#but we had a whole dinner and played board games afterwards

[ifeelfreewithoutmyshoes]

I am so glad I don’t live on my own

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not wanting to hang out with my boyfriend’s best friend?

My [33F] boyfriend’s [30M] (we’ll call him R) best friend (30s M) (call him D) is chronically late but also never communicates anything. I have ADHD and like I get it. I have all the patience in the world for people who are late if they communicate they will be late. But D will never communicate anything, ever.

R and D have a standing game night on Fridays where they go for dinner and play board games. D “normally” comes between 4-5pm. He picks up his kids from school at 3:30, drops them home with his partner and then drives over. It is a 30 minute drive. But in the past, both on regular Friday meetings, and for other meetups, he has been significantly late (3 hours, once!) without saying a word all day.

R wants me to join them on Friday evenings. I don’t have a traditional ‘job’ but I am a crafter with many things to do and also, as mentioned, I have ADHD. Part of that means I really need a specific time to go and do something otherwise I will just be stuck in like “wait mode” all day unable to do anything because I don’t know when I need to stop doing it. The first time I went out with R & D I did lose the whole day (no work done) because we could get no actual information from D on when he was coming, and he ended up not arriving until after 5pm.

I told D I didn’t appreciate not being able to properly plan my day, and that providing a heads up about these things is generally considered polite. I also made it clear afterwards to R that if D continued to not communicate anything and just “turn up whenever, at some point after 4, maybe” then I would not be joining them on board game nights. 

Today I once again only had “4-5ish, I guess” but by 4:30 not only was D not here but R had heard nothing from him, and suspected he had not even left. I told R I was not coming, I had already mostly lost the day - having stopped work several hours before - but I would at least be reclaiming the evening.

At 5:15 R called me to say that D had been arranging to have his partner come, and had been sorting out childcare (in the form of D’s mum). He at no point earlier in the day had said anything about this to R. In fact they hadn’t spoken at all. D then told R they would be leaving at around 5:45, so wouldn’t be here until at least 6:15.

I reiterated that I would not be coming. It was a boundary I set before and was very clear about, and was now enforcing it. D could have said much earlier that he was planning on inviting his partner, would have to arrange childcare, and would likely be later than usual. He chose not to do that, so I am choosing to not go.

R then got upset with me and said he would not be coming over to spend the night at my place the following evening (we have a normal routine on who stays where which days, and he knows unexpectedly changing that without any discussion at all will also mess with my ability to do things. The routine is important to me) because I was being unfair. 

I told him, again, it’s a firm boundary for me. People who won’t communicate anything at all when you have plans (even loose ones) aren’t respecting other people’s time. Even if that’s not the intention it’s still just… rude to the other person. Other people still have lives when you’re not there, and expecting everyone else to just be ready for “whenever” you feel like showing up without a word is not ok. Again, if it happens only once in a while because Shit Happens that’s different. But if it’s every time, with everyone, forever, then really you’re just a bit inconsiderate.

R says he doesn’t feel that way because he doesn’t have anything going on so it doesn’t bother him, so he isn’t upset with D (even though I have things on, so it does impact and bother me, his partner) but he is upset with me because I am “making him feel bad”. D’s complete lack of communication and lateness is not the problem, the fact I am annoyed about it and choosing to stay home is the problem. I said it is not fair to blame me for this turn of events when (unlike D) I was VERY clear beforehand that I wouldn’t be going if this happened, and that if nothing else he should still be at least a little annoyed with D for not respecting my time after I’d already spoken to him about it.

Instead of actually sitting D down and properly telling him “look I don’t have things to do but L does and it does bother her when you don’t communicate anything so it is messing with her work when you do this and that is not ok”, R then said he just won’t invite me to anything ever again. So I can’t be upset if he’s late.

AITA for refusing to go to board game night?

What are these acronyms?

[snugglebug-92]

Luke Hughes x Reader

When Jay went to the women’s hockey game he wasn’t expecting many people to want to come with him. Yeah, they were playing MSU which was their biggest instate rival but no one cared about Women’s hockey. He just wanted to go to watch his girlfriend but he invited anyone on the team who wanted to come as well. Moyle and Grano both came like usual but when Luke jumped up saying he would go they were all shocked. They knew he obviously liked hockey and he didn’t mind women’s hockey because of his mom but he never wanted to come before. They all just shrugged it off knowing Jay’s girlfriend would have told them if Luke was dating someone on the team.

Sunday rolls around faster than any of them would have liked but they are all there anyway. During warmups, the four boys watch the UMich girls while Luke gets distracted by a certain #21 on the other team. Throughout the whole game, the boys watch as he watches her skate whenever she’s on the ice. At first, they think nothing of it. Maybe he knows her from somewhere but then late in the second period she takes a nasty check to the boards and is taken off the ice. Luke sits on the edge of his seat leg bouncing constantly checking his phone. That’s when Jay knows Luke is dating an MSU girl. He doesn’t say anything the rest of the game and lets him sit and check his phone. As soon as the game is done Jay is going to get celebratory dinner with his girl while the other 2 boys are going to work on homework. 

Luke rushes to the visitor locker room and waits for his girl to make her way out. When She finally does she looks heartbroken. She’s in a sling and she looks heartbroken. Luke does the only rational thing in his mind. He goes cups her face kissing her. Her free hand tangles in his messy curls and when they pull away she has a few shocked teammates looking at her.

“Oh yeah guy this is my boyfriend,” she says giggling.

“We knew you had a boyfriend we just didn’t know you were dating Luke fucking Hughes,” one of her teammates says causing all of them to laugh.

“I’m sorry about your shoulder baby,” he says rubbing her cheek.

“It’ll heal,” she half-shrugs. The two spend a few more minutes together before she is leaving to go to the bus. 

When Michigan plays MSU a few months later Jay is slightly less shocked Luke is coming but does nothing to show it. They sit down and it's a repeat of the last time. Luke watches his secret girlfriend and this time she doesn’t get hurt. Afterward, they split up giving Luke more time with his girlfriend. This time it’s a 2 game weekend that just happens to coincide with the one weekend Michigan doesn’t have a game. The two sneak to Luke's dorm where they spend the night wrapped in each other's arms.

The next morning the two get breakfast before she has to go back with her team. Luke meets Jay at the rink as Grano and Moyle were too hungover to come. As Jay sits down next to Luke he can’t help but laugh at the poorly hidden hickey on his neck.

“Look’s like 21 did a number on you last night,” Jay laughs at Luke.

“What?” Luke questions.

“The hickey.”

“Oh shit.”

“Look I think it’s cute. Having a secret girlfriend at our rival school. Don’t worry I won’t tell.”

“How did you find out?”

“I had a suspicion when you wanted to come in the first place. But then I remembered that Leah would have told me if you had a girlfriend on the team.”

“Good point,” Luke shrugs.

“So I figured well maybe he was bored or something. Then I saw you watching 21. And when she got hit you kept checking your phone as soon as she got taken off the ice. I do the same thing when my girlfriend gets hurt. So I figured she was the one,” Jay shrugs like it’s nothing. 

“Oh,” is all Luke can say.

“Don’t worry your secret is safe with me,” Jay laughs putting an arm around the boy. But that’s all Luke can do. The two of you agreed to keep your relationship a secret only telling who needed to know. Mainly because she didn’t want people to think she was using him. His brother’s got plenty of grief when they were first drafted and he didn’t want that for her. He turns his head back to the game and ignores the growing pit of nervousness in his stomach. As soon as the game is done he’s rushing to find his girlfriend and tell her the news.

“Baby you say that like half my team doesn’t know we are dating,” she says shaking her head at the boy.

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” he laughs.

“Plus whatever it is we’ll get through it together,” she smiles kissing his cheek. 

@drysdalesv

[epitomees]

They didn't have home-cooked meals often, since they were often so busy with work and school, but the prosecutor was home uncharacteristically early to prepare Makoto's favorite, plus with a large dessert he'd bought from a local bakery in the fridge for afterwards. When she arrives home, he gives her a stilted, yet heartfelt hug, and gestures lightly at the several presents on the table. One of them contained a jacket, another a board game, and the third a new satchel.

"Happy birthday, Makoto." Adachi gives a tired smile. "Dinner's about ready, so when you get changed when can eat. And, uh, we can play a game and watch something after dessert, if you're not busy..."

It's difficult to smile these days. Nothing true or genuine, no happiness or any emotional indication could be seen in the eyes of Shujin's student council president. The times she had been forced to put on a happy face appeared well-trained, convincing enough for a passing wave or polite greeting. Yet her muscles ached when turning the corners of her mouth upward. They grew used to resting at a more neutral expression, or touting a frown around the school grounds.

It wasn't always like this. Her father always brought out the biggest smiles or the guttural laughter kept within the brunette, just by being the best dad in the whole world.

When was the last time she smiled so sweetly? Months? Years?

Makoto vividly remembered such instances growing up as a child. Dinners out on the town, wandering through the city to look at the cute plushes in the storefront windows, or simply walking through the park to look for a family of ducks. The ducklings were so cute, so soft and fuzzy, but so loud too. All these memories felt distant since his passing, fading away little by little each year the anniversary arrived. There'd be nothing left, sooner than later...

Since then, Makoto grew alien to such feelings of joy or exuberance. They weren't needed in the household, not with Sae breathing down her neck to pass all her classes. The younger sister knew, felt the sheer resentment bore down upon Makoto every time she walked through their front door.

A useless waste of space, a failure in the eyes of a fleeting family...

'Why did he have to leave all of this burden to me?! You're not my responsibility!'

Although such bitter anger remained absent in her home upon Sae's arrest and imprisonment, those words never truly left. Repetitive maltreatment left their imprints on the victim even when they try so hard to suppress the wrath. Quiet returned, but not at the expense of Makoto's emotional distraught. If anything, she's grateful for her current guardian residing in her home, even though their relationship can be described as...awkward, at best. It's better than living with her older sister. She'll take that any day.

Another school day passed with no amount of excitement or change in environment. Her after-school duties took their allotted time, as per her written schedule, and once completed a return trip home wrapped up her afternoon. A cycle, a procedure due to repeat itself again and again. But today, something special broke that monotonous pattern.

Upon entering her home, Makoto smelled the wafting aromas of a freshly-cooked dinner. Adachi rarely has the time to prepare a full-course meal due to his prosecutor responsibilities. He must have took a half-day or asked to be let out early in order to set everything before Makoto's arrival. Confused crimson eyes took in the sight of a crowded dinner table complete with dinner plates and...wrapped gifts.

How did she forget?

Sudden contact snapped her out of a trance-like gaze. She didn't move much, only returning the gesture with a simple pat on his back. "...oh..." Shock made her speechless. Nothing could be said which properly conveyed Makoto's gratefulness suddenly swelling in her chest.

She may have forgotten the date, but Adachi remembered.

"..right...I'll...I won't take long then..." Best not to let everything get too cold lingering around in the area. Before turning towards her room she glanced once at the older man. His eye bags, the lopsided smile, his sunken shoulders, just by a simple observation she could tell Adachi's exhaustion hit its limit. Still, he stood there keeping himself together, standing tall and expressing his appreciation of Makoto's birth. It's more than Sae ever did...

"...thank you..." Makoto walked away, but not without returning Adachi's smile with a small one of her own.

A small, fleeting, content smile...for once.

[twobillionseconds]

November 24th - December 1st 2024

November 24th:

Got up early. Dropped the dog off at the boarding facility. First flight was delayed. When we landed in Denver we had to run. Only at the end it turned out we didn't. Whatever, better than missing the flight. Landed around 5 and got to the mother-in-law's place around 6 PM. We greeted each other and had a few drinks.

November 25th:

Woke up and got ready for the day. I made an appointment with a real estate agent to look at a few properties. Before I went to a gym and worked out. After I got a kale smoothie for my situation. After I met the real estate agent for the showings. The first 2 were terrible. I was hoping that it would be good. The 3rd one was definitely a winner. After I met up with a brother in law and we did a little window shopping. Had dinner at my mother in law's place.

November 26th:

Woke up and got started on the day. I just lounged around the house and went to the gym. Met up with my sister and brother in law for lunch. Afterwards the wife and I met up with my property manager. I picked up a nice whiskey for the boys night and went to another brother in laws place. Had dinner there. I just hung out there while the wife and the sister in laws had a shindig. We just drank whiskey, talked a lot of trash and played with guns. Drove back to my mother in laws place with another brother in law. Had a good chat.

November 27th:

Woke up and met up with the real estate agent and looked at a couple more properties. I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on the 3rd one I saw. Afterwards I got back to my mother in law's place and took a nap. Went for a run after. After that we all got ready and went to the biggest Bass Pro shop. Then we got dinner at some local Chinese place that the wife grew up with. Then after the whole family met at my mother in law's place for deserts and drinks.

November 28th:

Thanksgiving Day! I got up and the whole family went to another brother in laws place. We had donuts and coffee. I guess that's a tradition. Afterwards I went on a run. The Thanksgiving meal started around 3. It was great. So many good food. We had family portrait time. After it was desserts and hanging out. We said our good byes to one sister and brother in law. They were leaving in the morning.

November 29th:

Woke up and met up at another brother in laws place. We went to go shooting. After that we met and went bowling. Then the wife and I went to go do some antiquing with other family members. For dinner we all met up at my mother in laws place. We all hung out and after we said our good byes to the right people.

November 30th:

Just hung out at the mother in laws place. We had a later flight. We hung out with family all day and just soaked in as much family time as possible. Had a slight delay in connecting flights but we eventually made it. Picked up our dog and came home.

December 1st:

Woke up trying to get back into the routine. I went to church with the wife. After we walked our dog and bathed him. Then I met up with a buddy for a bike ride. Afterwards I had dinner with the wife and then met up with some guy friends to watch a game. Came home and now I am caught up.

