#friends au guys but sitting with a Totally Correct Name

[intotheelliwoods]

Won

[starry-bi-sky]

Cannon Danny, Danyal Au and CFAU met, waht does each other think of the other and do they get along?

I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE WITH FRIENDS IN DMS! WOOO I'M GLAD YOU ASKED! beCAUSE.

Cfau Danny and Canon Danny get along, but Danyal and Canon abso-fucking-lutely do not. It's hillarious. Danyal is appalled that this fucking white boy is another version of him -- that Al Ghul arrogance and pride really shines through here, you can’t get rid of all of it.

Cfau Danny is a sleeper agent, honestly. I'm putting all three of them around the 15 age range because any younger and CFAU won't be as Sleeper Agent. Him and Canon get along pretty well because they’re both pretty similar to each other when CFAU's not in active grief. CFAU is a bit rough around the edges, and canon is surprised by his smoking habit and sharp tongue, but he’s a relatively friendly dude. Just snarky and no-nonsense at times, and intolerant of bullshit.

However the moment a ghost fight starts?? BAM. he shifts into a house of horrors who can and will rip out your throat with his teeth. Banshee boi haha. Canon is floating there all “???? HUH???” watching as Danyal and CFAU full on tackle the opposition.

Canon Danny watches in 4k as Danyal hunts Skulker down mercilessly and tears open the “damn poacher’s” suit with his bare hands. Vlad is only safe because he isn't showing his face (yet).

Frankly all of canon’s rogues are gonna have a blast meeting CFAU and Danyal. They’re both two different flavors of unhinged violence, and they’re on the opposite side of the spectrum. One is an elegant storm of blades with years of fine-tuned practice, and the other is the brutality of the backstreets and Gotham’s cruelty; messy, bloody, and merciless.

Canon and Danyal will eventually start getting along, but they’re pretty — well, correction, Danyal is pretty hostile to canon at first. Its a combination of tension, stress, and frustration with canon and what Danyal perceives as canon’s incompetence. Danyal struggles to understand how canon is anyway a version of him beyond the name and halfa status. He starts understanding better when he sees Phantom fighting and sees his resourcefulness and quick thinking.

I have this funny mental image of the three Dannys all in the quad at school (with Sam and Tucker). Danyal is sitting on the table giving off Major Gargoyle vibes, warding off Dash and other bullies through pure "Little Orphan Tom Riddle" Energy alone, while CFAU is standing off to the side with Canon showing him how to throw a proper punch. Sam and Tucker are staring at Danyal, or they're just casually eating their lunch.

Dash isn't going near Danyal with a ten foot pole, but he'll try his chances with Sleeper Agent CFAU who, despite the "edgy" smoking thing and more alternative style, acts and looks almost the same way "Fenturd" does. He gets socked in the jaw the moment he goes over and grabs CFAU's shirt, and CFAU releases the full verbal force of Crime Alley's fist down unto him.

----

To properly answer your question:

Canon Danny: Thinks CFAU is pretty cool, and views him as kind of like a cooler, terrifying version of him. He's off-put by the smoking thing and totally thrown off by CFAU being a banshee. He's only heard from word-of-mouth about them, and it sounds like a shitty existence to be in permanent grief. He's glad he's never had to fight one.

If this is purely canon Danny and not DPxDC adjacent-canon Canon Danny, then he's glad that Gotham doesn't exist in his world because holy fuck that place sounds like the home of nightmares. But he also kinda wishes there was a Jason in his world, the guy sounded like a really good friend if CFAU is to be believed, and Danny needs more of those in the world. He's infinitely more grateful that Dan is nothing like how Rath sounds. Because Rath sounds like something straight out of an apocalypse movie. (Granted, Dan could be argued to be the same, but he gives off more 'generic supervillain' vibes.)

He thinks Danyal is an asshole at first who needs to get that stick out of his ass, along with his head. But once they start getting along, he finds him rather funny and enjoys his dry wit, along with CFAU's. He's unnerved by Danyal's willingness to kill if necessary, but he admires his dedication and love for his little brother (if Danyal brings him up). He knows he'd be in the same boat with Jazz or Ellie if he was in Danyal's shoes. He recognizes that their core fundamentals ring the same, even if the both of them tend to show it differently.

CFAU Danny: Thinks Canon is pretty cool too. Is thrown off and very unsettled by the idea that Jason might not exist in this world, and that he and this other Danny aren't friends. He genuinely just. cannot comprehend the idea that well, and if he thinks about it too hard he's going to go into a Banshee-Grade Level Grief Spiral and nobody is gonna wanna see that. Soothes his own nerves by telling himself that this other him will meet Jason eventually.

Kinda thinks Danyal is also a jerk, but he recognizes that it comes from a place of fear and general self-defense. He's seen other kids do similar stuff in crime alley where they completely close themselves off from other people -- hell, he does it. It's a safety mechanism, so he's more empathetic with him. They're not buddy-buddy with each other at first, but they're certainly not hostile like Danyal is with Canon. Is entirely baffled and thrown off by the fact that Danyal is related to Bruce fucking Wayne when Danyal tells them about his brother Damian. Can't help but ask about Jason and if he's alive, and is insanely jealous but so happy when Danyal confirms that he is.

Danyal Al Ghul: Homie hates this fucking white boy at first. Canon Danny's general playful behavior and inexperience drives him up a wall because he's incredibly tense and in an alternate dimension. He unintentionally slips back into a League Training mindset, and criticizes Danny's every move during a fight. He eventually apologizes, but just like his father, it's like pulling teeth because he's emotionally constipated. Canon asks Danyal if he was in pain while saying anything, Danyal readily admits to yes, he was. But not because he wasn't sincere about it. Afterwards, Canon still kinda annoys him, but once DAnyal reframes his mindset into viewing him more like a civilian and being more like Ella, rather than being an alternate version of himself, his mistakes become easier to bear.

likes CFAU! They both took one look at each other and thought "wow there is something Fucking Wrong With You" and instantly shared solidarity in that. CFAU is still a sloppy fighter in Danyal's eyes, but he recognizes his own bias, and at least CFAU is ruthless and swift with it compared to Canon. He silently.. mourns??? pays respects?? He Has Somber Emotions about CFAU being a banshee, and offers him basically the Danyal Equivalent of "that's rough, buddy". He's very weirded out about how neither of these Daniels are related to his father, and are not Damian's brother. Has no idea who this "Rath" and "Dan" are because he doesn't (to his knowledge) have an alternate evil self.

[waddlewaddlewaddlewaddle]

Jjk drabbles as things my crush has done to me

Characters: Nanami,Geto,Gojo x reader (civilian university au ig)

Fluff!

Themes: SFW.Dancing!!Acts of service, good and cute things in general , I won’t spill too much to not ruin the story.

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

𖤐Gojo <3

There were 2 things that you hated most in the world, the fact that you always wanted to look cute and stairs.

Both of these things were coming back to bite you in the ass right now. You rubbed your heeled boots on the rough ground as you looked up at the 4 flights of stairs that you need to get up to so you could get to class.

You cursed at your vain self for choosing such foot wear, knowing that you had to be at uni the whole day. And if the day couldn’t get any worst, the imposing sun above you started to burn your skin , shining brighter than before.

It was all a mess , the heat , the heavy backpack ,and your soles aching.

As you started to mindlessly complain about the before mentioned pesky problems to your friend and gojo; the tall standing figure looked down at you with a small smile that decorated his scratched face.

He owed his beaten face to the fact that 6 drunks decided to pick a fight with him on his way to the bus stop, he was generally a peaceful guy unless provoked so he just decided to ignore the ordeal ,but one of the drunks got really annoying and started to throw ripped beer cans at him, naturally he wasn’t just gonna tolerate this disrespect ;so he clocked the guy back with the can to his face with all his might.

Fully prepared to fight Gojo had his guard up , but then he noticed all the 6 guys started to pull out pocket daggers he did what was most wise and manly which was to run for the hills.

So to make a long story short home boy was a bit tired and beaten. As you sighed and decided to push through the pain to head up the stairs, he calls your name.

-“If you want I can give you a piggy back ride.”- He suggests as he starts to stretch his arms.

-“Oh don’t worry about it, I wouldn’t want to bother you in your state.”-You said as you returned a shy smile.

-“Don’t worry about it , I’m not as weak as you think.”-He said as he adorns a concerned look on his face.

You look over to your friend who suggested he could carry Gojos backpack as he carried you as his backpack.

-“My backpacks heavy.”- You commented trying to get him to back out.

-“Ok.”

-“You’re serious?.”

-“Dead serious.”

You gave him an untrusting gaze as he turned his back to you and crouched down so you could jump on him.Your backpack was weighing you down so you grabbed on to dear life to his neck in hopes you wouldn’t slide down with every step he took.

-“You’re choking me.”- He grumbles dryly.

All 3 of you bust out in laughter, but mostly your laughter was powered by embarrassment.

He promptly hops to adjust you higher on his back so you both could be more comfortable ,then continues his way up the stairs while making comments on how you feel like a monkey.

Geto <3

Time passed slowly as you and your friend group wait for the next class.

All of you were at the cafeteria but the only ones awake were Geto and you.

To make time pass by faster you decided to tune in on a soccer game he was watching, promptly you became entertained and as soon as he noticed the smallest bit of interest in your eyes ;he started to explain all the plays in the game.

-“If I’m not mistaken, isn’t that guy lewandowski?”-You called out as you pointed to a player on his phone screen.

-“You’re correct, im surprised a geek like you would know a thing or two about soccer.” - He blurted out in a teasing tone as he passed a hand through his long black hair.He always found a thing to tease you about, today it was your guilty pleasure: watching anime.

-“Fuck off, I don’t sit around and watch anime all day. I do productive things, unlike others”-You retorted as you gave him the side eye.-“I’m not totally ignorant, I know some basics.”

He giggled at you as he placed his hand on his cheek so he could lean on the table while looking at you.

-“I don’t believe a word you’re saying, you probably heard him on blue lock or some shit. Time to touch some grass weirdo. Aren’t you embarrassed?.”- He chuckled out with an accusing tone in his brassed tone.

Tired of his shit, you raised your palm to smack him on the head, knowing there was no way you could exit this conversation with a drop of patience left in you.

To your surprise (not) he nonchalantly grabbed your wrist before you could hit him, getting progressively more annoyed you swung your other hand to smack him which he also swiftly catched.He looked at you through his smug black eyes as he watched you struggle to be set loose under his grasp.

Irritated, you started to push your still captive wrist to him in hopes he looses balance and hopefully cracks his skull on the floor or something.

But before you knew it he resisted your attempts with a cocky grin letting you know that your strength didn’t hold a candle to his and that you two could pass the whole afternoon in this playful exchange.

As soon as you hit him with a death glare ,he shut his eyes and laughed as he let go of your wrist.

-“I’m sorry , i didn’t mean anything I said, I’m not being rude,I’m just playing with ya. You just look so cute while your angry, teasing you is inevitable.”-He concludes as he ruffles your hair.”-

Nanami <3

It was Friday night and your parents were out of town , so inviting your friends and drinking cheap whisky with loud music was inevitable.

You found yourself in the kitchen whipping up a cocktail for your friend so he could pass the whisky down easier, while the quiet nanami in front of you gulped down the whiskey pure as if it was water , his Adam’s apples bobbed as he gulped.You we’re entranced by his jawline as he finishes drinking maintaining the most neutral expression.

Ngl it was doing something to you , there was nothing more attractive than a man who could hold his liquor while maintaining a calm conversation.

Soon came your other friend bursting through the kitchen door to chug down the cocktail you just prepared.

-“Do you guys know how to dance, I really want to dance right now.”- yelled out your friend as he started to tune the music up.

So the two of you got up and danced by yourself respectively to the beat of the different genres of music that played.In the meanwhile Nanami sat down and crossed his thick arms as he watched you two make a fool of yourself.

Soon a romantic Latin slow song started playing, truth be told you loved to dance but none of your ex knew how to so you just resigned and learned how to dance by yourself.

As the liquor discarded any embarrassment you may experience, you only focused on the tempo , careful of the moment you marked a step with your hip, the music inebriated your ears and your hips moved to the careful notes of the song. You hugged yourself so you’d have something to do with your arms as you stepped side to side.

You look over to your friend who’s sitting down while extending your arms to them with the hopes they’d maybe considering dancing with you , they just politely decline stating they don’t know how to dance this type of music.

Your eyes glance over to nanami, jokingly making

a :( face at him to then continue dancing by yourself with closed eyelids.

Soon you were once again lost in the beautiful guitar notes until you felt a breeze pass you.

You opened you eyes to see nanami in front of you with both his hands extended to you as a clear invitation to dance.

You have never seen nanami do anything even remotely close to dancing so this comes as a big shock to you.

As you accept his invitation to dance by holding his big, rough hands , you asume you’ll dance at a holy safe distance but to your surprise he finds a way to sneak his legs between yours as he pulls you close by snaking his hands around your waist, your eyes open in awe, since you now understand he means business by dancing the traditional way.

You decided to follow your instincts by wrapping your hands at the base of his neck ( not in a choking way). You rest your head on his shoulder and you let your senses be hypnotized by his cologne.

You feel his hips move like you would your own and your steps start to sync with his. You nervously look around looking for a sign of discomfort due to the proximity of your bodies, but all he seems to care about is holding you close and dancing the night away..

💿

Context: I think this guy is kinda cute but I’m not invested emotionally to care too much about him and I also think that he’s playing me or he’s just super friendly but I hope you guys enjoy the short stories , I was as truthful as possible except where I describe the guys feelings cause idk what he was think at the moment tbh. But what do you guys think , do you think he may have feelings for me?

A/n: I’ve created these short drabbles in the meanwhile I write the new chapter for the gojo fanfic. Thank u guys so much for your patience love you ♥️ Not spell checked btw I’ll do it tomorrow.

[luna-alatus]

ᕼEᗩᗪᑕᗩᑎOᑎᔕ

------------

Character/s: Levi Ackerman

Prompt: "Haha.. yeah that's my childhood best friend-.."

Headcanon: Modern AU + School AU + pandemic covid... yay.. + location: the Philippines~ || Female Y/n

Small note: Got this idea from school~ speakin of which hope you folks doing alright! ^^

-------------

(Y/n) was just mindlessly gazing out the window, being in the back of the class and all- not that it was a problem much seeing as she was lucky enough to still be next to the window since she had quite the habit of looking out of it.

Totally not because she felt like a main character pft-.. totally not... ok fine maybe just a bit- but come on! Let a girl dream.

It was the first day of school again- Monday, yeah everyone loves Monday alright aha.. hah.. yay..

Anyways, it was going to be a tiring day once again for her and her classmates. And from the looks of it, it seemed everyone was still tired like very tired. Seeing the fact as they did have quite the busy few weeks.

It was face to face again, and yes.. the pandemic was still there which sucked but honestly- (Y/n) definitely prefers online class cause come on man. There was no need to wake up super early or have the need to actually be up on time so that the bus won't leave you and yada-yada.

The only good part about f2f is probably cause she sees her friends.. either way it still sucks and she's still tired as heck.

------

After the usual morning routine her class usually does, every morning, hence the name. Before they could start getting ready or for others sit back down to listen to the reminders their advisor had to tell them.

The door to the class suddenly opened, revealing a male, one with black-hair, which seemed to be in an undercut style.. with bangs in front..? Steal-grey, bluish eyes and their usual uniform for males.

Which consists of the simple, white button up, blue plants and ID oh yeah wait plus mask cause again. Pandemic haha.

Everyone's attention seemed to have moved onto the newly arrived male, and as he walked in it seemed there were only a few who didn't care for whoever entered and just minded their business. (Y/n) being one of the few of course. As their advisor, Miss Alex, went over to the new male, everyone watched curious as they started to introduce the new kid.

"Everyone, this is your new classmate. Yes, they may have gotten here a little late but that doesn't mean you guys should be mean to him alright? Now, mister Ackerman go on ahead and introduce yourself please."

A sigh came from the male, but with a reluctant nod. They started to introduce themselves, first with a bow though before they start talking.

"Good morning classmates, good morning Miss Alex. My name is Levi Elijah Ackerman. 15 years old. I am from Tokyo, Japan and moved here to the Philippines when I was 7 to study here. As well as because my Mother decided to live here, because most of her relatives migrated here from Japan."

A surprisingly deep voice had started to talk, and well.. for a guy who's 15 and is in grade what.. 9. That was pretty deep, but it was strange since our dear (Y/n) seems to recognize that voice.. and well it was only when they finally decided to look at who was talking.

Did they catch the male's eyes and figured out who this new kid is.

"It's nice to meet you all."

Hah.. Levi freaking Ackerman, her best friend since she was 6 was here... no wonder her mom seemed so excited before she left for school. Levi was- or well apparently seemed to have moved from his old school to hers.

Greetings from her other classmates was heard, to answer to Levi's and well.. all (Y/n) could focus on now was the eyes of her male childhood best friend.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Levi. But before I assign you to your seat, I must ask since you said you've been here in the Philippines since you were 7 correct? Just a curious question, do you perhaps know anybody here so I can assign them to help you around?"

And this guy decided to point at (Y/n).. throwing her off the bus immediately.

"I know her miss, have known her since I was 7 actually so.. can I get her to be my guide?"

This guy...

"Of course! Do you mind miss (L/n)?"

Smiling despite it not being seen through the mask she just nodded.

"Yeah.. I don't mind, I'll just show you around later L..."

She could see and feel them smirking.. this little-

"Alright then, show me around later (N/n)"

And here comes the questions.. of course.... great

"YOU KNOW HIM (Y/N)?!?!?!?!?!?!"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Haha.. yeah that's my childhood best friend-.."

"WHAT?!?!"

Levi Ackerman, (Y/n) loves this guy -platonically of course.. pft... yeah..- but they were dead meat later.

------

Note: Ima rewrite this when I can- but for now enjoy this somewhat crack hc fic of Levi being your childhood bff and letting your entire class know~

Again a bit self-indulgent for me but hope you lil birds still enjoy~

[liamade]

Menacing Stare ; Jeon Wonwoo

»»—pairing: jeon wonwoo x non-gendered reader

summary: wonwoo was just some weird dude in your lecture who'd always stare at you with a menacing, judgmental glare. it would've been easy to avoid him had it not been for your nosey mutual friends who wanted anything but

genre: enemies(?) to lovers, lowkey angst, eventual fluff, crack, college au

warning(s): mentions of alcohol

✧ word count: 2785

a/n: this au was inspired by this tweet :)

*.✧.*✧*.✧.*✧*.✧.*

"Hey, you're coming to our party right?" A voice sounds from beside you making you look over, met with Chan's famous smile as he took the seat next to you. 

"Well, it's less of a party and more of a… fun-sized gathering." Jisoo corrected, greeting you with a nod of his head while sitting across from you. 

You sat in silent thought for a few seconds. It's not like you had anything better to do that weekend besides binging whatever Netflix show you could find in its massive library to satisfy you. 

"Hmmm, who's gonna be there?" You ask as you pick up some pasta from your tray with a fork. 

Chan is quick to lean over and rob you of your food, loudly slurping up the noodles as if to purposely annoy you. "Just the usual guys… Vernon, Jun, Seungcheol, Seungkwan.." he listed off names as he chewed. 

You deadpanned at him, "After that? Yeah, I'm not going." 

He looked at you with exasperation, mouth hanging open as he whined, "but you haaaaave to!" 

Jisoo looked at him disgusted, hand on the youngers' jaw to free himself of the horrible display. "Close your mouth, you cretin.. Anyways- Minghao, Wonwoo, and Mingyu said they could make it this time too," he informed Chan—and by proxy you. 

Chan suddenly gasped looking over at you, talking after swallowing your food, "you should bring some of your friends too; it's gonna be a total sausage fest." 

You completely ignored his words as you slumped in your seat, "Wonwoo…" you muttered his name under your breath. 

Jisoo catches this, "Yeah, Wonwoo.. What's with that face?" 

"I'm pretty sure your friend hates me." 

You think back on your very limited, but memorable encounters with Jeon Wonwoo. You had seen him just today, even. 

"Hey." 

A deep voice quietly spoke up from in front of you, causing you to look up from your phone. 

You look around confused as there was no way Jeon Wonwoo was trying to make conversation with you of all people, but seeing no one else near the two of you. 

"Uh.. Hey?"

He was silent for a few seconds, staring at you with that usual narrow-eyed glare he'd give you. 

"You're in the way." 

His voice sounded harsh to your ears, making your heart sink to your ass. Glancing behind you, you remember that you were leaning against the water cooler, quickly sidestepping away. 

"Oh… sorry-" you manage to get out before not-so-subtly speed walking away. 

"You think Wonwoo hates you? Jeon Wonwoo Wonwoo??" Chan asks with furrowed brows. 

"Like,,, fluffy-hair-and-assortment-of-sweaters-and-cardigans Wonwoo?" Jisoo followed.

"Yeah, him! He's always glaring when he looks at me and he's so rude." You pout. 

Chan shares a look with Jisoo that goes unnoticed by you. "Really 'cause last time I checked Jeon Wonwoo li-" 

He was interrupted when Jisoo picked up a fry from his own tray, hurling it at the formers' head. He laughed nervously, hoping you wouldn't ask any questions as he gave you a lopsided smile. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you, love. You can talk to him at the party." 

You grin at the pet name, knowing it's a habit he picked up from Jeonghan before grimacing at the later proposition. It was your turn to whine, "But I don't wannnaaa~"

Jisoo subtly rolled his eyes, a sigh coming from him. "I'll be there with you when you talk to him then, okay? I'll hold your hand through the whole thing." He tried to coax you. 

You dramatically groaned as you fell into Chan's side, who laughed at you. "I'll think about it." 

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ

Friday rolls around much faster than you expected, having you sprawled in your bed whilst staring up at your ceiling with a pout on your lips. 

For the better part of the week you had been slightly dreading the 'fun-sized gathering', knowing full well that when Jisoo said he'd take you to talk to Wonwoo, he meant it.

Groaning, you decide it's best to get out of bed, rubbing the sleep from your eyes after your nap-turned-full blown sleep. Your last class ended at 12:45 so you wasted no time running to your dorm, immediately flopping into bed as a pre-party ritual. 

As you walk to the bathroom, you look through the notifications on your phone, seeing Soonyoung had blown up your phone an hour before. You rolled your eyes with a grin as you noticed that he had, once again, taken your phone when you weren't looking and changed his contact name.

My love soonyoung best person in my life 🥰💗🥰💙💙💗😊💙🥰😊😚🥰

Hey

Hey

Hey

Hey

Mfer-

ARE YOU SLEEPING???

WAKE! UP!! 🛌🤺 

….

Anyways

🙄

Jihoon and I are wearing pink so you better wear pink and match us 🥰 

Or else 😁🔪

See you later bestieeee

You laugh as you read through the messages before placing your phone on the sink, not bothering to respond. 

You strip yourself of your oversized 'at home' hoodie, it having too many stains of…. you don't even remember what food for you to sensibly wear it out in public anymore. Turning your shower knob to a comfortably warm temp and checking with your arm, you step in, allowing the water to run down your body and hopefully wash away your reservations. 

You weren't sure why Jisoo was so adamant about you having this conversation with Wonwoo, the former male having checked in with you multiple times this week to make sure you were still going to the party. 

If Jeon Wonwoo was going to hate you and stare at you with his harsh, judgmental glare, then you were perfectly fine with returning the energy. 

"Petty." You thought to yourself as you finally reached for your washcloth, pouring some of your new peach-scented soap onto it. 

As you scrub at your body, your mind once again turns to Wonwoo. Your head swarmed with anxious questions: What if he walks away the second he sees you approaching? What if he just flat-out ignores you when you speak? Or even worse.. What if he tells you exactly why he hates you? 

You grumble to yourself, lightly smacking your cheek with your free hand. Stop. Thinking. About. Jeon. Wonwoo! 

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ

Around 7:38 you arrive at Seungcheol's place. The whole group always joked about being jealous of him seeing as he is the son of two fairly well-known doctors that oh so graciously gifted him with a spacious apartment. You knock a few times, wiping your hands against your pants to calm your nerves. 

