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shellshocklove · 2 months ago

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moanin' & groanin' | logan howlett

pairing/AU: lumberjack!logan howlett/wolverine x inexperienced!female!reader

summery: working for your father's timber business isn't what you saw yourself doing, but when the wolverine comes looking for work it's suddenly not so bad – especially when he can teach you a thing or two.

warnings: this is an 18+ fic so mdni! age gap (in the way that his mutant abilities prolongs his life), swearing, use of pet names, smut, car sex, praise, a little dacryphilia, logan's got a dirty mouth, soft dom!logan, a little size kink (basically logan has a big dick), handjob, fingering, a little manhandling, unprotected sex (don't do it!!), no use of y/n

a/n: um hi! this is my first ever logan fic. i really hope i got him right! not beta read, and barely edited so any mistakes are my own. happy reading! <3

main masterlist / ao3

The pages crinkled under your fingertips as you turned another page. Over the top of your book you could see your father's men milling about, getting the timber ready for another outgoing truck. Day in and day out they worked like flannel-covered ants.

He wasn't here, your father, leaving you to hold down the fort, or office to be precise, as he ran errands. "I'll be back before lunch," he'd told you, a hand passing through the sleeve of his tan Carhartt.

The office felt bigger when he wasn't here, like his neuroticism took up twice as much space as he did himself. You looked around the room. It was small, more like a hut than anything else, raised up on cinderblocks. A tiny kitchen lined the front wall, the refrigerator had given out once this month already and something smelled like it had died in there, the white florescent light under the wall cabinets gave you a headache, and the tap drip drip dripped. The table and the mismatched chairs, your father had found at a fleamarked years ago, before you were born most likely, and they wore the wear and tear of years of use.

Every available surface was covered in papers, and the wooden shelves on the wall dipped in the middle from the weight of the binders. When you were little you'd been afraid the wood would break in two, but they were still standing (hanging?) – maybe they'd stay like that for the rest of eternity for all you knew. Your father's office had only one desk, which made your job as occasional office manager and full-time problem solver, problematic.

Your father would sit in his chair on one side, while you'd steal one of the mismatched chairs and occupy the other end. If you'd had your way, you wouldn't be working here. The timber business interested you just as much as your father was interested in the disco they played on the radio. "If it ain't the king of rock I don't want to hear it," he usually said and switched the channel.

But the town was small, and no one was hiring. The summer after you'd finished high school you'd dreamt of moving to the city, but the money had been tight and your father needed you. At least the work, if your father didn't meddle, was relatively easy: answer the phone, type out the invoices and salaries, keep an eye on logistics, and make sure whatever breaks gets fixed.

The radio hummed at a low volume, one of the singles from Tapestry, as you turned another page of your book. Leaning back in your father's office chair, you glanced at the clock over the door. He should be back by now. Just as the thought crossed your mind, the door swung open.

"Did you need something?" you asked, your book dipping down in your lap.

Logan raised an eyebrow at you as he walked into the office on heavy steps, that damn cigar hanging out the side of his mouth. "Nice to see you too, princess," he poked jokingly, tugging at his gloves, one finger at a time, and tucking them into his leather belt.

He sported the same outfit he usually wore; bootcut jeans, a white t-shirt under his flannel and a thicker wool-lined jacket. He must've been sweating in here with that on.

Autumn had claimed the trees and ground months ago, but this morning the frost had covered the ground and bit at the apples of your cheeks. Your breath had come out in swirling plumes when you'd locked yourself in this morning; the first glints of the sun peeking through the windows as it rose over the mountains. The first thing you'd done was crank the heater, and now as you approached midday, you'd shed your sweater long ago while the windows had fogged with condensation.

The smallest of frowns tugged at your brows, as a heat prickled up your neck to your cheeks. Logan made you a little nervous– not in a bad way, but in a way where your thoughts would wander in his presence, conjuring up scenarios of him and yourself in… comprising positions. Okay, maybe it was in a bad way. But who could blame you when he walked around like that?

He'd arrived only a few months ago, at the tail end of the summer, looking for work. He was strong, stronger than any of the other men working for your father, and although the work was hard, it seemed like he never tired. You didn't know much about him and he kept mostly to himself, hidden away in a cabin up in the mountain, but sometimes you'd see him down at the local bar, nursing a glass of whiskey in one hand and a lit cigar in the other. More than once you'd seen him chatting up Kayla Silverfox, and more than once you'd wished it was you in her place.

"Oof," Logan groaned as he opened the fridge, grabbing his packed lunch and closing it as fast as he could. You appreciated him for that; whatever had died in there should stay in there.

"Yeah," you said, "I'm not cleaning that again, not even for a million bucks."

"Can't blame ya."

He looked to the table for a second where the guys usually ate their lunches, before he decided to take your usual chair at your father's desk. As he sat down, you pushed the ash tray to his side of the desk, earning you a short smile in thanks as he rested his cigar. It wasn't unusual for him to talk to you on his breaks.

So, why did you heart beat so fast in your chest?

Because it was the first time you'd been alone.

"So, where's your old man?" he asked and bit into the sandwich he'd packed in an old newspaper.

"Running errands– he should be back soon…" you trailed off.

Logan hummed non-committedly. "So, you're in here sittin' pretty readin' your book while we're out in the cold slavin' away– maybe I should become the boss' daughter."

"Well, it's not easy," you sighed, feigning confidence, "and you gotta be pretty first of all," you front teeth dug into your bottom lip as you tried to hide your nervousness.

"That's true," he grinned, "I ain't got nothin' on you, princess."

Logan held your gaze with intent, and it was like something in the air shifted. It happened sometimes with Logan, like he had this power beaming from him that sucked you in. Erratic wings fluttered in your stomach, and you had to drop your gaze.

"So, how's the book?" he asked, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"Eh," you shrugged, dog-earing the page your were on, before throwing the beat-up paperback on the table. "Too many plot twists– first they're on earth, then there's this virus spreading– so they have to move all of humanity to the moon, but then there's this species that lives under the surface of the moon who they start a war with, but one of the main characters are in love with a moonie– that's what they call them– so, now they're in love and trying to stop the war and…" you shrugged again.

Logan chewed slowly as he nodded his head. "Sounds complicated," he decided, making you let out a small laugh.

"I guess so."

A grin washed over Logan's face at your small laugh, and you felt his gaze roll over you, over your exposed skin. When he looked at you like that, like a predator drooling for a meal, you felt a small damp spot stick to your panties. You watched as his nostrils widened, his jaw clenching shut as a pulsing vein protruded from his neck.

"So, science fiction," he started, clearing his throat, "Didn't know you liked that," he continued between the last bites of his sandwich

"Some kid at the library recommended it," you shrugged, "so I thought I'd try it out. And it's not like it's that far from the truth– we've got mutants."

Logan crumbled the newspaper hard and quick, the sharp sound making you jump. "Yeah," he said, and stood to his feet, "That's true."

He grabbed his burnt out cigar, and threw the ball of newspaper in the trash. You started to wonder if you'd said something wrong, but then he said, "Your father's back," and not even a second later you could see your dad's old truck pull up outside the window.

How did he even know that?

"Logan– wait," the words just fell out of your mouth before you could even think them through. He hovered by the door, raising a questioning eyebrow at you.

You could be brave– Just say it!

"Come by later would you? Before you leave for the day– I have something for you."

A gush of cold air blew in with the arrival of your father. He almost crashed right into Logan on his way out, nearly knocking him down the wooden steps. You thought you could glimpse a small nod from Logan, but he was out the door so fast you couldn't be sure.

The rest of the day went by slowly as a growing anxiety gnawed at your neck. With your dad back you slipped out to borrow the car, driving into town to pick up some lunch at the local diner. It was routine at this point, something you did without thinking, but today your thoughts couldn't stay still. You were pulling up outside the office when you realized you'd driven the whole way with the radio off.

What was even your plan?

You wished you were better at this. You could pretend, sure, put on a brave face to hide the nerves from surfacing, but how do you get a man like that to go for a girl like you?

You felt non the wiser when the sun had dipped below the mountains and he finally knocked on the office door. Your dad had left thirty-minutes earlier, stranding you at work with no way to get home.

If this didn't go well, you didn't look forward to walking home.

"What 's it you wanted, princess," Logan asked, leaning against the frame of the door with one knee popped. Your eyes couldn't help but run down the length of him – his broad shoulders, the bulge hidden below his big belt buckle, and the veins of his exposed arms as he slung his jacket over his shoulder.

"Oh, um," you tried to shake your thoughts, and you rummaged the desk for the envelope. "Here," you said as you found it, stretching your hand out for him to take it.

He pushed off the door frame with a raised eyebrow, the cold air from the open door taking with it the warmth of the office. "What's this?" he questioned, taking the envelope from your hand.

"It's your check– for this month's work," you explained.

His raised eyebrow pulled into a frown, "This is a week early," he questioned, "and I usually get these sent in the mail."

"Oh, I-I just thought I'd give it to you personally this time," you lied, fitting a shrug at the end for good measure, trying to sell how completely normal and nonchalant you were.

Logan raised a skeptic eyebrow at you, and you suddenly felt really really stupid. In your chest your heart could compete with a hummingbird's.

"Really?" he said with a smile before he dropped his chin, "Can I appreciate a little extra something in here, or…?" he trailed off, waving the envelope.

Letting out a shaky inaudible breath, you tried in your flirtiest voice, "Maybe if you give me a ride home…"

...................

The lights from the town below looked like stars scattered over the night sky, the yellow light of the roads connected them like on a string. You knew that Logan knew where you lived; the town was small, and even with the short time he'd spent here, it wasn't hard to get familiar. He'd stopped at the lookout point, about half-way up the mountain road. It was nice in the daytime, with a nice view of the town, the mountain and rivers, but at night it attracted a different kind of crowd: lovers. It was cheesy, and cliché, but clichés were clichés for a reason.

The Led Zeppelin tape whirled, and the music stopped.

Suddenly you felt nervous, fingers picking at a loose tread on your sweater. Logan leaned forward to flip the cassette, and his truck filled with a sound of organ, like you were back in church. When he leaned back he slung his arm over your seat. You watched how he spread his legs, getting comfortable, as his eyes found your face.

Under the wool, your heart picked up its beat.

In a brave move you shifted closer, the leather seat moaning under you, as a pleased smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. His big palm snaked around your shoulder, curling you closer to him until his lips caught your own. You only hesitated for a second before your hand found his neck, where your fingers tugged lightly at the hair at the nape of his neck.

A low growl huffed against your lips, and he deepened the kiss, pressing himself roughly against you as he licked into your mouth. You couldn't help the small whimper escaping you. His touch was rough, almost impatient, but tender all at the same time, and you felt yourself fall apart.

The air stuck to your skin, clammy and sticky with arousal and now you started to get impatient. With a loud smack you broke apart, your lips raw and spent from use as you caught your breath. A rough hand cupped your cheek, the pad of his thumb skated gently over your skin as he tilted your head towards him.

"Such a pretty little thing," he mused. His eyes had gone dark, pupils huge and filled with lust; yours must've looked about the same as they rolled down his body. He shifted closer to you, pushing you closer to the door, and you got a better view of the bulge hidden behind his jeans.

Your heartbeat pounded in your ears, clogging up the sounds around you like you were underwater, pushing at your thoughts at the back of your mind. Logan moved with such ease, each touch natural and easy, like he'd done them a thousand times. Not like you, with only your short-lived high school boyfriend under your belt.

"Hey," he shook your head gently, "Where you goin', bub?"

"I'm sorry," you whispered, a heat coating the apples of your cheeks.

He shook his head, his face surprisingly tender for someone so rough, "Tell me, baby."

"I'm just…" you trailed of, trying to find your words, "I'm a little nervous– I haven't done this much," you said, avoiding his gaze.

"That's sweet, bub." The pad of his thumb rubbed the pet name into your skin as he leaned forward to catch your lips in a soft kiss, "But I wouldn't worry that pretty little head of yours 'bout it."

His breath was hot against your own, and an ache started to spread between your legs. The hand on your cheek travelled downwards to tug at your jacket, and you parted only for a second to rid yourself of it, but before you could lock your lips with his again he grabbed at your hands.

"I'll teach ya," he told you and guided your hands to his broad form.

He let you touch him as he shucked off his jacket, your fingers dancing over the soft flannel. He was solid beneath your fingers, hard muscles from hard work. A patch of dark hair curled at his chest, peeking out beneath his white shirt, and you found yourself wondering where it lead.

Curling his hand around your wrist, he guided your hand lower; down over his chest where you could feel the solid form of him. His bronze belt buckle burned you like ice, but the heat of him as he pressed your hand to the hard bulge beneath the buckle burned even brighter.

"You feel that?" He looked you straight in the eyes. He pressed your hand down harder and you could feel the shape of him against your hand, hard and thick, and big. You barely managed a nod through the wave of heat coating your cheeks.

"That's because of you, princess." His voice was low, almost like a growl, as he started to guide your hand to rub over the thick length.

"Me?" you questioned, breathless.

"Yes, you," he chuckled, a heavy hand petting at your head. "D'you want to take it out? Stroke it f'me?"

"Please," you begged, looking at him with moony eyes through your lashes.

"So polite f'me," he mused, his hands tugging at his belt before he popped the button on his jeans. Slipping off your shoes, you crawled up into the seat, sitting back on your knees as you watched him pull at his jeans. Peeking out from under the denim, you could see a dark patch of hair.

Logan was in no rush, revealing only an inch at a time of the base of his cock, making a show of it as the tension rose. A wave of tickling arousal washed over you, and it made you brave, reaching a trembling hand forward, you helped him tug at the fabric.

At last his cock sprung free.

You felt your eyes widen at the sight, as you involuntarily squeezed your thighs together. Even with your limited experience, you knew he was bigger than most. The thick length of his cock bobbed from the weight, hanging heavy between his legs. At the tip of his fat head, a drop of precum pearled, almost invisible in the dark truck.

"Come here, bub." He widened his legs as he reached out a strong arm for you, curling you into his shoulder.

"Put your hand on it," he ordered, "like this," he grabbed at your wrist and guided you hand towards his mouth. You let him move you around, eyes blown out and wide as you couldn't take your eyes off his impressive cock.

A wet blob of spit pulled you from your thoughts, it drew the slightest frown over your face until he guided your palm, now coated in his spit, to his cock.

Under your palm his skin was silky soft, but hard and firm at the same time. You found yourself mesmerized at the sight of your hand around him as you familiarized yourself with the heaviness of him in your hand.

"There ya go–" he cut himself off with a groan as you formed a fist around the head of him. Your fingers struggled to reach around him, but it didn't seem like Logan minded much when you moved downwards smearing his spit over his shaft in an experimental tug.

"That's it, good girl, just like that."

A warmth bloomed in your chest at the praise, wrapping itself around your heart. You wanted him to say it again– to be good for him. So, you reached forward with your other hand, wrapping it around the base as the other formed a fist around the head. Another pearl of precum beaded at the tip, and you took the opportunity to skate your thumb over it, massaging it into his spit.

A growl seemed to get caught in Logan's throat, and still riding off your high that the praise had sown in you, you started to pump his cock in slow strokes. A slick sound escaped under your fists with each stroke, and you watched how his head fell back in pleasure.

"Am-am I doing it right?" you asked, voice barely above a whisper.

At the sound of your voice, Logan sat up straighter, a heavy hand falling over your back to pull you closer. "You're a natural, princess."

You couldn't contain the smile from coating your lips as he brought you in for another searing kiss. It was hot, and suffocating, and all-consuming, all at the same time. It clouded your mind, and you forgot what your hands were supposed to be doing.

Logan's hand travelled down your body, his big palm grabbing at your ass. "Take of your pants," he ordered against your lips, "Panties too," underlining his order with a couple of light slaps to the flesh.

Shuffling out of his hold, you fingered at the button of your pants, pulling at them and your panties as quickly as you could. Goosebumps prickled over your exposed skin, the air suddenly frosty without Logan's touch – but that didn't last long.

The calloused pads of his fingers trailed up your thighs, pressing down into the flesh as he pulled you closer to him. "Come sit in my lap, princess."

He didn't wait for you to move, instead he manhandled you how he wanted. Spreading his legs wide apart he fit you between his legs, your back pressed against his hot chest with his hard and leaking cock caged against your ass.

"I'm gonna touch you now, baby, okay?" his deep voice whispered in your ear.

"Okay," you peeped, heart pounding in your ears at this new proximity.

He spread your legs, putting your wet and neglected cunt on display, hooking them over his knees. When his palms danced over your inner thighs, you felt yourself sink deeper into his chest, deeper into the safe scent of pine and man.

"Need to get you ready f'me, bub– stretch this tight cunt out for my big cock," he cooed.

You ached for him, a sticky wet feeling between your legs as you wished so badly for him to finally touch you. His touch was light, but teasing, drawing circles along the thin flesh, circling closer and closer to where you needed his touch the most, before he pulled away.

"Please," you whined, grabbing at his arm.

His breath felt hot against your neck, and you could feel the grin he pressed against your skin. He let you guide him upwards to hover his large palm over your mound, but he wouldn't let you have it. Instead, he pushed at your sweater. His hand spread across the skin beneath your belly button as prickled goosebumps followed the rough pads as they ran across your skin.

"Y'gonna feel me right here, bub?" he teased, "So deep inside your tummy?"

A whine caught in your throat and you felt like an exposed nerve. Arousal pulsated throughout your body, threatening to pull you apart unless he did something soon. Your neglected cunt dripped with an ache only he could sooth.

"Yes, please, Logan," you whined, tears threatening to spill.

His thick beard scraped against your cheek, and you almost trembled from anticipation as he slid his hands downwards. He raked his fingers through the curls of your mound, and a gasp fell from your lips when he finally pushed at your clit.

A wide smile reached across your face when he started to circle his fingers, tight with the perfect amount of pressure. Your hips bucked to meet his touch, your cunt eager and dripping for more of him. His other arm clasped around your middle, keeping your still and steady in his lap as he had his way with you.

A bold finger dipped lower, running through your folds and teasing at you entrance. A slick sound filled the car as he played with your cunt, circling his fingers around your hole, dipping a teasing finger inside you just to the first knuckle, before withdrawing it just as quickly.

"Such a messy pussy," Logan murmured in your ear, the deep bass of his voice vibrating into your skin. "Listen."

The sound as he played with your pussy was obscene, lewd, and so dirty you felt a heat crawl up your chest. A breathy gasp escaped you when he finally split you on his finger, and a satisfied smile coated your lips as he started to move it inside in a steady rhythm, prodding every so often at that spongy spot inside, the spot your own finger couldn't reach.

"F-feels s-so good," you managed to stutter out.

The heel of his palm pressed against your clit with every thrust, teasing at your insides and conjuring moan after breathy moan from your lips. He guided you closer and closer to the edge, and you wanted so badly to fall. When he pulled out to slide another finger inside you, you felt a tear roll down your cheek with satisfaction.

"I can feel that pussy clenching me– you close, bub?" he poked, never stopping his fingers.

Your head rolled back, resting heavy on his shoulder as you nodded franticly, mouth parted slightly, humming out small breathy whines. You were so close, the tension in your stomach twisting and aching for release.

But then he pulled his fingers, dragging them up over your mound leaving a wet trail in your curls. You couldn't help the disappointed sigh as more tears pressed their way down your cheeks.

"Shh," he hushed you, "you're okay, bub."

Under you, you felt him move, his strong muscles flexing as he shifted you on his lap. When you felt the blunt head of his cock slide between your folds, an eagerness came upon you. You grinded against him, making a small chuckle rumble from his chest. Logan slapped his heavy cock against your folds, coating his big cock in your slick arousal.

The first stretch of him knocked the breath right out of you, the fat tip of him splitting you in half as he helped you guide yourself down on him. You had to remember to breathe, your hand fumbling for something to hold on to.

"Fuck," you whimpered, eyes wide, "I-it's so big– it's t-too big."

His hand wrapped around your middle held you in place, keeping you still on his cock as you adjusted to the first inches of him inside you.

"It's not too big, princess, you're doing so well f'me," he praised, "just a little more, bub– you can do it."

With a wet whimper you lowered yourself, taking a couple more inches of him, as Logan pressed more fluttering praise into your skin. He let you take your time, easing yourself down on him at your own pace. When your thighs were finally flushed with his, he was so deep inside you, you jolted, trying to move back up, but Logan's hands held you down. You felt him in your tummy, like he'd said, his cock reaching so deep you were shaking.

"Sit still, get used to it," he told you, as you tried to catch your breath, "You're being so good f'me."

And somehow the burning stretch of him soothed away into a pleasurable pressure, one you couldn't help but chase. With an experimental rock of your hips, you felt the fat head of him prod at your spot, making you mewl. And when you started to swivel your hips, Logan groaned in satisfaction, meeting your movement with small thrusts.

Slowly, he picked up his rhythm, strong hands shifted to dig into your hips, holding you in place for him to move you as he wished. In your ear, you heard him growl, deep and animalistic as he fucked up into you.

It didn't take long until your breath came out fast between moans as the pressure built, and built, and built.

"Logan," you moaned, tethering right on the edge.

Another growl escaped his chest, as his strong arms hooked under your legs. He pressed them tightly to your body as he picked up his pace, bucking wildly into your eager cunt. You could feel him throb inside of you, and you couldn't help but clench at the thought of feeling him spill inside you, claiming you.

"Don't stop, please, don't stop," you begged, tears streaming down your face like two winding rivers, "I-I'm gonna come."

A hand slid between your legs to rub at your puffy clit, coaxing you closer and closer with winding circles.

"Come on my cock, baby, come all over that big cock."

It was hot, and blinding. Euphoric shocks pulsed through your body, as you fluttered and gushed around his cock. Logan's grip on your legs tightened as you shook violently with your orgasm – a million stars exploded behind your eyes.

"Oh, that's it, bub, such a good girl," he praised between heavy wet pants against your ear.

Fucking you through your ecstasy, Logan chased his own high at a relentless pace, and all you could do was take it, reduced to a ragdoll in his hands. In your ear he muttered nonsense interlaced with praise, telling you how good you felt, and how perfect you were for him.

With a deep groan he pulled out quickly, tugging at himself until he spilled his thick spend on the truck floor. With bleary eyes you watched how it pumped in quick spurts, dripping down his hand and soiled the knuckles in his own sticky cum.

Behind you, Logan breathed hard, nudging his nose against the column of your neck to press soft kisses to the hot skin.

A pair of bright headlights beamed down the road, pulling you from the moment with its blinding light. Logan helped you shift off his lap, reaching to hand you your discarded clothes before he tucked himself back into his jeans.

The cassette whirled in the car radio, and you couldn't remember when the music had stopped. Logan shifted back behind the wheel and an eerie silence grew in the distance between you.

"How 'bout I take you somewhere to eat?" he posed.

You smiled, "I could eat."

...................

hopefully this was okay? a comment telling me your favorite part is always welcome, and my ask box is always open to chat <3 and thank you for reading!!

#logan howlett #logan james howlett #wolverine #logan howlett x reader #logan howlett x you #wolverine x reader #wolverine x you #james logan howlett x reader #x-men fanfiction #lumberjack!logan #hugh jackman #*writing #wolverine smut #logan howlett smut

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fionnaskyborn · 1 year ago

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oh yeah i've figured out what the issue is i keep going to the tags looking for. art of my au. or at least something with similar vibes. looking for space opera things. in the goofy military game house. whose enjoyers discuss either the drama of it all (of the not in the slightest adherent to the actual source material kind) or whichever of the same ten unfunny memes are currently in rotation. sir you're at the wrong store

#sucks sucks sucks sick and twisted how i can't beam these scenes directly from my brain onto paper #i implore the spartans to stop dancing to bowie songs in space PLEASE #THIS ISN'T ABOUT H_A_L_O BY THE WAY I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH #oh my god i just realized that this au is like a child of two divorced parents AHAHHAHAHAHAHA #to me at least because one point of origin of its is one of my most beloved things with whose community i've had nothing but jolly good #times #and the other point of origin is the thing i love approximately just as much but in whose community i have no friends because everyone has #null media comprehension or has abandoned ship a long long time ago #(sans the one mutual i have from there you know who you are if you're reading this you're wonderful and i am eternally grateful for you #liking that tsoi meta post i made a while back. you're a real one ✊)#logs #i've had a wonderful day today so i'm off to write about that :)#i'm still laughing so hard at this though. sir you're at the wrong store. you're looking for mcdonalds not

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industria-adastra · 1 year ago

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Romantic Horror Modern/No Vampires AU?

So the thing was that I wanted to challenge myself and incorporate the whole Kaname Kuran (Real) and Kaname Kuran (Ancestor) thing that was in VK alongside Kaname (Ancestor) telling Yuuki that he was basically the cause of her real brother's death in a modern/no vampires AU whilst also making it Yume. The idea isn't fully fleshed out yet but I have a few keypoints.

Kaname and Yuuki are not going to be related in this AU but I feel like I could make a similar/even more horror-like/dark romance thing if they were siblings - However I'd have to add the parental horror from Juuri and Haruka... Honestly both sound like pretty interesting paths I could take with this AU

The main thing is that this is based off the manga/manga oneshot "The Summer Hikaru Died". As the title says, "Hikaru" dies out in the woods/mountains and is thusly replaced by an eldritch being who basically uses his body like a skinsuit. One of the only people who knows this is Hikaru's best friend, Yoshiki...who was tragically also in love with him. It's not clear whether Hikaru liked him back, but this "Hikaru" definitely wants to keep Yoshiki around.

So I'll keep Kaname and Yuuki's close (enough) relationship in canon, by basically making them neighbours and childhood friends. (They're both named Kuran in this idea, but they're unrelated. Rido is Kaname's emotionally distant dad in this. Kinda like when two people both have Smith as a last name but are unrelated, or at least so distantly it wouldn't even matter.) Kaien still raises Zero (and Ichiru as well possibly? I'm not sure whether to make it so Shizuka becomes his adoptive mother or just make her the older woman he has a crush on but won't pursue).

Now, where does the real and ancestor Kaname thing come in? By ancestor Kaname being an eldritch being who now pilots the previous Kaname's body. Yuuki is obviously not happy about this but also wants to do her best to view "Kaname" as his own person and not as a replacement for the Kaname she knew - this being because he acts perfectly like the one she knew. She knows this "Kaname" is not responsible for Kaname's death (which in this AU is still by Rido's hand), but her best friend is still dead. And he's making it very hard not to do so, even as she tries to introduce him to new, different things in order to at least differentiate him from the Kaname she knew. She cares for him, but she's mourning too. Basically it's complicated(TM).

Ancestor Kaname is obssessed with her via a combination of the previous Kaname's feelings (which were never spoken out loud), and his previous lack of experience dealing with human emotion or even normal human experiences. And Kaname latching onto Yuuki leads to messed up things happening because I did say this would be a horror romance AU.

Would there be a happy ending for this AU.... Maybe a true happy one is possible, but a merry bad ending is also equally, if not more possible.

#my ideas #fanfiction #vampire knight #yuuki cross #yuuki kuran #kuran yuuki #cross yuuki #kuran kaname #kaname kuran #eternal yume #au #horror romance #this is such a niche au but idk i feel like yume has so many flavours this could easily be one of them #if im carving myself out a space in vk/yume tumblr ig it's gonna be for overly specific AUs

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13lov · 1 year ago

Text

tethered. | jjk

Love notes were slipped into your locker on a daily basis. Variations of messy, boyish handwriting on yellow sticky notes stacked upon themselves by the end of each school day. Every Friday night you were invited out with the promise of "You'll have fun, just give it a chance."

You could have any guy you wanted, no doubt about it. Yet somehow, the only one you do want is the tattooed, gothic one that lives a few doors down from your best friend.

✰ pairing. — emo!jk x reader

✰ genre. — early 2000s au, best friend's older brother, childhood friends to lovers, smut, light angst.

✰ word count. — 7k+

✰ warnings. — swearing, family issues, partying, mentions of drinking/drugs, friendship betrayel (?), smut [virginity loss, teasing, fingering, soft dom!jk, "i've waited so long for this" type shit], reader and jk are both 18+, minors dni.

✰ a/n. really love this pairings and would love to have drabbles with them in the future, so pls lmk if u guys would be interested in that! thanks for all the love on the teaser, hope u enjoy! <3

✰ taglist. @ahgasegotarmy116 @hellbornsworld @kissyfacekoo @littlestarstinyseven @skzthinker

Two monumental events had been etched into your brain for eternity, the first being sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet up with your friends at the community pool. The second is fifteen minutes upon arriving at the pool, seeing your best friend's older brother emerge from the chlorine-scented water as if he were Poseidon and realizing you were utterly infatuated by him.

Jeon Somi isn't blind to this, immediately pulling you away from the crowd to question the longing gaze on your face. "Out of every fucking guy here with us, you're making eyes at my brother? You do know that Jungkook is completely gross, right?" She was so furious, you're surprised no steam was blowing from her ears.

Deny it all you want (and you certainly did within that fifteen-minute interrogation); Jungkook very clearly had a hold on you that lasted many years following that fateful night. He wasn't even your usual type; he wouldn't be caught dead around the guys you're typically drawn to. He had a rebellious side; maybe that's why getting him out of your head was nearly impossible.