[ocean-anchored]

Dear future self... May 27, 24

I feel like a broken record just saying the same thing every time that I've meant to sit down and write but there's just been so much going on & I've been mentally exhausted so I haven't felt like wanting to write. Let's recap the last like 3.5 weeks first: May 3rd weekend I was out at Colesons. May 5 we were supposed to have a date day & went for lunch at BPs but didn't get to do anything else as he had to work which was ok, I think I went for a tractor ride. May 6 came back home May 7 Went for sushi with Amber & Naythan, then back to their house for some board games May 9 went to Color me mine with Sasha which was nice to catch up May 10 went to Ambers, was over before she was home so I hung with Naythan while he cooked dinner. Amber had seemed a bit off but we watched the oilers game mostly, we sat & chatted for a while but it was a bit off, I think she was just tired but if Im being honest it was the first time that I felt like it was a bit more forced. That night on my way home I realized the northern lights were unreal and they were, so I drove to Edworthy dog park with nova & we watched for a while, had a call with Coleson. May 11 was Mothers day celebration which ended up going well, told meliss about coleson which was nice finally, we went to edworthy dog park and a few hours. then went to Kambers house to catch up. May 12 went to church and then drove out to stay with Coleson. Went for food for mothers day with his fam & watched the oilers game. That whole week was just busy between work & visiting. On the tuesday I had gone to Coledale to watch Ari's game but it got cancelled. Thursday was thunder storming but had a tractor ride with Coleson. May 18th the Friday I think I was feeling off again, just worried about the usual stuff. we went to visit his friend & his wife from Fort Mac who were in town which was pretty nice, they were sweet but yea still felt off that night. The next morning I thought I could sleep it off but I didn't & woke up grumpy again. While we were making breakfast I shared my overthinking again which Coleson took really well, I was feeling disconnected from friends again so that played into it. We drove into Lethbridge for a date day, on the drive he had asked if I thought I could move out there which sparked a good conversation. We went for mini golf and D dessert spot cafe & then went home to watch the oilers game together. Definitely felt better afterwards which is good. Sunday night I went back home. May 20th went for dinner with melissa & Johan which was good, interesting. May 21st went to cold garden with Shruti & Sasha & Cassie which was alright, just kinda feel weird with them sometimes, I feel like its a bit harder to keep conversation with them. May 23 afternoon picked up Ed and went to edmonton till friday night. Was super exhausted from that. Overall was good, visited Elaine who we might do some cool christian work with, met a FAC founder. Good conversation with Ed but it sparked some questions. When I got home I talked with Coleson & thats when I wrote the post before this about feeling like maybe he wasnt super invested in meeting/spending time with my family & I wanted to feel more important than yard work etc which we ended up having a talk saturday morning after my massage, I shared how I was feeling about it & just anxieties about the summer & spending enough time together & that golf felt like it was taking more priority & I was trying to be realistic with expectations etc. I was really worried how he took it, I was scared after the next calls that he was processing it but still sounded sad & I felt like I really ruined things a bit, but he called at 3:30 that he was going to get ready to come in to meet meliss which showed a lot. May 25th he came in and we had dinner with Meliss which I think was good. May 26th we took it easy, went for a walk, picked up a game & went to steven & amandas which was great to celebrate her birthday, mom joined for dinner & games. Then we went to Activate which was super fun.

[hauntingthechateau]

Saturday November 11th

high of 9, low of 4. The usual sun rain mix, but a beautiful morning!

Good morning! Beautiful out this morning with some blue patches sticking out between the grey clouds! Up to my usual morning routine which is feeling very nice and cozy and routine-y. Had the work bug today and was excited about work I had going on, so I took my breakfast down to the stables to eat while I worked. Almost didn't come up for lunch because I was so locked in (but obviously I needed to dip back into that shrimp and avo salad!).

I left the piece with the arc at such a nice spot yesterday and it was great to just jump in and work on finishing it today. Also had grand plans for this piece with a lush green background which isn't my usual, but I think fits in nicely. I think I want to carry over some of these thoughts to the larger pieces that I started priming today!

After lunch I went down to the supply closet for a number of things including a straight edge, gesso, gesso brush, matte medium and string. Found a whole bunch of things while I was in there, we'll see where they take me! At the least, I got a wood board to staple canvas to so I don't have to do /all/ my work on the wall... although it does give a nice feeling to the studio now that I have a second workstation set up. I'm looking forward to trying some looser work on these canvases and maybe leaving one of them here in the Chateau's collection.

Worked just about right up until dinner time before heading up the hill (and thank goodness because dinner was ahead of schedule). It was spaghetti and meatballs tonight, but the real star of the show was the zucchini gratin with ricotta (which I had a second helping of). Beets, green salad, and a bean, rice and corn salad filled out the roster, with tart tatin for dessert (with creme anglais, obviously).

After dinner we played some more games! I taught Lauren to play Briscola and then the group played Cards Against Humanity into the night. I Facetimed Sophie afterwards and showed her the Chateau, the studio and our house. Turned in pretty late (1ish?) but it's a Saturday so I set my Sunday wakeup alarm late to give myself some extra sleeping time.

[astrochemstry]

@erwinsmithsworld asked:

reki invited his girlfriend to sleepover at his house and his mother and sisters embraced him because they talk about reki when his younger 🤣 make it oneshot please cuddle and fluff 🥺🙏🏻

I think im terrible with oneshots but i hope this is good for ya!! Kinda short tho since im doing this with piled up math homework mJKAHSJDHF

POV: 3rd pov?? 2nd pov?? iDKK

I also made it G/N reader since I wanted everyone to feel included and tried my best to make the reader as vague as possible

You’re walking to Reiki’s house since he invited you to have a sleep over, crossing the street and walking up a steep road.

As you walk upwards, you can hear whooping and laughs. You turn to your left and see Reiki with Langa skating towards you-- actually, it looks like they'll crash into you.

They did.

"(Name)!" Reiki launched up and goes to your side, helping you up. You groan and rub your hip, "Hi, Reiki. Having fun?"

He nods, "Are you okay?"

You nod and get up, you wave at Langa who dusts off some dirt on his clothes. "Hey (Name), what are you doing here?" He asks.

"Oh! Im going to Reiki's house, we'll be having a sleep over!"

Langa's eyes sparkled, "A sleep over? Its been a while since I've had one. Reiki, can we have one?"

Reiki chuckles, "Sure! But this time I wanna spend time with my lover. We can invite Miya when we have ours!" Langa smiles, nodding and picking up his board.

"Ah- Langa, where are you going?"

"Home. You're gonna spend time with your lover, right? We can hang out tomorrow. Bye."

Langa jumps on his board, skating away and out of sight as Reiki and you wave.

"You're both close, aren't you?" You giggle. Reiki grins and hugs you, "C'mon, lets go home. Its getting dark." You both walk to his home with his arm wrapped around your hip.

He suggested playing 'I spy' and you're both having a competitive game of a classic childrens game.

"I spy something Red."

"Your hair."

"I cant see my hair, (Name)."

"I spy.. something blue."

"Langa isn't here, Reiki."

"Hey!- Its not Langa- okay, at first it was-" He rubs the back of his neck as you laugh, "Its that car over there!- C'mon stop laughing!" he pouts.

The game was that exciting that you both didnt realise you've made it to his home. Where, his family, was peeking through a half opened door.

"Thats Reiki's lover?" His sister, Koyomi, asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Ahh!! my son has someone to call his own!" His mom, Masae,  gushes.

"Yeah, Finally." Koyomi scoffs with a tiny smirk.

Meanwhile, Reiki's tickling you with a goofy grin on his face.

"L-let me go!" unable to form a sentence, you cackle with laughter. "Never!!" Reiki stops and holds you tight, you can feel his smile when he nuzzles his head into the crook of your neck.

"Hey! The Dinner's getting cold, why don't you hug it instead to make it warmer?" Koyomi teases with a hand on her hip.

"Hey-  we're you watching this whole time?"  Reiki pouts, grabbing your hand and walking to his sister.

"Mm.. Maybe. Mama, Nanaka and Chihiro saw and they're waiting with food at the table!"

"Haha, very funny Koyomi." Koyomi shrugs with a cheeky smile, walking away.

"Reiki, I don't think she's kidding-" "Well, at least they know I love you lots!"

Afterwards, you eat dinner with them. Masae next to You and Reiki, Koyomi, Nanaka, Chihiro at the opposite end. Well, not just eat.. Talk about each other which led to the topic of Reiki in the past.

"Oooh! has Reiki shown you pictures of him in the past?"

"Mama-" "I haven't. Can you show me?" Reiki nudges you and you can see a light blush on his cheeks, you grin in response.

Masae who's clapping her hands and rushing to another room to find the photo books. She comes back with starry eyes and a smile similar with Reiki when he's excited.

She flips through the pages and presents a couple of photos of a tiny Reiki, one with him smiling beside a tree. He's wearing a shirt of a super-hero you don't know, a couple of bandages on his knees and arms and he's holding a stick. Its cute.

She sits beside you as Koyomi squeezes herself between you and Reiki. Reiki narrows his eyes with a raised eyebrow but Koyomi sticks out her tongue at him with a smirk. He rolls his eyes and ruffles her hair, "Hey, I just combed it!"

You watch with a smile forming on your lips. Its such a nice sight to see their family loving and supporting each other.

"And here, this is when he joined his first school play!"

Reiki yelps, "Mama! don't show them!!"

"Show what, Reiki?" you and Koyomi ask in unison, with grins-- mischievous grins.

He smiles slowly, "nothing. We can check the- uh, time I became a boy scout!" he responds with a shaky voice.

You didnt get to see the photo, sadly. The rest of the night was looking through the rest of the pictures and playing a couple of board games. Now its time to go to bed.

You're laying on the bed and waiting for Reiki to finish brushing his teeth. You're humming a song you heard on the way to his home, He finishes and comes out the bathroom with a sweat shirt on. Usually, he wears these when he's gonna make a board.

"Oh, are you going to make some boards?"

Reiki raises his eyebrows with widened eyes, "Huh? no? we're having a sleep over. Why would I do that?"

You shrug and make a gesture to forget about it. Reiki stares at you for a while and then he snaps his fingers as it clicks, he looks at his sweat shirt and back at you.

"Ah! right. Im sorry, I just love this shirt and I wanted you to see it." you shake your head.  "Oh don't be sorry Reiki, Im sorry as well, its just you always wear shirts like that when you're gonna work."

He lays next to you, looking at the ceiling with you.

"You know?"

"Once I visited you and your mom said you're making boards. So I went and saw you sleeping on an unfinished board, wearing a sweatshirt. You looked pretty cute."

Even if it's pretty dark, you can tell he's blushing through the silence. He is. with a huge grin.

"Thanks. You look awesome."

"Flattery doesn't work on me, Kyan." You joke. He chuckles and brings you closer to cuddle. "By the way, you should wear that costume during your school play again. You look awesome."

"You and Koyomi found it, huh?"

"Your work shed isn't a good place to hide things like that, Reiki."

[jimlingss]

Sugar and Coffee [Finale]

Chapter 22 - Chapter 23 [Finale]

➜ Words: 5.1k

➜ Genres: 99.5% Fluff, 0.5% Angst, Pâtisserie school!AU

➜ Summary: It isn't hard to be a pâtisserie chef, but it's not a piece of cake either. It seems like for you in particular, life keeps throwing in one wrench after another. It always finds ways to make your sweets bitter. The cherry on top is Jeon Jungkook — a rival with a sensitive sweet tooth who always finds ways to complain about you.

cr.

Baking is an art form. It takes more than just having ingredients and following a recipe. It’s the flavour, texture, taste, and the presentation. It’s knowing why when things go wrong and how to fix it. It’s knowing the right kinds of ingredients to pick, how much of each should be combined, what techniques and methods to use. Baking is therapy. Baking is scientific. It is art.   The ingredients are as follows: 

Fresh strawberries

White chocolate sponge cake

Sugar

Butter

Eggs

You place the fresh strawberries into the refrigerator as the stand mixer whips the six large egg whites and two cups of sugar. When it's combined, you place a bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk until the mixture is hot. You put it on your stand mixer again until the white chocolate swiss meringue buttercream is stiff. The cubed butter and white chocolate is added shortly after until it's smooth.   Once you’ve got your components prepared, you slice the cooled white chocolate cake into two layers and set the bottom layer on a cake board on the turning cake table. You spread the meringue buttercream evenly with an offset spatula and layer the strawberries.    Afterwards, you put the other chocolate sponge cakes over it and repeat the process.   You finish the white chocolate strawberry swirl cake with white chocolate strawberries on top for decorative purposes and pipe flowers with a twelve inch piping bag.   “It looks fucking incredible.”   Jungkook leans over the counter, peering at the frosted cake you’ve just made.   “It was supposed to be white chocolate raspberry swirl, but I know you like strawberries, so….”   The boy grins, a wide smile that makes his big nose scrunch. “I love it.”   You burst out into giggles. “You haven’t even taken a bite yet!”   Jungkook begins slicing the cake. You’re proud of what you’ve made — but it’s kind of sad at the same time. This is the final product of your portfolio before it's ready for submission. You’re glad it’s over, but it also means your journey here is ending.   It’s November now. And it’s been one whole year since your relationship with Jungkook shifted.    A year ago — when the internship posting went up and you found out he was going to be your partner over the summer. When you were made his exam partner in your fine pastries class. When that Friday night happened and you bursted out crying in the kitchen, and he comforted you to no avail despite it being a cold night where the air bit his skin and turned his cheeks rosy. Where he bought you grape soda for no reason whatsoever other than a poor attempt at trying to make things better.   It seems like it was so long ago, but it’s only been three hundred and sixty days.   It makes you wonder what will happen a year from now or two or ten.   “Not too sweet?”   You watch your boyfriend’s expression carefully. Jeon Jungkook has his brows deeply furrowed with a thoughtful expression like he’s trying to give honest output. His fork is cleaned empty and it lowers to grab another bite.    “It’s perfect.” He melts into a smile. “Maybe you made my sugar tolerance go up.”   “Maybe because I improved.” You loll your head to the side, challenging him. “It’s almost as good as your chocolate-covered strawberry cupcakes, huh?”   Jungkook scoffs lightly. “I wouldn’t go that far, babe, but we can all dream.”   You sulk. “I’ll find out that recipe one day, Jeon. You mark my words and when I do, I’ll profit off of it.”   He laughs, the sound tickling and boyish, causing another smile to rise onto your features. Jungkook digs in, having yet another bite and he lets his teeth rot with the sweetness.    It’s not long before he remembers something, strides away with a hum and returns with a cold tray. “What is it?” you ask curiously as he sets it down and removes the saran wrap.   “It’s truffles. I made it in my art of chocolate class, but it’s an original recipe. Give it a try.”   He pushes the tray towards you and you don’t hesitate to grab a chocolate truffle. You would never, on any planet, deny the opportunity of consuming chocolate, especially when it’s made by Jeon Jungkook. You’ve never said it out loud before, but for some reason he always makes the best.   No grocery brand or chocolatier can beat what he often bakes for you.   So you try not to devour the truffle all in one bite, opting to relish and savour it. You take half of the truffle into your mouth and chew with the same consideration he had for you. And you’re surprised as the deep flavour melts on your palate. “Coffee?”    Your brows furrow and you lick your lips. “Did you put black coffee into it?”   “I was inspired by a memory,” Jungkook says with a soft smile. “What do you think?”   “I love it,” you exhale in awe, finishing the bite and licking your fingers.    It tastes kind of bitter, but it has a sweet note at the end.    It’s bittersweet. But mostly ends up sweet.