Only a few seconds later, the door swings open to Vernon who gave you a wonky grin and fist bump. "Hey man."

"Hey… dude don't tell me you're already tipsy-" 

"Of fuckin course he is," someone piped up from behind him, "I told him to cool it on all the beers but does anyone ever listen to me? No." 

Seungkwan shot Vernon a look, swatting the latter away before turning to you with a smile and giving you a side hug. 

You stepped in, looking around as you see all the guys sitting around in their own little sub-groups. It had been a while since you all had last seen each other all at once what with all the assignments piling on as the school year started winding down. It brought a smile to your face as you watched all of them happily chatting away. 

Your body lurches backward as you're suddenly attacked with a hug, the person squeezing hard before pulling back with a gasp. 

"You look so goood!" Soonyoung squealed as he took in your outfit; a cropped blush pink cardigan over a plain white tank with a pair of white pants. You knew you were going to regret the color of those pants but anything for a cute outfit right? 

You look him over yourself as a frown forms on your face, eyes snapping to Jihoon who leisurely followed after Soonyoung. "What the hell? Why aren't you guys wearing pink??"

"Uhh," Soonyoung glanced at Jihoon who smirked at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering how he was going to get out of this, "we decided to switch to red last minute?" 

"And you did that without saying anything to me?" 

"Well, you didn't respond to my texts in the first place." Soonyoung huffed as he crossed his arms. 

"Whatever, I'm getting a drink." You say, playfully glaring at Soonyoung before smiling towards Jihoon as you step past him. 

You walk into the kitchen, going straight for the punch bowl sitting on the island. Taking the ladle you scoop some into one of the plastic cups nearby, taking a whiff of the drink. Ah, vodka. 

The drink was sweet, the alcohol barely detected by your taste buds. It definitely was a fuck-you-up punch. 

"Oh, you came!" 

You look over and your heart stops. Mingyu walks over to you with a big smile, leaving behind… Jeon Wonwoo. 

"Oh, uh.. Hi-" you manage to get out, trying your hardest to keep your eyes from glancing at the other male in the room. 

Mingyu wraps you in a hug as he smiles down at you. "How have you been? It's been a while." 

"I-I'm fine. How are you?" 

A pout immediately takes over his face. "Animal science kicking my ass as usual." 

You laugh. It always amazed you how good Mingyu's ability to calm the people around him was. 

The two of you settle into a friendly conversation, catching up and all the likes. It doesn't go unnoticed by you, though, the way Wonwoo stood planted in his spot whilst staring at you. Any other time it would offset you, make you squirm under your skin, but again, with Mingyu by your side you hadn’t felt the need to run. 

Sooner or later you moved on from the kitchen, grabbing another cup of the dangerous punch as you moved around the apartment to greet everyone else. You eventually end up settling on the couch with Jisoo and Jeonghan, Chan sitting on the floor between your legs as you played in his hair. 

Everything seemed to be going well for a while before Jisoo leaned over and whispered in your ear, “So? When should we go and have a chat with Woo?” the nickname, you assumed, meant Wonwoo. 

You leaned toward him to whisper back, “Actually, I would rather not do that. Thanks.” 

Jisoo gave you a disapproving look. “You know you can’t always run away from your problems, right?” 

He was right. Well.. sort of. In theory, his words were those to live by but when it came to having to ‘talk it out’ with someone who clearly hated you? Yeah, you’d rather just fucking haul ass away from the problem. 

“What are you two whispering about? Whose secret are we telling~” Jeonghan butted into the conversation with a grin, ears always open for whatever gossip he could find around campus. 

“Nothing serious; just them being a wimp,” Jisoo responded. You looked at him incredulously. 

“Too scared to talk to a crush or something? Who is it?” the blond looked at you with sparkling eyes, leaning over Jisoo’s lap and latching his hands to your thigh to shake it. 

You huffed, “There is no crush goddammit.”

His face fell as he pulled away, suddenly less interested in you and more into Chan who rambled on about shots. 

Jisoo looked back over to you with a raised brow. You stared back, silent as the two of you entered a staring contest. 

You end up blinking first, “Argh, FINE. Let’s get this over with.” You stood from your spot as you grabbed your drink, downing the rest of it whilst Jisoo stood up beside you with a triumphant yet gentle smile. 

You look around the room, finding the tall meanie in a corner now talking to Seungcheol, Minghao, and Seokmin. Jisoo notices as you take in a shaky breath and holds your hand in his own to reassure you. 

“Wonwoo, can we talk to you for a second?” Jisoo speaks up for you. 

Wonwoo looks at him then down to you… and next down to your enclasped hands. 

Seokmin laughs, “Oooh he’s in troubleeee~” Minghao snicked beside him while Seungcheol slapped his shoulder, muttering something about how nosey he was. 

Wonwoo looks back at you with narrowed eyes, making you frown. He passes his cup to Seungcheol before pushing himself off of the wall. “Yeah sure.”

Jisoo suggests talking in Seungcheol’s room for more privacy and so the three of you make your way down the hall. Somewhere along the way Jisoo who walked behind the two of you let go of your hand without you noticing because of your bubbling nerves. 

“Have fun you two!” he said in a sing-songy voice.

“Wha-” you barely get out before turning around, seeing the room door close behind you with Jisoo on the other side. You shook the doorknob but to no avail, as you heard Jisoo say something about not letting you out until you settle this. 

You slowly turn back around, watching as Wonwoo’s gaze turned from the door down to the floor as he stuffs his hands into his jean pockets. "What did you want to talk about?.." he trailed off. 

It's now that you finally take in his outfit. Black jeans with rips in the knees… and a blush pink sweater similar to your cardigan.

Kwon Soonyoung strikes again it seems.

"I- well you um.." You stammer, gulping as you conjure up all of your courage, "Why.. why do you hate me so much?" You manage to get out your question, your hand absentminded twiddling with your chain bracelet. 

His eyes widened as they snapped back to yours, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What're you talking about?" 

Your eyes looked between his own, mirroring his expression. "What do you mean 'what am I talking about'," you fold your arms in front of you defensively, "you're always glaring whenever you look at me and that mouth of yours is quite rude!" Huffing, you point your chin up at him while throwing your head to the side in feigned confidence. 

He scratches the back of his neck as a blush settles onto his cheeks. "That's not.." He sighed, "my glasses broke a few months ago while I was playing soccer with the guys and they're kinda expensive to fix so… Wasn’t glaring, I’m just pretty fucking blind." 

"Oh.." You whisper out. Well, there's the mystery of his infamous glare solved but.. 

"And," he starts again, his voice a little louder than before to make sure you're listening to his every word, "I'm sorry if I came off rude—I just.. don't know how to talk to people I like." 

You stare at him, "you talk to the guys just fine, though?"

"No, I mean I like you in the sense that," he paused as he looked away in thought before returning his gaze to your eyes, his own looking softer than you’re used to, "I want to take you on a date, tomorrow—if you'd let me?" 

Months of longing stares in your direction, small words muttered toward you. It felt as if a large weight was lifted from Wonwoo's shoulders after finally getting to tell you his feelings, even if it were in such a roundabout way. 

He studied your silent, stunned expression as his heart sped with the sense of impending rejection. 

"I- me?" You ask dumbly, 

He couldn't help but laugh, this being the first time you'd ever seen a smile on his face in your presence. You took in the way his eyes screwed shut, the way his nose scrunched, and the deep, melodious sound that vibrated in his throat. 

"You're the only other person in this room." 

Heat rushed to your ears as embarrassment washed over you. "Oh, right um.. Sorry-" you stumble before clearing your throat. "I would… like that, yeah." You answer, barely containing the smile that wanted to swim its way onto your face as you finally resolved the problem that had been plaguing your thoughts for a while now. You were getting the chance to learn more about Jeon Wonwoo—gain a new friend or maybe something even more. 

The shy glances exchanged between the two of you were interrupted when the door opens up behind you, revealing Chan, Seokmin, and Soonyoung standing there with shit-eating grins, your eyes catching as the rest of the guys ran down the hall to act as if they weren't there eavesdropping the entire time. 

Jisoo's head pops into frame from the side as he laughs,

"Okay, I think our work here is done!" 

main masterlist

© liamade, 2022. all rights reserved.

[sukirichi]

jujutsu kaisen characters as students in high school: (non-canon AU)

featuring: itadori yuuji, fushiguro megumi, gojo satoru, getou suguru, & ryoumen sukuna notes: some parts include you as their friend, or even their high school love! (this is unedited/ not proofread)

masterlist ! requests are open 

𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐈 𝐘𝐔𝐔𝐉𝐈

he’s not the brightest bulb, but he makes up for it through hardwork and enthusiasm

yuuji is literally that classmate everyone is just friends with

the type who waves with a smile, saying “good morning!” the moment he walks through that door

with that being said, since he’s everyone’s friend, i headcannon that yuuji doesn’t really have a best friend because he’s so open and available to everyone it’s hard to have just a one on one conversation with him

not to say he’s always surrounded by a crowd that you can’t get near him, but everyone likes talking to yuuji

he just fits in so well and understands people 

kind of like how he easily clicked with junpei (please, i miss him, i still can’t believe that he’s...you know...)

whether it’s the guys raving to him about sports

or girls shyly talking about their crush on class or about that new shojo manga

yuuji is open to anything and everyone. this boy wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s honestly such a precious boy, please be kind to him <3

the type of student that gets called to answer in class but isn’t shy to admit he doesn’t know the answer while rubbing the back of his neck

he does pay attention tho

i think it’s canon that yuuji is a dedicated man, like from that time he just watched movies straight and kept his cursed energy controlled so the cursed corpse would stop hitting him

overall, yuuji is a very hard working student! 

he wouldn’t get over the top grades, but he’s really proud of himself (and he should be!)

also that one kid in class that is surprisingly good in sports despite his lanky figure and laid back persona, because all the other sports-craved people are always flexing or challenging other captains 

but plot twist, this boy is ripped and very, beautifully kept in trim

yeah he’s not really into club activities that much

not because he hates them, but he’s just not that into it. he’s more than glad to join in whatever activities though and enjoys them, but if asked what he’d like to do, it wouldn’t be that first thing that came to mind

in conclusion: itadori yuuji is the class sunflower that lights up everyone’s day  🌻

yuuji’s role: the hard worker! 

𝐅𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐎 𝐌𝐄𝐆𝐔𝐌𝐈

hands down, megumi is THAT student

if you’re volunteering in the library, you can sure as hell guarantee you’ll see megumi there

he doesn’t like studying in class because it’s too noisy, so if he’s in school, you’ll always see his name in the library logs

he’s that kid that aces all exams

the type to scowl when he sees a 96% mark because he’s expecting a perfect mark

okay before you come at me, i’m not saying megumi is that annoying smart kid in class that goes, “Oh, I’m so dumb, just a 96?”

no he’s more frustrated at himself because he knows he studied hard and lost sleep over it. he’s just wondering where he went wrong. he has literal note cards and customize flash cards on an app on his phone, waking up every four am and probably taking supplement classes after regular school hours

i headcannon that megumi is someone who always wants to do his best and actually goes through lengths to prove his worth

maybe it stems from having the need to show who he really is and what he’s capable of

but yeah i can totally see him doing that

also that cute student that keeps visiting the cafe every saturday morning, wearing a black hoodie and headphones tucked in, his pretty hands nestling over a book

he looks like a gamer but honestly i don’t think he’s got time for that lmao

would also be that guy people find hard to approach because of his quiet and reserved self

he’s pretty intimidating too

definitely sits beside the window at the back of the class. you can’t fight me on that

just because he’s smart and loves studying, it doesn’t mean he’ll sit on the front row and raise his hand every damn second

the teachers will encourage him to participate in class a little bit more, especially after seeing he’s awkward during group activities, but megumi just really prefers to do things by himself

i also headcannon him eating in the cafeteria like everyone else instead of having his alone time during a rooftop? like idk i can’t picture megumi completely isolating himself like that

he blends in well in a way that you know he’s just like everyone else; a human

but he also stands out in the manner that he’s a lot more introverted and reserved compared to everyone else

surprisingly good during sports and relay games

100% reliable

the type to stay up at midnight to finish a group project, sighing because his groupmates doesn’t care as much as he does, but turns it in anyway the next day

he’d be annoyed at them, but he doesn’t really like confrontation so he doesn’t out them to the teacher like that

but he’s also not someone who lets people walk over him, so he’ll simply say something about his groupmates becoming more responsible and to be serious for once as a “warning”

and yeah, he may be closed off, but once you get really close with him (even better if you have similar interests) you’ll find there’s a lot more to him than what you’ve originally seen and he’s actually a pretty great friend and supportive classmate

would teach you instead of just letting you copy his work or snap pictures of his notes

ugh he’s so responsible and morally right and that’s so attractive help

in conclusion: fushiguro megumi is the hidden gem  💎

megumi’s role: the intellectual outsider!

𝐆𝐎𝐉𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔

man...i don’t know how to start this

i’ve said this about megumi, but gojo is also that student

no, in fact, he’s THE student

everyone loves him. literally everyone

the teachers? smitten

his classmates? in love

the school guard? calls him by his first name

the cleaning lady? turns into a star with the way she lightens up when he’s there

the cafeteria staff? yeah free food because he’s gojo satoru

gojo is what i like to call the “one who has it all” because....well, he kind of does

he’s really smart and talented, which comes as a surprise to everyone in the first day of school when he nearly gets kicked out for falling asleep in class

only for everyone to be shocked that he knows the answer already and the teacher is only discussing chapter 1 lmao

yeah he’d be that kid who always sleeps in class

or is playing games on his phone behind an open textbook

he literally doesn’t listen to what the teacher is saying at all - or at least that’s what he wants you to think

man is a god at multitasking and his seatmate would snicker because he’s crushing his enemies at a phone game, but then gojo coolly corrects the teacher about history or something

he’s pretty laid back tbh

but when he’s got everyone’s attention on him? ofc he’d show off

basketball meats are wild. even students from neighbouring schools would visit just to see gojo play - and he’s not even an official member! the coach just asked him to replace a sick player but boy won that champion shot

omg BASKETBALL PLAYER GOJO I CAN’T

but he pretty much excels at everything

except cooking class, gosh, don’t ever bring this man anywhere near a fire. that’s probably the only thing that really got him to detention this time because he always somehow talks himself out of getting that red card with his words and charm

also that kid that would receive lots of confession letters, chocolates, and random gifts in his shoe lockers

he knows he’s handsome and he’s not shy about it. in fact, he’s shameless when it comes to his allure on people

but he also doesn’t really date anyone (it’s canon this man won’t stay loyal to a single woman lmao)

if he and megumi were classmates, they’d be sort of rivals

megumi would always come on top of class, but gojo is just a breath away from the former’s perfect marks. if it only weren’t for megumi’s squeaky clean record and reputation - whereas satoru’s is TAINTED as heck - and the fact that gojo doesn’t really study as much as gumi, then yeah he’d also be top of the class if he wanted to

on a much more serious note,,,gojo acts like nothing really bothers him and he’s simply that effortless

but i feel like he grew up with tutors from a very young age and that’s how his natural intelligence was just further improved and increased with that type of environment in his childhood

and unlike megumi, i don’t think gojo would really have a set goal in mind on who he wants to be or what he wants to do in the future

he’d just be enjoying the moment <3

in conclusion: gojo satoru is the effortless god!

satoru’s role: the lazy king everyone is envious of 

𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐔

the playboy

you can’t argue with me on this one

he just is, i feel it deep in my SOUL he just is

moment he walks in, all classy and suave aura and all, you can honestly smell and taste the amount of confidence that drips from him

probably came from a well-off family

probably the mayor’s kid lmao and he’s been used to the attention ever since he was young

much like megumi, he’s not really the type to show off his intelligence

and similar to gojo, people are surprised he’s actually got them brain cells just because everyone is more focused on his appearance first

like who would expect this tall hunk beautiful beast of a man with long hair and piercings actually liked classic novels and could effortlessly recite sonatas and poems in different languages

yeah i headcannon that getou is an intellectual, cultured man

ofc having long hair and piercings isn’t allowed in his school, but because he’s geto and the school knows about his family’s influence, they just let it slide

probably comes late to school too

he eats in the cafeteria, but you don’t really see him indulge much. some days, he’ll have his own fancy bento box prepared by a family chef, but geto is actually pretty simple and humble that he also buys packed bread or canned coffee 

takes the library volunteer by surprise when he drops by one friday after class to borrow an old classic novel that even your professors had a hard time analysing

but geto’s like, “oh this? yeah i last read it when i was thirteen, thought i’d read it again”

IDK WHY but I can see him as sort of breaking the rules when it comes to the school uniform

top three buttons of his shirt open when he’s feeling hot or something

doesn’t really keep his tie that tight too

but overall, geto is a composed and well-put together guy

i just can’t picture him slacking when it comes to his appearance, he’s too fancy and pretty for that

he’s also similar to megumi in a way people find it hard to approach them, but most definitely, geto also receives confessions often 

i can see him dating someone after being interested in someone in school and actually being serious with them unlike gojo

then they would be “that” couple that’re just so couple goals

not the type that goes overboard with pda and pulls off the angry face emoji when they hear someone talking about them and they’re like, “NO HE’S MINE”

okay that’s cringe but i legit witnessed that way too many times in high school yall cant blame me lmao

but they’d be more like the chill laid back couple that supports each other in everything and you can just tell they have a happy, healthy relationship

(oh to be getou’s girlfriend in high school and his first love and all his firsts)

in conclusion: getou suguru is the unpredictable!

getou’s role is: that one classmate you really admire but he’s so far out your league but he’s genuinely a good guy anyway so you’re happy for him no matter what <3

𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐌𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐔𝐍𝐀

okay okay hear me out but...the stoner

i really can’t see him any other way guyssss

and if you’re his classmate, you most likely wouldn’t see him that much either

dude is like 2-3 years older than everyone in class and he doesn’t give a shit about it

he’ll come like...once a week, if he’s in the mood enough

teachers don’t even bother scolding him for his tattoos anymore because there’s rumours going around he’s the son of a yakuza leader or that he’s a gangster who sells organs or some creepy dark stuff

ofc he doesn’t do that

he just does drugs and gets drunk at most

sukuna doesn’t really have that much friends either. yeah he parties with people and often gets high with some older kids, but he doesn’t genuinely enjoy their companies either

would totally come to school with his uniform unironed

red-eyed from his high and naps at the back of the class, making the teacher soften their voice in fear of waking him up

also doesn’t have a pen or paper

i mean...he doesn’t even bring a bag

fails the exams all the time, making him repeat year by year, and he’s even known for beating his senpai up for something stupid and sending the guy to a hospital where he stays for two weeks

but on the other hand

he’s also freakishly attractive and surprisingly easy to talk to

you probably bumped into him one time and you profusely apologize, but then he notices something about, something odd like, “did you just cut your hair?”

“uhm yes...you noticed?”

sukuna shrugs lazily, “noticed something was different, but whatever. it looks good on you though.”

he’s just soooo nonchalant most of the time, it’s hard to believe he’s actually pretty violent

but yeah this man has anger issues i’m sorry

but with that speaking, i actually don’t see sukuna as a bully with like a gang of his “followers” or that type of jazz

he’s more like the kid that hides under the bleachers or gets high in a storage room while everyone else is occupied with school festivals

it’s a shock he even came, but sukuna just says “free food is always a gift” but ofc it’s not free food...he just steals from the stalls

now here comes the fun part

so now that we know sukuna pretty much is a hopeless case...suddenly, he isn’t? maybe he meets you, the class volunteer who goes out of their way to visit his shabby apartment just to hand him his class work that he’s missed out on

he obviously disses you at first and ignores you, telling you to get lost

but somehow your kindness and persistence has him breaking

now he starts coming to school often, carrying a pack of gum or mint pops because he smells like weed and he’s slightly conscious of himself

this is supposed to be just them being students in high school, but i could honestly sukuna changing colors once he just gets a better grasp of what would be good for him

or maybe something finally interests him and gives answers to his silent questions

i feel like he’s such a troubled kid and just lacks proper care and attention, but once you become his friend and show him you don’t have bad intentions, he’s actually a loyal and decent guy

and when you two finally get close, you eventually gain enough courage to tutor him. sukuna is actually pretty smart too, he just doesn’t like studying, but when you compliment him, oh man, he melts

“yeah, you actually got that right! i told you you could do this!”

tsk,” he scoffs, “that’s all kindergarten shit.”

“if it is, then why haven’t you graduated?”

“shut the fuck up.”

although he sneers, you and sukuna have gotten close enough that you know both of you don’t mean anything bad behind those words and it’s all light hearted teasing

oh and when you ask him to take a picture with you for “high school memories?”

sukuna is disgusted

“get that thing away from my face - did you just take my photo?”

“yeah, you look pretty cute here! i’m so printing this and putting this in my album.”

sukuna is about to scold you even more, but the thought of you putting your photo together - even when he’s frowning in the picture - in something as sentimental as a photo book really has him softening up

would even try - keyword is try - to study more just so you’d stop frowning when you see his paper covered in red marks all over again

and he’d even try cutting down on his weed for the sake of his “health”

ofc he won’t suddenly - or ever, even - become the amazing student megumi is

he’ll still get into trouble because he’s impulsive and has poor coping skills, also he’s not good with words or dealing with his emotions

but on his good days, he’s a pretty funny guy

it just takes a lot to see that side of him, but it’s worth the time and patience

also i was expecting to write funny scenarios or imagines of stoner! sukuna because he’s too high to even hold a proper conversation sometimes but all i got is him saying weird words like “snail trap” or something when you ask him how his day is

would also have that garbled little laugh when he’s so out of it

sukuna will try to be better though, you just need to be patient him

but my GOSH when he finally graduates

he’s going to hide that little smile because deep down, he’s also pretty proud of himself and how far he’s come <3

lol now this makes me want to writer a high school au lololol

in conclusion: yeah he’s the stoner with a good heart 

which is so not canon...this shouldn’t even be a headcanon we know ryoumen sukuna is PURE EVIL but oh well maybe when I’m down from my sukuna high I’ll write him a lot more canonically

[ariadne-does-her-best]

Sparks Dancing Across Your Skin

Jason Todd x Reader One-Shot; Soulmate!Au

Word Count: 5,000+

Warnings: Mentions of death, gets very angsty but ends with a happy ending :)

Author's Note: Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that I’m trying to post once every two weeks on Sunday but its very difficult for me right now. I just started college this week so I haven't been very active on any of my socials because of my orientation schedule. Originally, this was going to be around the same length as the Dick one-shot but when I finished writing it, it didn’t feel complete so I may go back and turn this into a series. I’m not very satisfied with this but I did want to try and post regularly. Please let me know how you like this and if you would be willing to read a series with a similar plot. Thank you, Ariadne.

Summary: As someone with a busy schedule, you never really thought of who could be your soulmate. Rather you didn’t have the time. But lucky for you, it’s your friend. Unluckily for you, he’s a vigilante and you don’t even know his secret identity. 

You sighed as you packed up your belongings. You never meant to stay late but here you were, sitting in Mrs. Jones’s classroom, and if the clock was correct, Mrs. Jones herself had left more than two hours ago.

The class committee meetings weren’t supposed to take so long but that was only if the president, vice president, and secretary were all sharing the workload. As president, you had to pick up all of the slack that your friends left you. But you didn’t mind since you understood that they also have a life outside of school.

As you left the classroom, you made sure the door was locked on the inside before checking your phone. You only had one text and it was from your mother, telling you that she had to jet over to Paris to meet with an investor and that your father had gone to South Korea to look at some sort of textile for her. She ended the text by saying that she loves you and that she’ll try to be back in a week.

You stuffed your phone back into your pocket, turning the corner of the hallway towards the main entrance. You had parked your car in the back of the parking lot, something that you had started to regret once you saw how deserted the school really was. Remembering the fact that most people were kidnapped in parking lots, albeit grocery store parking lots, they were still parking lots at the end of the day. You sped up when you saw your car and yanked the door open before locking it after sitting inside. When you turned around to put your seatbelt on, you let out a scream when you saw that someone was in your backseat.

