#but for him i'll make a small exception;;

[moonydustx]

Silent treatment

info: pretty self-explanatory I think. Law and reader have a pre-established relationship. I believe I'll soon post a version of Zoro too (it was supposed to be today, but I don't really believe in my ability to review more than one content per day)

pairing: Law x reader

Crossing my fingers and promising to stop writing only about Law

It was nothing new, far from it.

When you started living with Law years ago, you knew that he could occasionally be a little cold. Of course, within the crew itself, during the many days and nights spent underwater, he became a more communicative and accessible person - but sometimes not. That didn't bother you, not at all. At least not until the relationship between subordinate and captain turned into a relationship between two lovers.

He wasn't the clingiest person in the world, and neither were you, but he was still present. Stolen touches during the day, you leaning against his body while you drank with others. All of this was almost trivial to those who saw it and for you, everything was fine. The relationship between the two of you was constantly improving, except for one small fact: communication.

Now, the periods when Law was absent seemed to bother you even more than before and even with some indirect messages from you, he didn't seem to understand (or at least didn't care).

"Law, did you see that book I lent you?" You entered his small office. The brunette was buried in his own notes, lost enough in them to not look in your direction.

"I don't remember, love. Maybe on the bedside table?" He mumbled, distracted.

"No." You limited yourself to answering, hoping that maybe he would give you more hints. "Law!?"

"Hm?"

"Forget it."

You tried not to sound angry. That wasn't even the best word to describe your situation, maybe frustrated would work better.

When you returned to your room, you began to list the pros and cons of all this. Of course, the list of pros was immensely longer when it came to Law, but these lapses of attention still bothered you. An unhealthy idea crossed your mind.

First, you rethought everything you did and excluded part of the things you shared - lunch hours together, possible visits to him during the afternoon and anything else that could make you give in. Now all you had to do was avoid opening your mouth when you were in the same room and wait to see if you would succeed.

The first thing Law noticed was your disappearance. Okay, you were definitely mad that he had lost one of your books, and you were absolutely right. Maybe the fact that you hadn't gone to visit him was because you had found the book and were immersed in reading it.

The second thing was your absence during dinner, and that set off a red alert in his mind. Your absence wasn't physical, which only made the man's situation worse. Before he sat down at the table, your voice echoed about some subject he couldn't quite make out. All he had to do was show up and for the rest of the hour he stayed there, he only heard the sound of the cutlery against your plate.

The third thing was your absence from his bed. Okay, you didn't sleep together every night, but at least you took a few minutes for yourselves before going to sleep, even if it was just to cuddle for a bit. Tired of turning over in bed, dazed by the discomfort, he hurriedly walked to the door of your shared room with the only other female companion, who was the one who answered him.

"Hello, captain!" Ikkaku's mood was suspicious to him, but Law could wait to understand that later. "I think the one you're looking for is a little busy." She opened the door a crack, revealing your sleeping figure.

"Has she been here for a while?"

"Yes, sir. What happened, trouble in paradise?"

"Nothing much." He tried to avoid the subject with a weak smile. "Have a good night."

From then on, it was six days. Six days of pure torture for the captain of the heart pirates. You had entered radio silence mode. Every "good morning" or "can we talk?" was ignored. Law even tried to bring up one of your favorite singers and saw you remain silent. He couldn't understand why. He was going to go crazy, that was the only certainty he had at that moment.

The seventh day was the limit. Dark circles were forming on his face - and he could clearly see them on your face. His mood was unbearable, in addition to the atmosphere between everyone when you were present. Everyone already knew that there was indeed trouble in paradise.

You and Ikkaku were packing up the clean clothes that had arrived when you didn't notice him signaling to your partner to leave you alone.

"I think these clothes are enough for me to take. What do you think?" Your shock was evident when you saw your boyfriend there. Instead of answering, you turned your back and went back to rummaging through a small bag, putting the folded clothes in it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Law's defeated tone of voice broke your heart, but you still tried to resist a little. "You're not leaving, are you? I know I messed up by losing your things, but please, please let's talk."

"That's the problem, Law." Even though your tone wasn't the most gentle of all, the man was washed with relief upon hearing your voice. "You don't

talk to me, don't pay attention to me."

"What do you mean?"

"You know that book I asked for? You didn't even look at my face to answer and then I found it there, on your desk. The other day you didn't hear me repeat the same thing more than three times." You blurted out, seeing that his gaze wasn't just on you but was going towards the bag on your bed.

"And you're leaving me because of this?"

And there was the sound he loved, even if the reason wasn't clear to him yet. With a light laugh you approached him and didn't hesitate to touch his face, turning his attentive gaze in your direction.

"Yes, I was upset about the situation, yes, I purposely gave you the silent treatment, but no, I would never leave you for something so trivial."

His eyes closed along with a relieved sigh that escaped his lips. Understanding that your closeness was an authorization, he intertwined his arms around your waist, ending any distance the two of you had.

"Can you forgive me? Sometimes I can't help but get lost in my own tasks and you've always been my lifeline, pulling me out of it." He explained, letting his fingers glide over your skin. "I think I took you for granted and I promise not to do that anymore. And if I do, please let me know, hit me, dunk me in seawater. Just please don't walk away from me, don't go without talking to me."

"I promise and I'm sorry for acting like this."

His lips captured yours quickly. Almost as a way of sealing the little promise between the two of you. However, you saw his eyes drift towards the suitcases.

"Promise you're not leaving me?"

"Oh babe." You laughed once more at his desolate expression. "These are some clothes I want to donate. Some of them don't fit me anymore, I really need some new things too, so I decided to clear the space."

"So that's it. You go, get rid of these clothes and then we'll go buy everything you need. And I want to hear everything you've done this week."

[kangshxrtie]

12 . mansion party (written)

after the mandatory pregame at matthew's house, your group piled into ricky's car and headed to the party.

"do i just go up there and say i know daniela?" you asked, the nerves creeping into your voice.

"i mean, yeah. she literally told you to do that," yunjin replied, shrugging like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"what if i just text her?" you said, already pulling out your phone.

"you could, but what are the chances she'll answer? since she is the host and all," ricky said, giving you a skeptical look.

"she answered," you said, cutting him off and unbuckling your seatbelt with a smug grin. "she's coming out to meet us."

"oh..." ricky trailed off, stepping out of the car, clearly impressed.

"that girl is so down bad," julie whispered, not very quietly, to the group.

"seriously," matthew agreed.

as you all approached the massive house, you couldn't help but take in the luxurious mansion. you scanned the crowd near the entrance, eventually spotting daniela looking around like a lost puppy. the moment she saw you, her face lit up, and she walked toward you like a magnet.

"go meet your girlfriend," ricky teased, giving you a playful nudge that made you glare at him.

"stop saying that," you hissed, but your feet were already moving. you met daniela halfway, and the bright smile she gave you made your stomach do an unexpected flip.

"hey, y/n," daniela greeted, her voice soft, almost shy. it threw you off for a second, shy was the last thing you'd expect from someone who owned a mansion and hosted massive parties.

"hi, daniela," you replied with a small smile.

"you can just call me dani. everyone does," she said, shrugging casually.

"okay, dani," you said, trying it out. the way her name rolled off your tongue made her cheeks turn pink. you noticed, and it took everything in you not to smirk.

daniela cleared her throat, trying to snap herself out of it. she handed out wristbands to everyone, specifically taking the time to help you put yours on. her fingers lingered on your wrist just a second longer than necessary, but you didn't mind.

"follow me. i'll give you a quick tour," she said, leading the way into the house. since you'd arrived early, mostly to avoid inconveniencing her later, it was the perfect opportunity to see the place before the crowd rolled in. you tried to convince yourself it wasn't just to spend more time with her.

"so, everyone's first five drinks are on me. after that, you gotta pay," daniela explained as she led you through the impressive space.

"that's fair," yunjin nodded.

"but," daniela added with a smirk, "weed is free all night for everyone."

"except you," she whispered in your ear, her breath warm against your skin. "you have free access to everything all night. i already let sophia know."

"you didn't have to do that," you said, feeling slightly flustered. "i can pay for my own drinks."

"and i want to make sure you're taken care of and having a good time," daniela said, her eyes locking onto yours. her tone was so sincere that you didn't know how to respond right away.

"well... thank you," you finally managed.

"anything for you," daniela said softly, her lips curling into a small smile.

"well we should get some drinks to get tonight started," yunjin said cutting off whatever was happening between you and daniela.

"i guess i should—" you started, but daniela cut you off.

"go. have fun," she said with a small smile. "just let me know if you need anything tonight. seriously. i'll make time."

your stomach fluttered at her words as you turned to join your friends. you couldn't help but glance back at daniela one last time before heading off. she was still standing there, watching you go, her smile soft but unmistakably confident.

once daniela was out of sight, belle immediately started hitting your shoulder, freaking out for you at the interaction.

"you like her," belle accused, eyes wide with a mischievous grin.

"what?" you said.

"she was staring at you the entire time she showed us around," matthew jumped in.

"really?" you asked, your voice coming out a little too eager.

"yes, really," matthew replied, rolling his eyes. "it was so obvious. i'm almost certain she forgot we existed for a while."

"she definitely did," julie chimed in, smirking knowingly. "the whole tour felt like it was for you. i swear she didn't even glance at us when she was explaining stuff."

"stop," you said, shaking your head in denial. "all of that did not happen."

"didn't happen? babe, we were literally there," belle shot back, giving you a pointed look. "that girl is already down bad for you. she was practically flirting the entire time."

you groaned, covering your face with your hands. "you guys are so annoying."

"so, who's making the first move tonight? you or her?" yunjin teased, slinging an arm around your shoulder as the group moved toward the bar.

"neither," you replied firmly, shaking your head. "i just met her. i'm not rushing anything."

"okay, but hear me out," ricky said, leaning casually against the bar counter. "if she's already doing this much to impress you after, what, one week? imagine how much she'll step it up if you give in just a little."

"that's true," julie agreed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "she's already hosting a whole ass party just to have an excuse to see you."

"that's not even true," you said quickly, though your racing heart begged to differ.

"she didn't have to host this party," matthew said smugly, clearly enjoying your flustered reaction. "but she did. and we all see why."

you exhaled, "look, i'm just gonna see how tonight goes. i'll think about the rest later."

"that's fair," belle said with a shrug. "it's best not to make decisions like these when you're fucked up."

"exactly," you agreed, leaning on the bar counter as you waited for sophia to finish up with the others' orders. "now we get fucked up."

since it was a mansion party it was a little more fancy and so instead of the usual beer cans and seltzers, sophia was making cocktails and it took more time than usual.

"sophia!" you greeted as she finally came over.

"i was threatened to give you free drinks tonight," sophia said with a grin.

"i told her she didn't have to do that," daniela's voice rang in your mind, and you fought back a smile.

"i would've done it for you guys anyway," sophia continued, sliding drinks across the bar. "but hey, i'm not saying no to getting paid extra."

"to sophia being a real one," belle declared, raising her glass.

"we love her," you added, clinking your glass with hers.

later on, a couple of drinks in, you hadn't really seen daniela since earlier. instead, you'd run into yoonchae and megan, who complimented your outfit and hyped you up before taking some shots with you. eventually, you found your way to lara's dj booth, like usual. you hung out there for a while, chatting and delivering drinks to lara in exchange for song requests.

between the music, the drinks in your system, and probably the secondhand high that you were experiencing, you started to feel more at ease, just going with the vibe. that's when you decided to wander away from the dj booth, weaving through the crowd until you ran into manon.

"hey, manon," you slurred slightly, sidling up to her.

"i've been looking for you," manon said, giving you a playful look. "dani wouldn't let me come over to greet you with her."

"well, you found me," you said with a shrug, leaning against her for a moment.

"so, about that dance?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

"saved it just for you," you replied with a grin.

the two of you moved to the beat of the music, feeling the alcohol take over your bodies, and losing yourselves in the moment. as you and manon have done this many times there was no awkwardness, just you and manon laughing and dancing through a couple of songs.

that was, until someone slipped between the two of you, causing you and manon to step apart slightly.

"can i cut in?" daniela asked smoothly, her voice soft but confident as she slid into the space between you.

"all yours," manon said with a knowing smirk, backing away as she gestured for daniela to take her spot.

you felt your heart skip a beat as daniela turned to you, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "mind if i steal you for a bit?"

"not at all," you responded.

"i can't leave you alone, apparently," daniela teased as she leaned closer to be heard over the music. "every time i turn around, someone else is getting your attention."

"jealous already?" you shot back, the alcohol letting you flirt back without overthinking it.

"maybe," she admitted, her hand brushing yours as she spoke. "i don't know why you're worried about me when apparently you're the one with hoes."

"not hoes... just a little competition" you joked.

"competition, huh?" daniela chuckled, her tone playful as she raised an eyebrow at you. "looks like i'll have to try harder."

you couldn't help but laugh, "just letting you know i'm not that easy."

"trust me," she said, "i'm not worried."

before you could respond, she gently took your hand, pulling you closer as the beat of the music shifted into something slower and more intimate. the sudden closeness made your breath hitch, and you were hyper-aware of her presence.

"you good with this?" daniela asked softly, her dark eyes searching yours, waiting for a sign.

"yeah," you said, nodding as you let her lead. your hands naturally rested on her shoulders, hers finding your waist. the two of you swayed to the rhythm, forgetting about the rest of the party.

"you look really good tonight," she said after a moment, her low voice becoming softer as she held your gaze, "i mean, you always do, but... yeah."

"thanks. you don't look too bad yourself," you replied, a small smile playing on your lips.

the two of you danced through another song, the tension between you shifting from nervous to comfortable. every glance, every touch, felt intentional, like you were both testing the waters on where this was going.

"can i tell you something?" daniela asked.

"of course," you said.

"i wasn't kidding earlier when i said i wanted to make sure you had a good time tonight," she admitted, her gaze dropping to your hands still resting on her shoulders. "i was hoping i'd be less busy so we could get to know each other, but that didn't turn out like i wanted it to. i just really wanted to get to know you more and i didn't know how else to do that other than a party."

her honesty caught you off guard, but it also made your chest feel warm, like your stomach was doing little flips. "i'm not gonna lie," you replied, meeting her eyes again. "i don't know if i'm just a little fucked up right now, but i'm willing to try this out."

daniela's smile widened, a mix of relief and excitement. "well, how about we get out of here for a bit? not leave the party, just... somewhere quieter."

"lead the way," you said, letting her take your hand again.

she guided you through the crowd, weaving past groups of people until you reached the back patio. the night air was cool and refreshing, a stark contrast to the heat of the party inside. a few groups lingered outside, but it was quiet enough to finally hear yourself think.

"better?" daniela asked, leaning against the railing as she looked at you.

"much," you said, taking a deep breath and stepping closer. "i don't have to scream to talk anymore."

"that's true," daniela said with a chuckle. "i've been waiting all night for some one-on-one time with you."

"i bet you were," you said, your confidence growing as the tension between you thickened.

for a moment, neither of you spoke. you could barely hear the music from inside now and the only thing you could focus on was the way daniela looked at you like you were the only person she saw in the room. finally, she broke the silence.

"so... what are you thinking about right now?" she asked, her tone light but curious.

you hesitated, your heart racing as you debated how honest you wanted to be. but something about the way she looked at you made you feel like you wanted to spill out all of your feelings.

"you're just like really pretty and i like the way you look at me," you said finally, the words tumbling out before you could second-guess them. "i also like being near you, you feel comforting to me."

daniela's expression softened, "good," she said after a moment, her voice barely above a whisper. "that means i'm doing something right."

before either of you could say more, the sound of someone clearing their throat broke the moment. you both turned to see matthew standing a few feet away, smirking like he'd just caught you doing something scandalous.

"sorry to interrupt," he said, his tone making it clear he wasn't sorry at all. "but we were wondering where you disappeared to. didn't think i'd find you out here having that kind of moment."

daniela chuckled, shaking her head. "i knew i messed up showing y'all the balcony."

"you're lucky it was me and not yunjin," matthew quipped, shooting you a knowing look. "but belle sent me to find you because, uh, she's doing a keg stand."

"belle?" your eyes widened, and you immediately stepped forward because you had to see this.

grinning, you grabbed daniela's hand and pulled her along without hesitation. she didn't protest, her fingers tightening around yours happy that you included her in this.

matthew guided you through the crowd, weaving through the party until you reached the keg station. your group was gathered there, cheering loudly, with belle front and center, looking far too excited to be sober.

"y/n! you're here!" belle exclaimed, bouncing slightly when she saw you.

"of course i'm here," you said, laughing. "i was not about to miss this."

her gaze shifted to daniela, "and you brought dani? i'm so proud of you!" she declared, looking like she might cry for whatever reason.

"you really are drunk," you muttered, rolling your eyes, but you couldn't help the small smile tugging at your lips.

"yall know i get emotiona when i'm drunkl!" belle exclaimed, "you're out here pulling bitches, and i just-i'm so proud. my baby's all grown up."

"we're the same age," you said, trying to wave her off. daniela just chuckled softly next to you.

"okay, okay," belle said, shaking her head like she was pulling herself together and focused on the keg once again.

ricky and matthew stepped in, helping belle into a handstand, their laughter blending with the cheers of everyone around. the crowd started counting loudly as belle began chugging.

"i'm surprised she's lasting this long, she hates beer," julie said, her arms crossed as she watched with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

"she's drunk enough to forget that right now," yunjin added, holding up her phone to record.

belle somehow made it to thirty seconds, and the group erupted into louder cheers.

somewhere in that time, daniela's hand found its way to your waist, her touch gentle but firm. you glanced at her, but she didn't say anything, her focus shifting between belle and you, as if she wanted to make sure you stayed close.

belle lasted an impressive full minute before she tapped and ricky and matthew finally helped her down. she stumbled slightly and the group quickly steadied her, as she wiped her mouth.

"who let me do that?" belle groaned dramatically, her face scrunching in disgust. "i hate beer!"

"we tried to stop you," yunjin pointed out, still recording as belle leaned against julie for support. "but apparently you're a grown adult and can make your own decisions."

"still? you should've tried harder," belle muttered.

daniela leaned closer to you, her voice low and teasing. "your friends are crazy."

“yeah… but I need you to know I’m just like that when I get drunk enough,” you said, laughing lightly.

“i’d like to see that,” daniela teased, her gaze lingering on you.

before you could respond, julie chimed in, her voice cutting through the conversation. “i think we need to call it now before belle starts dancing on tables with matthew.”

“that’s probably a good idea,” you agreed, glancing over to where matthew and yunjin had disappeared. you had no clue where those two were off to, but you definitely didn’t trust them drunk and unsupervised.

luckily, belle was still hanging onto julie for dear life, which meant she wasn’t joining in whatever chaos matthew and yunjin were stirring up.

“i’d love to stay, but i’ve got to make sure my friends make it home,” you said, turning to daniela with a small smile.

daniela’s lips quirked up in a soft smirk as she pulled you into a hug. “we just have to go on a real date now,” she said, her voice low and teasing in your ear.

“go be a good host now,” you replied as you pulled back slightly, but daniela’s arms stayed wrapped around your waist, and your arms lingered around her shoulders.

“to be a good host, i’m going to walk you all to your car,” daniela said with a shrug, her smile never wavering.