Life with Jungkook continues. Lectures and workshops become more hectic the closer the end comes, but in between classes and late nights spent in the kitchens next to ovens, you and Jungkook still find plenty of time with one another. Or at least enough that you still have your dumb debates and have your hour of snuggling — which Jungkook regularly falls asleep during.   The honeymoon phase of your relationship eventually fades away, but luckily it molds into a comfortable pattern that neither of you mind whatsoever. There are still knowing gazes shared across busy rooms, his hand that often comes on your lower back that you find security in, tender kisses shared when the two of you greet each other and bid temporary farewells.    You still love Jungkook very much and you don’t ever find yourself afraid of him leaving you abruptly.    Your relationship becomes normal too, so Yoongi and Taehyung has little to tease you both about. They instead relish in bullying Jimin when he ends up going out with a coworker of his at his new part-time job, much to the shorter man’s dismay.   Hoseok, on the other hand, while no longer in a relationship, finds an interest in teaching and starts to look into what it would take to become an instructor. You’re happy for him and so is Aeri who tells you she’s considering going abroad someday to expand her culinary skills and cook more international cuisine. She keeps herself preoccupied by improving herself and becomes someone worthy of your admiration.   But for the most part, things remain consistent and constant. There’s still bickering over lunchtimes and dinner times across the cafeteria table. Still nights of crashing Yoongi and Hoseok’s apartment and playing games. The five of you also start playing Dungeons and Dragons much to Taehyung’s delight who becomes the dungeon master — and while Yoongi always says he wants to stab himself halfway through every session, you’re sure he enjoys it as much as everyone else does.   The memories made are ones you cherish the most.   And before you know it, graduation has come.   “You look beautiful, dear,” Jungkook’s mom holds back tears as she grasps your hands tightly. “Congratulations.”   “Thank you.”   “Come on, you two!” His dad suddenly calls, holding an old camera up to his chin. “Let’s take some photos to remember the occasion!”   One hand holds your rolled certificate and the other holds your navy gown, you stand in front of the school sign with Jungkook who adjusts his black cap. He drapes his arm over your shoulder and the both of you tilt your heads towards each other and give the biggest grins.   The camera flashes. Again and again.   The corner of your mouth starts moving as your smile twitches. “How many is he taking?”   “Just smile,” Jungkook mutters through his grin as both his parents, his aunt and uncle, Lia and Eunbi, and grandma look on proudly. “He’ll do more if you try to argue.”   “Two more!” His dad shouts, despite taking another five.   His entire family seems so elated that your heart swells with endearment.   “I didn’t know your family would be so happy when you told them we were dating,” you murmur, switching your poses a bit. “You know, your grandma just asked me when we’re getting married.”   “Really?” He glances at you and then scoffs with another smile that’s more genuine. “Be lucky she has half a mind not to start asking when we’re having kids. Unless…...”   “I swear to god, Jungkook, if you get down on your knee in the middle of our graduation with everyone watching, I’m going to kick you in your shin.”   He giggles, nose scrunched, eyes crinkled.    It’s not long before Jungkook’s mother drags over Jimin overbearingly by the hand with Taehyung, Hoseok, and Yoongi for a group photo. There’re so many parents, family members, and phones and cameras being passed around that your plastered smile starts to break on your face. Everyone’s mother and their goddamn cousin’s cousin wants three copies of the same exact picture.   “Oh my god, kill me now,” Yoongi groans but still has that dumb fucking grin on his face. He looks more like a kid showing off his braces or a grandpa who has his dentures stuck.   You think he’s putting on that idiotic grin just to ruin the pictures — even his mom is yelling about it on the sidelines.   “Just a few more,” Jimin whispers with more perseverance than anyone else has.   “Who is even taking our picture, right now?” Hoseok asks, his brows furrowing. “Does anyone even know who that lady is?”   “I think she’s the associate dean’s assistant who’s going to put it on the website.” Taehyung breathes out, his cheeks aching from his smile. “Either that or that’s my cousin’s brother-in-law’s younger sister’s friend.”   “Alright, that’s enough.” Yoongi gives up and walks out of the frame. Everyone starts dispersing before there are protests and they’re rounded up for another pointless photo session.    But after a while, you’re granted some freedom to roam around with Jungkook. There’s still a few more photos taken, ones with Aeri and classmates and teachers, like Miss. Kang, who you always liked.    “I always knew the two of you could be close.” The female teacher has the cheesiest smile and you have to admit, you’re glad she never changed Jungkook’s internship like he wanted. In a way she’s like your matchmaker, but you’ll never say it out loud in case you give her more credit than it’s due. She already seems to know it anyway. “Good luck on your future journeys. You both have great potential.”   Namjoon and Sejeong also show up to congratulate the pair of you as well. And they meet Jungkook’s family who seems to adore the couple straight away, asking plenty of questions of what their shop is like and if their son was in any way helpful.   But while you’d like to stick around to hear all the conversations, it’s nice to take a break from the bustle to just walk on the paths that you used to take all the time with Jungkook.   You don’t know what it’s going to be like when you leave this place.   “Aren’t you kind of sad?” Your hand squeezes Jungkook’s and you turn to look at him.   “Yeah,” he admits. “But I’m also happy we don’t have to submit projects or do exams anymore. I’ll miss the routine. Of being able to hang out with the guys and eat with them all the time. But they’ll still be around and I have you.”   Jungkook’s gaze meets yours. His eyes are tender, soft.   You smile at him. That’s right — this chapter might be ending, but you’ll still have many more with him.   “Y/N!” There’s a call of your name and you turn to see your family waving at a distance. Your mom holds a flower bouquet, most likely for you and your cheeks swell with a smile.   Your arm extended in the air to wave back and your steps quicken with Jungkook’s to meet them.

A lot happens after graduation.   There are many changes and alterations. While you’ll still always be learning until the end of time, you’re no longer an official student and you’re thrown to the hounds called the real world.   But it’s not all that bad.   You get hired back at Kim’s Wedding Cake Company and work with Soohyun who’s returned from maternity leave. Yuna also sometimes joins during the weekends and much to your delight, she tells you that she’s enrolled in the institution as she had wanted. You can only imagine what kind of knowledge she’ll gain and stories she’ll end up having there like you did. But there’s not a lot of time to reminisce when there’s work and a ton to learn, but you find yourself enjoying it more than finding it difficult.   Jungkook, on the other hand, doesn’t return to the company. He instead gets hired at a chocolatier shop not far from where you work. It’s only a ten minute walk down the block; five for each of you when you meet halfway like you frequently do for lunch.   He tells you that he’s learning a lot, on what it takes in the artistry of chocolate, that there’s more meticulousness than what meets the eye. It sounds like an absolute nightmare to you, but he loves it — especially on the days when he smells sweet and there’s some chocolate smeared on his cheeks. And you don’t hate that he often brings you home truffles and caramels to try.   The two of you also move in with each other, sharing an old apartment not far from your workplaces. It’s not much different from how you used to live on campus at different dorms, except now there are bills to be paid and Jungkook steals all the hot water in the shower.   You wonder if this is what it feels like to be an adult.   “Y/N?”   There’s a familiar voice, but one you haven’t heard in ages. A smooth timbre that sounds light and humorous at the corners. You whirl around, regarding the tall man with dark hair, dressed in a dark turtleneck and a black trench coat. His sheepish eyes crinkle in his smile, lips pink and plush.   “Jin?” A grin spreads into your face as well. “Oh my god! How are you? It’s been so long! What are you doing here?”   “I live here, remember,” he reminds in the midst of squeaky giggles. “And I’m good. I’m actually on my way to a meeting. I’m working in management of Toute Pastries and Pâtisseries.”   “Wow, working in commercial bakeries? That’s impressive.”    But you’re not exactly surprised. You knew Seokjin always had it in him and you feel proud that someone you used to know has become so great.   Seokjin laughs. “Not really. It’s kind of less hands-off than I’d like, but what about you?”   “I’m good too. Just heading to my friend’s bakery.” You hitch a thumb over your shoulder. “Today’s the opening. Do you want to come?”   “I’d love to, but the meeting starts in twenty. I saw the sign the other day though. The bakery is that place that was being renovated on Imlingss Avenue, right?”   “Yeah. It’s next to the department store.”   “I’ll swing by when I have some time then.”   “When you have some time?” You eye him playfully and cross your arms. It might be inappropriate to be so sarcastic with an acquaintance, but being with Jungkook has made you more snarky than is probably socially acceptable. “So you’re a hot shot, now, aren’t you?”   Luckily, Jin doesn’t take offence and simply laughs. “I swear I’m not!”   It’s good to see him. You thought you never would again, at least not face-to-face like this. But what you least expected was that your conversations could be so light and natural. It isn’t difficult at all and you don’t find yourself uncomfortable nor holding any resentments. You aren’t sad or angry.   It’s like seeing an old friend again.   “I heard you were with Jungkook,” Jin says with the corner of his mouth quirked. “That’s a surprise.”   “Isn’t it?” Whenever Jungkook used to come up in a conversation, all you ever said to Seokjin was how trash he was. But that was before you really knew anything about him. “But he’s great. An idiot sometimes. But it’s great.”   Jin can see the happiness radiating off your face and it’s infectious. “I’m happy for you, Y/N.”   He says it sincerely, genuinely, and your smile widens. “Thanks.”   The both of you share a little more small talk before you’re on your way. And once farewells are said and done, you don’t look back or peek over your shoulder for another glance at him.    You’re content continuing straight forward.   “Sorry, I’m late.” The door chimes as it slowly shuts after you, the warm furnace heating the air and melting off the coldness of your skin.    “Of course you’d be late.” Yoongi is in his black apron, white shirt rolled up to his elbows and his arms crossed. “We already took the photos, don’t expect that we’ll re-take them.”   “A joy as always, Yoongi.” You smile at him, taking off your jacket and putting it on the coat rack at the corner. Jimin comes to greet you and you sigh softly. “Why’d you ever agree to open a bakery with him, Chim? You must be a saint to deal with his shit all the time.”   “I heard that.”   Jimin laughs. “Trust me, he kept on asking Jungkook when you would come. He’s all bark but no bite,” he whispers but it’s loud enough that Yoongi looks sorely unimpressed.   The shop is cute and spacious. It’s rather modern with square tables and chairs lining the walls. The lights come from the sides of the fancy ceiling, and there’s a counter to check out at with a main glass case where people can choose pastries from. In the corner, there’s also several smaller pastry display cases where patrons can grab trays, tongs and fill up their own plates.    You quickly greet everybody and then move to grab your one prized possession.    “Lemon meringue pie?” Taehyung laughs, watching you put two on your plate.   “You know I just have to.” You smile and sit at one of the tables, luckily having it on the house. Taehyung sits across from you. “Man, you’re so nice to let Yoongi have the entire recipe since it’s yours too.”   He shrugs. “It wasn’t like I had any plans with it in the first place, plus it was Yoongi’s idea to add the secret ingredient.”   “Which is?”   Taehyung grins his infamous boxy smile. “Nice try.”   “I’ll find out one of these days,” you warn. Taehyung handed you the recipe a long time ago but he conveniently omitted the secret ingredient and you haven’t forgiven him since. “And then I’ll be making it for myself every other night instead of giving my pretty penny over to Yoongi and Jimin.”   “Yeah, good luck with that.” He leans back in the comfortable chair. “I’m sure Yoongi will be protecting that from you for the rest of his life. He might be willing to exchange information though if he can get his hands on Jungkook’s chocolate-covered strawberries.”   Taehyung wiggles his brows, but you shake your head with a sigh. “He won’t tell me. I swear he’s holding it above my head so I can never ditch him.”   The man laughs and takes a look around the new shop.   Everyone is here — Hoseok, Jimin, Yoongi, Jungkook, Taehyung, Aeri and you — the entire crew with no one else missing. There are other people as well, sponsors and Yoongi and Jimin’s other acquaintances, but you muse how hard it is these days to gather up like you used to.   Everybody was busy and on their own paths. Doing their own thing. But it’s what made moments like these more precious.   “I would’ve joined them, should’ve,” Taehyung says wistfully with a sigh. “The original plan was actually Jimin, Yoongi, and I.”   “Yeah, but you wouldn’t have been happy.” You take another bite of the pie, chewing in your cheek.   “Yeah, that’s true.”   “Do you regret it? Going back to school?”   “No.” Taehyung smiles gently. “I love learning and I knew after graduation, I wanted to keep learning. I’m not as good at cooking as I am at baking, but it’s still fun and I think I’m getting better. The only issue is Yuna.” The man visibly and dramatically shivers and it elicits laughter from you.   “Does she bother you a lot?”   “Less like bothering and more like she literally pops up wherever I go,” he tells. “Sometimes I’m just minding my own business and then boom, out of nowhere, I turn the corner and she’s there. I’m starting to think she’s like a ghost or like….like…”   “—a witch,” Jungkook finishes and then leans down to plop a kiss at the top of your head. “Hey.”   “Hey.” You smile and he leans down to steal a bite of your pie, but you don’t mind much. “You’ll never guess who I saw earlier.” Curiosity gleams in Jungkook’s eye and you grin, wanting to put him suspense for a little longer. “I’ll tell you about it later, but is everyone grabbing dinner afterwards? I haven’t checked the messages yet.”   “Yeah, we are.”   Soon, Hoseok comes over and introduces his lady-friend that he brought with him as Naul. But you know through advice he’s sought through you a few weeks back that he’s been seeing her and taking it slow.    It’s nice to finally meet someone you’ve heard about, and you find that her calm and collected personality fits into Hoseok’s quite well.   You also meet Jimin’s girlfriend who is sweet and an avid talker about all things deli meats.    At your surprise of how ham supposedly doesn’t taste as good as some other cold cuts, she insists that you and Jungkook need to have a double date with her and Jimin so she can enlighten you on the world of salamis — to which you agree needs to happen. She’s peculiar, but sweet and cute when she’s with Jimin.   “So you’re really going?” you ask after Aeri confirms it. She had told you a month ago that she applied to study abroad and you couldn’t be anything but happy. Especially now that she’s just told you that she’s been accepted, you have nothing but eagerness for her.   “Yeah, I’m a bit nervous, but I’m super excited.”   You pull the girl into a tight embrace. “I’ll miss you, but have fun and stay safe. Stay in touch.”   “Thanks and I will, Y/N.” She giggles against you and pulls apart. “I hear Amsterdam is really nice and my aunt keeps advertising it, so I’m looking forward to it.”   “Apparently, those Dutch men are really something,” you murmur and she laughs. “You know, if I wasn’t in a happily committed relationship and with my dream job, I’d probably ask if I could come with you cause damn, they’re like a tall glass of water. You need to take advantage of that.”   “Who’s a tall glass of water?” Jungkook approaches with a sorely unimpressed expression.   It makes you go tight-lipped and Aeri giggles, slinking away before she’s caught in the crossfire.   While you and Jungkook playfully bicker in the middle of the store and he grabs you in a chokehold and you tickle him — much to the shock of the other patrons who don’t know you — Yoongi looks on behind the counter with a displeased expression.   Except that’s only his natural resting bitch face and not what he thinks internally.   Or at least that’s what Jimin realizes when Yoongi says to him privately— “They’re a pretty good match, huh? Jungkook and Y/N.”   “Yeah.” Jimin smiles, watching the two of you act like children. “They are.”   It’s sad when the opening event eventually ends. The night comes and dinner is soon over too. Everyone ultimately says their farewells, waving before they go off on their own way and you linger just a moment until everyone’s gone. It’s nostalgic to be around them, reminding you of days that seemed simpler and easier, and when you were unaware of these facts.   It’s sad to say goodbye since you don’t know when you’ll see all of them again. At one place. At one time. But at least you have Jungkook with you, so you’re far from being alone.   “Don’t worry,” Jungkook jokes around, “They’ll be back for our wedding.”   “When is that going to happen?” you scoff, looking at him and how his features are illuminated under the lampposts that you pass. You squeeze his hand in yours.    “It’s a surprise,” he answers slyly.   You grin. “And what if I reject you?”   “Then I’ll be a very sad man.”   “And if we don’t work out at all?”   “Then we’ll still be best friends,” Jungkook says and interlaces his fingers with yours. “I’ll always be here for you. Because I’m lame and I think I’ll always be head over heels for you.” He smiles wide, bunny teeth revealed and features soft. “It’s a promise.”   And one you believe in.   Luckily, you and Jungkook never split.   You end up getting married two years later with Aeri as your maid of honour and Taehyung as the best man — the brunette giving you so much anxiety with his spontaneousness that you nearly wish it was Jimin who was the best man instead. But everything ends up without too many hitches or difficulties.   It’s hectic lives that you and Jungkook lead, but ones you love.   Ultimately, the pair of you get a townhouse together halfway between the suburbs and the city. You wind up running Kim’s Wedding Cake Company with Yuna many years down the line after Namjoon and Sejeong step down to retire. And Jungkook achieves his dream of becoming a chocolatier and ends up getting silver in The World Chocolate Masters competition.    The two of you have your first child together one drunken night when you both think it’s a good idea to have sex in your sacred spot — a professional kitchen. It’s the first and last time, swearing you’ll never do it again when you’re both on your hands and knees afterwards, sanitizing the entire area for fear of losing your jobs for the violation of health codes.    But you end up conceiving that night and it’s the first of many kids — rascals with sweet-tooths.   Life with Jungkook is a mundanity you could’ve only dreamed of. And you often count your blessings that you somehow ended with such a cheeky, lovable boy.