Of course, the eternal guilt of falling for your best friend's older, dumbass brother is also difficult to get out of your head.

It can't be helped, really. Anytime you'd visit their home, your eyes would automatically wander through the crack of his doorway as you'd pass by. Whether he was messily cutting his dark hair while blasting Pierce the Veil from his speakers or giving himself a new Stick-and-Poke tattoo as he waited for a CD to finish burning, you long to break away from Somi for a moment to speak to him. Ask him about his day or if his band had any upcoming gigs. You'd even talk to him about paint drying if it meant you'd get to be in the same space as him.

So it's safe to say you were completely heartbroken when he left for college. Somi, however, is over the moon. Or so you think.

"… He's your brother, though. You don't think you're gonna miss him at all?" You ask, watching Somi delicately paint your fingernails a pretty shade of purple.

She shrugs, "I mean… it's definitely gonna be weird not seeing him around the house every day, but he'll still visit sometimes. Maybe."

Deep down, Somi knows Jungkook won't visit much. He'd been craving freedom and independence from their parents for ages, and moving away for college gave him the perfect opportunity to live as he pleased. They weren't fond of the clothes he wore or the friends he had, and absolutely couldn't bear the music his band makes. They criticized every little thing about him, and he'd finally be getting a break from them.

As you're about to ask Somi if she's okay, she stands from her bed, screwing the nail polish closed. "I'll be back. I have to let Bam out." Her voice is shaky, and she doesn't look at you as she exits the room.

You take the opportunity to make your way down the hall and to Jungkook's door, which he has conveniently left wide open as he scrolls on his desktop. His knees are pressed against his chest as he's heavily focused on editing his Facebook page. There's a rock song playing lightly from another tab that you can't quite identify; he uses his free hand to gently tap along to the beat of the music.

His room is covered in cardboard boxes, soon to be packed into his parents' minivan and making their way to the University of San Francisco dorms.

Your knuckles tap on his wooden door, your heart fluttering when he turns around, and you realize he's changed the ring on his lip from black to silver.

He nods at you, "What's up?"

"Nothing. I just know you're leaving in the morning, and I wanted to say bye. And wish you good luck, of course." You're not sure why you're so heartbroken. It's not like the two of you were ever a thing. It's not like this would be your last time seeing him. Why were you so upset?

"Cool, thanks." You assume that was his way of indirectly telling you to get out until he reaches into his desk drawer and says, "Catch," before tossing something towards you.

Careful not to mess up your manicure, you easily catch the item, unfolding what appears to be a purple bandanna. "What's this for?" You ask, inspecting the material in your palms.

"To remember me by, duh. Plus, it matches your nails.”

It'd be silly to tell him you genuinely don't need this because there was no way in hell you could ever forget about him. Instead, you clutch the bandana tightly in your fist and make a silent vow to keep it with you at all times; have a piece of him with you at all times.

You thank him and tell him it's nice, but all you can wonder is why he even wants you to remember him in the first place. Maybe you're overthinking. He probably just didn't care for the useless accessory anymore.

When you turn to leave, Jungkook stops you with a gentle call of your name. He turns his head in your direction, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth. "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything." You whisper back, praying you don't sound overly desperate for a more extended interaction with him.

A beat of silence passes, and just as he opens his mouth to respond, Somi is stomping up the stairs and belting out your name. You gaze away from Jungkook to glance behind you, listening as his sister shouts about doing each other's makeup.

"Never mind, actually. It's not important." Jungkook interrupts, and you physically feel your heart sink to the floor.

You're about to be annoying and pry a response out of him until your eyes dart to his floor, and you see it. What slipped out from his drawer when he tossed the bandana at you.

A condom wrapper. An empty one, at that.

It's embarrassing how quickly your vision becomes glossy, salty tears threatening to release with each passing second. Of course, he's fucking someone. Of course, that person isn't you. Of fucking course.

You shouldn't be surprised; he's probably more into girls with a similar aesthetic. She's probably covered in tattoos and piercings, just like him. She's probably older than you and may even have her own car, unlike you, who still had to catch rides with your parents or older sister.

It's odd, though. You're not entirely naive; you know Jungkook definitely flirts with you here and there, catching his eye when his gaze lingers on you for a second too long. There's a noticeable tension between the two of you that even your parents have teased about. And this whole time, he's been screwing someone else?

Jungkook hangs out with so many girls it'd be useless to even attempt to uncover who this mystery person is. It's none of your business, anyway.

So you leave.

You tell Somi you'll get grounded if you're home past curfew, and with tear-stained cheeks, you run home.

The following day isn't any easier.

Somi posted a photo on FaceBook of herself and Jungkook posing together, arms wrapped around each other, with the caption "c u l8r alligator XD". The comments are already flooded with responses wishing Jungkook farewell, some from family members or friends of the siblings.

"Don't 4get abt me!!!!!! >:( "from a girl with red hair catches your eye because it's the only one Jungkook responded to. You can't bring yourself to read his full reply, fingers moving to quickly close the tab after seeing the word 'Never.'

It's probably her, you think to yourself, the one he's sleeping with.

Maybe it's for the best that Jungkook's moving away; it'll give you some time to get over him.

And you most certainly did.

The only time he ever crosses your mind is when Somi brings him up (which she rarely does) or when you pass by his empty bedroom. Deep down, you know you'll always care for Jungkook on some level, but time away from him was just what you needed. You were too attached to him for no fathomable reason, rejecting any guy interested in you with the premise of being loyal to a guy who didn't even want you. He'd probably been sneaking girls in through his window, with you a few doors down doing magazine quizzes with his sister; blissfully unaware of what was happening down the hall.

You’re better off without him.

That's what you've been telling yourself daily until now. It's the start of summer vacation, and Jungkook's been summoned home to spend it with his family before Somi (and you) transfer to the University of San Francisco.

Jungkook was hesitant about coming home, as he always is. In constant fear that his parents have some elaborate plan for him to change his major or set him up with someone they deem acceptable, nothing like the girls he hangs around and probably invites back to his dorm.

It took days of convincing until Jungkook finally agreed to come home, under the premise that his parents' intentions were pure and that they simply wanted one last summer together before Somi moved away for college. They also hoped he'd be able to house-sit and watch over Somi for a few days as they took their annual anniversary trip to San Diego. That, however, took some bribing and the promise of gas money on their end.

He's not due to arrive until tomorrow morning, and you've convinced yourself there's no reason for you to see him right away. You'd be fine if the next time you saw him was in a few months as you're moving into your dorm. After years of longing, you've finally moved on from him.

Some of you have debated telling Somi about your past feelings for her brother, but there's no point. It was a one-sided relationship with absolutely zero depth, nothing worth discussing. So when she nudges your side and asks if you're interested in anyone, you reply with a shake of your head.

Somi has no reaction to this; she can't remember the last time you've been into anyone despite having the entire male population at your school practically throwing themselves at you. "Maybe you'll meet someone tonight."

She's referencing the house party you're going to, which she practically had to drag you out of your room to attend. Parties are different from your scene, especially on a day like today when you were hoping to have a girls' night with Somi. She had other plans, however.

"Maybe," you respond, sighing as the house you're attending is finally in your viewpoint. "We're not staying long, right? It looks packed."

Cars are parked throughout the street, one house, in particular, being the center of attention with loud music and drunk people decorating the front yard of a suburban-looking home. Somi looks as ecstatic as ever, looping her arm in yours and picking up her pace. She doesn't respond. It doesn't matter. Her response would've disregarded your concern.

One car catches your eye as you enter the unfamiliar house; it's parked towards the end of the street, and you swear you've been in it before. You're not able to dwell on it for too long, though, because Somi has to practically yank you through the front door.

Your nerves are at an all-time high. The music is entirely too loud, and there isn't a single sober person in sight. You're not sure how Somi even found out about this party, but you really wish she would've left you out of it. You'd go now if it were acceptable, but Somi would've stayed regardless, and you refuse to leave her alone. So, you push your feelings to the side and take her hand as she leads you towards the kitchen.

"Thirsty?" Somi questions, forcing a red solo cup into your hand.

"Not at all," you respond, sighing as Somi pours something into your cup.

"It's just ginger ale," she reassures you, "I don't think either of us should get drunk here." For once, she's being reasonable.

Somi suggests you do a lap around the house in hopes of running into people you may have gone to school with. And to your surprise, a decent amount of your past classmates have decided to attend. You feel more at ease with them around, a bit more comfortable now that you're around recognizable people. Although you initially hesitated to show up, you're glad you did.

"Anybody catch your eye yet? Or are you still breaking hearts?" Your old classmate, Yeoreum, questions.

You shake your head, about to explain that you're not interested in dating right now, until she gestures behind you. "That guy is pretty cute."

You shift on the couch, looking around until you spot who Yeoreum had been gesturing towards. You locate him finally, and she's right; he is cute. He just seems so familiar.

That's when it hits you.

"Oh my God," you whisper, eyes locked on him, and you slowly rise from the couch.

It's Jungkook. And the car you recognized was his. He's here. What is he doing here? He isn't due to be back until tomorrow morning.

You almost don't realize it's him until you spot the mole under his lip. He's grown his hair out and stopped dyeing it, the slew of tattoos that decorated his arm (God, did he start working out, too?) nicely connected, now creating a sleeve, and he's given himself an eyebrow piercing. Your feelings for him come rushing back in full force.

Panicked, you reach for Somi's hand, but she's nowhere to be found. Careful not to be seen by her brother, you bow your head slightly, passing through a crowd of sweaty bodies until you finally spot her kitty heels. She's leaned against a wall, swirling around her cup while flirting with some guy you'd seen around school a few times.

Creating some much-needed distance between the two, you tug Somi towards you. "I think I just saw your brother."

"What? No, he won't even be in the city until tomorrow morning."

Frustrated, you quickly search the crowd until your eyes land on him again. You ignore the fact that he's now speaking to some girl with red hair and tattoos scattered across her arm and point in their direction, "Well, then that guy looks just like him."

Somi squints her eyes in disbelief at the boy in question until the doubt becomes confusion, and the confusion becomes realization. "Oh my God! The fuck is he doing here?" She turns towards you as if you're supposed to have the answer.

"The fuck should I know? You said he wouldn't be here until tomorrow morning!"

"Because that's what he told our parents! How was I supposed to know he was gonna be here? I never would've come if I knew!"

"What are you guys doing here?" A voice you haven't heard in so long interrupts. You don't even want to turn around.

"What are you doing here?" Somi throws back, and the two stare at each other in angry silence for a moment until Jungkook steps to the side. "Upstairs," he says, nodding towards the staircase.

"But—"

"Go."

Somi's clearly aggravated but makes her way towards the stairs. You remain in place with your arms crossed, raising a brow in confusion when Jungkook looks at you. "What?"

"You too."

"I'm not—"

"I'm not asking again," he says simply. You convince yourself that you only take his command because you don't feel like fighting. Definitely not because it's interesting to have him boss you around.

Trudging up the stairs behind Somi, you wait with her in the hallway until Jungkook arrives. "Come on," he says, entering a bathroom and turning the light on. Neither you nor Somi protest; there really isn't any point.

As soon as the door is shut, Somi is yelling at the top of her lungs. "What the fuck are you doing here?! You said you wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning! Mom and Dad had to push their trip back just to give you more time to arrive, and you're already fucking here?! The fuck is the matter with you?!"

"I'm not gonna respond if you're gonna be yelling like this." Jungkook says calmly, leaning against the sink, "Let me get my questions out first, then I'll answer any of yours, deal?"

Somi glances over at you, sitting on the bathtub's edge, and you nod. She returns her attention back to Jungkook, takes a deep breath, then agrees.

"Now, what are you guys doing here?! How'd you even get invited?! And you're drinking?!" The calm demeanor from earlier slips away in a matter of seconds, clearly a hoax just to get Somi to calm down enough to let him speak.

"It's just ginger ale, and we've barely even had any! We were invited by our friends, okay? We have just as much right to be here as you do."

Jungkook scoffs, clearly unamused. "Right, and I'm assuming Mom and Dad know you're here then, huh?"

Somi nervously tucks a hair behind her ear. You wonder why you even have to be in here with them. It's not like Jungkook is your brother, anyway.

"We told our parents that we were going to a birthday party at a friend's house." Somi mumbles, barely able to look Jungkook in the eye.

"And what did they say when they dropped you guys off?"

"They didn't drop us off," you interrupt, "we walked here."

"Well, I wasn't gonna tell him that." Somi glares at you, it takes every bone in your body to not to laugh at her.

You're so over this. You didn't want to attend this dumb party in the first place, and seeing Jungkook flirting with some girl who could've been his female counterpart was the icing on the cake. It doesn't matter if your feelings for him were gone before tonight; every little emotion you'd felt for him over the years had returned (as if they ever left).

"And how exactly did you two geniuses plan on getting home?"

"Same way we got here."

"Can you please just let me handle this? Jesus Christ…" Somi shoots another frustrated glare at you, and you can't help but roll your eyes at her. She turns back towards her brother, "Can you answer my questions now?"

Jungkook's eyes anxiously dart around the cramped bathroom, landing on you a few times before he's slowly nodding his head. "Alright, Mom and Dad basically forced me to spend the whole summer here, and I kept asking myself why they were so persistent about it. They finally told me they needed me to watch over you and the house for their stupid trip. I had plans too, you know? That I had to derail for them. My band could've spent this summer touring, making real money, and now we can't. So, they wanna inconvenience me? I'll inconvenience them right back."

"…Inconvenience them by doing what?" Somi asks the exact question you had.

Jungkook shrugs, "By telling them I'm gonna be arriving a day late, duh."

You and Somi exchange an awkward glance at one other before silently agreeing not to tease him about it. If this was his badass way of retaliating, who were you to rain on his parade?

"Are you gonna tell anyone you saw us here?" Somi questions, a noticible tremble in her voice.

"As long as you guys don't tell anyone you saw me."

It's a fair trade, you accept it. You're even more delighted when Jungkook says he's taking the two of you home. Somi, however, isn't too happy about this, claiming there were so many people she didn't get to speak to, and how'd this be the last time she'd get to see them before moving away for school. You're not sure if Somi is really good at getting what she wants, or if Jungkook was tired of hearing her complain, but he finally gives in and grants her ten more minutes to socialize before meeting him at his car.

"If you're not at my car in ten minutes, I swear to God I'm calling mom." Jungkook scolds, holding the bathroom door open as the three of you finally exit.

A loud, drunk voice suddenly shouts, "Woah, Jungkook! Two girls at the same time!? You fucking beast!"

"They're my sisters, you fucking pervert!" He shouts back.

You can't even dwell on how disgusting the original comment was, only being able to focus on the fact that Jungkook just reffered to you as his sister. As conceited as it may sound, you're not used to rejection or guys putting you in the friend-zone. Whatever little game Jungkook had been playing with you over the years was completely new territory. And right when you think things couldn't possibly get any worse, he calls you his sister.

What the actual fuck.

The next ten minutes go by in a blur; Somi has ditched you for a second time that night to talk to the guy from earlier. When it's finally time to leave, you find her Sat on his lap with her arm hung across his shoulder, laughing at an unfunny pickup line he'd used on her.

"It's time, Somi," you interrupt, helping her stand.

"Wait, wait, wait," she persists, directing her attention back to the boy, "tomorrow at five, right?"

"And not a second later." He sends her a disgusting wink that makes your skin crawl.

Somi is so love-struck you're surprised there isn't an arrow lodged in her back. She can barely form a proper sentence, erupting into a fit of giggles every few seconds as you make your way to Jungkook's car. "Wasn't he just gorgeous?"

You shrug, linking arms with her. "He was alright."

Stunned, Somi gasps at you, "Just alright? He was literally like a Greek God."

"I'm not saying he's unattractive; he's just...not really my type."

"And what is your type, Miss. Never-Has-Been-Interested-In-Anyone?"

Now, there's the question of the hour. You have to word your response very carefully; don't be too obvious about the fact that your ideal type is her older sibling.

"I guess I prefer guys with an edgier look to them, you know? Tattoos, piercings..." Despite your attempt to sound as nonchalant as possible, your heart is beating out of your chest from the mild confession.

Somi snickers, then playfully groans. "It sounds like you're describing my brother."

Now, you really have to test the waters.

"Since you brought him up, would it be so bad if I did like Jungkook? Hypothetically speaking, of course." You're not sure what prompts you to even ask this. It's not like he's even interested in you; he literally just referred to you as his sister.

A beat of silence passes as Somi gathers her thoughts, then she says, "No."

"What?"

You've finally reached Jungkook's car at this point, beating him there. You sit atop the trunk, feet hovering above the ground as the cold, nighttime air swirls around you. Somi shakes her head, "Obviously, it wouldn't be the ideal situation, but I guess I wouldn't mind as long as you talked to me about it first."

"First?" You mimic.

"Like...assuming you'd wanna date him or something. Just so I'm not blindsided, you know?"

This is the last thing you would've expected your impulsive, hotheaded (yet oh-so-loveable) best friend to be reasonable about. Mainly because she lectured you for nearly twenty minutes when she first suspected you had a crush on Jungkook.

You go to respond, but Jungkook, finally arriving at the car, captivates both of your attention. He finishes off his can of Pepsi before crushing the aluminum and tossing it to the ground. "Ready?" He questions.

There's no point in giving him a speech about littering; you're just ready to go home.

He fishes his keys from his pocket and unlocks the car door; Somi opens the backseat and jumps in before you have the chance, sprawling across the aged leather. "Move over," you nudge her foot with your knee; she pulls away from you.

Jungkook calls your name, "Just sit up front. She's not gonna move."

Now, this is new. You've ridden in the backseat of his car with Somi more times than you can count; he'd never allow either of you to sit shotgun with him; typical annoying older brother bullshit.

Don't make a big deal out of this, you say to yourself, climbing into the passenger seat of his car.

Somi and Jungkook bicker the entire ride to their parent's house, partially out of annoyance with each other, but you also get the feeling that neither of them were genuinely ready to leave the party. You're surprised Jungkook even enjoyed parties; he spent most of high school either working, hanging out at skate parks, or practicing with his band in their garage. College must've really changed him, and you're unsure how to feel about it.

Jungkook parks a few houses down from their parent's house and unlocks the doors, "Get out," he says into the backseat.

"Where are you gonna spend the night?" Somi questions, stretching her arms outward.

"I checked into a motel this morning. I'll be back here tomorrow around noon. And, hey," Jungkook turns around, pointing a finger at his sister. "Don't tell them you saw me."

Mockingly, Somi points a finger right back at him. "Telling them I saw you would be exposing myself, cock-sucker. Leave me alone." She angrily begins to climb out of the car, annoyed at how little trust Jungkook had in her.

You turn to go, but Jungkook's cold hand on your bicep stops you, "Where you goin'?"

"I'm gonna walk home from here. It's only a few minutes away," you respond.

Jungkook shakes his head, "I'm dropping you off. You haven't moved since I left, right?"

"No, but it's fi—"

"Then your house is on the way to my motel. We're going in the same direction; might as well ride together."

It truly does make more sense to ride together, and rejecting his offer any further surely would raise suspicions. You don't want either of them to believe you'd feel uncomfortable being alone with Jungkook because that couldn't be farther from the truth. You're perplexed about your feelings now, and you don't want to do anything you'd regret just because of the confusion.

"Okay, then." You glance over your shoulder at Somi, "Will you need any help getting ready for your date tomorrow?"

Suddenly embarrassed, Somi shushes you, gesturing that Jungkook is literally right next to you and would prefer that he didn't hear about her dating life. Jungkook genuinely couldn't care less and is instead patiently waiting for his sister to get out.

She does finally, and Jungkook resumes his path to your house. He turns the radio on, switching between stations until he stops on one that's playing a song he's familiar with. You drive silently for a few minutes; the only sounds being heard are the distant noises from the car's motor and Jungkook humming along to the radio.

He breaks the silence by saying, "I was surprised to see you back there. You never really seemed like the type to enjoy parties."

You chuckle, "I could say the same for you; I don't remember you attending any in high school."

"That's 'cause house parties weren't my thing," he explains, "I went to raves or parties that would happen at the skate park. I don't really like being at someone else's house for too long; it feels too intimate."

Now that you think of it, skate park parties and raves seem much more like his scene.

"Well, I only went because Somi was going, and I didn't feel comfortable with her being there alone. Otherwise, I never would've gone." You admit, resting your head against the window.

"Thanks for looking after her, by the way. You're a good friend."

"I'd do anything for her." Your voice is barely a whisper now, getting quieter with every word you say.

Silence passes, and he says, "Did you know your guys' dorm room is gonna be right under ours?"

"Seriously?" You respond, genuinely curious.

"Mmm-hmm. My roommate, Mingyu, and I are gonna be the worst upstairs neighbors ever." He teases as you roll your eyes. Your mind can't decipher whether this banter is playful & platonic or romantic. Everything Jungkook does confuses you.

"If that's the case, I'll be sure to move to an entirely new building."

"What, so you can have your boyfriend protect you?"

Pause. Boyfriend?

You nearly give yourself whiplash from how hard you spun around to look at Jungkook. "Boyfriend?" You ask.

He shrugs nonchalantly, keeping his eyes on the road. "I just assumed you'd have one by now. Do you?"

There he is again with his mind games. What the fuck was he talking about?

After letting out a very frustrated sigh, you mumble, "No, Jungkook, I do not have a boyfriend."

"Good. Focus on school."

Now he's pissing you off. You wish he'd shut up for the rest of the car ride. "It's nice to see you again, by the way."

Holy shit, you feel like jumping out the window.

"Yeah, great seeing you too. Oh, there's my house. I can walk from here." You make quick work of undoing your seatbelt.

"You sure? I can drop you off at the door."

"No, no. It's best if my parents don't see you so they don't accidentally tell your parents that they saw you." You lie, racking your brain for any excuse imaginable.

He nods, deciding it's best to drop you off a little further from your house. "Then, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"What?" You stop dead in your tracks, one hand clutching the door handle.

"Aren't you coming over tomorrow to help Somi get ready for her…thing? I'll be back home by then."

He's right; you'd be back in his house, and he'll be there this time. It's no big deal. You'd only be there for an hour (at most) to help her prepare, and then you could go the whole summer without seeing him again.

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

The following day, Somi is back to her unreasonable self, expecting you to wait at her house for her to return from her date.

"Please? We're just going to get pizza; we won't even be gone that long." She pleads, adding the finishing touches to her makeup.

You'd already spent over an hour helping her prepare, and now she expects you to do nothing but await her return. You know her heart's in the right place; she just wants to be the first to hear all the exhilarating details about her date. Still, a phone call would suffice.

"What am I supposed to do while I wait for you to come back?" You whine.

"Just hang out here! Watch a movie or something!" She suggests, trying her absolutely hardest to sound enthusiastic. Her phone buzzes in her hand before she has the chance to continue, eyes lighting up as they flicker across the bright screen.

Somi clutches her phone, locks eyes with you, then rushes towards the door. You're faster, though, quickly capturing her wrist before she's barely reached the hallway. "I'm going home."

"No! If you stay here, I'll bring you back pizza, and we can have a girls' night like we were supposed to yesterday! Come on, please?" She begs, pouting her lips.

You go to reply, but the bathroom door swings open, and Jungkook strides out. Just to your luck, he's shirtless; water droplets descend from his hair as he towel-dries it. As he enters his bedroom, he mocks his sister's high-pitched whine, earning a lethal glare and a slew of swears thrown at him.

Perhaps you should stay.

"Fine, but you're lending me your pajamas." You give in, earning an enthusiastic shriek from your best friend.

Somi wraps you in a brief, yet tight, hug before shouting, "Be back soon!" Then she's rushing down the stairs and out the front door. It's not often that Somi makes you wait for her return, but you absolutely despise it whenever it does occur. She's never back by the time she promises and gets upset when you try to call and check up on her.

And speaking of calling, you're sure your phone is dead by now. You insisted Somi bring her's along just in case, so you're left with one option.

Jungkook's door is wide open (as usual) when you go to knock. He's fully clothed now, pairing his black sweatpants with a matching black t-shirt. His hair appears mostly dry now, chaotic as ever, but dry. You don't think he's ever looked this good before.

He's sat on his bed, flipping through the latest copy of Rolling Stone when you arrive. He glances over at you and lets out a dry chuckle.

"What's so funny?" You ask.

"You're dressed like Bella Swan." He responds casually, eyes raking up and down your body.

"Who?"

"From Twilight. You know, that new movie that came out?" He seems genuinely surprised that you don't seem to know anything about this movie, not even the name of (who you suspect to be) the main character.

You lean against the doorframe, "Haven't seen it."

"It's a great movie, seriously. Some friends and I are seeing it in a few days if you and Somi wanna come." He suggests, flipping another page in the magazine.

You let him know you'll ask Somi if she's interested before remembering why you came to his room in the first place and ask if you can borrow his phone charger. Jungkook directs you to where it's plugged up by his desk, and you finally have the chance to stroll further into his room. You can't recall the last time you've been in here, but you know it looks much different than before. Many of the band posters that decorated the room were gone, his random trinkets and piles of clothes were gone, and not a single piece of his CD collection was in sight. It felt so lifeless, so unlike him. No wonder he always dreaded returning home; it probably didn't even feel like home to him.

"So," you say, attempting to break the silence, "you're here for the whole summer, huh?"

"Unfortunately." He mumbles, "Gonna try and go by sooner, convince my parents I have to sort out an issue with my dorm or something."

"It's nice to have you back, though." You admit, watching as Jungkook's gaze locks on yours.

"Yeah? It is?" He questions.

You shrug, "Of course. We practically grew up together; it was weird to not see you all the time."

He sits up now, closing the magazine and tossing it on his nightstand. There's something on his mind that he isn't saying; you can tell from the way his brows knit together and how he's anxiously tugging on his lip piercing. "It was weird to be gone," he mumbles and leaves it at that.

"By the way, I'm sorry about last night." He apologizes.

"For what? Calling me your sister?"

He laughs at this, shaking his head. "I didn't mean to do that on purpose, by the way. That guy was just...so weird, I kinda blurted out the first thing that would've made him feel weird for even thinking that."

Oh. That makes sense. You definitely overreacted.

"I meant," he continues, "I'm sorry if the whole boyfriend assumption thing upset you."

"Oh," you dismissively wave a hand at him, "that was nothing."

Jungkook raises a brow at you, "Are you sure? 'Cause you seemed pretty upset afterward, you were practically running out of my car."

There's no point in lying now, considering you weren't even the slightest bit discrete the previous night.

"If I'm being completely honest, I just felt a little awkward. But that's it, I swear." You assure him, moving to lean against the bedside table.

"Awkward about what?"

God, this was so embarrassing. Is he really going to make you humiliate yourself like this?

"Because I've never actually had a boyfriend before."

Jungkook looks genuinely shocked at your confession, eyes nearly bulging out of his head as he examines yours for any sign of deception. "You don't believe me?"

"I'm not sure. I only assumed you had one just based on how crazy guys were about you in high school. Not to mention you're, like, fucking gorgeous."

What?

"I'm what?" You ask, not entirely sure if you heard him correctly.

He repeats himself again, and you make him do it a few more times until he's too embarrassed to say it again. You somehow manage to get back on the topic of never having a boyfriend before when Jungkook asks you another question. "Have you ever...?"

He doesn't need to finish the sentence. You know what he's asking.

You shake your head.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business." He berates himself, and you assure him it's no big deal and that it shouldn't even be a shocker to him.

After a half hour of talking about whatever comes to mind, you wind up sitting opposite Jungkook on his bed, legs perched up underneath your body as you go back and forth, questioning one another.

"So, when are you gonna admit you had a crush on me?" His voice is barely a whisper.

"I never did." You lie.

"Really? That sucks?"

"Why?"

He shrugs, leaning his back against the headboard. "I just always thought that maybe you and I would've ended up together at some point."

You don't remember who leans in first; it doesn't matter; all that matters is after years of longing, your lips are finally intertwined with his. He must've smoked today; you can taste the nicotine on his breath. But it doesn't matter; you don't make the slightest move to pull away. Neither does he, placing his hands on the small of your back to guide you onto his lap.

Your body is moving on autopilot, limbs moving to do whatever feels right as you silently pray not to ruin the moment. Jungkook can spot your nervousness from a mile away and stop you, "We don't have to do—"

"I want to," you pant, breathless, "I've wanted this for so long."

"Do you trust me?" He asks.

"More than anything."

He kisses you again before adjusting your current position, slowly twisting yourselves until you're lying flat on your back. He moves his lips down towards your neck, leaving a trail of kisses in his path as he settles between your legs.

You reach up to grab a handful of his hair, nearly jumping out of your skin as his delicate fingertips creep up your inner thigh, inching closer and closer until his ghosting over your clothed pussy. "This okay?" He mumbles.

You nod, unable to form a coherent sentence. "Cute," he replies, "you're already so wet." His fingertips stroke your clit through your damp underwear; you don't think to wonder how he managed to get to it so quickly, all thoughts leaving your brain as he makes small circles using his middle and index finger.

"Jungkook…" You moan, pleading for him to do more.

"I know." He assures you, using a single finger to pull your panties to the side, making just enough room for him to slide a finger into your aching cunt. "Am I really your first time?"