“oh, will you?” you teased, raising a brow at her.

“just to make sure everybody gets home safe,” she added, finally loosening her hold on you.

“well, i gotta say, i’m liking this treatment,” you said.

“as my future girl you’ll get this kind of treatment at every party,” daniela shot back smoothly.

“who says we’ll even be dating by your next party?” you teased, glancing at her over your shoulder.

“when will it be, by the way?”

“well, i was thinking toward the end of the month, or maybe the beginning of next month,” daniela said casually.

“crazy, i thought you’d be doing a halloween party,” you said with a laugh.

“that was the plan,” daniela admitted. “but i just had this sudden inspiration to throw more parties.”

“oh, i’m glad you did because i love your parties,” you said genuinely.

“i’m glad you do,” daniela replied, her eyes soft as she looked at you.

while you were searching for matthew, daniela got pulled into handling some host duties, which meant the two of you had to be separated. meanwhile, ricky took julie and belle with him, splitting up to look for matthew and yunjin, definitely thinking you were more sober than you actually were. so, you were left to wander mostly on your own.

you eventually found matthew, and of course, he was on top of a table with yunjin, both of them going full-out to crank that. you were beckoned up to join them, and you did because why not, you couldn’t help but laugh as you danced with them. that is, until daniela and ricky appeared, and you were instantly reminded of the whole reason you were even there.

“matthew and yunjin, get down!” you shouted, trying to sound authoritative despite your tipsy state.

“but this is where i belong!” matthew protested dramatically, giving you a grin that was pure mischief.

“you belong in the car, because we’re going home,” you retorted, crossing your arms.

“i could’ve been superman,” matthew said, getting into position as if he was about to jump off the table in a ridiculous superman pose. fortunately, ricky was behind you, catching matthew just before he could do something stupid.

“you too, yunjin!” you called, helping her down.

after successfully wrangling them out of their impromptu performance, you started guiding everyone toward the exit. of course, it took at least ten minutes to leave the house because distractions were endless, mainly people trying to say their goodbyes to you.

eventually, you made it down the street and into the car, with ricky and daniela helping you shepherd everyone into the vehicle. ricky gave daniela a quick thank you as he slid into the driver’s seat, and you realized, since you hadn’t had much to drink after hanging out with daniela, you were starting to sober up and could finally do the whole “goodbye” thing properly.

“goodbye for real this time,” you said as you turned to daniela, your voice soft, though there was a lingering smile on your lips.

“i’m really glad we spent time together tonight, even if it was short,” daniela replied, her voice warm.

“text me when you get home,” you said, giving her a small, meaningful look.

daniela pouted, teasing, “i’m supposed to tell you that.”

“you right,” you said, laughing lightly. “i will most likely already be asleep by the time you get home, so i’ll text you instead.”

with that, you pulled her in for a tight, lingering hug, holding her close for a moment longer than you expected.

“take care, y/n,” daniela said softly into your ear as you pulled away, her fingers brushing lightly across your back.

“you too, dani,” you replied, your smile a little wider now.

you got into the passenger side of ricky’s car and he started the car and pulled away. luckily the rest of the group was too tired to even tease you about your interaction, but you were fine with dealing with that in the morning.

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[angelbby555]

ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ Boo boo's

summary: Benny was expecting you to be mad for getting into another fight. Except this time around you had a different attitude.

Word count: 1k

⋆. ୨୧˚⋆

Your least favorite thing in the world was watching your husband come home all bloody and bruised. He took his licks like a man, because if he didn't want to get injuries then he would never get into fights in the first place. You admired Benny's loyalty to the gang, but getting into fights that weren't never meant for him never made sense to you.

Benny was crazy like that, but you still loved your husband. You liked him because of his qualities and loved him despite some of his qualities. Honestly you were just glad you didn't have to witness the last fight that put him in the hospital.

You were laying down in your shared bed when you heard the front door open. Automatically a smile took over your face happy to hear your husband home. When a few minutes passed and he still wasn't upstairs a frown tugged at your lips.

Instantly you knew your rebellious husband had gotten into a fight based on the way he lingered downstairs. He knew as his wife, you would fuss over him, so he would camp out in the living room to avoid your disappointment. You checked the clock on your night stand, before getting out of your cozy bed making your way downstairs.

There Benny was in all his glory, sitting in his leather arm chair while watching TV. Drinking a can of beer and smoking a cigarette. Benny's knuckles were bloody and raw and, he had a fresh scar on his bicep.

Guessing switch blades were involved in this one. Matter of fact you didn't want to know, it would only get you upset. The only thing that illuminated the room was the TV. Benny took a swing from his beer can before averting his gaze off the screen to where you were standing. A warm look over took his cold blue eyes.

"Hi baby." He grunted sitting up on the leather chair, and immediately putting his cigarette out on the ashtray. You did like the smell, so Benny never smoked around you. Which you always found endearing. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

You couldn't resist laughing the way he treated you like a little girl, so you gave him a response a little girl would say.

"No because my daddy forgot to tuck me in."

You shifted on your tippy toes and then back down to the heels of your pedicured feet. Benny's lips were tugging in a lopsided grin.

"C'mere." He motioned with his bruised hand. Obediently you were making you way to your husband, as he pulled you on his lap. His hands made home securely around you waist. "You want a kiss goodnight too?" Benny teased.

His head rested on your chin and you placed your hand on the nape of his neck. "If you don't mind."

Then Benny was kissing your cheek multiple times, not stopping until you were a giggling mess from how his facial hair tickled your cheek.

Your hand accidentally brushed up against his bloody knuckle causing him to breath out through his nose from the sting. Benny was quick to move his right hand off your waist, so you wouldn't get suspicious of his injured hand.

Except you had already seen it, so you were turning to face your husband. You didn't want to give your husband a hard time on it like you always did. Benny was bracing himself for the scolding he was gonna get.

"Benny's got a boo boo."

Benny exhaled the breath he had been holding. He corrected you several times that it wasn't called a 'boo boo' but rather a small injury he could take. He wouldn't correct you this time, since he was relieved that you weren't mad.

"You heal my wounds and I'll tuck my girl in?" His voice was a mix of hopefulness and caution not knowing how you would react. It was amusing because in your eyes Benny looked a bit scared.

"Deal"

⊹☆~⟡⋆

The first aid kit was in the bathroom so Benny was sitting on top of the toilet seat cover while you stood in between his legs. You add rubbing alcohol on a cloth before gently applying it to his laceration on his bicep. Benny brows furrowed a bit at the sting. To take some of the pain away you started to blow on his scar.

You didn't notice the fond look Benny had in his eyes as you took care of him. He loved when you patched him up. Made him feel loved.

"It wasn't my fault." Benny looked up at you with a pleading look to believe him. Your calm attitude had really confused your husband. Benny felt the need to explain himself, tell a version of a story that made him seem like the hero when he was in fact in the wrong.

"I love you Benny." Benny closed his mouth as he was about to give you a whole run down on what happened. Here he was afraid of your bitching, and here you were switching your attitude up on him.

"Gosh you drive me crazy." He laughed rubbing a hand down his jaw. Benny wrapped both hands around your waist and buried his face in your shirt. "I love you too." Benny muttered in your shirt.

You grabbed a band aid from the first aid kit knowing that Benny would probably take it off the next day. However you still took the white paper off the band aid before stick it on his bicep, covering the laceration.

"Nurse, kiss my boo boo." Benny playfully asked letting you go. A giggle slipped your lips because you never would have thought to hear the cute expression 'boo boo' come out of him. You smiled at him before pressing a kiss to his bicep and rough knuckles. "Right then."

Benny stood up stretching his back out before, he quickly scooped you up in his big arms bridal style making you squeal.

"Let's get you to bed." He smirked, moving out of the bathroom.

[xechu]

[Devour] Chapter 2: Yearning

Pairing: Ryomen Sukuna x fem!reader

Word count: 4.5K

Warnings: please read my blog's rules before interacting. 18+ mdni, angst, eventual smut, hurt/no comfort, explicit sexual content, undertones of misogyny (because the 'olden days'), mature themes, depiction of gore and violence, mentions of pregnancy and abortion. Please note that these warnings pertain to the entire series as a whole, and not just to this specific chapter.

Tags: mini series, angst, smut, Heian Era, true form Sukuna

Summary: Sukuna brings you back to a temple, where he resides. There you also meet Uraume. You begin to doubt if running away was the best idea, but then, Sukuna offers to be your ally. Unbeknownst to you, he has his own ulterior motives for helping you.

A/N: It's here! Not going to lie, I struggled a bit with this chapter. Since this is a mini series, I would say we're already about 35% through the story, things will progress quickly in the upcoming chapters. Based on my planning, I'm looking at about four more chapters. I don't have an exact release date for Chapter 3 like I did with this chapter, but I'll post an update when it's almost complete! If you would like to be added on the tag list for this series, please let me know/leave a comment here. Thank you so much for reading and stay tuned. x

Masterlist: < Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 (To be continued) >

Sukuna had always deemed love meaningless. It was a feeling that held people back, making them irrational and reckless. Over the years, he had witnessed the greatest kingdoms burn and the strongest men fall, all in the name of 'love.' But the tragedy lay in the fact that, after all was said and done, that love seldom lasted. At the end of the day, people were weak and fickle, rendering love volatile. He often wanted to ask those who sacrificed everything for love: Was it all worth it in the end?

In order to attain his height of power—to become the strongest—Sukuna had given up everything, including his humanity. He had mastered the art of detachment, for attachments only served to tie one down. Letting go of all things was the inevitable cost of power, but it was an easy and insignificant sacrifice for someone like him—who had nothing to lose in the first place.

Yet, despite the King of Curses' strong convictions, there remained one glaring contradiction in his life: you. No matter how hard he tried, he could not detach himself from you. Even after all these years, his burning desire for you was a flame he could not quell, and it only seemed to grow hungrier with time.

Throughout the years, Sukuna had conditioned himself into believing that you were always going to be an unattainable dream—a fantasy that was never meant to become reality. It was better that it remained this way. You deserved to live a peaceful life, and he could continue to live out his days as the King of Curses without restraint.

But what should he do—now that his dream had become reality?

For someone with a wretched life like his, he never believed in any gods. But for the first time in his life, the King of Curses acknowledged that this reunion must have been the universe's divine will—a preordained fate. It seemed that the two of you were destined to be together.

Yes, he thought to himself, since the universe has willed it, then you shall be his exception.

He vowed that as long as he kept you by his side, you would not be a source of his weakness.

At this realization, a dark possessiveness took over him.

This time he would stake his claim.

---

Though you were no longer the little girl Sukuna had once met, he couldn't help but notice how small you were under his hold. Some things didn't change; you were still his little flower.

“It’s me, flower,” he said, urgency creeping into his voice as if he were calling into your subconscious, imploring you to remember.

You trembled in his embrace; the adrenaline coursing through you made it difficult to think straight. His words did not register as you struggled to gather your chaotic thoughts, while your mind screamed at you to run.

You remind me of flowers. The voice suddenly echoed in your mind.

“R-Ryo?” you gasped, finally making the connection.

With shaking hands, you roamed his figure, seeking confirmation in the darkness. Your fingertips softly brushed over his features. Was this a dream? Had you already died? How was it that after all these years, he was finally here—especially in your most dire moment? The surrealness of this situation felt too good to be true.

“I-It really is you,” your voice quivered with emotion. “I-I can't believe it. All this time... I thought I would never see you again."

“I'm here now, flower,” he said, capturing your hand in his. “Come with me; it’s not safe.”

Before you could utter another word, he effortlessly scooped you up, and you instinctively held on to him, tightening your grip, afraid that if you let go he would slip away again.

Sukuna traversed the forest at an inhuman speed. He seemed to know the terrain well, navigating it with ease, but for you, all you saw was unending darkness; the gust of wind threading through your hair was the only sign that you were moving. Your heart raced as he cradled you against his strong body; you could feel the heat radiating from him, evoking a warm and familiar feeling within you—a feeling that you have yearned for so many years.

Moments later, you found yourself in a clearing. Under the clear night sky, vast greenery and towering mountains loomed around you. At the foot of one mountain, a grand tree stood beside an ancient temple. Sukuna gently set you on your feet, and now that you were out in the clearing, you could get a better look at him. Standing before you was no longer the little boy from your memories; he had transformed into a formidable man—perhaps the largest person you had ever seen. He wore an oversized kimono, his bare chest exposed, and his muscular build attested to the life he had lived throughout the years. Your gaze was then drawn to the unmistakable bloodstains on his clothing.

“Are you hurt?” your brows furrowed in concern as your hand ghosted over the stains.

“Nothing worth fretting over; they do not belong to me,” he said, a smile involuntarily curving his lips at the concern you displayed.

Sukuna lifted your chin to meet his gaze. In the moonlight, he could see you with much more clarity.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, a hint of longing evident in his eyes.

Heat rushed to your face at his touch, but you were grateful that the night concealed it.

“How did you know to find me?" you quietly asked.

“The forest and the mountain are my domain,” Sukuna replied, brushing his thumb over your lower lip, as if he was trying to engrave your features into his memory. “You were lucky I found you before something else did.”

Something in your gut told you it couldn't have been mere coincidence, but you decided to keep that thought to yourself. It wasn't the time nor the place for interrogations.

"I see," you smiled wearily. "Thank you... you saved me yet again."

Your words stirred a nostalgic memory within him.

As you continued to stand there in silence, the brave facade you had been putting up began to crumble. All the events that had led you to this moment settled within you, and the feelings you had long suppressed surged to the surface—grief, resentment, confusion, fear, relief, yearning—a tempest you could no longer keep at bay.

“All these years, I’ve been searching for you,” your voice cracked, tears brimming in your eyes.

"I know," he replied, his tone low and hushed.

“Y-You did?"

Sukuna nodded.

"Then why, Ryo? Did you not want to see me?” Your chest tightened at his admission, and tears began to roll down your face.

“It was for the best.” Sukuna's jaw clenched. The sight of you crying evoked a sense of dread within him.

“The best for who?”

A brief silence hung in the air, heavy with unspoken words.

“That no longer matters, flower. We're here now, and I won't let you go again,” he said, gently wiping a stray tear from your face.

You knew he was hiding something from you, but that mattered little right now. Your body reacted before your mind, and you wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

---

Wooden floors creaked beneath you as you crossed the threshold of the temple, and an inexplicable wave of energy washed over you. It was intense yet comforting, like the warmth of the sun—like him.

The temple was small and modest, but it felt peaceful and comfortable. It was also evident that the wooden interior had been well-maintained despite how ancient it was. The air was filled with the soothing scents of incense and cedarwood.

The earlier conversation with Sukuna loomed over you, leaving so many questions unanswered. While you could still sense a semblance of the little boy within him, he also felt unfamiliar and distant; after all, so much time had passed. You longed to know everything about him, to fill in the gaps, but perhaps that would have to wait.

As you took a closer look around the main hall, your eyes wandered to the beautifully crafted sliding doors at the back, which were fully open to reveal a serene garden that captivated you with its lush greenery and vibrant flowers.

“It’s so beautiful,” you breathed.

Sukuna looked at you under the soft glow of the candlelight illuminating the hall, and your heart began to race under his gaze amid the intimacy of the setting. He watched you intently as if he could hear the intense beating of your heart—

“Sukuna-sama, you’re back,” a gentle voice cut through the air.

You turned to find a young person standing there. Their gender was ambiguous, but their appearance reminded you of winter's first snowfall. They exuded a calm and serene presence.

“Uraume,” Sukuna acknowledged, gesturing toward you. “She is with me. Draw her a bath and prepare some fresh clothes. I’ll get a fire started.”

“Yes, Sukuna-sama,” Uraume replied, hastily leaving for the back of the temple.

You watched as Sukuna stripped off his kimono, revealing his muscular upper body adorned with tattoos.

“Ryo, where are you going?” you asked, trying to mask the fluster in your voice.

Sukuna turned back to look at you with a smile. “I’m going to hunt some game. We’ll fill our stomachs before going to bed.”

---

The warmth of the hot spring quickly melted away the stress of the day. You still could not wrap your head around the uncanny turn of events; it felt like a nightmare turned dream. Instead of being married to Lord Yamamoto, you were now reunited with the one person who had always occupied your thoughts. A sigh of relief escaped your lips as you reached for a washcloth to gently remove your makeup. You knew that there would be other matters to address later, but for now, you wanted to savor this brief respite.

Sinking the lower half of your head into the water, you blew small bubbles, and images of Sukuna and the man he had become flashed in your mind, sending a warmth throughout your body.

Sukuna's renown had been spreading in recent years, and you were acutely aware of his reputation. Whispers surrounded him, calling him the King of Curses—the strongest jujutsu sorcerer of the era. There was much debate over whether he was merely a man or a deity, while others believed him to be a demon in disguise. Your village, having a strong aversion to jujutsu sorcery, viewed it as more of a curse than a gift and seemed to believe he was nothing short of a demon.

Regardless, you had only ever known him as Ryo, so you never gave much thought to the rumors. Man, deity, or demon—whatever he was, you would have accepted him unconditionally. Despite the time apart, you still felt an inexplicable tether to him.

I won't let you go again.

Those words stirred an emotion within you when he had initially spoken them, but doubts and hesitation lingered in your mind. Had it not been for your current predicament, you would have been more inclined to stay with him.

You held your breath and submerged yourself entirely beneath the warm water, hoping to silence these chaotic thoughts—even if just for a moment.

---

Feeling refreshed as you stepped out of the temple in a new set of clothes, you noticed that a fire had already been started and that Uraume was preparing some vegetables.

“Uraume-san,” you smiled as you walked over, “is there anything I can help you with?”

“Y/N-san,” Uraume exclaimed, a gentle light in their eyes. “All the preparations are nearly complete. Why don’t you sit by the fire first? Sukuna-sama should be back soon.”

You hesitated and looked to see if there was still anything to help with, but noticing how there was not much else, you acquiesced and made your way to the fire. You watched in awe as Uraume skillfully finished the last touches of their work. Soon after, they settled down beside you. It was a comfortable silence between the two of you, accompanied by the crackling of the fire.

“Have you and Ryo always lived here?” you tried to make conversation.

Uraume nodded, their expression thoughtful. “We’ve lived here for quite some time. I owe him my life.”

You looked at Uraume, curiosity piqued.

“I was at death’s door when he found me as a child,” Uraume confessed softly. “He took me under his wing.”

“He’s always been kind.” You smiled contemplatively.

“Yes,” Uraume agreed. There was a brief pause. “He…has also mentioned you before.”

“He has?”

Uraume nodded. “He said there was once a girl he met who lived in a village not too far from here. She was as kind as she was beautiful, and she reminded him of flowers. When I saw you, I knew you were that girl.”

It warmed your heart to know that he had spoken about you, but it also felt bittersweet.

“Ah, he’s back,” Uraume remarked, glancing behind you.

Your eyes widened at the spectacular sight before you. Sukuna had a deer slung over his shoulder, effortlessly making his way toward the two of you; he trekked as if the deer weighed nothing.

Sukuna dropped the deer by the fire, and Uraume instinctively got up, ready to prepare the meat. You watched as Sukuna slashed the deer's throat, collecting the blood in a bowl. A wave of queasiness washed over you, and you looked away, unable to face the brutal sight. Sukuna settled down beside you while Uraume got to work, efficiently cutting up the rest of the deer.