“Calm down, it's just me,” the boy said in the back, his red domino mask doing nothing to mask the laughter threatening to spill out of his mouth.

You sighed, running a hand through your hair as you stared at the boy who was laying on your backseat. Robin was organizing the items in your car, putting them into two piles. You watched him as he pulled out a piece of gum and popped a bubble. You smiled as you shook your head before coughing as you turned your car on, effectively grabbing his attention.

“You wanna go to the diner and tell me why you’re not with the Bat tonight?”

At that he pursed his lips, a small smile threatening to spill over.

“I dunno if I should…”

“I’ll pay.”

“Deal.”

*****

When you had first met Robin, it was after he had tried to help you escape from a mugger. Instead of cowering like he had expected you to, you had just grabbed the man's arm, twisting it as far back as you could without breaking it, and kicked him down. Robin had swooped down, laughing as he handcuffed the man and complimented you on your punch. You both were waiting for the GCPD when your stomach grumbled and you offered to treat him to some waffles at the diner across the street since it had started snowing. After that, you both kept meeting up frequently at night, him on patrol and you going home after finishing whatever official school-related event you had.

And soon enough, those nights all added up to you and Robin meeting up frequently to eat at the same diner from the first time you had met. You liked your friendship with Robin. Even though you had no idea who he was under the mask, you felt comfortable with him, like he was your rock to help keep you grounded.

As you sat there and watched him fiddle with the menu, you resisted the urge to grab his hands and instead looked down at your own hands. You started picking at the skin on one of your still healing scabs from where a cat from the animal shelter you volunteered at had scratched you.

“You should stop that,” Robin was looking at you, his bottom lip stuck out slightly in what you recognized as worry.

“You’re my distraction,” you waved your hand at him, “so go on, distract me.”

“What do you want me to talk about,” he asked as he leaned back, letting Linda, the waitress, put your regular orders down on the table. After a chorus of ‘thank you’s, you sipped your hot chocolate and contemplated on what to ask him. There was so much you didn’t know about Robin, such as his identity, but you didn’t want to scare him away.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”.

“Maybe a librarian,” he said after a long pause. You smiled at that and started stuffing your face with your hashbrowns, watching as Robin finished chewing his food.

“What about you, what do you want to be?”

You sat there, thinking. You never really knew what you wanted to be. Every year, you would have a new dream job but it never felt right to you. You just shrugged before turning the topic to books and different book recommendations, watching his eyes light up at the mention of literature.

“You should read Le Petit Prince,” you said as you both stood outside on the chilly November night. You had talked about different works by Shakespeare and had only started heading outside once Linda told you that it was ten. It was snowing slightly and Robin looked breathtaking with the white snow in his dark hair, his red mask creating a sharp contrast against the fairness of his skin.

“Only if you read it to me,” he said before grappling to the top of the veterinarian's office near the diner. You slowly walked to your car and turned it on. Robin was still sitting on the top of the building and as you pulled out of the parking lot, you waved goodbye to him before heading home, rolling your eyes with a smile when you realized that he was following you by running across the roofs of the buildings.

*****

“Hello, I’m (Y/N) (L/N), your tutor here at the Student Center. And you are?”

“Jason Todd,” the boy said, nodding at you as he pulled out his chair and sat down. You smiled at him and wrote his name down on the form you were given. You asked him basic questions about his grade, what class the assignment he wanted to go over was from, and what his reason was for visiting the center.

“All right, so it looks like Mr. Mijia wanted you to come in here and just have someone review your essay for you. Is he doing the extra credit padding before final exams again?”

Jason nodded his head and you marked the according box.

“Alright, the first thing I’m going to have you do is pull up an electronic copy and pass the hard copy to me. Then we’ll have you read it aloud so we can catch any grammatical errors.”

Jason nodded again before clearing his throat and reading his paper off of his screen, stumbling over the wording of his essay only twice. You were impressed, his style of writing was advanced, with him connecting his ideas throughout the whole essay.

“As time progresses, it is imperative to look--”

“Hey bestie,” you sighed when you heard the grating voice of Elsie Lager. You gave Jason an apologetic look before forcing a smile on your face as you faced Elsie.

“Hi Els, what are you doing here,” you asked, taking note of the way her eyes flitted over Jason, before landing on you.

“I’m just here to give you these,” she said, holding out a thick manilla folder. “Mrs. Jones said that we have to read through all of these proposals for the Spring Fling and Jackson and I thought that you could do it since you are the president. And because your mom is the famous torchbearer in today’s fashion world. It’ll just be soooo easy for you.”

You resisted the urge to smack Elsie with the manilla folder, aware of the fact that if you did that there was a witness, and instead took it from her hands before flipping through it. Great, there were over fifty concepts and designs to choose from. Taking out your planner, you wrote down ‘choose Spring Fling concept’ between your Taekwondo lesson and your animal fashion show at the shelter.

“I have that down, anything else I can do for you Elsie,” you asked with a strained smile. The brunette stood there, twisting a piece of hair around her pointer finger before smacking her forehead.

“OMG, I totally forgot! Callisto Barsotti told me that you should keep your ears open for an invite to one of his parties. I’ve gotta go now but you just have to tell me how you got Callisto to notice you, you lucky bitch.”

You watched as Elsie left the library, blowing a kiss towards you, in a blur of white. Sighing, you turned back around to Jason.

“I’m so sorry about the interruption. Why don’t you continue reading from where you were interrupted.”

“She’s a bitch,” Jason said. Your eyes widened in surprise and you watched as he leaned towards you, resting his face on his hand. “Why are you friends with people that take advantage of you like that?”

You sucked in your breath, keeping your face impassive as you stared down at him.

“You have no idea what my life is like Jason Todd,” you said evenly, setting the manilla folder to the side. “And because you don’t know me, why don’t we talk about something we do have some knowledge about: your essay.”

Jason just sighed before he started packing his items up, tugging the hard copy of his essay out from under your hands.

“You and I both know that I don’t need help with my essay. But if you ever need help, let me know,” and with a familiar wave, he left you sitting in the library, confused about how you had gotten his attention when you both weren’t even in the same grade.

*****

You scanned the room as you tugged your jacket around you. You normally didn’t attend parties, especially those that you knew involved alcohol, but your mother had pushed you to go after being nagged by Elsie’s mother by her daughter’s lack of invitation. And speaking of Elsie, she had left you alone as soon as she had entered the house. Which sucked since she had insisted on driving in her new Mercedes.

As you walked around the living room, making small talk with the people who greeted you, you couldn’t help but think about what Jason Todd had told you. It frustrated you that he took up so much space in your head, that he was all that you could think of since that day in the library.

He didn’t know anything about your life. While he had grown up on the streets, you had grown up with a silver spoon in your mouth, never having to worry about anything.

‘But you do worry,’ the small voice in your head said, sounding very similar to Robin. You needed a drink.

You were searching the coolers for a bottle of water when a heavy arm wrapped around your shoulders causing you to flinch and elbow them in the stomach.

“Ow, what was that for,” the person asked, slurring their words slightly. You looked up and sighed when you saw it was the host of the party, Callisto Barsotti. He smiled at you and rubbed at his stomach before holding his arms out, “I’ll let you go if you give me a hug,” he said, enunciating his words with grabby motions.

Normally, you would be on your best behavior, helping whoever was drunk by getting them water and calling their friends, but you were pissed. You didn’t want to be at this party, instead, your mother had forced you to go after Mrs. Lager had bitched to your mom about her precious Elsie not being invited. And to make matters worse, you were tired. So tired.

You were tired of your mother, for filling up your schedule with things you had no interest in, such as modeling gigs and piano lessons. Your father for never being there. Elsie for complaining to her mom and Callisto for inviting you to his stupid party. Jason Todd for being in your head for over a month. Robin for not reaching out in weeks. But mostly at yourself. You were upset at yourself for quietly taking all of this and then loading yourself up with more so you could be the perfect doll for your mother to brag about raising.

So when Callisto tried to grab you and hug you, you kneed him in the groin before deciding to walk home. Ignoring his cries and the looks you got from others at the party, you ran out of the house, only pausing to take a breath once you exited the gated property. You didn’t know where you wanted to go so you let your legs decide on what direction to walk.

Walking around anywhere in the middle of the night was not a great idea. But walking around Gotham in the middle of the night was one of the worst ideas anyone could have. Looking back at it, your night could have gotten worse, like you being kidnapped by a c-grade villain or something.

Instead, you ended up running into Robin. He didn’t look surprised to see you and instead gave you a small smile.

“So, do you wanna go to the diner,” he asked, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

“No,” you snapped, “Leave me the fuck alone birdbrain.” You pushed past him, a look of surprise etched on his face.

“(Y/N)! Wait!”

You ignored his calls and instead sped up, aware of the fact that he was catching up to you. At this point, you were walking near the actual city parts of Gotham so maybe you could get a cab to drop you off at your mother’s apartment near the business sector.

At that thought, you broke into a run, sprinting down the street before calling a cab, hyper-aware of the fact that Robin was staring at you with a look of hurt and confusion on his face.

*****

You felt bad for how you treated Robin. He didn’t deserve your cold shoulder and you certainly didn’t deserve him. With his witty jokes and the way he always followed you to make sure you got home alright, you had realized yesterday in the cab, watching the red and yellow of his costume jump by on the roof, that you didn’t deserve him.

You threw yourself back into your different activities and soon, you didn’t even have enough time to even think about what you were going to eat for dinner.

As you exited the school building, you walked slowly towards your car, being careful not to slip on the ice on the ground as you rounded the corner.

But you felt someone grab your wrist, making you scream and fall. The person cursed as they tried to pull you up but you slid as far away as you could from them so you could see their face. It was Callisto Barsotti.

“What the fuck,” you yelled, trying to yank your wrist out of his iron-like grip. When that didn’t work you got ready to elbow him but he twisted your other arm behind you, causing you to scream.

“Not today you bastard,” he growled as he started to drag you. You screamed and tugged against him, and when he turned towards you, you stopped pulling against him and stomped on his foot, making sure to drag your snow boots against the skin on his shin.

Callisto let out a cry of pain and you pushed him away from you, letting yourself fall to the ground out of shock.

“You little gremlin,” Callisto stuttered out as he started limping towards you. You panicked as you tried to find something heavy to hit him with. A rock or anything would do. But you couldn’t find anything so you got up on trembling legs to run towards your car.

But you didn’t have to worry as a figure in red and yellow dropped by and wacked Callisto in the back of the head. Your eyes widened as Robin took this moment to start kicking the fallen boy. You don’t know how long you stared at him, but you snapped out of your daze once you started hearing cracking noises.

“Stop! Robin, please stop,” you cried desperately. But he didn’t stop, he continued to beat Callisto.

“Please stop,” you cried, whimpering as you knelt down near Robin. When he didn’t listen to you again, you leaned forward and grabbed his face, turning it towards you. You were going to tell him to stop again but you then felt a warm sensation, different from the coldness from the March air, followed by the feeling of a shock. Your soulmate, Robin was your soulmate.

He stared at you in shock, allowing you to pull him off of Callisto. You pushed him towards your car, and he stumbled since he was still staring at you as a look of understanding passed on his face.

“Look,” you said, inspecting the blood on Robin’s costume, “you need to listen to what I’m going to say carefully. Go to my car and grab the cleaning wipes from the trunk. Clean yourself off as I call the cops. The story is going to be that you were patrolling the area and heard my screams.”

Robin stared at you, mouth slightly open as he reached to touch you with a bare hand. You let his fingers ghost against your skin, the shock from before still present as you pulled back to stare at him.

“Go.”

*****

It's been over five hours since Robin beat Callisto. Not half to death like you had expected but still pretty bad since he had a broken nose, arm, and bruised ribs. As you waited in the police station for your parents to pick you up (“The gang that you described could always come back for you,” the officer had said), you could only think about how scary it was, watching Robin hit someone so many times with so much anger in him. In the end, your parents didn’t come and instead, your older brother had driven all the way from Metropolis to pick you up.

You both didn’t talk to each other during the ride back to your house but you could tell he was worried by the way his eyes would flicker to you. When you reached the gates to your house, your brother had parked the car and turned to look at you.

‘(Y/N), I have no idea what's going on with you right now but if you ever feel overwhelmed or alone, just tell me and I’ll take you with me back to Gran’s in Metropolis.”

You smiled at him, eyes tired but filled with a small spark as you exited his car, making sure to express your thanks with a kiss on his cheek. As you entered your house, you took off your shoes and slipped on your home slippers before going to your room and taking a shower. Drying your hair, you walked towards your windows to close your curtains, letting out a slight scream when you saw a hand pressed against the glass.

You sighed when you saw it was Robin and opened your window, letting him come inside to your room. He looked around your room, studying the many medals and certificates you had accumulated from the years along with the magazines you had in your room, before turning towards you.

“Hey,” you said, walking to him slowly. Robin licked his lips slightly as he stared at you before coughing.

“Can I please touch you,” he asked, his voice breaking slightly. You nodded and watched as he took off his right glove before caressing your cheek with his hand. You watched as he smiled when he felt the same spark from before, a breathless laugh escaping his lips as he took off his left glove so he could hold you with both hands. You shivered as his thumb ghosted over your bottom lip, eyes closing before snapping open when you couldn’t feel the warmth from Robin’s hands.

“Don’t freak out,” he whispered in your ear, “I’m just going to close the window and then dry your hair for you. Just go and sit down and I’ll be right there.”

You nodded and sat down at the chair in front of your vanity, watching as he closed your window and pulled the curtains before grabbing your towel. You smiled as you watched him in the mirror, massaging your head with your hands before wrapping your towel around your scalp.

“How come you never asked me what my name was,” Robin asked as he brushed through your hair.

“You’ll tell me when the time is right.”

*****

“I should’ve asked him what his name was,” you thought as you walked near an alley, waiting for a sign of Batman so you could ask him what happened to your soulmate.

A couple of months had passed since you had last seen Robin in April. He had looked angry when you both had met up at the diner and he had further worried you when he ignored the ringing of his phone. As soon as he had seen that you were tucked into bed, he had given you a peck on the forehead before leaving through your window.

You were worried for him. Dressing up as a traffic light every night was dangerous, no matter how much you loved going out there and beating up criminals. So you had been following Batman for months, trying to find a moment to ask him what happened to your soulmate. But you never had the opportunity since he always managed to lose you by either disappearing or by just leading you into a dead end.

Months of following Batman has helped you as you were now familiar with the rooftops of Gotham, like the roof of the veterinarian’s office near the diner you and Robin used to meet up at. Sitting with binoculars, you let out a small gasp when you saw a familiar flash of red and yellow, watching as it ran across a rooftop. Scrambling, you started following the figure, zigzagging around multiple large gaps that you couldn’t jump before cursing when you realized that he was gone.

“Why are you following me,” an unfamiliar voice asked behind you. You turned around and assessed the boy, taking note of the fact that he was taller than your Robin and didn’t seem to have the same half-smile-half-smirk that he did. But the only way to confirm, for your brain to tell your heart to stop searching would be direct contact.

“I can’t find someone,” you started, voice shaky as your eyes filled with tears. The boy’s mouth twisted in a slight frown but he still let you continue.

“I just need to check that you’re not my Robin. Please, let me just hold your hand briefly or something. I just need to know.”

At this point, you were crying. When he hadn’t returned the next day, you had started to panic, wondering if he had really left you and gone somewhere else. But that night, you had started out of your bed, wondering what had woken you up when you felt a hollowness inside of you.

The boy patted your shoulder sympathetically before offering his hand to you. Sniffling, you pulled his glove down slightly so his wrist was showing and touched it.

There were no sparks, no warmth, as you collapsed on the rooftop and cried.

Your Robin was no more.

*****

You smiled as you entered the diner, waving at Linda before taking the booth that you and Robin used to eat at. Six years had passed since you had learned that he was no more and even though it was hard most of the time, you always moved forward. You had graduated high school and gone forward to become a librarian, your choice mostly influenced by your late soulmate.

As you waited for Linda to bring out your regular order, you looked around the diner, recognizing everyone except for a man wearing a red sweatshirt. He was staring down at his phone but was now looking up at you when he felt your stare. You flushed slightly and gave him a wave before looking out of the window.

When Linda came out with your packed regular, you left after giving her a large tip. You had to go back to work.

*****

When Jason came back to life, he knew something was wrong.

After finding out that you were his soulmate, he felt this familiar warmth inside of him, similar to the feeling from when Bruce had first made him Robin. But after the pit, that feeling was multiplied tenfold, to the point that it felt like he was being burned from the inside out. And then the random sparks started.

The first time was when he was with Talia. It had been months since she had started training him, helping him remember a bit of who he was beforehand. When she grabbed his wrist, he felt a spark. It wasn’t the same familiar, welcomed spark with you but it was still a spark. He had brushed it off as static electricity, especially since Talia didn’t seem to have noticed.

But the sparks continued. He felt it frequently when people would hold him, touch him, brush against him. It was an annoyance at that point. A reminder that something was wrong with him, especially since he knew that you were his soulmate and that the others seemed to have not noticed the sparks.

So when Jason saw you walking home one night, he couldn’t help but follow you to make sure you got back safe, just like in the old days. Except for the fact that it’s not like the old days and he was malfunctioning. He was too scared to meet you; he was terrified of the idea that he might touch you and that there would be no spark anymore.

Jason had decided to only follow you home and keep you safe from the shadows, to never interact with you directly. So why exactly was he bleeding on your couch?

He watched as you helped him out of his leather jacket, eyes following your movements to the best of his abilities. He then watched as you pulled out a pair of scissors and started cutting the area he was shot.

Your eyebrows were furrowed and Jason couldn’t help but want to reach out and smooth them. Instead, he settled for helping you by peeling the square of his cut shirt away as you prepared the gauze to apply pressure.

His head was spinning and his breathing sounded labored even to his own ears but Jason didn’t want to take off his helmet in fear that you would recognize him from the red domino. But you seemed to have other plans as you reached your hands towards his head, still applying pressure to his wound with your knee.

He tried to avoid your hands but it was difficult to do when his head started to spin. He just watched as your hands reached out towards his helmet and opened it.

A small, selfish part of him wanted you to pull off the helmet and accept him, regardless of whether or not the spark was still there. But from the two years that he had known you, he knew that you’d accept him as Robin, but he wasn’t sure that you’d accept him as Red Hood.

Jason watched as your eyes widened at the sight of his red domino but you didn’t go as far as to peel it off. Instead, you turned your attention back to his wound, gathering more gauze to apply pressure.

As he lost consciousness, he watched as your concerned face entered his vision. And then he felt the fated spark, and all he could think about was how right it felt.

*****

When Jason woke up, he was surprised. By multiple things. For one, you hadn’t called the cops on him. The second thing being the fact that he was, in fact, fine and not dead: he had checked by pinching himself. The third was that his domino was still on his face. And the last being that he could hear your voice clearly, it was distinct, like music against his ears.

He listened as you spoke, not understanding what you were saying but knowing that you were reading Le Petit Prince. After all, one of the first things he did after coming back from the pit was listening to the audiobook, imagining what you would sound like.

He heard the page flip and decided that now would be a good time to open his eyes and sit up.

His sudden movement startled you. You both stared at each other before Jason croaked out a ‘hi’. He watched as your eyes filled with tears as you hugged Jason gently like he was the most delicate, expensive thing in the world.

“I missed you (Y/N),” Jason whispered against your shoulder, feeling the tears form in his eyes as he pulled back.

Your eyes flitted down to his wound with a concerned look but he tilted your head up, towards his face as he pulled the domino off.

He saw a look of recognition in your eyes, knowing for sure that they recognized him when you whispered ‘Jason Todd.’

He nodded, watching as you slowly extended your hands towards his face, caressing it as you skimmed your thumbs over his cheekbones.

“I’m a terrible person,” Jason whispered, looking down into his lap. You simply lifted his face, shaking your head.

“You’re not a terrible person Jason. You were a hero back when you were Robin and you’re a hero as the Red Hood. You’ve always been one. Now lie back down before you pull your stitches and tell me what you’ve been up to.”

Jason smiled as he laid his head across your lap, smiling as the sparks now seemed to dance across his skin in joy, happy that he was finally home.

[keanureevesisbae]

But professor... - c.1

Summary: Penny Townsend is going to attend her first criminology class. What she didn’t expect was professor Walter Marshall.

Professor!Walter Marshall x Penny Townsend (Asian ofc)

Wordcount: 3.3k

Warnings: Mentions of murder and blood

A/N: I hope you enjoy this Professor!AU -- can you imagine? Walter Marshall as a professor? 🤤

Masterlist // But professor... masterlist // Next chapter

✎ ✎ ✎

My parents hoped that I would become a doctor. I get it—being friends with a lot of successful parents with equally successful children, must’ve raised their standard for me. They however must’ve known that medicine wasn’t it for me and going to law school isn’t my forte either. It must’ve been hard on them, knowing I wasn’t that intellectually gifted, though they tried their best for me to be.

They did a lot for me. At the ripe age of two to five hours, I was placed at the entrance of a church in Maryland. The pastor and his wife discovered me and brought me to the hospital, only to found out I wasn’t just a couple weeks premature, but also had a lot of heroin in my system.

My birth parents barely gave me a chance the second I was born (probably when I was conceived, but okay) and that is why I am so grateful that my adoptive parents care so much about me.

And that’s why I want to make them proud and studying psychology is my best chance at being the successful daughter they deserve, but man does it feel wrong to be here. I know there is another student out there who deserves to be here, who actually wants to do this, yet here I am taking their place.

Psychology wasn’t the greatest choice already, but having to take criminology was an even bigger mistake. I walk into the lecture hall for the first criminology class. My hands shake because of the nerves, they’re even clammy. I’m not good at making friends, so seeing those cliques that has formed after only two weeks of university, makes me slightly jealous and really alone.

I never really fitted in. My teachers would describe me as a sweet young girl, who is painfully shy.

That, of course, is if they even noticed me at all.

It can be hard to fit in, especially when you feel out of place the second you enter a room, like I have felt since I can remember.

‘Take a seat,’ I hear a deep voice say and I look up, to meet the eyes of the professor. He is unlike all of my other professors. He isn’t in a suit or at least some decent slacks. His denim jeans hugs his thick thighs, as he wears a sweater on top. His curls are disheveled and slightly frizzy and his beard is asymmetrical. A deep frown in between his brows.

‘Me?’ I ask in a soft tone.

He nods. ‘You,’ he confirms.

I walk passed him to choose a seat in the back. I take place and look around me, only to meet the eyes of the professor again. While I wonder what made him choose teaching, since he doesn’t look like someone who was born to teach, I also ponder about the fact he is looking at me again.

Why would he do that?

I grab my laptop and open it, opening a new document. I’ve been going to NYU for two weeks now, yet this is my first criminology class. I run my fingers through my hair, pushing up the glasses on my nose bridge.

‘Okay everyone,’ I hear the professor say, when it’s time for the class to start. ‘There is a sheet going around. Find the spot you’re sitting now and write down your name. If I find out you are messing with me, you have failed your class immediately.’

He is not beating around the bush.

‘I’m detective Walter Marshall. I have worked for the MPD, the Minneapolis Police Department. For this semester there are three subjects we’ll cover. Victimology, crime analysis and the psychology of criminal behavior.’

This is not at all what I want to learn. This is too gore for me. I should’ve stood up to my parents and go to cosmetology school like I originally wanted. It’s better for me anyways.

I’m so stupid.

The paper ends up on my table and I try to find my place on it. I write down ‘Penelope Townsend’ and slide it to the person two tables over. Professor Marshall explains how we have a weekly lecture of two hours and how he is available for questions every Friday, since he’ll be in his office.

‘Does anyone have any questions?’

A guy raises his hand. ‘Why aren’t you working for the MPD anymore, sir?’

Professor Marshall sits on the edge of his desk, crossing his muscular arms in front of his chest. ‘I was put on leave.’

‘Why?’

‘There were some issues,’ he says. ‘Between me and suspects.’

I have no idea what he is implying, but the silence in the classroom is so thick, that I have a clue what types of issues came with said suspects.

‘Really?’ the guy asks.