You nod again out of fear that a moan would slip from your lips if you even tried to speak. His eyes are locked on yours, studying your expression as he coaxes a finger inside you. You're embarrassed at how quickly your wetness coated his finger, but Jungkook doesn't care. He likes it, makes him feel fucking amazing knowing the effect he had on you.

"Take your shirt off." He says, and you do as told, pulling your top up and off your body and tossing it to the floor; making quick work of undoing your bra before he even has the chance to ask.

His lips are back on your neck instantly, trailing down to your collarbone until he reaches the curve on your breast. He halts his actions momentarily before your pitched nipple is caught between his teeth and your back arching off the bed from how overstimulating everything feels.

You curse under your breath, and Jungkook makes another comment about how cute you are, though you feel far from it. He apologizes by lapping his tongue around your nipple, easing the pain slowly as he inserts a second finger into your cunt.

You can feel his bulge against your thigh, though he doesn't even care about getting himself off. He moves over to your nipple, licking and sucking until it's completely hardened, leaving himself breathless. The two fingers that had been working your cunt had picked up the pace now, and there was an unfamiliar feeling in your gut that you couldn't identify.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…" You groan, legs trembling.

Jungkook is all too familiar with these actions and asks, "You're already close? I've barely done anything to you." He teases, chuckling to himself.

You know he's being lighthearted, but you can't help but feel embarrassed at the tears forming in your eyes from how good everything feels.

Suddenly, he's pulling his fingers out of you, and now you feel like crying for a different reason. You go to protest but stop to watch as he takes his shirt off. If you weren't sure then, it's obvious now he'd started attending the gym.

He makes quick work of tugging his sweatpants down his legs, tossing them into the abyss before reaching into his bedside table and retrieving a condom. "You're okay?"

You nod.

"Use your words."

“I’m okay, Jungkook.”

"You're still okay with this?"

"Yes."

"You sure?"

Jesus fucking Christ, the saint this man is.

"I'm positive." You assure him.

You move to pull down your skirt and underwear, but Jungkook catches your wrist. "Leave them on," he says. There are so many things going on that you choose not to question.

He pulls off his boxers in the meantime, hardened cock slapping against his abdomen with precum leaking from the tip. Though you had nothing to compare it to, Jungkook was obviously slightly larger than average. You shouldn't be surprised; it's always the guys that you'd least expect.

He tears the condom wrapper with his teeth, retrieving the rubber inside before tossing the remains to his floor. Despite being fully erect, he fists his cock a few times before sliding the condom on.

He crawls over you, left arm at the side of his head, while he uses his dick to nudge your panties to the side. "This still okay?"

"I already told you—fuck!" He cuts you off, the tip of his cock slowly making its way inside you. You feel so stretched out from this alone you don't know how you'd manage to fit all of him into you.

Jungkook must be feeling the same, swearing under his breath and commenting about how tight you feel around him. Second by second, he coaxes himself into your pussy until you feel like you could split right open. "Are you all the way in?"

"No, can't take anymore?" He asks, leaning his head down against your ear.

You're embarrassed to admit he's too big to handle on your first time, but it's the truth. You don't want to overextend yourself just to please him and end up hurting yourself.

"You can move, just…not too much. Please."

Jungkook nods, "Whatever you want, angel."

He pulls his hips back and rocks himself back in, being sure to ask if you're okay with his pace. Once you confirm you feel fine and want him to keep going, he continues his movements; his eager hips snapping against yours and his cock hitting your G-spot with each deep stroke. You feel like you're on cloud nine, hands tangled in his hair as he swallows your moans.

That unfamiliar feeling from earlier returns; you feel it through your entire body this time. A moan of his name escaping your lips lets him know you're close. How he can always sense these things is beyond you; it's not worth overthinking.

"Close?" He asks, and you nod frantically.

Jungkook picks up his speed slightly, careful not to overwhelm you, but just enough to reach your climax, until finally, the bundle of nerves in your abdomen snaps, and your back is arching off the mattress as you come around his cock.

He's only a few seconds behind with his orgasm, erupting in a loud grunt when he finally reaches it. The two of you lay in silence for a moment before Jungkook finally pulls out of you and slides the condom off, tying it in a knot and tossing it into his trash bin.

"Are you okay?" He asks for what feels like the millionth time.

"I'm fine." You respond, and it isn't a lie. Physically, you feel terrific; mentally, it was an entirely different story. "Are you?"

"I'm good, I'm good."

As much as you would love to lay naked with Jungkook in his bed for the rest of the night, you know Somi will be home anytime soon. "I think I'm gonna go wash up."

He nods, crawling under his covers once you stand from his bed, tugging your skirt to its proper length as you search for your remaining clothing. "Oh, it's um…your shirt, it's over there." Jungkook awkwardly gestures towards a pile of clothing by the end of his bed.

Almost as quickly as you shred yourself of them, you snatch your clothing and bundle them up against your chest.

"Listen, I know right now isn't really ideal, but I meant what I said about liking you, and really think we should talk." He says nervously, barely even able to look at you.

You almost want to laugh at how cute he is; instead, you agree to talk to him about it soon. You're about to head out into the hallway when Jungkook reminds you about your charging phone over by his desk.

You retrieve it and scan the area again, ensuring you haven't left anything else behind. When everything seems clear, you stand upright, but your eyes fall toward the trash bin near his window with the discarded condom. You're embarrassed to even look at it until you realize something seems off. It looks…empty.

Now, you're no sex expert, but imagine that if Jungkook had finished, there'd be something to show for it in the condom. Right?

Did he fake his orgasm? Was this another one of his fucked up mind games you'd been subjected to?

You don't know what to think as you step into the bathroom; your emotions are all over the place, and all you really want to do is go home. But you promised Somi you'd be here when she returns, so you stay.

The next time a Jeon sibling asks if you're okay is twenty minutes later when Somi finally arrives and asks why your eyes are so watery.

"I'm fine." You respond, and you're lying for the first time that night.

#bts #bts imagines #bts smut #bts x reader #jeon jungkook #jungkook imagine #jungkook scnenario #jungkook smut #kpop imagine #kpop smut #kpop scenario

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catastrophic-crow · 1 year ago

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dear gods; @spacedace this is less of a brain worm and more of a brain thresher maw (and my attention has been devoured)

(also, consider me a convert when it comes to "ancient of the speedforce Elle." that's excellent and correct, i decided and i really like the names)

Had a dc x dp brain worm, feel free to use as a prompt <3

Sidenote, I decided to get fancy with the Ancients titles because of course I did lol

Shifting Where = Space (Danny)

Eternal When = Time (Clockwork)

Ever Onward = Speedforce (Ellie)

Bruce watched the footage again.

And again.

Again.

It didn’t make sense.

A week ago every television, radio, computer, phone - even the LED billboards - had been taken over to deliver a message. Across the United States. In every territory it held. Every military base. Down in the depths of the oceans where American submarines tried to creep past Atlantian patrols. In the endless cold white of Antarctica. Even far above in the International Space Station. Any place the United States Government had control over, any place one of its citizens found themselves. There was the message.

The face of an entity, human in shape but not in form. Hair as gleaming white as starlight, eyes bright as the twisting dance of the Aurora Borealis, skin as cold and blue as the tail of a comet. The entity wore armor as black as the depths of space with a crown to match, the later glinting and shifting with the twisting birth and death of galaxies. A cloak of nebulae danced down his shoulders, eclipsing the world beyond the entity entirely.

He named himself, jaw tight, expression serious.

High King Phantom of the Infinite Realms.

The Shifting Where. Son of the Eternal When. Father of the Ever Onward. His Epitaphs many and ever growing. The True Balance. The Bridge Between. The Devourer of Dark. The Last Child of Between. The Great One.

King of the Dead. King of the Infinite Worlds. King of so much more than Bruce had ever even known was possible.

King who had declared war. Who marshaled his endless armies. Who spoke of warnings, of efforts to reach a peace, of trying again and again and again to find a way to not plunge into violence and bloodshed. All things living come to call him King in time, he had no want or need to go out and hurry that along. But there were no options left to him now. He had tried for peace. He had been denied.

He would not see his people suffer any longer. Would not see those he’d sworn to lead and protect imprisoned by fools who had sworn themselves enemies to all the afterlives. Would no longer permit the vicious cruelty to continue.

The message was a final warning.

A final offer.

Three days, Phantom said. The United States government would have three days to release their prisoners, to begin the process of dismantling the laws that made death itself an illegal act.

If they refused, he would lead his endless armies personally in the war to come.

It had not been an idle threat.

Three days after the message, after Bruce and the rest of the Justice League scrambled to try and figure out just what it was it was all about, after Justice League Dark’s members shakily took turns explaining just how powerful the being that had gave that message was and how much danger the world was in should he and his armies march upon their world, war came.

Of all places, it began in a town in Illinois.

The sky shattered like broken glass above, Lazarus Green beyond, and the Dead poured out.

It started in Illinois.

It did not end there.

Bruce watched the footage of it all, eyes burning as he watched every second of CCTV footage, every shaky phone camera video, every news broadcast.

Most of them looked human enough. Changed in death, but recognizably human once. A pair of glowing teenagers on a motorcycle, a writhing shadow twisting about at their command sweeping chaos upon the battlefield. A young woman dressed to perform with hair a literal flame, burning bright blue and snapping furiously as she played devastation upon her enemies with her guitar. A child with corpse gray skin and luminescent green hair, flickering in and out of Bruce’s ability to see as if fighting against a law of existence to be visible, screaming orders to a skeleton crew from his place on deck of a 1700s ship that sailed through the sky, disappearing into clouds before raining down attacks from above.

There was more. Glowing skeletons dressed in the fashions of war spanning every culture going back millennia. Robots with weapons far beyond the technology they had even in the League. Creatures of myth and legend. Things of nightmares.

Leading them all, as he had promised, was Phantom.

He looked younger, smaller. Just a boy, really, a gangly teenager that hadn’t quite finished growing into himself. One holding power beyond anything Bruce could ever imagine, but still just a child as far as he could see, no older than Tim who’d just graduated high school. Frantic research found Phantom appearing as far back as human history, but those sightings had to have been after his death. Bruce can’t help but wonder how young the boy had been when he died, how much of that youth still clung to him through all these eons.

It wasn’t something he’d let him self consider normally, not with something like this.

A dangerous unknown appearing without warning and attacking with unimaginable power and seemingly endless forces. It was something that would normally eclipse everything else. Something that would make Bruce put aside the ache at seeing a face so young twisted in rage.

But.

He watched all the footage.

Civilians were put in the crossfire. Were shot at and endangered. Were left terrified and scrambling for safety in buildings that were rapidly being torn away by stray artillery.

But never by Phantom or his armies.

The dead, in fact, went very far out of their way to ensure civilians weren’t harmed. Sweeping people up out of the way of falling debris. Shielding them from attacks that would have most certainly killed a normal human. Some dead even helped evacuate, ushering a frightened and panicked populous to safety as gently as they were capable of. Some of the less human creatures - giant bear-like beings with horns and fangs and ice edging their burly frames - even rushed forward to offer medical aid.

When the sky shattered open and the armies of the dead swept in, they ignored the town below. They focused instead on what was discovered later to be the base of a secretive government agency. The dead’s fight focused on those individuals in sharp white suits, bearing weapons capable of actually injuring King Phantom’s people.

It was these agents that brought the fight to the streets to Amity Park. That fired recklessly and without thought or care to the casualties they could inflict. That didn’t seem to care if they killed a hundred civilians if it meant hurting just one of Phantom’s soldiers.

Bruce watched all the footage.

And again.

Again.

Phantom had declared war.

Phantom spoke in his message of being out of options, of attempting peace. Phantom gave three days time for the release of captives. Phantom lead armies who fought viciously but never once willingly harmed civilians.

Phantom declared war, but he didn’t want it.

“Amanda Waller has reached out.”

Bruce didn’t turn his attention from the screens before him, eyes burning as he followed Phantom as the King dove away from the middle of locked combat to shield a child from a pulse of green energy from something like a grenade another agent in white had carelessly thrown. The child was crying but unharmed. The left pauldron of Phantom’s armor cracked and shattered from a direct shot from the enemy he’d just been fighting that he’d turned his back on, a glowing green liquid uncomfortably like Lazarus Water dripped down from a smoldering wound.

Clark stepped up to stand beside him as he watched, face worn and tired. The League had missed the first battle, but they’d been quick to appear at the rest. Phantom and his army ignored them unless they put themselves purposefully in the way of the fight. They were, as Justice League Dark had warned, vastly out powered by the entities fighting. A hulking giant knight made of shadow riding a nightmarish steed had driven Clark six feet down into the dirt when he’d attempted to make his way to Phantom directly to try and talk to the king.

The depth Clark had ended up felt like a warning of what would happen if he tried to get close to the king again.

It probably was.

“She said they have intel for us.” A faint twitch of fingers, jaw clenching, voice flat in that way that told Bruce his old friend was fighting back anger with everything he had. “That she has options for how to deal with the insurgence.”

Bruce shut off the monitors.

He’d seen enough.

Now was time to get answers to just what, exactly, Amanda Waller and the US government had done to cause the Dead to rise and rage.

#reluctant war AU #ancient of the speedforce elle #ancient of space danny #ancient of time clockwork #shifting where #eternal when #ever onward #ghost king danny #danny fenton #elle phantom #dani phantom #danielle phantom #bruce wayne #clark kent #amanda waller #dp x dc #dc x dp #dpxdc #dcxdp

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idyllic-ghost · 16 days ago

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Title: Unveiling Hearts: The Law of Attraction Pairing: lawyer!Joshua x fem!lawyer!reader Genre: rivals to lovers, coworkers to lovers, lawyer au, romance, smut, fluff, angst Wordcount: 13.4k Rating: 18+

Synopsis: Two former law school rivals are forced to confront their past and present when they end up working together at the same firm. As old tensions resurface, their professional and personal lives become entangled, leading to unexpected challenges. Through rivalry and collaboration, they navigate the complexities of their relationship and careers, discovering that some connections are meant to be re-examined.

Warnings: reader is afab, smut (MDNI), slight dom/sub dynamics, switch!reader, switch!joshua, drunk sex, sex without protection (reader is on birth control), self-doubt, fighting (verbally)

A/N: this is a collab made by @haologram - find the Don't Hate, Litigate! masterlist here!

Disclaimer: The scenarios and depictions in my works are fictional and do not represent real-life situations. They do not aim to reflect the complexities of any culture, city, or individual. All characters are entirely fictional, regardless of names or descriptions.

MDNI: Adults only. Minors are not allowed. Any minors found will be blocked.

Join my taglist // Masterlists

As soon as your eyes flutter open, an unsettling sensation grips you. Despite the blinds being tightly drawn, an unusual brightness floods the room, casting an eerie glow on the walls. The familiar muffled sound of your neighbor’s TV, a constant background noise every morning, is conspicuously absent. This odd silence is jarring. Your heart races as you turn to glance at the clock, its digital display blinking erratically, showing a time far later than your usual wake-up. Panic sets in as you realize your alarm never went off, and you've overslept by a crucial half-hour.

With a string of curses, you stumble out of bed, your feet tangling in the sheets as you lurch toward the closet. Frantically, you grab the first outfit in sight. The button-down shirt you pull on is slightly wrinkled, and you tuck it into your pencil skirt with hurried, sloppy movements. You mutter under your breath, knowing that this disheveled look is a problem for the future you to handle.

Struggling with your pantyhose, you nearly topple over, muttering a string of curses. "Damn you, alarm clock, this is all your fault," you grumble, your voice tinged with frustration. Finally dressed, you sprint into the kitchen, where the unfamiliarity of your new space looms large. "Where are the cups?" you groan, flinging open cabinets and drawers in a frantic search. Each empty cabinet and misplaced item heightens your frustration, making your heart race even faster. After what feels like an eternity, you stumble upon a bowl and, with a resigned sigh, decide it will have to do for your much-needed coffee.

Tofu, your white, fluffy cat, watches you with an air of amused indifference. His emerald eyes follow your every move as you haphazardly brew coffee in the bowl. "Really, Tofu? Just going to sit there and judge me?" you mutter, glancing at him. He meanders over to his food bowl's usual spot, looking at you expectantly. "Great, even the cat knows this place better than I do," you sigh, shaking your head. You scoop out his food and place the bowl on the tray, giving him a quick pet. "Bye, Tofu. Be good," you say, but he merely flicks his tail and turns his back, more interested in his breakfast than your farewell.

Turning to the hallway mirror, you take a moment to compose yourself. You meticulously smooth down each unruly wisp of hair and straighten your blazer with unwavering attention to detail. The reflection staring back at you looks polished and composed, a stark contrast to the chaos of your morning. Satisfied, you grab your bag and dart out the door, mentally steeling yourself for the whirlwind of tasks and challenges that await.

As you arrive at the law firm, you navigate the bustling corridors, your mind already racing with the tasks you need to catch up on. The familiar hum of office chatter and the clatter of keyboards provide a strange sense of comfort amidst the morning's turmoil. You barely settle into your chair, your to-do list unfurling in your mind, when your boss's voice rings out, "We need you in the conference room for an urgent meeting."

You grab your coffee mug, now filled with the hastily brewed beverage, and head to the meeting. "So much for a moment to relax," you think, your shoulders tensing with the anticipation of another demanding day. As your colleagues file into the room, you steel yourself for the challenges ahead. Despite the morning's chaos, you know you have to keep pushing forward.

When you enter the room, you notice a familiar figure standing by the window, reviewing a stack of documents. A tall, handsome man with a dark navy suit and his hair swept back in a haphazard way – the kind of hairstyle that looks effortless, but everyone secretly knows is high maintenance. Your heart skips a beat as you recognize him— Joshua Hong, from law school. The years have been kind to him; he still has the same confident stance and sharp eyes.

You sit down in your usual seat, praying that your old-school rival doesn’t recognize you. Today out of all days – when you look disheveled and tired as all hell – he just had to appear. If you remember correctly, he works for a rival company and you spend several minutes wracking your brain for an answer as to why he is there. Your boss begins discussing the new, urgent case you are assigned to, but your attention is divided between the details of the case and the presence of Joshua. You feel a mix of surprise and irritation at seeing him again, memories of your intense rivalry flooding back.

Once the meeting ends, you’re hurriedly packing your things together to avoid Joshua – you know you wouldn’t be able to avoid him completely, but maybe you could buy yourself enough time to go to the bathroom and put yourself together. However, your plans are disrupted by your supervisor who comes walking over to you.

“Y/L/N, you were unusually quiet today,” he says with a furrowed brow. “Is anything the matter?”

Your supervisor is kind, and you feel truly fortunate to have him. However, his timing leaves much to be desired. As he calls your name, you notice Joshua's head snap in your direction, his eyes narrowing with interest. Maybe he had already seen you, but now he seizes the opportunity to approach. His confident stride carries him across the room, a faint smirk playing on his lips. He joins the two of you, thanking your supervisor for a good first meeting before turning his full attention to you.

“Y/N,” he says, his tone laced with a hint of amusement, his eyes gleaming. “It’s been a while.”

You force a smile, striving to keep your tone neutral. “Joshua. I didn’t expect to see you here,” you reply, noting how his presence seems to fill the room with an almost overbearing energy.

“I just transferred from my old company,” he replies, his voice carrying a familiar, competitive edge. His gaze locks onto yours, unyielding. “Looks like we’ll be working together.”

“Looks like it,” you respond, your heart pounding as you struggle to remain composed. “Welcome to the company, Joshua.” Your words feel stiff, formal, a shield against the flood of emotions his presence invokes.

As you leave the meeting, the cold, distant persona from your university days begins to surface. Memories of who you used to be, shaped by Joshua’s antics, flood back, making you cringe. You recall yourself as the harsh critic, the goody-two-shoes who somehow managed to be a vicious competitor, always driven to outperform everyone else. That fierce competitiveness got you through school, but now, in hindsight, you can’t believe how ruthless you were. The entire situation feels surreal, like a never-ending nightmare.

When you finally reach your office, you glance out the window, only to see Joshua talking to your supervisor again. The sight of him triggers a flood of unwanted memories. He notices you staring and waves playfully, a smug grin on his face. Quickly, you avert your gaze, wishing you could crawl back into bed and escape the reality of work.

The atmosphere in the office feels stifling as you try to focus on your tasks. The bustling environment, usually a source of motivation, now feels oppressive. The fluorescent lights cast a harsh glare, and the incessant hum of conversations around you becomes a dull roar in your ears. Your mind keeps drifting back to Joshua, and the uneasy feeling in your stomach grows.

As the day drags on, you find it increasingly difficult to concentrate. Every little sound seems amplified—the rustle of papers, the click of keyboards, the distant ring of phones. Your thoughts are a jumbled mess, and you can't shake the anxiety gnawing at you. When lunchtime finally arrives, you retreat to a quiet corner of the break room, seeking a moment of solace.

Sitting with your back against the wall, you close your eyes and take a deep breath, trying to center yourself. The familiar scent of coffee and the murmur of your colleagues’ conversations provide a small measure of comfort. You remind yourself that you’ve faced challenges before and emerged stronger. This time will be no different.

When you return to your desk, you catch sight of Joshua once more. He stands at the center of a group of coworkers, his animated gestures and infectious laughter commanding their attention. The sunlight streaming through the office windows catches the gleam of his watch and the crisp lines of his tailored suit, accentuating his charismatic presence. His eyes twinkle with that familiar confidence, and every so often, he glances around the room, as if he owns it.

You take a deep breath, feeling a knot of tension in your stomach. Steeling yourself, you remind yourself that his reappearance will not unsettle you. Squaring your shoulders, you walk with purpose to your desk, the clicking of your heels on the polished floor echoing your determination.

Settling into your chair, you take a moment to ground yourself. The familiar hum of the office envelops you, a steady rhythm that helps you regain your focus. You arrange your papers neatly, your fingers tracing the edges of each document, seeking comfort in the orderliness. The scent of fresh coffee from your mug mingles with the faint aroma of office supplies, creating an oddly soothing atmosphere.

With renewed resolve, you dive into your work, your fingers dancing over the keyboard with practiced efficiency. The tasks before you, once daunting, now seem manageable. You immerse yourself in the flow of productivity, your mind honing in on each detail, each challenge. The turbulent morning fades into the background, replaced by the clarity of purpose.

Just as you settle back into your workflow, you stand to retrieve a document from the printer. As you round the corner, you collide directly with Joshua, who is holding a stack of papers. His documents scatter across the floor, and for a brief moment, you lock eyes.

"Watch where you’re going," you say, trying to keep your voice steady.

Joshua bends down to gather his papers, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "Looks like some things never change," he retorts. "Still as clumsy as ever, I see."

You kneel to help him, your fingers brushing against his as you both reach for the same document. A jolt of annoyance surges through you, mingled with an unwelcome spark of attraction. "And you're still as irritating as ever," you reply, your tone sharp.

He chuckles, the sound low and infuriatingly charming. "It's good to see you haven't lost your edge."

"Good to see you haven't lost your overconfidence," you snap back, handing him the last of his papers. "Just stay out of my way."

"Can't make any promises," he says, his eyes twinkling with that competitive spark. "But I'll try to be more careful around you."

You stand up, brushing off your skirt, and take a step back. Joshua stands up with you, looking at you expectantly. Some of his, otherwise perfectly slicked back, hair had fallen out of place over his forehead. "You do that," you say, turning on your heel and walking away.

The encounter leaves you simmering, but also oddly invigorated. The rivalry that once pushed you to your limits in university now fuels your determination, and the undercurrent of attraction only adds to the tension.

Returning to your desk, you feel a renewed sense of focus. Despite the lingering presence of Joshua in the back of your mind, you remind yourself that you’re capable and resilient. Each completed task, each problem solved, reinforces your confidence. You glance up occasionally, noting the bustle of the office around you, a testament to the day marching on.

Later that evening, you meet up with your friend Nari at your favorite bar. The warm ambiance and the hum of conversations provide a comforting backdrop as you both settle into a booth with your drinks. It’s just what you need after your chaotic day at work, and you let yourself fully relax – something that your friend seems to be unable to do. Nari sips her cocktail and sighs deeply, clearly exasperated.

“Another bad date?” you ask, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah,” Nari groans. “I don’t know why I even bother with these dating apps anymore. They never seem to work out.”

You nod sympathetically. Nari’s dating woes are a frequent topic of conversation, almost to the point where you have a script of what to say. “Maybe you need to take a break from them.”

“What am I doing wrong, Y/N?” she exclaims with a pout.

“You’re not doing anything wrong,” you correct her. “None of these guys you’re seeing can reach up to your standards, that’s all.”

Nari swirls her drink thoughtfully. “I just can’t get that one guy out of my head. Do you remember the one I met at the bar a few years ago? We had this amazing conversation all night, but I never got his number.”

You scoff playfully, rolling your eyes. “You're such a romantic, Nari. Holding out hope for some guy you met once.”

“You don’t understand! We talked for hours, at some point I thought I'd never go home– and I was fine with it! I think we talked about Billy Elliot for, like, an hour. We both had been crying through it as kids, apparently,” she explains. “It felt like I had met a soulmate... not just because of that, of course, but we were so alike in everything we talked about! I’ve never met anyone like that.”

“This is why I can’t do what you do,” you say. “I can’t do romance, I’d just end up disappointed.”

Nari laughs and leans in closer, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Speaking of romance, what about you and Joshua? Seems like you two have a lot of unresolved tension.”

You nearly choke on your drink. “Joshua? No way. He’s just... ugh, he’s always been a pain. And now I’ll have to deal with him again. I thought I was done with him after uni.”

“Uh-huh,” Nari teases, raising an eyebrow. “A handsome, successful pain who you just can’t stop thinking about.”

You shake your head in an attempt to drown out her claims, but you can’t deny that Joshua has been occupying your thoughts since you saw him earlier. Despite feeling annoyed by his presence, you find yourself strangely intrigued by the possibilities. It’s strange how someone you despised could still ignite a sense of motivation within you.

“Do you know why he transferred?” Nari asks, bringing you out of your thoughts.

“Not at all,” you admit. “I thought he was pretty much in love with his old company– that’s what it sounded like in school, at least.”

“I have a memory of you complaining about that, yeah.” She nods and sips on her drink before she gets an idea that almost makes her jump out of her seat. “If you’re going to start complaining about Joshua now, I think I’m allowed to talk about my almost-soulmate! We should take turns!”

“Why are you so excited about that?” You laugh at her eccentric behavior.

“Because now I finally have something to hold over your head!” she exclaims and the two of you laugh together.

After finishing your drinks, you and Nari leave the bar, bickering lightheartedly about your love lives before you head your separate ways. Walking home, the cool night air does little to clear your head. Your thoughts drift back to Joshua and the memories of your law school days. You remember the heated debates, the competitive spirit, and most vividly, the times you compared test scores after the particularly grueling exams. Everything you did, in the end, you did to beat Joshua. It’s part of the reason you ended up at the top of your class, you’re sure of it.

As you unlock your door and step into your apartment, your cat greets you with a soft meow. You sigh, kicking off your shoes and recounting the day’s events to your furry friend. “Can you believe it, Tofu? Joshua Hong, of all people.”

Your cat blinks at you, unimpressed by your human drama. Shaking your head, you head to the bathroom to get ready for bed. After feeding Tofu, you walk into your bathroom to do your skincare. As you brush your teeth, you catch your reflection in the mirror, thinking about Joshua’s smirk and the way he still knows how to get under your skin. You shiver at the thought, quickly spitting out the toothpaste in your sink before going into your bedroom.

Finally, you crawl into bed, setting your alarm with extra care this time.

“Not going to be late again,” you mutter to yourself, determined to face whatever challenges tomorrow brings, including Joshua. As you drift off to sleep, your dreams are filled with memories of past rivalries and the confusing mix of emotions that come with seeing Joshua again.

The next day, you walk into the office determined to focus on your work and ignore Joshua. However, that plan quickly falls apart. As soon as you start reviewing the case files, Joshua walks up behind you in the meeting room. He looks over your shoulder, at the notes you have on your computer, and points out a section you had just written.

“Are you sure you want to approach the case like this?” he asks, pointing to your notes. “I think your argument here is a bit weak.”

You glare at him, refusing to back down. “I’m confident in my approach, Joshua. Maybe you should focus on your work instead of nitpicking mine.”

He smirks, raising an eyebrow. “Just trying to help. Wouldn’t want you to get left behind.”

From that moment, the rivalry that had simmered since law school reignites with full force. Every interaction becomes a contest of who can outdo the other, with you both constantly trying to prove your superiority. Meetings turn into battlegrounds of sharp words and pointed comments, neither of you willing to concede any ground.

Weeks pass, and your frustration with Joshua grows. You vent to Nari over lunch, recounting the latest clash with your rival.

“He just gets under my skin,” you fume, stabbing at your salad. “He questions everything I do, and it’s driving me crazy.”

Nari listens patiently, a knowing smile on her face. “You know, all this bickering sounds like something else to me.”

You look at her, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Nari says, leaning in, “as I said before, it sounds like you two have a lot of unresolved tension. To me, all of your stories sound like he’s flirting with you. Maybe you should just ask him out and get it over with.”

You blink in surprise, caught off guard by the suggestion. “Ask him out? Joshua? Are you kidding?”

“Think about it,” Nari insists. “You guys are already close, and there’s clearly something there. It might be worth exploring.”