[Epilogue]   “And that’s how I met your grandmother.”   There’s a plump toddler sitting on his knee, slobbering as he babbles, and a slightly older girl sitting cross-legged in front of him on the carpet. She’s no more than five years old and blinks up at the old man with matching doe eyes.   “So a stupid man dumped grandma and then you came in and saved her?” she asks in a high-pitched voice.   “Essentially.” The old man nods and takes off his rounded spectacles to place on the small table beside his plush armchair. It’s his special seat for story time, placed under the picture frames of you and Jungkook over the decades, from your graduation to your wedding. “We were friends first and then started to date afterwards, but yes, it’s right to say I did save her.”   “Like a superhero?”   He grins and confirms, “Like a superhero. Now, do you know what the moral of the story is?”   His granddaughter shakes her head. “No. What is it?”   “The way to a person’s heart is through the stomach,” he declares with a smile. “If they like chocolate, you make sure you’re good at making chocolate. You like chocolate, right?”   “I like grandma’s cakes!” she exclaims much to his amusement.   “What nonsense are you telling her?” You’re leaning on the doorframe leading to the kitchen, sighing lightly as you shake your head with your arms crossed.   Your hair is slowly turning gray, but you’re still as attractive — if not even more so. Jungkook always mused how much more beautiful you got the more you learnt and experienced. And he likes the wrinkles around your eyes, even when you don’t. It reminds him of how many times he’s made you laugh over the years.   “Grandma!” Your granddaughter jumps up with a big grin that’s reminiscent of a bunny. She has big doe eyes that seem to sparkle in the afternoon light shedding into the cozy home. “Grandpa was just telling me how you guys met. He said he saved you. Is that true?”   “I saved him, dear.” You pat her head gently. “Without me, your grandpa would be hopeless.”   The older man at his armchair chuckles. “That is true.”   “It’s time for lunch, you three.”   You hold up your grandson and your granddaughter skips towards the kitchen.   Jungkook staggers upwards from his seat with weaker knees and muscles that feel exhausted to the bone. He’s still in rather good shape though for just turning sixty three two months ago. Even when you constantly worry about him, he can still play catch with the kids in the backyard and put them on his back without hurting it much.   When he comes into the kitchen, the two kids are in their seats and busy already digging in. His mug that says ‘Jungkook — World’s Best Chocolatier’ sits at the corner of the fruit place mat you bought at the thrift store. The letters of the mug are worn around the edges, handle chipped at the bottom, but it’s still his favourite.   But Jungkook doesn’t sit down to eat just yet.    He rounds the table and comes to the sink where you’re humming away. He leans his arms on the edge of the counter, standing right behind you and leans in as you turn your head.   Jungkook kisses your cheek. “I love you.”   You smile, the same one he fell in love with all those decades ago when you both were still young students who knew nothing about what was to come. “I love you too.”    Much to Jungkook’s contentment, you lean into him, filling his senses with your scent as you press a soft kiss to his lips. And it’s not bitter whatsoever.   It’s sweet.

[stxrrywildflower]

bride

pairing - tara lewis x reader

summary - in which the team finds out you and tara are engaged

warnings - none

you and tara were both over the moon walking into work on monday.

the past weekend had been nothing short of pure love and bliss. no work meant spending the entire weekend together at your shared apartment; whether cooking or just relaxing, you were more than thankful for the time together.

saturday was an easy highlight; you had gained both a fiancé and a new ring to symbolize it.

tara had asked you that night, pulling you close to her while you cooked dinner and asked you simply, ��marry me?’

you weren’t sure if you heard her correctly at first, choosing to carefully put the spoon you were using to stir to the side.

you spun around, resting your back against the counter with your eyes still focused on tara. her hands found their way to your waist once more, her eyes finally meeting yours. “what?” you asked.

“marry me,” tara echoed.

a grin immediately formed on your face. you surged forward, pressing your lips to tara’s out of pure joy. the moment didn’t long as you couldn’t stop smiling and tara had started laughing quietly at your reaction.

“so is that a yes?”

you nodded, “that’s a yes.”

tara kissed you again, both of you overjoyed at the events that had just happened. she gave you the ring a few minutes later, disappearing into your bedroom before returning with a small velvet box.

“i’ve had this for awhile now, it’s just been in our beside table. i’m honestly suprised you haven’t found it yet,” tara spoke, slowly opening up the box.

your smile returned as tara shakily slipped the ring onto your left ring finger, making your answer to her question just a few minutes ago official. “it’s perfect,” you commented.

“i love you so much.”

“i love you too.”

afterwards, both you and tara agreed to play a little game with the team to see who would be the first to notice and when they would say something. you thought it wouldn’t be somethint they could miss, there was a whole diamond on your left ring finger, but some people on the team were obviously better at picking up on small details then others.

there weren’t any official bets, though you did have suspicions on who would notice both first and last. you couldn’t wait for monday morning.

____

rossi noticed first, emily almost directly after him.

you needed to get rossi to sign off on one of the files, it was the least he could do since he rarely did paperwork. much to your suprise, tara was in there too; her and the older agent talking about something with cars.

“hey rossi, can you sign this so i can bring it to emily,” you greeted.

“you’re asking a lot from me kid.”

as you had handed the file over, his hand hit ours in the exchange. rossi’s eyebrows furrowed slightly before his eyes focused on your hand. a grin quickly broke out in the italian mans face.

“is that what i think it is?” he asked first and foremost. tara turned to you. “yes it is,” she confirmed.

rossi stood up. “congratulazioni to you both,” he hugged you first, kissing both of your cheeks befor doing the same with tara. “can’t believe two more of my work kids are growing up and getting married. feels like just yesterday when you two met.”

you laughed at rossi’s only slightly overexaggerated nostalgia. “come on rossi, we’re more than work kids and you know it.”

“rossi you know we talked about the party thing,” emily spoke, announcing her presence from the doorway. 

“well emily, the two lovebirds here are finally engaged and we were just celebrating,” he turned to you. “i definitely owe you both champagne at some point.”

“you’re engaged?”

for the second time that day, you and tara nodded, this confirming what emily had asked. the unit chief grinned before, much like rossi, hugged you both tightly. “congratulations you two,” she smiled.

that meant two down and five to go.

spencer and j.j. had both congratulated you privately, not making as big of a commotion as rossi and emily had.

it was right before you and tara were heading out after the usual work day was over. while you were grabbing your bag, spencer picked up on it and j.j. has found out from you. there had been hugs of course and smiles too.

now only matt, garcia, and luke had yet to take note of your new milestone.

matt finding out had been fairly accidental. you were up in the conference room pinning photos on the board when he entered on the phone with kristy.

you quickly put down one of the magnets and waited as it was evident he needed to talk to you.

“kristy wants to know if i can send her a picture of your nails. she wants to get the same color at her appointment this afternoon,” matt explained. you pressed your lips together, trying to hide the smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

“of course,” you answered, holding your hands. you narrowed your eyes at seeing matt have absolutely no reaction when he took the photo. it was only after he was going to send it that he realized.

when the agent had zoomed in to make sure the color had picked up properly, his head shot up.

“no way,” matt spoke. “tara finally proposed?”

you nodded, showing him your left hand which proudly displayed the grin. you laughed as matt hugged you tightly with a ‘congratulations!’

“you’re the fifth one to notice,” you informed him once you pulled away.

“who hasn’t noticed?” matt inquired.

“luke and garcia.”

matt chuckled, shaking his head slightly at that. “well good luck. i honestly wouldn’t be surprised if those two didn’t notice until they got the wedding invitations.”

you nodded. “i wouldn’t either.”

___

neither of you were suprised luke was one of the last to figure it out, he usually wasn’t great at noticing those kind of things.

however, his congratulations had been one of the sweetest.

you and tara were in the break room during the time you were given to eat lunch. the bullpen was pretty much empty, most of the agents either out of the office entirely or on a different floor.

for the rest of the team, most of them were out as well. rossi, spencer, j.j., garcia, and emily were all downtown at some new restaurant. you and tara had been invited, of course, but declined as you both had some work to finish up.

tara stood at the counter making coffee for you both while you were at the main table going over one of the files. “you know, paperwork isn’t that bad. i just hate how long it takes,” you commented.

luke entered the break room before tara could respond, greeting you both with a raise of the eyebrows.

“hey t-bird.”

“watch it alvez,” tara warned playfully.

he too went off to the counter to grab a mug for coffee. “what are you two up to?” he asked, making small talk. “nothing much, just helping tara with her caseload.”

“well aren’t you a good girlfriend.”

you and tara both wanted to laugh at that. your ring wasn’t even hidden, you hadn’t even tried from the begining. luke just was usually oblivious.

“hey luke, what would you say if i told you y/n and i weren’t girlfriends anymore?” tara asked.

“you aren’t together anymore?” luke exclaimed with a down.

you put your pen down, “quite the opposite actually.” as if a lightbulb went off in his head, luke dropped everything he was doing to react. his eyes darted from tara to you and back again, waiting to see if you were lying.

when it was clear you weren’t, luke hugged tara first and then you. “was i the last one to know? i feel like i was the last one to know,” he rushed out.

“penelope doesn’t know,” you revealed.

luke’s mouth dropped slightly. “that isn’t going to go down well. i’m just happy it wasn’t me. you know how i am with these kind of things. “yeah we do.”

____

the entire team, minus penelope, were gathered in the center of the bullpen around the desks. it was one of the rare moments where you were actually able to take a break.

you were sitting on tara’s lap, legs hooked over hers as you talked with spencer about some book he was reading and recommended to you.

“oh my god.”

tara spun her chair around, still holding onto you tightly, to discover the owner of the voice.

it was none other than penelope who was standing just a few feet away by luke’s desk, holding her laptop in hand and mouth agape. “when did you say yes?” penelope exclaimed.

“last saturday,” you answered. “and i didn’t know? you didn’t tell me?”

“well penelope,” tara spoke, “we didn’t tell anyone really. everyone found out on their own and by themselves. you’re the only one who hasn’t noticed yet.”

penelope sighed, “well i’m very happy for you and congratulations, you know i love you both, but when’s the wedding? what are your outfits going to be? we should already be planning to be honest.”