The professor only raises his eyebrows, which obviously means he isn’t joking. You don’t need to have studied Psychology to figure that out. ‘Any more questions?

‘Do we work in pairs for the assignment?’ a girl asks.

He shakes his head. ‘No, individual works only.’

I let out a sigh of relief. Thank the stars, I don’t want to work with others. Really, I don’t.

‘Okay, if that’s all, let me start right away. What do these women have in common?’ He presses a button on his presenter and the screen behind him changes. Three pictures of women appear on the screen. It’s their driver’s license photo.

‘They’re women,’ a guy says, causing a few to laugh.

Professor Marshall grabs the paper with names and says: ‘Does anyone have something less obvious to comment than mister Fitzgerald?’ He seems not amused at all by the words of Fitzgerald.

‘Brown hair, blue eyes,’ a girl says.

He nods. ‘And?’

‘They’re pretty,’ another girl says.

‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ he notes. His eyes scan the paper and he looks up. ‘Miss Townsend, do you have something to add?’

Our eyes meet again and I realize that I’m the only miss Townsend in the class. I clear my throat and look at the pictures. Say something smart, Penny. Say something intelligent. Really intelligent.

The obvious things have already been said, so I should stay away from those things.

I swallow hard, press my glasses better on my nose and say: ‘Their left eyelid is slightly droopy.’

I hear some people chuckle a bit, making me feel everything but intelligent.

‘Quiet,’ professor Marshall says and the chuckles die down instantly. ‘Their droopy left eyelid is what made them appealing to the killer.’ He looks up from the other side of class, right at me. His slightly annoyed gaze dissolves for a few moments into a soft one. ‘Miss Townsend made an excellent point here. It took an entire police department to come to that conclusion over the course of two months.’

Oh my goodness, I made an excellent point.

The slides change and I see another picture. This time it’s of a man. It’s a mugshot. I bet he is the killer.

‘Miss Townsend, since you are on a roll,’ the professor continues and I nearly groan. Really? He wants me to answer another questions? ‘What’s do you notice about this man?’

I scan his entire face. He has a crooked nose, blemishes on his forehead and thin lips. He looks like a killer. This would be the type of man I would avoid if I came across him.

‘His left eyelid is also droopy,’ I say.

Is that a tiny smirk on his lips? ‘Correct.’ While professor Marshall continues to explain about how his own appearance is unknowingly influencing his choice of victims, I can’t help but beam a little with pride. ‘Because,’ he continues, ‘if you understand your victims, you can understand your killer.’ The slideshow changes to one word. ‘Welcome to victimology.’

✎ ✎ ✎

Time spend in a lecture hall while professor Marshall teaches flies by. Though he is a bit grumpy and not very welcoming, he is interesting and smart. Much better than my other teachers. I put everything in my backpack, before I get up from my seat. I’m one of the last students to leave the place, mostly because I don’t want to be swarmed by the cliques.

‘Miss Townsend,’ professor Marshall says, causing me to stop misstep as I already passed him.

I turn around. ‘Yes?’ I ask.

He doesn’t look up from his notes. ‘You did well in class today.’

Is this man giving me a compliment? He might be the first one in a teacher like position to ever notice me, let alone give me a compliment. ‘I did?’

‘Yeah,’ he says, now looking up from his notes. ‘Don’t hesitate to say something in class next time. You have great insight.’

‘Or just luck,’ I say.

Professor Marshall shakes his head. ‘No, this isn’t about luck, this is good insight. So, can you promise me to raise your hand next class?’

I bite my lip, before shaking my head. ‘No, I can’t.’

‘Why can’t you?’

‘What I said: this was luck and it probably won’t happen again. I have to go. I reserved a spot at the library. If that is all, sir?’

He doesn’t say anything, simply looks at me. It takes a second, maybe two before he nods. ‘If you have questions,’ he says, ‘you know how to contact me.’

I nod, before I walk out of the hall. I see students gathering in front of the door and I quickly slip through them and make my way to the library. I’ve been going to classes for around two weeks now and I’m still up to date as we speak. I decide to at least make a beginning with the assignments of my criminology class, because the sooner I start, the less work and stress I’ll experience later on, because I most definitely will stress about it.

It’s been quite awhile since I opened a book for school for assignments or preparing for exams. After high school, I decided to take a gap year, which ended in two. I’ve traveled with all sorts of groups to different countries, worked at an international cafe in Japan for awhile. It did help me with my social skills. I was happy, social and totally in my element. Those wonderful skills were all forgotten the second I stepped foot back in the USA again.

It was my parents that pushed for going back to college and once they figured out that medicine or law wasn’t up my alley, they agreed psychology, though it wasn’t my thing either.

It’s okay, sure, but… Gosh, I miss the freedom I had during the gap years. I’m not stupid, but is the academical life for me? I have looked at cosmetology school and boy do I wish I was there at the moment.

And not here.

✎ ✎ ✎

I don’t know how long I have been at the library, but my eyes are tired by the time I close my laptop. Besides working on my assignment, I also texted my parents to tell them everything is going fine and checked out multiple cosmetology schools here in the area.

Originally I’m from Maryland, meaning it’s only a three hour drive to see my parents and for them to check in on me. I considered lying about my major, about attending NYU and just go to cosmetology school, but mom and dad are paying my tuition, which is another loophole in my plan.

I put the laptop in my backpack and walk out of the library. Every second my mind wasn’t occupied with university related things, it went straight back to my first criminology class, more specifically my professor. His words. It’s one thing he said those things to me, but another that he looked so handsome while saying it.

‘There she is,’ I hear from behind me as I walk through the hallways to the exit. I turn around to discover it’s Fitzgerald. I forgot his first name, which is weird since we share a lot of the same classes together. He isn’t easy to miss. Pleasant on the eyes, that’s for sure, but he is loud, thinks he is hilarious and that makes him kinda annoying. ‘Miss Townsend,’ he says in a mocking tone.

Okay, change kinda annoying to absolutely insufferable.

‘Hm?’

Fitzgerald walks next to me and he comes a lot closer than I prefer. ‘You’re already the teacher’s pet,’ he continues. ‘Bet the man has a thing for Asian chicks.’

I have no idea how to respond to that implication. My instinct says to get out of here, but the exit is right ahead of me and from the looks of it, Fitzgerald is going there as well. So there is no escape.

‘But let’s say it’s beginners luck,’ he says, ‘because it was actually the first time I heard you speak.’

‘You mind leaving me alone?’ I ask.

‘Why is that, sugar boo?’

Okay, now I’m gonna vomit. Goosebumps run over my spine and the hairs in my neck are standing straight up. I bet this guy’s dad is rich, therefore the only reason he is here. ‘I don’t want you here.’

‘You don’t want me here?’ He starts to chuckle. ‘Sweetheart, everyone wants me here.’

Not me.

‘Fitzgerald, are you deaf?’

It’s professor Marshall.

His eyes enlarge when he realizes that too. ‘No, sir,’ he quickly says.

‘She said she doesn’t want you here.’ He stands in front of the two of us, looking everything but amused. ‘You know, back when I was working, I encountered a lot of guys like you. Did you know they usually peak in high school, do okay in college, but the second they end up locked up in jail—and I promise you, they most often will—they aren’t so tough anymore. They usually end up as someone’s bitch.’

To hear this entire monologue and the word bitch from a professor, was not at all what I was expecting. Fitzgerald’s face is drained from all its color. While Fitzgerald looks like he shat himself, I am utterly amazed. I wish I was this intimidating, I think to myself.

Fitzgerald clears his throat, eyes darting around the hallway, almost as if he is trying to find the closest exit. He shoots out of this place very quickly, meaning I’m left with only our professor.

‘Thank you, sir,’ I say.

Professor Marshall simply nods. ‘You know, if you lowered your shoulders, you’d appear more confident.’

Why do I feel so offended? ‘Oh…’

‘It’s advice, miss Townsend, not criticism.’

‘Oh,’ I say again, this time in a whisper like tone. He could’ve brought it up a bit nicer though. No need to hurt my feelings like that.

Professor Marshall and I both walk towards the exit and I notice it’s raining. Great, guess who didn’t bring her umbrella and also isn’t wearing a jacket with a hood?

Absolutely fantastic.

‘Here,’ the professor says, holding out his umbrella for me.

Is this truly happening? ‘Oh, sir, that’s not necessary.’

‘I insist.’

With some hesitation I grab the umbrella from him and smile. ‘Thank you, professor.’

He politely nods and walks off, leaving me with the umbrella and a little bit confused. Though he looks so handsome and slightly intimidating, he still is nice to me. The only teacher ever. Maybe Fitzgerald is right and—

No, no, no, don’t think like that. It’s not that every man who is nice to me all of the sudden has this fetish. That can’t be it, right?

Maybe, despite my aversion, I am actually good at the whole criminology thing and isn’t it a one time thing. Luck. Maybe I do have something I am good at.

✎ ✎ ✎

That Friday I am still on campus after I spend my entire afternoon in the library. Since I have a question about the criminology assignment, I decide walk to the office of professor Marshall. To kill two birds with one stone, I brought his umbrella with me so I can give it back. I knock on the door and hear a low: ‘Come in.’

I open the door and am met with the professor, who is sitting behind is desk. ‘Sir, I have a question about the assignment.’

He leans back in his chair and gestures me to come in. I close the door behind me and expect to sit, until I notice there isn’t a chair anywhere for me to sit on. How unwelcome of him, I think to myself. Does that mean I have to remain standing?

‘What’s your question, miss Townsend?’

‘I didn’t know which format I had to use for the entire assignment. It’s not really that big of a deal, but I was here in the building and I thought that I could…’ Nice way of getting off track, Penny. As they said in high school musical: ‘Get’cha your head in the game’ and this is  not the game. ‘Never mind. Which format should I use?’

‘That’s up to you,’ he says.

That’s it? That’s the answer he is gonna give me?

‘Right,’ I mumble.

‘Other questions, miss Townsend?’

Yes. I let out a deep sigh. ‘The assignment is just harder than I thought,’ I admit. ‘I don’t really understand it.’

Professor Marshall stands up and holds out his hand. ‘Sit, I’ll try to explain it.’

‘In your chair?’

He simply nods and I walk around the desk, to take a seat, while he leans against the windowsill. Oh, the leather is warm… What a body heat does this man produce. ‘Okay, the point of the assignment is to use some of the example files of—staged—murders. Based on the file you choose, you choose a format. You write out the victimology, try to narrate who the killer is, writing down all your findings and there are things I’m gonna talk about in next classes.’

I nod. ‘That makes it easier, thank you, sir.’

‘You’re already working on the assignment?’ he asks. Why does he sound genuinely surprised?

I nod again. ‘I am. I find it easier to work a bit every day, than to cram it all in one day.’ I realize how that sounds. ‘That sounds dorky.’

‘It doesn’t really. It’s a whole lot better than what I did back in the days,’ he says. ‘What did you think of the class?’

Is he asking for my opinion? ‘Your class was very interesting. Slightly morbid though, but fascinating.’

‘Morbid?’ the professor asks. ‘There was nothing morbid about my class.’

I scrunch up my nose. ‘It was kinda scary. With the blood patterns and all. The peek into the murderer’s mind?’ I shiver. ‘Don’t know, felt too personal and too much into the killer’s brain.’

‘The class you’re taking is criminology,’ he says, ‘you should’ve known.’

I shrug, not knowing what to say to him. He is right…

‘Miss Townsend—’

‘Penny,’ I say. ‘It’s Penny. Penelope officially, but people barely call me that.’ People barely call out for me ever, but that’s a different topic. Total different topic.

‘Penny,’ he says, ‘could’ve known.’

I don’t know what he is implying, but I realize I am totally overstaying. ‘I’m sorry, I should go. Thanks for helping me out. Oh, I brought you back your umbrella. I don’t need it anyways.’

Professor Marshall nods. ‘Okay.’

‘I should go. It’s getting kinda dark already.’

‘Let me guess, you don’t do well in the dark.’

I smile almost out of guilt. ‘That obvious?’

For a brief moment I spot a smirk on his face. ‘I’m a detective, I spot these things.’

Okay, not gonna lie, but that’s pretty funny. ‘See you next class, professor,’ I say, standing up from his chair and I walk towards the door.

‘See you next class, Penny.’

[mypoisonedvine]

Can u pls write something like dark!reader x steve rogers high school AU , where R is rich spoil brat & she always had a crush on steve but she always bully him by calling him skinny and all and Then yrs later, time changes her family discarded her from will and she becomes poor and need job, got hired for PA by dark ceo!steve rogers who she bullied her all school lifee😈😈

okay this is a lot for a headcanon but I don’t have time to do a whole oneshot BUT I also really like it so we’re gonna just make a longass headcanon here we gooooo

warnings for heavy dub con, choking, slapping, degradation (by steve), bullying (by the reader), abortion mention, brief mention of/implied assault.

“heyo pipsqueak” you called out to get steve’s attention, laughing when he frowned.  “looks like you grew a whole inch over summer, be sure to have your mom draw a line in pencil on the doorframe.”

he just rolled his eyes and got back to chatting with his friend.  not friends, friend, cause he only had one: bucky, who snarled at you as well.

“pick on someone your own size, if you can find somebody with as big a head as you,” bucky shot back, making you scoff.

“you know, it’s a shame you hang out with this deformed freak, you could’ve been popular.  you’ve got the looks for it.”

“I’d rather keep my brains, thanks,” bucky explained as you walked away with your posse of fellow popular kids.

you didn’t used to be so mean to steve.  it was sort of a comedy of errors, really.  you two had been friends in elementary school-- you, him, and bucky were the rambunctious trio up until middle school.  

things change for boys and girls in middle school.  guys just get along with each other and don’t think about it much.  girls, though... girls need to be sharp.  it’s eat or be eaten.  and you wanted to eat.

you were lucky that you developed early.  it meant that girls respected you and boys feared you-- not just for your attractive features but for the fact that you loomed a foot over most of them.

you started to take advantage of it.  and by the time you realized you had feelings for your best friend steve, it was already too late-- he was at the bottom of the food chain and you were at the top.  

you told your new girl friends that you wanted to take steve to the sadie hawkins.  they laughed at you.  for a moment, you felt what it was like to be outcast and you never wanted to feel it again.  so, you told steve and bucky that you’d grown apart.  and you were happy to just be former friends...

it was steve that started it.  he called you out.  he told you that you were nothing like who he used to know-- you had become vapid and cold and narcissistic.

“you’re so busy worrying about what other people think, you never take the time to think for yourself.”  that was what he said.  and it fucking hurt.

“saw you talking to your boyfriend steve the dweeb,” your friend tanya announced at lunch just a few minutes after that conversation.  and you were angry, and hurt, and truly friendless despite being surrounded by other popular girls.  so you said some things you could never take back.

“steve?  as if.  did you know he still sleeps with a security blanket?  and he has his friend bucky fight for him every week cause if he took a punch he’d crumble to dust?”

and so, mortal enemies were formed.  it only got worse in high school, as you fought to secure your title at the top while steve and bucky’s presence filled your heart with guilt and your gut with anger.

if only you’d known how quickly you could fall from your high horse.

it started when you dated tanya’s ex, brock.  she was made so she spread a rumor that you would fuck any guy on the football team, even all of them at once.

apparently, a lot of people believed it since tanya had been your sidekick since 6th grade.

two football players believed it.  and when you wouldn’t follow through on it, you got yourself a black eye.

that meant you missed school for a week because you couldn’t possibly show up looking like that.  tanya told everyone it was because you got grounded and sent away to church camp after your parents caught you in bed with one of the neighbors.  so now your reputation was ‘sleeps with football players and old men.’

only brock had been there for you.... but it turned out he had motives of his own.  you had originally planned to wait until college, but brock was clearly wanting something in return for putting up with dating pariah #1... so you let him take your virginity.

the condom broke.  when you dashed to the trash can to hurl in the middle of history class, you knew something was wrong.  (and lost that many more social points in the process.)

brock dumped you the second he found out you were pregnant.  didn’t even help you pay for the abortion.  he got back together with tanya and told her the real reason for your ‘medical absence’.  and that was the last straw for the former homecoming queen.

the humiliation drove you to some.... poor choices, for the next few years.  you tried not to think about them now, but it was hard not to when their consequences were staring you right in the face: no money, no job, nearly homeless, and desperate.

over a hundred job applications later, only one had called you back and scheduled an interview.  and you only needed one.

so there you were, waiting in the chilly lobby area while the receptionist typed away and chomped her gum, tapping your toes and glancing out the window occasionally.

you were surprised when you had been told your interview would be on the 51st floor.  you sort of assumed it would just be some random manager interviewing you, not somebody important enough to have a waiting room like this, or a view like this.

when a man stepped out from the nearby hallway, your eyes went wide.  he was tall, and handsome, and obviously muscular underneath the exquisite suit.  you suddenly felt underdressed in your hand-me-down business clothes.

then he called your name.  and you realized he was going to interview you.

you stood up and nodded.  “you can follow me to my office,” he instructed with a smile, leading you down the hall to the corner office.  you were in awe of the grandiosity of it all.  you were dumbfounded when you saw CEO on the door.

“there must have been a mistake,” you explained as he shut the door behind you.  “I... I’m just interviewing for an entry-level position.”

“no, there’s no mistake,” he shook his head, “I have you exactly where I want you.  take a seat.”

he circled his desk and sat on the other side of it, resting his elbows on the desk and giving you an oddly smug smile.  an awkward silence was finally broken when he realized, “you must not remember me.”

“I... have we met?” 

“I don’t blame you, I look pretty different,” he shrugged.  “I must’ve grown a whole inch this summer.”

you gave him a confused look before realization dawned on you, along with shame, and fear.

“oh... oh my god, Steve?!” you squawked.  he just grinned.  “you look... you look...”

“taller?”

sexy.

“you look great!” you said aloud instead.

“yeah,” he agreed, “wish I could say the same for you.”

you swallowed dryly.  “so that’s what you want,” you sighed, “to get back at me.  I understand.  I deserve it...”

“I don’t want revenge,” he denied.  “I’m just sorry to see you haven’t been... thriving, since high school.  your job history--” he scanned your resume briefly-- “well, you don’t have one.  have you been slumming it all this time?”

“without my parents’ money?  yeah,” you admitted.  

“surprised you applied here, instead of turning tricks on 5th and Columbus.”

your back straightened and your eyes went wide at that comment.

“I mean, you’re already dressed for it,” he smirked.

you stood up and crossed your arms.  “if you’re just going to insult me, then I’ll leave now.  I’m sorry for everything I did to you, steve,” you announced, voice shaky with oncoming tears.

“can you really afford to leave?” he pressed.  “if you have a chance at a job?”

that, unfortunately, got your attention.  “you... you might actually offer me something?”

“I will offer you something,” he corrected, “if you just sit down and listen.”

you relented, returning to your seat.  you could stand a lot more insults if there was money on the line.

“to be honest, there’s no way I can hire you for the position you applied for,” he sighed.  “you’re just underqualified.  but I think I can create a position for you.”

you liked the sound of that.  “what kind of position?”

“well, that’s tricky, seeing as you don’t have any skills,” he frowned, “except one.  so that’s the one I plan on using.”

the look in his eyes made it all too clear what he was referring to, but as you shrunk into the leather chair he went ahead and clarified.

“I’ll pay you whatever salary you saw in the ad.  but you won’t be doing data analysis or office management or anything like that.  all you’ll be doing is spreading your legs for me whenever I fucking want.”

fear shot up your spine; his eyes were devouring you, pinning you to the chair, and you tried to process that.  “I--”

“before you say anything,” he interrupted immediately, “let’s just be perfectly clear that this might be your only shot at a real job.  what I’m offering has better pay than stripping, and better benefits than hooking.  and unless you have any education or experience I don’t know about, you’re totally fucked.”

“seems like I’m fucked either way,” you mumbled, making him laugh.

“see, you’ve still got that sharp tongue,” he grinned.  “can’t wait to put it to better use.”

maybe it was just desperation for cash.  maybe it was because he was good-looking and you could do a lot worse.  maybe it was because, on some level, you felt like you deserved his punishment after how horribly you’d treated him.

“I’ll do it,” you sighed.  “when do I start?”

he stood up and reached across the desk to grab your neck, glaring at you.  “right now.”

his free hand was already fumbling with his belt, the one on your throat guiding you downwards.  “on your knees,” he instructed, and you slipped out of the chair and onto the floor.

he let go of your neck and you figured he was going to come to you, but instead he stood still and demanded: “crawl.”

debasing as it was, you crawled on your knees to his side of the desk, and he laughed at you bitterly.  when you reached his feet and popped back up, you gasped at the sight of his hard cock right in front of your face. it was bigger than your face.  and it was dripping precum.

“don’t get so bug-eyed, you can handle it,” he grinned.  “if your mouth’s as big as I remember...”

you didn’t want to hear any more.  you just wanted to get this over with, so you quickly took his head between your lips and started to suck.  you were shocked when he slapped you, hard enough to knock his length from your mouth and to make you reach up and clutch your stinging cheek.

“fucking whore,” he grimaced, “did I say you could put it in your mouth?  god, you’re so fucking desperate.  just open your fucking mouth and I’ll show you what I want, okay?”

you nodded and stammered an apology, looking up at him with watery eyes and an open mouth.  he swiped the latest drop of precum on your tongue before gliding his cock over it, grabbing your hair to keep you steady as he pushed himself to the back of your throat.

“fuck, that’s better,” he sighed.  “so much better when you just do what you’re told.  I remember how you used to be so cruel with this mouth.  now you’re being so welcoming...”

you just sat there and let him use your mouth, trying not to gag when he hit your throat.

“look up at me,” he instructed, “yeah, that’s it.  can’t have you forgetting who’s doing this to you, now can we?”

that went on for a bit longer until mascara-stained tears streaked your face, which he seemed rather proud of.

“damn, wouldn’t mind having you swallow my come right now,” he admitted, “but I have bigger plans.  get up, bend over my desk.”

you coughed briefly when he pulled out, but did as you were told.  he instantly yanked your skirt up over your ass and spanked you several times roughly, making you sob and whine.

“wanna see this ass all bruised up in the shape of my hand,” he explained.  “so we can both remember how hard I fucked you.”

he tore your panties like they were paper, chuckling when he found you already wet.

“dripping already, just from choking on my cock?  poor baby...”

you spread your legs slightly, though you were sure nothing was going to adequately prepare you for his size.

“you figured out how to use birth control since graduating, right?” he asked, and you nodded quickly.  “good.  cause I’m not using a condom,” he continued as he let his cock glide over your folds, groaning slightly, “and there’s no way in hell I’m pulling out.”

he pushed forward in one brutal stroke, making you cry out loudly.  you really hoped these rooms were mostly soundproof.

“shit, you’re tight,” he hissed, already pulling back and thrusting back in.  “clearly you recovered from your years of slutting it up in high school.”

“that-- that wasn’t true,” you defended.

“oh, just shut up,” he growled.

he fucked you fast and deep, his hips pushing yours into the edge of his desk with each thrust.  his hands pinned you down at your shoulders, another reminder that you were entirely at his mercy.

“fuck, this is just what you needed... somebody to put you in your place.  makes sense that it should be me, since you hated me so much.”

“I didn’t h-hate you,” you hiccuped. 

“yeah, you wanted me, didn’t you?”

“always,” you admitted.

“wanted my fat fuckin’ cock to tear up your pussy?  is that it?”

“yes,” you moaned, “yes, steve, wanted to be yours.”

“even when I was skinny and short?”

“even when you hated me,” you added.

he growled slightly and you felt your walls tighten around him suddenly.  he chuckled, clearly aware that you were enjoying this.

“you want more, baby?  want me to fuck you harder?”

“whatever you want,” you answered instead.  “just use me however you want.”

he moaned and leaned down to cage your body in with his.  “fuck, baby... you’re taking this better than I thought you would.  such a good girl for me, huh?  such a good little slut.  want me to use you, baby?  take all my anger out on you?”

“yes,” you whispered, sobbing when he began to fuck you more brutally than you thought possible.  but it felt good.  so good that your legs were shaking, so good that you felt even better when he tugged your hair.

“yeah, gonna come on my cock, aren’t you?” 

you nodded and bit your lip.