You shake your head, but Nari’s words linger in your mind. The idea seems absurd, yet the more you think about it, the more you wonder if there might be some truth to what she’s saying. It’s not like your love life can get any worse—it’s practically non-existent. Being with someone you know, someone who’s as passionate about work as you are might be a good thing. Maybe there is something beneath all the rivalry and tension that’s worth exploring.

Over the next few days, Nari’s words echo in your mind. The more you think about it, the more you realize there might be some truth to her suggestion. Joshua is good-looking and undeniably talented, and your interactions, while contentious, are always charged with a certain energy. You start to wonder if, beneath all that rivalry, there might be something more. And even if there wasn’t, maybe there could be something – you had been on your own for a while, it was time to find someone.

Finally, you decide to take Nari’s advice. You can’t deny that Joshua has been occupying your thoughts more than usual, and maybe it’s time to confront this situation head-on. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?

The case your team has been working on finally comes to a close, and you all decide to celebrate with a night out at a nearby bar. As the drinks flow, your usual restraint begins to wane, and you find yourself getting more and more intoxicated.

Encouraged by the alcohol and a sudden surge of confidence, you decide to go for it. You approach Joshua, your heart pounding in your chest. He’s standing by the wall, watching all of your coworkers play a game of mafia loudly. He managed to lose in the first round, and you followed shortly after—on purpose, to be alone with him.

“Joshua,” you slur slightly, trying to steady yourself. “I need to tell you something.”

He looks at you curiously, tilting his head. “What is it, Y/N?”

Taking a deep breath, you muster all your courage. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I think there’s something between us. Do you... want to go out with me?”

For a moment, there’s silence. Then Joshua sighs, a look of regret and guilt crossing his face. “Y/N, I... I have a girlfriend.”

Your heart sinks, the embarrassment hitting you like a sobering wave. “Oh,” you manage to say, your voice small. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay,” he says gently. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

You nod, forcing a smile. “No, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have... I’m just gonna go.”

Even when he’s rejecting you, he’s perfect. Without waiting for a response, you turn and make your way outside, your vision blurring with unshed tears.

You find yourself sitting on the curb, the cool night air doing little to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside you. Through blurred vision, you order a cab on your phone. As you wait for your cab, your phone rings. It’s Nari.

“Hey, guess what!” she exclaims, her excitement palpable even through the phone, and she doesn’t even give you time to answer before she continues, “I found him! The guy from the bar all that time ago. We’re going out for fast food right now! His name is Vernon– can you believe how sweet that is?”

You force yourself to sound happy for her, even though your heart feels like it’s breaking. “That’s amazing, Nari. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, Y/N. I gotta go, but we’ll talk soon, okay? I’ll give you all the details later,” she whispers out the last part as if she’s scared to get caught.

“Sure,” you say, barely managing to keep your voice steady. “Have fun.”

As the call ends, you finally allow the tears to fall. The cab arrives, and you climb in, trying to hold back the sobs that threaten to escape. The driver doesn’t say anything as you give your address, and you spend the ride home in silence, the events of the night playing over and over in your mind.

When you finally get home, you collapse onto your bed, the weight of your unrequited feelings pressing down on you. Despite your best efforts, you can’t stop the tears that come, and you cry yourself to sleep, the heartbreak feeling all too real.

The next morning, you drag yourself to work, the events of the previous night still weighing heavily on your mind. The thought of facing Joshua again is too much to bear, so you decide to take action. After some deliberation, you gather your courage and head to your boss’s office.

“Come in,” your boss says as you knock on the door. You step inside, closing the door behind you.

“Good morning,” you greet, trying to keep your voice steady. “I wanted to discuss something important.”

Your boss looks up from his paperwork, giving you his full attention. “Of course, Y/N. What’s on your mind?”

Taking a deep breath, you say, “I’d like to request a transfer to a different department.”

Your boss raises an eyebrow. “A transfer? This is sudden. Is everything alright?”

You hesitate, choosing your words carefully. “I just think a change of scenery would be beneficial for me right now. Personal reasons, mostly.”

He studies you for a moment before nodding. “Well, it’s interesting you bring this up. You were due for a promotion. I was planning to discuss it with you later this week. If you’re looking for a change, we can consider promoting you to a different department.”

Surprise and relief wash over you. “Really? That would be... perfect.”

“Great. Let me work out the details, and I’ll get back to you by the end of the week,” he says, offering a reassuring smile.

“Thank you,” you reply, genuinely grateful.

For the rest of the week, you make a conscious effort to avoid Joshua. You adjust your schedule to minimize any potential interactions, keeping your head down and focusing on your work. Whenever you catch a glimpse of him in the hallway or the break room, you quickly divert your path, hoping to remain unnoticed.

The days crawl by, but finally, your boss calls you into his office again. “Y/L/N, I have some good news. We’ve finalized your promotion. Starting next week, you’ll be moving to the Corporate Law Department as a Senior Associate.”

A wave of relief floods over you. “Thank you so much. I appreciate the opportunity.”

“Congratulations, Y/N. I have no doubt you’ll excel in your new role.”

As you leave his office, you can’t help but feel a mix of emotions. Relief at the promotion and the prospect of a fresh start, but also a lingering sadness at how things turned out with Joshua. You throw yourself into your new role, working hard to establish yourself and make the most of the opportunity.

Months go by, and you successfully manage to avoid Joshua. Your new position keeps you busy, and the physical distance between departments helps. Slowly, you begin to find your footing again, the sting of rejection fading with time.

While the rivalry with Joshua may be behind you, the memory of it lingers, a reminder of the complicated dynamics that can exist between two people. But for now, you focus on moving forward, determined to make the most of your career and whatever comes next.

It’s late spring, and Nari is practically glowing with happiness. She and her new boyfriend, Vernon, have been dating for a few months now, and they’ve just decided to take their first trip together. Over one of your weekly lunches, Nari excitedly tells you about the trip.

“Guess what?” Nari exclaims, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“What’s up?” you ask, smiling at her enthusiasm – it was always nice to see her being so positive, something that’s happened more and more recently.

“Vernon’s friend invited us to stay at his summer house for a few days! It’s going to be amazing – a beautiful lake, lots of relaxation, and just what we need,” she gushes.

“That sounds fantastic,” you reply, genuinely happy for her.

Nari leans in a bit closer. “There’s more. Vernon’s friend said I could invite someone, and I want you to come with us.”

You’re taken aback. “Me? Are you sure? It’s your first vacation together, Nari. I don’t want to intrude.”

Nari shakes her head vigorously. “No, no, it’s not like that. I’ll be honest, I need you there. This is a big step for me and Vernon, and having you there would be a huge support. Plus, Vernon’s friend is single, and you never know…”

You laugh and shake your head. “I’m not going for a romantic setup, Nari. But if you need me there, I’ll come.”

Nari beams at you, relief evident on her face. “Thank you, Y/N. It means a lot to me.”

A week later, you find yourself nestled comfortably in the backseat of Vernon’s car. The gentle hum of the engine and the rhythmic swaying of the vehicle create a soothing backdrop as Nari and Vernon engage in lively conversation up front. The bustling cityscape slowly fades away, giving way to a more serene and picturesque countryside. Verdant fields extend endlessly on either side of the road, their lush green expanse interspersed with vibrant wildflowers that flutter playfully in the breeze. As the car's tires glide smoothly over the pavement, you watch the world outside morph into a stunning pastoral scene, the tranquil rhythm of the journey calming your senses.

When Vernon’s car finally rolls to a stop in front of the lake house, your breath catches. The estate before you is nothing short of magnificent, standing majestically against the backdrop of the glistening lake. The grand architecture of the lake house blends seamlessly with the surrounding nature, its wide verandas and large, inviting windows exuding an air of comfort and elegance. The entire property seems to beckon you inside, promising a retreat from the outside world.

You take a moment to soak in the breathtaking view, feeling an overwhelming sense of peace. The lake stretches out like a pristine mirror, reflecting the clear blue sky and the lush, green trees that frame its edges. The late afternoon sun casts long, golden shadows across the landscape, imbuing the scene with a warm, inviting glow. It feels like a perfect sanctuary where the demands of daily life simply melt away.

“Wow, this place is amazing,” you breathe out, your eyes wide with admiration as you take in the idyllic surroundings.

Vernon’s face lights up with pride. “Yeah, it’s quite something, isn’t it? My friend’s doing very well for himself.”

Your curiosity gets the better of you, and you turn to Vernon. “What does your friend do for a living?”

Vernon chuckles softly, clearly enjoying the moment. “Josh is a lawyer.”

The name hits you like a sudden jolt, and a sense of dread grips you. “Wait, a lawyer? Josh?”

Before Vernon can respond further, you notice a figure approaching the car. A wave of panic washes over you as you recognize the approaching figure.

Joshua Hong.

Desperation surges through you, and you scramble for an excuse. “Nari, can you drop me off at a bus stop or somewhere nearby? I just remembered I have an urgent appointment back home.”

Vernon, oblivious to your distress, steps out of the car to greet Joshua with a friendly wave. Nari, her concern evident, turns to you with a worried expression. “Y/N, are you okay?”

You manage a strained smile, hoping to alleviate her concern. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a last-minute thing.”

Nari’s concern deepens as she looks around, considering your request. “I’m sorry, but there aren’t any bus stops around here for a while. Is it really that urgent?”

“It’s about to be…” The urgency in your voice is more than noticeable, but you know you have no choice but to face Joshua. With a heavy heart, you brace yourself and step out of the car, greeting him with a curt nod.

“Joshua,” you say, striving to keep your voice steady despite the turmoil roiling within you.

“Y/N,” he replies, his tone polite but his eyes revealing a hint of surprise at seeing you.

Vernon, sensing the tension, steps in to diffuse the situation. “Joshua, Y/N is Nari's friend I mentioned earlier.”

Joshua nods politely, his gaze lingering on you a moment longer than necessary. “Nice to see you again, Y/N.”

You muster a tight-lipped smile, doing your best to conceal the inner storm. “Likewise.”

Nari glances between you and Joshua, her curiosity piqued. “You two know each other? From where?”

“From work,” you and Joshua say in unison, the shared response hanging in the air.

Nari’s eyes widen slightly as she processes this. “Oh… it’s that Joshua…” she murmurs under her breath, and you feel a headache beginning to brew by the front of your head.

As you follow Nari and Vernon inside, you can’t shake the feeling that this trip might not be as relaxing as you hoped – especially with Joshua Hong in such close proximity.

The group settles into the lake house, and you’re shown to your rooms by Joshua. Nari and Vernon are assigned the more spacious guest room, leaving you with the smaller one just down the hall from Joshua’s room. It’s a beautiful place, but the proximity to Joshua adds another layer of discomfort. He shows it to you while the other two unpack their bags. When you’ve walked into the room and put your bag down, Joshua leans against the door frame.

“I heard you got a promotion,” he begins, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, I did,” you reply tersely, not sure where this conversation is headed.

“Congratulations,” he says, his voice sincere.

“Thanks,” you mutter, feeling uneasy under his gaze.

“Listen, if I had known that it was you, I would’ve asked Nari to invite someone else,” Joshua admits his words causing a pang of disappointment in your chest.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint,” you retort.

“That’s not what I—” he starts to explain, but you cut him off.

“I’ll leave as soon as I figure out a way to get home,” you declare, already planning your escape. "They insisted on driving me here, so I don't exactly have a way of escaping."

“Y/N, you should stay,” Joshua insists, his tone softer now. “I’ve never seen you take time off before. You should enjoy yourself.”

You scoff bitterly. “You think I can enjoy myself when you’re around?”

“I’ll stay out of your way as much as I can,” Joshua offers, ignoring your bitterness. “As long as Nari and Vernon haven’t planned group activities.”

You pause, considering his words. The prospect of leaving this beautiful retreat because of Joshua doesn’t sit well with you, but neither does the thought of spending more time in such close quarters with him.

“... fine. Let’s hope they haven’t,” you concede reluctantly, closing the door with a finality that hangs heavily in the air.

As Joshua walks away, you close the door and lean against it, taking a deep breath to steady yourself. This vacation suddenly feels more like a test of endurance than a relaxing getaway.

Despite the close quarters of the lake house, you manage to maintain a respectful distance from Joshua. You navigate the space with a careful precision, orchestrating excuses to linger in the background or to partake in activities where he’s less likely to be present. It's a delicate dance of avoidance—sidestepping eye contact and keeping your conversations short and polite whenever your paths intersect.

One afternoon, Nari proposes a boat ride around the lake. You agree reluctantly, hoping the change of scenery will provide a welcome distraction from the uncomfortable tension that lingers between you and Joshua. As you settle into the boat, the engine’s soft rumble vibrates through the seats, and you take a deep breath, attempting to embrace the moment.

Across from you, Vernon occupies his seat with a quiet, unassuming presence. His warm smile and relaxed demeanor are new to you, as you haven’t had much chance to interact with him until now. He seems genuinely at ease, contrasting sharply with the tension you feel.

“I heard about what happened between you two,” Vernon says, his voice gentle but carrying an undercurrent of curiosity.

You glance over at Joshua, who stands by the steering wheel, showing Nari the intricacies of boat operation. Nari, bundled up in one of Vernon’s oversized sweaters, tugs at the sleeves as she watches Joshua’s every move. She studies the way he operates the boat with knitted brows, nodding along to every other word he says.

Joshua, dressed in his annoyingly perfect white t-shirt and black swimming trunks, looks effortlessly handsome, and it stings to see him so relaxed. His hair is messily slicked back, kept in place by the salty water from his swim earlier- which you definitely didn't witness. Some of the water still clings to his slightly sunburnt skin. A pair of sunglasses sit on the tip of his nose, and you can't really see where he's looking but you hope for everyone's sake that he's looking at the water and not you. With him far enough away to allow for candid conversation, you turn back to Vernon with a sigh.

“Did he tell you everything?” you ask, your voice carrying a trace of exasperation.

“Pretty much,” Vernon responds with a thoughtful hum. “Honestly, I’m on your side. He’s a big flirt.”

“You can say that again.” You take a sip of the cocktail Nari had prepared for the group, the fruity flavor providing a momentary distraction. “I think it’s in his nature…”

Vernon chuckles, lifting his own drink to his lips. There’s something surprisingly comforting about his presence, and you begin to feel a sense of camaraderie with him.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for Nari, by the way,” you say, your tone sincere. “I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time.”

Vernon shrugs modestly, but his small, genuine smile betrays his pleasure. “I just like making her happy... Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Go ahead,” you encourage, curiosity piqued.

“I’ve been thinking of asking her to move in with me,” Vernon confesses, his voice laced with both excitement and nervousness. You hum thoughtfully. “Things have been going so well—so I was considering asking her with flowers, lilies.”

“She’ll love that.” You nod approvingly. “She’s quite the romantic—getting her flowers that she's named after will definitely make her swoon.”

You both chuckle at the thought, glancing over at Nari, who waves cheerfully from her spot. The warmth of the moment makes you realize that Vernon’s proposal is heartfelt and genuine. You turn back to him, offering more advice. “Asking her to move in with you is a great idea. I’m sure she’d love it. She’s just a bit shy when it comes to big gestures. It might be better to do it after the trip, when you’re alone. She likes to keep things private.”

“Good to know.” Vernon nods, setting his glass back down with a thoughtful expression.

“I’m not her best friend for nothing,” you say with a hint of pride.

“True,” Vernon agrees with a smile. “... Can I give you some advice too?”

“Shoot,” you reply, looking at him with an intrigued gaze.

“Try again,” he suggests softly, his tone carrying a note of encouragement. “With Joshua, I mean.”

“Doesn’t he have a girlfriend?” you ask, feeling a mix of hope and skepticism.

“Things have changed...” Vernon’s fingers fidget slightly, as if he’s weighing his words carefully. “I won’t speak for him, but just… give it a try.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” you say with a resigned sigh. “Maybe I will.”

As the boat glides smoothly across the lake’s tranquil waters, the gentle lap of waves against the hull offers a brief respite from the storm of emotions swirling within you. The serenity of the lake, combined with Vernon’s unexpected support, provides a welcome escape from the lingering tension at the lake house.

As the vacation nears its end, you find yourself alone with Joshua on the porch one evening – Vernon’s words floating freely in your mind. You’re not sure how you ended up sitting with Joshua, but you were tipsy enough not to care. After the drinks before and during dinner, on top of the beer you’re drinking now, your ability to think of the consequences of your actions has flown out the window. So, sitting next to Joshua on the deckchairs is the least of your worries at the moment.

The sun sets in a blaze of orange and pink hues, casting a warm glow over the lake house porch where the two of you sit. There’s tension in the air, a mix of unresolved rivalry and unspoken attraction that has lingered between you for so long.

Joshua breaks the silence, his voice gentle yet filled with determination. “I heard Vernon’s going to ask Nari to move in with him.”

“He is.” You nod. “It’s sweet.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea?” he questions.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“It’s only been a few months, they barely know each other… I just think it’s better if they wait.” Joshua takes a sip of his beer.

“I think you’re being pessimistic.” You put down your own bottle of beer. “They’re good for each other. Some people can have all the time in the world and still not work out, why shouldn’t they try it out?”

Joshua pauses, looking over at you with a questioning gaze. You watch the gears turning in his head, and he eventually groans when he comes to a realization. “Vernon told you about my break up, didn’t he?”

“Nothing gets past you, does it?” You sigh. “It’s not like I pried the information out of him, you know?”

“I know, I just… we have a history that makes everything awkward, somehow,” Joshua says. “It just adds to it, I guess– I should’ve told him not to say anything.”

“It’s fine. Why should I care?” You fidget with your nails.

Joshua placed his half-empty bottle of beer down on the wooden table, the condensation leaving a small ring on the surface. As he did so, he shot a quizzical look in your direction, raising one eyebrow in playful curiosity. A rush of excitement bubbled up inside you, but you quickly attributed it to the alcohol. Nevertheless, unable to contain your amusement, a soft giggle escaped your lips as you returned his gaze with a coy grin and raised your eyebrows inquisitively, silently prompting him to explain his unexpected gesture.

“You don’t care?” he asks, “Not at all? Not one bit?”

“Not at all.” You take another sip of your beer. “Not one bit.”

Joshua hums in disapproval, slowly shaking his head – but his smile gave away that he was joking around. The look he gave you, something secret glittering in his eyes, took you back to all those years ago. He looked the same as he did in university. Maybe his smile lines were a bit more pronounced, and maybe you could find gray hairs if you looked closely, but he was pretty much the same. A proper boy next door with an irresistible charm.

“I could’ve sworn that you asked me out a few months ago,” he argued. “To me, that seems like caring– I don’t know about you.”

“Shut up.” You playfully roll your eyes at him and put your beer bottle down next to his. “Let’s forget about it. I should’ve known you weren’t interested, anyway.”

“I don’t want to forget about it,” Joshua confesses. “And who says I’m not interested?”

You cast a furtive glance in Joshua's direction, your eyes widening in surprise, but he responds with a casual shrug. As he sits up, he swings his legs over the deckchair's edge to squarely face you. His tousled hair adds to his disheveled charm, prompting you to sit up a bit and instinctively reach out to straighten it, but you stop yourself just in time. The two of you are seated with your feet pointing toward each other, both of you feeling the weight of anticipation for what might unfold next hanging in the air.

“You’re interested in me?” you ask.

“Why do you think my relationship went to shit?”

You guffaw at his statement as if it was the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard. However, Joshua looks back at you with complete seriousness.

“You’re saying you broke up with your ex because of me?” you say.

“I might as well have,” he confesses. “She said I talked too much about you… even went so far as to encourage me to go after you ‘now that I’m single,’ although I don’t think she was being serious with that one.”

Hearing about Joshua’s failing relationship, because of you no less, satisfies the little monster of envy in your chest. You can’t help but laugh at the situation, though you quickly cover your mouth and apologize.

“No, you’re right.” He picks his beer up again and takes a sip. “It is funny.”

“... you talked about me?” you question, and lean forward as if to encourage him to share his secrets. “What did you say?”

“I’m not sure if I should tell,” he mutters and leans forward as well. “Do you really want to know?”

“Desperately,” you say dramatically, making Joshua laugh.

“Most of the time I complained– but apparently my tangents were too flirtatious in nature.”

“That’s just like you.” You nodded. “You flirt with everyone.”

“Of course, you would think that…” he murmurs and glances down at your lips. “The truth is, Y/N… I only flirt with you.”

“That’s not true! I’ve seen you! You chat up every woman I’ve ever seen you work with– not to mention the way you always try to flatter our superiors.”

“Flattery and flirting are different, sweetheart.” He puts down the bottle again and moves a little closer to you. “I thought you, out of all people, would’ve noticed that by now.”

You can only stare at Joshua, your mind completely blank of any retaliation that you would usually come up with. Not even when Joshua reached over to you, and grabbed your hand; not even when he pulled you up to your feet and guided you over to where he was sitting, could you come up with anything to say.

You only stare as he grabs your beer from your hand and puts it on the table, before making you straddle his lap. Everything in your mind is screaming at you to do something – you’re surprised by how easily you give in to him, but you do nothing to stop it.

“Is this okay?” he asks and you can only nod in response. “Not feeling so chatty anymore?”

Who is this man? You don’t recognize the Joshua in front of you – when did he gain the ability to make you weak in the knees? With a gentle touch, Joshua traces the skin of your arms until he reaches your hands – which he puts on his shoulders. His every move is slow, giving you the opportunity to deny him. You don’t. Joshua lets out a chuckle at your wide eyes and slightly parted lips.

“Who even are you?” you manage to whisper.

“Tonight? I’m whoever you want me to be.”

“You’re drunk.”

“I’m sober enough to know what I want,” he argues. “Do you?”

You swallow and glance down at his lips, at the way the tip of his tongue darts out to wet them ever so slightly — has he always had such perfectly kissable lips? When Joshua’s hands play with the hem of your shirt, you’re brought back to your senses. He raises his eyebrows, silently repeating his question.

“Fuck it,” you mutter under your breath. “Take me to your room.”

Nari and Vernon are already asleep at the other end of the house, deciding to take an early night after the drinking and constant sun exposure tired them out, so Joshua carries you through the house without worry. He’s already kissing you by the time he opens the door to his bedroom – the only room you haven’t seen in the house.

His bed is neatly made, everything put into place, although you hardly notice it as Joshua’s keeping you much too busy. He throws you on the bed, before crawling up to you himself. You find yourself pinned under him, as he drinks in the sight of you looking like the perfect prey.

“Will you let me have my way with you without biting back tonight, sweetheart?” he murmurs before pressing another soft kiss to your lips.

“Depends on if you can shut me up or not,” you tease.

“Oh, you’re just begging to be taught a lesson, aren’t you?”

You shut him up with another kiss, and he smiles against your lips. As your hands find their way under his t-shirt, he pulls away for a second to pull it over his head. Your hands reach out to touch him, admire his toned, sunkissed torso—cursing yourself for saying no when the rest of the group went out to swim earlier today. Joshua’s hands are playing with the hem of your shirt now, and you sit up to take it off. One of his hands cups your still-covered breast, while the other gently caresses your waist.

“Beautiful,” he mutters under his breath before bending down to leave marks along your clavicle.

You turn your head to give him more access, a gasp escaping your lips as his teeth graze against your delicate skin. His hands go behind your back, unclipping the clasp of your bra and pulling the straps down your shoulders.

You cup his cheek, your fingers trembling slightly as you study his flushed face. The intensity in his eyes and the warmth of his skin feel almost surreal, as if this moment is one you’ll never experience again. Your breath comes in shallow, uneven gasps, the air around you charged with an electric tension that makes it almost impossible to think clearly.

“What are you doing to me?” he asks, his voice a mix of confusion and desire. His breath mingles with yours, each exhale heavy with the weight of unspoken emotions.

“Is it me or is it the alcohol?” you ask, your voice barely above a whisper, each word laden with uncertainty.

“I don’t know,” he admits, his eyes locked onto yours, his gaze searching for answers that neither of you seem to have.

Before you have a chance to respond, the space between you closes with a sudden intensity. His lips crash against yours, the contact sending a jolt of electricity through your entire body. The world narrows to just the sensation of his kiss, every other thought and concern momentarily forgotten. The tension that had been building between you erupts in this singular, explosive moment, leaving you breathless and utterly consumed.

Joshua pushes one of his knees between your legs, and you moan into his mouth at the contact. The sound ignited something within him, and he began kissing down your body. When he reached the top of your jeans, he expertly undid the button and zipper and pulled the pants off your body. A wet stain is visible on your gray panties, and Joshua presses his thumb against it. An urge to close your legs hits you then, but he’s holding them apart—as if he’s protecting his right to see you like this with his life.

Soon enough, he’s ripping your panties off and diving into your pussy. His tongue is messy, toying with your clit before moving down to your hole. Joshua moans, his eyes rolling into the back of his head, as he tastes you. His arms wrap tightly around your thighs, holding you in place. Even if you wanted to escape his ministrations, you couldn’t.

“Oh god,” you moan, “Don’t stop!”

You should know better than to command Joshua to do something. As soon as the words leave your lips, his grip releases and he sits up on his knees. Your orgasm is dragged away from you, and you glare up at Joshua. He only grins back like a madman, his lower face covered in your juices.

With a huff, you sit up and go to unbutton his jeans—desperate to have him feel the same withdrawal. He halts your movements by softly placing his hands over yours, gently guiding them to a stop. You look up at him. His eyes are filled with lust as he cups your cheek, bending down to capture your lips in a kiss. You whimper when you taste yourself on him.

“Do you want me?” he murmurs against your lips.

“Please,” you whine.

“Tell me,” he hums. “Tell me that you want me.”

He leans his forehead against yours, staring into your soul. You can’t allow yourself to say it—you can’t give in to him this easily… right? But you do want him, that’s no secret by now. You don’t just want him, you need him.

“I want you, Joshua…”

With an animalistic growl, he pushes his lips against yours again. You help him get his pants off, your teeth clashing against each other as you move. There’s no time to savor feeling him up over his underwear, he just rips them off.

His calloused hands push you back onto the bed before he pushes your thighs apart again. He watches you like a man starved, waiting for any sign that you don’t want to continue. You reach out for him, and once he’s in your embrace you lock your legs around his waist.

“I give in,” you murmur in his ear. “Have your way with me.”

At your compliance, he aligns his cock with your core and pushes inside of you. The two of you groan at the feeling—something that you hadn’t felt in so long, to the point where you had forgotten how much better it felt than playing with your toys. You trail kisses down his jaw, to his throat. Joshua starts moving his hips against yours, and you find yourself in ecstasy.

“You’re unbelievable,” he moans hoarsely.

You smile against the skin of his neck, only humming in approval. His dick was bigger than you could’ve imagined, filling you up to the point where you felt completely full, and when he slams into you like your pussy is the best he’s ever had, you can’t help but nearly scream for him. You can only hope that your friends are sound asleep.

“I should’ve done this sooner.” Joshua pants as he leans his forehead against yours. “You feel so good…”

For a moment, you swear that you heard him whine for you. As his hips stutter, you take the opportunity to maneuver yourself on top of him. Once you’re sitting on him, you grind your hips against his before you start bouncing. Joshua sits up, taking one of your tits in his mouth—his hands traveling from your waist to your upper back to push you further against him.

“Do you want to cum inside me, baby?” you ask.

Joshua peers up at you through his lashes, his eyes hazy with lust. His mouth detaches from your body, and you smile at the sight of his glossy and swollen lips. He nods, laying back down to fuck up into you. Joshua’s hands are back on your hips, keeping you still to let him do all the work.

“Holy fffuck–”

You reach your hand down to rub your clit, and Joshua moans as you clench around him. The two of you are babbling incoherently; begging the other to cum with you, telling each other that you’re so close, and letting out unintelligible moans.

By the time you’re cumming, you’re shaking and your eyes are rolling back into your head. You fall against Joshua as he starts slowing down his thrusts. His arms embrace you again, holding your sweaty body against his chest.

“Are you alright?” he whispers, his voice tender and concerned as it brushes against your ear.

“I’m good,” you slur out, struggling to piece together your fragmented thoughts.

For a brief moment, everything goes dark. When consciousness returns, you find yourself lying beside Joshua. The covers are now draped over both of you, cocooning you in a warm embrace. Joshua’s fingers trace gentle, soothing circles on your skin, his touch both comforting and intimate. As your eyes flutter open, you meet his gaze. His eyes hold a mixture of relief and affection, and a soft, reassuring smile spreads across his face.

“Hi,” he says, his voice low and gentle, as if he’s afraid to startle you.

“Hi,” you respond, your voice still shaky. “Was I out?”

“Only for a bit,” he murmurs, his fingers continuing their soothing motion. “I got us cleaned up and into bed. You didn’t miss much.” His tone is calming, filled with a quiet confidence that eases the lingering haze from your mind.

You chuckle, moving to lay closer to his chest. "I'm on birth control, by the way... you don't have to worry about any surprises."

Joshua hums in response. Your legs are already sore, but you find comfort in the slight sting. Joshua’s fingers don’t stop drawing circles and the action, along with the rhythm of his breathing, has you almost falling back asleep.

“I missed you after graduation,” he admits with a mutter. “I thought I’d find it peaceful, but I didn’t… I did everything to hide it, but maybe switching companies gave it away.”