“woah woah woah,” tara started. “it’s been a week. we just want to enjoy being engaged for a little bit before any serious wedding plans.

you nodded, presssing your cheek against tara’s with a soft smile on your face. you kept one hand in your lap casually and the other running across tara’s shoulder.

penelope was clearly in a bit of disbelief at that. “can i at least be excited? this is the first bau wedding since morgan and even that was a few years ago and i’ve just been planning ever since-”

you listened to penelope go on about your future wedding, rossi even piped in about location details. as for the rest of the team, they joined the conversation as well though the topic switched extremely quickly.

tara turned to you as luke started talking about something with roxy and the others.

“are you good?”

you kissed her cheek gently, “i’ve never been happier.”

☆ ☆ ☆

tags - @ogmilkis @ssa-morgan @orbitluke @imagining-in-the-margins @lxdylena

[trvelyans-archive]

There’s two ways this can end: you’ll either fall flat on your face and embarrass yourself in front of everyone, or you just won’t end up doing it at all.

“Come on, Mari,” Nick says, pulling his hat down over his ears. “The rink should be empty this time of night, so there probably won’t be anyone there.”

You purse your lips, thinking, the blanket you fell asleep with earlier wrapped over your shoulders and head. You’re not even sure you have a pair of skates anymore – if you do, your parents probably have them, stored in a wrinkly cardboard box that’s been shoved to the back of the attic in a dark corner where they can be forgotten.

O-kay, let’s move on from that depressing thought…

“Did you invite Gray?” you ask.

“Yeah.” Nick stares at himself in the hallway mirror and pushes a lock of blonde hair under his hat. He looks like how Dad used to when he’d take you sledding, you realize, and you glance away. “He’s the one who suggested it, actually. And you can invite Sally if you want, too.”

“I dunno,” you say, plucking at a stray thread on your blanket. “I’ll probably just stay home.”

Nick doesn’t reply – after about five seconds, you finally glance up to see him looking worriedly at you, his eyebrows furrowed and a frown on his lips.

“I think you should come with us, Mari,” he says softly. “It’ll be fun. And I’ll skate with you the whole time – no falling necessary.”

He’s only worried because you haven’t left the house for a couple weeks. Your gap year is shaping up to be a lot less thrilling and somehow a lot more lonely than you expected, and not even you – the homebody that you are – can deny that it might be good to go out… plus, you’d get to see Gray, and it’s been a while since you felt up to seeing him whenever he comes around the house for dinner with Nick.

You sigh, pulling your blanket down from your shoulders and standing. “Fine,” you say. You can see Nick grin at you before you turn around and start trudging up the stairs. “But if I fall and crack my skull on the ice, you’re paying for the funeral bill.”

“Mari,” Nick scolds behind you, “that’s not funny!”

-

Well, at least Nick was right – there’s not very many people here.

There’s some, of course – a few families, a couple pairs of teens, but besides that, there’s thankfully few people at the rink tonight. It doesn’t take very long for you and Nick to spot your friends, especially since they seem to have spotted you first - Sally rushes up as you and Nick approach the rink, the tip of her nose and her cheeks bright red. “You’re here!” she exclaims, wrapping you up in a hug that nearly punctures a lung. It’s been a couple weeks since you’ve seen her, too, and she’s certainly acting like it. “I’ve been freezing my ass off waiting. I assume it’s Nicholas’s fault that you ran late?”

Nick rolls his eyes, smiling. “Good to see you too, Salome.”

Gray, who had been sitting with Sally on a bench near the concessions stand, finally catches up. “Nick,” he says. “Mari.”

He hits you with a mega-watt smile that you’re certain could melt all the ice on the rink within seconds and you feel yourself start to smile back before he glances away, gesturing towards the skate rental booth.

“I don’t have a pair myself, so I’ll have to rent them,” he says.

“Yeah, me and Mari, too,” Nick replies. “Do you have skates, Salome?”

“You bet I do!” She holds up a pair of orange skates. “Cute, huh?”

“Not as cute as you are,” you say.

She elbows you in the side as the boys start heading towards the rental booth, already animatedly talking about something. “I think you’re saying that to the wrong person, Mari,” she teases under her breath, looking rapidly back and forth between you and Gray. She might as well be saying wink-wink-nudge-nudge out loud.

You glance at him for a second before reaching over and elbowing her in the side, too.

-

You shouldn’t have let Nick drag you into this.

You nearly snap an ankle when you take your first step onto the foam walkway that leads to the rink. The only reason you don’t is because Sally is standing behind you and reaches out to grab you with one hand while she holds onto what looks like a walker with her other. Gray’s already on the rink, skating around with slightly forced confidence and a shy smile whenever a group of young girls skate by and point, and Nick’s leaning against the wall, watching you and Sally carefully as you waddle towards the rink.

(He’s probably still thinking about that cracked-skull thing. Dork.)

“We can skate together the whole time, I promise,” Sally says. Her walker bumps up against your ass as she moves behind you. “Besides, we should probably give the boys some much needed boy time.”

“You know what, Salome?” Nick leans onto his elbows. “I think you’re just scared I’ll out-skate you.”

“What was that, Nicholas?” Sally says. “I can’t hear you over the fact that I own my own pair of skates and you don’t.”

You clear your throat. “Guys –“

“You’re using a walker, and even then, I bet I can still beat you. Remember that time we played Monopoly on New Year’s, and you promised you would beat me?” He tilts his head at her. “And then you nearly flipped the board over after going to jail for the fifth time?”

“You were just lucky!” Sally protests. “Besides, you’re leaving out the part where I beat you at Go-Fish afterwards, and then, when I started throwing peanuts at you, you couldn’t even catch them in your mouth!”

“Hey, guys –“

“Go-Fish and Monopoly are not the same,” Nick says. “And I caught most of those peanuts –“

“Guys!”

Nick and Sally stop arguing and look at you, neither of them noticing that you made it onto the ice a while ago and are now waiting for one of them to help you start skating.

“Can we get this over with now?” you ask.

Sally smiles, skating to your side and readjusting her grip on her walker. “Anything for you, Mari.”

You can’t even see him, but you know very well that Nick’s rolling his eyes behind you.

For the first time since you’ve arrived, it’s quiet enough that you can hear the Christmas music playing over the speakers. It’s starting snowing, too, fat fluffy flakes that get caught on Sally’s hair and on the bobble of Nick’s hat. Gray skates around in front of you, nearly sliding into the wall before he stops, rights himself and gives you all a smile.

“Care for a race, Nick?”

“You’re on.” He glances at Sally. “I have to practice for later, after all.”

The two of them skate away, occasionally veering into the other person’s path to throw them off. Sally laughs as she watches them, her eyes sparkling under the lights.

“Oh, I’m so going to kick Nick’s ass,” she says.

You don’t know how she knows that, but you hope she does. It’ll be pretty funny.

-

After about an hour of skating with Sally, talking about your Aeon applications and what you want for Christmas and what movie you’re going to watch on New Year’s Eve this year, you call it a night.

Sally, however, takes this as a perfect opportunity to challenge Nick to that race they were talking about earlier, which he accepts wholeheartedly. Once you’ve returned your skates and the walker, you sit down on a bench beside the rink and settle in to watch them. Sure, Sally has her own walker to help her, but she needs it to stand upright on the ice at all – and besides that, it stills seems to be a pretty fair fight. You smile to yourself as they skate to the other end of the rink, listening to them counting down in the distance before the race begins.

You realize, after a couple rounds, that you’ve lost Gray somewhere in the crowd just as he comes walking up carrying two hot chocolates.

“Here,” he says, handing it to you. You swallow before taking it from him. “I thought that you looked a little lonely over here by yourself.”

“I wouldn’t want to take away Sally’s chance at a landslide victory,” you say, gesturing towards her and Nick and avoiding Gray’s eyes.

“I don’t know, Mari… I have faith in Nick.”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to see.” You take a sip of your hot chocolate and don’t say anything when it nearly burns your tongue. “So, do you like skating?”

“Yes, it’s a lot of fun.” He glances up at the sky, the snow falling around him. “And it’s a beautiful night.”

He’s the beautiful one, you think. You sip your hot chocolate again until it burns your tongue just to distract yourself.

“You know, I’ve been thinking a lot lately,” Gray says as he turns to look at you. “I’m really glad I met you all when I moved here. I can’t think of a better group of people to be friends with.”

You know he’s mostly talking about Nick – at least more than you and Sally - but you can feel a little spark of hope in your chest anyway. “Well,” you reply, clearing your throat, “I wish I had more friends my age, but…”

He laughs. “No, no, that’s fair.” He sips his hot chocolate, nose wrinkling when he feels how hot it is. “This is scalding!”

“You’re just sad they don’t have your iced tea.”

“You know me too well, Mari.” He smiles. “But yes, you’re right. Thankfully I have some at home that I can drink later.”

You can barely believe that you were so ready for this night to end a couple minutes ago – now, you don’t want it to. Now you don’t want to ruin the peaceful, comfortable silence that falls between you and Gray as you both direct your attention to where Sally and Nick skate across the ice, laughing and occasionally shrieking when one of them nearly falls over or runs into another group of skaters.

You don’t say anything for a while, even as the snow starts to fall thicker and faster and the air starts to get colder. Sitting here, everything feels like it might be okay.

-

The house is dark when you return a little after midnight. Nick, nursing a lightly banged-up elbow from when he skated right into the wall as he was leaving the rink, reaches over to turn on the light in the entryway.

“I can’t believe she beat me,” he grumbles, kicking off his boots. “I mean, she was using a walker, so that counts as cheating, right?”

“You’re making me want to hide all the board games before New Year’s,” you say as you take off your jacket. It’d probably be a good idea, actually, now that you think about it – it might make the night a little more peaceful, anyway. “And no, it doesn’t count as cheating, because you’re only saying that retroactively.”

Nick pouts. “Okay, I guess you’re right.” He watches as you tuck your mittens into the pockets of your jacket. “I’m glad you came out tonight,” he says. “You have fun?”

“Yeah,” you say, smiling back at him. It’s not that easy – Nick probably knows that by now – but for all intents and purposes, it was fun. “I’m wiped, though, so I’m probably heading to bed now.”

“Aw, okay,” he says, smiling at you. “Goodnight, Mari.”

“Goodnight, Nick.”

When you get into your room, you sink down onto the covers of your bed and quickly fall asleep, the taste of hot chocolate stale in your mouth.

[icysab]

hi i'd like a matchup with bts plz and also would like a mood board + playlist for it if you don't mind:)

so a little about my personality i go by she/her i'm an intj but have also been told i'm an infp:/ i'm a 5w4 enneagram and my moon is in virgo venus is in pisces and my mars is in taurus ,, i would say i'm very much the reserved quiet type so much so that in social settings you would probably find me in the corner or somewhere away from everyone just starring off into space or something ,, i live my life through routine and definitely feel more comfortable with full set schedules rather than being spontaneous so in a scenario where i would be going on a date or something i would much rather have the whole day be planned out and ready to go than to just go with the flow and try to find something to do ,, i don't stray away from my comfort zone too often but wouldn't mind having someone who could hold my hand while making me try new things ,, my ideal date would definitely be dinner at my place where we cook together and maybe watch a movie or play a board game afterwards like something comfortable and secluded ,, my ideal type would be someone similar to me in ways where they understand that i'm not always up for going out and just need nights in while also being the kind of person who can push me past my comfort also someone very affectionate and intense with their love that will leave no room for doubt or hesitation in the relationship ,, when i picture my perfect partner i see us just drowning in eachothers presence and becoming so infatuated with eachother and tbh being a little possessive over one another definitely a passionate kind of connection where it would feel like us against the world and i see them taking me to new heights and just showing and me things i've never seen making me do things i've never thought to do and just introducing me to to a whole new world while also just being the cushion behind me and support me so when things do get overwhelming for me i always have them to turn to and comfort me and bring me peace

that's all i could think of and hopefully it was enough but thank you :))))

i match you up with…

bts’s jungkook!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

it had been a long, long day. you got stuck with a final at the last possible time, and in your religion and culture in the 20th century class, for gods sake. you’re currently praying to whoever’s out there to please, please, not let you fail.

all you wanted to do was go home and fall asleep for an extended period of time.

luckily, both of your roommates were out of town, so you had the whole apartment to yourself.

as soon as you get home you immediately flop down in bed. you allow yourself a moment to check your phone before you drift asleep, and notice a text from your friend, jungkook.

in freshman year, you met jungkook through one of your classes. you had been sitting in the back corner, away from everyone because people are gross and scary, daydreaming about who knows what, when he came and sat near you. both of you are more of the quiet type, and so for the first two weeks neither of you said a work to each other. until one day, he forgot his pencil.

from there, a beautiful friendship formed.

sharing snacks, lending each other notes, studying together. quickly, he has become one of your closest friends. you just clicked so easy—you understood each other better than ever.

and that’s why you fell in love with him.

his text brought a smile to your face.

heyy! how was your final?

and then, you remembered that you totally bombed it.

not so great fjfj but it’ll be okay

he responds within seconds.

do you mind if i come over? i’ll bring food!

you can say no if you dont want me to!

that’s something you adore about him: he’d always ask before putting you in social situations.

even though you’re exhausted, you type out a yes. jungkook was the one person in your life who’s presence wasn’t somewhat draining. of course you loved your friends and your roommates but they just weren’t like jungkook.

within 20 minutes, he arrives with the food.

you quickly take it out of his hands and place it down on the counter, opening it up. it’s steamy chinese food from the local, authentic restaurant right down the street. wordlessly dishing out some for you and him, you hand him a plate and head over the the couch. before sitting down, you pull out some board games from a cabinet.

“wanna play monopoly?” you ask

“sure,” he grins.

he can’t help but think how cute you look in those oversized sweats.

by midnight, the both of you are still battling it out in monopoly.

after maybe 20 times around the board, you finally manage to capture both boardwalk and park place.

“MWAHAHAHA, TRY TO STOP ME NOW!” you exclaim while jungkook begins to accept his demise.

and soon enough, after buying a few houses and hotels and such, you manage to reign victorious.

“haha, sucks to suck,” you stick your tongue out.

before you have the time to process anything, jungkook leans down, and plants a firm kiss on your lips.

after a moment of shock, you kiss him back.

it feels like placing the last piece of a puzzle, finally solving that math problem, untangling a knot, like all is right. you cant get enough of the sensation.

with jungkook, everything is right and okay.

he pulls away for a moment to whisper under his breath, “sorry, i just had to do that”.

before he gets the chance to say anything else, you kiss him again.

playlist!!

okay IM NOT TRYING TO CREATE UNNECESSARY ANGST bUt i feel like you two are the type to jam to sad music together. i cant explain it but just. yes.