“m’ close too,” he admitted, “you’re gonna be so full of my come, it’s gonna be dripping down your legs when you walk out of here...”

your orgasm made your body shake and your eyes roll back.

“fuck, I can feel you coming,” he groaned, “fuck, just like that-- fuck!”

you felt his warmth fill you as his cock flexed against your walls.  you were busy trying to catch your breath when he slumped down on top of you and pushed the air from your lungs.

“damn... didn’t think I was gonna come that fast,” he sighed.  “see what you do to me?  fuck, I knew this was a good idea.”

sure, it felt good, but you were sure he was only going to get rougher and meaner the longer this went on.  you couldn’t imagine how you were going to get out of here without somebody noticing your wrinkled clothes, messed-up hair and, as he’d pointed out himself, come all over your thighs.

“guess I’ll see you at 8am tomorrow, huh?” he chuckled, giving you an unexpected peck on the cheek.  you couldn’t answer, though, interrupted by the phone on his desk ringing.  “oh, sorry, gotta get this.”

he reached for the phone and picked it up, bringing to his ear all without pulling out of you or even lifting his body from on top of yours.

“bucky, hey,” steve grinned as he spoke into the phone, looking down at you and stroking your hair, “you’re not gonna believe who I ran into today...”

[ladyartemesia]

Yooo your love story straight out seems like an e2l slow burn tumblr fic. Do you have any plans using at as a plot?? I would def read it 👀

I don’t know if I would truly call it enemies-to-lovers because—although I got irritated with him and his behavior and did snap at him from time to time—we were not really enemies. In fact we were barely friends for most of the years we knew each other—

Well.

Ok. So that’s not totally true...

We fought online constantly. From the time we graduated college (where his crush first developed and I routinely forgot his name) the two of us were always fighting on social media—usually about politics—and occasionally about other things but both of us were too smart to ever truly get the better of each other so there was a grudging respect, (his mom said he used to yell at his computer screen about me). We had it OUT several times online even though we rarely—if ever—spoke in person.

My poor sweet boy DID get himself in trouble over me in more ways than one though—even if we’re weren’t close yet...

His college girlfriend set him up to fail asked him who he would date if the two of them weren’t together and he answered immediately—vehemently—

“Viola. I would definitely date Viola if I could.”

🤦🏻‍♀️ (oh...honey...no)

(That would become a huge THING in their relationship. Every time they got into a fight his ex would shout “why don’t you just go date VIOLA then?!”—When he married me he said he felt like a real winner in that particular collection of conflicts. Playing the long game I guess 🤣😂)

Back then I was all about the music/dramatic arts scene and I was dating a string of empty headed pretty boys who bored me nigh unto death because I was young and completely stupid.

In contrast my someday-boo was painfully quiet and shy (though not really with me because he was too busy trying to prove me wrong), but everyone who met him or spoke to him really liked him and respected him.

After college we were were still in the same extended social circle (and—as previously mentioned—fighting online), but I went to grad school and my not-yet-husband decided to chill for awhile and take a job as a landscaper while he figured his life out and... here’s where it gets complicated because...

—that’s where the girls came in. You see... he’s always been a really nice guy... maybe a little too nice 🤦🏻‍♀️

The term fuqboi tends to conjure up impressions of a cocky frat bro who slyly shags his way through a mountain of willing women with disconnected efficiency and a subtext of emotional constipation.

But that would not be the case here.

You see my husband is a listener. He’s an INFP. He, unlike many of his brethren, understands emotions and can really make a woman feel seen. Combine that with his good looks, brilliant mind, and broody nerditude and you have a recipe for women who were ‘just friends’ randomly dropping to their knees (and a lot more) for him.

Never one to stand in the way of a lady’s dreams, pre-me-hubby figured that if they were that determined to (*insert miscellaneous sexy stuff here*) with him then—well—he’d let them.

I mean why not, right? No harm done.

Wrong. 🤬

And here is where our paths truly began to merge (in the real world) for the first time.

As the FOURTH girl (just in my friend group) he graciously allowed (🤦🏻‍♀️) to have her wicked way with him sobbed in my arms, I became determined to put this ridiculous man-child IN his PLACE—this time in the tactile world as well as the virtual one.

...Poor Liz

She realized that he had absolutely no desire whatsoever to be in a relationship with anything other than his WoW account and she was insistent that he had broken her heart.

So I cornered him and we had it out. (Call me meddlesome, but to be fair he was four friends deep at this point.)

The problem was that... the more I talked to him...the more he was not really what I expected... I found myself...oddly...intrigued?

Later it would come out that I was the first girl—ever—that he actually pursued. And I was not even aware of it for like the first three months.

He was pretty slick after all when it came down to it.

That man convinced me to ‘help him’ with women—to make sure he didn’t get himself into another situation where some girl with heart eyes was tearing off his clothes and expecting commitment.

HE ASKED ME TO BE HIS ‘EXCUSE.’

🤦🏻‍♀️(...I know. I’m an idiot.)

“We can hang out. You’ll teach me how to spot if a girl is about to catch feelings and take off my pants. And I will have an excuse when they call as to why we can’t hang out” (—and ...they really were always calling. It was wild.)

....I mean he WAS shy! It SEEMED plausible!

So yeah my dim self agreed to it. (🤦🏻‍♀️)

I considered it a valiant attempt to save the rest of my social circle from the most clueless ‘accidental’ fuqboi on planet earth and maybe even an opportunity to teach him how to be a real human being and what not.

And before you think ‘fake dating’—we weren’t. We were just hanging out as friends. You see when I went to yell at him (and chased him down after he laughed at me and tried to escape) we ended up talking in his car for like four hours. And then that happened like three more times randomly so... I... actually... wanted... to be his friend... 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was still 110% not interested romantically.

Your girl (me) was after some bland banker dude (🤦🏻‍♀️) and so I blissfully fell into friendship with my actual soulmate without a single second thought. And I never worried about either of us catching feelings because I had a crush on someone else and he had heavily implied that I was not his type. (He told me later that I just assumed this and he simply never corrected me 🙄)

I don’t remember falling for him. I never decided to. I never thought about it...

But one day after the whole crew was hanging out at a restaurant (and the waiter kept giving me free drinks which may have pissed my once-and-future man off) the two of us went out to his car to have our customary three hour post-chill chat...

I was teasing him about something—some girl he was still attempting to untangle himself from—and I said—as had become my habit (seriously I said this so many times as a joke)—“It’s too bad I’m not your type—you could just tell her you have a girlfriend.”

(Now. I know what you’re thinking. But I was still firmly on team platonic ok! I was just a flirt. And maybe part of me was starting to feel weird things about him—but those feelings weren’t like anything I recognized so I thought I just needed to cut back on sugar or something.)

(Have I mentioned I’m an idiot?)

ANYWAYS he looked me right in the eye. So serious. And instead of saying “that’s too bad”—LIKE he ALWAYS did—he said—

“You...are my type, Viola... You’re exactly my type.”

To which I responded—“....What? No I’m not. You said I wasn’t.”

“Never said that. You assumed.”

“You LET me!”

—followed by a good ten minutes of me having an existential crisis/yelling at him for allowing me to believe he didn’t find me attractive and lulling me into a false sense of security. He was infuriatingly unapologetic.

At the end of it all he asked me to give him—give us—a chance.

And I agreed to go out on a few dates with him (mostly to prove to myself that there was nothing there).

(🤦🏻‍♀️)

The only thing I ended up proving was that I was wrong about what I wanted and even more wrong about what I needed.

You see...

Those weird feelings turned out to be love.

(🤦🏻‍♀️)

And it was a really special experience to sit in a room full of girls who had cried in my arms over him—girls I had lectured repeatedly on the dangers of his heartless ways— and admit that I was his girlfriend.

🤦🏻‍♀️

Love was—and continues to be—nothing like I expected and frankly I couldn’t be happier.

... to answer your questions

1. I have considered writing a fic based on our story called Broken Road. The title is taken from an old Rascal Flatts song that—as insanely cheesy as it is—really reminds me of us. Don’t know if I will actually write this. Thought about it a lot though.

2. Tags I would use for this story?

#enemies-to-lovers / #idiots-to-lovers / #college au / #outgoing!fem reader(me) x shy nerd!accidental fuqboi / #reader is also a huge nerd actually / #she’s just a loud one / #frenemies-to-lovers / #the love is requited / #they’re just idiots / #pining (his) / denial (mine) / #reader has terrible taste in men / #except for that last one / #she really redeemed herself there at the end

[mieohmy]

𝖠𝗍 𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖲𝖾𝗋𝗏𝗂𝖼𝖾 | 𝖪𝗂𝗆 𝖲𝗎𝗇𝗐𝗈𝗈

PAIRING: kim sunwoo x fem reader

GENRE: fluff, angst, humor, strangers-to-lovers, unrequited love au, dancer!reader, formeridoltrainee!sunwoo

WC: 14.7k 

NOTES: drinking+alcohol consumption, slight cursing, tiny hint of sexual harassment, a temporarily sad sunwoo :(

SUMMARY: for years, sunwoo’s harbored a crush on the same girl. even though his feelings are probably unrequited and she has no idea, insert you into the picture: a recently-turned-single person that finds interest in assisting his love quest! well, except for the fact that some feelings (that really shouldn’t be happening) begin to stir..

+ happy valentines day to everyone ^^

Day 11. Of your newly turned single life. You’re not even sure why it’s upsetting. He wasn’t that impressionable and left an unpleasant aftertaste in your mouth. Maybe it wasn’t even him, the way he randomly suggested an end to your several months of life together. 

Maybe it was just you. 

Nonetheless, drinks are always a way to get rid of all unwanted thoughts, the liquid flowing through your body and numbing all senses. But apparently not enough for you to miss a rising conflict at a couple tables away from yours one night. 

 You didn’t want to involve yourself in someone else’s business, you affirmed internally, downing another shot. But the increasing noise and tension grab your attention nevertheless. 

There’s some guy. Wasted, you can definitely tell. It’s what he attracted that’s causing all the disturbance to your inevitably lonely night. 

You’re not really sure what’s going on, but he’s obviously pissing off some other people, and the noise isn’t going down. 

Seriously, no one else is gonna do anything? 

It’s getting increasingly worse, and once of the guys raises an arm, (probably to incite something violent you don’t want to deal with, but you do anyway) your body takes over your mind and forces you over to the table. 

“Excuse me, not to pry or anything, but is there something wrong?” You don’t even know who this horribly drunk guy is, and still, here you are, attempting to save his butt. 

Maybe you should’ve used your brain once to actually look and see who you were facing against. The extremely bulky man scoffs, squinting at you. 

“And who are you? Another fangirl of his?”

The drunk man suddenly stirs next to you, aggressively pointing at the guy. “Don’t worry about him,” he slurs, “he’s just jealous he doesn’t have anyone that likes him back.”

Muscly guy (you can’t think of any other way to describe him) lets out a loud guffaw, slapping his thigh rather hard. “And what about you? What about that girl you’ve liked since forever? Can’t say anything back now, huh?” 

Drunk boy (another great nickname) abruptly stands up, knocking glasses over and making more of a ruckus. You notice he’s super tensed, and his eyes flash something you can’t read. 

“Don’t you dare say anything about her.” 

“Oooh, the tough boy becomes a softie. It’s sad how-“

It is sad, you think. It’s sad how he never gets to finish his sentence before the supposedly wasted guy launches a solid fist at his face. 

And then you’re not sure what really happens next. A lot of chaos that wasn’t settling well for a still somewhat drunk person like you. 

Although, you miraculously manage to appease the angered employees and drag the guy with you outside. 

“No-just- Sit!” You huff, finally shoving him down onto a bench. You forgot how exhausting it was to take of other drunk people. You have absolutely no clue as to why you’re still helping this guy, but it’s too late to just leave him now, you suppose. 

Slumping next to him, you exhale, enjoying the finally peaceful moment. It’s a cold night, but you feel.... warm, buzzing alive. The usual numbness in your body was nowhere to be found. 

“Well, aren’t you gonna thank me?” 

His head ever so slowly turns to you. “Me? Why would I?” Scoffing, you glance him over. 

“You’re such a troublemaker, that I can tell. Maybe I should call you that from now on unless you give me a name?” 

The guy starts humming a random tune, eyes closed and basking in the moment. “Sunwoo. Kim Sun. Wooooo.” 

You nod, making a note in your head to find a Kim Sunwoo later to pay you back. All of a sudden, you hear sniffles. 

Is he- is he crying? But he’s laughing too? What kind of crazy person did I just save...

“Um, are you alright? What’s so funny?” 

His head lols toward you. 

“Have you ever been in love with someone for years? And they never knew? And then they started dating your ex-best friend, and even after he left, you stayed by their side and never said anything about how you felt?” Until the guy freakin shows back up again after years, and then you feel like the stupidest person ever for not saying anything?” 

You blink. “.... I’m sorry?” 

“Well, that’s my life right now.”  

You think about how you should probably be at home instead of sitting next to a stranger at 3am, but you stay. And listen. 

He spills everything. The girl he not so secretly likes. The guy she’s dating. Was, he corrects. Who also was coincidentally his best friend when they were younger. Until said ex-friend went overseas for school. Leaving sunwoo and his crush together all alone. And then ex-friend has to mess it all up by unexpectedly coming back to Korea. 

You weren’t asking for the juicy details, but what can you expect for a very much still intoxicated person? 

And after the whole story’s done and said, you can only laugh. 

“So he came back? From overseas? Without even saying anything in advance?” 

“Yup, and now I’m here. Left alone, just like before. Knowing them, she won’t be able to resist his charms, and they’ll probably be back together in a month, give or take.”

He laughs again, a sad bark. “Honestly, I don’t blame her. They’re like soulmates.” 

Whistling, you shake your head. “That’s really something, Kim Sunwoo... You’re really something.” 

He clumsily stands up, giving you a surprisingly cute smile. “Thanks, stranger. I don’t even know your name.” 

Coughing, you stand up as well, ignoring his remark. “Do you have someone to take you home? It’s really late..” 

Sunwoo looks around aimlessly before giggling, “I don’t know where my phone is.” 

“It’s in your pocket.” 

“Oh my god, are you a psychic or something?”

“You took it out a minute ago to show me pictures of your crush.” 

“Haha, right.” 

Rolling your eyes, you decide to take initiative for once and reach for the phone in his pocket, ignoring his little sound of surprise. 

“Wow, you don’t even have a password. Is this Eric guy alright to call? You know what- never mind, I’m just gonna call anyways.” 

......

“Hello? Where the heck are you?? It’s freakin almost four and-“

“Excuse me? Is this kim sunwoo’s friend?”

“A GIRL?? wait, you don’t sound like-”

Interrupting him, you explain everything while somehow able to watch over a melancholy sunwoo gaze off into the distance like in a melodramatic movie. 

His friend Eric? sends you an address, and you haul sunwoo over. 

Once the door opens, you don’t even stay to hear what he says, just leaving sunwoo and trudging your way back home. To finally sleep. To get back to your boring life and forget about Kim sunwoo. 

ꔫ 

Until you see Sunwoo again. You were surprised to run into him, almost not recognizing who he was. 

Thanks to the ice cream you wanted to remind you of the favor Kim Sunwoo totally owed back. 

After purchasing your lovely snack, you spin around to leave when you bump into someone.  

“Ah- I’m sorry,” you stop. His face.... could it be?

Eyes wide, you tilt your head at him. “Oh- troublemaker.”

He raises an eyebrow at you, confused eyes boring into yours for a solid minute.

“Who? ..wait a second.” You almost laugh as the recognition slowly flickers in his eyes.

Everything in his body screams to run. Sunwoo attempts to sprint as fast as he can away, but he’s extremely shocked at how fast your reflexes are, hand clenched tight on his wrist.

“Wait, are you just gonna try and run away after I helped you?”

Coughing awkwardly, he bows and still tries to get the hell out of there- Eric’s words about some girl and totally wasted resurfacing from his memory.

Your words prevent him from leaving. “How are you and your crush doing?” You say it so casually, it’s almost as if you two are friends.

Sunwoo sighs frustratedly, contemplating before accepting the defeat and beckoning you outside to follow him. He isn’t one to talk to strangers -Sunwoo likes to describe himself as a ‘cold and silent’ type of person. On the other hand, he figured he’s already spilled everything to you while drunk.

But it’s not just that, Sunwoo finds it strangely easy to open up to you. Possibly because from as much as he can recall, you didn’t judge him for having a stupid one-sided crush for the longest time.

Once seated on the curbside comfortably, he starts.

“It’s okay, I guess. I don’t know if she’s met up with him yet, how she’s feeling. Honestly, I have no idea what to do.”

Humming, you open your ice cream with gleaming eyes. Sunwoo doesn’t miss your face, unconsciously smiling but dropping it when you face him with the ice cream positioned at your lips.

“Well.... you said it’s been years, right?” He nods.

“Maybe things have changed. Maybe she doesn’t like him anymore. I mean, how do you know she doesn’t like you back? You’ve been by her side for so long, she might’ve developed feelings- you never know.”

“That’s the thing,” he groans, “I don’t know. I have absolutely no idea if she likes me back or not.”

Tapping your feet in a random beat against the ground, you contemplate.

“... maybe you could test it out.”

“How?” he huffs.

“Hint at it, so she’ll have no choice but to know. Or even better-make her jealous. Flirt with other girls and see how she reacts. It’s quite simple, troublemaker.”

His eyes flick to yours, irritation evident. “Will you stop calling me that? And also tell me who you are if you’re just gonna start giving me love advice? A name?” (On the inside, he’s wondering why he’s making such a fuss over you; someone he’s met a total of one time before this.)

You shrug nonchalantly, enjoying the taste of your savory ice cream. Darn, you should’ve tried this flavor out before...

“Does it matter? After all, I’m the one who saved your ass.”

Sunwoo scowls, even when he was drunk he didn’t remember you being so exasperating without even trying.

“Whatever, I guess I should say thanks for helping me that one night. You won’t tell anyone about this, alright?” He glares.

If you’re trying to be scary, it doesn’t work, -is what you want to say. Instead, you respond with raised eyebrows and a tiny smirk. 

“No, I’m not that disrespectful of a person. You would know that the best, wouldn’t you? After I helped you and all?”

He mutters ‘you’re annoying...’ under his breath.

Collecting your things, you brush yourself off and stand up, not bothering to look down at him. “I’m not annoying. I’m y/l/n y/n.”  

You miss the disgruntled expression of his face, what a shame.

Taking a couple steps forward, you abruptly stop and turn your head to smile back at him. “Don’t forget, Kim Sunwoo. Be expecting that favor.”

ꔫ 

When you offered to get drinks for everyone at the studio, you didn’t think you’d end up carrying four stacks of beverages on top of each other. 

Making your way slowly and precisely to the exit, eyes locked on the wobbly coffee tower, a body knocks into you right as the door opens. 

You can only watch in slow motion as the tower knocks over, one drink toppling over. 

However, you manage to catch that flying drink. Dang, my reflexes are doing great lately.

As for the tower, it’s.... actually saved? By a pair of hands stabilizing the sides. You’re eternally grateful to whoever’s standing behind the tall tower that was able to rescue your precious drinks. 

Exhaling in relief, you tilt your body to look past the barrier and thank your savior. It’s a... “Sunwoo?” 

“What’s with all the coffees?” 

You narrow your eyes. “It’s for my work. Now, if you would excuse me.“

You attempt to push your way past to the exit, but sunwoo lets out a whoa! and reattaches his grip back to your leaning tower of drinks. 

 “You’re gonna kill someone with these.” 

Rolling your eyes, you retort, “It’s all good, so please-“

“Alright, whatever you say, y/n.” 

Biting your lip, you slowly turn your body to the door, preparing your hand to let go and quickly push open the door. 

Spoiler- it doesn’t work, and you’re left frustrated with sunwoo still watching your struggle for a couple of minutes. 

“You know, if you’re just gonna stand there, maybe you could do something more... helpful?” 

“Oh? I thought you didn’t need any help.” Sunwoo believes he doesn’t care much about assisting others, but watching you is too amusing.

“Just get over here. Before I start calling you some other nicknames.”

He smirks. “At your service, miss.”

He takes a couple of stacks, relieving your tired arms, and you manage to make it outside, slumping down on a bench. 

“Thank you, sunwoo.” 

“Does that mean I don’t owe you a favor anymore?” 

“Um, no,” you snort, “ that was just you being polite and helping someone else like any other person would.”

He puts his hands on his waist, pretending to think thoughtfully. 

“I think that was about, 20? 30? dollars worth of drinks that could’ve been spilled. “If-,” he points with a finger, “I hadn’t saved you.” 

Squinting back up at him, you slightly shake your head in annoyance. “Fine. We’re even now.” 

He snaps his fingers. “Ah, that’s right. I tried the jealousy thing or whatever you were talking about.” 

“And?” 

“It doesn’t work,” he deadpans. “She knows I’m not one to flirt with random girls-if anything, it’s the opposite, and I usually reject them.” 

You raise an eyebrow, fiddling with your hair. “Okay? Why are you telling me that?” 

“I’m meeting her in a couple of days at a restaurant, and I want you to go with us.”

Your face shows no reaction. “We just got even, and you’re asking for another favor, troublemaker?”

Gathering all the drinks, you’re about to leave when he stops you again. 

“Wait. I don’t think I explained myself clearly. I want you to tag along, and I can see how she reacts, you know?”

“No, I understand what you mean. And no thank you. You’ve known her since what, high school? And we’ve only met like a couple of times. That’s awkward. I’m gonna be a total third wheel, and it��s the literal worst, so I’m fine.”

He stomps his feet in frustration, making you cough at his sudden cuteness. 

“Please. I’m a prideful man and don’t like asking others for favors. So just come and play along with me. I don’t really talk to other girls, so you’re the only way for me to see if she gets jealous or not. Besides, I’m always the one paying for the food in the end.”

He had you at food. You suddenly nod, replying, “Alright, I’ll go. Just text me the place and time.” 

He scoffs, “it’s always the food...” 

Ignoring him, you make your way back to the studio with your coffee tower before hearing a yell. 

“Wait! y/l/n y/n!! I need your number?!!!?” 

You stifle a laugh, hearing his quickly approaching footsteps from behind. 

ꔫ 

He sends you the details the next day, with a winking selfie of himself (that you ignore). 

‘i sent u the location of the restaurant’

‘dont forget were still trying to make her jealous’

‘and dress up’

‘the nicer u look the better’

‘not that looks matter that much tho’

‘and also not that i think u look nice or anything either, dont get any ideas’

There’s no option but to leave him on read after his choice of grammar. Just kidding, you send a simple ‘ok’ and don’t think about it until the day comes. 

You can’t tell if this is a normal feeling, but your insides feel queasy, palms slightly sweaty like you’re about to perform in front of a huge crowd.

Why do you feel nervous? It’s just meeting the girl that sunwoo has liked for years. That’s all. 

Closing your door, you retrieve your phone to check the location he sent you.

Actually, sunwoo asked you to meet him earlier near the restaurant. You’re not sure why, he simply answered, ‘research tings’ you corrected his spelling after. 

He stands a couple feet away from you, anxiously tapping his foot. 

“Wow, didn’t know you had such an e-boy style.” 

He whips around towards the sound of your voice. Sunwoo isn’t sure why he’s surprised, you look quite... pretty nice. 

Coughing, he mutters, “I appreciate that you took the time to dress up.”

You duck your head in perhaps, shyness? Glancing at your phone, you remark, “we have five minutes.”

He suddenly jolts, checking his outfit. “Hey, how do I look? Okay? Does it seem like I tried too hard?” 

Your eyes flick to him for a split second before looking away. “You look good.”

There’s a pause before he clears his throat. “Is that it?” 

You inhale, facing him again. “Yeah. What do you want me to say? Oh, you’re so handsome, and your stylish clothes match your hair perfectly!” 

Sunwoo suddenly grins. “Well, if you wanted to call me handsome you could’ve done so earlier.” 

While you’re distracted grumbling about him, Sunwoo sneakily captures a shot, the sound making you jump.

“Why.... why did you just take a picture of me?”