“You switched companies for me?” You move to get a better look at him.

“Would it be embarrassing if I said yes?”

“Absolutely.” You grin, and he replies with a smile.

You stifle a yawn, and Joshua coos at you in a way that you would’ve found annoying—but now, your heart swells a little in your chest. He brushes away a few stray hairs from your face.

“Go to sleep,” he murmurs. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”

“Goodnight.” You nuzzle your face back into his chest.

“Goodnight.

Morning brings a bittersweet awakening. Despite Joshua’s confession, despite the night you shared together, you can’t bring yourself to stay with him. You know that it would only end with broken hearts and an even more awkward atmosphere at work. No, you can’t stay like this — Joshua’s arms around you, his soft snores, and his calm heartbeat, all make it too real.

You feel the weight of last night’s decisions as you quietly slip out of his embrace. He doesn’t wake up, he merely scrunches his nose and lazily pats the space on the bed to find you. When he doesn’t, he settles for a pillow that he embraces just as he had embraced you prior. Tears begin to sting your eyes, you can’t watch this any longer, and you leave without hesitation.

After changing and grabbing your purse from your room, you find Nari sitting in the kitchen on one of the barstools. She’s snickering to herself while she’s watching Vernon make breakfast– you’d never seen her let go of control in the kitchen before, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Joshua could wake up any moment you would’ve stayed and watched. She turns to you with a bright smile once you make yourself known by clearing your throat.

“Good morning!” she chirps, but her smile falters when she sees your wrecked expression. “Are you alright, Y/N?”

“I… I need you to drive me to the bus station.” You didn’t mean for your voice to become so shaky, but you couldn’t help it.

“Did something happen?” Vernon asks, but you can’t look at him.

“I just need to go home– I think I’m getting sick,” you lie.

“Oh, well if you just wait a minute, we can pack up and leave all together. I don’t mind leaving early if you’re feeling sick,” Nari says, compassionate as ever.

“No.” You look up at her, trying to silently communicate something with your eyes — what, you’re not really sure. “I need to leave now.”

Nari pauses, thinking it over before eventually nodding. Every second that passes feels like an hour to you, and your friend seems to be able to notice it. She says goodbye to Vernon, telling him to not burn the house down as she plants a kiss on his cheek. You want to throw up.

“I’ll get my jacket.” She grabs the car keys and walks out of the kitchen ahead of you. “Let’s go.”

The drive is silent, the air thick with unspoken words and the weight of emotions left unsaid. Nari understands your need for solitude, respecting your fragile state. The journey feels longer than it should, each passing mile echoing the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

At last, you arrive at the bus stop. She tells you that she’ll bring your bags for you when she and Vernon get back to the city. Before you can step out of the car, she puts a hand on your shoulder.

“It’s Joshua, isn’t it?” she asks and you nod. “Alright. I understand if you don’t want to talk about it… but know that I’ll back you up no matter what.”

With a soft murmur of thanks, you bid Nari farewell, watching her drive away into the distance. Alone at the bus stop, you wait for the bus that will take you back to the familiar confines of your life.

The sun rises higher in the sky, casting a warm glow that hints at new beginnings. As you board the bus, you carry with you the echoes of a night spent in each other’s arms. You sit down in one of the many empty seats, looking out the window to watch the trees fly by and the lake in the distance grow smaller and smaller.

Back at work, you find yourself actively avoiding Joshua, more so than before. Every morning, you arrive early at your desk, burying yourself in tasks and emails, hoping to avoid any unnecessary encounters that might stir up the unresolved emotions from your time at the lake house.

The tension between you and Joshua doesn't go unnoticed by your colleagues. They whisper about the shift in dynamics, speculating on the nature of your interactions and the underlying reasons for your distance. Despite their curiosity, no one dares to address the elephant in the room, leaving the unspoken tension to hang heavy in the air.

For you, avoidance isn't just about uncertainty in your feelings for Joshua; it's also about safeguarding your professional reputation and maintaining a sense of control over your emotions. Sleeping around with someone at the office – let alone, someone who’s under you in rank – is enough to stir up headache-inducing drama.

As the weeks pass, you remain resolute in your avoidance, navigating the delicate balance between personal desires and professional boundaries. The workplace becomes a battleground of unspoken words and missed opportunities, with both you and Joshua wondering if there's a way to reconcile the growing attraction with the realities of your professional lives.

Amidst the uncertainty, you and Joshua find yourselves at a crossroads, unsure of whether to pursue what could be or maintain the status quo. The aftermath of your intimate encounter at the lake house lingers.

When you hear the news of Nari moving in with Vernon, you’re ecstatic – and when you see his apartment, you’re in awe. The luxurious condo has two stories and although the loft area is smaller, it’s still impressive. You hadn’t ever thought to ask Vernon what he does for a living, but clearly, it pays well.

As Nari excitedly shows you around the apartment, your heart swells for her. This is all that she had wanted; she had a stable job and a stable relationship, and now one of the most impressive apartments you had ever seen. Once you have seen every crevice of the home, she invites you to a housewarming party that she’s hosting later tonight.

“Isn’t a housewarming party for people who move into a new place?” you ask with a smile.

“Well, yeah– but I’m moving into a new place, so it still counts!”

You laugh with her, congratulating her once again on her new place and promising her that you’ll definitely be there tonight. As you leave through the dining room, you spot a bouquet of lilies sitting pretty in a vase. The memories of yours and Vernon’s conversation bring back memories of the lake house; memories of Joshua. You paint on a smile as you say goodbye, promising to swing by later to help with preparations.

Nari’s excitement is contagious as she organizes a lively housewarming party. The space is adorned with cheerful decorations: vibrant streamers hanging from the ceiling, colorful balloons clustered in the corners, and a beautifully set table brimming with snacks and drinks. Friends gather, their chatter and laughter filling the room, ready to toast to the new chapter in Nari's life.

You arrive, trying to mask the unease lingering beneath the surface. You know that Joshua might be here – or might stop by for a moment, but that’s enough for you to go into full-on fight or flight mode. As you walk in, Nari greets you with a warm hug.

“I'm so glad you could make it!” Nari beams, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” you reply, forcing a smile. Inside, though, your heart feels heavy.

As the party progresses, the merriment around you contrasts sharply with the turmoil within. You watch Nari and Vernon laughing together, their connection undeniable. Every affectionate glance they share feels like a knife twisting in your chest. Are you really about to lose your best friend to a friend of Joshua’s? Does he have to take everything from you? The unresolved tension with Joshua weighs heavily on your mind, clouding your judgment along with the many drinks you sneak from the kitchen.

You hate yourself for feeling this way, opting to stay in a corner of the living room to take a moment to breathe. However, the good friend that she is, Nari comes to check up on you.

“Are you alright? You’re not bored, right?” she asks.

“No, I’m fine.”

Your eyes are drawn to a sudden rising volume from the hallway, somebody just arrived. Joshua walks into the living room, still in his suit from work – he had probably been working overtime before he got here. He’s lively chatting away with Vernon, and you feel a clump building up in your chest. You swallow looking back at Nari, who looks as worried as ever.

“I’m just worried about you,” you admit.

“Worried about me?” She chuckles. “Why?”

“This thing with Vernon just seems to be moving too fast. Maybe you shouldn’t.” Your words are sharp as knives, and you can see how they cut through Nari’s bubbly personality.

“What are you talking about?” Nari furrows her eyebrows, her lips forming into a small pout as they always did when she was irritated.

“You’ve only known him for a few months–”

“Oh, so now you’re the expert on relationships? Why can’t you just be happy for me?”

“Because you’re not thinking straight!”

In a moment of emotional vulnerability, fueled by your own insecurities and the effects of a few too many drinks, you lash out at Nari. The noise of the party seems to fade as you focus on her, your voice rising.

“Be honest. Do you really think this is a good idea, Nari?” you blurt out, your words slurring slightly. “Moving in with Vernon so soon? You’re rushing into this without thinking!”

“Vernon and I are happy. This is what I want.”

“It’s not about what you want, it’s about what’s smart!” you snap, projecting your frustrations about your non-existent relationship with Joshua onto her newfound happiness. “You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.”

The room falls silent, the party atmosphere dims as tension fills the space. Nari’s eyes well up with tears.

“I thought you were happy for me,” she says, her voice trembling. “Why are you being like this?”

Unable to contain your emotions, you storm out of the party, leaving behind a bewildered Nari and a gathering of uncomfortable guests. The weight of your actions settles heavily on your shoulders as you retreat into the night, grappling with regret and remorse for hurting your friend.

Alone in the quiet of the night, you reflect on the events that transpired. You realize that your anger towards Nari was misplaced, a manifestation of your own internal struggles rather than a reflection of her actions.

The guilt gnaws at you, urging you to confront the root of your insecurities and face the truths you've been avoiding. You walk as far as you can, which is just a block away before your feet start hurting from your heels. You huff over your uncomfortable shoes as you lean against a pole to try to take them off.

Concern etched on his face, Joshua steps out into the cool night air, searching for you. The city streets are bustling, but he spots you, slightly disoriented and clearly in need of assistance. Without hesitation, he approaches, gently guiding you with a steady hand. He makes you put your foot back down on the ground and bends down to fix the strap you had managed to loosen before he stands back up

“Hey, I’ve been looking for you. Are you okay?” Joshua asks, his voice is soft and concerned.

You’re surprised to see Joshua, a mix of relief and embarrassment washing over you as he helps steady your steps. Your mind races, trying to recall your address, but the fog of alcohol clouds your thoughts.

“I... I don’t know,” you mumble, your voice shaky. “I just yelled at my best friend about her perfect relationship, embarrassed myself in front of all of our friends, I’m cold and- and my fucking feet hurt!”

Tears begin to well up in your eyes, and Joshua reacts quickly by gently slipping off his suit jacket and draping it around your shoulders, providing warmth and comfort. Realizing the urgency of the moment, Joshua signals for a passing taxi and assists you as you climb into the back seat.

“What’s your address?” he asks.

However, over the drunken rambles and ugly sobs, he can’t hear a word that you’re saying. You wrap your arms around his bicep, pressing your forehead against his shoulder. You mumble something about just wanting to sleep. With a sigh, Joshua tells the driver his address and asks him to drive carefully.

It doesn’t take long for the two of you to arrive at his condo, as it was only a few blocks away. The warmth and familiarity offer a stark contrast to the chaotic night outside. He ensures you’re settled comfortably on the couch as he helps you off with your shoes. Joshua mutters something about getting you a glass of water, and you hum in response. A few seconds later, he’s back with a tall glass of water which he makes you drink in its entirety.

“There you go,” he murmurs. “Okay, let’s get you into something more comfortable.”

Joshua gently guides you deeper into his apartment, his hand steady and reassuring on your back. You stumble slightly, the room spinning around you as you struggle to stay upright. When you reach the bathroom, he helps you sit down on the toilet seat, his touch careful and considerate. The cool porcelain feels surprisingly comforting against your flushed skin, and you lean back, feeling a wave of relief as the spinning sensation subsides a little.

After a minute, Joshua returns, his presence a welcome anchor in the disorienting haze. He places a pile of clothes neatly by the sink, their crisp, clean fabric a stark contrast to the disarray you feel inside. Alongside them, he sets down a box of makeup wipes, their crisp packaging promising a small, fresh start. Without a word, he leaves you alone, allowing you the space to collect yourself.

Once you’re dressed and feeling a bit steadier, you step out of the bathroom. The sight of Joshua waiting for you, his expression a mix of concern and care, brings a pang of guilt. His eyes soften as he takes in your appearance, and he offers a supportive smile as he helps guide you to the bedroom.

The journey to his bed is slow and steady, his hand a constant, reassuring presence on your arm. As you settle into the softness of the bed, the comfort of the sheets and the warmth of the room contrast sharply with the turmoil still churning inside you.

“I’m sorry–” you start, but Joshua quickly hushes you.

“Just rest,” Joshua says gently. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

You nod, grateful for his kindness as you close your eyes, the events of the night replaying in your mind. The weight of your actions and the need to address your inner turmoil hang heavily, but for now, you allow yourself to be enveloped by the warmth and safety of Joshua’s care.

As morning light filters through unfamiliar surroundings, you stir awake, feeling disoriented and unsure of where you are. Panic momentarily sets in as you try to piece together the events of the previous night. Your mind races with fragmented memories, leaving you uncertain about who you spent the night with.

Just then, the door opens quietly, and Joshua steps into the room with a gentle smile. Your heart skips a beat as you see him, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Did you seriously sleep with Joshua for a second time in your drunken state? What did your drunk self have against your sanity?

“Morning,” Joshua says softly, his smile is warm but his eyes are filled with concern.

You sit up quickly, clutching the blanket to your chest. “Joshua, did we...?” you start, your voice trailing off in embarrassment.

He shakes his head, sensing your unease. “No, you slept in here,” he explains calmly, gesturing to the bed. “I took the couch to make sure you were comfortable.”

Relief floods you as you realize your assumption was wrong. “Oh, thank you,” you reply, nodding awkwardly, trying to collect yourself amidst the morning haze.

Joshua gives you a reassuring smile. “I made some breakfast. Why don't you join me in the kitchen?”

You follow Joshua with a mix of gratitude and lingering embarrassment, the weight of the previous night still heavy on your shoulders. As you enter his elegantly furnished kitchen, you’re struck by the refined simplicity of the space. The morning light filters softly through the windows, casting a warm, golden glow over the polished countertops and tasteful décor.

You sit across from Joshua at a beautifully set breakfast table. The gentle clinking of cutlery and the soft hum of the coffee maker are the only sounds that break the stillness of the calm morning.

As you begin to nibble on your food, your movements are tentative and slow, each bite a small effort to ground yourself. The flavors are comforting, but your mind is still tangled in the events of the night before. The tranquility of the kitchen contrasts sharply with the turmoil you feel inside, and you find yourself grappling with the lingering embarrassment while trying to process the events that led you here.

“How are you feeling?” Joshua asks, his voice gentle.

You sigh, looking down at your plate. “Honestly, a mess… I was so awful to Nari last night. I don’t know what came over me.”

Joshua leans forward, his expression attentive. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Although the situation was strange, you feel yourself fully able to talk to Joshua like this. The vulnerability in your voice is obvious as you begin to share your inner turmoil. “Seeing Nari so happy with Vernon just... it brought out all my insecurities. God– I hate myself for what I said to her.”

Joshua listens attentively, his presence a surprising comforting anchor amidst the storm of emotions. “We all have moments we're not proud of,” he says softly. “But recognizing them is the first step to making things right.”

You glance up, meeting his eyes. “I don't know how to fix this. I’ve hurt her, and I don't know if she’ll forgive me.”

“Give her some time,” Joshua advises. “And when you're ready, talk to her. Be honest about what you're going through. She'll understand.”

In the course of the conversation, there is a sense of relief and lightness as Joshua's empathetic and genuinely concerned responses provide reassurance. Yet, the enduring pain remains. The guilt for the actions towards Nari is now overshadowed by the guilt for the actions directed at Joshua.

“I’m sorry, Joshua,” you say. “I shouldn’t just have left.”

“You had your reasons.” Joshua lifts his coffee cup to his lips. “And I can’t say that I blame you– it was a little too much too fast. I told Vernon after you had left… you should’ve seen his face.”

The two of you break out into soft laughter, the tension between you slowly dissipating. The picture of Vernon’s shocked face is just too clear in your mind, and you end up letting out a snorting laugh. You both pause as you’re struck with embarrassment. When you look up at Joshua, you see a flash of opportunity glimmer in his eyes.

“Don’t,” you warn, but it’s too late.

Joshua struggled to stifle his laughter, but he couldn't help but emit a few chuckles. Under normal circumstances, you would have felt angry at his reaction. However, in the current situation, his amusement was contagious, and you found yourself unable to contain a smile.

“You know,” you say, “I’m actually glad you’re here. You’ve been more supportive than I could have asked for, and definitely more than I deserve.”

Joshua returns the smile, his eyes warm. “I’m just happy I could help.”

As the morning sun filters through the window, you find yourself sitting in the cozy intimacy of Joshua’s kitchen, sharing a heartfelt breakfast and conversation. In that tender moment, you feel a sense of clarity washing over you, marking a pivotal turning point in your relationship.

Realizing the weight of your words and actions from the previous night, you understand the need to mend fences with Nari. With a resolve fueled by introspection, you decide to take the first step toward reconciliation. You leave Joshua’s apartment to go back home, feeding Tofu and freshening up before you sit down on your bed with your phone in your hand.

Gathering your thoughts, you reach out to Nari, your fingers trembling slightly as you type a message on your phone.

Hey Nari, I really want to apologize for last night. Can we meet up? I’ll be at our usual spot at 3.

After a few moments that feel like an eternity, a reply comes through. It’s a simple “Sure,” but it’s more than enough for you. You breathe a sigh of relief and quickly agree. The hours until the meeting drags by, your mind racing with thoughts of how to articulate your heartfelt apology.

At the café, you arrive early and sit down by your usual table, nervously fiddling with your cup of coffee. You’re not sure if she’ll even show up, and you wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t, but she, nevertheless, walks in through the door. When Nari walks in, you wave her over, standing up to greet her. She offers a tentative smile, but the hurt is still evident in her eyes. The atmosphere between you is thick with tension as she sits down.

“Hi,” you start, your voice trembling slightly. “Thanks for coming.”

Nari nods curtly, her expression guarded. Taking a deep breath, you dive in. “I’m really sorry for what I said last night. I know I hurt you, and that was never my intention. I let my own frustrations and insecurities get the better of me, and I took it out on you. It wasn’t fair, and I deeply regret it.”

Nari’s eyes remain hard, but she listens quietly. The tension is still there, hanging heavily in the air.

“The… incident with Joshua freaked me out a lot– I hadn’t been able to get it off my mind, and the thought of seeing him at your party only made it worse,” you continue, your voice wavering. “I guess, seeing you so happy with Vernon made me scared. I projected my emotions onto your situation. I know it’s no excuse for what I said...”

Nari’s expression softens slightly, but she remains silent, contemplating your words.

“I really am sorry, Nari. You didn’t deserve any of that,” you add, your voice barely above a whisper.

Nari takes a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing a little. “I understand where you’re coming from,” she says finally, her tone gentle. “I should’ve thought about your situation with Joshua... and I appreciate you being honest with me about what you’re going through.”

The tension in the air begins to dissipate, replaced by a sense of tentative understanding. “We all have our moments. What matters is that we’re able to talk about it and move forward,” Nari continues, a small smile forming on her lips.

"So, you'll forgive me?"

Nari pretends to think for a moment, before breaking out into a big smile. "I'll forgive you."

A wave of relief washes over you as you hear her words. “Oh, thank you, Nari. I promise I’ll do better.”

Nari reaches across the table to squeeze your hand. “I know you will… also you owe me a coffee.”

You release a hearty laugh, then briskly make your way to the barista to request another cup of coffee. As you return to your seat, you notice Nari gazing at you with a look of worry etched into her gentle smile.

“Did you get home okay last night?” she asks.

“I… didn’t get home,” you admit.

“What? You didn’t sleep outside, did you?” Her eyes widen as she raises her voice ever so slightly.

“Actually…” You lean forward and lower your voice. “I ended up at Joshua’s place.”

“What?”

You quickly shush her, and she repeats her “What?” in a lower volume. You smile at her, and she raises her eyebrows in a silent question. You shake your head.

“He took me home and let me sleep in his bed– he even slept on the couch,” you say. “I think… I’ll try asking him out again.”

“Really?” Nari gasps but quiets down as her coffee arrives.

She thanks the barista and waits for him to be out of earshot before she lets out an excited “Oh my god!” The two of you quickly fall into your usual banter.

It had been a long, arduous day at work, and you were finally ready to head home. The rain pattered against the office windows, creating a soothing yet melancholic backdrop to your thoughts. You hadn’t spoken to Joshua since that morning in his kitchen, and the awkwardness between you lingered like an unspoken shadow.

As you gathered your things and made your way to the exit, you unexpectedly bumped into Joshua. His eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly composed himself.

“Hey,” he said softly, holding up his umbrella. “Looks like we’re leaving at the same time.”

“Yeah,” you replied, forcing a smile. “Didn’t realize it was raining this hard. I would’ve taken the car this morning if I’d known.”

“Here,” he offered, extending the umbrella. “You can use this. I’ll be fine.”

You hesitate but then nod. “Thanks… How about we share it? We’re both going the same way, right?”

Joshua smiles, a hint of relief in his eyes. “Sure, let’s go.”

The two of you walked in silence under the umbrella, the rain a steady rhythm around you. It felt strange yet comforting to be so close to him after everything that had happened. When you reached the bus stop, the awkwardness slowly began to dissipate.

On the bus, Joshua found seats for both of you and as the vehicle jolted into motion, he broke the silence. “So, how’s everything with Nari?”

You smiled, genuinely happy. “We’re good. We talked it out, and we’re fine again.”

Joshua’s face lit up. “I’m glad to hear that. I hope you two don’t have to go through something like that again.”

You chuckled, teasingly. “Well, that depends on whether you're going to keep messing around with me or not.”

He looked at you with a soft smile, a serious look in his eyes. “I don’t want to mess around anymore.”

The bus pulled to a stop near your apartment. As you both got off, the rain still coming down, Joshua turned to you. “Can I ask you something?”

You nodded, heart pounding in your chest.

“Would you go out with me if I asked?” he asked, sincerity in his eyes.

You smiled, feeling a rush of warmth. “Yes.”

“Good...” He smiled, approaching you and taking your hands in his. “Go out with me?”

“You can do better than that,” you tease and he lets out a chuckle.

“Can you give me the pleasure of taking you out this weekend, sweetheart?” he asks again with a playful smile.

“Sure you can.”

It was still raining and there was no sign of stopping. You knew that if you went separate ways now, he’d give you his umbrella. Not wanting to be the cause of his cold, you invited him to your place. “Why don’t you come to my place and dry off? It’s just around the corner.”

The two of you walk under Joshua’s umbrella together, your shoulders brushing against each other. You speak of whatever comes to mind, mostly work and the cases you’re currently busy with – although the subject matter is something you usually keep at work, you don’t mind the banter.

When you arrive at your apartment, you open the door for Joshua as he shakes off the rain from his umbrella. The two of you get into the elevator, a tension building up that is unlike the ones you had felt before. Excitement is the only word you can use to describe it.

The building is tall, and you live far up, so the elevator takes its time to climb up the floors. Joshua stands next to you, his hand brushing against yours for a while. He takes it in his hand once the elevator doors open and lets you lead the way to your front door. His hand is warm in yours, sending a shiver down your spine.

You only let go of his hand once the two of you stand in front of your door. Unable to keep his hands off of you for long, Joshua wraps his arms around your waist while you try to unlock your door. You let out a giggle, so unlike the laughs you have let out before that, you barely recognize it as your own, while your shaky hands struggle with the lock. When you finally open the door, you immediately spot a white, furry ball. Tofu meows at you, clearly annoyed with your late arrival.

“A cat.” Joshua’s voice is laced with surprise as he lets go of you.

You walk further into your apartment to pet Tofu, but he quickly sneaks past you and struts over to Joshua. He closes the door behind him quickly, scared that Tofu might walk out. Tofu has no interest in the outside, instead, he walks between Joshua’s legs and purrs.

“I thought I’d end up single for the rest of my life and decided to start early with the cats,” you quip playfully. “Tofu… really likes you.”

“Is that odd?” Joshua squats down and puts out his hand for Tofu to sniff.

“He doesn’t like strangers…” you say, “Or anyone.”

Joshua grins at you as Tofu practically jumps into his arms. He stands back up with the cat in his embrace before he kicks off his shoes. You glare at your cat for betraying you, but Tofu barely meets your gaze.

“He’s cute,” Joshua says. “... and hairy.”

You look at Joshua’s black suit, completely covered in white fur. Quickly, you apologize and take Tofu from him. The cat lets out an irritated meow but doesn’t fight back. When Tofu has walked away, you take Joshua’s suit jacket and hang it up. You show him around the apartment, sneaking glances at him as he rolls up the sleeves of his button-down and loosens his tie.

Eventually, the two of you found yourselves on the comfortable couch, indulging in a late-night meal created from the delicious remnants of takeout food in your refrigerator. The ambiance was soothing and unhurried, a welcome change from the earlier palpable strain. Tofu was nestled by Joshua’s side, emitting a robust and consistent purr akin to a well-oiled machine working at full capacity.

Joshua looked around your cozy apartment and then back at you. “This isn’t our first date, is it?”

You laughed softly. “It could be.”

He shook his head, smiling. “I want our first date to be special.”

You looked into his eyes, leaning over to put your hand on his knee. “It could be special if you wanted it to be.”

That’s how the two of you end up in your bedroom, with him on top of you. Joshua’s slowly thrusting into you, savoring every second. His forehead leans against yours, your hands traveling across each other’s bodies. Soft moans and gasps echo throughout the room, the noises mixing with the sounds of the bedsheets and the gentle rain against your windows.

“What are you doing to me?” Joshua sighs deeply, closing his eyes as if trying to steady himself.

“Is it really just me?” you ask playfully, although your voice tinged with uncertainty.

“It’s only you,” he reassures, his gaze meeting yours with a sincerity that cuts through the confusion.

You smile, pressing a chaste kiss on his lips. He surrounds you, embraces you, holds you, consumes you… The build-up is undeniable, and it only becomes more intense as Joshua’s hand travels between your bodies to rub lazy circles on your clit. He captures your lips in another kiss, slow and satisfactory. Whines and whimpers emanate from both of you as you near your high.

“I’m still on birth control,” you remind Joshua with a murmur against his lips.

Joshua groans at the silent promise of getting to cum inside you again. Ever since the last time he got a taste of you, he swears that he’s addicted. His hips stutter, and you clench around him to urge him closer to his release.

“Please,” he whispers hoarsely.

“Cum with me, baby,” you murmur.

Joshua releases inside of you with a moan, and your orgasm follows shortly after. A light encompasses you, flooding your veins with a kind of warmth that you’re not sure you’ve ever experienced. He stays inside of you even when his movements stop, his head finding its place in the crook of your neck. You rake your nails up his back until they find their way to the nape of his neck.

You press a kiss to his temple while you play with his hair. Joshua responds by pressing loving kisses to your neck. The two of you fall asleep just as he pulls out of you and lies down beside you under the covers.

As the gentle, golden glow of the morning sun filters through the delicate lace curtains, you slowly stir, feeling the warmth of his body and the reassuring strength of his embrace. In that soft, hushed moment, you find yourself waking up to a sense of peace and contentment that has been absent for what feels like an eternity.

As you try to get up to make breakfast, Joshua tightens his hold on you. “Don’t go,” he murmurs, his voice still heavy with sleep.

You laugh softly, kissing his forehead. “I need to get ready.”

He pouts playfully. “Stay here a little longer.”

You kiss him again, your heart full. “How about I get up if I promise to make you breakfast?”

Joshua pretends to think it over, then grins. “Deal.”

Your laughter fills the air as you rise from the bed, his warm hand gently holding onto yours just a moment longer. The morning was idyllic, brimming with shared laughter, precious moments, and the assurance of many more beautiful experiences together in the future.

As you and Joshua continue to move forward together, your journey unfolds as a delicate dance, intertwining professional ambitions with the deepening of your personal connection. Each day brings its own set of challenges, which you navigate hand-in-hand, discovering and growing through each other’s strengths and vulnerabilities.

You find solace in the way you support one another through the ebb and flow of your careers. Joshua’s unwavering faith in your potential becomes a beacon, encouraging you to reach beyond your comfort zone. In moments of self-doubt, his reassuring words and confident smile serve as a reminder of your capabilities, helping to reignite your determination.

In turn, you offer Joshua a steady anchor during his more tumultuous times. When he faces the pressure of a particularly grueling project or grapples with a professional setback, you’re there to remind him to pause and believe in his own strength. Your quiet support helps him regain his footing, providing him with the confidence to overcome the hurdles in his path.

With each shared success and challenge, your mutual respect grows deeper. Celebrating each other’s victories becomes a treasured ritual, whether it’s the joy of popping a bottle of champagne for a well-earned promotion or finding solace in each other’s company during quiet nights when things don’t go as planned. Every experience strengthens your bond, seamlessly weaving your lives together.

As you reflect on your journey, it becomes clear that embracing vulnerability and letting go of old insecurities has allowed you to discover not only love but also a profound sense of personal fulfillment. Joshua’s presence in your life has illuminated the truth that true growth often emerges from facing fears and embracing new possibilities.

One evening, curled up on the couch with Tofu nestled comfortably by your feet, you admit with a contented sigh, “I never thought I could be this happy.”

Joshua smiles warmly, his fingers gently brushing a stray strand of hair from your face. With a playful glint in his eye, he teases, “I know a few things that could make you even happier.”

“Shut up,” you reply, playfully swatting his chest.