. - girl in red

(if you’re trying to look this one up, it might be a bit tricky because the song title is literally “.”, so it might be easier to find if you look up the name of the album, “if i could make it go quiet”. it’s the second or third to last song on it, depending on the version!)

okay maybe i picked this song because kookies voice would be so pretty singing this, or maybe just because this would be such a fun one to play at 2 am while playing monopoly beCAUSE THE GAME WONT FREAKING END.

tbh all of girl in reds new album makes me think of u 2 i don’t even know why i-i

little league OR grow (i cant pick </3) - conan gray

slowly, you and jungkook really matured and grew up together. not like in the way that you knew each other when you were kids, but in the way that you helped each other grow as people and become who you are today, and these songs really channel the energy of growing up and changing!!

autumn leaves- bts

you both don’t want each other to fall, to leave. just to stay the way you are forever. you cant bear the thought of fading out of each other’s lives, and are very close.

4ever- clairo

i think this totally embodies the idea of “let’s stay the way we are forever, i don’t want you to leave or change”, and it has a cool beat!! also it may have something to do with the fact that i want jk to sing a clairo song sO BAD, anyways y’all would listen to this together and dance around the kitchen

this side of paradise- coyote theory

okay this is the one that like. really really makes me think of your relationship. when you two are together, you can tackle anything. you’re never lonely with him by your side and vice versa. you two were maybe a bit lonely before you met, but with each other, it’s all okay.

ahh okay also here’s your moodboard!! sorry it’s not super great afnsns but i hope you like it!!

thanks so much for the request!!! i had a great time doing it. sorry for the delay!!

omg also we have the same myers-briggs and enneagram that’s kinda scary haha

wanna request a matchup? here are the rules!

[ocean-anchored]

Continued... December 27, 23

Even Jeremiah, another side note, I may have mentioned before that he literally hasn't invited me to anything or asked to hang out in like at least two months. The movie night at his place amanda had pursued and then I planned the games night & the only times I've heard from him has been to watch Theo & then I would ask him to hang out other times & he's said he's busy so it's been so frustrating. I saw him at the park sometime last week, we were walking towards each other so opposite directions & I wasn't sure if he was going to keep walking after a hello but he ended up walking with me which was fine but at some point I had asked how his dates were going which is when I found out he has been seeing a girl, which is completely fine, I let that ship sail a while back but like I thought we were friends enough that he would still put in effort outside of me being his dog care-er. Just solidified that when people of opposite sex get a partner then everything just stops. I don't expect him to hang out 1:1 absolutely, no disrespect to the partners but like zero communication or group hang outs or anything is just frustrating. He did drop off stuff for Theo and then gave me a nice thoughtful gift so I felt guilty thinking all this afterwards but maybe he also feels guilty & maybe that's simply because of the amount of times I've been taking care of Theo for him so who knows. I'm also not pushing that friendship anymore. Back to my week recap. After drinks with Troy, it was Friday & we did a christmas pub crawl with Shruti, Sasha & her friend, it was so much more fun that I thought it would be & there was so many laughs. I really enjoyed our night & it was quite long but a lot of fun. Saturday I relaxed & went to Nathans where he cooked a really nice dinner, bought me flowers, we played some games, he played guitar & we hung out. It was really nice again & I enjoyed my time but I really had to kind of take a step back because I know he's interested but I just can bring myself there. Period, let alone that I can't really imagine what a future would even look like with that age gap, I really hope he doesn't push more. I've said a few times now where I'm at & that I'm still healing & can't bring myself to let my guard down really. Christmas even mom was supposed to come but Gray was sick so she didn't make it. Went to Steven & amandas for brunch & board games which was really nice, I also love spending time with them and I think today it was exactly a year ago that we made up & reconciled & I really couldn't be more grateful. It's really sad to think that it flipped & now I have that relationship back but then I don't have one with Melissa now, but that's also a whole other thing. After brunch/afternoon, went home & baked more cinnamon buns & tried to chill. Christmas day was really lovely. I think it was Christmas eve that Zack had continued to text me multiple times. I really pushed back, I answered but I kept my guard up & my boundaries which he accepted & took responsibility etc. Anyways Christmas day I went to ambers moms house with them which was so lovely. We had a huge feast with the family, then opened presents which was so nice to be part of, then we played some funny games & we laughed a lot, then had some treats & didn't leave there till about 9pm. It was honestly so great, & so so blessed to be invited to be part of their christmas. Man the amount of times I've said it, but Amber is honestly the purest gem & I could literally cry with how blessed & thankful I am to have found her. She is everything I needed & wanted as a best friend.

[moldisgoodforyou]

the 5 times jj fake proposed and the 1 time he did for real

warnings: cursing, mentions of sex

wordcount: 2.4k

_

the first time he fake-proposed, he was drunk. when he was drunk, jj felt like he needed to proclaim his feelings to the world. he was ultra-touchy with charlie and liked whispering sweet nothings in her ear, and then liked bragging about her to his friends just as much. they were at beta’s spring formal and they were both at the level of drunkenness (after way too many glasses of champagne) where everything was funny. 

“I’m gonna marry you, charlie.” he promised, catching her lips in a sweet kiss. she laughed, pushing his shoulder. “you’re drunk, silly.” he dropped to one knee in the middle of the dance floor, wearing a goofy grin. “charlie walker, will you marry me?” she rolled her eyes and hauled him up by the arms before too many people could notice. “eventually.” he laughed and grabbed a slim napkin ring from the formal dinner table, slipping it on her finger. it was way too big and fell off almost right away, but she stuck it in her purse anyway. 

the second time, jj had just won his intramural football championship (thanks to charlie’s coaching) and they were celebrating at the bar afterward. he was running high on emotions, had a streak of dirt on his face from a tackle and was a little bruised, but was having the time of his life. on his third trip back from the bar, he found a little silver ring on the ground and pocketed it. his arm was slung around charlie’s shoulders all night, and after the second round of playing thunderstruck, he felt compelled to propose. again.  

“charlie, you know I love you, right?” she reached up and swiped her thumb across his cheek, grinning. “of course I do.” he got down on his knee and fished out the ring from his pocket, smirking up at her. the cocky smile was enough to tell her he wasn’t serious. “maybank -” she warned, but he shook his head to cut her off. “listen, listen! I want to spend the rest of my life with you -” one of his brothers nudged him, wary. “dude, are you really gonna propose like this?” 

charlie laughed, crossing her arms as jj shoved him away. “let me finish, let me finish! will you marry me, charlie?” charlie just sent him an amused smile, shaking her head. jj stood quickly and grabbed her around the waist, swinging her around. “she said yes!” he yelled out, pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek. she giggled as he slid the ring onto her thumb (the only finger that would fit). “I didn’t say anything!” he nudged his nose against hers, grinning. “shh, pretty girl, do you want free drinks or not?” 

“I hate you.” she responded with a smile, blushing. 

he nipped his teeth at her bottom lip. “come on, don’t talk like that to your fiancé.” 

“oh my god.” 

_

the third time, the two of them were surfing back in the outer banks. they were teasing each other all day, doing stupid shit like dropping in on each other’s wave and yelling flirty things when the other was riding a wave to catch them off balance. (jj even went as far to tackle charlie off her board in the still waters - just for fun.) after a few hours of surfing, they both laid on their backs on their boards out past the waves, arms draped over their eyes to shield them from the sun. 

jj reached out and took her hand, floating her closer. “did you know otters hold hands when they sleep, so they don’t float away from each other?” 

“really? that’s cute.” charlie mused with her eyes shut, about to fall asleep from the rocking of the waves. 

“it’s adorable.” jj agreed. he pulled a piece of kelp from the water and stashed it in the pocket of his board shorts. “would you get married now?” charlie was way too used to his casual talk about the future by now, and didn’t even open her eyes. she squeezed his hand and smirked to herself. “depends, who’s asking?” 

jj didn’t waste a beat to launch himself onto her board, promptly sinking the two of them. “charlie walker!” 

she yelped, sputtering a little as she surfaced. “what was that for?!” 

he splashed a little water toward her. “you know what that was for!” 

she laughed, ducking away. “I couldn’t resist." 

he rested his arms on her board as they treaded water and pulled the string of kelp out from his pocket. “I’m asking. would you marry me?” she eyed the kelp skeptically, then shot the look at him. “j. if that’s your idea of a proposal, you need to do better.” the tips of his ears turned red and he tossed it aside, putting on a smile. “I’m just kidding!” she gave him a short kiss, then nudged him off her board. “come on, one last wave. I’m tired.” 

_

the fourth time, they were on the kiss cam at a south carolina football game. they were visiting for homecoming, one year after graduating, and he had been hinting at getting married more than his usual amount. just the week before, she almost had a heart attack when she found a small velvet box in his drawer, then realized it was just a pair of cufflinks she had given him before. 

she wasn’t sure why she was so nervous about the idea of a proposal, exactly - she loved jj with her whole heart and couldn’t picture herself with anyone else, but the idea of such a big commitment was just...scary. 

the kiss cam panned over toward them and she laughed before leaning over to catch his lips with hers - but he pulled away, getting on one knee. charlie stopped breathing. “jj.” 

he grinned. 

the stadium was dead silent.

charlie looked like she wanted to cry. 

jj nudged her quickly, realizing he fucked up, and mouthed free drinks at her. she exhaled and nodded with a tiny smile and he got up quickly, hugging her tight so she didn’t break down and cry in front of the entire south carolina fanbase. the stadium erupted in cheers and the camera panned away as the game resumed. 

he held her close for a long beat, wincing as she dug her nails into his arm. “I’m going to fucking kill you.” charlie murmured into his ear. he laughed weakly. “too far, huh?” she pulled away from the hug and pressed her hand over her heart, eyes bright and a little teary. he ran his hand through his hair, grimacing. “love you?” he tried. 

she sat and pulled him down to sit with her, resting her head on his shoulder. “you need to knock it off.” he turned and kissed the top of her head, genuinely feeling bad. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, it was stupid.” 

she pulled out her phone and showed him the numerous texts constantly lighting up her screen - especially the ones from her mom and dad. he gulped and charlie had to admit she felt a little satisfaction at him being uncomfortable too. “yeah, have fun explaining that one to my parents.” 

jj had never been more thankful for a fluke south carolina win that day - he was pretty sure that was the only thing that got him out of the doghouse that weekend. 

_

the fifth time, jj and charlie had just returned from a wine tasting tour on their anniversary and the sixth glass of rosé went straight to jj’s head. they were both handsy in the uber on the way home and barely made it through the doorway of their apartment before jj managed to pull charlie’s halter top off. he picked her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. “can we at least make it to the bedroom?” she giggled as he peppered kisses all over her face. 

he bit her bottom lip playfully and set her on the kitchen counter. “you’re lucky I didn’t take you right then and there at the last winery.” 

“j.” she protested, running her hands through his hair. “bed.”

“patience, pretty girl.” he pulled back slightly to yank his shirt over his head and toss it aside, then resumed kissing her, hard. he trailed a hand up her side, brushing his thumb over her nipple and loving the way she arched her back into his touch. “fuck, j, come on.” she whined, tugging at the waistline of his pants. he swatted at her hand and picked her up again, nipping at her neck as he walked them into the bedroom. 

afterward, he kissed her sweetly, pulling the sheet up over her chest. “happy anniversary, j.” she told him with a smile. 

“I love you so damn much,” he replied with a grin.  

jj rolled over and rummaged around the nightstand for a second, pulling out a black velvet box. charlie shook her head immediately, reaching over and grabbing his wrist. “jj, no.” he paused, glancing at her with a confused expression. “I’m not joking this time -” she shook her head again. “jj, please, not now.” she pleaded. "but I -” she kissed him quickly to shut him up and took the box from him, her heart racing. 

“please.” 

he sighed, resigned, and took the box back to shove it back in the nightstand. “it’s never gonna happen at this rate.” charlie frowned and kissed him soundly. “no, j, just...not like this. I’m ready. but not like this.” that was enough to turn his mood around. “you’re ready? you’re sure?” she smiled a little and nodded. “yes. I promise.” 

_

the last time, they were at their favorite lookout spot in berkeley. they had shared a lot of big moments there (a job promotion, a raise, their first real discussion about future children) and he knew he had one chance to get the moment perfect - since he had fucked up the first five times. he did everything right - called her parents in advance (less for her dad’s blessing, more for the courtesy), told grace beforehand, and had scheduled a photographer to wait in the bushes for the exact moment. 

he was acting strange all day, to the point that charlie thought he was even a little bit mad at her for something she did. 

she should have caught on, given that he got her a gift card to get her nails done a week ago - and her nails were hardly ever polished. but she appreciated the random gesture and got them done anyway, kind of loving the look. she should have caught on when he told her to wear his favorite dress (“you know, the one with the little blue flowers”) for a picnic up on the hill. 

lucky for jj, she was pretty much clueless and went along with it when he pulled on a short-sleeved button down and dress pants, saying he needed to ‘break them in’ - weird, but whatever. 

he slipped the ring in his pocket without the box, afraid the outline would tip her off. as they drove up to their spot with a cooler he packed in the back, he tapped his thumb on the wheel anxiously. “rough day at work, hon?” charlie asked sympathetically. he shook his head. “nah, just...jittery. dunno, must have drank coffee too late at work or something.” she nodded and reached over, squeezing his thigh reassuringly. he flinched away, scared she was going to feel the ring and she furrowed her brow. “jj, what’s up?” 

he laughed, a little high-pitched. “nothing! nothing, just the coffee.” he lied, horribly. “...right.” she replied, dubious. he pulled up to the lookout and grabbed the cooler and blanket from the backseat, stashing the champagne under the car seat before she could see. as they laid out the picnic items, his hands were shaking like hell. charlie took his hands in hers and stepped close, kissing him softly. “you sure it was just the coffee, jj?” 

he took a deep breath, looking around at their surroundings to make sure everything was in order. “sorry, just - I think I forgot something in the car, I’ll be back.” he left her standing there, confused and jogged back to the car. he checked over his pockets for the twelfth time that day, making sure he had the ring, then walked back. she had walked further out to the lookout, a few steps away from the blanket, and he decided to make his move. 

jj walked up behind her then dropped down to one knee, pulling the ring out of his pocket. “charlie -” he started, shaky, and she turned around and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. “oh my god.” 