He grins, shrugging. “Contact photo.” 

Your face suddenly returns back to its normal blank expression, and you take his arm. He’s surprised, looking at you before you mutter, “Is that her?”

You can remember the time drunk sunwoo showed you photos of his crush, but to be honest, you didn’t really pay close attention to her. His eyes glance around before he swallows and nods. “She’s coming over here. And don’t worry, I told her I invited a friend.” 

Sunwoo watches as his longtime crush spots him, shooting a wave and a smile. Then he sees her eyes flick down to you, the smile quickly fading as she walks over.  

Once she arrives, she takes your hand off his arm, making your eyes widen in astonishment.

“Excuse me- whatever it is you want from him, I don’t think he’s interested.” 

“Sunwoo!” she turns toward the boy with her back to you, “where’s your friend?” 

You and Sunwoo stare at each other in shock before you raise a hand over your mouth to contain your laughter.

He blinks, looking back down at the girl. His hand slowly raises to point at you. “Right here.” 

You weren’t able to notice earlier, but you can tell why sunwoo likes her. 

Oh. She’s prettier in person. 

She stares at you for a moment before spinning back to him, whispering not so quietly, “since when did you talk to girls that weren’t me?” 

Sunwoo rolls his eyes, “That doesn’t matter. This is y/n.”

You give a polite smile, accepting her very quick apology. 

ꔫ 

“Actually Sunwoo, this is a trendy place to go to now, I wonder how you got a table- I actually came here once before with...... ah, never mind. “

You quietly listen to her talk, following behind as she sits at a table. 

Not wanting to make it awkward, you sit across from her, leaving two seats open-one next to you and one next to her. 

Also leaving Sunwoo to stop, eyes flicking between the two options. 

“Why are you hesitating?” the girl says impatiently, “just sit.”

You glance at him, almost speaking with your eyes, this is a chance. 

Sunwoo slides down next to you as you study the girl, waiting for any sign of a reaction. 

You do get something. It’s not much, just a curious look at the two of you seated next to each other.

After ordering, Sunwoo chooses the same dish as you. 

You smirk. “Ah, of course. My taste in food is excellent.” 

He scoffs, “No, I decided I was gonna get this way before you. If anything, I have great taste, and you’re just a copycat.” 

Grinning, you retort, “Yeah right, I’m actually a psychic. Sound familiar?” 

He groans, bringing a hand to cover his face. You laugh at his misery. “Let’s not bring that backup...” 

You turn to the girl, casually sipping her drink as she studies the two of you. But once realizing you’re both looking at her, she shoots up.

“Um-did you say something?” 

You can tell. The way he stares at her, the soft smile that appears only when she speaks to him. You honestly don’t understand how she hasn’t figured it out yet - that is if she really doesn’t know. 

Deep inside, you think you know the answer. But you don’t want to assume anything just yet-you’ve only reached the opening stages of the plot.

In the end, Sunwoo doesn’t get much. If he’s learned anything, it’s that you’re a much better actor than you seem. The subtle touches, flirting. He knows it’s all for show, though. 

But for you, you get much more than sunwoo. A full stomach without having to pay anything. And you got to meet the girl of ‘sunwoo’s dreams’. 

She’s nice. Funny. Really pretty. You can see yourself becoming friends with her. All in all, she’s a great person to have a crush on. Except for all the ex-boyfriend stuff.

Before you leave, she speaks up once more.

“I’m kinda upset.” she pouts. You and sunwoo immediately look at each other, waiting for her to continue. 

“You never told me you had other female friends. You always said you weren’t interested, I thought you would’ve mentioned it to me or something....”

Awkwardly turning to you, she bows and apologizes once more. “Sorry again, for earlier. It was really nice to meet you. Let’s see each other again, Sunwoo’s other female friend.”

Sunwoo elbows her, “what’s that supposed to mean?” But she only laughs. 

You don’t know what he’s thinking, but you remember he mentioned he was gonna hang out with her after this, just the two of them.

Waving bye to them, you suddenly freeze once you spot someone behind sunwoo.

It’s... your ex. Coincidentally in the same location as you. Walking in your direction. Luckily, you don’t think he’s spotted you. Yet.

It shouldn’t bother you as much, but it does.

Sunwoo notices your fallen face. “Y/n??” 

He doesn’t know what’s behind him that caused that reaction of yours, but he recognizes that expression anywhere. It’s the same one he probably had on too. Whenever she was with him. 

He wraps an arm around your shoulder, turning you the other way so you can’t look. You break out of your trance and stare up at him. “What... what are you doing?”

Sunwoo only stares ahead of him. Then he walks. And you do too. 

He walks until you’re outside, away from everyone. 

It’s silent, but you gather some confidence to speak up. “Thank you.. what about your friend? Isn’t she still inside?”  

“Oh, she’s probably fine waiting. It’s okay. This seemed more important right now anyway.”

That’s the first time your heart fluttered, whether you knew it or not. 

ꔫ 

After that, you find out sunwoo texts a lot. Well, he texts you a lot. Mostly about girl advice. Which he shouldn’t even be asking you -I mean you’re the one who recently got out of a relationship. 

Even if you complain that he’s annoying, you find helping him to be pretty entertaining. Also attacking his texting skills.

Because the rest of your life is just that boring at the moment.

That could be a factor in why you decided to go on a blind date. With some random guy. You weren’t even looking for anything serious, just a night out different from your usual staying in. 

But you deeply regret wearing shorter clothes. He wasn’t bad at first. And then came the touching. 

It was just a knock of the feet. It seemed like nothing, a mere couple of accidents. And when he moved to sit next to you instead of in front, you should’ve known. 

His thigh touching yours, an arm around the back of the seat. 

Occasionally you would cough and scoot away, trying any way to send signals of back off. 

After his hand brushes your thigh, you sigh. “I’m sorry, but please don’t touch me, while I’m asking nicely.” 

He chuckles, moving his arm to hang around your shoulders. “Come on, you agreed to go on this date with me. Might as well have some fun.”

You calmly fling his arm off you, standing up to grab your stuff when he just won’t stop, will he? 

“Let go of my hand,” you say calmly.

“Girl, just-“

“She asked you to let go, didn’t she?”

Why is it that he keeps popping up in your life? And it’s not just him alone, he’s with her again. Probably came here together to eat too, you guess.

“Who are you? Her boyfriend? Doesn’t seem like it.”

“Does it matter? She asked you to stop, and you didn’t.” 

Sunwoo harshly removes his grip from yours and takes your hand, leading you outside of the place. 

You move your hand away from his, but the warmth still remains. Arms crossed, you only look at him blankly. “You know I could've handled it, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, but sometimes guys are really stubborn and need someone to physically beat them up so they listen.”

That causes a tiny smile to surface. “I’m guessing you came with her, right? How’s it going?” 

He shrugs, “dunno. She’s been acting okay since the last time we three went to that restaurant.” 

You nod thoughtfully. “Well, are you gonna keep her waiting? You can go back in now, I’m going home.” 

“What? I’ll take you.”

You frown. “Why do you want to take me home? To find out where I live, stalker?” 

Sunwoo scoffs. “First troublemaker and now stalker? And no, I’m just being a gentleman. Now accept my offer before I take it back. I’m not always this kind.” 

Huffing, you begin your walk back, leaving him behind. 

“Hey-! Wait up!” Once again, sunwoo has no clue why he follows you instead of easily going back to where he should be- originally wanted to be. 

The first couple of minutes of the walk are a peaceful silence, basking in the cool night. It doesn’t last for long, because something comes to your head.

“Wait. What about your crush?”

“Why do you keep asking about her? When you’re in more distress? Of course, I’m gonna help you right now.”

“That’s not what I mean... if you’re just trying to make her jealous, you don’t have to walk me all the way.”

I don’t get why you’re here with me, instead of with the girl you like. 

Sunwoo stops. “Wait what- Do you really think I would do that?” 

Your nod causes him to scoff. “No, I told you before, I’m just being polite. It’s fine. She can wait.” 

“You hang out together a lot,” you remark, “you must really like her.”

“Yeah, I just- I think she’s just bored and asks me to go out with her because no one else will... and I always accept.” 

“Oh. It seemed like you were the one constantly forcing her to go out with you.” 

Sunwoo laughs, if it’s sarcastic or genuine you can’t tell. “You’re funny.”

You take a couple more steps before deciding to break the silence that reformed. “Anyways, aren’t you curious about how we met? That night?”

Frowning, he responds, “that’s right, I don’t exactly remember.” 

“To start with, I actually went to that bar because I got broken up with.”

Sunwoo makes a surprised face. “I see...” 

“Yeah, and you were there that night. Causing a scene with some bulky guys, and I saved your butt. You talked. A lot. I listened. That was it. Oh, and that day at the mall... it was my ex that I saw.”

He hums thoughtfully. “So that’s who it was....”

Once you reach your doorstep, Sunwoo suddenly breaks out in a dance. 

“Niceee- I paid back the favor for making you come with me to that restaurant!” 

“That doesn’t count Kim Sunwoo because you came here on your own will. Goodnight.”

Shutting the door in his face, you hear him spluttering from outside. That guy is really something.

ꔫ 

Sunwoo finds your requests very weird. Your service is attempting to help him win over his crush, and in return, you only want a simple hangout with his company? It’s strange.

(If he asked you, you would probably just say you were bored and had nothing to do. That’s the only reason. Really.)

One afternoon, he receives a text from you, your contact saved as “annoying y/n”. 

‘Let’s get food. That means you’re paying. I’m at my studio right now, so 3?” 

‘where r u’

‘i can pick u up’

‘-current address sent-’

One thing he wasn’t expecting from you was a dance studio? And weirdly, he feels a tiny bit guilty for not knowing anything about you, except your name.... and your ex. 

Cautiously opening the door, he looks around for any sign of where you could be. 

But the place is kinda confusing with all the doors, so he eventually gives up and decides to ask some nearby strangers.

Ignoring their blushes and remarks of his handsomeness, Sunwoo asks, “Do you know where y/l/n y/n is?”

They quickly point at a door before running off, whispering ‘is he their boyfriend or something??’ 

Sunwoo coolly makes his way over, peeking through the small window.

 Another thing he doesn’t expect is how good of a dancer you are. It gives him flashbacks- back when he used to do routines in his old practice room. 

He observes the way your limbs move so fluidly but still sharp and exact. Everything just feels so right, in tune with the music. It almost takes his breath away, watching you for who knows how long.

Once the music stops and your tired breaths fill the room does sunwoo finally pop in, clapping and nodding. 

“Pretty good, stranger.” 

You scrunch your nose. “Is that my nickname now? Not even a little more creative?”

Ah, there it is. “You know, I like you a lot better when you’re dancing, not talking, and being mean to me.”

You blink. “So you like me, huh? That was fast.” 

He ignores your comment. “You should be grateful you’re in the presence of Kim sunwoo, alright? Many girls would kill to be you.”

“Not your crush, though? I’m sorry. That was low of me.”

“It was,” he agrees. Falling back onto the ground, he stares up at the ceiling, speaking up. 

“How long have you been dancing for?”

The atmosphere feels strangely peaceful. “Since I was young. Just kinda picked it up for fun, and it became a thing. I like it -sometimes it’s exhausting, but I like it.”

His eyes fixate on the blinding lights. “Hmm, this place is reminding me of when I was younger. In high school.”

You join him on the ground, the sound of your breaths can only be heard in the room. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I used to be an idol trainee. Practiced for a couple of years before quitting.”

You turn your head to look at him. “Impressive. What did you do?”

Sunwoo closes his eyes. “Rapping. Dancing. Singing. A little bit of everything. But mostly rapping.”

“Will you rap something then?”

His eyes flick open. “What? I can’t just rap off the top of my head.”

You pout, “no fun. Well, can you still dance?”

“Maybe..” 

You suddenly sit up. “Should we dance something together?”

Your eyes sparkle, the first time sunwoo’s noticed them doing that. 

“Just- don’t make fun of me. It’s been years.”

“I won’t.” 

“... -guarantee anything.”

 Sunwoo’s doesn’t know. What this fleeting feeling in his chest is. When your hands softly correct his position, when you try not to laugh at his mistake. And then your delighted face when he gets it right in the end. 

It’s probably nothing, sunwoo thinks. He’s sure, very sure that he’s still in love with his high school crush..

It’s all strange, really.

ꔫ 

You would say your life is pretty boring. You didn’t do much until Kim Sunwoo shoved his way in. 

Your next meeting occurred a couple weeks after the dance practice incident. It was weird, almost like fate was constantly crossing your paths (maybe they were huhu). 

The mart’s automatic doors slide close behind as you walk into the night. 

But you stop. There’s some kind of shuffling, commotion coming from the dark alley next to you. So what better than to check it out, right?

It’s almost pitch black, but you’re 99.9% sure some guys are beating someone up. So you yell.

“Hey! What’s going on?”

Thankfully, they don’t try to attack you, instead just running off in the opposite direction after the sound of your voice.

It’s hard to see, but you briskly make your way to the huddled figure on the ground, heart pounding.

“Sir? Sir? Are you alright?” You’re trembling but still manage to gently shake his shoulder. 

And when he looks up, you can only gasp. 

“Troublemaker?”

“...y/n? Why are you here?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Oh my god, are you okay?”

He attempts to sit up, chuckling lowly. “Just got ganged up on. I guess it happens when you mess with the wrong people.”

Your eyes flash. “This isn’t the time to be joking, sunwoo. Where are you hurt?”

He groans, sighing and holding a hand out in front of you. “Just.... don’t. Leave. I can take care of myself, it used to happen all the time.” 

You can tell something definitely happened to him, but what exactly is the question.

You scoff, squatting next to him. “Listen Kim Sunwoo,” you speak harshly, “I don’t care how long we’ve known each other. I’m not letting anyone obviously hurt like this alone. If you’re just gonna stay here, then I’ll drag you out myself if I have to.”

There’s a break before you notice he’s slighty shaking. Is he? Is he laughing? What a crazy guy.

“You’re funny,” he chuckles. And then an arm is held out to you. 

You take it, pulling him up. 

Groaning, you note he’s heavier than you thought. One of his arms hanging on your shoulder, yours around his waist. He’s slightly limping too.

You hold back the urge to scold Sunwoo. What did you do to make yourself come out this bad?

Slowly, you walk over to a bench, but before you make it, you spot a certain someone across the street. 

And you think he does too. 

You stiffen. He freezes. Biting your lip, you look back at sunwoo, trying to read his face. 

“Is that- is that him with her? The ex?” 

He nods, eyes never leaving the two, who were probably hanging out together-maybe even going on a date. He has no clue and no wish to find out. The familiar feeling sinks to the bottom of his stomach. 

You shake your head, clearing all distractions and eventually making it to the bench where you set him down. 

“I need to get medicine. If you leave, I swear I’ll-“

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t think I can anyway.”

But before you run to the store conveniently 10 steps away, you unwrap the soft scarf around your neck, raising it up to his face. 

“W-what are you doing?”

“Just trust me,” you say softly, “and put this on. This way, you won’t look at them together, and it’ll be a little easier.” 

Gently, you tie the scarf around his eyes. 

“Five minutes. I promise I’ll be back.”

ꔫ 

Once you return, a bag of medicine in hand, you set it down next to him, causing him to slightly jump. 

But a lightbulb flashes in your brain. Quietly tiptoeing in front of him, you aim the camera and shoot. 

You laugh at the way sunwoo jumps slightly at the noise, blindly looking around, and you also laugh at the way the photo came out-an unsuspecting Kim sunwoo. 

“What was that? Did you just take a picture?”

He can’t see, but you grin cheekily. “Contact photo.”

Squatting in front of him, your warm hands deftly unwrap the scarf blindfold, removing it from his face. 

He squints, your concerned face coming into view.

“It wasn’t too bad, right?”  

“Delete it.” His reply is curt. 

“Why? I needed a photo for you.”

“Delete it or retake it!! It looks bad. I’m literally wearing a blindfold,” he whines, arms weakly attempting to snatch your phone away.

Luckily for you, he isn’t able to move much and steal it. “No,” you respond indignantly, “it’s cute.”

There’s a pause.

You quickly clear your throat, pretending nothing just happened as you rummage through the plastic bag. 

Sunwoo feels weird. Having someone caring for him. It was usually him looking after everyone else- his mother, sister. He can’t remember the last time someone else took care of him.

You take out a box, screwing the cap off the bottle. 

“They’re gone now. You don’t have to worry anymore.”  

“What?”

You stare at him again. “Your crush? And her ex?”

He shifts. “Oh, right.”

Humming, you examine him again. “I’m not a professional, but I’ll try my best..” 

Sunwoo sighs once more. “As I said, I don’t know why you’re doing this-“

You cut him off. “Just be quiet, will you?” 

After putting ointment on his bruised face, you shuffle through the bad to find another tube, letting out an aha! when you retrieve it.

When you lean in super close to his face, sunwoo tries his best not to turn red. He blames it on the weather.. even though the temperatures were freezing today.

“Why are you helping me?” he mumbles. Sunwoo attempts to avoid looking you in the eye -he doesn’t want to know what’ll happen if he does.

It’s silent for a little bit as you concentrate on all the minor scratches and bruises on his face. Focusing on the cut on his lip, you whisper, “you’re such a troublemaker, aren’t you?” 

Offended, he jerks away from you. You return it with a glare and a hand on his chin to hold his face still. 

“You can’t even deny it. Now stay still.” 

His heart flutters at your delicate hold on his face, soft and focused gaze. Why are you like this?

After a couple more treatments and unusual thumpings in his chest, sunwoo is free to go.

You’re satisfied with your work. “ I would help you home, but I’m tired so call someone or whatever.” 

Pausing, you add, “and that’s another favor from you, Kim Sunwoo.”

He rolls his eyes but can’t help thinking of the next time you’ll call for him. He goes home feeling warmer than he remembered, the ghost of your touch still lingering in his dreams. 

ꔫ 

It’s actually not as boring as one might expect to go to a restaurant alone, in your opinion. 

No effort has to be made to communicate to someone else, no worrying about if there’s food stuck in your teeth. No worrying about anyone else but yourself.

So that’s why you alone find your way to the entrance of a nice place- it had almost a five-star rating online.

The waiter seems a bit surprised you’re here by yourself, but you shrug it off. Who cares- you came for the food anyways. 

Following the server past other tables and chairs,  you abruptly get stopped when a chair pushes out, blocking your way. 

The guy seems to notice you then, getting out of his seat and apologizing. 

“Whoops, my bad.”

He looks somewhat familiar. 

“Oh! Aren’t you-“

“Sunwoo’s friend Eric, right?”

“Y/n???”

You can recognize that voice anywhere. It’s almost making you frustrated. “Again you?”

Spinning around, you didn’t imagine a whole table of eyes locked onto you.

You hear whispers of who’s y/n?, and spot a startled Sunwoo standing up from his seat. 

“What are you doing here?”

It makes you suddenly shy, standing in front of all these guys that you suppose are his friends? There’s quite a lot of them all together at one table...

Fidgeting with the ends of your hair again-sunwoo notices this time-you hesitantly speak. 

“I came here to eat. Because it’s a restaurant. What-um, what about you?”

Sunwoo gestures at the group. “I’m having dinner with my friends. You know Eric, he’s my roommate.”

Nodding slowly, you just wish to get away, having no idea what happened to your waiter.

And then Eric has to make your night a lot more- let’s just say, stimulating.

“Wait! You can join us at our table!” Eric grins. “It’ll be nice to know who’s been stealing sunwoo away from us.”

Your eye twitches. Who what now?

And the other guys around seem to think the same thought, immediately asking nearby servers for an extra chair. 

You don’t move. This could be your death wish for all you know.

And still, you end up sitting squished between Sunwoo and another friend named Newt? New? Who cares.

Half the boys launch an investigation, questioning you with ‘how did you manage to get sunwoo’s attention?’, ‘how did you manage to seduce him?’ 

Truly an exciting night. 

“Guys, for the last time, stop interrogating the shit out of y/n.” 

It quickly becomes stuffy, being wedged between twelve boys sharing one small table. How do they do it? Getting up, you mutter an excuse, something along the lines of ‘I need to use the restroom’ and escape the damned table.

Once you’re out of ear's reach, Kevin makes his move, wiggling his eyebrows at sunwoo.

“So..... you and y/n now? What happened to your other crush?”

He rolls his eyes, sipping on his drink. “Like I said, we’ve got nothing going on. I don’t like them like that.”

Eric snorts. “Nah, you like her.” 

Sunwoo raises a fist threateningly at him, but Haknyeon’s pat on his shoulder stops him. “I’m happy for you. It’s been so long, everyone’s glad to see you finally moved on.” 

He isn’t really sure what to say back. Luckily you return to squeeze between everyone, making the conversation change to a more appropriate topic.

You notice sunwoo’s thoughtful expression. “What’s up?”

“Uh, it’s nothing..” A sudden ringing from his pocket catches your attention. 

“Oh, sorry guys. My mom’s calling. Gimme a sec.” 

Your eyes follow sunwoo as he steps outside for who knows how long. 

“Y/n?” 

Your head whips back to the group. 

“Yes?”

You think Jacob’s the one who called your name. “Thank you.”

 “For what?”  You frown.

“Being there for Sunwoo, of course. I’m guessing you probably heard about the girl he used to crush on for ages. She was really important to him, probably still is.”

“Actually, I don’t know much about their past together, ” you reply, eyes focusing on the exit door where sunwoo left through. 

Jacob sighs, clearing his throat. “It’s a long story. Sunwoo used to be a bad student in high school.”

You aren’t surprised, gesturing for him to continue.

“Skipped school, failed tests, got in a lot of fights. But it was all for his mom. She was sick, and sunwoo was out doing jobs to make money and support the family. His dad's been gone for a while...”

You stay silent. 

“But she was the one who helped him out of it, changed him. That’s how you met the Sunwoo we know today. Even if it was only friendly intentions, I think that was why Sunwoo was so stuck on her. Except when she started dating this other guy, I don’t know why he stayed by her side without making a move for so long.”

There’s a brief moment for everything to sink in.

“He’s scared,” you speak up. Jacob watches you with raised eyebrows.  

“He’s scared that she’ll reject him, and he would lose her as a friend.” 

Jacob laughs, causing you to tilt your head in confusion. 

“But not with you, y/n. You’re special. He seems so different around you. Sunwoo’s liked the same girl for so long, he probably didn’t know how to act around a new person he found interest in -especially one like you who compliments him so well.”

You choke. “Compliment him??” No way.

He nods eagerly, “I’ve never seen sunwoo so-“

“Never seen me so what?” 

Your head jerks toward the sound of said person’s voice. 

“Never seen you so drunk,” you retort. 

Sunwoo squints down at you, keeping a mental picture of your innocent stare looking back up at him in his mind. 

While everyone orders, you whisper to sunwoo. 

“Are you gonna steal my order this time too?”

He recoils before shooting a glare back. 

“No,” he says indignantly, “I’m getting something way better than yours. And if yours is good, then I’ll just steal some.”

You raise your fork up as a threat. “If you even look anywhere near my plate, I’ll make sure you won’t get to eat.”

As you two engage in a fierce staring contest, the rest of the boys watch on, sharing knowing looks. 

ꔫ 

The food’s good. No wonder they like to come here. 

Your attention is taken away by a gasping Sunwoo, mouth open you think in an attempt to cool his burning tongue. 

You glance at him, unimpressed. “You have food all over your mouth.”

“What?” he rasps back, huffing and puffing air.

“Idiot,” you reply, throwing a napkin at his face. 

“Ow,” he whines.

 “I think it stabbed me in the eye.”

“The napkin???” 

“Yes, you threw it into my face! It totally cut my eyeball.”

You scoff, turning towards him. “You’re so dramatic.”

“I’m serious! It hurts,” sunwoo complains, “can you look at it?”

You’re sure it’s perfectly fine because he’s holding his eye wide open right in front of you, but just to appease him, you lean in closer to examine his face. 

Squinting, you mutter, “Seriously sunwoo, I don’t see any sort of-“

Click!  

Both of your heads whip toward the sound. Changmin? giggles evilly, eyes focused on the screen in front of him. 