Joshua’s laughter fills the room as he pulls you closer, enveloping you in his comforting embrace. You sigh contentedly as his familiar scent surrounds you, finding comfort in the perfect harmony of the moment. Even though you still have your moments of bickering and face the occasional rough patch like any other couple, you realize that this shared experience is as perfect as it gets.

feedback is always appreciated!

taglist: @enhacolor, @shuabby1994, @junhui-recs, @dkakapizzaboy, @just-here-to-read-01, @loviehan, @userjunhuii, @novalpha, @bubblymoon, @aaniag, @d0nghyuck, @fantasy2wonderland, @seunghancore, @woozixo, @niktwazny303, @lllucere, @uniq-tastic, @wonwoospartyhat, @stariightjoyy, @hyneyedfiz, @cali-snow, @crazywittysassy, @yeosayang, @wonuvs, @dokyeomkyeom, @kyeomiis, @gyuguys, @notevenheretbh1

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yourlovedahlia · 3 months ago

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─── ・ ✦ GIRL FROM NOWHERE PERSONAL STYLE

dahlia's go to fashion is street style. since she has lived in america and the netherlands for quite some time, the fashion in those areas influenced her styling choices.

she usually pairs her outfit with a hat of some sorts, as well as a jacket or hoodie over her top. dahlia's signature pose is her hands behind her head, showing off her figure with the way the shirt lifts when she raises her arms.

#𖤐 ʾ ⠀ 「 couture. 」 ☆ : ⠀—・ ✦ space is to place as eternity is to time #glasshouseinc #ficnetfairy #fictional soloist #kpop au #kpop female oc #fictional oc community

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saintobio · 8 months ago

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LONG LIVE THE VILLAINESS !

amidst the tale of sweetest love and bitterest revenge, the fallen empress is cast back ten years into the past to correct her sins and avoid eternal damnation, even at the price of betraying her once husband, the very cause of her downfall.

♱ pairings. gojo satoru, fem!reader

♱ genre. enemies-to-lovers, period piece, medieval au

♱ tags. ooc, regression, crown prince!gojo, noble lady!reader, politics, classism, clan wars, religion (catholicism), misogyny, violence, war, rebellion, suggestive, smut, gore, double life, explicit language, more to be added

♱ notes. this fic draws heavy inspirations from the webnovel ‘sister, i am the queen in this life’ and manhwa of the same name. it’s basically a fanfic of that series bc i am obsessed with it :’D

♱ status. on-going (slow updates)

♱ SECOND TIMELINE TO AS YOU LIKE IT ♱

PROLOGUE.

ACT I. THE LADY

ACT II. THE CROWN PRINCE

ACT III. THE KNIGHT

ACT IV. THE STAR CROSSED LOVERS

ACT V. THE BLESSED

ACT VI. THE SIN

ACT VII. THE REVELATION

ACT VIII. THE ENEMY

ACT IX. THE LOVER

ACT X. THE EMPRESS

EPILOGUE.

PROLOGUE

Like plunging beneath the surface of water and then, abruptly, breaking through to the air above—your body jolted as if awakening in a new world altogether. You drew in a long breath, your eyes fluttering open to reveal the ceiling, both familiar yet unfamiliar in its greeting. Swiftly, you surveyed your surroundings, noting with growing recognition the confines of your old room within the De Roma estate. The estate!

You were not in the palace of Caelum, but in the estate of House De Roma. A surge of realization flooded through you as you dashed towards the nearest mirror, confronting your reflection with wide, startled eyes.

No... could it be... that you have returned to your body, ten years prior?!

In the mirror, the reflection staring back at you was not that of the notorious wife of the tyrant Emperor Satoru, but of a 20-year-old maiden, the eldest daughter of Duke de Roma, with fuller cheeks and a more youthful appearance. You could not shake the feeling of disbelief, wondering if this was all just a dream, so you reached out to touch your arms and felt the flesh beneath your fingers, trying to convince yourself that this was an unexpected reality.

Oh, you were back. You found yourself returned to your former self, a decade younger, but now armed with the knowledge of your past life's actions and their consequences. Alongside this newfound understanding, the gift of clairvoyance had also been bestowed upon you.

And for what? Why had the heavens above returned you to your body? Was it for revenge, a second chance, or perhaps punishment?

Suddenly, a loud, deafening sound pierced your ears, and a blinding white light enveloped your vision. Your body became as still as a statue, and it felt as though your soul was transported to a fourth dimension where divine intervention seemed a lot more plausible to exist.

As your soul hovered in the liminal space between life and death, you found yourself standing before a figure cloaked in billowing robes, her presence commanding and her gaze piercing. This figure was Fortuna, the ancient Caelan goddess of fortune and fate, her visage austere and unforgiving.

“Are you aware of the sins that stain your soul?”

“Have you felt the weight of your transgressions, the consequences of your actions that have wrought suffering upon your people and brought ruin to your empire?”

Her voice echoed through the realm with the divine judgment that weighed upon your conscience, while her gaze penetrated to the core of your being and demanded honesty and accountability in the face of your past misdeeds.

“Will you atone for your sins?”

“Will you seize this opportunity for redemption, or will you squander it in self-pity and remorse?”

As you stood in the presence of the ancient goddess, grappling with the heaviness of your sins and the daunting task ahead, a brilliant light had all of a sudden illuminated the space around you. From the heart of this radiant glow emerged the figure of Archangel Raphael, his presence heralded by a chorus of angelical voices and the stirring of celestial winds.

Clad in robes that seemed to shimmer with the intensity of celestial light, Archangel Raphael's presence commanded attention, his wings unfurled behind him in a display of resolute authority. If Goddess Fortuna was intimidating, the archangel was fearsome all the more. His gaze, intense and penetrating, swept over you with a gravity that left no room for evasion or deceit.

“Empress of Caelum,” he spoke, his tone firm and unyielding, and his voice carrying a billion years of heavenly existence, “You stand accused of grievous sins, crimes that have shaken the very foundations of your empire and brought suffering upon your people.”

There was no trace of softness in Archangel Raphael's demeanor, no room for mercy in the face of wrongdoing. His presence was a testament to the uncompromising nature of divine justice, his strictness a reflection of the solemn duty entrusted to him as an Archangel of the Almighty. This, no doubt, was the face of a true and formidable executor of justice.

And you, the subject, had angered the divine beings that guarded the Caelan Empire, so much so that God himself sent the goddess of the land and one of his archangels to mitigate your rightful punishment.

“By the decree of the Almighty, you are granted a second chance to amend your sins and redeem your soul. You shall return to the mortal realm, to live your life anew and correct the sins that have stained your soul.”

“Should you fail to rectify your past transgressions, should you stray from the path of righteousness and succumb once more to the temptations of darkness, know that the consequences shall be severe and eternal.”

“For those who squander the gift of divine mercy shall be cast into the deepest depths of hell, where they shall endure a punishment of unending torment and suffering.”

In the presence of Archangel Raphael and Goddess Fortuna’s equally stern gazes, you were keenly aware of the magnitude of your transgressions and the severity of the judgment that awaited you. But even as you trembled beneath the weight of their scrutiny, you knew that their presence also offered you the opportunity for redemption, with your only task to prove yourself worthy of divine mercy.

Indeed, it was by your very hands that hundreds and thousands of Christian souls shed their blood. Innocent lives, both young and old, were cruelly taken at your command. The citizens of Caelum who fell sick from the spread of the plague. The esteemed Caelan advisors of your husband’s primogenitors, skinned alive and speared in pikes by the Tiber River. The wrongly accused maid who suffered the indignity of serving your husband, paraded unclothed through the streets and subjected to the brutality of the pear of anguish. The gallant and dignified knight, tortured mentally and physically in the atrocious dungeon. Now, you find yourself thrust back into the horrors of your former life ten years hence. A life of a noble lady who ought not to be blinded by her destructive love for the empire’s crown prince.

Yet, could you truly navigate this life without ascending to the position as his empress?

As you tried to commune with the divine beings afore you, a haze in your vision transported you away from the heavenly space, realizing that you were already drawn back into the reality of your chamber, inhabiting the youthful frame of a twenty-year-old daughter of a duke. You found yourself too astonished to move, too shaken to speak, and too afraid to take any action in this new lease of life blessed upon you. At that very moment, your state of reverie was disrupted at the arrival of your maid, who entered your chamber in a humble servant garb.

Milena. The maid whose life was cut short by your hand in your past existence due to petty thievery. “My lady,” she spoke with a hint of respect and urgency, unaware of the ill-fate you had given her in your past life, “A visitor has arrived at the gates and requests an audience with you. Shall I show them in?”

Too soon? Need it truly be so soon to engage with the people from your past life immediately after awakening to your old, yet younger body? Gazing upon your maid through the mirror, you asked, “Who is that intruder you speak of?”

She bowed her head, her stance shifting into one of apologetic deference. The way she firmly stood by your door was a message to you that the intruder was not someone you could easily reject the presence of.

“The visitor is His Highness, Crown Prince Satoru.”

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

#series: lltv #gojo satoru x reader #gojou satoru x reader #gojo x reader #jjk x reader #jjk royal au #slow updates bc sy is prio #i will not write this in archaic english anymore ITS HARD AF #but i had to put this out there so i can remind myself to write it *sobs*#might just write this on the side

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ikeucity · 15 days ago

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𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞. - 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗪𝗢

pairing. omegaverse!au ot7 x reader wordcount. 16k

warning. plot-heavy, abo dynamics, possessive and jealous behavior, fluff, angst, dub-con, non-traditional relationship structures such as poly/alpha-omega bonds, internal conflict, emotional manipulation, explicit sexual content. mdni. 18+

with your heat right around the corner, exhaustion settles in as you struggle against the magnetic pull they have on you. thoughts start to creep in, making you question just how deep this connection goes, what it might mean to give in. but as tension builds, one question lingers… who loses control first when the plan doesn’t go as expected?

co-author: @jaeyunsmochi 👹

you woke up to the clattering and soft voices drifting from the living room. blinking groggily, you checked your phone— 10:34 p.m. the boys should have been back by now, wrapping up their schedules, but for them to still be awake and causing noise at this hour? you sighed, rustling around in your sheets before stretching lazily. your muscles protested, still tired, but you swung your legs over the side of the bed anyway. with a groan, you dragged yourself into the bathroom, washing your face and brushing your teeth, already bracing yourself for the mess they’d probably left behind. you knew the drill by now—after all, they had a tendency to turn the place upside down whenever they got together, and it was always you left to clean it up.

sighing again as you finished up, still clad in your tank top and shorts, you figured they were turning in for the night soon, but you might as well make sure there wasn’t anything too wild waiting for you in the morning. best to get it over with now, you thought, padding quietly down the hall, lost in your own thoughts. you sighed as you walked into the living room, feeling the weight of everything that had been happening lately. your pre-heat had been hitting you hard, despite all the distractions the boys had been trying to throw your way. two days until you’d leave. just two more days to hold it together. they had been giving you more and more chores, hoping to keep your mind busy, but it wasn’t working. every night, you found yourself alone, seeking release to take the edge off, but your omega instincts were getting harder to ignore with every passing hour. alpha... mate... the words echoed in your head relentlessly, a chant that wouldn’t stop, a need that kept clawing at you. even the slightest brush of their skin sent you reeling, head spinning from the unintentional touches.

you’d called yuki earlier, your last hope for some kind of relief, but all he could offer was, "there’s a slight delay, but it should arrive soon." your replacement suppressor necklace wasn’t coming in time, and that left you even more vulnerable. great. now when would "soon" be? you were screwed, and you knew it. two days suddenly felt like an eternity. as you stepped into the living room, the boys were scattered about, each of them in their usual relaxed state, though the atmosphere was light in contrast to the tension coiling tight in your chest. jake was lounging on the couch in his pajamas, looking completely at ease, his carefree grin lighting up the space. jay was in the kitchen, the warm scent of freshly made popcorn drifting through the air. sunghoon and niki were huddled together, rummaging through a pile of board games, snickering at some inside joke. jungwon and heeseung were busy laying out blankets and pillows across the floor, turning the living room into a cozy den, a makeshift campout clearly in the works. “y/n,” jake’s voice perked up when he saw you, his grin widening as he bounded toward you, his energy infectious. he grabbed your hand gently, pulling you closer as if he couldn’t wait to share his next idea. “since you’re leaving soon,” he began, his voice softening slightly as he looked at you, a touch of guilt lacing his words. “let’s make a pillow fort.” "a pillow fort?" you blinked, caught off guard but unable to suppress a small smile at how serious he looked. it was random, completely out of the blue, but jake’s enthusiasm was so genuine, and the idea—childish as it was—seemed oddly comforting. you let out a soft chuckle as he tugged your arm gently, pulling you toward the half-finished mess of blankets and mattresses they’d clearly spent time setting up. jake flopped down onto the nearest mattress, sitting cross-legged, and patted the space beside him eagerly. “yeah, come on! you’ve been working too hard lately. you deserve to have some fun before... you know...” his voice trailed off, his playful expression softening as he looked at you with concern. “we’ll all help out, no chores tonight—just us hanging out.” you hesitated, glancing around the room. jay shot you a grin from where he was, balancing bowls of popcorn. sunghoon was standing there with a fistful of blankets, clearly on board with the idea, though he had no clue how to hang them properly. jungwon and heeseung exchanged glances, amused, but not opposing it either, while niki was still preoccupied with rummaging through the games, his back turned to you. “yeah, y/n,” sunoo chimed in brightly, looking up from where he was folding a blanket. “you’re already in your pajamas, and maybe we can convince niki to let you win a round of uno.” niki scoffed without looking up, rolling his eyes as if the mere suggestion was offensive. “yeah, right. i’m not going easy on anyone.” despite his dramatic eye roll, there was a hint of excitement in his voice, and you could tell he was warming up to the idea. your chest tightened at the sight of all of them, their eagerness making the tension inside you soften just a little. they were trying so hard to distract you, to make things easier, and you couldn’t help but feel a wave of affection for them. you exhaled slowly, forcing a smile. “alright,” you said, giving in, “i guess i could use a break... but, you guys are cleaning this up, right?”

“obviously,” heeseung grinned, patting down the last pillow as if fluffing it just for you. “you don’t have to do a single thing, we got it covered.” you glanced at the chaos that was their pillow fort construction. mattresses were haphazardly arranged against the couches, practically covering the entire floor. sunghoon was still fumbling with blankets, clearly trying to make a roof but struggling miserably, and you had to bite back a laugh. it was way too cramped for a proper fort. “i think we can skip the blankets,” you suggested, raising an eyebrow at sunghoon’s determined but failing attempt to hang them. he glanced back at you, clearly not wanting to give up. “but it’s supposed to be a fort, not just a sleepover.” the others looked around at the blanket chaos and seemed to agree with you. “i think it’s already plenty cozy,” jungwon said, stretching out on one of the mattresses, his shirt lifting just slightly, revealing a sliver of skin that had you looking away quickly before anyone could notice your reaction. internally, you scolded yourself. was this really a good idea? but backing out now would be worse. you glanced over at jay, who was now plating the snacks, his expression focused, almost too focused, like he was doing everything he could to make tonight as comfortable as possible for you. they’d all put in so much effort, and even though you were fighting the internal war that was your pre-heat, you couldn’t help but feel touched by it all. “you’re gonna love it,” jake said, practically bouncing on his heels as he gathered more cushions and pillows, his excitement contagious. “trust me.” you sat down on the mattress next to jake, sinking into the plush cushions, and the others began to gather around you. sunghoon finally abandoned the idea of the blanket roof, sitting down with a resigned sigh. heeseung leaned back against the couch, completely relaxed as he watched everyone get settled in, while niki dropped down with a stack of uno cards, clearly ready to start the night off with a bang. "okay, we’re all set." jay announced, placing bowls of popcorn and snacks on the makeshift table they’d set up. “everyone comfortable?” “as comfortable as i’ll ever be,” you joked, but your smile was genuine this time. for a moment, you let yourself relax, the warmth of the room and the boys’ presence wrapping around you like a blanket. "let’s start with uno," niki declared, shuffling the cards with a devilish grin. "and no, i’m not going easy on anyone. especially you, y/n." "bring it on," you challenged back, laughing despite the pressure building inside you.

"i swear to god, niki," jake growled, his voice low and dangerous as he glared across the circle, dragging yet another card from the pile. niki sat there, smug as ever, grinning like the little shit he was, his stack of draw twos and wilds sitting proudly in front of him. he had already ruined jake's game, and now it was the rest of their turns to suffer. "what?" niki threw his hands up, feigning innocence like he hadn't just unleashed chaos. "i’m just playing the game, hyung..." his voice dripped with mock sincerity, the kind that made you want to punch him and laugh at the same time. you snorted, trying to hold back the laughter bubbling up as jake’s frustration boiled over with each card he pulled. you leaned in and elbowed him, teasing, "easy, boy." jake shot you a look, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "you better watch it, you’re next," he said, half serious, half playfully competitive. "i swear, as soon as it's my turn again, you’re toast." jungwon, lounging like he had all the time in the world, smirked from his nest of pillows. "you might wanna focus on the mountain of cards you’ve got there before making threats." "looks like you’re up again, hyung." sunoo piped up, barely looking up from his hand as he slapped down a reverse card. jungwon's eyes widened, darting to the stack of cards. "hey—" he cut himself off, glaring at the pile as he begrudgingly drew more cards. "i was this close!" he held up his thumb and index finger. "close doesn’t count in uno, man," sunghoon chimed in, lazily tossing down a skip card. he gave a slow, smug grin. "i could play all night." "oh, i bet you could," niki fired back, sharp eyes glinting as he slammed down another wild card, changing the color to red. he pointed at you with an exaggerated flourish. "your move, y/n." you groaned dramatically, eyeing the pathetic six cards in your hand. "of course, of course, target me. why not?" heeseung chuckled from across the circle, lounging back against a pile of blankets, a satisfied smirk on his face. "he's competitive, y/n. don’t take it personally." "oh, but i will," you shot back, grinning despite yourself. jay, sitting beside you, leaned in eye-ing your cards, deciding to sit this game out. "don’t let niki win. he’s been insufferable all night." "i swear," you said, your voice deadpan, "if anyone lays down another draw two, i’m walking out." jake scoffs, eyes gleaming with mischief as he slapped down a wild draw four card. his grin stretched wide. "oh really? how about this, then?" your jaw dropped, eyes wide in disbelief. "jake! what the hell?" your voice rose, filled with mock outrage as you stared at the stack of cards now in your hand. "hey, you said you were coming for me next," jake shrugged, not even trying to hide his amusement. "this is self-defense." "oh, it's personal now," you muttered, pulling the four cards from the pile with exaggerated slowness, glaring at him the entire time. jake just grinned wider, leaning back like he had all the time in the world. sunoo, deeply entertained by the vibe in the room, giggled under his breath. "oooh, things are getting real serious now."

jungwon, still nursing his grudge from earlier, tossed down a reverse card. "let’s see what you got, y/n. make it count." you didn’t need to be told twice. with a grin that promised vengeance, you slapped down a draw two and pointed straight at niki. "take that." niki groaned dramatically, throwing his hands up. "come on! i’ve been playing nice!" "you call this nice?" sunghoon raised an eyebrow, his expression unimpressed. "you’ve been out for blood since we started playing." "it’s a conspiracy, i tell you," niki muttered, drawing his cards with exaggerated misery. the game went on, the laughter getting louder, the insults more colorful. pillows were tossed, blankets became weapons, and accusations flew with every wild card and draw two. jake, by now, was half off his chair, nearly toppling over as sunghoon blocked his turn with a skip card. "you traitor!" jake shouted, pointing an accusing finger at sunghoon, who just laughed and shook his head. "hey, don’t blame me," sunghoon said, grinning. "just playing the game, man." "psh, 'playing the game'," jake mocks, though his grin said otherwise. "you’re conspiring with jungwon, i swear." jungwon just waved him off, smirking. "don’t drag me into this. i’m just trying to survive." at some point, jay strolled in from the kitchen, a fresh bowl of popcorn in his hands. he stood there, watching the chaos unfold like he had just walked into a warzone. "you guys done yet?" he asked, tossing a handful of popcorn into his mouth. heeseung, who had been quiet most of the game, finally laid down his last card with a triumphant smirk. "done? i just won." the entire room fell into a stunned silence. "you what?" you said, blinking at him. heeseung just leaned back, hands behind his head, wearing the smuggest grin you’d ever seen.

for a second, there was silence until pillows were suddenly launched across the circle, blankets went flying, and everyone started yelling all at once. heeseung ducked, dodging pillows left and right then flinging one back, "hey, all part of the strategy!" jungwon wasn’t having it. "strategy, my ass," he muttered, pretending to sift through his remaining cards as if he was searching for evidence. "you’ve been stacking your deck or something." "i’ve been watching him," sunoo said, nodding, "he was playing fair and square." sunghoon shook his head, a grin creeping onto his face. "right. fair and square. just don’t come crying when we all come for your ass next round." niki threw up his hands. "hyung, let’s play again, rematch." heeseung grinned, leaning back with exaggerated confidence. "oh, bring it on. i'll just win again." "i’m definitely winning this round," jake muttered, but even he couldn’t hide the grin pulling at his lips as he tossed one last pillow straight at heeseung, hitting him square in the face making the eldest laugh as the cards were shuffled again. heeseung leaned back, hands behind his head. "don’t worry, y/n. you’ll get 'em next time." you leaned over, looking right into heeseung’s smug expression. "enjoy the victory now, but next game? you’re going down." "that a promise?" heeseung shot back, raising an eyebrow. "oh, you bet your ass it is." you grinned, already planning your revenge. the rest of the group echoed your threat, everyone promising vengeance, plotting strategies, and dramatically swearing alliances and betrayals. and for the rest of the night, every time someone grabbed a handful of popcorn or shifted their cards, they’d shoot heeseung a look, as if they were planning their next move. the game hadn’t started out this intense, but once niki suggested that whoever lost the worst was stuck with cleaning duty, the stakes shot up fast. no one wanted to be the poor soul left behind, picking up popcorn crumbs, sweeping up the sea of pillows, and scrubbing snack spills off the floor. so, naturally, everyone had turned ruthless.

“oh, hell no,” jay shouted, louder than anyone else, pointing around the circle. “i’m not touching a single crumb after this, y’all better bring your a-game, ‘cause i am not losing.” "whoever’s got the biggest hand at the end," niki had grinned, tapping his cards with a wicked gleam in his eye, "better get ready to be the cleanup crew." you all laughed then, but once it sunk in, no one was playing nice. cards were slapped down with extra force, threats flew, and fake alliances were forged and broken all over that circle. every skipped turn, every draw four, had everyone on edge, with you and the boys glaring over your cards like it was a high-stakes poker game. as the game heated up, jay’s voice was impossible to miss. every time he pulled a card, he’d let out an exaggerated groan or shout, making everyone laugh despite their best attempts to focus. "oh, hell no," jake groaned, already adding up the cards in his hand like his life depended on it. "i’m not cleaning this shit up." "better start dusting, jake," sunoo teased, grinning as he leaned back, his hand suspiciously low on cards. "maybe learn how to handle a vacuum." meanwhile, sunghoon was quietly stacking his cards, his face completely neutral, watching everyone like he was in a spy thriller. when someone got a particularly brutal draw, he’d just raise an eyebrow, muttering, “you brought this on yourself.” "this is bullshit," jake muttered, staring at the stack in front of him. “you’re all gonna pay for this next game.” "don’t be mad," heeseung called, looking way too satisfied as he watched the chaos. "someone’s gotta take one for the team, right?" by the time niki laid down his first draw two, jungwon had already sighed, barely even pretending to be invested. with each card he pulled, his resolve seemed to wane, but he kept a determined hold on just enough cards to stay in the game. "jungwon," you teased, nudging him with your elbow as he sat there with a half-hearted look. "you giving up already?" he glanced over, sighing dramatically as he shuffled through his bloated hand. “i’m not giving up. just... strategically surviving.” he gave a lazy shrug, tossing down a number card with no real hope behind it.

sunghoon, ever the cautious observer, raised an eyebrow at jungwon’s pitiful expression. “you call this surviving? you’ve got enough cards to wallpaper the living room,” he smirked. “as long as i’m not last,” jungwon replied with a shrug, looking utterly resigned. he glanced at the mess of pillows and popcorn around him. “no way i’m cleaning all this up.” you took a quick peek at your pile, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. not the worst, but close enough. "guess i won’t be cleaning, but looks like jake’s about to be on mop duty." "nope, the game isn’t over yet." jake muttered, pushing up his sleeves like he was about to start a real fight. and when the final tally was in, everyone glanced at their cards, and all eyes landed on jake. there was a beat of silence before everyone burst out laughing, while jake just sat there, groaning in defeat. "guess you better grab a broom," you teased, patting him on the back. jake groaned again, slapping his stack of cards down with a defeated sigh. "i hate you guys."

the whole game had been absolute chaos, but it was the kind of chaos that made you feel alive. every nerve in your body buzzed with adrenaline. for a while, everything else faded—the oppressive heat, the constant anxiety that gnawed at the back of your mind. it was just you and the boys, and for once, the suffocating rules that always seemed to hang over you like a shadow melted away.

as you glanced around, sunghoon was yelling at niki, accusing him of cheating, while jake dodged an incoming pillow with a grin so wide it nearly split his face. across the room, heeseung was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, clutching his stomach. watching them, you felt something shift inside your chest. it wasn’t just the game or the way they made you forget your worries. it was something deeper. your heart felt full—a kind of fullness you hadn’t felt in a long time, maybe ever.

you had spent so much of your life feeling like an empty vessel, only filled by the commands of others—your father’s demands, his constant expectations. rules and decisions made for you without a single thought to what you wanted. your life had been nothing but obedience, fulfilling his orders, being the perfect daughter, never straying from the path he had carved out for you. but here, with them, it was different. they didn’t see you as someone who existed to perform duties or fit into a mold. they saw you. meeting them had to be one of the best things that had ever happened to you. not because they dragged you into wild games like this, but because, with them, you found something real. these weren’t forced connections or transactional relationships, though that was how it started. they were people who cared, who saw you, not just what you could do for them. you hadn’t realized how much you needed that until now. as jake flopped down next to you, breathless and grinning, you couldn’t help but smile. a real, unguarded smile.

"you alright?" he asked, his voice softer now, like he could sense the change in your mood, glancing at you from the corner of his eye. "yeah," you nodded, feeling a warmth spread through you that wasn’t from the heat. "i think... i’m more than alright." he flashed you that crooked grin, the one that always felt like home, before turning back to his brothers lost in their own worlds. "wouldn’t want you to miss out, you know." he wrapped his arm around your shoulder before gesturing towards the room. "all this? it’s for you anyway." his tone was teasing, but the look in his eyes told you he meant more than just the game. you leaned into him, just a little, and for the first time in forever, you weren’t thinking about the next thing you had to do, the next demand waiting for you. instead, you were here, in this moment, surrounded by people who made you feel like maybe, just maybe, you could find something outside the life that had been laid out for you. something for yourself. that thought nestled into your chest as you watched sunoo tackle jungwon, both of them collapsing in a pile of limbs and laughter. jake’s thumb absentmindedly brushed your shoulder in a way that was grounding, comforting, like an anchor. and for the first time in a long time, you felt that elusive sense of belonging. this was it. this was what you had been missing. it felt like family… that thought wrapped around you like a warm blanket. the laughter, the teasing, the way they all accepted you with no strings attached. it was something you hadn’t even realized you were craving until now. these boys, with all their wild energy, filled a space inside you that had been empty for too long. just as you were sinking deeper into that feeling, a bright flash blinded you, cutting through the moment. you blinked hard, rubbing at your eyes in confusion. "what the hell—?" you muttered, still seeing spots dance in front of you. sunghoon stood a few feet away, holding up a polaroid camera with a smug grin. "gotcha," he said, waving the photo around to dry it. "sunghoon!" you groaned, but despite your protest, a smile tugged at your lips. of course, he’d catch you in a vulnerable moment—that was so like him. always teasing, always finding a way to break through the serious shit with something lighthearted. he sauntered over, still grinning and held the polaroid out to you. your vision was still adjusting, but when the image finally came into focus, it hit you. there you were, jake’s arm slung over your shoulders, your head resting against him, a peaceful smile on your face. you hadn’t even realized how happy you looked. "you’re welcome," sunghoon said, nudging you playfully as he dropped the photo into your lap. your heart swelled as you scan it. it was a snapshot of something you hadn’t felt in ages—genuine happiness. just you, living in the moment.

"thanks," you muttered, as you held the photo in your lap, you looked up to find sunghoon watching you, his usual smirk softened into something else. his gaze was tender, almost hesitant, like he was seeing a part of you he hadn’t seen before. there was something in his eyes that made your heart skip, a quiet kind of warmth, and for a moment, everything around you faded into the background. “stay like that,” he murmured, lifting the camera again. “just you and jake.” you felt jake shift beside you, then his arm tightened around your shoulders, pulling you in just a little closer. you caught him looking at you, his eyes warm and a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, the kind of smile that made you feel like you were the only one in the room. he leaned his head against yours, and his touch felt gentle, grounding, as if he was telling you without words that he was right there with you. “comfy?” he whispered, his voice low, barely loud enough for anyone else to hear. he glanced sideways, his grin widening as he caught the look in your eyes. “very,” you murmured back, feeling a flush of warmth creep up your cheeks. for a second, the world seemed to slow down, just you and him in that quiet bubble. “perfect,” he said softly, giving your shoulder a light squeeze as he pressed his cheek closer to yours, just letting the moment sink in. sunghoon adjusted the angle, his eyes lingering on the two of you with an almost protective fondness. but before he could press the shutter, sunoo popped up from nowhere, his face wide-eyed and eager. "wait, me too!" he exclaimed, practically bouncing into place, flashing a peace sign. sunghoon rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help smiling as he adjusted the camera. "alright, guess we’ve got a group shot now."