“Drink every last drop,” he commanded, handing the bowl to you.

“I—I don't think I can,” you put your hand out in defense, the metallic stench making your stomach churn.

“You are malnourished,” he said, grabbing your wrist to examine its size. “Have you not been looking after yourself?”

“I have,” you insisted, attempting to wiggle your wrist free from his grasp. His touch felt searing against your skin.

“You will drink this, unless you would like me to feed you,” Sukuna insisted, handing you the bowl once more, the intensity in his eyes leaving no room for argument.

You took the bowl in both hands, trembling slightly. As you watched the thick red liquid swirl inside, you held your breath and brought it to your lips, tilting it ever so slightly and allowing the liquid to slip into your mouth and down your throat. Just as you were about to lower the bowl, Sukuna's hand clasped over yours, tilting the bowl upward to ensure you finished everything.

“That’s it, flower—every last drop,” he said, his voice low and steady. When he was satisfied that you had consumed all of it, he released his grip and took the bowl from your hands. You gagged at the aftertaste, coughing as a trickle of blood ran down your chin. Sukuna's eyes grew dark at the sight; he wiped the blood from your chin with his thumb, then licked it clean.

“Ryo—!” you gasped, teary-eyed. “N-no more of that, please.”

“That will depend on how well you eat,” a hint of playfulness threaded through his voice.

“Do you drink this too?” you asked, clearing your throat.

"Of course, the blood of a deer is a highly nutritious delicacy. Did you know in some places, it is a drink shared by a married couple on their wedding night?" Sukuna smirked.

You shudder at the thought. This blood drinking experience was something that you hoped would be your first and last. But the slight implication that Sukuna made at the end also made you a bit shy.

Uraume handed a plate of skewered meat to Sukuna, and you marveled at how quickly they had prepared it. You watched as Sukuna stabbed each skewer into the ground by the fire, your attention lingering on the flames that seemed to beckon you.

"I should have whisked you away from the village earlier, had I known you were not being fed properly." Sukuna intently watched you with one of his eyes, sensing your tension.

"Well, why didn't you?" you muttered. The words escaped your mouth before you could stop it.

You were sure he had his reasons for staying away, yet you couldn’t hide your disappointment in him for keeping his distance. So much precious time had been lost, and so many what-ifs lingered in your mind.

It was juvenile, but you often dreamt of how the two of you would grow up together—an inseparable duo, the best of friends. Then, when you came of age, he would have asked you to follow him, and you would have gladly followed him anywhere. The two of you would travel all over the land, experiencing the world side by side. Perhaps, somewhere along the way, he would have asked you to marry him, and you would have said 'yes' without skipping a beat—

"Come now, don't sulk, flower," Sukuna said, breaking you out of your thoughts. "You're here now. We will make up for lost time."

"You speak as if I'm going to be staying here for good," you couldn't help but challenge him a little.

It might have been your imagination, but you thought his expression darkened for a split second.

"It sounds like you have somewhere to go then."

"I—well, I didn’t have too much time to think details. But I planned to make my way to a far out village, where no one will be able to find me."

"That would be difficult," Sukuna hummed.

"It’s worth a try… better than yielding to the fate I was subjugated to." You hugged your knees.

"Enlighten me, what was someone’s bride doing in the middle of the forest?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

There was a hesitation in telling him about your plight, but you knew it was also an unavoidable topic—after all, he had saved you, so an explanation was due at the very least.

“I ran away… from a marriage I wanted no part of.”

“How bold,” he chuckled. “It’s very like you.”

“It’s hardly a laughing matter, Ryo,” you huffed, anxiety evident in your voice.

“But you've successfully escaped. Should this not be a cause to celebrate?” he cocked an eyebrow.

“I don't know if I would consider it successful just yet," you narrowed your eyes. "I didn’t just run away from any man; I ran away from a lord. My village hoped to leverage my marriage with Lord Yamamoto for aid. There will be repercussions for my actions.”

Sukuna listened as he rotated the skewers.

"Hm, I suppose that is quite the predicament. Whatever shall you do then?" His question came out more like a taunt than a show of concern.

"Are you mocking my situation?" You frowned, your expression dropping as self-doubt crept in. You had to admit that you'd been reckless with your decision, and you didn't exactly have a reliable plan. You wouldn’t have even made it out of the forest had it not been for Sukuna.

“Of course not. Don't look so defeated," he softly tsked, smoothing the crease between your brows with his fingers.

You looked at him with a mixture of surprise and hesitation.

"Is there any reason for you to worry if I am going to be by your side?" he returned your gaze, a burning confidence in his eyes.

“It’s not so simple, Ryo. I don’t want you to be caught in my problems—”

“A mere lord and your measly village is not a problem,” Sukuna replied, passing a skewer to you.

You reluctantly accepted the skewer, your fingers momentarily brushing against his hand during the exchange. As divine as the meat smelled, you couldn't bring yourself to eat; your worries and anxiety loomed large over your head.

"It's not going to eat itself if you keep staring at it," Sukuna sighed, crossing his four arms and giving you a stern look.

Taking a tiny bite, your eyes momentarily lit up. It tasted even better than it smelled. Before you knew it, you had devoured the entire skewer, and Sukuna was already handing you another one. Perhaps you were hungrier than you had thought, but his pleased expression did not escape you—he cared, and that alone filled you with immense happiness.

"Do you not wish to stay here?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"It's not about what I want," you shook your head. "What if something happens to both of you because of me?"

"You needn't worry about us, Y/N-san; we are more than capable of dealing with Lord Yamamoto," Uraume smiled at you. Their gentle reassurance only seemed to amplify your guilt.

"We can't be sure of that—"

“Are you not aware of what they call me?”

You sighed, a sense of apprehension filling your chest. "I am..."

“Then if you know my reputation, you should understand that even if Lord Yamamoto and his entire arsenal, along with your village, were to descend upon us right now, they would not stand a chance.”

Sukuna seemed adamant about helping, but that only served to heighten your uneasiness. It wasn't that you doubted his capabilities; but you also understood that your actions would have dire consequences. A runaway bride of Lord Yamamoto wasn't a matter that would be overlooked so easily. Surely, the four men who had escorted you had reported back to their lord that you had escaped. Even if Sukuna could easily deal with them, he would be branded a criminal—forever having to be on the run. He had endured enough hardships in his life, and it felt like you were only adding to his strife. You didn't deserve this kindness from him; his life was fine before you came along.

"This will be your home. You will be safe as long as you stay by my side. So stay here, Y/N.” An unexpected possessiveness laced Sukuna's voice.

You looked up at Sukuna in surprise; you had never heard him call your name before. His eyes silently pleaded with you to stay—shattering your resolve.

"Tell me you need my help, flower," Sukuna urged, looking into your eyes with an intensity that made your breath hitch.

A lingering silence filled the air, broken only by the crackling of the fire and the rhythm of your heartbeat.

"Help me, Ryo…" you finally said.

---

You hadn't felt so full in a long time. Sukuna had ensured you ate your share of food before retiring to bed. Following behind him, you were led to your sleeping accommodations, and to your surprise, he took you into his chamber, which overlooked a small private garden and hot spring.

The temple was modest in size, containing only two bedrooms. It didn’t feel right to intrude on Uraume's private quarters, especially since it was Sukuna's decision to keep you, but he also couldn’t deny he had other intentions.

Before crawling into bed, you turned to meet Sukuna's gaze.

“Ryo… I don’t know how I could ever repay you. If there's anything I can do for you, you must tell me," you said earnestly.

“Hmm,” he paused, feigning contemplation.

You looked at him eagerly, trying to anticipate what he could ask for.

"Anything?" he drawled, rubbing his chin.

You nodded.

“Alright," he smirked, "swear yourself to me.”

Your eyes widened. You weren’t exactly sure what that entailed, but you trusted him implicitly. He most likely needed an extra hand with taking care of the temple and doing some extra work around here.

“A-are you sure that’s all you want? That hardly seems adequate, I am troubling you after all.” You fidgeted with the hem of your sleeves.

"You undermine yourself, flower."

“Oh, well, I do have many skills I could offer, and I promise to be useful around here. I’m quite knowledgeable about plants, herbs, and flowers. I may not be as good a cook as Uraume, but—”

"Staying by my side is enough," he interjected.

There was a sincerity in his voice that was new to you, making your heart do flips inside your chest.

"Ryo..." you spoke quietly, clasping your hands tightly. "I might misunderstand if you're so kind to me."

Oh, what a delight you were. Sukuna felt an intense urge to smother you.

“Well, what if I wanted more than just your domestic skills?” he asked lowly, taking a lock of your hair into his hands.

Your heart raced, and suddenly the room felt hot as you understood his implications.

“Is that… what you truly desire?"

"And if it is?"

There was a brief pause.

Just this morning, you were still in utter despair, wholly expecting to be wedded to a monster. But now, in this moment, it was not Lord Yamamoto before you, but rather the man of your dreams—the only man you had wished to marry. He had long claimed your mind and heart; what more was your body?

"Then take me," your voice was barely above a whisper.

Sukuna’s eyes darkened, but why did he feel so disappointed by your response? It almost rolled off your tongue too easily.

"You would just give yourself to any man, so long as they ask?"

"N-no, you misunderstand!"

Sukuna remained silent, the look in his eyes demanding you to elaborate.

"If that were true, I wouldn’t have ran away from Lord Yamamoto. You're not just any man to me, Ryo. I—" love you. The heat crept up to your ears.

Your timid confession sent a chilling thrill through his body, awakening a primal hunger within him, he could no longer resist.

“Do you truly wish to be mine?” he asked, tucking your hair behind your ear. You felt dizzy under his touch and gaze.

"Yes..."

"Look at me and say it." He hissed.

"I'm yours, Ryo. I want to be yours." You met his eyes and gently took his hand, placing it over your heart, hoping he could feel how violently it was beating against your chest.

“You didn’t need to ask me to swear myself to you; I would have gladly followed you anywhere. I've felt that way ever since we were children.”

Sukuna was rarely caught off guard. The first time he recalled was when you approached him as a child, and the second was this very moment. You had just confessed your feelings for him and expressed a desire to stay with him of your own volition. Nobody else had ever been able to elicit these feelings from him, and the dominion you unknowingly held over him was both terrifying and thrilling.

"Then I will take you, flower—your heart, body, and soul."

Without sparing another moment, he wrapped his hand behind your head and crushed his lips against yours in a searing kiss. The world around you fell silent.

For once, it felt as if the universe had smiled upon his wretched life.

Writing © xechu - please do not redistribute, translate, or repost any of my works.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures used for the banner.

Taglist: @paradisestarfishh @ssetsuka

[silentstyx]

hello!! I saw that you wanted some percy req and I’ve been dying to read more so, may I request percy x reader fluff of reader suprising him with a visit (since they live away) on christmas please?

I'll Be Home For Christmas

tw! neck kisses. percy threatens to shove his tongue down your throat guys. his pretty girl is sorta mean guys!!

guys i hate the colors for the title. but oh well! also i could like only true think of this as hc's idk sorry chat 😖

uh i was eepy when i wrote this and completely strayed but i still like this but yeah, nothing like the req and im super sorry!!! im slow!

ugh logan lerman is so UGH.

okay so like we all know that you can leave for your family during holidays.

you didn't really have anywhere to go so you planned to stay while your boyfriend, percy, went to his mothers house.

you've met his mom already, she loved you, and you've been to his house.

as you were sitting on the bed in the poseidon cabin as he packed, he got out another suitcase in your favorite color!!!

"ya wanna come home with me for christmas, pretty?" he said with a small smile. he was very obviously a *tad* nervy.

you smiled at his stupid nervous attitude, " 'course i will, stupid." you say as you hug him.

he hugs you back, wrapping his arms around the small of your back and putting his face in your neck, mumbling " 'm not stupid..."

ugh sally is so ecstatic to have you over (she loves you so so much guys. more than percy does.)

decorating blue cookies by making snow flakes on them.

decorating the christmas tree blue with them!!

my fav blue fanatics guys!!

idk if you find out how to make blue hot chocolate percy's gonna shove his tongue down your throat.

cuddles as you three watch stupid cheesy christmas movies.

perseus makes you a burr basket with a bunch of cute christmas stuff!!! (candle with like a peppermint scent, gingerbread cookies, blanket, slippers, beanie, stuffie, etc.)

i like lwk think he gets super cold super fast so if its like below 65 degrees he's shivering. SHIVERING.

guys he constantly talks about missing summer.

omg he picks you up (like in the pic) to put the star on the tree !!

sally lets yall sleep in the same room and bed with the exception the door stays open.

when he gets 'cold' while sleeping in his room he cuddles up to you, crushing you, then starts kissing your neck ??

he inches closer to you, more and more weight being pressed onto your shoulder. "perce? baby, you're crushin me." you mumbled to him.

he doesn't respond and he instead gets closer, wrappin his arms 'round your neck, he starts to shiver and pulls more blankets on the both of you. he mumbles into your neck, "ugh, pretty, 'm so freezin' . its like -1000 degrees in here. someone tell persephone to come back or demeter to calm down."

you snicker at his little ramble about being chilly, "i completely agree. we're all furious with hades right now."

he nods before he starts kissing your neck.

"how does this help with you stay warm, my love?" you giggle as you speak.

"keeps ya super warm and relaxed..." he mumbled against your skin before continuing his assault on your neck.

he bought you like 20 things for christmas. all stuff you wanted but didn't tell him.

you're almost certain annabeth and sally listened to what you said and he just asked them what you wanted.

either way you love all your stuff and whatever you gift him he loves.

"but you're my favorite present this year"

anyways, highly recommended to be dating perseus jackson during christmas !!

[hanjivrse]

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐎 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

desc:

you and your boyfriend watch his not so family friendly performance together and he gets embarrassed

you’ve been dating bang chan, the leader and producer of a popular k-pop band, for over two years now. living together for a year and a half, your relationship has always felt perfect - full of laughter and mutual understanding. however, due to his status as an idol, you can’t go out in public much, except to private places, as dating openly in seoul would stir up too much attention. still, despite the risks, bang chan has always found a way to make it work.

lately, he’s been incredibly busy, helping the members prepare songs for the dominate tour, but you don’t mind. it’s his job, and you respect that. he’s also been teasing you about the song he wrote for the tour, refusing to share any details. no matter how much you beg, he insists it’ll be a surprise. unfortunately, when the concert came, you couldn’t attend due to an emergency meeting, and you missed his performance.

later that night, as you both lay in bed, bang chan shyly handed you his laptop to show you the video of his performance. he blushed throughout, laughing and making small squeaky sounds in embarrassment. then came the part where he took off his shirt on stage, and with lightning speed, he slammed the laptop shut.

“don’t say anything! don’t even keep watching it!”

he exclaimed, his face hidden behind his blanket. he laughed through his embarrassment, refusing to meet your gaze, clearly too shy to face your reaction.

"why not?"

you say, and bang chan peeked out from under the blanket, his eyes avoiding yours. he couldn’t believe you were making him go through with this.

“you know why…”

he mumbled, his voice a mixture of bashfulness and annoyance. he pulled the blanket tighter around himself, as if shielding himself from your reaction.

"no i don't, channie, what's wrong?"

he continued to look away, avoiding eye contact at all costs. his cheeks were flush with embarrassment, and he fidgeted awkwardly with the edge of the blanket.

“i just… it’s embarrassing, you know? taking my shirt off on stage and all…”

he let out a nervous laugh and quickly looked back down, hiding his flushed skin beneath the fabric. you let out a hearty laugh, and he pouts and throws a pillow at your face.

“hey, stop laughing! it’s not funny!”

he tries to sound annoyed, but a smile quirks at the corners of his mouth, betraying his true feelings. He pulls the blanket over his head completely, hiding from your amused expression.

"but you're so cute!"

bang chan lets out a half-groan, half-whine, still hiding under the blanket. he pokes his head out slightly, looking at you with mock seriousness.

“you’re supposed to be my supportive partner, not make fun of me!”

he can’t hold back a small smile, the corners of his mouth twitching with suppressed laughter.

he lets out an exaggerated huff and sits up in bed, crossing his arms defiantly. his gaze is playful as he tries to maintain his feigned seriousness.

“you’re being terrible, you know that?”

he narrows his eyes at you, but a grin betrays his true feelings. despite his best efforts, he can’t help but feel amused by your reaction.

"i'm gonna play the video, chan~"

you say, your fingers hovering over the laptop. bang chan's eyes widen at your threat, his expression shifting to one of panic.

he shakes his head vehemently, hiding deeper under the blankets.

"you wouldn't dare. i swear, if you touch that laptop, i'll-"

you open the laptop and click play.

he lets out a yelp, his face going red as he desperately tries to stop you. he attempts to crawl over to the laptop but is weighed down by the blankets, struggling to free himself.

"no, please, don't - stop!"

he frantically pleads with you, his voice filled with an amusing mix of embarrassment and dread. but you weren't gonna budge.

after the video, bang chan sinks back into the pillows, letting out a mix of a groan and a sigh. his cheeks still slightly pink from embarrassment, he avoids your gaze, feeling vulnerable after having his embarrassing moment played out for you.

"happy now?"

he asks, his voice slightly petulant. despite his reluctant acceptance, he can't completely hide the mortification he feels.

you nod and smile, still holding onto his laptop. he pouts and turns his head away, but his act is shattered by a small smile that sneaks onto his face.

"you're insufferable, you know that?"

he mutters, feigning annoyance but unable to keep the hint of humor out of his voice. despite the embarrassment, he finds himself secretly enjoying your playfulness and affectionate teasing.

you kiss his lips, and mumble,

"i know.."

he melts into the kiss, his body immediately reacting to your touch. the initial embarrassment seems to fade away, replaced by a familiar, comforting warmth. he pulls you closer, his hands finding their way to your waist as he deepens the kiss, his eyelids fluttering shut.

"you know i'm still mad at you for playing that video when i told you not to, right?"

[starrgazr]

sat down for half an hour and wrote the first words of fanfic since 2018, I need more content of small Tim Drake being adopted into the batfam early, and I'll get my own hands dirty if I have to! wish me godspeed everyone, I'm literally the worst at finishing anything, ever.

anyway, here's like two sentences from it: Tim breathes in deeply and tries to look at the situation analytically, objectively. The leg makes it a bit hard though. He peeked at it after he came to, and. It looked really bad, and it feels really bad, and Tim wants his mum and dad here, except if they were here they would be annoyed they had to drive him to the hospital. So. He doesn’t want his parents here, but he wants someone.

[vitaminkenjoyer]

follow-up posted to ao3.

He was grateful that his eyes were dry by time the knock came. A holy brother entered, looking them over with pious disapproval as he dropped a clean set of clothes on the table. When he took his leave he kept the door to their hut cracked open, and the cold stream of air helped rouse them both.

Jaime sat up on his pallet and kept his eyes properly averted while the wench got dressed, staring down at her bruised feet. The pale hair on her calves glittered in the cold light. When he stood to shed his tunic he caught a glimpse of himself in the small looking glass tacked to the wall. He was mottled black and blue and yellow all over from the Northman's kicks and he had been freed of two of his bottom teeth. One of his eyes was swollen, both were bagged. Dirt and grime stuck in the lines of his face, and his hair and beard were wild and unkempt. Jaime Lannister looked a hundred years old, and felt a thousand.