Sunwoo groans again, but he’s cut off. 

“Yah, don’t get all worked up. I’ll send the picture to you later, no need to worry!”

You’ve given up at this point. Sunwoo has too.

When the torturous dinner finally comes to an end, you were exhausted. This was supposed to be some enjoyable alone time at a great restaurant with great food and definitely no sunwoo, but life doesn’t like you.

At least his friends were super cool. You found yourself getting along quite nicely with them.  

And you also got more insight into sunwoo’s past. It was odd to hear about his past self. It makes you think about your life, what you’ve been doing all this time... 

“I can take you home,” sunwoo offers. 

“No-!” You quickly respond. “Sorry, I’ve had enough of people. Not you specifically, just people in general.”

He shrugs, “whatever suits you.” 

And you’re left alone with thoughts. And unknown feelings. About him.

ꔫ 

Melon or banana?

The grocery mart just has too many flavors to choose from, and you don’t have enough freezer space to buy it all.

Humming happily, you place your selected choice into the cart, continuing forward.

When you turn, a mother and son come into view, their back’s facing you as they shop together. It makes you smile at the cute view. 

As you stroll past them, you freeze. No way.��That voice? 

Right as you stopped, the lady turns her shopping cart absentmindedly, causing it to knock into yours with a clang. 

“Oh my! Goodness, I’m sorry about that.” 

“Mom! Watch where you’re pushing the cart. You know what, just let me do it. It’s getting heavy.”

He turns to you. “Sorry again... you!??!”

You awkwardly turn towards them, failing to muster a smile.

His mom looks between the two of you before a delighted smile appears.

“You know her, sunwoo?” He nods reluctantly.

“And she’s a girl???” she says suggestively to sunwoo, elbowing him hard in the ribs. It takes everything in him to hold back a wince- still not having completely recovered yet from the last time you saw him.

She eagerly holds her hand out to you, and you quickly take it, bowing.  

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Kim.”

She guffaws in the middle of the aisle, one arm on Sunwoo to balance herself in the middle of her excitement. 

“What a kind and polite girl!” 

“Sunwoo,” she mutters, “you found an even better one!” 

He can’t even muster any sort of response. 

Sunwoo tries, he really does, taking her arm and forcing her to continue on, whispering fiercely to just leave!!

But his mom is a fighter -a good one. She yanks his grip off her, threatening him harshly before turning back to you with a lovely smile. 

The duality though, you think.

His mom suddenly gasps, making sunwoo brace himself, sighing ‘what now...’

“Y/n! Is it okay if I call you that?” You nod. 

Clapping her hands together, she says excitedly, “You should come over to our house!”

Sunwoo protests at the speed of light, but she shuts him up with a hand. 

“We were buying ingredients to cook dinner tonight! You should join us!! That is if you’re not busy??” Her eyes sparkle.

From behind her, you watch a frantic sunwoo do everything in his power for you to decline. 

Unfortunately for him, you have absolutely no plans for tonight.

“I would love to, Mrs. Kim.”

Sunwoo thinks his soul has officially left his body. 

His mom laughs bashfully, taking your hand and going off together deeper into the store,  deeper into sunwoo’s pain.

It was pretty early on you decided that you really liked his mother. Or, auntie, as she forced you to call her. 

And it’s quite obvious she loves you too, much to sunwoo’s shock and disgust.

ꔫ 

She opens the door to their apartment, ushering you in. 

It’s quite a nice place, a small and lovely house. 

“Your home is really beautiful, Mrs- um-auntie.”

Sunwoo’s mother laughs again, placing a hand over her chest. 

“You are such a sweet girl. Sunwoo will show you around while I prepare the food!” she finishes with a glare in his direction.

Perking up, you glance around. “Where’s your room?” 

Sunwoo gives up, sighing and beckoning you to follow him. He guides you down a hallway, past two doors to the end where a final door stands -you’re guessing that it opens to his room.

“What are the other two doors?”

“Bathroom, and my sister's room.”

You raise your eyebrows. “You have a sister?” He nods, “younger.”

Opening the door, you’re shocked at the neatness. It’s a nice and simple room. 

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting such a clean room.” 

He snorts in response, slumping down into a chair. 

Finally alone, you start your attack. “Troublemaker?”

He grunts. 

“How come I didn’t know you weren’t such a troublemaker with your mother? You literally turn into a softie next to her.”

“Whatever. I’m not always the best person, but I’m a good son,” he snaps.

You may be teasing him, but on the inside, you soften at how well he takes care of his mother. He must’ve had a hard time working for the family since he was young... 

You glance around before your eyes focus on a giant bag of.... juices??

“What,” you start, “What are these?”

“Oh,” he looks in your direction. “Vitamin juices. It has a lot of health benefits.”

You’re suddenly quiet, your voice low. “Kim sunwoo.... collects and hoards juice?”

He moves, uncomfortable at the sudden change of tone. “Yeah??”

And that for some reason that causes you to lose it. A hand clamped over your mouth, you almost can’t even support your own legs as giggles erupt from your body.

Sunwoo thinks it lasts for a much longer time than it should have.

“Why is it so funny to you that I like to drink juice -healthy juice that’s good for you?”

You have no idea, instead just collapsing onto his bed and rolling over in a fit of laughter. 

The only thing he can do is unknowingly smile at your shaking figure and flushed face. 

It takes a couple more minutes before you finally calm down, letting out a satisfied smile.

“Your bed’s comfy.”

“Yeah, so maybe you should get off it before it becomes uncomfy.” 

You ignore him, does that sentence even make sense?

The photos on his wall catch your attention. You suddenly sit up, carefully taking one off that caught your eye. 

“Is this you and her? Wait- that’s what you looked like in high school?”

 You save a mental image of young sunwoo in your head. This could be great blackmail...

He hisses at your comments, reaching over and trying to snatch it away. 

“Stop looking at my old photos-!”

Laughing delightedly, you avoid his grabby hands, holding the photo as far away as you can.

Sunwoo growls, reaching as far over you as he can to take it back.

“Aha!” he yells triumphantly once his fingers make contact with the picture. But sadly for him, he loses his balance over the bed and falls. 

On top of you. 

His hand fortunately catches him, planting softly right by your head. 

The sound of your laughter is cut short, and you can only stare up at him. 

Your breath hitches at the close proximity, noticing his legs on either side of yours. Did your heart just skip a beat? 

And the fact that he’s just staring down at you so you’re trapped doesn’t help at all. 

“Hey, sunwoo! Mom wants you to-“ 

Both of your heads turn toward the voice. 

“.... is that Y/n?”

“Sis?”

Sunwoo’s sister blinks, staring at the position you both were in. “Well then.” She simply closes the door behind her. 

“Wait no. It’s not-“ you give up in the middle of speaking. 

There’s an awkward silence-you could almost hear the crows cawing in the background.

“So are you gonna get off me or?”

Sunwoo snaps out of his daze. “Right, yeah, sorry.” He wordlessly moves off to sit next to you on the bed.

Coughing, you stare at the ground. “So she’s your-?”

“Yep. My little sister.”

“But,” he frowns, “how did she know your name?”

“Because we know each other?”

He glances at you. “Huh? How?”

You only shrug suspiciously. “Secret. But I didn’t know you two were related...”

Sunwoo makes a face, confused, but the noise outside gets your attention.

“Dinner’s ready!! Come eat!!” his mother’s shout echoes through the walls.

ꔫ 

“You’re so lucky to have a mother to cook such good food for you.”

Sunwoo looks down at his bowl. “Yeah, I know.”

His mother smiles at you, asking curiously, “what about your family, y/n?”

You swallow before speaking. “Oh, they live farther away. I came here to dance, so I don’t really see them often.” 

She gasps. “You poor thing, living out here all alone. Come over whenever you want, okay?”

Sunwoo opens his mouth to respond but decides to just close it. You smile and nod gratefully, feeling a lot more at ease. 

When you finally finish eating, sunwoo’s eager to guide you out -even though you disregard his attempts so you can charm his mother even more.

The number of times during the dinner his mother has hinted at the two of you being a couple and the number of times sunwoo has denied that there was anything at all were too many to count.

And then he eventually gets you to leave, shutting the door close once and for all. 

Sunwoo almost collapses, making exaggerated sounds of exhaustion and relief.

He sprawls out on the living room floor, completely tuning out his mother’s complaints about his manners and whatnot.

But as he lays there, he can only think about his heart. Why does it do that? Whenever you look at his mom with such tender eyes. When you’re acting so kind and respectful, but still being yourself. Eyes crinkling when someone says anything remotely funny.

Why does his heart stir so much when you spare even a glance at him?

ꔫ 

After that, you get extremely busy. Upcoming dance competitions and events take up most of your day. 

That leads to barely any rest for you since you’re constantly in and out of the studio, practicing, practicing, and more practicing.

You’d be lucky to even get 4 hours of sleep a day. 

But the one night you can finally close your eyes for maybe a solid 5 or 6 hours, (you were so excited you even leaped into bed) your fucking phone rings.

You want to kill whoever is calling you at a deathly time. It was only 1 am, but your sleep is too precious. 

At first, you ignore it. But it rings a freakin second time, and now you’re unable to fall back asleep. 

Biting your lip harshly, you angrily grab your phone, turning it on to see-

three missed calls from sunwoo?

It’s been a while since you’ve seen him, so you have no idea why he’s calling you and wasting your hard-earned rest. 

The phone rings again. Your brain can barely function, but you manage to accept the call. 

“What the fuck do you want? My beauty sleep-“

“Are... are you busy?” His voice is quiet, maybe too quiet.

You want to slap him through the phone but alternately just let out a strained huff. “Does it seem-“ but you don’t finish. 

Something didn’t seem right. You’re fully awake now.

“Sunwoo? What’s going on?”

There’s a pause before his voice comes through again. 

“Can I see you? I’m actually out near your place.”

It takes five minutes for you to get out of bed, throw on a jacket and close the door behind you.

Head whipping from side to side, you search around.

Your palms start to get sweaty even though the night was frigid, cold wind blowing past.

Where is he? His voice....felt off. You could sense it even through the phone.

Briskly walking, you keep looking until you spot him.

Well, Sunwoo was right. He was sitting down alone at a park about 5 minutes away from your apartment. 

 Your anger rises again as you approach him.

“What the fuck is going on?“

Your feet slow as your voice lowers to a whisper. 

“What....what’s wrong?”

You rush over to him, forgetting everything and cupping his face in your warm hands. 

Sunwoo looks at you, his red and watery eyes void of any emotion. How long has he been out here?

“Kim sunwoo, you-“

He cuts you off.

“Why does she not like me back?” His voice is soft, shaky. It’s like he doesn’t have enough strength to say it any louder.

Your breath gets caught in your throat, and you swallow. Your mind races, seeking any words to make a sentence, just to say anything.

“Is there something wrong with me? Did I-can she just look at me for once?” his voice cracks. You watch as the tears slowly trickle down his cold cheeks. 

His voice lowers to a whisper. “I’ve been her friend for so long, and she never noticed me and all the things I did for her. I waited, and it was too late. Y/n, I tried. I really tried.”

You can hear the cracking of his heart.

When the sobs start, you only hold your breath and wrap your arms around him. You let sunwoo cry into you, even when you so desperately want to cry for him too. 

Shutting your eyes, you rub his back comfortingly. 

It feels like it’s been an hour. Or a couple, who knows. 

And when the cries ultimately slow, you slowly move back, cautiously glancing at him. His swollen eyes and red nose cause your chest to tighten.

You speak in a hushed tone, almost afraid to speak louder as if it’ll make him break. 

 “How do you feel?”

He laughs a small but painful sound. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have called you out at this time. I can tell you’re exhausted. Just leave and get some sleep.”

You’re frustrated. You don’t want to be, especially not right now, but the feeling crawls all over you, uncomfortable and itchy.

You stand up, staring into him with fierce eyes. “Stop worrying about me. Stop worrying about others. You always look out for everyone else but yourself. Can’t you see that you’re hurting, and I just want to help?” 

You regret saying that almost immediately, sinking down onto the bench next to him. The only sound is his occasional sniffles and coughs.

Sunwoo’s shocked. But he tries not to show it. 

Instead, he stares at the trees. The streetlights. And eventually you.

“You’re right.” You jump slightly when he speaks up.

“As usual,” he chuckles.

“So thank you for coming here. I don’t know what was going on with me. I think I was just going through a lot and needed to let it out.”

You’re still not looking at him, but your hand inches over slowly to cover his. Surprisingly, he accepts the warmth. 

No words are exchanged, but it’s enough. A silent apology. A silent sense of comfort.

A bout of laughter across the street gets your attention. It’s just an annoying couple, you think.

But... it’s not just any annoying couple. No. Are you serious?

Their voices fly over the wind, going in one ear and out the other. “Wait a second. Is that sunwoo over there?” 

He tenses, eyes frantically looking at you. You immediately understand. 

It’s happened many times to you- how embarrassing and humiliating it is to get caught crying. Even when crying is supposed to be a normal and natural thing. And then comes the hilarious made-up explanation behind the whole waterworks. 

You can’t imagine how it must be for sunwoo.

The sound of their footsteps come closer.

You scoot closer to him. 

Thump. 

Your hand slowly reaches out. He doesn’t move, almost as if entranced by your actions.

Thump. 

Sunwoo watches, confused as your hand guides his head, burying him into your shoulder and efficiently blocking anyone’s view of his crying face. 

Thump.

“Pretend to be asleep,” you murmur. 

He closes his eyes, inhaling your familiar scent. 

“Oh! It’s you again!”

You smile awkwardly at sunwoo’s crush, even though you kinda want to scream at her for causing him so much pain.

Then your gaze shifts to him. You’ve never seen her ex before, only hearing stories from sunwoo. So this is him...

“Hello. I’m afraid we’ve never met before? You seem close to sunwoo.”

“Oh, my name is y/l/n y/n. I’ve heard a lot about you. Why... why are you two out so late?” 

They exchange looks. “We were just hanging out, and lost track of time, haha. You know...” she laughs. “And you two? I see he’s asleep. Sunwoo was always sleeping in class..”

You feel him just barely move. 

You grimace and give a small smile. “Ha, sunwoo here was drinking and fell asleep. That reminds me, I should probably get him home. It’s late, so you guys should go too.” 

You don’t know, but they see the loving way you look down at sunwoo, pretending to shake him awake to leave. 

When he only groans in response, you curse him. What a sneaky little..... 

Biting the inside of your cheek, you can barely haul sunwoo up, placing his arm around your shoulder. Didn’t know you were so good at acting, troublemaker.

They move to help you, but you quickly and aggressively protest, groaning as you weakly step forward. 

“Well,” you barely get out, “it was nice to meet you. Maybe we can meet again under better circumstances,” you wheeze.

Once you make sure they’re out of sight, you drop him onto the ground, gasping for air.

“You couldn’t have even helped a little?”

His still red eyes and small pout make you soften. 

“Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

His voice is quiet but still teasing. “Why? So you can find out where I live, stalker?”

You roll your eyes. “Okay. I’m going then.”

“Wait.” He grabs your wrist. “That was a joke. I want you to take me.”

You fight against the ends of your mouth that want to curl up. “Fine... only since I don’t want you running into them again.”

When he randomly takes your hand, enlacing your fingers together, you keep silent. It stays like the for the whole walk, peaceful and tranquil. It makes you think of that time he offered to walk you home from that creepy date. How different it seems now...

Once you arrive, he lets go of your hand normally like he always does it or something. But you still miss the snugness.

“How you’re gonna get home?”

“Walk. Why? You know I can take care of myself.”

He smiles, the first one you’ve seen today. “Yeah. I know.”

Before you leave, you inhale. “Cheer up, alright? It makes me feel weird, seeing you so down. Get some sleep, trouble.” 

After making sure he gets in safely, welcomed by a worried eric, you start the cold and lonely journey home.

ꔫ

Once you finally arrive, truly exhausted from the night’s(day’s?) events, you lay in bed and contemplate. 

Why does your heart hurt so much for him? 

Why do you even care?

You take out your phone, opening it to sunwoo’s profile photo, the cute pout on his face along with your scarf blindfolding his eyes makes you smile. 

It takes a little bit of thinking-staring at the ceiling and searching your brain for possibly hours, but the answer finally appears. Even when you don’t want it, trying to push the thought out and bury it so deep you can’t breathe, it echoes in your brain, loud and clear. 

How? 

No, this isn’t possible. He-I’ve known him for less than a year. 

I... I can’t.  

You feel suffocated underneath the blankets, doing anything to stop the flow of your thoughts, feelings.

The one thing you can do is force yourself to pass out, to escape the hurricane of emotions.

ꔫ

And just like that, you disappear from sunwoo’s life. For a couple of weeks. It was, sadly to report, very much boring and bleak. 

It was harder than you realized. To shut someone out. Someone like him. 

Luckily, your upcoming dance performances took most of your day, so the only time he was able to sneak into your mind was during the dark of nights and the peak of dawn.

First, it was ignoring the messages. You wondered how people could simply ghost someone else so easily. 

But you had to. Because you knew he liked someone else. Because you shouldn’t be like this, whatever this is, with him. 

You did it for yourself. And him. Even when everything about him was confusing. 

Kim sunwoo was a troublemaker. One you met months ago with a strong one-sided crush. And you wanted to help him win her heart. 

Now, you couldn’t even look at Sunwoo. You didn’t want to, not wishing to know what would happen if you looked into his eyes. What words would spill out of your mouth, words you didn’t even know the truth to yet.

Second was avoiding him at any cost. Especially when he came to your dance studio, obviously looking for you and only you. (it was a whole mess sneaking out from his sight)

And once again, fate loves to mix things up and make you spot sunwoo with his crush down the street. Holding hands. 

You go home with mixed emotions and a missing appetite. 

The sad thing is, you can’t tell if you miss him or not. 

ꔫ 

One evening, just as colorless as the nights before, you go out for a walk. 

You always went later than most to avoid human contact with others. But fate plays a trick again, so you’re not alone this time.

“I found you.”

Your feet come to a halt. Or maybe it wasn’t fate this time... 

“Why have you been avoiding me?”

“I’m not avoiding you, sunwoo.” Funny how you suddenly have the urge to run away after saying that.

He looks tired, stressed-like he can’t find the answer to any of his homework questions (but you know he probably didn’t even do his homework in school).

“So ignoring my calls and texts aren’t considered avoiding? And running away whenever you see me in person too?” 

You mess with the ends of your hair. “Why were you looking for me?”

Sunwoo sighs and starts walking, you know he’s waiting for you to join. Hesitating, you finally move to his side, deciding to stare at the ground -your feet, his feet, anywhere but him. 

“I came to tell you something,” He starts.

You gulp, nodding for him to say it.

“I confessed to my crush. She was... really surprised. But I still asked her to give me a chance, to please think of me as a guy and not a friend. Just three dates with me. And then she could see how she felt at the end.”

Why do you suddenly want to vomit?

You find looking anywhere but at sunwoo or near his direction comfortable. The amount of effort it took for you to find your voice was funny. “Oh. Good for you.” (unlike your tone that doesn’t sound too pleased)

“...How was it? Did she decide to return your feelings back in the end?”

“No. We never finished all three. After the second, I realized it was a waste of time and quit.” 

He stops walking, making you stop as well.

This man messes with your mind too much. You snort. “What are you talking about? How could it be a waste of time when you finally got to go on a true date with your crush since high school, sunwoo?”

“Because I kept thinking of something else. Someone else.”

You’re extremely confused, not able to comprehend anything. Sunwoo suddenly looks at you with such conviction you almost take a step back.

“Is... there something wrong?”

“I wished it was you, instead. Instead of her next to me. Even on the very first date, I was only thinking of you.”

Your brain -it just doesn’t work anymore. You’re looking at him, standing in front of you -but somehow you still can’t see him. What? 

“I like you, y/n.”

Your mind is reeling, adrenaline rising. 

No, he’s confessing to the wrong person. 

Is this a good or bad feeling? I don’t know...

Sunwoo doesn’t notice your reaction, too shy and focusing on the trees instead of your face. 

“I realized it when we stopped meeting. That I missed your company .”

Your voice is quiet. “Suddenly?”

He scratches the back of his neck. “Yes, but you’ve always been in my head. I just didn’t want to admit it because she was in there for so long. I didn’t want to give her up, and I didn’t want to move on. But then I met you, and suddenly I wasn’t missing her so much.” 

You swallow, preparing to say something in return, but sunwoo quickly speaks up a second time, hand on his chest.

“But-! Uh, you’re not a replacement for her. It’s different. How I feel. I really do like you.” 

Sunwoo doesn’t know how you snuck your way into his heart, letting him breathe fresh air and become anew. He’s only ever liked one person for so long -kept space for only her deep in his heart, that’s why he couldn’t figure out it was you who stole it.

He repeats the confession, this time sounding more confident and assertive.

When you don’t say anything back, he begins panicking. Was I wrong? Did I only assume-? 

“Sunwoo,” you start, looking at him uncertainly.

“Don’t get me wrong, I think I could like you too..” 

Sunwoo doesn’t get his hopes up just yet, waiting for the catch. There’s always one. 

“But maybe we should wait. Give each other a little space and time apart, I mean. For you to completely get over her and for me to figure and sort everything out. I think that would be best for us,” you finish in a whisper.

You’re scared. At his reaction -his current thoughts. 

“Okay.”

You quickly look up at him, startled. 

There’s a strange easy and light smile on his face.  “I get it. I’ll wait for you. I’ve done a lot of waiting, so I can do it for a little more.”

Your heart almost breaks when he says that, but you know it’s for the best. 

Just give me some time, please. 

ꔫ 

When you said a little space, you didn’t mean two days. 

And you sure weren’t expecting him to show up at your dance studio. 

“Sunwoo? What are you doing here???”

“Ah, well, l thought we could just walk home together. I-I’ll walk you home, I mean..”

Your whole body aches, and you feel a tiny bit annoyed, but you still can’t find it in your heart to reject him. And so sunwoo takes you back home.

After that day, he would go almost everytime to pick you up whenever you had dance practice. Sometimes you would go with him, and sometimes you wouldn’t. (but 98% of the time you couldn’t reject him). Maybe you felt a little bad, but sunwoo seemed so happy and excited whenever he saw you, you just couldn’t not go with him. 

You still had plenty of moments apart. Sunwoo would only ever walk you home and chat, the occasional grabbing food and drinks on the way back. (You didn’t consider them big enough to be dates-not yet, at least.)

Every time he would wait and stand in the waiting room, a bunch of the other dancers would be either fangirling over him or teasing you two whenever you came out to meet him. 

You totally did not feel that wave of jealousy after seeing all of the staring girls. But you were very satisfied to see the looks on their faces when sunwoo would ignore them and go straight to you.

And you won’t lie -it felt nice. To have sunwoo waiting for you every day, even though you could reject him at any moment.

You would never.

Even though technically you two were on a ‘break that wasn’t really considered a break’, your time alone was mostly taken up by the upcoming dance show.

It was just a little showcase. But of course, sunwoo insisted on going.

You were the most nervous you’ve ever been -the most nervous sunwoo had ever seen you. It had been a while since you last performed, and for some reason, you felt so different preparing this time around, which is why you basically lived at the studio for a month. 

The day of the show finally arrives, and you want to pull your own hair out. Sunwoo was only able to see you briefly before you were dragged along to rehearsals, and in that short time, he shot you a thumbs up, and you sent a small, extremely nervous smile back.

When your name was called, and you walked onto the stage, heart almost bursting out of your chest, somehow you were able to find sunwoo in the crowd. 

It lasted for a second, but you were able to capture his excited but still reassuring eyes cheering you on, the clapping and yells coming from his mouth. 

And that’s how you were able to perform beautifully, dance to the greatest extent. The feeling of fulfillment when you finished along with the immediate applause and sunwoo’s loud hollers sparked something inside. 

That could be why you didn’t care. Didn’t care about jumping off the stage and running over to sunwoo, the shocked look on his face making you laugh.

But he still holds his arms out, and you basically fly into them. 

Sunwoo lets out a grunt, holding you tight as you laugh and bury your face into his shoulder.