“a group shot?” jay’s voice rang out from across the room, and before you knew it, he was striking an exaggerated pose behind you, puffing his chest out and giving the camera his best “model” face, making you all burst out laughing. right on cue, niki calmly sidled into the frame, controller still in his hand as if he hadn’t left his game and slotted himself in beside sunoo, he shot sunghoon a relaxed nod. heeseung, never one to be left out, wandered over with a relaxed smile and threw up a peace sign, leaning in just enough to claim his spot, his face radiating mock innocence. and jungwon, who had been observing the scene with growing interest, tried to squeeze in from the other side, his face barely visible as he squashed himself between heeseung and jake. his laughter muffled as he struggled to find space. you couldn’t help but laugh, shaking your head, “guys, seriously? this was supposed to be a quick photo!” sunghoon just sighed, patiently waiting for everyone to settle before lifting the camera up again, his own grin breaking through as he tried to adjust everyone into the frame. “stop moving, ah—jungwon, we can barely see you.” “can you see me now?” jungwon said, pushing forward with a mischievous grin, barely visible in the sea of faces. "alright, everyone ready?" sunghoon said, barely containing his laughter as he looked through the viewfinder. you could tell he was struggling to keep the camera steady as everyone jostled for space, faces scrunched and shoulders squished together. "hold up, i’m not ready!" jay shouted, striking another absurdly dramatic pose. "jay, you’re ridiculous," you laughed, almost crying from how absurdly packed the frame was getting. “shhh,” niki muttered calmly, still holding his controller like a prop, acting like this entire scene was completely normal.

the camera clicked just as the whole group burst into laughter, caught mid-laugh, mid-shove, mid-chaos. sunghoon checked the developing photo with a grin, shaking his head. “you all look ridiculous.” “that’s the point,” you replied, beaming as you took in their happy, ridiculous faces. sunghoon eyes scan the developing polaroid, his eyes narrowing as he realized he wasn’t in it. he looked up, his face twisting into an exaggerated expression of betrayal. “hey! what about me?” he called out, waving the camera like he’d been wronged by the entire universe. “i’m not even in the photo!” the group turned back, snickering at his complaint. jay, hands stuffed casually in his pockets, shot him a lazy grin. “you’re the one who wanted to play photographer, man.” heeseung grinned, tossing up another peace sign like a model. “come on, just imagine we’re all posing for you, like… forever.” sunghoon groaned, feigning a wounded look as he crossed his arms, tossing you a playful pout. “wow, I see how it is,” he muttered, his eyes sparkling with mock betrayal. sunoo, laughing behind a hand, took in sunghoon’s overdramatic expression. “let’s take another one.” jake suggested, a mischievous smirk on his face as he nudged sunghoon. “hyung, hand me the camera,” niki said, reaching out a hand. “i’ll take the photo.”

sunghoon’s face lit up, and he quickly handed the camera over to niki, who stretched his arm out, adjusting the angle so it included him the angle. sunghoon took the chance to casually squeeze in next to you, bumping shoulders in a way that felt both natural and intentional. the other boys quickly shuffled back, this time forming a protective circle around sunghoon, making sure he’d have his spot. heeseung threw up another peace sign, jay threw in a thumbs-up, and sunoo gave a dramatic wink as everyone crowded in with their best exaggerated poses. jungwon even squeezed in front, leaning back onto jake’s shoulder with a grin, doing his best to hog the frame. “alright, everyone ready?” niki asked, holding up the camera with a small smirk. the group nodded, snickering as they tried not to move. the flash went off, freezing them all in a wild blur of laughter, goofy faces, and tangled arms. sunghoon’s grin was wide, his expression filled with something softer, content. this was it—the memory he’d been waiting for, finally captured, with him right in the heart of it all. the boys crowded together, laughing and nudging each other as they admired the photos, you bit back a frown when you realized, you didn’t want to leave—the thought of being away even just for a few days, to be separated from them, kind of made you feel anxious. like it just didn't feel right. maybe, just maybe, you’d found your place here... with them. but how could you keep it? could you even hold onto it? but you already knew the answer to that. the only way was to stay in control, to protect this fragile bond. it was too precious, too rare to risk. yet as much as you tried to ignore it, the quiet ache of your heat lingered at the back of your mind, a devil on your shoulder whispering, tempting you to let go, to surrender to their warmth, to let them in in ways that felt too dangerous. you gripped the necklace around your neck, fingers fidgeting with the useless pendant, the weight of it grounding but frustrating all the same. you wished it had worked longer, wished it would let you just be with them without the heavy veil of your heat creeping in. if it had, maybe you wouldn’t have to leave soon, wouldn’t have to find hyunjin for help managing it. would things have been different then? it’s unfair. a stupid set of rules, a fragile pendant meant to keep your own body in check, instincts you had to suppress—none of it felt like it should matter here. you wanted to break free of it, to just exist with them, let yourself lean in without second-guessing every move. but the rules had been carved deep, whispering caution even as you clutched the necklace, the pendant’s cool metal pressing into your fingers.

exhaustion hit everyone hard. it made sense—they’d come straight from work, thrown themselves into building that ridiculous excuse for a fort, and spent hours playing games without a single break. now, each of them was sprawled out on the floor, a tangled mess of pillows and blankets, looking utterly wiped. jungwon leaned against the couch, flicking through movie options with a lazy thumb, occasionally nudging sunoo, who was clutching a pillow tightly to his chest, eyelids fluttering with sleep. heeseung and niki were glued to their phones, nudging each other whenever something funny popped up, laughter breaking through their tired murmurs. sunghoon and jay sat side by side, both scrolling through reels, though sunghoon kept fiddling with the polaroid camera, occasionally glancing at the growing stack of photos he’d taken, a satisfied smile slipping across his face. jake lay stretched out on the floor, looking completely content, chatting lazily with jungwon and sunoo, his voice a low, soothing murmur. meanwhile, you stood in the kitchen, gulping down a glass of water like it was the only thing keeping you conscious. exhaustion tugged at your eyelids, daring you to give in, but you knew why you’d held out this long—because you were awake, fully aware, keeping your omega instincts in check. sleep, however, was another story. if you passed out here, surrounded by them, you couldn’t be sure you’d stay in control. especially not with how worn out you felt. when you walked back into the living room, jay nudged sunghoon, gesturing at the open spot on the floor beside him. “make some space, hoon,” he muttered, before glancing up at you. “hey, you can crash here if you want,” he offered, voice soft and sincere. you eyed the empty spot and shook your head, masking the hesitation with a lighthearted smile. “thanks, but I think I’ll just go back to my room,” you said with a light smile, keeping it casual even as exhaustion tugged at your resolve, softening the carefully set boundaries you’d tried so hard to hold. sleeping too close to them? not a chance. “nooo,” jake protested, his voice soft with a hint of a pout, disappointment flickering in his eyes. “you’re supposed to stay with us.” he held your gaze, brows knit, before glancing over at sunoo, a nervous plea in his expression, silently begging for support. you looked around, taking in their hopeful, almost sad expressions, and it made you feel like a complete ass for even considering leaving. after all, they’d set all this up for you. still, the thought of sleeping so close to them was risky, and you weren’t sure it was worth it. sensing your lingering hesitation, sunoo gave a gentle tug, subtly steering you away from the hallway that led to your room. “just this once, please?” he begged, pouting, his voice softening as he added, “we did all this so we could have a cute sleepover. it means nothing if you’re not here.”

your eyes darted between sunoo’s pleading gaze and jake’s hopeful expression, feeling the gentle pull of their insistence chip away at your last bit of resistance. “fine,” you sighed, finally relenting. “but i’m taking the couch.”

the moment the words left your mouth, sunoo clapped his hands together, his eyes lighting up as if you’d just made his day. he grinned wide, sending the other boys a triumphant look and they discreetly exchanged relieved glances, visibly relaxing.

you tried to get cozy, stretching out and pulling a blanket over yourself. the soft cushions enveloped you, and you could already feel your muscles slowly releasing the tension you hadn’t even realized you were holding. from here, you could still see them, hear the familiar hum of their voices, and it comforted you more than you’d admit. staying a little removed felt safe, like you could relax without dropping your guard completely. “sleeping already?” jake’s voice broke through the soft lull, warm with a teasing edge. you heard him shift on the floor, craning his neck to look up at you. “yeah, i need it,” you muttered, your voice already thick with drowsiness. “long day, and you guys wore me out.” sunghoon chuckled, still fiddling with the camera in his hands. “you're welcome,” he quipped just like he had before earlier in the night. he didn't even look up, but the smugness in his tone was clear. you rolled your eyes, snuggling deeper into the blanket as you turned your head away, feeling the weight of the day begin to fade. maybe it was the comfort of being here with them, or maybe it was just pure exhaustion, but you could feel the tension melting away, surrendering to the pull of sleep. “sleep tight,” jungwon called softly from his spot on the floor, his tone a mix of amusement and warmth, as if he knew exactly how close you were to drifting off. “night,” you murmured, the word barely a whisper as your eyes drooped, your mind already slipping into the quiet comfort of sleep. the boys’ gentle conversations blurred into a soft, soothing lullaby, filling the room with a sense of warmth and safety you hadn’t felt in so long. their voices slowly faded into the distance, and you were out. gone. they watched you for a second, just to be sure, exchanging glances before they started moving. jungwon motioned toward the blanket, eyes flicking to your peaceful face, and sunoo quickly tiptoed to heeseung’s room. he came back, holding the blanket out to heeseung like it was some sacred artifact, careful as hell not to wake you.

heeseung leaned in close, whispered a low, “okay,” his eyes flicking over to you, double-checking that you were out cold before he continued, “now, we scent it.” he knew damn well they were way over the line, wrecking every rule, stepping into territory they had no business touching.

but right now, none of that mattered. not with that pull he felt, the way you drew him in like gravity, tearing down every wall, no matter how wrong it was. he pressed the blanket hard against the back of his neck, feeling the heat of his skin sink deep into the fabric. she needs this, he thought, his chest tightening, an ache he couldn’t shake. this wasn’t just scent; this was his way of making sure you felt it, even if you didn’t realize it—felt that you were right where you needed to be.

with them.

the idea of never seeing you again scared the fuck out of him. there was no way he was backing out now. please, let this work, he thought, gripping that hope like a lifeline as he passed the blanket over to sunghoon, finally letting out the breath he hadn’t even noticed he’d been holding. sunghoon took it, looking down at the blanket clutched tightly in his grip. “you sure about this? what if it—” “just shut up and do it,” jay muttered. sunghoon shot him a glare, lips tight in silent protest. we shouldn’t be doing this, he thought, the doubt scraping at him. but he pressed the blanket against his neck anyway.

he wanted you—needed you—in a way he hadn’t realized before. he had known it the moment he’d snapped that photo of you and jake, that pang of something fierce and possessive twisting in his chest. he pressed the fabric harder against his neck, trying to ignore the flutter in his stomach, and passed the blanket to jungwon. jungwon held it, staring for a long second like it held every answer he’d been searching for. we’re really doing this, he thought, feeling a jolt of nervous excitement. his hyungs were watching him, eyes filled with some quiet, shared worry. jay leaned in, asked, “you good, or wanna back out?” jungwon swallowed, the question hovering in his mind for a split second. it’d be so damn easy to stop, walk away, stick to the rules. but when he looked at you, he knew there was no way. he shook his head, firm, “no.” taking a deep breath, he pushed down the nerves curling in his stomach, rubbing the blanket against his skin, his eyes closing as the weight of what they were doing sank in. yeah, they were breaking every rule, but he knew you were worth every bit of it. passing the blanket to sunoo, his heart pounded, but he felt more sure now than he’d ever felt. sunoo took it with a calm, almost serene expression, but there was a glint in his eyes, something intense flickering. without a second’s hesitation, he pressed it to his neck, rubbing slow, deliberate. she makes me feel safe, he thought, warmth filling him as he glanced over at you. it’s my turn now. you’d always broken through his walls, made him feel real, like he didn’t have to hide anything.

he nuzzled the blanket against his cheek, leaving a soft touch, almost like a promise. she deserves to feel protected. he handed the blanket to niki, a quiet smile slipping onto his face, feeling lighter than he had all night. niki hesitated, hands trembling as he took the blanket. he looked at you, worry clenching in his chest. he chewed on his lip, anxiety biting at him. but the thought of you needing him, of you turning to him, held him steady. he sighed, shaky but determined, rubbing his scent in a new spot, wanting you to know he’d be there, that he’d always have your back. doubt still lingered, though. he had wondered if he was doing the right thing, if he felt as strongly as his hyungs seemed to. maybe this will help me figure it out, he thought.

jake’s hand was already out, ready, no hesitation. he took the blanket from niki and rubbed it against his neck, down his chest, marking it, deep and sure, while the others rolled their eyes at him taking his sweet time. but jake stayed focused, letting the fabric sink against his skin. he tilted his head back, remembering the feel of your cheek against his, the warmth still there, seared into him. he cared about you in a way he hadn’t thought possible, more than he’d ever let himself admit. a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. he didn’t think he'd care this much. but he did. he had wanted to be close to you, to be someone you could count on. i want you to feel me.

jake raised a brow, glancing around at the rest of them—everyone's way too damn serious, and with a slow, shit-eating grin creeping up, he reached down, tugging at his waistband, gripping the blanket like he was seconds away from shoving down his pants. he wiggled his brows, waiting for someone to dare him to go through with it.

niki let out a loud snort, the sound echoing through the room, and they all panicked, eyes widening as they whipped around to check if you’d woken up. sunoo’s eyes went wide, hands flying to his mouth, a shit-eating grin spreading under his fingers as he watched heeseung snatch the blanket from jake’s hands, his expression torn between amusement and horror.

slowly, their gazes darted over to you, breaths held, every one of them frozen in place. jungwon clapped a hand over his mouth, but it was no use—he started wheezing, shoulders shaking as he leaned into niki, struggling to keep his laughter quiet. every time someone even breathed a little too loud, sunghoon would shoot them a look, half-serious, half-begging them to keep it together.

“dude,” heeseung whispered harshly, barely keeping a straight face, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth giving him away. “can you not?”

jay snatched the blanket from heeseung, shooting jake a deadpan glare. “we’re trying to scent her, not kill her with the smell of your sweaty ball sack,” he muttered, shaking his head as he inspected the blanket, giving it a cautious sniff just to make sure jake hadn’t actually gone through with his little stunt.

the moment jay muttered “ball sack,” niki, jungwon, sunoo and even heeseung practically lost it, shoulders shaking as they desperately tried to hold in their wheezing laughter. niki bit down on his fist, eyes crinkling, while jungwon’s face was buried in niki’s shoulder, his whole-body trembling.

jay’s eyes narrowed, clutching the blanket like it was some sacred object, his voice barely a whisper as he glared at jake, “if this thing smells like you, i swear…”

jay being dead serious, only made things worse. niki’s hand slipped from his mouth, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. all of them wheezing, doubled over, and sunoo had to turn away, his mouth pressed tight, eyes watering as he struggled not to burst out loud, their silent laughter making the whole thing ten times harder to control.

sunghoon glanced over at you, eyes widening when he saw you shift slightly, as if you might wake up. he immediately froze, finger pressed to his lips, frantically shushing everyone, trying to keep his own laugh in check. then he nudged jay in the ribs, mouthing, keep it down.

“what? i’m just trying to help scent it,” jake whispered mid-laughter, wiping the tears from his eyes. his tone was pure innocence, though the grin plastered on his face said the exact opposite. “figured it could use a little… extra.”

jay’s glare only intensified, which sent the group spiraling into yet another round of snickers. still wheezing, jake reached over and gave jay a light slap on the arm. “just scent the damn thing already." jay rolled his eyes, groaning. “ugh, last thing i need is all this crap up my nose.” but he brought the blanket up anyway, took a cautious sniff, and his expression shifted, a little surprised as he processed it. instead of being overwhelming, it was actually kind of mild, pleasant even. “huh, didn’t hate that as much as expected,” he muttered, rubbing it along his neck and then, without thinking, pressing it lightly against his lips like leaving a soft, invisible kiss. “corny,” niki had whispered, snickering as sunoo nudged him, both of them trying—and failing—to stifle their laughter. “just get on with it,” sunghoon muttered, exasperated. jay raised the crumpled blanket in his fist, holding it up threateningly like he was two seconds away from chucking it at sunghoon. “let me finish scenting, i waited for you idiots to finish, didn’t i?” he shot back, though his voice softened as he glanced over at you. the thought of you waking up, catching the scent, feeling that connection—it made it all worth this ridiculous ritual. with one last glance at you, he handed the blanket back, each of them leaving their own mark, like some messed-up bonding moment that they couldn’t deny was actually binding them together. heeseung exhaled through his nose, giving a final nod. “okay, that should be good enough.” he muttered.

“do we just… put it on her?” niki whispered, eyes darting nervously between the blanket and your sleeping form. “no, we should swap the one she’s using so the scent is stronger and right against her skin,” jungwon said, taking the blanket from jay. he tiptoed toward you, trying to keep his footsteps quiet, but as he reached to pull your blanket off, his hands hovered awkwardly in the air, clearly too freaked out to actually touch you. heeseung rolled his eyes, groaning silently as he waved jungwon back. “get back here.” he looked ready to get it done himself, but sunoo shook his head in distress. “hyung, i think i should do it,” sunoo whispered, looking dead serious. “no, me,” niki muttered, stepping forward. but before he could take another step, sunghoon, jay, and jake all whisper-yelled in unison, “not you!” niki blinked, eyes wide before his lips curved into a smirk, clearly amused by their collective distrust. he tried to keep a straight face, but sunoo shot him a warning look. “let me try,” sunghoon whispered, taking the blanket with shaky hands, bunching it up like he was about to do something serious. he moved towards you, but his hands were a disaster, darting forward, then pulling back like he couldn’t decide if he actually had the nerve to do it. he finally reached out to tug the blanket from your feet, but you shifted, and he froze mid-reach. the entire room went dead silent, nobody even daring to breathe. sunghoon stood there like a deer in headlights before slowly stepping back, shrugging at the others, whispering, “at least i touched it.” heeseung, throwing his hands up, finally stepped forward, determined to get it done. but the moment his foot hit something—sunghoon’s damn camera—he let out a quiet hiss, sucking in a breath and giving sunghoon a murderous look, his face saying, why the fuck would you leave that there?

“i can’t do it,” heeseung mouthed, throwing in the towel and retreating in silent defeat. jay, rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath, finally snatched the blanket from him, jaw set in pure determination.

he moved with quiet confidence, taking slow, measured steps, his face dead serious as if he were handling some high-stakes mission. his hands trembled slightly as he reached down, gently pulling the blanket from you, his heart hammering so loud he was sure everyone could hear it. but he didn’t stop. the others stood watching, eyes wide, holding their breath.

somehow, jay pulled it off, managing to slip the scented blanket over you like some protective shield without so much as a twitch from you. as he stepped back, they all let out a collective sigh of relief, each of them settling down in their spots, sneaking glances at you as you turned, face peaceful, your breathing steady. completely clueless.

"hyung, where’s the photo of me?" sunoo piped up, breaking the silence a little as he stretched his legs out in front of him, still hugging his pillow. sunghoon, looking momentarily confused, dug into his pocket and pulled out the polaroid of sunoo, smirking as he handed it over. "here, princess." sunoo snatched it from his hand, holding the photo up to inspect it under the dim light. "why do i look so sleepy?" "because you always look like that," jungwon teased from his spot on the floor, flicking the remote back and forth between channels though the volume was completely muted, never settling on one. "seriously, sunoo, that’s just your face." the group chuckled quietly, the conversation drifted from there, moving from random shit like sunoo’s perpetually sleepy expression to the latest shows they’d been watching and random gossip from work. it was the kind of mindless chatter that felt easy, something to fill the silence without waking you up. jake, lying flat on his back, stared up at the ceiling, occasionally chiming in, but mostly just letting the quiet buzz of their voices lull him into a more relaxed state. every now and then, he’d glance over at you, checking to make sure you were still fast asleep. "should we just put on a random movie?" jungwon finally asked, looking around at the others. "nah, no one's gonna pay attention," jay replied, not even looking up from his phone as he scrolled through reels. "we're all about to crash anyway." "yeah, i’m already half out," heeseung admitted, yawning and stretching out his legs in front of him. "let’s just call it a night. get some sleep." even as sleep began to tug at their weary bodies, their eyes stayed on you, watching the slow, steady rise and fall of your chest, you were the last thing each of them saw as their eyes finally fluttered shut. for now, they could only hope—hope that the night would pass quietly, that the blanket’s scent would be enough to ease you through till morning, to keep you steady, to keep you with them. one by one, they finally gave in, exhaustion overtaking them, and sleep crept in, pulling them under with lingering thoughts of you still warm in their minds.

as you drift into sleep, the soft warmth of the blanket wrapped around you feels like a gentle cocoon, its scent comforting, familiar—a grounding smell that lulls you deeper, safe and protected, even though you can’t quite place where it came from. at first, it’s calming, a quiet reassurance that you’re secure here.

you stirred, body reacting before your mind could catch up, your skin prickling as that heat began to build, the ache in your core waking up, restless. a thin layer of sweat covered your forehead, your legs rubbing together instinctively as your body sought relief. even in sleep, you could feel it—the undeniable pull of an alpha.

their scents wrapped around you until it felt like they’d seeped straight into your bones. each of them had something distinct, but together, they were a filthy mix of everything that made them alphas—all fire and smoke, sweetness and raw hunger, hitting you from every direction, pulling you under.

then things started heating up, literally. you felt hot, you felt like your body was on fire. your body jumped ahead of your brain, heat rolling under your skin, an ache sparking to life low in your belly. a fine line of sweat gathered at your hairline, your legs rubbing together, hips shifting like they had a mind of their own, slick gathering between your thighs, thick and warm, like your body was being prepared to let an alpha in. you’d needed an alpha to take you, claim you, fuck you so hard until the need was satisfied. the images of them came crashing in, faces burned into your mind like it was too much, like you were drowning in it.

the second your scent filled the room, every one of them went on high alert. you might as well have thrown match in gasoline. it was that instant, that consuming. their instincts kicked in, feral, tearing through the haze of sleep and snapping them all into focus. you were in heat—fuck, they could practically taste it, the desperation dripping off you, sweet and raw, like honey.

they sat up like they'd been shot, sleep fading fast—bed hair, dazed eyes still squinting, but the alpha in each of them fully fucking awake, ready, nerves wired tight. their eyes landed on you splayed out on the couch, a blanket barely hanging off one shoulder, your body writhing, a feverish mess. your heat was pure fucking fuel, demanding they give in to that raw, desperate need that felt like it would tear them apart if they didn’t satisfy it.

but jake? he was hit harder, more fucked up by it than the rest. he didn't move from his spot and is still lying on the mattress, one arm flung over his eyes like he could hide from it. your scent was thick, all vanilla and heat. just purely you. searing into him until his mouth went dry, and all he could think about was the taste of your sweet pussy. he’d peek every now and then, unable to resist, seeing you shivering on the couch, the scent of you making his whole-body burn, a quiet whine slipping past his lips before he could stop it. he wanted a taste so badly it ached. heeseung, though—quickly bolted, feet dragging him behind the couch like that’d save him, pressing against the backrest like he’d be safe if he kept it between you two. he towered over you, hands sliding under your armpits to lift you, pulling you up until you were sitting there, soft and pliant, your body weak against his. your head lolled back, landing against the couch’s backrest and heeseung’s gaze was locked on you. his eyes start taking in every fucking inch of you—your flushed cheeks, parted lips, eyes half-lidded but glazed, just staring blankly at him like you couldn’t even see straight.

he braced himself, knuckles white as he gripped the couch, fingers digging in so hard you could hear the faint creak of fabric under his hands. his gaze slid down to the curve of your neck, the way your collarbone glistened with sweat. your hard nipples poking through your top, teasing him, hard as diamonds, daring him, begging him to do something about it.

but his eyes kept coming back to the gland at your throat, pulsing, right there, bare and vulnerable, heat radiating off it. he just wanted to sink his teeth into you. the struggle was written across his face, muscles tensing as he held himself back, eyes locked onto that spot like it was magnetic.

heeseung took a sharp breath, nostrils flaring as he broke eye contact, forcing himself back against the couch, arms stretching out, trying to pull his shit together.

jay, on the other hand, cleared his throat, eyes darting around like he was desperately trying to think of something, anything, to distract himself. his gaze fell to your chest, nipples straining against that thin fabric, and he was out, voice rough as he muttered, “water. yeah. she needs water,” practically stumbling over his own feet as he headed to the kitchen. you could hear the water running, the sound pulling you a little out of the haze, making you sit up, hands pressing against the couch as you tried to orient yourself. but the heat wasn’t letting up, blurring the edges of everything, making it hard to focus. sunoo finally loosened his death grip on the pillow he’d been holding for dear life, hesitating before inching closer. he settled on the armrest beside you, sliding in on your left with this look of nervous determination. you barely even glanced at him, brows knitting together as you tried to piece together what was happening, and with a shaky right hand, he reached out, the back of it grazing your forehead. the touch sparked every nerve like he’d pressed some kind of switch. you felt your body respond, like a door had been opened. your pheromones, now more potent, more concentrated, leaked into every corner until they were all drowning in it. his eyes darkened, suddenly feeling a bit bolder that you weren't pushing him away. the sounds, the voices, the shuffling around you as they all reel—they might as well have been miles away because none of it existed in that moment. he was drinking in every second of it, like he’d been waiting for you to look at him like this, and his touch lingered, making you chase it, leaning in just to keep him close.

“she’s burning up,” he murmured, his fingers trembling as he brushed a few stray strands from your face, taking his time, moving slow, like he wasn’t even sure he should be touching you like this. when he tucked your hair behind your ear, you melt into his hand, sighing, your eyes fluttering shut, letting yourself just sink into the warmth of his fingers.

you felt a spark, that flicker of boldness that urged your tongue to flick over his finger, shy but intentional yet never breaking eye contact, like you were testing him, testing yourself. his teeth sank into his bottom lip, fighting back a groan, eyes locked on you like you were a damn fever dream come to life. the pure, unapologetic want, it made him shudder. he let out a rough sigh, his cock twitching painfully as his hand from your check now moved, fingers threading into your hair, sliding right to the nape of your neck his fingertips pressing just enough to send a tingle down your spine. he started rubbing circles into your scalp, slow and maddeningly gentle, but his eyes were anything but—they were dark, intense, that kind of look that made your pussy even wetter.

with a slow, almost teasing tug, he pulled your head back, his grip firmer, making you gasp and let out this small whimper. “yeah?” he murmured, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, like he knew exactly what he was doing, and fuck, he loved the effect he had.

“oh, you like that, huh?” his fingers tightened just a notch, and your lips trembled, barely managing a soft, shaky “yes—” before jay came crashing in, practically stumbling over his own damn feet as he shoved a glass of water between you.