When Brienne tried to assist him in dressing he shrugged her off and refused her stumbling apologies. "It's done, wench. Leave it be," he snapped as he clumsily pulled on a fresh pair of breeches.

The wench looked almost wounded at the rebuke. Though her frown was partially obscured by her bandages, it was so ugly and sad as to almost be comical. Jaime brushed his knuckles tenderly over the cloth covering her cheek. "This was no wolf, was it?"

Brienne's eyes shuttered and she shrunk away. Outside the door a brother clanged a bell strewn about his neck, making his circuit around the neighboring huts. They startled at the sudden noise and Brienne pulled on her boots. "That's the supper bell. We have must slept for so long..."

Jaime made to grab her arm but she stepped out of his grasp, her cloak billowing behind her. Stop running from me, he wanted to say, but his stomach interrupted him with a low growl, and he followed her out the door instead.

They made their way along the stone path and up creaking wooden steps, past long grass weeping with ice and through the narrow paths carved out of snow. Far down the slope the laughter of children could be heard as they pelted each other with snowballs. A pair of holy brothers knelt, their brown robes flowing in the wind, as they built a crude white structure in front of a small audience. "I'll get you, Jon Penny!" one of the girls shrieked, chasing a boy down and tackling him into the bank.

Past the low barn a shepherd was making a clumsy attempt at wrangling a few wayward sheep back into their pens. The brother rolled up the sleeves of his roughspun robe, turning to gather up a rowdy ewe and cursing all the while.

Brienne stopped in her tracks to gawk at him."Gendry?"

When the brother turned Jaime had the queer sense that he was being faced with yet another ghost. The lad was of a height with him, built like a bull, and looked as if he had room to grow still. His eyes were as blue as ice and his dark unkempt hair brushed his shoulders, hanging in greasy tangles.

"Robert?" The word escaped Jaime's lips unbidden.

Gendry furrowed his brow, ignoring him. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been here before. Why aren't you at your forge?"

The lad scoffed bitterly. "It's all ash now, along with everything else."

Brienne stared. A fresh bout of snow started coming down and flakes landed upon her head, melting in the tangles of her hair. "What?"

"Do you need me to repeat myself?" He shoved off a ram chewing at his robe, huffing. "Some of the little ones had caught sick so I went out to get some coltsfoot syrup. The nearest apothecary shop was in Harroway Town. Except when I got there the old man said most of his stores were ruined in the floods a few moons back, so he sent me further up the Trident. Took me about four hours to find some damned syrup, and halfway through my trip back I started seeing smoke in the sky. The cloud only got bigger and blacker as I rode and somehow I knew... All the children were standing around crying in the mud outside the gates of Riverbend when I returned."

Jaime pushed past the pain in his jaw to ask, "A kitchen fire?" At the same Brienne said in a hushed tone, "Who set it ablaze?"

The boy glanced between them both. "Men in grey cloaks, Willow said, and a few in green. Three dozen of 'em, all armed and armored, looking for outlaws. She said they turned the whole place over then burned it on their way out when they couldn't find any."

"This Willow, did she see any frogs on the green cloaks?" Jaime asked.

The boy looked at him queerly, his gaze flicking briefly down to his stump. He nodded, brushing the hair from his eyes. "On a lilypad, she said."

Lord Vypren's failure to apprehend the outlaws at Fairmarket must have incensed his goodfather, if he thought this show of force was worth risking his men for.

Brienne crossed her arms, pulling her cloak tight around her front with shaky fingers. "How did you all find your way here?"

"That shoeless septon you visited us with. He came back to the inn after you... When we - " His eyes lingered on the bandage over Brienne's cheek, then he glanced down at his boots, scuffing his foot in the snow. "He tried to get some of the villagers to take some of the children off our hands, but no one would. They all said they didn't have enough food. A few threatened us as well." He frowned, shaking his head. "Children from Riverbend and Nutten used to come around to play with all of ours and Old Dorthy took measure of our hands so she could knit us mittens before she fell down her cellar steps."

Her eyes were round with sorrow. "I'm so sorry."

Gendry flared and she flinched. "Are you? I'm not stupid, I know the lions and Freys are friends. Did you come here with your high lord lover to burn this place down, too?"

Jaime stepped between Brienne and the boy. "It's not her fault your inn burned. Those men were moving under Lord Walder's command, not mine, and you'll notice that we came here with no men of our own. We're here to heal, nothing more."

The boy's fists bunched and unfurled at his sides as they stared each other down. Their cloaks rapped in the wind, clapping in a mocking, uneven beat.

Jaime could only be thankful that there were no stray red cloaks spotted, or the squire and the hedge knight would be strung up as soon as word reached that dreaded hole in the ground. Ser Addam Marbrand and Ser Dermot of the Rainwood had been given leave to search along the Red Fork for the Blackfish, but were given stern commands to tread gently with any smallfolk they spoke to. The whole thing stunk of Black Walder; he had no qualms about putting the people of Hag's Mire to the question after Merret's hanging at Oldstones. Ryman's demise at Fairmarket would only harden him further. Jaime was starting to feel sick of this whole business; this dance of lords and broken men.

"... I'll see you at supper, Jaime," Brienne said with a voice full of hurt. She stepped around him and stomped her way down the path to the great wooden sept. She'll share her tears with a statue before she'll ever share them with me. They watched her go in silence as the chickadees whistled their honeyed goodbyes in the trees overhead.

Jaime grit his teeth, sighing. "How do you and Lady Brienne know each other?"

Gendry's eyes flittered over his bruised and battered face, and his features softened for half a blink. "She and her friends came to stay at the inn when the Brave Companions came down on us," he said reluctantly. "She took them all on herself."

"By herself? Where were you?"

The lad worked his jaw as if chewing on cud. "I was at my forge. It was dark, and raining... when they rode up I thought they were ours. They wanted to rape Willow, but she ran back in for help and the others joined the fight. That fat monster would have killed the lady if I hadn't shoved my spear through his head. He nearly did her in with the fever that followed."

A chill came over Jaime. Fat and monstrous as he was, biting was never Zollo's work. Nor was it the work of a wolf, apparently. Stupid lying wench. "How many were there? I've heard it said that there's been somewhat of a split or two."

"Seven."

Seven. Jaime felt his anger building. "And you captured her after she saved your lives."

Gendry's nostrils flared. "I had no choice in the matter. Lem and Harwin wanted her taken, and Jeyne and I tagged along. She was as good as dead by the time we reached the river so I headed back to the inn."

"Good that you did, since the rest of your merry band was too busy hunting down Freys and performing black magic to protect their own."

The lad stepped forward as if to hit him. "And what has your merry band been doing? All those children would have been at home with their mothers and fathers if you high lords and kings hadn't torn the lands apart. Jeyne and Willow said it was your lot who hanged her aunt. The others aren't perfect but they're sure as hell better than you."

Jaime had to laugh. "Then why aren't you with them? I didn't see any boys built like boars at my farce of a trial."

Gendry blinked. "The lady gave you a trial?"

"At the red priest's counsel, yes." That reminded him. "It's said that the lightning lord is dead for good and all, is that true?"

"Lord Beric passed his fire onto the lady... it was R'hllor's will," he said hesitantly, reaching down to pet the sheep at his legs.

"And what became of the rest of his loyalists? Where have they gone?"

Gendry's eyes turned to stone. "Why do you want to know? So you can hunt them down and kill them?"

"Use your head," Jaime snapped. "Do you think your precious dead lady let me escape the noose because she was feeling particularly charitable?"

"I don't care why she let you go, I have sheep to milk." The lad rolled his shoulders and turned away from him, brokering no further argument.

Jaime's head was starting to ache and he was content enough to leave the boy to sulk. He made his way down to the stables despite the grumbling in his stomach, his fingers itching all the while. Tiny pins of snow pierced his cheeks and the cold hard ground crunched underneath his boots as he approached Honor's stall, passing by a droopy eyed donkey dozing off in a bed of straw. On the blood bay's second handful of oats a crash on the other end of the stable rang out and the donkey stirred, braying obnoxiously. Jaime grit his teeth at the commotion and furrowed his brow as he came upon a stallion throwing a tantrum in his stall, massive and beautiful and black as midnight.

The days past were too surreal, and for a moment he was convinced that he must be dreaming up the absurdity.  

"As quarrelsome as he is handsome." Jaime startled at the voice behind him. The Elder Brother gave a nod in greeting, eyeing the war horse with a certain fondness.

"He's as familiar as he is handsome," said Jaime. "How did Sandor Clegane's destrier wash up here?"

The beast gave another kick and upended his water trough. The Elder Brother looked up from the trickle of water pooling at his feet, nonplussed. "I admit I had a similar question in mind when you stepped off the ferry last night. You and your," he scratched at an ear and gave a brief frown, "friend arrived so late, we didn't get the chance to speak properly."

My whore, you mean. "I'm not in the habit of giving confession if that's what you're after."

"And I am not in the habit of receiving confession, ser. This way," the Elder Brother beckoned him with a flap of his wide bell sleeve.

The faintest of red streaks painted the sky as Jaime followed up a steep set of winding steps and past gnarled barren trees, feeling like a little boy all the while. By the time they reached the top of the slope his bruised calves were aching, but the Elder Brother was wholly unbothered by the exertion. The man's hands were just as calloused as Brienne's, not the soft sort Jaime was used to seeing in those purporting to do the Seven's work, and the rest of him was broad and square and corded in muscle.

At the end of their trek was an ancient door set in the side of a hill. "In here," the Elder Brother shook the snow off his robes and removed his sodden boots and socks, revealing feet as hard and cracked as stone.

"You look as weary as I feel," he placed two crudely carved wooden cups on a long table strewn with books and parchment papers, clearing a spot to sit. "I'm afraid we have nothing stronger than cider to wet our lips."

"Pity," Jaime took a sip and savored the sweetness on his tongue. Not enough to get him drunk and send him back to sleep, but it would have to do. "You aren't the usual sort of septon I meet."

"I am no septon, my lord."

Jaime frowned down into the amber liquid in his cup. "As a boy I had the tendency to doze off during lessons with my septa. What are you, then?"

"A penitent. Like all the other men here, only with a longer list of duties and a much later bedtime."

"And I suppose Sandor goes to bed with the chickens like all the rest? I confess this is the last place I'd expect to find the man."

"Some might say the same of you, my lord."

Jaime downed his cup in one swallow, reaching for the tankard. "Don't fret, I'm not looking to get a tonsure any time soon. I'll only sully your sanctuary as long as necessary." He was overzealous in refilling and cider pooled on table, leaving a ring. "You're quite the slippery septon when questioned."

The Elder Brother's lips pressed together in a tight white line. "If you mean to take Brother Sandor to justice for his crimes, I would ask that you reconsider. Though I would not oppose you if you decide to apprehend him."

Jaime lifted the cup back to his lips, pausing. "You've went to all this trouble to harbor the man yet you'd give him away so easily?"

"You are Tywin Lannister's son. You have all the power of your house and the throne behind you. As loath as I would be to do it, I cannot risk the rest of the isle. We have more to lose than ever." The Elder Brother took the first drink from his cup. A faint sheen of sweat could be seen on his tonsured head. "Every man who takes sanctuary here knows that I cannot guarantee them protection should the hand of justice come knocking. This is an isle of peace, and I am sworn never to kill again. You would not be the first man come to our shores seeking retribution."

Jaime found the man's resignation irksome. "I'm not here to burn down your septry, you can unclench your holy arse."

"What are you here for, Ser Jaime?"

"My salvation," he laughed into his cup, then put it down to scratch at the angry scars on his stump. "I had my suspicions regarding Sandor's involvement at Saltpans. It seemed unusually cruel, even for him."

"You were right to. Sandor has softened some in his time here, but then... I shudder to think of what he would have become if he had not accepted my help. The blame for the slight to his name is mine. When I found him dying on the banks of the Trident I had to strip him of his armor, else I would not have been able to carry him. Whoever came upon his possessions..."

"Took his helm." A part of Jaime was glad to have been proven right for Sandor Clegane's sake. He raised his cup in a toast. "To a sinner reborn. May Sandor live and die on this isle, churning butter or whatever it is that you do. A lifetime of tedium is surely punishment enough."

The Elder Brother was not amused. "I would have your word, ser."

That took Jaime by surprise. He hiccupped and his jaw throbbed. "The word of an oathbreaker?"

"The word of a man. The word of a knight sworn under the light of the Seven."

Nigh twenty years basking in the light of these so-called gods, and yet I've never felt so cold.   

"The Seven can fuck themselves." The Elder Brother didn't so much as blink at his blasphemy and Jaime shifted under his gaze. "You have my word.  Should Sandor ever set foot off this isle again, it won't be my doing." He lifted his stump, waving it. "I'm in no fit state to be dragging the dog around by his tail anyhow. I may get bit." And it hardly seemed just to apprehend the man for desertion, considering his own predicament.

The Elder Brother nodded. "I thank you, Ser Jaime," he said sincerely, and took a modest sip of cider. His chair creaked as he leaned backward. "How is it that the Lady Brienne is back in our company? Last she was here I beseeched to her to return home to her lord father. I fear the third time she washes up on our shores I'll have to hand her body over to Brother Sandor to burn and send her ashes along to Tarth. Corpses still come up on the tide, and the ground has grown too hard to bury them."

That the man thought Brienne could be strong-armed into anything made Jaime want to laugh, but his premonition wasn't far off. That the Maid of Tarth could be reduced to a chest of ash sitting in Lord Selwyn's halls made his guts twist. Arise, Ser Jaime, her voice came back to him, when she had used Oathkeeper to slash through his bonds. He downed his cup once more and refilled it again. "How much time do you have?"

"As much time as your pain will allow." He handed him another portion of crushed up sourleaf. Jaime let the plant do it's work for a moment, then spat into his handkerchief and began his tale. In fits and starts, and in between the time it took to let out the occasional stream of red spittle, he recounted as much as he could. He started at Pennytree, when the wench first stumbled into his tent, and ended at their escape from the dreaded cave she led him to. And the price they paid to walk away with their lives. The price that poor Podrick Payne and Ser Hyle were still paying as they spoke.

Was a castle on a river worth two meager innocents? He wondered. Was treason? He knew the answer Brienne would give.

The Elder Brother had a dismayed look about his face when he was through. He shook his stubbly head in disapproval. "I admit that in my darkest hours I share your own skepticism towards the Seven. I had hoped that with the war winding down and so many brigands captured by Lord Tarly, that these lands might see peace soon. A fool's hope, I know. Bad blood is not washed away so easily. As sad as it is to say, these outlaws would be far from the first to harm innocents in the pursuit of justice."

"The pursuit of vengeance seems more apt."

"Even still, as foul as this brotherhood is, vengeance cannot take root without the seed of justice. Dondarrion and Myr began their journey as King's men."

The words pricked Jaime's anger, and he was starting to wish he hadn't indulged in so much drink on an empty stomach. "Am I about to be lessoned in the ways of broken men? Perhaps I should be asking if you're about to apprehend me instead, if you're so taken with these outlaws and wretches."

The Elder Brother's voice grew stern and his eyes narrowed. "Such accusations are beneath you, ser. We are nearly of an age, and I have seen as much strife and battle as you, if not more. My sympathies lie with all men, friend or foe. And I despair when I hear of any person who chooses to cast aside all that is good and decent to live a life lower than that of beasts."

"Do you think I don't despair as well?" Jaime demanded.

"I see your despair writ on your face, ser," the Elder Brother said hotly. "I do not envy your position. Though a lord enjoys many comforts, his work is hardly pleasant if he has half a heart."

Small wonder my father so enjoyed his work, then. "What would you know of a lord's work?"

"Enough to forsake it in pursuit of another vocation. It is said that your cousin felt the same as well."

Jaime frowned. "Lancel? What of him?"

The Elder Brother gave a rueful smile. "The former Lord of Darry. Though I never met the girl, I rued to hear of the dissolution of his marriage to my niece. Especially when I learned of what he traded it for. Would that Lancel had ridden north instead of south." He heaved a heavy sigh. "Secluded though we are, I do try to stay privy on new developments throughout the realm. My proctors often venture across the Trident for food and supplies and return with whispers in tow. On rare occasion I am heartened by a piece of news, but most times I am left angered or saddened. Saddest of all are the reports from my former home."

Jaime stared at the man, trying to clear the fog in his mind. He recalled his supper at Darry moons ago, when he had spoken with Lady Mariya. They have the same eyes. Kind, yet shrewd. "You mean to tell me that the Lord of Darry has been hiding away on some ghastly little isle in the Bay of Crabs?" He gave a laugh in dismay. "You do know your house is on the brink of extinction, don't you? Worse, that it's being overrun by Freys?"

"I do," the man's tone was grave. He said nothing more.

His finality was baffling and infuriating. "You and my dear cousin share the same pigheaded stubbornness when it comes to vows, then. You could claim your seat, find a wife, have children. And yet you're content to just... give sermons and pick apples all day?"

The Elder Brother rumbled out a laugh of his own. "You paint quite the idyllic picture of my life, Ser Jaime." He downed his cup of cider then rolled up his sleeves, revealing coarsely haired arms veined with muscle. "I could go back any time, it's true. I've thought about it many nights, most especially when I heard what became of Raymun, and his little boy soon after. Raymun always had a thirst for adventure, like the rest of us. Benam and Braddish were the first born, and after my birth came Mariya and Jeyne. There were five years between Raymun and I. My sisters doted on him, and we boys fed him stories of war and battle and great knights, and hoped that he would grow big and strong to fight beside us all on the same field. We got our wish in the end, though our dreams quickly soured once Braddish took a sword to the belly. He bled out in the mud while stag and dragon alike trampled over him. Benam and I were showered with arrows. He took his clean through the eye and I took mine to the leg, then I was kicked into the river by another man's horse.

The next ten years of my life I spent in silence, ignorant to the realm at large. When the last Elder Brother died it fell to me to take his place and his duties. I had to regain knowledge of the world in order to keep a proper peace here. The last seven years are all I know of what became of my house, and of my baby brother. The temptation to forsake my position here and cross the river for good grew stronger with each new revelation, but no sooner did the thought appear that another broken man would appear on our shores with naught but the clothes on his back, crying like a babe, with nowhere else to turn. Raymun had my father and a castle to inherit. My men only had me.

I had hoped, after hearing that he had wed and sired a trueborn son, that my brother's thirst for battle had been quenched. It takes much to change a man's nature, though. And so he died by the sword, just as he swore he would the day we all rode out for the Trident underneath the banner of the dragon."

"He died riding against the Mountain," said Jaime. "I'd have thought you'd find that a noble death in the pursuit of justice."

"Certainly there needed to be recompense after the calamity Ser Gregor visited upon these lands. Would that his overseers had brought him to justice instead of the Red Viper. But Wendish Town would have been better served if my brother had stayed within his domain to rebuild it. Though there were no survivors of the raid, it still lies barren and trampled. If rebuilt so many others could have taken refuge there instead of fleeing south."

And my cousin took his vows before he could address the matter. The call of the Warrior had always been more seductive than the Smith, where boys and men were concerned. Jaime shook his head. "Casterly Rock will fund the rebuilding of it, along with Sherrer and the Mummer's Ford. It was my father's dogs who did the pillaging, no one else. I'll find a way to get a hold of our coffers."