“charlie walker, I -” 

“you’re not joking, are you? please don’t say you’re joking.” tears were already welling up in her eyes and he grinned. “will you let me finish?” 

she nodded, smiling ear-to-ear, a hand still pressed to her lips. 

“charlie walker, the last three years loving you have been the best three years of my life and I can’t picture spending the rest of it with anyone but you.” he paused, blinking away what he swore wasn’t tears. “will you marry me?” 

she practically tackled him to the ground in a hug, meeting his lips in a heated kiss. 

he pulled back, laughing. “wait, wait, is that a yes?” 

she nodded, grinning. “yes, god yes!” 

he beamed, shifting her to his lap. “wait, you haven’t even seen the ring!” she laughed, kissing him again. “I don’t even care.” he took her hand and slid the ring on her finger, carefully. she gasped when she saw it, tears welling up again. “oh my god, j, it’s perfect.” he grinned. “yeah? I had a little help from your friends.” 

she admired the ring, then gasped as she realized. “is this my grandmother’s?” he nodded with a proud smile. “she wanted you to have it, since you’re the only granddaughter. I got tipped off that you’d always loved it.” charlie’s bottom lip quivered and he laughed, pulling her into a kiss. “stop crying! this is supposed to be happy!” 

she laughed. “I know, I know! I just...it’s all so perfect, jj. god, I love you.” 

he grinned. “now you’re stuck with me forever, sweetheart.” 

charlie beamed. “I can’t fucking wait.” 

[flowerfan2]

A story about a reunion, and everything that happens afterwards.

Chapter 16/20 - Read on A03 here.

Patrick reads the email over again, just to make sure, then he runs out into the living room to tell David.

“I did it.”

David looks up from his spot on the couch, his black-framed glasses perched on his nose.  They’ve had a very sleepy Sunday morning, followed by a big breakfast of bacon and omelets, and David still hasn’t gotten around to putting in his contacts.  Patrick loves him like this.

“What did you do?”  David rises up from the couch, all grace and designer loungewear, and comes over to Patrick.

“I got a job.”  Patrick isn’t sure if what he is feeling is relief, excitement, or equal parts of both, but it feels amazing.

David smiles at him and pecks him on the cheek.  “Of course you did.”  He sits down on the couch and pats the cushion next to him.  “Sit down and tell me about it.”

“It’s just a consulting position, bookkeeping mostly, but for a company that works with start-ups and young entrepreneurs.  And it’s decent pay, more than I was expecting for this kind of thing.”

“That’s great,” David says.  “When do you start?”

“They want me right away.”  Patrick can feel his smile stretching his cheeks.  It’s the first time he’s felt anything but useless in so long, the way the people at this firm seemed to understand what he could bring to the table.  Patrick accepts another kiss from David, and then pops back up off the couch.  “I’m gonna call my parents.”

He goes into the bedroom and talks to his mom, then his dad, and then the conversation somehow gets derailed into a debate on whether buying new furniture for the lanai right now is a good idea or if they should stick with what they have for the time being.  Patrick kind of likes the idea of making David go shopping for patio furniture with him, so he’s voting for the former.  Finally they circle back to his job, his parents congratulate him again, and he gets off the phone.

He’s headed back to the living room, but pauses when he sees David in the guest room.  David has a black leather bag open on the bed and his sweaters folded in careful piles next to it.  Patrick’s stomach drops.

“David?  What – what are you doing?”  

David looks up.  He’s dressed in his favorite armor, glasses discarded in favor of contacts, a fuzzy black sweater over the black jeans with the rips in the knees.  “You said you were starting right away.  You didn’t say where, but I’m assuming Toronto-”

“Toronto?  Why would you assume Toronto?”

David’s face shutters further, and he turns back to his bag.  “I know I said I’d go anywhere with you, but I thought you might at least give me a heads up, discuss it a little bit, especially if it’s not Toronto.  I do have to deal with my apartment there at some point.”  David turns towards him, a hand on his hip.  “Do you even still want me to come with you?”

Patrick doesn’t know how this could have gone so horribly wrong, and he crosses to David, grabbing him by the shoulders.  “Stop packing.”

“You don’t want me to come with you?”  David’s voice is rising, and Patrick shakes his head.

“I’m not going anywhere.  We’re not going anywhere, not until we both decide we want to.”

“What on earth do you mean?”

“David, we’re not going anywhere.  I don’t have to <i>go</i> anywhere.  It’s a remote job.”

David stares at Patrick, and Patrick watches as he mentally replays the conversation they’ve had so far.  “You aren’t leaving?”

“No.”  Patrick sits down on the bed, David frowning at him as he knocks over a pile of sweaters, but sits down next to him anyway.  “It’s remote, part-time.  A consulting gig.  Varied schedule, but they think it’ll be about 20-25 hours a week, depending in part on how much their clients like me, and how well I can add value.  I may need to go to the Toronto office a few times a year, for meetings or something.  But I’m doing the job from home – from here, or wherever.”

David turns away, picking up his off-white hoodie and pretending to refold it, even though Patrick can tell he just needs something to do with his hands.  “You should have told me that,” David says, embarrassed.

“I know.  I’m sorry, I just got so excited.”  Patrick leans into David, rubbing a hand on his back.  “I’m sorry,” he says again, letting it sink in, letting David get his balance.  “I wouldn’t make any plans for us without talking it over with you.  I promise I wouldn’t.  My plans wouldn’t be any good without you.”

David’s eyes flicker to his and away, his hands still wrapped in the halfway folded sweater.  

“It’s true, David.”  Patrick puts his free hand on top of David’s, calming their restless movement.  “I don’t want any plans without you in them.  I haven’t even accepted the offer yet.”

“You haven’t?”  David turns back, searching his face.

“Nope.  I told them I had to talk it over with my boyfriend.”  Patrick’s taking a risk, throwing that word out there.  But David had done it first last time, and he doesn’t think there’s really any question that it applies.  He’s sort of glad that he hasn’t used it yet; there’s more of an impact now, when David clearly needs it.

David’s eyes go wide.  “You did?”

“I did.  So – what do you think?”

David shifts, and his demeanor softens, his walls coming back down.  “I think your <i>boyfriend</i> needs to know more.”  There’s a smile hidden in his cheek, an agreement.  Patrick wants to cheer.  David holds his gaze, and his smile escapes, mirroring Patrick’s own.  “And then you probably need to ask for more money.  There’s nothing wrong with asking for what you deserve.”

“You don’t even know what they offered me.”

“Whatever they offered, you’re worth more.”

******

Patrick gets up earlier than normal a few days later and shaves carefully, examining his face closely in the mirror.  He doesn’t look like someone who hasn’t worked in months.  He just looks like himself.  And when he presents himself to David for approval, David’s smile courses through his lips and into his cheeks, his hands dancing to Patrick’s shoulders, smoothing down the thin fabric of his favorite purple dress shirt.  He’s ready.

They set up an office of sorts for Patrick in the guest bedroom, shifting the bed to one side, moving a dresser out of the room and into the hallway, and arranging a table by the window.  Patrick decides that one of the dining table chairs will work for the time being, and David fusses with the curtains, concerned that the glare will make it hard to see his laptop screen.

Finally Patrick ushers David out of the guest room and logs in to a Zoom meeting for orientation.  It’s boring as hell, but he doesn’t complain.

It’s not as if he thought he was unemployable, it’s just that after his last job imploded so strangely, he wasn’t sure what it would be like to be an employee again.  And didn’t know if anyone would give him a chance to find out.  Turns out, Alexis was not only good at papering over his employment blips, she was awesome at pep talks and interview practice.  He makes a note to himself to call her soon and thank her.

That night they make sandwiches and eat them on the lanai.  It’s a little cool for it, but it still feels nice to be outside.  Patrick had his parents send him down some more clothes, but David scoffed at the idea of wearing a jacket.  Instead he’s got a throw blanket draped around his shoulders, a giant turquoise fleece wrap that clashes terribly with his otherwise neutral palette.

They get a series of texts from Stevie, photos of the house she’s buying in Schitt’s Creek.  It’s a three-bedroom ranch on a decent sized lot.  The interior looks like it hasn’t been updated in decades, with a pink bathroom and horrendous wallpaper in the bedrooms, but Stevie’s had plenty of experience updating décor at this point.

David teases her for a few minutes, riffing on how unbelievable it is that she’s adult enough to be a homeowner, but his heart doesn’t seem in it.  Patrick doesn’t tell him how Stevie has been saving for years, every bonus and raise going into an account for a down-payment.  

After their chat with Stevie, David seems out of sorts, and Patrick isn’t sure what to do about it.  After they’ve cleaned up from dinner, he suggests they play a game.

David gives him a frowny look, and Patrick immediately knows what he’s thinking.  Neither of them are in the mood for sex.  “Not that kind of game.  A card game, or a board game.”

David perks up at this, then deflates.  “We don’t have the right number of people for a board game.”

“I bet we can find something the two of us can play.  My parents have a pile of games in the hall closet.”

They pull down the basket of games from the shelf above the laundry machine, and David peers inside.  “Did they get these from a yard sale or something?”

There’s a worn box that contains a checkerboard, with both checkers and chess inside, a Connect Four game, a few decks of cards, and Uno.

“I think my aunt sent them down.”  Patrick takes out the Uno deck.  “How about this?”

David takes the whole basket into the living room and sets it on the coffee table.  He takes out the Connect Four game and pulls out the plastic frame, dropping a round tile into it.  “I had this game,” he says thoughtfully.

“I think everyone had that game.”

David dumps out the rest of the pieces, and a greeting card falls out.  It’s got a drawing of a bouquet of flowers on the front, with “Get Well Soon” in big letters.  “What’s this?”  David opens it and reads out loud.  “Marcy – hope this brings a little bit of fun to your day.  You’re in our prayers.  Love Susie and Pete.”

Patrick takes the card and reads it, his mind flashing back to last spring, flying down to see his parents.  His dad breaking down in tears on the car ride from the airport.  His mother telling him not to worry.

“Patrick?  Patrick, honey, what’s going on?”

David has his arm around him, and he’s pressed close to him on the couch.  Patrick brushes away the wetness on his cheeks, and David pulls him into a hug.  “Patrick, tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s nothing.”

David glares at him.

“I mean, it turned out to be nothing.”  Patrick shakes himself and clears his throat.  “My mom had a cancer scare last spring.  They found a tumor in her breast.  But it was benign.”

“<i>This</i> doesn’t sound like it was benign.”  David waves the card at him.  “People don’t say <i>you’re in our prayers</I> when it’s benign.”

“She had a bad reaction to one of the drugs, during the surgery, and took a little while to recover.  She was laid up for a while, and pretty miserable.  But it wasn’t cancer.”

David’s eyes are wet, and he looks like he’s going to cry, too.  “She’s okay now?”

“She’s okay.”  Patrick leans against David, snuggling into his arms, and they both breathe together for a long moment.  “Oh god, I think that’s why I freaked out in the doctor’s office.”

David shifts to look at him.  “What do you mean?”

“As soon as I heard, I flew down here.  I went with my mom and dad to the doctor’s visits before her surgery.  I couldn’t stay long afterwards, I had to get back to work, but…” Patrick’s throat gets tight, remembering.  “It was awful.  We were all so frightened.”

David presses Patrick’s head against his own, his large hand against Patrick’s scalp warm and comforting.  Patrick can feel David’s chest rising and falling.  David’s taking deep breaths, he can tell, trying to stay calm.

“You said this happened last spring?” David says quietly.

“Yeah.”

“When things started to go wrong for you at work.”

Patrick tenses.  “My mom was in the hospital.  I think it’s understandable that I was having trouble focusing.”

“No, honey, of course.  That’s not what I meant.  Of course it is.  It’s just – you didn’t mention that before.  That being worried about your mom is what started to get you down.”

Patrick feels like he’s a cartoon character with a light bulb flashing over his head.  Could it be that simple?  Was worrying about his mom’s health, on top of his general dissatisfaction with where he had ended up in life, what pushed him over the edge into depression?  

David tightens his arm around Patrick’s shoulder.  “I’m so sorry, Patrick.  That that happened to your family.  It must have been a very scary thing to deal with.”

“It really was.”

“I’m so glad she’s okay.”

Patrick turns and buries his face in David’s neck.  “Me too.”

That night, after David falls asleep, Patrick turns to the internet.  He hadn’t wanted to do this before.  He’s not sure why, although he thinks it has a lot to do with denial.  But he can’t stop thinking about his mom, and how hard it had hit him when she was sick.  Gritting his teeth, he starts googling causes of depression.  Upsetting or stressful life events.  Death or illness in the family.  Job-related worries.  Huh.  Maybe he had good reason to feel like things were falling apart.  Maybe that’s why he lost the ability to care about his job.  Maybe he’s not doomed to fail at his new one, too.

Patrick scrolls to the email from the therapist he’s been talking to.  So far, it’s just been a few emails and a brief phone call, an introduction, to see if she seemed like a good fit.  She’s based out of Toronto, but has many patients that she counsels remotely, on Facetime or Zoom, and comes highly recommended.  With shaking hands, he types out a message, suggesting that they schedule a session soon.  “I think it started last spring…”

[osita-iza]

RFA Headcanon: You didn’t start dating during their route

A/N:

This isn’t my first time writing fanfic, but this is my first time writing in this format and for Mystic Messenger. I was into it during high school, and I’ve revisted the fandom after quarantine. If you have any requests for headcanons or scenarios, my ask box is open! 

This has spoilers for all of the routes good endings, some are minor, some aren’t (except Zen’s), along with the ending. Egregiously long. Genre: Fluff, slight angst- nothing too much. 

Jaehee

You hopelessly loved her 

The second you heard her voice, you knew she would be special to you 

But she needed a friend right now. A friend to guide her as she learned her own worth- so you would be her friend 

You were her friend as you picked out cafe tile together, as she went through all of the paperwork, and as she smiled at you every time she tried out a new recipe

But you still loved her 

Your eyes would follow her as she took orders

You would help tie the knot on her apron

You would send her new recipe ideas in the middle of the night 

Everyone in the RFA knew that you loved her,,,, except her 

Zen constantly told you to confess and tried to act as your wingman. “Man Jaehee,,, MC is such an amazing partner, you’re so lucky to have her.... aren’t you?” 