“here, drink,” he muttered, clearly unaware he’d just bulldozed over whatever the hell was happening between you.

jay crouched down, pressing the glass to your lips, and you latched onto it, gulping desperately. water spilled down your chin, trickling along your neck, but you couldn’t care less—gripping his wrist like it was the only damn thing keeping you upright. you squeezed your eyes shut, drinking like you’d been dying of thirst, not realizing how much you needed it.

when you finally finished, he straightened up, and as your eyes fluttered open, relief and a strange gratitude flooded through you. “thanks,” you managed, voice barely above a whisper, but as you met his eyes, you felt your stomach drop.

jay’s stare was dark as hell, like he was mentally stripping you down and fucking you in his head. his gaze dropped, and you felt your stomach twist as you realized what he was zeroing in on. your nipples, hard and pushing through the thin fabric of your tank top, on full display.

your eyes widened, heat flooding your face. but when you looked back at him, he didn’t even pretend to be subtle—no shame, no hesitation, just raw, unfiltered hunger written all over his face. your heart raced, and you forced yourself to look away, snapping your gaze straight ahead, trying to find some kind of escape from whatever the hell was happening.

but then you saw it—right in front of you, his cock, hard as fuck, straining against his pajamas like it was ready to tear right through. if you inched even a fraction closer, you’d be able to…you licked your lips, the thought sending a pulse of heat through your whole body. your thighs clenched instinctively, and he noticed—could see in his eyes that he saw the effect he had on you, and he was loving every second of it.

his fingers gripped the empty glass so hard you heard the faintest crack holding back from whatever wild, impulsive thought had just blazed through his mind. he let out a tight, shaky exhale through his nose, jaw clenching, and somehow found it in him to pull away, heading back to the kitchen. but even as he walked away, you couldn't fucking relax.

the tension in the room so thick, it was like trying to breathe through cement. the water helped, if only a little, just enough to realize exactly what had gone down—how soaked you were from sunoo’s touch, the way your whole body had reacted, and now, with the fog clearing, you could see them all scattered around. chests heaving, expressions tight and their hard-ons weren’t exactly hiding, either, all tented up under the thin pajamas.

sunghoon was off to your right, back pressed against the edge of the sofa as he sat on the mattress on the floor. he’d chosen to stay down there, clearly putting some distance between you, his gaze unfocused, fixed somewhere off to the side, forcing himself to stay calm. then jake, lying just a foot from your feet, flat on his back, pillow smashed over his face as he clutched it for dear life, clearly trying to keep himself in check—but even that couldn’t hide the raging boner pressing through his pants, practically begging to be noticed.

jungwon groaned, head tipping back, and that sound tore your attention away from jake instantly. there he was, in the middle of the room, leaning back on his palms, legs crossed, looking like he was barely holding himself together.

when he straightened up, his eyes locking onto yours with a stare so sharp and fucking intense, you flinched. your pulse spiking under that gaze, every nerve lit up and on edge. the silence was deafening, so heavy you could practically feel it suffocating you, making it impossible to think past your scorching heat.

alpha, you force yourself to look away, trying to shake off the omega inside you, screaming for relief until your gaze landed on niki and jay sprawled out on the couch, both looking infuriatingly calm, legs spread wide, like they had all the time in the world to watch you crumble.

you managed to look away, but it didn’t help. your gaze landed on niki and jay on the couch, leaning back relaxed, legs spread out—niki with a glass of water pressed to his lips, watching, while jay just sat there, elbow on another couch's armrest, hands clasped over his mouth, rubbing at his jaw in this lazy, drawn-out way.

their stares burned into you, making you squirm in your seat, and that’s when you felt it. you cringed at the sticky sensation between your thighs and there it was—a dark, wet spot spread across your shorts and onto the couch. “shit,” you muttered, barely able to believe the state you were in—it looked like you pissed yourself.

your heart and body were at each other’s throats, a brutal clash of shame and pure, primal need. the embarrassment twisted your gut, the humiliation of them seeing you like this—desperate and fucking leaking. yet, underneath that shame, the hunger burned like wildfire. you needed them—alphas. your whole body was screaming for it, every ounce of reason obliterated by that raw, gnawing desire.

you mumbled incoherently, the words slipping out before you could even process them, every thought battling against that relentless instinct, “no… i—” you choked, barely holding it together. “i’m—fuck.” your mind couldn’t string a damn thought together; it was all slipping, your face betraying the struggle, the war between want and horror clear as day.

your gaze flicked over each of them, eyes filling with that undeniable hunger, only to fall back into shame, horror twisting through you as you realized how fucked-up this all was. tears burned at the corners of your eyes, blurring your vision as another fierce, agonizing throb pulsed through you, wrenching a raw, desperate cry from deep in your throat.

the need clawing at you so hard you thought it might tear you apart. you tried to cling to the rules, the boundaries you’d fought so hard to keep, forcing yourself to remember why you had to hold back, why you couldn’t give in. your father, everything that would be on the line if you lost control—it should’ve been enough.

but it wasn’t.

you needed them. fuck, you needed them so bad it was painful, each second making it harder to hold onto any control, barely able to breathe. another strangled, broken cry tore out of you felt yourself completely shatter, seeing white spots, your head dropping, nothing but a numbing pain in your head.

your heat had completely taken over, burning you up from the inside, blurring everything around you until nothing else fucking mattered. every single one of them was staring, those gazes pinning you down, making you feel stripped bare, more desperate by the second, like there wasn’t a single barrier left to hold onto.

you squeezed your eyes shut, head falling back against the couch as a shaky, breathless gasp slipped out. the relentless, throbbing ache between your legs drove your hips forward, your back arching as your legs spread wide, exposing just how fucking far gone you were. a desperate, needy whimper escaped your lips, like you were calling them to look, to see the filthy mess you’d made of yourself, practically begging without words, offering everything.

your face said it all—nothing but raw, unfiltered want, pure fucking need written all over you. every tremor, every heavy breath, showed that you’d given in, that you’d let them do whatever the hell they wanted without a second thought.

your toes curled against the mattress, another wave of hot-as-fuck heat slamming through you, ripping a gasp from your throat, your vision going blinding white. a raw, guttural groan tore out of you, the burn eating you alive from the inside out. "fuck, it’s hot," you panted, barely getting the words out.

you looked around at them, eyes flicking between each one, desperate, damn near trembling, but the looks on their faces—like they were about to pass out from fighting it off—told you they knew exactly how much danger they were in, what kind of risks they'd be taking. your gaze finally landed on sunoo, leaning back like he had all the time in the world, elbow propped up on the couch, hand against his cheek, smirking.

"sunoo," you croaked, voice thin and needy, head drooping as that dizzy heat climbed up, making your mind swim in some fucked-up haze. "it hurts," you barely choked out, throat tight like you’d swallowed gravel. you had to scrape together whatever shred of dignity you had left just to raise your eyes back to him, voice barely a whisper, "help."

that one little word shattered jake. he rolled over, face buried in the pillow, muttering a pissed-off, muffled “fuck,” grinding his rock-hard dick into the mattress like that’d actually help anything. but your scent was everywhere, thick, dizzying, making his head spin so bad he couldn’t stand it. finally, he pushed himself up on his elbows, all fight drained out of him, staring at you like he was one second away from losing his goddamn mind.

every drop of blood in his body surged south as his eyes locked on the wet spot between your thighs, his mouth going bone-dry. he swallowed, dragging himself over, his hand trailing up your ankle, and you flinched, letting out a little squeak that might’ve been cute if he wasn’t already so gone.

he kept his head low, like he was trying to play it cool, but his hands were shaking, practically vibrating. fuck, he couldn’t help it—he wanted to bury his face right there, needed it like a junkie looking for a fix.

“jake,” heeseung’s voice cut in, low and warning, coming from right behind you. it took you a second to realize he’d been right behind you this whole time, watching everything, just barely out of your line of sight—he’d seen everything. you couldn’t help but wonder what kind of look he had on his face now.

jake let out a low, irritated grunt, clearly not planning to back down. "but she smells so fucking good," he shuddered, both hands sliding from your ankles up to your thighs, the sensation making your hips roll. feeling a bit bold, you spread your legs for him, desperate for him to touch you where you wanted him to.

seeing how much you'd leaked for them made him groan, "oh, fuck," his voice barely holding steady. his grip dug deeper into your thighs, dragging out a choked gasp, and the moment you whimpered, "jake, please," you thought for sure he'd dive right in.

instead of going where you thought he’d go, jake’s head dropped down, his face pressing right into the soaked spot you’d left on the cushion. he inhaled deeply, like a man starved, groaning as his eyes rolled back, looking completely fucking gone on you.

he didn’t just stop there—he pressed his mouth to the damp spot, licking it up with a filthy, shameless moan, sucking on the fabric like he’d lost all sense of control. “mhm, fuck… oh, fuck… shit, i can taste your pussy,” he muttered, voice muffled against the cushion, “so fucking good.”

the sounds he made—wet, obscene, downright dirty—had a low, desperate moan slipping out of you. you couldn’t stop yourself, your hips rolling up as you matched his moans, feeding off his raw desperation. every rough inhale, every filthy lick sent another shiver through you, soft, breathy whimpers escaping like you were both spiraling down, locked in that hazy, needy loop.

he growled into the cushion, voice dark and hoarse, “fuck, keep moaning like that, just keep doing that for me,” and you couldn’t help it, matching every damn sound he made, his mouth glued to the cushion like he was getting high off it, like he’d fucking die if he stopped.

heat had pooled low in your stomach, every inch of you throbbing, dripping, and jake was clearly aware of every last drop. his head snapped up, his breath hitching, eyes wide, pupils dark and blown with lust. “fuck… your pussy just keeps leaking,” he groaned, voice a raw mess.

“i can smell it—fuck, i can smell all of you,” he whimpered, his tongue slipping out as he panted, his gaze locked on you. “please… lemme touch myself,” he choked out, voice barely holding together. “please, wanna cum just from smelling you, from having your pussy right here.”

his whole body trembled, words coming out in a desperate, messy rush. “i won’t put it in, i swear… fuck, just let me… get off to your perfect fucking pussy,” he’d panted, glassy-eyed, his hips bucking up into nothing. you nod, whispering an “okay,” but heeseung’s voice cut through the haze.

“jake, that’s enough. stop.” his gaze locked on jake, a warning that was impossible to ignore, his tone dripping with authority, like he knows very damn well how things would go past the point of no return if this kept up.

jake snarled, downright furious at being told to stop, the fucking audacity of it clear in his glare as he shot daggers at heeseung.

“are you fucking serious?” he muttered under his breath, cursing every inch of ground heeseung was holding. even as he begrudgingly started to pull back, his whole body was tense, practically vibrating with the effort to hold himself back.

the second you felt him start to pull away, you lunged forward, a desperate, pissed-off “no!” slipping out as you hooked your arms around his neck, panting, “i don’t want him to stop... and it's not enough.”

without waiting for an answer, you tugged him back down, pressing his face hard against your soaked pussy, ignoring heeseung’s command completely, practically begging for it as you held him there.

jake needed no more convincing. with a muffled groan, he buried himself right back in, his mouth finding your clit through the fabric, flicking his tongue over it like he was making up for lost time.

“it’s okay,” you whispered, voice thick with need, and his eyes snapped up, a wicked gleam in them as you murmured, “just… don’t take off my panties.”

his eyes flashed with gratitude, like that was a damn blessing. “fuck yes,” he breathed, voice rough as he muttered a hasty, “thank you,” his hand sliding down, eager, finally wrapping around his cock.

he didn’t even try to hide his relief, his whole-body trembling like he’d been waiting for this forever. you couldn’t see exactly how hard he was from your angle, but the rough, slick sounds of him jerking himself off told you enough.

he let out a sharp, strangled yelp as he pumped himself faster, not holding back. his tongue flicking your clothed clit, hard enough to have your back arching off the couch. his mouth working you like he was hooked on it, and that stopping now would be his own personal hell.

jake groaned, his mouth forming a perfect “o” as he nuzzled deeper, practically huffing your scent like it was his own personal brand of fucking ecstasy. his words spilled out, raw and barely coherent, “i—i can't help it, fuck… your scent is fucking everything, makes me so hard,” his voice desperate as he mumbled, “smells so fucking good, so fucking perfect.”

“don’t stop, it feels so good,” you whimpered, a high, desperate moan escaping as his mouth pressed into you, sucking hard on your soaked shorts, though by now it was probably full of his saliva, your legs shook, head falling back, eyes rolling back in pure need as he devoured you without mercy.

he rocked his tongue against you in slow, teasing kitten licks, making you roll your hips against his mouth, matching his rhythm as he kept pumping himself. each muffled moan from him sent vibrations through you, amplifying the pressure, his eyes glued to yours as he imagined fucking you, the image so vivid that a high-pitched moan ripped out of him, loud and desperate.

god, you were shaking—your body trembling so hard he looked damn near smug. he fucking loved it, loved seeing you wrecked beneath him, his chin slick with spit as he finally pulled back, breathless but grinning like the devil himself.

“you said as long as the panties stayed on, right?” his fingers hooked into the waistband, tugging, like he was dying to pull them down but playing on that technicality.

you were so lost in the sensation, head thrown back, vision blurring with spots, that when you looked up, your gaze locked with heeseung’s. his smoldering stare sent a cold shiver down your spine, dark, intense, and hungry. even from this angle, he was practically swallowing you whole.

“y/n, you’re not fucking thinking straight,” jay’s voice cut through the haze, rough and uncertain, as he shifted forward from the other couch, clearly torn between holding himself back and throwing himself into the mix.

the way you’d lifted your hips, practically offering yourself to jake, had him thinking maybe—just maybe—you’d let him do something he’d been dying to do.

but jay’s words barely even registered, all you heard was the pounding in your head, all you felt was jake, and your eyes stayed locked on heeseung’s, who looked like he was one moan away from snapping.

his chest heaved, lips parted as he watched you with that razor-edge stare, his pupils blown. you could see his adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard before growling, “you’re breaking the rules, omega.” like he was fighting his own damn instincts. “this shit stops now before it gets any worse.”

you wanted to snap back, but words escaped you, your body still shaking, mind fried by the way jake worshipped you, licking along the edge of your panties, his tongue dragging over the bare skin where your arousal had trailed down, his hot breath making you squeal.

a flicker of a filthy smile tugged at your lips, which only made heeseung’s cock twitch in response. oh, that look on your face was pure, calculated defiance.

but you weren’t backing down—not with jake making you feel so fucking good, not with every nerve in your body lit up, craving them even more. craving more alphas. craving your alphas.

“touch me, alpha. please.” you whisper, pleading, breath hitching as jake’s mouth drove you further, putting every ounce of energy into making sure your pussy was swollen by the time he was done.

the couch creaked under heeseung’s grip, his fingers digging in so hard you half expected it to splinter. he took a sharp breath through his nose, clearly fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the audacity of it all.

you, looking up at him with those needy eyes, fucking begging, was something he’d only ever dared to imagine. and here it was, right in front of him, sounding so much better, so much filthier than anything he’d conjured up in his head.

“it’s not breaking the rules if you don’t fuck me,” you gasped, every word coming out between heavy, desperate breaths, like you didn’t give a damn about the consequences, only the way he was looking at you.

heeseung’s nostrils flared, his gaze snapping to jake, still kneeling on the mattress, nestled between your thighs like he’d found his own personal heaven.

jake dragged his tongue in a slow, filthy stripe from your soaked panties all the way up the back of your thigh, savoring every inch, and then straightened on his knees. his cock hit the edge of the couch as he rose, grinding against it in a needy, helpless motion as his mouth worked its way up to the curve behind your knee, clearly just as gone as you were.

when his tongue reached the sensitive curve behind your knee, he shot heeseung a look—his gaze was pure fire, an unspoken don’t even think about interrupting, and heeseung’s lips twitched, barely holding back his amusement as he caught the silent claim.

heeseung’s gaze narrowed, but he held back, that slight, cocky smirk playing at the corner of his lips as he let jake have his moment. jake had let your legs dangle back over the couch, spread wide, exactly the way it was the first time you offered yourself to him.

heeseung just stepped back, his hands easing off the backrest, sending knowing looks to the other alphas around you as if silently giving them the go-ahead.

and it was sunghoon who moved first. not even bothered to glance at heeseung, his eyes were locked onto you, his focus unshakable. his footsteps padded softly across the room, and your breath hitched as you felt the sofa sink slightly on your right. your eyes snapped open, and there he was, sunghoon, sliding down onto one knee beside you, his gaze intense, like he didn’t give a damn about the other alphas circling you—he was here for you.

the couch creaked as he leaned closer, his slender fingers trailed up the length of your arm, leaving a searing path that made you shiver. by the time he reached the curve of your neck, your lip was caught between your teeth, eyes fluttering shut as a shudder ran through you under his touch.

meanwhile, jake was in his own little world, half-mumbling, half-gasping, “fuck… fuck, i think i’m gonna cum,” he choked out, sounding like he was a breath away from completely losing it. “gonna cum because of you, ‘cause of your fucking pussy… oh god,” his voice shook, his hand working faster, his face a mess of need and sheer desperation.

sunghoon’s head dipped, his nose brushing over your shoulder as he inhaled your scent, a low rumble vibrating from his chest. when his nose caught on your strap, he used it to pull the fabric down, exposing your bare shoulder.

he traced along your collarbone, his lips stopping right above your pulsing gland, and you could feel his restraint thinning. his breath grew hotter against your skin, tickling your neck as his hand came up to cup your cheek, turning your face to him, his eyes flicking from your lips to your eyes, dark and intense.

“sunghoon,” you murmured, your voice barely a whisper, but he was already leaning in, his gaze tracing every inch of your face. his thumb swiped across your lips, his own voice low, intimate, almost possessive.

"can i kiss you?"

god, he smelled amazing—orchid and sensual musk invaded your senses, turning your brain to mush. you were about to answer a 'yes' but the sound barely made it out before he crashed his mouth against yours, all that “patient sunghoon” gone to hell.

his tongue dragged along your bottom lip, groaning into your mouth, hot, sloppy, claiming every inch of you with each flick. saliva dripped down your chin as his tongue tangled with yours, and each breathy, muffled moan was swallowed, his touch setting every inch of you on fire.

the wet, filthy sound of your kiss filled the room, his mouth covering yours like he was starving. you could barely breathe, your whole body responding to him, your pussy clenching at the intensity.

jake saw it, too—the subtle twitch of your soaked panties, and it damn near drove him insane. he looked up, eyes darkening when he saw sunghoon devouring you, and he let out a loud, choked moan against your pussy, the vibration making your hips buck.

jake was a mess, muttering half-intelligible curses, his voice a wrecked jumble of sounds. “fuck… fuck, you're so hot, i wanna—” he gasped out, breath coming in sharp pants, his whole-body twitching like he was barely holding on.

“gonna cum just from your pussy… you’re doing this to me… oh god,” he whined, his voice barely holding it together, all shaky and desperate, as his hand pumped faster, any shred of self-control long gone. he looked up at you, completely fucking wrecked—hair a mess from how many times you’d yanked on it, his pajamas sticking to his skin, nearly translucent from how drenched in sweat he was. he looked like he’d been through hell and was ready to thank you for it, mouth hanging open, gasping like every breath was a battle.

“shit, hoon. keep doing that,” jake muttered, voice shaky as he grazed his teeth lightly into your thigh, like he was trying to mark you, too, before dropping his head, his nose pressing right against your clit, whimpering. rocking into his fist like a puppy in heat.

“she’s getting so fucking wet,” jake huffed, voice garbled as his hips bucked into his hand, the slick sounds growing louder, every garbled “yes, yes” tumbling out as his balls slapped against his palm.

completely transfixed by the way your body responded to sunghoon’s kiss, he let out another desperate groan, practically ripping his pants down to his knees, his cock springing free, hard and slick with precum.

heeseung shifted behind you, his presence wrapping around you like a second skin, and your stomach twisted in anticipation, pulse pounding as he leaned in, slotting himself between the make out session with hoon.

his hot breath against your neck as he ran his tongue along your earlobe. you jerked, a shiver running through you, breaking the kiss with sunghoon as he pulled back slightly, his lips lingering, gaze locked onto yours, completely entranced.

“are we making you feel good?” heeseung’s voice was low, teasing in your ear, like he didn’t already know the answer. his smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth as he glanced over at sunghoon, who hadn’t taken his eyes off you, fingers drifting from your cheek, trailing down between your breasts. the touch made you arch your back, a gasp slipping out as the overstimulation tore through you, and heeseung just chuckled, amused.

but sunghoon didn’t even spare heeseung a glance; he was fully fixated on you, his mouth crashing back against yours, hungrier than ever after watching you melt under his touch. his tongue swirled around yours, fingers teasing your nipple lightly, pulling a moan from you, and the second you made that sound, he pressed his hard cock against your thigh.

the heat and thickness of him was clear through his pajama pants, grinding up against you, his large hands squeezing your tits firmly, letting out a low, almost animalistic growl into your mouth. his restraint was barely hanging on, his hands trembling with the urge to just rip your shirt off and suck your nipples.

you pulled back slightly from sunghoon, a string of saliva connecting your lips, and you swore you heard him grunt, almost in protest. before you could process the heated gaze he was giving you, another hand snaked around to the nape of your neck. fingers threaded through your hair, giving it a firm tug that had you groaning, and when you turned, you found sunoo, a flicker of a smirk playing on his lips.

his eyes were locked onto the way your jaw went slack, body quivering under all the touches, your hazy, hooded gaze meeting his as you gasped, pitch rising with every touch.

“you never answered the question,” sunoo chuckled, letting the confusion settle on your face for a second before he leaned in close, whispering sweetly into your ear, his voice as smooth as honey but laced with wicked intent.

“are we making you feel fucking good?” he purred, his innocent tone only adding to the tension, knowing exactly what he was doing as you moaned, overwhelmed, the sound slipping out in answer to his deceptively sweet question.

you found yourself answering back, breathless and barely holding it together, “mm, y-yes…” the words slipped out as sunoo’s grip on your hair tightened, forcing you to look back down at jake, who was latched onto your clit, sucking like he was a man possessed.

every time he pulled on the fabric, a filthy, wet sound filled the air, and his throat rumbled like he was having the time of his life. he looked wrecked, like he was hanging on by a thread, his eyes glazed, practically short-circuiting down there.

“yeah?” sunoo’s voice was hot and smug in your ear, like he found it downright hilarious that you were losing it. “you really like this?” he sounded like he was enjoying every second of making you admit it, watching you crumble under their touch.

“yeah,” you mewled, suddenly embarrassed, squeezing your eyes shut as your voice wobbled. “making me feel so good, alphas,” you managed, feeling that heat rise to your cheeks.

“we know, baby,” he coaxed, each word smooth as sin. “but why don’t you tell us just how good jake’s making you feel?” his voice held that tone that said he knew exactly what he was doing, pulling those words right out of you.

jake looked up, catching your eyes, clearly loving the attention as he slowly lifted himself from between your legs, ready to hear whatever you were about to say.

and that’s when you got a real look at him—his cock, flushed and leaking, practically dripping with every needy stroke. veins were popping out along his arms, and his throat was rough from all the hoarse moans he’d been making. his cock bobbed with each pump, tip flushed pink, aimed right at you. you could tell by the look on his face that he was in another world, where he was fucking you senseless.

“oh god,” you gasped, barely able to handle it, eyes wide. “jake,” you whimpered, “i—i love it, fuck, you make me and my pussy feel so good.”

every word out of your mouth seemed to push him further over the edge. practically drooling as he choked out a broken, “fuck, yeah, i do,” his voice coming out in a tangled mess of need. his hand pumped harder over his cock, mumbling nonsense. “god, that pussy… i’ll do anything for that pussy, fuck,” he babbled, half-gone, just saying whatever the hell popped into his head.

sunoo’s gaze burned into you, his jaw clenched, and he looked about ready to combust. his cock twitched in his pants for what felt like the hundredth time today, every reaction you made engraving itself into his memory. the way you thrashed and moaned at jake’s words?

yeah, that was doing a number on him, too. overstimulated didn’t even begin to cover it, you were making sounds so high-pitched, so obviously wrecked, that sunoo had to bite back a curse. fucking perfect. he mouthed the word, like he was branding it.

even sunghoon, who had been holding it together, found himself palming his cock through his pants, gaze zeroed in on your face, his breaths coming heavier with every gasp you let out. he leaned down, his tongue darting out to lick a slow, heated line up your neck, and he groaned low, his voice pure gravel. when you squeaked, he didn’t hesitate, crashing his mouth against yours, completely ignoring the concept of subtlety.

he went right for it, fucking his tongue against yours like he was in a race. you tried to pull back for air, whining, but he just followed, not letting you escape for a second. his hand wrapped gently around your throat, keeping you in place with that maddeningly confident grip, tilting your head just so, while sunoo’s fingers slid through your hair, making sure you weren’t going anywhere.

sunoo had to practically glue his fingers to keep from gripping tighter, his hand itching to hear a filthy, breathless moan rip out of you, imagining you falling apart just for him.

his little daydream, though, was cut short by heeseung, who leaned in close, voice a rough whisper in your ear, “this is what you could have,” like he was spelling it out for you with every breath, making damn sure you felt it.

you tried to answer, but sunghoon was having none of it, mouth devouring every word, every sound, like he was staking his own claim right there.

finally fed up, sunoo leaned in, unable to stand on the sidelines a second longer, pressing a hot, sloppy kiss along your jaw, inching up till his tongue flicked over to your ear, letting you know he wasn’t about to stay out of the fun.

heeseung, practically growling in your other ear, sounded like he wanted to make sure you don't forget how good they can make you feel. “just give in to us,” he muttered, and there was no mistaking the intensity, he was dead serious.

“we’ll never do anything you don’t want,” heeseung murmured, his voice dipping into a sweet, seductive torture. you hadn’t even realized your eyes were shut, losing yourself in the mess of sensations they were pushing you into. you could practically see it all—their breaths hot on your skin, every touch leaving a brand, that you were theirs, and each whisper making it harder to remember where you were.

you started shaking, feeling that orgasm building, and jake could fucking sense it. they were relentless, crowding you like they were intent on suffocating you—in the best possible way. you were addicted to the feeling of sunghoon’s mouth on yours, so lost in the kiss that you grew bolder, tugging on his bottom lip, biting it just enough to make him groan. when he poked his tongue out, you didn’t hold back, sucking on it, making him moan huskily. jake? he absolutely lost it. watching you suck on sunghoon’s tongue, hearing you slurping his tongue, he was practically drooling. he poked his own tongue out as if he wanted his turn, looking absolutely wrecked with his throat raw and his knees digging into the mattress, burning from holding his weight.

his dick was throbbing, almost painfully, and he knew his orgasm was going to take him out. he couldn’t hold himself up anymore, doubling over, pressing his face against your panties—now soaked and carrying the scent of his spit—and he rubbed his face against you with a frantic, desperate need, wheezing as his own release finally crashed over him, intense and earth-shattering. his body convulsed, every muscle trembling as he let that euphoric wave hit him.

he let out the loudest, most broken moan, sounding like he was on the edge of tears, dragging it out, his cock slamming against the edge of the couch as he rubbed into it, imagining he was buried deep inside you. his volume had both you and sunghoon pulling away, momentarily stunned by how damn loud he was. thick spurts of cum decorated the mattress in messy splashes, each one making him shudder, his body jerking with every pulse, letting out a string of harsh, broken grunts.

even as he came, he didn’t look away from you. his eyes stayed locked on yours, fixed in that raw, desperate stare, not even when sunghoon had his tongue down your throat. it was like he needed you to see every raw, unrestrained second of him falling apart, needing you to feel just how much he wanted you, every inch of him laid bare.

jake’s face was flushed, his knees throbbing red-hot from the brutal time he’d spent kneeling there, but none of it mattered. he was supposed to be the alpha in control, but right now? he looked utterly wrecked, having just gone through one of the most intense orgasms of his life—all from your scent alone.

under normal circumstances, they’d be all over him with teasing, giving him endless shit for falling apart like that, but this time, they just watched in silent understanding. they knew exactly what it felt like to be at the mercy of the effect you had on them. any one of them in his place would’ve ended up just as ruined, just as desperate.

jake’s body finally gave out, and he collapsed face-down onto the mattress with a heavy thud, utterly spent. his chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath, a faint sheen of sweat glistening in the low light. sprawled out, limbs loose and useless, he looked completely blissed-out, his cheek pressed against the fabric, eyes half-lidded, lost in the afterglow.

the room was thick with the aftermath, everyone feeling the weight of it, and as jake lay there, still shuddering from the intensity, his soft, broken whimpers were the only sound, muffled against the mattress. he’d given everything, left it all there, and the way he just lay there, barely able to move, was proof enough that he’d been pushed beyond his limit.

but you? your orgasm never hit, and it hurts. literally. breath coming in short gasps as you watched jake sprawled out on the mattress, knocked out cold.

you scanned the room, silence thick and suffocating as three pairs of alpha eyes watched you, expressions unreadable, while sunghoon and sunoo released their hold on you, giving you space to breathe—though it didn’t do much for the blazing ache in your core. the intensity of it only reminded you that, despite everything, your heat was still roaring, and you hadn’t even gotten close to satisfaction.

then it hit you. the sinking realization that you'd let things go too far, completely ignoring the damn rules, caving to your desires. you barely muttered, “i fucked up,” scrambling off the couch, legs weak and trembling as you tried to stand, almost toppling over. “i should’ve stayed away,” you mumbled, mostly to yourself, as if that was going to do anything to calm your need for an alpha.

“y/n!” sunghoon’s voice was sharp, almost making you stumble again, the mere sound of his voice sending another jolt down to where you were still aching, and every nerve in your body betrayed you, urging you to turn back and let them finish what you started.

but you pushed forward, not even daring to look at niki, jay, or jungwon as you rushed past them, cheeks burning from the sheer mess of spit and slick you were covered in. god, you felt like you’d walked out of some x-rated romcom gone way too far.

jungwon’s gaze followed you, noticing the unsteady wobble in your steps. he knew your door well—the weight of that damn thing was intimidating, and he could already picture you struggling to close it behind you. “shit, she’ll be too weak to even shut her door,” he mumbled to himself, striding after you.

truthfully, he’d only planned to help you close it, nothing more. but as he saw you slipping closer and closer to disappearing through that heavy metal door, a flash of dread shot through him. the thought of it locking you away, shutting you out, sent a pang of panic through his chest, and before he could stop himself, he reached out, his arm wrapping around your waist, pulling you back against him, chest pressing flush against your back.

that familiar, cinnamon scent surrounded you, grounding you, only making you realize who it was: jungwon.

you felt his heartbeat pounding against you, fast and strong, as he nuzzled into your neck, inhaling deeply like he was savoring every second. his grip tightened, his breath getting hotter as his hard-on pressed insistently against the back of your thigh.

you heard jungwon start to say something, but the words got caught in his throat, cut short as you were suddenly pulled away from him. before you even had a second to process, heeseung’s hand was firmly on your arm, guiding you to your door. before you knew it, a gentle push sent you stumbling forward.

the coldness of the room felt surreal against your heated skin, and as you blinked in surprise, the metal door behind you slammed shut, the sound echoing.

the silence was thick, deafening, the weight of the locked door settling over you like a shock.

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