"You are still of the Kingsguard, ser. You have sworn off your inheritance."

He shrugged. "And my cousin is Warden of the West. And another cousin is castellan of the Rock. The word of Tywin's trueborn son holds more weight, they can be swayed to bring forth the gold I need."

The buzz of the cider had him speaking with more confidence than he felt, but it was better than his earlier despair. Daven was one matter, but Damion's appointment to castellan was his sister's doing, and he knew whose orders the old man would obey should the Lady of the Rock refuse to fund such an effort. Cersei had never been the charitable sort and she grew spiteful when slighted. She was still awaiting the High Septon's justice, and if the whispers of her being forced to walk were true she would never forgive him for failing to heed her call. He would have to act fast should she prevail in any trial. Knowing his uncle, he'd have her take up residence at the Rock soon. The stag queen no longer, his sister would live out the rest of her days a lioness. Her rage at being knocked down after reaching such heights would be terrible and beautiful to behold, but it was the best she could hope for after the mess she made of things.

If his kin could not be persuaded to aid him then he'd find another way, and damn anyone who would deny him because of the white cloak. His lord father was dead, House Lannister had lost it's guiding hand, and new rules would have to be forged.

"I wish you luck in such an endeavor, ser," the Elder Brother said with equal parts doubt and hope. "Masha Heddle's inn had become something of an orphanage in the past year. I heard it from the boy Gendry that sparrows had taken to dropping off wandering children there. Since it is no more..."

"Your isle has taken up the load. Those villages will stand again and you'll be able to breathe easier in time. On my honor as a knight," Jaime swore, then leaned back in his chair and smiled. "A sage septon such as yourself would make a decent lord. Perhaps peace would break out once and for all if you took your seat amongst the great council of Riverlords. Castle Darry certainly has room enough for a couple hundred whelps and penitents as well." And House Lannister might have one less enemy...

"You jest, ser, but we both know my return would not be without cost," he responded dourly. "The Freys would not take kindly to losing such a boon as Darry. And as loath as I am to leave what's left of mine own kin to sort out the situation, I'm more loath to rekindle the spark of war. I know the blackness of my heart, and I would not be content to sit out the battle. I would be the first on the frontlines, and soon after, drunk on the frenzy of war, I would find some clever reason to soil my honor. Or worse, someone else's."

Jaime snorted. "Afraid you'd bed a maiden or two?"

"No. Worse."

Jaime's mirth was killed at once. "I see..." He picked at the last remnants of sourleaf clinging to his teeth with his tingling tongue. "There was a man I had picked up at Harrenhal," he found himself saying, "one of the Mountain's soldiers. He tried to rape my washerwoman and I had his head taken off."

The Elder Brother nodded his head. His eyes said nothing. The wind picked up outside and the cave door set to creaking softly on it's hinges. It's squeaking song was strangely sweet.

"A child was crippled by my own hand," he whispered into the silence. "And I almost butchered another one for..." Jaime swallowed. For Cersei, for love, for sex, he might have said, but he could not disclose that. He stared down at the table, searching for an answer in the grains of wood. For no good reason, he really wanted to say, but the words were lodged in his throat.

"I see," the Elder Brother said gently, and stood. "Will you allow me to change your bandages before you leave, Ser Jaime?"

Jaime nodded, and said nothing else.

After, the Elder Brother sent him on his way to the common hall for supper. "So many children about, we've had to start taking our meals in shifts. There should be something warm for you still." He laid his hand on Jaime's shoulder, hesitant. "You'll want to consult Mariya for the rebuilding of Wendish Town. She was made Lady of Darry when she was no more than ten years old after our mother died. Now that she's back from the Twins I know she'll wish to return to her duties. It's been said my niece is more of a frivolous creature."

"It will be my first stop on the way back to Riverrun. Do you have a rookery here?"

"We do."

Three ravens took flight that night, their wings flapping like great bats, traveling north, and west, and further west. All marked with the humble seal of a seven-pointed star, and signed Ser Jaime Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

The humble hall was still teeming with life by time Jaime made his way in the door, stomping the snow off his boots. Children and holy brothers flitted about, setting a motley assortment of cutlery and cups and serving bowls on the tables, and driftwood chairs were shoved into empty spaces wherever the long benches could not suffice. A silent brother with a stooped back and a long white beard made his way around the room, spooning portions of fish stew into bowls while the young, rail thin boy trailing behind him poured sheep's milk into cups. The baskets of freshly baked bread in the center of the table were quickly descended upon by a mass of small, pudgy hands, and the children brandished their rounded knives like spades to carve out the hills of butter nestled inside the crocks.

Jaime crammed himself awkwardly into one of the last remaining seats along the bench beside Brienne. She glanced up briefly in acknowledgment, her eyes puffy.

"Did you have a nice talk with the Mother?" He asked.

"No," she said dully.

"The Father?"

"No."

She had shed her bandage from last night, allowing the wound on her cheek to breathe. It was a ghastly sight; a pit of gnarled, angry pink flesh where a full, smooth freckled cheek had once been. The corner of her mouth was taut and stiff, pulled upward from the shoddy mending job she must have gotten, giving her a sort of permanent crooked smirk. I once thought she would never smile...

It made him murderous. His phantom fingers itched for a spear.

The old septon stood at the head of the table, clasping his wrinkled, leathery hands together. The hall quieted at once and the children sat in rapt attention. Down the long row of chairs a boy fidgeted in his seat and a holy brother glared at him, pulling down his cowl to reveal his marred and angry face. The boy gulped.

Sandor adjusted his hood and locked eyes with Jaime, his hand freezing on the hem of his cowl. They stared at each other for a long moment. It was on his lips to come up with some clever jape, but he remained silent, and Sandor was more like to hit him than laugh with him. In all the time Jaime knew the man he was so dour and lonesome that Brienne seemed a ray of sunshine in comparison.

When Lord Tywin assigned Clegane to his daughter's guard after the sack of King's Landing he had been scarce more than a boy, only a few years older than Tyrion. For a time he and Jaime had taken to dancing in the yard together. The boy had been as a big as an aurochs even then, and was one of few in the Red Keep who could be regularly called upon to match his speed and give him a challenge. For all his gruffness Sandor took well to instruction, and each night their swords clanged was a night that Aerys could be forgotten.

Despite the occasional spark of jealousy that flared when the man became Joffrey's sworn shield, they had managed to get on decently and share a few laughs together over the years. Usually at the expense of some green knight who made a fool of himself in the lists or at Robert's drunken antics at feasts. And once more, when they rode beyond the gates of Darry to begin their hunt. Sandor had come back with his game in tow, and Jaime didn't. They had both gotten drunk in the supper hall that evening, and were late to rise the next morning.

He raised his cup of sheep's milk and gave a brief nod in greeting. Sandor gave a nod of his own, his mouth twitching briefly as he donned his cowl again.

Jaime kept his eyes open and his head unbowed as the septon droned out a prayer of thanks for the meal. Sandor did not. Brienne stared glumly down at her plate beside him, unaware of the little girl blinking up at her expectantly in the next chair over. He felt a sticky hand grasp his stump from the right, and glanced down at a ratty haired girl, even younger, silently mouthing pieties. A chorus of small voices rose in unison, singing 'The Mother's Hymn', rounding out the evening prayers. The children unlinked their hands and dug into their food in a manner that was almost feral.

All these whelps, Jaime gave one last glance around the hall, alive and unmolested.

He looked back to Brienne and took her hand in his. A stray tear fell from her cheek.

i'll probably never finish this fic that i'm working on so here's a little drabble. post-stoneheart, jaime's trauma, the quiet isle, etc.

They had ridden in a quiet daze, stopping only for the briefest of moments to piss or shit or redress their wounds. Jaime's blood was still singing from their bout, but he felt no jubilance for his victory, and Brienne's sullen silences only helped to set his teeth on edge.

The girl called Long Jeyne had stitched and patched their injuries before the brotherhood allowed their leave, but it was shoddy work at best. When Brienne had to be coaxed from her mare to sit against the trunk of an oak she insisted they ride for the Bay of Crabs instead of risking any inns or keeps. Her adamancy pricked his anger once more.

"Why, so you can lure me into some other trap?" He paused dabbing up the blood from the cut on her arm to sneer.

"No!" Her eyes widened in dismay. "It's the only safe place I know, ser, please. The holy brothers will heal us - "

"I've had my fill of getting kicked around and my men are waiting for me. I have no time to be lectured by a bunch of tonsured eunuchs on the state of my honor." He threw the bloodied cloth down in the dirt and stood. Every word magnified the pain in his jaw twofold, coming out in a hateful slur. "No doubt you'll be welcome among such pious company, deceitful righteous bitch that you are."

Brienne lurched to her feet and grabbed him by the collar with her good arm, hauling him close. Her nose nearly brushed his. "Honor or no, you still would have found yourself in that cave, and with me behind you. Now we are both soiled."

Jaime clutched her bad arm with his hand and she winced, but did not pull away. Their breath mingled, hot and rank, and for a moment he was certain they would come to blows. A purse of the lips would be all it took to close the space between them...

The muscles in his back tightened, sending a fresh stab of pain beneath the skin where the arrow's shaft was lodged.

"Lead the way, my lady," he wrenched himself free and mounted his horse, sparing her not another word or glance.

The sun had just set when they led their weary horses off of the ferry and onto the dock. A group of men in robes greeted them, silent and somber, and took their mounts off to the stables. Through a maze of steps and stones they walked in a dour procession to the maester's chamber.

Finally, stumbling and crusted in blood, they stopped before a heavy oaken door. One of the holy brothers rapped his knuckles on the wood and the surprisingly brutish healer within widened his eyes at their entrance. "My lady, I had not thought to see you again. Please sit, both of you. Brother Narbert, fetch some more candles, will you?" 

Their wounds were deftly tended to by a pair of hands that looked more fit for killing than healing, and Jaime found his eyes drooping as he sat, though the agonizing withdrawal of the arrow in his back soon woke him. By time they were through he and the wench looked a matching pair; the Elder Brother had stinted his jaw with cloth wound around his head, then cleaned and applied a salve to Brienne's cheek, advising her to keep it covered for the night. "To better soak in, my lady, though you'll want to air this out soon..."

"And you'll want to stick with mashes and stews for some time, my lord." He placed a bowl of crushed sourleaf in his hand. "This will help with the pain. So will holding your tongue as much as you are able."

Jaime would have laughed if he were the man of a few days ago. He let the leaves melt on his tongue and scrunched his nose in distaste. "That may prove difficult," he spat red into a handkerchief. "What say you to giving my commands for me, wench?"

Brienne's big weary eyes flitted about his face and she turned away in guilt, saying nothing. The less she said the more he wanted to shout, but he was much too tired to start a fight, and it wasn't her that did the kicking besides. And how she screamed when the blow landed...

The Elder Brother looked between them then braced his hands on his knees, rising from his seat. "I'm certain you will overcome the adversity, my lord."

He and Brienne were sent off with a dose of milk of the poppy then hastily placed in a small hut on the eastern side of the isle. "Normally we would not permit a man and woman to cohabitate unless they were wed, but circumstances of late have forced us to forego some rigidity," the Elder Brother said as a pair of novices hauled a spare straw pallet in and dumped it on the floor.

His eyes were just starting to shutter when Brienne whispered, "Jaime, can you hear me?" He laid still, slowed his breaths, and waited. And waited. And waited. She said no more and rolled over. The sniffling of her nose lulled him into a restless slumber, and he dreamt he was in the Whispering Wood again, the wind riffling through his golden hair as men fell dead at his feet. The sun warmed his skin and he laughed, but a cloud passed by and blotted out the light, making him shiver.

Enemies surrounded him, faceless and hateful, and he was without a sword or armor, naked. Claws punctured his arms and he was dragged through the muddied field and back into the wood at a tortoise's pace. His felled horse squealed in the distance. "Kingslayer," the shadows spat, and he spat back, laughing. "Oathbreaker," they hissed, and he kicked out his leg, smiling at the sound of teeth cracking on his heel. "Freak," a foul hand pulled at his manhood and twisted, and he screamed like a woman. "You must never do that again," a voice whispered from the trees, full of sorrow and hurt.

Corpses dangled overhead like perverse ornaments, drained of blood and shrunken, their skin turned to leather under the sun's harsh rays. Dwarves, he thought, but that wasn't quite right. Children. Rhaenys and Aegon, aye, and the Stark boy as well. And the girl called Tysha, with tears still wet on her plain but pretty face. Jaime peeled his eyes for Brienne's squire, for Lady Catelyn's daughters, but the sun blinded him, and he was pushed ahead.

Finally, he was brought to the black mouth of a cave. His toes were cracked and bloodied. Pebbles and twigs had dug into his flesh, pushing deeper with each attempt to plant his feet. Desperately, he glanced behind him, searching, waiting. Brienne! he wanted to shout, but no words would leave him. Brienne, where have you gone? He squeezed his eyes shut. They cannot hurt me if I do not see. Wood splintered and scratched at him as he was tied down to a pale chair. "Goldenhand," they jeered, mocking. The more he struggled against his hempen bonds the more he bled, and soon the crude throne he sat upon turned from ivory, to crimson, to rust.

"Goldenhand the Just!" They chanted with false merriment, dancing around him in zealous ecstasy. "Goldenhand, Goldenhand, Goldenhand!" A thousand nails pinched and tickled at him cruelly, and he woke up breathless, the cold echoes of their cackles seeping into the walls around him.

"Ser?" A big hand rested on his shoulder, heavy and warm. Brienne towered over him even as she knelt at his bedside. Her eyes were wide with worry. A girl's eyes, he thought, and shuddered. She palmed his forehead, checking for a fever. "Ser, are you well?"

No, he wanted to say, and to hell with you all, but he only closed his eyes and whispered, "My name is Jaime," as salt trickled coolly into his ear. He turned his head away.

"Oh, Jaime," Brienne gasped, and she trailed her fingers through his hair.

[bidaryl]

u look at s1 daryl and u think wow u fall in love w a nun in paris in a few years. u international bitch.

[bbq-potato-chip]

unpopular opinion takasugi is boring esp after the shogun assasination arc im sorry i just dont like him

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

Randall's breath hitched at the touch of her Cupid's-bow lips against his bony hands, to say nothing of his heart fluttering at the notion that his presence made his bride's life, topsy-turvy though it was now, a little easier. It was all he could hope for; that after everything she'd been through (then and now), he could be a light for her, just as she'd been one for him.

Wanting to lighten the mood, to move away from this topic (even though she'd reassured him that she wasn't upset, he still didn't want to press it), he instead chose to ask her, "Tell me, darling, tell me about some of your happier memories from...the future. You've told me about all the parties Dorian threw, but what did we do together?"

Although the idea of living in an attic, the very place their lives came to an end, sounded a bit morbid to him (though, perhaps, ghosts had a different perspective on that sort of thing?), he loved what Emily had told him so far, how cozy they made their little home together, turning it from a mere storeroom to a place all their own, adding their own personal touches to it. It was an unusual place to call home, sure, but it was theirs, and all she'd told him about it, it sounded really quite lovely-it sounded like they made some wonderful memories there.

[biillys]

been flicking between house and er and now i want the billy working at a hospital au's please

[the-art-cave]

College homework. It's a vanitas still life contribution to my grandfather. I have little painting experience so forgive it's watery botched look.

[mortalityplays]

talking about impenetrable accents/dialect just reminded me. when I was in Milan a couple of years back I was staying in this little rathole hotel and I had the biggest fucking migraine, so I was like non c'è problema I'll just go buy painkillers. of course every pharmacy on the map in a three block radius was closed, so my stupid ass just starts wandering around trying to figure out on the fly if you can get OTC from supermarkets in italy.

I walk into this little everything store (to my foreign eyes the kind of place that back home could sell you a bunch of carrots, a 6-pack of beer, pantyhose, bleach and a screwdriver set) and I see some household basics in the back but not what I need. with the confidence of a person who is only in the city for 3 days because he got bored and packed a bag and booked the cheapest flight available the week before (<= MENTAL ILLNESS), I was like no worries I know some italian, I can just ask.

I grab a bottle of water, walk up to the counter, and I'm like Ciao, hai il paracetamolo? And the guy is like che, and I'm like paracetamolo. Per la mia testa. And he's like che?

This is where I would have said 'aspirina' except I can't take aspirin for medical reasons, or 'antidolorifico' except I don't know that word and I've got no phone data for google translate and also I'm stupid. So in my fucked up leith-glasgow-italian accent I'm like paaa-ra-cetta-mollll-ooo. He's like ohhh bene, bene, and he calls another guy out of the back and asks him to go get something. Other guy then walks out of the store into the street, and before I can be like hey, che la fuck, he comes back and hands me a huge bundle of herbs.

At this point I'm like okay this entire interaction has been a bust, but these guys have been very nice and patient and they're both smiling happily at me because they've been of service, so I'm like ahh perfetto, grazie, pay them a couple of euros and leave.

EVENTUALLY I find a pharmacy that's open, and my head is fucking killing me, and my phone still isn't connecting, and now I have this small shrubbery poking out of my coat pocket, so I don't even bother looking around the shelves. I just walk straight to the counter and I'm like uhh ciao, scusi. And hearing my nightmare of an accent the guy answers in english and I'm like thank christ, do you please have paracetamol. Not aspirin, I can't take aspirin. And he's like yeah yeah hold on, goes into the back, comes out with what I need.

Only when he comes out he gives me this look, and then he starts laughing. And then he pretends he's not laughing and rings me up and I pay, and as I'm leaving I can see him losing it. But I don't care, my head is going to explode, I'm going back to the rathole to close the blinds and fall comatose for four hours.

When I get back to my hotel room I take off my coat and remember the huge bouquet of herbs in my pocket. They smell amazing, and I'm like I'm pretty sure this is parsley in which case I can just get some tomatoes and mozzarella later and make it work. but since I have no idea what that interaction was, I want to make sure. I bring out my phone to get a visual reference of what parsley leaves look like, and because I was using it for google translate earlier I put 'parsley' in the wrong box like a dope and translate it to italian.

prezzemolo

I wish I could have been the pharmacist in the moment he looked at my tired pissed off anglophone ass, heard me say 'paracetamol' in my fucked up accent, and turned around saw what was in my pocket. I'd have lost my shit too.

[hannieehaee]

BITE

18+ / mdi

summary: keeping appearances as an idol was already hard enough, but it becomes even worse upon finding a forlorn jeonghan with need of assistance with the company's faulty security system, instantly becoming endeared with the idol who refused to take no for an answer — not that you'd ever want him to.

content: idol!jeonghan x hybeidol!reader, f2l, meet-cute, very unrealistic schedules for idols lol, jeonghan is a menace, a lot of will they wont they, reader plays hard to get, afab reader, small age gap implied, one mention of the word oppa as a honorific (sorry</3), reader is mentioned to be international (no specific race, just not born in korea), smut, dry humping, penetrative sex, etc.

wc: 11.7k

a/n: this fic is based on this scenario, except i decided to expand on it and make it into a full fic!!

masterlist | patreon

"Hey, is that Yoon Jeonghan from Seventeen?", asked Minji as she patted your shoulder, finger pointing towards your right.