“Oh of course. I love MC-” 

YES

“-She’s my best friend” 

Should’ve expected that

Maybe you should try to move on? You didn’t even know if she was into women 

There was one regular that you had to admit,,,, was really cute. She came everyday during her lunch before going to her job at a school library 

One day she came in and you noticed she was wearing more makeup than usual. Not in a bad way, but now you could see her blush and shining lip gloss

As you handed her her daily frappe, she passed you a crumbled napkin. “I really like you. If you like me too, here’s my number. If you don’t, we can forget about this.” 

Before you could respond, she was practically running out the door

Jaehee cleared her throat from behind you. “What was that?” 

“.... I think I just get hit on.” 

“What?” Jaehee stepped closer and grabbed the napkin, where the customer’s number was messily scribbled. “Are you going to message her?” 

You wished she was jealous. 

You forced a smile as you took the napkin and put it in the pocket of your apron. “I haven’t decided.” 

You were taking inventory of the ingredients at closing when she walked in with a box of coffee beans. 

“Are you done?” 

“Wait...” You added one more figure before smiling. “Now I’m done, what did you need?” 

Jaehee grabbed the clip board and put it on the rack next to you. 

“Jaehee?” 

She pressed her lips against yours 

You gasped as she pressed you into the metal shelves and tangled your hands in her hair. 

She had really soft hair 

The kiss lasted forever but only a second 

Jaehee pulled away, redness covering her whole face 

Cute... 

“I see how you look at me.... because I look at you the same way too.” She whispered, resting her head on your shoulder to avoid looking at you 

“Jaehee, I-” 

“I’ve never been with another woman before, so I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I still don’t really know how to go about it to be honest- 

“And I feel like I just reset my entire life, so now really isn’t the time for me to be starting a relationship, especially with someone as important as you.” 

“I can wait.” 

Jaehee looked up at you with her bottom lip pulled by her teeth. “You can?” 

“You’re important to me. And I don’t want you to do anything you’re not ready for yet. As long as you do feel this way, I will wait for you.” 

“Thank you.” 

You smiled at her as she slowly stepped back. “I should go finish cleaning in the front then.” She stepped out and you called her name before the door closed. 

“Yes?” 

You reached into your apron and ripped the napkin in half. 

“I won’t message her.” 

Zen 

Zen, magnificent, gorgeous, hard working, and loyal Zen, cared for you more than anyone

He called you his princess, would do his skincare routine with you when you came over, and he was the one who always responded to you in the chatroom 

But the moment you fell for him was when you went on to the messenger late at night, talking to Seven about how you couldn’t fall asleep and Zen popped in 

Zen: you can’t fall asleep? 

MC: no, i can’t. i’ve been trying to fall asleep for an hour 

Crying emoji 

Zen: Call me. 

MC: What???

Seven: Ooooohhh, what does Zenny have planned?

Zen: Call me. 

Zen left the chatroom. 

Seven: So bossy.... 

MC: I wonder what he wants 

Seven: Better call him to find out 

Seven: Oooohh I’m so excited!!! 

You rolled your eyes as you logged out before hitting Zen’s icon 

“Jagiya! I was worried you weren’t going to call” 

“Of course I was going to call. What did you need?” 

“Are you laying down right now? Ready for bed?” 

“.... yeah...” 

“I’ll read you my script as a bedtime story!” 

“Zen, you don’t have-” 

“I want to.” 

You genuinely didn’t think it was possible to not fall for Zen 

You called Zen, wanting to hear his voice, as you got off of work 

“Hi, princess!” 

“Hey. Are you busy tonight?” 

“No, I was gonna take it easy tonight. Why?” 

“Today was a rough day at work. I was wondering if I could come over? I can buy dinner~” 

“Don’t worry about dinner! I’d love to spend time with you,” 

He hugged you as soon as he opened the door 

“Guess what I got for dinner?” 

“What?” 

“I went to Richard’s Diner...” he trailed off 

“You never eat there because you say it’s not healthy for your skin!!”

“But you had a bad day at work, a cheat day for you is worth it” 

Zen let you rant as you both ate dinner

Afterwards you began drinking, and you were slowly getting more tipsy

After you finished, taking a sip of his beer, he smiled at you. “Sounds rough, babe” 

You pushed his arm with a smile. “You shouldn’t call me babe,” 

“Why not? Do you not like it?” 

You shook your head, body feeling light from the beer. “That’s not it-” 

“What is it then?” 

“It’s that I might like it too much,” You giggled as you leaned in closer, not noticing how his playful smile slowly slipped away 

“Like it too much?” 

“Maybe like you too much?” You shrugged with a lopsided smile. “Who knows?” 

“MC.” 

You raised your eyebrows at him as he leaned closer 

You could smell his cologne as he kissed you 

Your eyes were wide open as he pulled away 

Zen laughed out of relief and at your face. “I’ve been waiting for that for a while.” 

Yoosung

Yoosung had never been in a relationship before

Never even asked someone out before... 

So that’s why- even tho he could face cultists for you- his heart would go crazy when you smiled at him 

He couldn’t ask you out on a date 

But he could ask you to hang out 

He taught you LOLOL and you became his best ally for campaigns

He would buy two of the limited edition items 

One for him and one for you!!! So you would have matching characters. That’s something a boyfriend would do, right?

You were the outgoing one between the pair of you 

So you were out at a party for your best friend’s birthday, while he was playing LOLOL in his apartment 

He could tell you were drinking, and he tried not to worry when your texts stopped coming in 

But he was getting more and more frustrated with the game- his mind going back to you the whole time 

Then there was a banging against his door 

He jumped, his legs hitting the desk as he stared at the door. 

Was he really going to be killed before he got a girlfriend?

“Yoooooooosung!” 

Wait... that was your voice 

He practically ripped off his headset off of his head and ran to his door 

You smiled, and Yoosung could see a small stain of alcohol on your shirt, before throwing your arms around him

“MC... Are you okay?” 

“I missed you! Did you miss me?” 

“O-of course, I missed you.” 

You smiled up at him. “You’re so sweet, ~~~honey~~~” 

He practically melted. “Are you okay?” 

Instead of answering, you leaned up and captured his mouth in a kiss. 

He froze, eyes wide as your lips moved against his. Before he could react you pulled away with a grimace on your face. “I’m tired now.” 

“You can sleep in my room. I’ll take the couch.” He muttered

“Ahhhhhhhh, you’re such a gentleman, Yoosungie!” you yelled, not controlling your volume, “You’re so cute.” 

Yoosung’s face was painted red as he led you to his bedroom and pulled his blanket over you. “Sleep well.” 

Maybe he should ask you out...

Jumin 

The only time Jumin was the one who initiated any physical contact was when he kissed you in front of Sarah Choi 

You made sure to cherish it in the moment, knowing it wouldn’t happen again. But as soon as it was over, you created an iron cast around it and banished it to the far corner of your mind. Never to be thought of again.

Neither of you mention it the rest of the time you stay at his penthouse 

You support him, but neither of you cross that line between friendship and romance 

V is visiting for their wine night when Jumin opens the messenger and sees that you’re online 

And he gets the softest smile V has ever seen,,, and he has to butt in because this is ridiculous now 

“Jumin, may I ask you something?” 

“Of course.” 

“How would you describe your relationship with MC?” 

“She’s one of my dearest friends. MC’s very smart, kind, and understanding. In retrospect, I’m surprised she was so open to staying at my penthouse for as long as she did. She’s a really good person,” 

“Hmmm... have you ever considered the nature of your relationship?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“It’s just that I feel like you have a certain softness for her-” 

“Of course. She’s my friend-” 

“-A softness that you don’t show for me. Or your father. Or anyone that I’ve seen you with now that I think about it.” 

“What are you trying to imply?” 

“I think you have feelings for her.” 

After that, Jumin began to notice how his heartbeat changed around. How he got more excited when he was calling you than with other people. How your voice could ease the tension out of his shoulders. 

He had read a couple romance stories in his lifetime,,, was this called love? 

Well now... he had to figure out how to date you

Over the next week he dropped questions in the messenger for you 

What’s your favorite flower?

What’s your favorite food? 

Do you prefer piano or violin music? 

You weren’t sure what he was planning- just that he was planning something 

You showed up at his house in a dress (he told you it wasn’t a casual dinner), expecting a dinner party. Only to find him alone 

“Hi Jumin. What’s the occasion?” 

“I just wanted to spend time with you,”

Cue heart palpitations 

Although you were blushing from having his gaze focused on you

And the candles, and food, and classical music… it felt like it was crossing that line you inched towards but never stepped over 

“I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’ve been acting different this past week, as well as tonight.” 

“I have, I was actually worried something might be wrong,” you confessed

“Nothing’s wrong, at least I hope it isn’t wrong in your eyes as well… I have feelings for you MC,” 

What?

There was a line between you and him- one you had been told over and over again by everyone (including him) that was never to be crossed

Jumin isn’t interested in that sort of relationship

A whisper so low that even you could barely hear it. “What kind of feelings?” 

This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be true. You were just looking into things too muc- 

“Romantic feelings. I would even say that they border on love, but I would never say that to you without knowing your emotions.” 

He could see the chaos being projected from your thoughts into your eyes, causing him to reach across the table and grab your hand. 

He had kinda cold hands… 

“You don’t have to answer right no-,” 

“I have those feelings too,” you interrupted before looking at him, shock still evident on your face. “But please consider that-until this very moment- I never thought they would ever be reciprocated. You said you never considered a romantic relationship, and everyone reminded me of that, so this doesn’t feel completely real right now.” 

“I assure you it is real.” 

You finally smiled, and Jumin’s shoulders finally relaxed 

“Let’s just take it slow then?” 

“As slow as you need, my love.” 

Saeyoung

He had been in the apartment for a day and incessantly pushing you away 

He was dangerous. His life was complicated. He couldn’t keep you safe. 

“I can never make you happy MC.” 

You had woken up at 2 a.m. and all you could hear him still tapping away on his keyboard from his spot on the couch 

There was probably a Seven-sized dent in the cushion already

You walked over and sat next to him. His fingers stalled typing for a moment before continuing, his eyes never stopping their glare towards the screen 

“Seven... “ 

“MC, I told you I can’t-” 

“Just listen for 5 minutes okay?” you snapped. He didn’t acknowledge you, but he also didn’t snap back. So that was a win 

“I don’t know everything about what happened with the bomb and the hacker and your brother right now, but I know V knew about it-” 

His fingers finally ceased typing. 

“-I don’t know if it’s his fault, I don’t want to believe it is. But you can’t deny that he knew it. And things got worse and have spiraled to how they are now because he wanted to take responsibility for it all- all by himself. He took all of the weight of all of these secrets, and that’s why things are like this now- at least partially.” 

“Yeah… you’re right about that,” he sighed. 

“I’m not asking for a relationship. Hell, if you don’t even want a friendship that’s fine with me. But whether you like it or not, I’m a part of this now. I have been ever since I answered that first message…” Seven turned to look at you. “Please don’t make that same mistake as V. Share the burden of this with me. Share the weight. I’m not asking you to make me happy, just let me help you right now,” 

Seven reached for your hand, and that was when you noticed you had been picking at your nails. He dropped his head to the back of the couch to look at you; his face only a breath away from yours “I want this too, ya know?” 

“I know.” 

“I can’t.” 

“What about just this once?” you whispered, “We’re alone. No one has to know. And it never has to happen again.” 

Despite his mind screaming at him not to, he leaned in and kissed you. Transmitting all of the emotions he couldn’t speak to you, yet you understood it. His other hand came to cup the back of your head, pulling you as close as possible. 

Neither of you spoke of it after that night. He told you everything though, at least everything he could uncover. 

And when Saeran came back, you were the one who listened to Saeyoung when he broke down about his fears. That he would never get his brother back again. That the Prime Minister would find them. Or that his brother might be right… he might be undeserving 

Over a (VERY) long time, the brothers found their own normal. Found their own path to peace, they hadn’t reached the end yet but knew that they would. 

Saeran could now accept going to therapy, and he was making his own progress. 

And despite all of the chaos of his life, you stayed there. 

You were constant. You were his best friend. Never asking for anything more than to share his life with you- simply because he mattered to you. 

And finally… after his brother could finally get a full night’s rest, his mind traveled back to that night in Rika’s apartment

He wanted nothing more than to recreate it. 

He wasn’t sure if you still felt the same way, but he promised to be honest with you. So he had to try. 

Saeyoung convinced Saeran to go out for the night and then his plan was in motion 

He had put night light space/star stickers on the ceiling of the bunker’s living room. He made a pillow fort and had a queue of all of your favorite movies. 

Then the doorbell rang. And the last time he had been this nervous was when he was infiltrating Mint Eye. 

You smiled at him as you walked inside. “I have standard sleepover attire packed. And I brought Saeran’s favorite ice cream, since they didn’t have it last time.” 

“Saeran actually isn’t here.” 

You scrunched your eyebrows. “Why?” 

“He went out with some friends from that gardening thing he joined.” 

“Oh, I’ll put this in the fridge then,” you said, “What’s the itinerary for tonight?” 

“Standard junk food, including all of your favorites!” he said as he dragged you from the fridge to the kitchen, “And then a movie marathon! Plus my favorite attraction!” 

He pointed up, and a bright smile appeared as you stared at the neon stickers. “Our very own solar system,” you admired. 

“I’ll give you the entire galaxy if that’s what you want.”

You went to ask him when he cupped your face, leaning his face towards yours. Your hands grabbed his jacket instinctively. 

“Do you remember that night?” His eyes traveled from your lips to your eyes. 

“Our ‘once’?” He nodded. “Of course I remember.” 

“What if I don’t want it to be our ‘once’ anymore?” 

You took in a deep breath to calm down your heart. “What would you make it then?” 

“Our beginning?” he mused with a small smile. A smile he didn’t think would grow fully, but… fuck… he wanted it to grow fully. “A beginning without an end.” 

You smiled fully at him. Your tense shoulders relaxing as you shook your head. Your chest light. 

Without words, you answered by pulling him in. Finally continuing on your story with him, as the neon dollar store stars shined above you.