looked sana in the eye when she came back.

sana’s heart aches in the shape of something slow and sickening.

“anyway… i’m home now~” she says softly, even though the car is still moving. “i’ll rest. i’ll… i’ll message you guys next time, okay?”

lie.

the fans fill the chat with goodnights. hearts. we love you!!

she ends the live.

the silence after is unbearable.

her driver hums low under his breath. the city leans past the window in smears of yellow and gray. she watches her own reflection. the curve of her mouth. the shine of her eyes.

she unlocks her phone.

scrolls to your name.

still empty.

still no finally got your number.

still no thank you.

no i miss you.

she opens the messages anyway. stares at the blank thread. waits for it to become something else.

but it doesn’t.

it stays quiet.

the same way you did.

her eyes burn first.

but she doesn’t blink. not yet. just breathes.

once. twice.

then —

quietly. gently.

like it doesn’t even belong to her — like the heartache is someone else’s, and she’s just borrowing it for a while — the tears start to fall.

one slips past her cheek. then another. then they don’t stop.

they hit the fabric of her hoodie without a sound. soak into the sleeves she tugs up to her mouth. the kind of crying you do when you're trying not to. the kind that hurts more because no one sees it but you.

she curls tighter in the seat. presses her phone to her chest. wishes she never wrote her number. wishes she didn’t check. wishes she knew how to stop hoping.

the city moves on.

and sana stays behind, muffling her sobs into the hoodie she wore for you.

forgotten.

kino's note — took 2 weeks for this ahh writing.. i miss my beautiful girl so i thought to break my heart with this :D idk abt a part 2 but ill try my best.

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