"Who?", you wondered, attempting to make sense of the distressed man standing in front of the main artist elevators in the building, "Oh, yeah, I think that's him," you said once you spotted his face, deeming it impossible to not recognize a face such as his.

"Why is he just standing there?", she wondered, holding onto your arm in the affectionate manner she usually did, "Do you think it's that elevator thing again?" she faced you to ask.

"What elevator thing?"

"Apparently he went on a variety show and complained about the company's security system. It was a whole controversy, but I guess the facial recognition doesn't work for him for some reason," she informed you before chuckling at the sight of Jeonghan sighing in defeat at yet another failed attempt at utilizing the aforementioned system, "I thought it was a bit, but I guess he was for real."

"Huh," you hummed, having been unaware of the issue. The system worked just fine for you and all your members, so you never had any motive to question it. Your senior, however, had clear issues with the system. Within the two minutes you had noticed his presence, he had already attempted the facial recognition three times, getting rejected every single one of them.

"You should help him," your groupmate suggested, "I would, but my manager will be here soon for my shoot. You only have rehearsals today, right? You're heading that way anyway."

"What? No!" you declined, "I always get anxious around our seniors. I've never even met him," you added, far too shy to even face the pretty boy during his predicament.

Disconnecting from you, she grabbed onto your shoulders, scolding you, "Dude, just go help him! This is how you make connections. You give him a hand and then he gives you one back," she said, physically turning you around so you could face his direction, hands still on your shoulders, "Go! My ride's probably already here anyways. Good luck," she encouraged as she pushed you forward, making you absentmindedly begin walking towards the boy.

Taking a breath, you began to walk towards the boy who seemed to grow more and more frustrated at the faulty security system. The closer you got, the more you could hear his whines in complaint. It appeared that he had taken up a phone call during the time you'd been talking to your friend, frustratedly arguing with whoever was on the other line.

"Seokminnie, c'mon! Just come down! I'll buy you soju after practice," he whined, groaning at whatever response his groupmate had given him in return, "My manager already left ... Yeah .... No! Stop! Just come down! I'm your senior and- Wait! Don't hang up!", he groaned at last upon hearing the classic sound of a disconnected line invade his ears.

It was only then that he seemed to notice your presence, widening his eyes momentarily before offering you a brief bow to acknowledge your presence. Moving aside, he gave you enough space to stand in front of the elevator, quietly awaiting for you to utilize the security system, likely assuming you had not heard his prior predicament. He gestured for you to move forward, acting as if he were being a gentleman in allowing you to go first.

You approached the small facial recognition screen, about to scan your face before turning to him, finding the boy staring at you expectantly, "You need me in order to use the elevator, don't you?", you asked him, amused.

"Huh?", he gaped at you, tsk'ing afterward and making an odd 'Eyyy' sound, "I'm just being a gentleman. Go ahead," he gave you a tight yet amused smile.

You chuckled in return, "Liar," you were surprised at how easy it was to be informal with him, but he was immediately likable, "Ask me to help you and maybe I might," you added, giving him a satisfied smile.

"You know, I'm pretty sure I'm your senior — Whatever happened to respect?", he joked, tsk'ing at you once more. He proceeded to walk towards you, pushing his face onto the scanner and ignoring your presence altogether, "I'll do it, see," he practically challenged, attempting the scanner once more.

Unsurprisingly, he was met with a red X and a beeping sound that indicated yet another failure to be recognized by the system. This caused him to stand there in silence for a few seconds before whining 'Yah!' and cursing out the security system.

Clearing his throat, he straightened up again, facing you once more, "Sorry about that. Your turn," he gestured to you to move forward again, stepping out of your way.

Both amused and surprised, you decided to finally utilize the scanner on yourself, smiling at him with a satisfied look when it immediately allowed you in. Turning to him, you nodded at him to get in before you, only for him to gesture for you to go first. Something about 'ladies first.'

"You owe me one," you said once you were both in the elevator again, standing side by side as you faced the closing door.

"Nuh-uh. This was just a coincidence. You needed to head upstairs anyways," he rebutted petulantly.

"Yeah? So you don't need me to help you get to your floor, then, right?", you questioned mockingly, knowing he would also have to work the scanner in order to get the door to open to Seventeen's designated floor. There were far too many steps to get to the artists' floors, but it made sense to you by now.

Upon the realization, he groaned, letting himself throw his head back against the wall behind him as he earned a giggle from you. He frowned in your direction at your laugh, though he joined you with a chuckle just mere seconds later.

"Okay, fine. I owe you," he gave up, still leaning against the wall behind but turning his head to look at you, "What can Yoon Jeonghan do for you?"

You pretended to mull over it for a few seconds, finger on your chin as you thought it over, "I have no idea. I'll let you know," you finally responded, "Okay, so, what floor?", you asked as your finger moved to the buttons on the elevator door.

"13th," he responded, now casually leaning back against the wall.

"Oh? The second highest floor. You're an important man, aren't you?", you teased, pressing his button before moving onto your group's number 9.

"Nine?," he gaped, "Seems I'm higher on the company hierarchy than you, yet you show me no respect," he joked back.

"Shut up. I'm going out of my way for you. Senior or not, you owe me. Those are the rules of all civilized society," you argued back.

"Okay, how about," he began, pressing his hands together as if making a proposition, "I see you downstairs every morning bright and early with a fresh cup of coffee in exchange for your face — y'know, for the scanner. How's that sound?", he proposed, a pleased smile on his face at your agape mouth.

"Every morning? Do you not have any friends?", you asked as the elevator continued to move up.

"Do you see anyone here? They all get here before me. You seem pretty friendless. C'mon. Free coffee, good company. I'll even play one of your group's songs in my next Welive. See? Can't get any better than that," he continued to sell his idea as the elevator came to a stop, now at his floor but demanding yet another facial scan to even exit the elevator.

"God, the security's too much," he groaned upon noticing the prompt on the small screen inside the elevator, "C'mon!", he turned to you, "Try to tell me that's not unnecessary."

You gave up, nodding as you chuckled, though not making a move to scan your face.

"Say yes. Please," he dragged the e for an annoyingly long amount of time, grinning when you rolled your eyes but laughed, "I'll keep going. Just agree. What better way to spend your time than with Yoon Jeonghan?"

"What makes you think I even knew that name before today?", you challenged.

"You do. Don't lie to me, it won't work," he smirked back before going back to being annoying again, "Come on-"

"Fine! I'll meet you downstairs every morning expecting a fresh matcha in hand — I don't drink coffee. But you still owe me," you agreed, extending your hand to him to solidify the agreement.

"No coffee? Ew. But okay, deal," he returned your handshake, holding onto your hand for an annoying amount of time, pretending as if he were unaware of when to let go and waiting for you to pull his hand off yours with another eye roll. He chuckled any time he managed to get a reaction out of you, leading you to realize he must be an absolute menace to every person he comes across. Sadly, he was charmingly entertaining, leaving you with no complaints.

Finally, you scanned your face on the screen, letting him walk in front of you to head out. Before the elevator doors could close and separate again, he held his arm out to stop them, nodding towards you.

"What's your name? I like you," he said plainly, head tilted in curiosity.

"Y/N," you said, "Please don't introduce yourself again-"

"Yoon Jeonghan," he interrupted anyways, "Remember that. We'll be having fun in the near future," were his last words before removing his hand and allowing the elevator doors to separate you, likely heading over to his groupmates upon leaving your line of sight.

Silver doors closed in front of you, now leaving you to your own company. Dumbfounded yet amused by the interaction, you stood there as you waited for the elevator to arrive to your floor, robotically scanning your face on the door once you made it there and exiting the square-shaped room upon arrival. There, you stood with the remnant of a shocked smile on your face, surprised at how easy it had been to put any concept of age or seniority aside when interacting with Yoon Jeonghan. While you always had the tendency of being overly formal with your seniors, you had spoken to Jeonghan like you would any guy your age, disregarding formalities as soon as he'd spoken to you.

You didn't truly need any convincing to agree to see him again. On the contrary, had he not suggested as such, you would've remained with an itch to find a reason for a re-encounter. Like any other junior idol at a company with big names such as BTS and Seventeen, developing a slight crush on your seniors was the normalcy — your groupmates Minji and Lila had crushes on BTS' V and Seventeen's Vernon, respectively — and it appeared that you were now joining them in the list of girls with unrequited crushes.

Jeonghan was, what, maybe five or so years older than you? The age difference alone was enough for you to chalk this up to a mindless crush. That, and the kindergarten teacher voice he had put on while speaking to you — clearly he made a very obvious distinction about your age difference right off the bat.

As of now, all you could do was hope to see him again (which, thankfully, you would) and retain the fun back and forth he'd welcomed you in on. Friendzone was one thing, but junior-zone? At least you now had a story to let your members in on next dance practice.

"Hey, it's you again."

"God, announce yourself next time," you groaned, hand clutching your heart at the short-lived shock of Yoon Jeonghan suddenly bumping your shoulder whilst walking down one of the many endless hallways of the Hybe building.

"I said 'hey,'" he shrugged, continuing to walk by your side, "So, where are we going?"

"Who's 'we,'" you scoffed, "I'm going to buy lunch," you said, continuing to walk as he remained by your side.

"Great, I was thinking of getting something to eat too," he agreed, humming to himself afterwards.

"Okay, so I guess we're having lunch together, then," you hummed back, resigned to your senior's company.

"You catch on quickly, I like that," he gave you a closed-lip grin, "We're going to be seeing each other quite often, might as well start now."

Crossing the doors to the cafeteria, you headed to the lunch area to pick up something to eat, Jeonghan following right behind you and annoyingly picking out the same exact lunch as you, piece by piece. You simply looked back at him with a menacing stare, only causing a bigger grin out of him. Once you made it to the cashier area, your hand made its way to your bag with the intent to pull out your card only to be stopped by one Yoon Jeonghan who had been quicker to scan his own. You had had no plans of preventing him from buying his own meal, but you had also not expected him to pay for your own.

"Wait, you don't have to-"

"Too late," he grinned, walking past you before looking over his shoulder and nodding at you to follow him.

Heading over to a two-seater table, you followed him, taking a seat right across from him. The place was empty sans another duo of two idols eating on the opposite side of the large cafeteria, so you didn't feel too strange at the idea of being spotted with a senior idol.

Sitting across from him, you took note of how lax and confident his demeanor was. It must be nice, you thought. It was quite the opposite for you, especially considering the dynamic between you. This wad a first for you — the whole sharing a meal with a senior from one of the groups that inspired you to become an idol in the first place. You had interacted with some of your seniors before, but you had not had the chance of befriending any of them thus far, much less grab their attention in the same way you had caught Jeonghan's.

It made you feel anxious to be one-on-one with him in such an exposed setting. You knew that within the walls of Hybe, interacting with idols was not seen as odd nor would it lead to any sort of scandal, but you also worried that it might seem strange due to your gender and age difference. However, Jeonghan somehow managed to make you feel more relaxed and less proper than you likely would with any other idol.

"What are you thinking about?" he nodded at you as he sipped at his water, interrupting your thoughts.

"Nothing," you replied, beginning to pay mind to the food in front of you, "You didn't have to pay for my meal, by the way."

"You're clearly thinking about something. I can hear those thoughts cooking in there all the way from here," he chuckled, " — and I'm a gentleman and your senior, of course I had to pay," he shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Don't you have friends?", you asked bluntly, forking at your meal as he snickered at you.

"This is the second time you come after my social life, okay ... Ignoring your disrespect, I do have friends. Twelve of them, actually, maybe even more," he informs you in a 'ha, told you so!' type of tone.

Now was your turn to laugh, unable to take him too seriously, "So, does their facial recognition not work either? Are you so annoying they won't share a meal with you?," you tilted your head mockingly.

"You're better company," he shrugged at you, "Not sure how I never noticed you before, but hey, never too late, right?"

"You barely know me," you grumbled.

"Yeah, and I'm working on that. Keep up!", he chastised, tapping the table.

"You're gonna get me into a scandal for hanging out with me so shamelessly," you reminded him, but made no attempt to leave the situation.

"Who's going to see us?", he looked around, spotting the two other people (sans staff) in the room, "Hanjin from TWS? That's my junior, he'd never say a word. Plus, this is just innocent senior-junior fraternizing, don't worry too much," he tsk'd, leaning back against his seat in a relaxed manner once more.

"You're too relaxed for your own good. How have you never been in a scandal before?", you gaped at him, swatting his hand when his hand made its way to your plate, grabbing at a fry, "Are you like this with all your juniors?"

"Oh? You've been keeping up with me? How do you know im scandal-less? And nope, I already told you — I like you."

"Is it surprising to you that I'd keep up with one of the biggest groups in Kpop?," you feigned disinterest, "Okay, if you like me so much, can I drop the honorifics, then?", you tried, matching the amused grin he gave you.

"Hmm," he pondered for a moment, "I'll let you speak to me informally if you make a compromise with me," he paused, waiting for you to nod for him to continue, "I want you to call me oppa," he grinned.

His shit-eating grin reached all the way to his ears, making you scowl at him. Due to your age difference and the overall senior-junior dynamic of your relationship, it was not an ordinary request for a senior to ask you to call him oppa, thus causing his amusement at his own request. Usually, you'd call seniors like him sunbae or by their full name considering that you were nowhere close enough to him to call him oppa, but his grin told you that he'd be far too pleased to have you calling him by that honorific rather than a more formal alternative.

"No," you deadpanned, "Anything else, just-"

"Fine. Since we're officially friends now, you can call me what all my friends call me; Jeonghannie — Hannie if you're feeling particularly friendly," he continued grinning at you with a pleased look in his eye.

"Hold on, since when are we friends?", you chuckled slapping his hand away from your plate once more, "God! Was there any point in buying my meal if you're just gonna keep eating from it?", you groaned, not truly annoyed but still bugged by the man.

"You've got a short fuse," he noted, "That only makes this even more fun, you realize that, right?" he said as he chewed on what were formerly your fries.

"You're going to be trouble for me at some point, aren't you?", you wondered out loud, chuckling at how pleased he was.

"No, you are — trust me," he said almost to himself.

God damn him, was he flirting with you? Throughout the past few hours of knowing him, you'd been pretty sure he just enjoyed banter by nature, not that he was just singling you out in order to flirt with you. Maybe he was just a flirtatious person by nature? Regardless, your original statement was correct — he was going to cause you trouble one way or another.

Unfortunately to all, the rest of your day was not nearly as eventful as the first few hours (courtesy of Yoon Jeonghan). Leaving the artist designated floors did not require face-scanning, so your duties for the man ended quickly after your lunch together.

For the remainder of the day, you engaged in your diligent idol duties as you practiced and recorded with your groupmates. You'd hoped to catch another glimpse of the flirtatious boy who had caught your attention earlier, but you went home without any more contact. You would've been disheartened by this had you not known he'd be waiting for you by the elevators the following morning.

You had chosen not to tell your bandmates about your interactions with Jeonghan. Although he had been right about you being safe to interact with each other inside the walls of Hybe, you were only on your first year after debut, so the paranoia of insisting your first scandal was far too big to risk anything. Still, you were not about to actually deny him of more time spent together; you'd grown to enjoy his company too much for that.

In your seemingly endless train of thought, you're startled by the sudden presence next to you as you stand by the Hybe elevators. You'd arrived at the same time you had yesterday, assuming Jeonghan would also be present as he was the day prior. After waiting for ten minutes, you were rewarded with another mini heart attack caused by him.

"You're kinda skittish, aren't you?", he laughed, hand giving you a pat on the shoulder as a form of greeting, "Waited for me long?"

"Nope," you responded, turning to look at him, finding him holding two cups on a single, strangely large hand, "Is that my matcha?", you asked, hand reaching out to grab it from him only to be met with resistance from the boy.

"Aht aht," he chastised, "No 'good morning'? No 'you look really handsome today, oppa'? Where did your manners go?", he bit his lip in amusement at himself (and likely at the scowl that formed on your face).

"Yoon Jeonghan, if you don't give me that damn drink I'm leaving you stranded down here," you threatened, snatching the drink from his hand and sipping it with annoyance.

"You wouldn't," he mocked, "Anyways, go on," he gestured for you to step forward in order to scan your face, raising his eyebrows when you didn't make a move to help, "I can get even more annoying," he threatened.

"Fine," you grumbled, scanning your face and stepping into the elevator.

Once settled inside the small box, Jeonghan stood next to you, taking micro side steps in order for his shoulder to brush against yours. When that didn't get your attention, he opted to clear his throat, chuckling at the glimpse of an eye roll he got from where he was standing. As a last effort, his shoulder bumped yours in a more notorious way, finally grabbing your annoyed attention.

"What?," you hissed.

"Okay, first of all, let's calm down. Second of all, I need your face for a little longer today," he winced at your reaction, "I know, I know, but you promised," he reminded you.

"I never promised anything," you scowled, although interested in the idea of seeing him outside of the elevator again, "What do you want?"

"Just need to stop by to see Mingyu in floor 11 for a few minutes — Mingyu, you know him, right? All your friends are probably crushing on him, everyone is. Anyways, it'll be just five minutes and then I'll leave you alone," he went on, hand on your shoulder as he gave you those gigantic and irresistible bug eyes of his.

"What if I'm busy?", you asked, knowing you truly weren't.

"You're not. Senior or not, you would've already told me to fuck myself if I were getting in the way of your work," he said with confidence.

"Fine," you sighed as you dragged out the e, pressing the correct button in order to take Jeonghan to his destination. The elevator ride was short but taken up by Jeonghan making short quips in order to make you laugh. Unfortunately, he was too naturally charismatic for his own good.

Finally stopping at the correct floor, Jeonghan got off the elevator while you remained inside, thinking that maybe it was a good idea to just wait for him in there. This wasn't a common hour for other idols to head in or out of the building anyway, so the elevators would likely remain unused while you waited.

Jeonghan had a different idea, however, standing at the entrance of the elevator as he looked back at you expectantly, nodding his head for you to follow him. When you silently shook your head at him, he groaned annoyingly, reaching to grab onto your hand and pull you to him.

"If you wanted me to hold your hand so badly you could've just said so," he mocked, squeezing it as he pulled you to him. You attempted to let go of his hand, but his grip was too harsh. It's not that you didn't want to hold it, but more like you were too nervous to do so, which he likely caught on to but didn't care for.

"What, scared someone will see us?", he snickered, "Would it be that terrible to be spotted holding hands with me? I'd be the best dating scandal of your life," he giggled, voice growing louder when you laughed along with him, "Oh! A smile? So you do like me, huh?"

"God, are you this flirty with everyone?", you groaned, squeezing his hand extra hard until he winced, giggling at your attempt to harm him.

"You're just fun to rile up," he confessed, leading you to a door you'd never seen before, "This is a shared studio a few Seventeen members use. Ever met any of them?", he asked as he stopped in front of the door, still not letting go of your hand.

"Am I meeting them now?", your eyes widened, "We did a dance challenge with Seungkwan and Vernon, but that's it," you revealed, using the correct honorifics for both that you did not use for Jeonghan.

"So formal. Cute," he snickered, "Well, you're about to meet a few more. Don't be nervous," he started, "If you're able to keep up with me, they'll like you. You're hard not to like," he smiled in a comforting way, not snickering at you for the first time ever.

Before you could respond, the door opened from the other side, revealing who you knew to be Boo Seungkwan of Seventeen with an annoyed scowl on his face, only dropping it upon seeing you.

"Yah! Yoon Jeongha- Oh, hi!", he interrupted himself halfway through his nagging as soon as he saw you, eyes going from Jeonghan's to yours to your interlocked hands, causing his head to tilt in curiosity, "We've met, right?," he bowed, uttering your name and offering you a smile, "Are you holding her hostage?", he asked towards Jeonghan, noting his tight grip on your hand.

"This is my new friend," Jeonghan introduced you despite Seungkwan having already said your name, gesturing towards your interlocked hands, "She's helping me out lately."

Without further explanation, Seungkwan moved aside in order to let the two of you in. Throughout it all, Jeonghan refused to let go of your hand, toying with your fingers at times. Inside were three more members who you could recognize to be Kim Mingyu, Jeon Wonwoo and Lee Jihoon. As a fresh junior in the company, the name of every single senior was common knowledge to you. Not only was Seventeen a huge name in the industry, but they were one of the biggest names within the company itself. You'd also spotted their loud interactions throughout the building a few times in the past.

— This was one of the reasons as to why your heart began going a mile a minute the moment you walked in to the room to find the three men (along with Jeonghan and Seungkwan) staring at you with a curious look in their eye.

Bowing at every member, you meep'd out a quick 'hello' and stalked behind Jeonghan, who only chuckled at your shy demeanor, "Don't be shy. They don't bite," he squeezed your hand.

"Uh, Jeonghan? Do you have a hostage?", asked Wonwoo, reaching out to you to shake your free hand in introduction, "Hi, I'm Wonwoo. Sorry about him," he gestured towards Jeonghan with a chuckle.

"Your emotional support toys weren't enough? Upgraded to a human now?", Mingyu joined in, also offering you a handshake, "I saw your group's last comeback. Great job," he praised, offering you a genuine smile.

Jihoon remained silent as he sat with his eyes glued to his equipment, simply humming and nodding along to every statement leaving their lips. He seemed slightly disinterested, but not rude about it. Jihoon appeared more so amused by Jeonghan's shenanigans, not questioning your presence whilst remaining welcoming of it.

"I'm just here to record my part. Jihoon's been nagging me for a week," he whined, moving to drop himself on the couch and pulling you along with him by the hand. Your interlocked hands began to become clammy, but Jeonghan made no move nor mention to fix that, so you simply ignored it too.

"You're mean," said Wonwoo, "Be mindful of your junior, she looks nervous," he scolded lightheartedly, "You okay? Want a water or something? Did he just steal you or is there a story behind this?", he nodded towards your hands, voice soothing your nerves.

They were all overly likable, which made sense considering their decade-long career as idols. Their fan service must be amazing, you thought to yourself.

Before you could respond, Jeonghan interrupted, "I'm borrowing her face for the scanner in the artists' elevator," he explained, "It's an exchange of goods and services, no hostages here," he nodded to himself, "And we're new best friends, clearly," he grinned as he gestured to your hands, squeezing once again.

Seungkwan chuckled, "There'd be no need for that if you just rode with me in the mornings," he rolled his eyes, taking a seat to the other side of you on the couch.

"You get up at four in the morning, I'm not insane," whined Jeonghan, "and this way I get to hang out with my new friend. Win-win."

You gave a tight-lipped smile in response, rolling your eyes at him and earning a chuckle from the other boys in the room.

"You're going to have to let go of her hand to go into the recording room," Jihoon spoke up, turning around on his chair to look at Jeonghan on the couch and chuckling lowly when his reaction was an exaggerated groan.

"I take what I said back; you are a hostage. Don't leave, I'll be right back," he turned to you before heading over to the small recording room located inside the studio.

Laughing, you nodded, settling comfortably on the couch as you watched him from your spot. The other two men who remained standing made their way to the couch sitting near you as Wonwoo handed you a cold water bottle with a smile. Meanwhile, you watched Jeonghan head into the room, making his way to the mic and putting on the large headphones hanging nearby.

With a few coughs to clear his throat, he began harmonizing with the melody Jihoon turned on as soon as he stepped foot in the small room. Jeonghan's voice immediately flowed perfectly with the music, following Jihoon's directions to perfection as he recorded the lines instructed to him. You were completely distracted by the sight of him in his element that you were unable to pay attention to your surroundings. There were no nerves in you at your current predicament when you were so absorbed by him.

But as soon as he started singing, he finished, letting out another loud cough before exiting the room and making his way to your side again, practically demanding your hand once more.

"They were right," he nodded once you gave him your hand, looking down at you from your seat on the couch, "You're my new emotional support object, sorry," he shrugged, helping you up by pulling at your hand.

With goodbyes as quick as your introduction had been, Jeonghan led you to the door before being interrupted by Jihoon speaking up, "Bring her around more often. You were way more efficient and less annoying this time," he hummed to himself, laughing when Seungkwan began to laugh at his statement. Before you could leave, Seungkwan offered you a hug, though your hand remained on Jeonghan's.

Once in the hallway, Jeonghan turned to you and laughed, "They like you," he sing-sang, "Guess I get to keep you around."

"Is it up to me at all?", you huffed half-heartedly.

"Nope. Let's go," he grinned once more, pulling another laugh from you.

Jeonghan's shenanigans and your daily meetings every morning continued very consistently. It was rare when you'd show up at the elevators at the exact same agreed time and not find him there waiting for you with a drink in hand.

Your interactions only grew more and more friendly with time, with you rolling your eyes at him time and time again and him insisting on dragging you with him for other errands every so often. Fortunately, the news of you two being on friendly terms did not seem to go past a few other idols in the building. Strangely enough, it was rare to actually bump into other artists in the vast space that Hybe covered.

Only a few weeks into knowing Jeonghan and the annual Hybe Game Caterers event came up. This was something he brought up occasionally whilst sharing an elevator ride with you — and even through text every so often, as he had charmed you for your phone number just a few days in.

Being Hybe's newest group, you couldn't help the nerves you felt in appearing at Hybe's second ever Game Caterers event. With big names such as Seventeen, BTS, TXT and such, you felt completely out of your league even being present. You knew it was an amazing opportunity to get new audiences interested in your group, but you barely knew any other groups or idols on a personal level. It wasn't as if you could stalk behind Jeonghan during the event, which meant you'd simply have to rely on your own charm in order to gain some screen time.

Jeonghan, in the meantime, insisted you team up with him in any games that may allow for it. Despite your insistence that he pretend not to know you during the event, he'd cackle and promise he'd make sure to gift you some of his own screen time — how? he didn't explain, which made you even more anxious at the idea.

Once the day of the games came, you felt far more relaxed. This was your first time seeing such popular faces so up close, not having had the chance to attend any comeback shows nor award shows at the same time as the bigger names in Kpop. However, despite all nerves you could've felt, they were all far too charismatic, making you realize that Jeonghan's personality was simply an outlier; he had his own charm, but overall he was a menace to your sanity.

He continued to prove this to you throughout the event, constantly keeping his eyes on you and winking any time it was his turn to do something that might entertain you. Unfortunately for yourself, it worked every time, making you cackle at all his dumb acts for your attention.

That was not where he stopped, however. It seemed as if Jeonghan wanted people to know he was seeking out reactions from you. Occasionally, he'd walk over to your group's table, sitting with you all too casually, earning some nervous giggles from your group mates. He played this out by dragging Seungkwan with him and hitting a few other tables afterward. However, you knew his goal had been to be in close proximity with you.

The worst of all had been when teams were assigned randomly, in which Jeonghan had somehow managed to cheat in order to be placed in your team. You were unsure how exactly he had managed to do this, but from your understanding it seemed like his groupmate, Joshua, had gotten assigned to your team, only to be nagged into giving away his spot to Jeonghan.

And so now you stood in a single file line with a red vest laying on your chest, matching with that of Yoon Jeonghan's, who was standing right behind you with a pleased smile on his face.

"Jeonghan," you groaned, turning around to finally acknowledge his presence.

"What?", he feigned dumb, doing his classic cackle at your annoyed expression.

"You really want to ruin my career, don't you?", you scowled, squinting your eyes over the heavy sun shining from behind Jeonghan.

Detecting your discomfort from the sun, Jeonghan grabbed onto your shoulders, side stepping the two of you until it hit his face rather than yours. No word is uttered about his act of kindness as he continued to grin at you in a satisfied manner.

"I'm helping you, c'mon," he tsk'd, "Ever watched Going Seventeen? Well— Okay, don't make that face, I know you've seen it, all of Korea has seen it. I can win you any game and get you all the screen time possible," he held his pinky up to you, nudging you until you budged and intertwined yours with his own, "Then you'll be, uh, what are you, fourth gen?," he waited for your reluctant nod, "Okay, you'll be fourth gen's It Girl," his hand went up to ruffle your hair, earning something akin to a growl from you, "We'll be the inter-generational It Couple."

"Couple?," you tilted your head in wonder, "You're an idiot," you murmured, having a hard time hiding your smile at his masterplan.

"It was bound to happen. This whole 'will they won't they' thing we have going on is too good to pass up on," he continued, "C'mon, let's use today as a test-run," he insisted, earning another annoyed reaction from you, this time in the form of a half-hearted fist bump. With one last 'Eyyy' from him, he turned back around to pay attention to the rules of the following game.

Various games came and went, with some being in co-ed groups and others within your already-established groups, but with all of them (without fail) involving some sort of interaction between you and Jeonghan. Continuously aware of the cameras recording, you worried about how your constant interactions would be taken by audiences once the show was edited and posted, but his easy-going disposition made it difficult for you to actually do anything about it.

By the time the recording was over, Jeonghan had made it clear to all his members and yours (and anyone who was paying attention, really) that he had some sort of interest in you. No words nor statements had been needed as his actions made his intentions extremely obvious. You'd received a few teasing glances from his group mates at times (though you were sure they were probably meant for the man in question), making you shy away from Jeonghan, but he never strayed away for too long.

The aftermath of the show was different for everyone involved. Some groups left for other schedules while others went out for a meal with a few staff members. Then there was Jeonghan, who had decided to skip out on a meal with his friends and staff in order to stalk after you and your own group, not saying a word as he followed you to the entrance of Hybe, disregarding any teasing giggles coming from your groupmates. You'd occasionally look back at him, rolling your eyes at him as you held back an entertained smile.

Even as you got into the elevator, he silently followed with a pleased smile, still not speaking a word to justify his presence. It wasn't until your groupmates got off the elevator that Jeonghan actively tried to catch your attention by physically holding you back from exiting the elevator, waving your friends goodbye for you as the doors closed behind them.

With his arms wrapped around your middle, he practically bear-hugged you in order to keep you from leaving, laughing when you half-heartedly attempted to make it out of his hold in order to escape.

"You don't really wanna leave, stop fighting it," he whined, letting you go when you finally halted your attempts, groaning jokingly at his victory.

"Why'd you kidnap me this time?", you asked once you turned around to face him.

He shrugged, "I dunno. Company? Take us to my floor. I have some ramen and beer stashed away in the dressing room," he coerced, wiggling his eyebrows at you.

"You're bribing me with food again," you noted, crossing your arms as you pretended to mull it over.

"Well, it appears like that's the only way to get you to hang out with me," he booped your nose, giggling when you scowled at him.

"You have that hard of a time getting girls to give you attention?"

"Hah," he exclaimed, "Girls love me. Not my fault the one I'm into needs to be coerced into spending time with me," he said as the most casual statement uttered by man.

He appeared entirely unaffected by his statement, as if this was not news to you. His flirting had gotten more and more blatant throughout the short time you'd known him, but he had never professed his affections so blatantly. It made sense for him to be so forward now that he had shown everyone his clear interest in you, but having the words said to your face still made you lose your breath for a short moment.

"Ah, speechless, huh?", he grinned, "You can't tell me this comes as a surprise to you," he tilted his head to the side in curiosity, "You're a smart girl, c'mon," he took a few short steps to you, hand coming to push your hair out of your face as you continued to stare at him with a semi-shocked look in your face.

Still inside a closed, yet unmoving elevator, you smacked his hand away in a friendly yet bratty matter, making him chuckle, "Stop, you're gonna get me in trouble," you complained.

Stepping even closer to you, he backed you against a wall, the grin on his face never leaving him. Meanwhile, your brain was overriding itself in figuring out how to react. You let him back you against the wall whilst his hands remained to his sides, not actually caging you and allowing you escape if you really wished for it. Leaning down a bit, he stood face to face with you, once again pushing your hair out of your face before running a lone finger down your cheek as he pouted down at you, cooing in a way some may read as condescending, but actually loving coming from someone like Jeonghan.

"You know that if you actually tell me to fuck off, I will, right?" he muttered, eyes fluttering for the first time ever. His eye contact was usually unmatched, but this time his eyes seemed to begin getting hooded; likely due to the proximity of your faces.

"Yes," you nodded quietly, breath caught in your throat.

"And you know if you stop me right now, I won't go through with this, right?", he followed up, face somehow even closer.

"Uh-huh," you nodded again, eyes matching his own hooded ones.

Nodding to himself, he grinned for a split second before closing the gap, soft and slow in his movements as he pressed his lips to your awaiting ones. The kiss was a mere peck at first, lacking any fluidity or movement. It took your reciprocation for it to become something more, as Jeonghan waited for your arms to make their way to his flat chest before he finally put his hands on you, wrapping them around your waist and pulling you to him.

Finally, his lips moved, opening and wrapping around yours, tongue entering your mouth and coaxing yours to play with his own. Soft yet high sighs left his lips as he hummed into your mouth, kissing you in a way far too sensual for an elevator located in your shared workplace.

A large hand went up to your cheek, holding it delicately as he tilted your face upwards in order to gain optimal access to your mouth. Similarly, your hands traveled north, finding their way to his long hair and pulling at it every time he did something particularly enticing with his tongue. Without your hands on his chest, the empty space between you was reduced when he pulled you closer in order to press your chests together, sighing when he felt your hardened nipples through your lack of bra.

Before it could go too far, however, the menace of a man decided to pull away, chuckling when you followed his lips, still in the daze he'd put you in.

"You didn't push me away," he whispered with a breathy laugh, thumb playing with your bottom lip up until you childishly nibbled at it, getting a 'Yah!' from him and another laugh.

"Count your blessings, I still could," you challenged, knowing you did not mean it at all.

"Are you sure?", he leaned close once more, "So you don't want me to do this again?" he murmured as he lightly pressed his lips to yours again, immediately putting you in another daze.

He pulled away even quicker this time around, laughing at the defeated look on your face at your lack of ability to staying true to your word when it concerned him.

"That's what I thought," chuckled Jeonghan, finally putting some decent space between you, "So, ramen and beer?", he asked, holding his hand up as an offer for you to hold it, humming with a smile when you grabbed it and intertwined your fingers.

"Ramen and beer," you agreed, unable to hold back a smile as you stood side by side once again.

"Ever gonna let me take you on a date outside of this place?", asked Jeonghan a few days after that day in the elevator.

No more kissing had occurred between the two of you, though hand holding remained pretty present in your relationship — though that was a strong word to use. His flirting continued to get worse, and so did the attention he gave you around staff and other idols, but he had not kissed you again nor had he done anything you'd expect from someone who had been quite adamant about his intentions with you.

You hadn't questioned it, simply enjoying it when he did things slightly out of your comfort zone in order to demonstrate his interest. Could you be blamed? It was The Yoon Jeonghan who was after you, after all.

But a few days had been more than enough to drive you up a wall.

Spending almost every day in that elevator with him, at such close proximity, — pondering about when the next kiss would be — was driving you insane. It was obvious to you by now that he wanted you to make the first move when it came to that area of your relationship. As far as he was concerned, he'd simply continue to buy you meals and take up your time (and mind) as much as possible.

This was why you completely ignored his initial question and rebutted with your own.

"Date? When are you going to explain that kiss?," you practically defied him, staring him down as he gave you one of his usual satisfied smiles.

"Explain it? I wanted to kiss you, so I did," he shrugged, popping a grape into his mouth before mouth-feeding you one, "If you want more of that, you're going to have to let me take you on a date."

"Jeonghan," you began, "You know we can't do anything outside these walls. If we get spotted, we're fucked," you stated the obvious.

"C'mon, just let me make you dinner in my apartment. I'll even kick Seungkwan out so we can have some privacy," he smirked, hand reaching out to yours in order to try and entice you further.

"Are you propositioning yourself to me?", you smiled at him, mouth open and tongue touching the roof of your mouth in amusement.

"Good, you're catching on," he smirked to himself, taking a short pause to cough as a way to clear his throat, shaking his head and trying again, "I meant as a date. I'm not that crude."

You sighed again, "Fine," you began, rolling your eyes at the way his face suddenly lit up, "but you have to actually make me dinner. If I show up and there's no candlelit dinner on your table, I'm leaving," you threatened jokingly, unable to picture Jeonghan hosting a date so fancy. He pegged you more as the casual date type of guy.

"Candlelit? I can work with that. Wear something pretty for me then," he added as a condition, poking you with his chopstick to emphasize his point, "If I'm making a fancy dinner, then we need to look the part.

"Okay, then wear something other than sweats. I swear I've never seen you wear anything that's not three times your size," you pointed out his usual fashion style, even referring to this moment in which he was wearing an oversized shirt and oversized sweats to match.

"I'll dress up for you, baby, no need to beg," his lips drew up into a smirk that seemed to never leave his lips for too long, putting down his chopsticks in favor of offering you his pinky, "I'll have my driver take us tomorrow after you're done at the company," he said as you linked fingers, pressing his thumb against your own.

"You better not ruin my career, Yoon Jeonghan," left your mouth, though with mere entertainment in your tone.

~

"God, you took it really seriously, didn't you?" you gaped at the dapper Yoon Jeonghan standing in front of you, holding the door open as he reached for your hand in order to let you in.

At the end of the day, your plan had changed a bit, deciding that Jeonghan needed some extra time to get the meal and himself ready for you, and that he wanted you to have time to 'doll yourself up for him' (his words, not yours). And so you went home the following day, took an embarrassing three hours to dress up as pretty as you could — as that strange feminine urge to groom yourself to perfection took over — and had your driver drop you off at the luxury apartment you knew Jeonghan and Seungkwan shared at around 8pm.

The first thing that welcomed you into his home was Jeonghan himself, except he looked very different. You had seen pictures and videos of him dressed to the nines for music videos, awards shows, you name it, but you had never seen the man so insanely put together in the flesh until this moment. Yoon Jeonghan was always a sight to behold, no matter if he was makeup-less and donning a messing man-bun, but the sight in front of you left your mouth agape. He had decided to go for a three-piece suit (too fancy for your taste, but that was likely his intent), chuckling when you rolled your eyes at the bowtie. His makeup was done and his hair beautifully styled. The jury was out on who had out-dressed the other (though it was likely it was Jeonghan).

"Okay, so no bowtie?", he giggled as he closed the door behind you, ripping it off with an ease that was only achievable due to the fact that it was apparently a clip-in and not a real bowtie. As per usual, this caused you to laugh, achieving the goal of its presence.

His hand made its way to your lower back, leading you further into his house as he walked you. It took him an appalling thirty seconds to move closer to you and whisper in your ear how beautiful you looked, granting you a moment of full sincerity with zero banter behind it.

You'd chosen to don a red slip dress, with a red lip and winged eyeliner to match. It wasn't too elegant of a look, but it was perfect for either a candlelit dinner or a night clubbing; you went for versatility, unsure of Jeonghan's unpredictable behavior.

Before you could thank him or blush at his comment, you'd completed the short distance to his dining room that had been just one room away from the entrance. The sight made any other reaction from his compliment leave you, distracting you completely.

It wasn't too elegant nor abnormal for a candlelit dinner, but it still surprised you that Jeonghan had actually followed along with what you'd meant as simple banter — he had actually cooked you and amazing-smelling dinner and lit a few candles throughout the room.

"Dude, this is too much," you gaped, turning back to him, only to be trapped by his arms wrapping around your waist. There was a pleased smile on his face at your astonished reaction.

"You challenged me," he said, eyes squinting at you, "You know better than to challenge me," it was said in a serious tone, though fully in jest, "Can I tell you that you look beautiful again, or would that be cheesy?"

"You can say it as many times as you want," you gave into him, wrapping your hands behind his neck, pulling him a little lower in your direction. He accepted this with no complaint, intertwining his own hands around the small of your back.

"God, stop looking at me like that," he groaned at the smile you were giving him as you looked up at him, his hands continuing to run up and down the small of your back, clearly picking it as a favorite part of your body at the moment.

"Why? What are you gonna do about it?", you challenged him.

"It might've taken me two hours and one extinguisher to cook that dinner, but I'd be willing to let it go to waste," he warned, front teeth digging into the plush of his bottom lip as he stared you down with defiance in his eyes.

You pouted petulantly at him, giving in to his banter for the nth time, "Oh, so you really were propositioning yourself to me the other day, huh?", you cocked your head to the side, raising your brows in challenging manner, "I thought this was meant to be a date and nothing more?"

His hands tightened around you, pulling you close enough for your chests to rub together, huffing out an annoyed breath, "Believe it or not, I don't have enough ingenious in me to keep this conversation going forever. Are you going to let me kiss you or are you going to force us through a subpar dinner I burnt three separate times?", he whined, chuckling halfway through when you giggled at his statement.

"I'm not stopping you," you murmured, leaning up and rubbing your nose against his own as if to dare him to take action.

Never a man to back away from a challenge, Jeonghan's speech ended there, closing the gap between you as his lips landed on your own with a mixture of sensuality and roughness. Loyal to their fidgeting habits, his hands remained on your hips, fingers squeezing the plush there every so often as you let out tiny breaths into his mouth.

It was embarrassing to count the times you'd thought about kissing him ever since that first time, having it invade your mind more often than not in the short period of time between then and now. The soft sounds he'd made into your mouth and the touches of his hands had been imprinted in you, making you silently and pathetically yearn for more as he continued his usual flirtations. Finally arriving at a point where he finally had you completely alone and with no distance imaginable, you let yourself go into the kiss, hoping it would go further than last time. The circumstances were more than agreeable this time around, anyway.

Seemingly, Jeonghan agreed with your silent pleas, slowly walking you over to the couch located somewhere in the large combination of dining room and living room inside his apartment. No words were exchanged, as they would've interrupted the consistent locking of lips, but your gasp was still registered by him when you suddenly felt yourself dip and be manhandled into lying horizontally on the couch.

Now lying down, it was easy for Jeonghan to truly invade all your senses. Still fully clothed, he laid on top of you, knees settling on both sides of your hips as to not lay his entire weight on you. The locking of lips did not seize, continuing as you pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt. The cocky man chuckled into your mouth at how insistent you seemed in kissing him, but that was the least of your worries at the moment. He had opted for close-mouthed kisses, making you groan at every silent denial for you to deepen the kiss.

"Stop being a little shit," you groaned when he refused to let your tongue enter his mouth for the nth time.

"You want me sooo bad," he grinned, kissing at your cheek as your eyes rolled once more.

"Are you going to be this annoying when you're inside me?," your head turned to the side, making you be the one to avoid his kisses this time around, but that didn't bode well for the boy.

"Yah," he whined, "It's not fun when you do it. Just let me kiss you," he slurred, repositioning himself slightly to let his hips find the height of your own, finally kissing you how you'd been wanting. He disconnected his lips momentarily just a few seconds after, pushing his hips against yours decidedly, "And, for the record, I'll be everything but annoying while I'm fucking you," he murmured as his last words.

That's when his kiss became intense and decided, exploring every inch of your mouth while his hips chased your own with a passion you did not believe Jeonghan could possess. He'd always seemed like the lazier of his members, like he'd he the type to lay back and unbuckle his pants for whoever was lucky enough to get him in bed. However, he had proved to you time and time again that he was actively interested in pursuing you — especially now as he held onto your legs, wrapping them around his waist to ensure his hardness could hit perfectly against the very thin cloth of the panties under your ridden up dress.

"Fuck, you already feel so good," he rasped, lips finding your neck, "Take this pretty dress off for me, yeah?", he nudged at the strap of your dress with his nose, kissing the bare skin he found there.

With only a nod and a whine from you, he got to business, hands reaching behind your back as you arched it to grant him access, blindly unzipping it and lowering the straps from your arms whilst still laying down. An uncharacteristically low groan left him upon discovering your lack of bra, making him look to you with a pained look in his eye before dipping down to kiss at your breasts.

Nimble fingers graced the length of your arms, creating goosebumps in their wake as they one of them reached your breast while the other squeezed at your hip intermittently. One of your breasts was trapped by his hand, the nipple tortured by his thumb while your other breast suffered through licks and nips from his mouth. Heavy sighs were breathed out against your tit m, mixed with the occasional groan as his hips continued canting onto your own. Your dress was uncomfortably bunching at your middle, but it remained in the back of your mind as Jeonghan occupied the rest of it.

It didn't take long for you to grow frustrated at the lack of nudity demonstrated by the man on top of you. Your hands mindlessly pulled at his suit jacket and began pulling it off, only getting it down to his elbows due to his lack of aid in removing it. Next was his button-up, which you fully unbuttoned as his lips came back up to your own, chuckling at your insistence. Once almost undressing him, he finally disconnected your lips, hastily throwing off his top and unbuttoning his pants. He looked down at you with heavy lids as he pulled his pants low enough to uncover his thighs and remain in nothing but his boxers. Next came your panties, which he slowly traced his the tips of his fingers, toying at your puffy cunt through the fabric long enough for you to release a few tortured whines.

"Jeonghan!", you scolded, getting a snicker from him before he actually aided you in the removal of your panties. Lifting your hips, you silently instructed him to throw off your dress the rest of the way, now fully nude under him.

The last piece of clothing separating you were his boxers, much to your despair. Your ached to reach up to a kneeling Jeonghan who continued to stand almost completely still above you, hand pressing at his cock through the cloth as he peered at you as if he wanted to swallow you whole.

"Are you going to do anything?", you complained from under him, hands attempting to reach his cock but being prevented by him, too occupied in taking you in to allow you to touch him.

"I'm enjoying the sight," he hummed, eyes taking turns between your open legs, damp breasts and desperate eyes, "God, I don't even know where to start," he groaned, sounding genuinely pained.

Pained? You could work with that. Maybe this was your turn to tease him as he always did ti you.

Sitting up as best you could whilst under him, you reached up to him, running your hands from his pelvis to his chest, fingers shyly pinching at his nipples. Your mouth found his neck, licking its way to his ear to nibble at the lobe. Within seconds Jeonghan was putty under you, with one of his hands wrapping around you to pull you closer. You kissed sensually at his ear, whispering unspeakable filth into it that had him groaning. Tilting your head to the side, you took a peak at his face. He had a satisfied yet pained look painting his pretty features. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth agape, hiccuping a groan at your words.

"Should've known you were filthy," he grunted, burying his face in your neck, helping you back into your lying position so he could truly bury himself in you, "It's in your eyes ... Always looked at me like you wanted me to take you right in that elevator," he added, hands coming down to messily rid himself of his boxers.

His hips were leveled with your own, almost touching your cunt but not just yet. Without thinking, you canted your hips upward, managing to get his hardness to grace at your cunt just perfectly. This drew a matching groan from both your lips, making Jeonghan cough halfway through his dirty talk.

"Oh, you're that desperate? Okay, pretty, I'll fuck you. Don't need to beg me so much," he mocked, positioning himself to finally enter you, but unable to help himself in teasing your clit with his tip for a few moments in order to draw just a couple more cries from you. With a chuckle, he finally began entering you, gasping a silent groan at the feeling of finally being enveloped by you.

"God," he grumbled, eyes squeezing shut in pleasure, "Tell me when I can move," he practically pleaded.

"Just move," you whined, "It's already good."

Your green light was all he needed to begin pumping in and out of you, gasping out praise every so often. His hands remained on your hips, squeezing at the skin whenever it felt extra good to fuck into you. Clammy skin and lewd sounds of slapping took up all your senses, making you almost miss Jeonghan's words as he began low rambles into your ear.

"Do you even know how long I've wanted you?", he started, breath heavy against your ear, making you want to bury yourself in his skin, "Always wanted to talk to you, but- fuck- but the guys told me I shouldn't as- as your senior," he stuttered in between groans, "But I couldn't let my chance pass when you helped me that day ... We just clicked," he confessed, groaning loudly when you tightened at his unexpected confession.

"Han ...", you sighed, gripping his shoulders as if your life depended on it, "I, fuck, really?"

He nodded against you, kissing the skin he could reach, "I like you so much, you have no idea," he continued, speeding up his hips, "Tell me you like me back," he whined with a bit of humor in his voice. It was impossible for him to let things become too serious for too long — something you really liked about him.

"I like you, Hannie," you humored him, using the nickname he'd asked you to use all those weeks ago, giggling in between sighs of pleasures when he groaned at it.

"Don't call me that right now, you're so mean," he whined, biting lightly at your skin in defiance, "I'm trying to make this fun for you."

"Then keep fucking me," you insisted, "Hannie," you couldn't help but add with a girlish and exaggerated moan.

"You're provoking me? Really? Again? Okay, brat," he huffed, hands finding the back of your legs to wrap them higher on his waist, ensuring his cock could now piston in and out of you in a way that had your eyes rolling back.

Despite his lazy persona, he was a beast as he fucked you, specially after you'd invoked that bratty side of him that couldn't allow you to out-brat him. It was toe-curling to think about how having you under him provoked this side of him to come out; the side that made him lose all inhibitions and break him down to his most animalistic desires as he fucked you. Any lack of energy was replaced by a stamina that made the slapping of skin so embarrassingly loud you couldn't help but blush. That, combined with his nonexistent shyness in letting out every moan threatening to leave his lips made it the most pleasurable experience for you.

"Sound so pretty ... You're driving me crazy," he grunted in a pained chuckle, "Gonna make me cum ... Fuck, come with me? Yeah, pretty? Need to feel you cum around me before I fill you up," he rambled, hand suddenly sneaking between your bodies and attacking your clit without any warning. You could no longer banter with him, too drunk on the feeling to vocalize anything other than mewls of pleasure.

Jeonghan's hips combined with the feeling of his fingers assaulting your clit were all you needed to lose yourself to your orgasm, almost dragging him down with you as you tightened around him.

"F-fuck, you're cumming? Is it that good, baby? Shit, took it so good for me, hmm?", he continued talking you through it, humming back a groan when you tightened just enough for him to reach his own high, "O-oh, God ... C-cumming, shit. Where?", he was frantic in asking, his gigantic eyes growing two times bigger as he looked to yours for guidance, eyebrows furrowing further at every passing second his orgasm threatened to take him down.

"Inside, H-hannie," you sighed out, mellowing out from your former orgasm. Another whine exited your lips at the breathiest cry leaving the pretty boy above you, whining out desperate praise at the privilege it was to cum inside you. It was likely Jeonghan knew about the birth control idols were usually put under, but his reaction told you he was appreciative nonetheless.

"So fucking good .... God, you're so good, so pretty, so perfect," the praise was endless, making you want to be the sole cause of his pleasure until the end of time.

Once finally emptied out, his energetic persona died out quite quickly, instantly morphing himself to your side as he nudged you aside to make space for him on the couch. Being large enough to fit you both, you snuggled together, Jeonghan nuzzling that pointy nose into your hair as you two regained consciousness. It was amusing how easily he morphed into his usual touchy and lazy persona just seconds after fucking you an inch of your life.

"Hmph," he hummed into your skin, nuzzling so much it seemed he was trying to enter your skin, "You're soft after sex, y'know that?", he thought out loud, leaving mindless kisses behind.

"You're so weird," you huffed, jokingly pushing him away but adoring the warmth that pooled in your heart at his whine in complaint, accompanied by him pulling you even closer.

"Yeah, but you like me weird," he reminded you.

You allowed a beat or two of silence to consume you before turning further toward his side, cuddling into him in as the comfort between lovers after sex invaded the room.

"Did you mean what you said?"

He hummed questioningly, too lost in the comfort to think back to what you meant.

"Did you like me before we met in that elevator?", your voice was meek, reminiscent of those mere five minutes of shyness you felt when you first met Jeonghan, soon overtaken by the natural comfort his presence brought upon such a short time.

"Yeah," he stated simply, "Seungkwan sent me a video of your group covering one of our songs in your debut showcase and I thought you were cute," he chuckled fondly at the memory, "Then I saw you at the company a few times and thought you were the cutest thing," he booped your nose annoyingly, "I wasn't planning on doing anything about it, but like I said, we clicked. You looked shy, but the moment I spoke to you, you were fed up of my shit. I liked that about you," he hummed.

You couldn't help laughing at that, "You liked me because I was rude to you?"

"I mean, it's not often that my juniors speak to me like that. It's always so formal," he blegh'd in an exaggerated manner, "I can't really explained it. It was just a gut feeling, y'know?"

You thought back to how comfortable you felt in his presence that first day, nodding in agreement, "Yeah, I know," you smiled as you reached over to find his lips, pecking them sweetly.

"Dinner's probably gone bad by now, by the way," he spoke up after the kiss, guiding your hand to his head for self-indulgent scratches.

"You didn't actually invite me over to have dinner," you reminded him humorously.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "I didn't."

to read short 2.4k word continuation (+ all other previously written bonus content) you can go join my svt monthly tier on patreon!

content: smut, afab reader, lots of banter with the rest of seventeen, jeonghan is bullied by you and his members, mentions of oppa (only once and in a teasing way), small age gap, fingering, penetrative sex, etc.

wc: 1004 (teaser); 2484 (full drabble)

sneak peak:

"You're going to get me in so much tro- Stop!", you couldn't help the girlish squeal that left your mouth at Jeonghan's careless roughhousing.

His hands wouldn't leave your waist, glued to the dip of your waist as he followed you around Seventeen's floor as you attempted to leave.

After the ruse to keep you around for his elevator rides died down, now becoming Jeonghan's official girlfriend (his words), the menacing boy continued to play dumb, insisting that there was just no one else he entrusted with the task of helping him up and down the elevator. It was a dumb inside joke between you, but it made your insides giggle like a madwoman every time you thought about his insistence to keep you around as much as humanly possible, even now as you engaged in a formal and exclusive relationship.

Hanging out with him in the comfort of your group's floor was fine. Your group was a mere few months old, meaning there wasn't too much traffic from other groups or any outsiders there. However, the halls of Seventeen's floor always made you nervous. You always insisted on being behind closed doors when it came to Jeonghan's floor, knowing that Seventeen were incredibly popular, which resulted in their floor of the building being far more trafficked than your own.

As far as you were aware, only your respective groups, managers, and a few staff members were aware of your relationship. Many simply assumed there was something going on, but due to any lack of announcement of your relationship, there was no way to confirm it. That, and the many people who ended up shipping you after the release of Hybe's Game Caterers due to how insistent on sticking by your side Jeonghan had been during recording (damn you, Yoon Jeonghan).

"Bunny, c'mon," he whined, nuzzling his head in your neck as you continued to walk down the hallway, attempting to reach their practice room, "What's the point in dating if I can't even enjoy you at work?", he protested, feet bumping into yours due to the continuous proximity between your bodies.

"Han, if someone catches us-"

"I don't care. You know that," his touches finally halted as soon as you made it to the door, holding it open for you in a classic act of gallantry often displayed by him. It was always unspoken and casual, but you came to learn that Jeonghan was naturally caring for those around him, especially you. Doors were opened, oranges peeled, laces tied, you name it.

"Sure, you don't care," you started, crossing the small dressing room that connected the hallway and the practice room, Jeonghan behind you, "You're like fifty, you've been in the industry forever now. A measly dating rumor with your junior would do nothing to your career. I'd get accused of sleeping my way up and fuck everything up for my members," you argued back, not seriously mad nor argumentative, just continuing the thread of conversation.

Finally in the practice room, Jeonghan gaped at you, amused yet offended, "Fifty?", he gasped, getting the attention of a fellow Boo Seungkwan and Lee Chan who just so happened to be sitting by nearby, "You're calling me old? I'm 28!," he insisted, whining at you and pulling at your arm as a child would.

Feigning annoyance, you held in your laugh at his childishness, knowing that this was always the result any time you attempted to tease him back. Before you could retaliate again, you were interrupted by the other men present in the room, having interrupted whatever conversation they were having with Jeonghan's loudness.

"You're the most lethargic man I know," said Chan with complete seriousness in his face, causing Seungkwan to burst laughing.

Dokyeom seemingly compartmentalized out of nowhere, also joining in as he crossed the door you'd just come in from, close enough to have heard the conversation, "Cradle robber," he teased as he walked by, sticking out his tongue at Jeonghan as the elder did it first.

Jeonghan gaped at all four of you, exasperated in his response, "We're like five years apart!," he whined in reference to your age difference, "If I'm lethargic, then what are you?", he yelled, pointing at Seokmin who had already walked away, still grinning in satisfaction at Jeonghan from his side of the room, beginning to join other members in their stretching.

Laughing throughout it all, you relished on Jeonghan's members ganging up on him, knowing it was usually him who teased the others. Ever since your relationship had become official, you spent more and more time around his groupmates — groupmates who found great enjoyment in teasing him over your relationship. You were never the butt of the joke. On the contrary, they'd encourage you to join in, knowing you were Jeonghan's one and only weakness.

Suddenly, Jeonghan turned to you, annoyed scowl on his face, "You! You don't get to join in and mock me. They're insulting your boyfriend, defend me!", he demanded, pouts and whines never leaving him.

You huffed, "Why should I defend you? I'm your junior, oppa," you used that term very strategically, only ever saving it to tease him or make him embarrassed in front of whoever was around.

Seungkwan all but cackled at the way Jeonghan stopped his annoyed rambling with a swiftness, gaping at you with his eyebrows all the way to his hairline. His mouth opened and closed, likely pondering a comeback for you. Within the short time you'd dated, Jeonghan's insistence that you call him by the correct honorific only got worse, but your denials remained. You calling him oppa at this moment meant only one thing to him: You wanted war.

Without further words, he grabbed you by the wrist, ignoring your surprised yelp as he pulled you with him towards the door you'd barely crossed mere minutes ago. Not really fighting him, you stumbled as you trailed behind him, waving a quick bye to his friends while Seungkwan whined at Jeonghan for his sudden exit.

...

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