He pulls back, eyes sparkling. “You did amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

You're unable to form any words back, only able to stare into his eyes. 

His face is a lot closer than you realized...

You can feel your heartrate rising again.

Sunwoo leans in, you think? and your eyes close even though you’re not sure what’s even going on. 

“Y/n!!! Great job!!” 

You snap out of your daze, turning around to see who it was. 

Sunwoo curses the random guy -he thinks it’s the director of the show or whatever. He doesn’t care at all for the person that rudely interrupted your moment together.

And when you follow the director after, totally distracted with the aftermath of the show and leaving sunwoo behind, he can only pout.

Maybe next time...

ꔫ

You finally got to sleep. Properly. The show left in the back of your head, set there as a significant memory to stay forever.

After you start getting back into the groove of normal dance practices, Sunwoo comes to pick you up as usual. 

But today was not a usual day.

“Sorry Sunwoo, I have someone to meet today. Maybe Thursday?”

You frown at his obviously fallen face. Hopping in front of him, you pout cutely.

“Don’t be sad, I’ll see you soon. And we can get food too!”

He stands there, frozen. 

Checking the time, you realize ‘shit-you’re gonna be late.’ 

“Bye, sunwoo. Don’t forget Thursday!!” You wave goodbye, running along. 

Sunwoo gives five minutes to compose himself. Even though he desperately wants to fall on the ground and roll in agony from what you did to his heart, he simply breathes in, out.

He’s for sure disappointed he isn’t able to walk you home, but after that cute act.... sunwoo thinks he can let it go. Only for today.

The mysterious place you were supposed to be at was a cafe. (a nice one with also great reviews online.) You run in, lighting up when you spot the person you invited out. 

“Hi! How have you been?”

You offer a small smile. “Doing well. And you? 

Sunwoo’s- well, you suppose former crush now- beams. “Good! What about sunwoo? I-uh, haven’t seen him recently.” The knowing look in her eye makes you nervously laugh. 

“He’s fine too. I didn’t tell him about our meeting today. Did you?”

“Oh, no- don’t worry. It’s a secret between us!”

You’re pleased, but the reason you asked to meet was not for small talk.

“Well, I’m not sure if you know the reason I asked you out here..”

She nods, waiting. 

“But basically, I knew about Sunwoo’s longtime crush on you. The funny thing is, I was actually trying to help him win you over... but that obviously did not happen.”

She bursts out laughing, and eventually, you join in too. 

“Wow, I’m sorry,” her tone turns more serious. 

“But yeah. I was... really shocked, to say the least. That he liked me. I honestly never thought of him like that, and I’m guessing you know about the dates that we went on then?”

You nod sheepishly.

“That was also really strange for me. It was just a lot, you know? And my ex also came back from overseas -you met him that one time. So there was just a lot of feelings going on all at once.”

She takes your hand, squeezing it gently.

“And even though I don’t like sunwoo that way, I’m glad that you’re here for him. I can tell you two really like each other. Even though it wasn’t your original intentions.”

Those words strangely comfort you. Like the chained truth you already knew was finally released.

“I don’t mean to pry,” you start, “but what’s up with you and your ex then? I saw you two were out and around together?”

You don’t fail to notice her reddening cheeks. “Ah, about that... He just came back so suddenly... and right as I got over him. but we’re spending more time together, and ugh, I don’t know.”

The smile on her face says otherwise. It makes you smile as well.

“I wish you luck, then.”

“And I wish you luck with sunwoo too!”

You weren’t expecting to gain a new friendship that day as well. 

ꔫ 

Now that everything seemed cleared and out of the air, you had more time. 

To think. Reflect. Focus on what your ideal life is like. 

Is it one that includes Kim Sunwoo? Waking up next to him, having the ability to make fun of him 24/7, being able to press your lips onto his whenever, wherever? 

And when the answer finally comes, it’s another sunny afternoon with Sunwoo waiting for you after class.

The day was nice. And you feel nice too, strangely happy. He notices.

“What’s got you looking so upbeat for? Is it seeing my face?”

“No,” you happily respond, laughing at his offended face. 

“It’s nothing. Let’s just go to the park.”

He’s confused but smiling as well. 

“Okay. How was your day?”

You chat along the walk to the park.

“-did I make you wait long? What time did you get to the studio?”

He frowns, taking the phone out of his pocket to check the time. Your legs stop working when you see what his lock screen is.

“Sunwoo?”

He grunts. 

“Is your lock screen... a picture of us?”

He fiddles with the back of his neck. “Oh, yeah. Changmin sent that picture of us at the restaurant to me, and then I-uh changed it.”

You try, oh so hard, to fight that bashful smile attempting to break free on your face. Thank goodness sunwoo was walking a few steps ahead.

ꔫ 

When you arrive, sunwoo finds a bench, and you plop down next to him with a content sigh, staring at the view. 

You purposely picked this park because of its location, higher up so it overlooked the city. It was peaceful and beautiful, above all the commotion.

“You know Sunwoo, I think I found what I want to do.”

He looks at you, curious. “Which is?”

“I want to dance.”

“But you already do that?”

“Yes, you’re right. But I also want to teach others too. Like a dance instructor. That day when I taught you that routine was fun.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t fun because you were with me?” You flick him playfully.

“What about you then? Did you ever meet up with your ex-crush after that whole mess?”

Sunwoo scoffs, looking down. “It wasn’t a mess...” he mumbles.

“No... it was,” you wish to say, but your lips remain zipped.

“But yeah. We made up. I’m glad that she’s still my friend and our relationship is better now. To be honest, I think I’ve known since the beginning that she never liked me that way. I just was too scared and prideful to admit it.” 

“Well, isn’t that a good thing?” His eyebrow quirks up at your words.

“What do you mean?”

“That you never stopped liking her.”

He looks at you, truly confused. 

“Because you got to meet me.“

You expect him to retort back with something mocking back but he actually looks down at his shoes, smiling. “Yeah, you’re right.”

You lean back on the bench, relaxed and peaceful. 

“Anyways, what about you? Did you find a passion or dream you wanna pursue?”

“Actually, I did.”

You sit up. “Really?”

He suddenly looks shy. “I kinda want to get into producing. Music.”

You look at him, interested. 

“After we met up at your dance place, it made me think of my old trainee life.”

You cut him off. “Wait- I never asked why you quit being a trainee.”

“Oh. I just fell out of it. Being an idol just didn’t seem like it was for me anymore. But after seeing you reach your dancing dreams, it made me inspired. I started writing lyrics and rapping again for fun. Then I realized I really liked it. And producing music was always a hobby,” Sunwoo continues to ramble on.

 You listen with a soft smile. And he eventually notices,  stopping his tangent. “What is it?” 

Smile growing, you tilt your head to the side and state, “I support you. You should totally do it.”

Sunwoo feels warmth bloom in his chest. Another reason for him to fall in love with you even more. Yes, he was sure that he loved you. But sunwoo didn’t want to say it just yet. 

He was waiting for you.

“Thank you, y/n.”

You nod, suddenly picking at your fingers distractedly.

“But I don’t know... I think right now I just really want to go out with you, Kim Sunwoo.” 

He chokes on air, looking around almost as if to make sure this is actually reality before taking your hand. “What-no. Are you serious?” 

“Yes. Let’s go on a date.” 

You say it so casually he thinks he must’ve misheard you or whatever. But he didn’t. 

For you, it just happened. The night before you were laying in bed, and he just popped up in your dream. A wonderful dream that was like your ideal life came true-even when sunwoo appeared you didn’t question it one bit. A dream where you were able to remember everything fully when you woke up this morning. 

And so it was decided. It had to be it, right? You definitely liked the troublemaker Kim Sunwoo.

When you look away at some point, he pumps a fist in the air, elated and barely restraining a yell of happiness.

You turn around. “Are you alright?”

He quickly straightens up. “Yep. Good. Just fine. Doing great, actually.”

You smile, eyes crinkling. “Okay.”

But you couldn’t suppress the feeling,

-of hunger. Today was a long practice, and you needed energy. 

“Sunwoo, let’s go. I’m hungry.” You take his arm, trying to pull him up.

He easily gets up, adjusting his hold on your hand. But you don’t mind. 

This has to be a dream right? Sunwoo thinks. The happiness he feels from seeing you-a once stranger that he poured all his feelings out to-turn into someone he trusts with his life, his heart.

Walking down the sidewalk together, you speak up. 

“Did I make you wait too long?”

He scoffs, free hand raised to his face in a supposedly cool expression. “Nah, if it’s you, I could wait forever.” 

You cringe, letting go of his hand in an instant. 

He almost immediately protests. 

You wanted to shut him up. There was one way that you believed would be very effective. It just took a little preparation.

Gathering the confidence, you kiss him on the cheek, mid-protest. 

Sunwoo’s surprised expression makes you laugh. But that laugh is cut short when he suddenly pulls you closer, your noses barely touching. 

You can feel your heart pounding- he can probably feel your heart pounding. But it’s okay because his is too.

When he leans in the tiniest amount, your eyes flutter shut, holding your breath and waiting.

Until he starts chuckling softy, and you peek an eye open.

It makes your face heat, the way he stares at you with such adoration, and possibly love?

You huff, turning and beginning to walk away. “If you’re not gonna kiss me, then just leave.”

You hear his protests but also his laughter that echo through your body. 

 “I didn’t know you were such a baby,” he comments, snatching your hand and spinning you around once more so his arms can encompass you. 

His eyes bore into yours, occasionally flicking down to your mouth and back up again. 

Maybe you were just a little impatient, so you lean in, just barely hovering over his lips.

His grip around you tightens. Who’s the baby now?

And then he finally closes the gap, letting his soft lips glide over yours. 

It’s just... Sunwoo. All you can see, even with your eyes closed, is him. All you can feel is him. Everything is sunwoo. 

And you think you love it.

When you break the kiss reluctantly a couple of seconds later, sunwoo’s eyes flick open, staring back at you indignantly.

“What? Let’s go eat. I said I was hungry.” 

“Was this not enough?” he grins cheekily. 

You slowly lean into his ear, whispering, “No, it wasn’t.”

You grin at the way he shivers, your warm breath tickling his ear. 

“That’s why we’re going to get food now. And you’re paying as usual,” you finish, basking in the fact that Sunwoo is rendered speechless. 

You like how your hand easily finds his, fitting perfectly together as you drag him along. 

Wherever you go, I’ll go with you. 

Wherever you fall, I’ll pick you back up.

Wherever you can’t, I’ll love you instead. 

taglist: @elcie-chxn  @00seonu  @mochinyu​

a/n: if you made it to the end of this, i sincerely applaud and thank you :) after the end of that drama i couldn’t stop my feelings and had to write this but then it kinda turned into a whole fic 🤡

also can’t believe i wrote this much-sunwoo constantly in the brain 😶.

[streetlight11]

Deep Scar

Summary: He used to be the popular kid in high school where everyone has a crush on him. He always gets Valentine's Day gifts be it presents, chocolates, homemade brownies, etc. He somehow brought his name to college where there were people who still finds him attractive. What happens when he bumps into a girl who treated him a lot different compared to others? Will he find out the truth behind her behaviour?

Theme: college au, childhood schoolmates but with a bad past

Genre: a little angsty, fluff ending though

Warnings: mild swearing (literally just one word), slight mention of harassment but nothing too crazy

WC: 4.6k

Pairing: Han Jisung x Fem!Reader

a/n: Hey hey :) I've had this in my google drive for quite sometime so my writing might not be so good here but bear with me. P.S the words in italics are his flashback, and hannie might sound like a jerk at one point but this doesn't portray him in real life because irl he's an absolute sweetheart :') Anyways, enjoy reading!

Coming to campus every morning only to find gifts and plenty of love letters in his locker has been becoming a daily routine for Jisung. Although he has never actually reciprocated any of them, he must admit that he did love the amount of attention that’s been drawn to him since back in high school.

He was the popular kid in school where he was known for his intelligence, charming personality and of course, his good looks.

Back in high school, girls would often slot in their confession letters in his locker almost everyday. Every Valentine’s Day, his table would be filled with chocolates and homemade brownies specially for him.

But all of those gifts would eventually be passed to his close friends for them to finish it for him.

Even now when he’s already in college, words spread around the campus of his status back in Saebom High, making everyone in Hankuk College know about him. Despite this new set of attention that was being directed towards him, he managed to make friends with a few people that he trusts.

Some of them were his classmates in college, some were his friends from music class, and some were his good friends back in high school. 

That day was no different as he walked down the hall to go to his designated locker, only to find a pink paper that had been folded into a cute little heart.

“Another love letter? Dude, at this point you should really date one of them so that this whole shenanigan would stop.” Chan said with a soft chuckled as Minho and Jeongin nodded in agreement with the elder boy. Jisung rolled his eyes as he unfolded the paper and read the confession, that was pretty much the same as the other notes he received.

All of which, never got reciprocated simply because Jisung believes he hasn’t found anyone that peaked his interest yet.

After about 5 minutes, he slammed his locker shut as the four boys began to walk down the hall, not missing the constant shy giggles and whispers from every direction. Jisung simply walked with his charming smile plastered on his face, making some girls feel their heart flutter in their chest.

Just when they had made a left turn, a figure smaller than them came crashing straight into Jisung’s shoulder, causing both individuals to stumble back a step from the impact.

“Watch where you’re going, dumbass.” The girl who was rubbing her shoulder said as she locked eyes with him firmly. Jisung was slightly baffled as no other girl would even dare to look at him straight in the eye.

“Excuse me?” He said, his voice clearly confused but the girl simply rolled her eyes at him, slightly annoyed.

“You heard me. I don’t have to say it twice.” 

“Do you even know who I am?” He asked, slowly starting to feel anger boiling through his veins.

“Do you think I care?” She taunts.

“Other girls would be scrambling away by now.”

“Oh, how exciting. Next time, wear side goggles so you can watch where you’re going.” Was all she said before she shoves past him to continue her journey down the hall to go to her class.

Everyone in that hallway was surprised with their little interaction. Some of them even snickered at her for behaving that way in front of him. As far as he knows, all the girls in school never dared to speak to him in person, nor would they even look at him straight in the eyes for they would either run away in embarrassment, or their face would turn flushed red.

Jisung tried not to think much of it as he continued his walk to his class.

During lunch, the boys had gathered at their usual table. However, Hyunjin and Seungmin were running slightly late this time. They were just a few bites into their meal when Hyunjin’s voice caught everyone at their table’s attention.

“Hey guys! Is it okay if our new friend joins us? She just transferred here so me and Seungmin offered her to have lunch with us.”

At the mention of a female, Jisung whips his head around, only to lock eyes with the same girl he bumped into just a few hours prior.

“You again? Try not to miss your mouth this time when you eat.” She said as her gaze locked on Jisung, leaving him speechless.

Hyunjin and Seungmin exchanged glances at each other in confusion but decided to just carry on with lunch as they ended up sitting with her. If she weren’t too direct, Jisung could almost agree that she was acting quite the opposite towards Hyunjin and Seungmin. Maybe with the others as well. She seemed genuinely friendly and almost effortlessly bright with them. 

If he was being honest, it almost upsets him that she treated him like an outcast as compared to the rest of his close friends. Days slowly but surely became weeks as she started to grow visibly close to Hyunjin and Seungmin probably because they were her classmates.

It was a Friday evening and they all decided to go to a pool bar where they had pool tables for people to play and also have light drinks if they wanted to.

They rented out two tables for themselves as they divided into two teams.

“Y/N! Join our team!” Hyunjin called as Y/N giggled, only for her to catch Jisung staring at her from one of the high stools beside the bar.

“I’ll join if he does.” 

She said as she nodded her head towards Jisung, only for the others to immediately drag him to Hyunjin’s pool table. The game soon started as Hyunjin served first. She seems to surprise them everytime she serves because all her shots were smooth and almost effortless. It was as if she’s done this multiple times.

“Wow, how are you so good at this?” Seungmin asked as she smiled at him, only to answer his question.

“I guess I’m pretty good at aiming.”

The boy giggled as they watched Hyunjin score a ball. All the while, Jisung was silently watching her by the side. 

Not in a creepy way but more like in a confused way. After they finished their one hour at the pool bar, they left to get dinner but she decided to call it a day for her and that she needed to go home to feed her starving kitty.

The boys bid her goodbye as she left, only for Changbin to question his friend.

“Jisung ah, you cannot tell me you’re not the slightest bit intrigued by her…”

With that, Jisung frowned as his mind came swirling back to all the times they’ve hung out with her and gotten to know her better. From all the mean comments tossed at each other like they were flat bread, to the time where she seemed genuinely concerned when Jisung nearly got run over by a speeding truck.

“No… No I’m not.”

Only he knows that it was a total lie but he wasn’t going to admit it to his friends. 

His ego was too high for him to easily admit that after all these years of girls trying so hard to win his attention, all he needed was Y/N to come into the picture and that was all it took for him to finally fall for someone.

Nobody needed to know his true feelings for her. He didn’t think it would be much of a big deal so he opted to keep his feelings to himself. It was another week into April, when Chan decided to invite them over to his apartment to hang out and chill on a chilly Saturday. Chan of course included Y/N in the list, hence the reason why she was currently standing outside his apartment door.

She was wearing a brown fitted crop top, her favourite denim ripped skinny jeans, a bomber jacket and her white converse.

She was greeted by Chan as he opened the door wider for her to enter.

She made it inside only to find Felix and Minho challenging each other in a game of Mario Kart Race. Hyunjin, Seungmin and Changbin were busy playing Call Of Duty on their phones. Jisung, Jeongin and Chan were in the kitchen, cooking up some hot kimchi stew.

Y/N took off her jacket as she went to snuggle in between Changbin and Hyunjin, watching them play an intense game of COD.

She was just laying her head on Changbin’s shoulder when he jerked forward, making her body shake as he turned to Hyunjin and high fived him after winning first place. Just then, he noticed the sad pout on her face at the loss of warmth, making him giggle as he sat back down to let her rest her head on his shoulder again before he whispered.

“Sorry baby.” She giggled as she pinched his abs, making him squeak. He laughed as he corrected himself.

“I’m just kidding.”

She smiled as she nuzzled into his shoulder while they were all occupied with doing their own things. A few minutes later, the 3 boys from the kitchen came back to the living room with the pot of kimchi stew and a rice bowl. 

However, Y/N didn’t miss the subtle frown on Jisung’s face when he saw her leaning her head against Changbin’s shoulder.

The 9 of them began eating diligently as they fit in almost any possible topic they could think off. After they finished their meal, she offered to wash the dishes since they were all busy. Chan told her not to trouble herself but she insisted on helping him.

She was scrubbing the second last bowl when she heard Jeongin’s voice calling from the living room.

“Noona! Come join us after you’re done washing the dishes okay? We’re gonna play truth or drink!”

“Okay Jeonginie.” She sang in a sing-song tune as she could hear some of them chuckle in the back.

As promised, she joined them after she was done with the last bowl, only to sit in between Minho and Seungmin. They went in a circle starting from Chan. It was in a circle until it reached her, only for Changbin to eagerly raise his hand.

“Oh! Oh! I have a good one!” Changbin said as his inner corner of the lips curved up into a cute smile, making her giggle.

“If you could go back to your past, what is the one thing that you would choose not to do?” His question was good. It was theoretical but good.

Suddenly, her eyes just instantly found Jisung’s soft brown ones as she told them her answer.

“The one thing I would choose not to do? Probably allowing myself to think that whatever people said to me was true.”

The guys started to frown as they asked if something bad happened to her back then but she simply shrugged them off and told them to continue the game. It went on until it was Jisung’s turn, only for Y/N to speak up.

“I have something I wanna ask him.”

This came as a surprise for the others but they let her do the honours anyway.

“Do you remember the girl who confessed to you back in high school?” She said. His eyebrows began to link together as he frowned at her sudden question.

“Huh?”

“The one where you rejected her confession by humiliating her in front of the whole school?”

“What are you talking about?” 

“Think harder.” She said.

Suddenly, memories start to flood in his mind like a flash flood.

“H-Hi. I made these for you. I hope you like cupcakes. I k-know a lot of other girls do this for you too, b-but… I-I just thought maybe I should give you something too. I- umm, I like y-you Han Jisung.” The girl confessed as she held out the box filled with her homemade cupcakes that she took time to bake for him the night before.

She bit the inside of her cheeks nervously as she diligently avoided his gaze. Just when she saw his arms reaching out to her thinking he was going to take the box from her, he forcefully smashed the box down making it slip out of her hands.

The students around them began to laugh as Jisung lifted a brow at her.

“Did you really think I’d accept your confession? Look at you. Who would date a girl who ties their hair in pigtails, have her tummy sticking out of her uniform shirt and constantly push the bridge of your spectacles up every 5 minutes? Have you seen yourself in a mirror? Nobody will ever fall for you.”

With that being said, he kicked the metal box away to reveal the fallen cupcakes as he went ahead and stepped on them like it was an insect.

The whole school laughed at her as she ran to the girls bathroom and locked herself in there as she cried her heart out. She was only 13 so it was slightly depressing for her to go through this terrible rejection.

Not only did he reject her in cold blood, he also humiliated her in front of everybody in the process. However, what made her even more upset is the fact that he didn’t seem to feel the slightest bit of remorse for saying those things to her.

That memory was as clear as day as he winced at the thought of how immature he was back then. Nevertheless, he didn’t forget the question he got from Y/N as he went ahead to answer her.

“Yeah… Yeah I remember…”

“Do you remember what you said to her?” Her voice softened as she kept her eyes on him while the rest of them had their eyes trained back and forth between Jisung and her.

“I said… I said she should look at herself in the mirror and that no one will ever fall for her.” 

The boys were shocked by how harsh he was to that said girl. Y/N could only smile sadly to him as she slowly continued. 

“Do you feel bad saying those things to her now?” 

Without much thought, he replied something that broke her heart.

“Why should I?” With that, she tried to hold back her tears as she looked at him dead in the eye before saying these next few words.

“Looks like you’re still that same cocky bastard huh?”

She soon got up from her seat on the floor, only to grab her things to leave when Jisung stood up to grab her wrist, stopping her from taking any more steps further.

“What are you talking about?” He asked, now genuinely confused as to what was going on.

“You’re really dense for someone as arrogant as you.” A scoff left her lips as her eyes bore into his, hoping he understood what she meant. After what felt like forever, Jisung finally realized as it was as though his life just flashed before his eyes.

“Wait… that was you?!” His voice was loud as it was laced with confusion and slight disappointment.

“And what happens if I say yes? Are you gonna ask me if I’ve looked into the mirror and realize that no one will ever fall for me?”

Her words stinged like venoms as he winced yet again but this time, at how hurt she seemed. She didn’t realise this but her tears were no longer held back as a few droplets rolled down her cheeks.

“Your words hurted me back then. So I tried to ignore it and move on. But when you said your answer just now, I realized that maybe you really are just an arrogant jerk.”

She finally pulled her arm out of his grasp as she left without sparing a glance to the others. Jisung has never felt so utterly remorseful, today was the first time. He mentally scolded himself for saying those words back when he was young and immature.

He has never felt so fucked up before, this was definitely the first.

A few days went by, Y/N hasn’t talked to either of the boys, not even Hyunjin and Seungmin. Every time Jisung tried to reach out to her, she would always successfully avoid him. It has been almost 2 weeks since they last talked to her as the boys agreed to go release their stress by going to the downtown club.

They had booked a booth for all 8 of them as they sat in there with some girls coming back and forth to try and get laid with either one of them.

Just then, Jisung’s eyes seemed to scan the room only to see a familiar figure dancing freely on the dance floor. He frowned as he rubbed his eyes to make sure they weren’t playing tricks on him.

He double confirmed that it was in fact Y/N, as he got up and left the booth ignoring the boy’s calls.

Right when he was about to reach the dance floor, he saw her deliberately get dragged through the sweaty, intoxicated humans and towards the back door. He followed them close behind as he saw her struggling to free herself from the man’s hold.

The minute she was out the back, the man pushed her against the brick wall as he attacked her neck forcefully.

“Stop!” She begged.

The man ignored as he started to caress her waist and moved up.

“Stop it!” She tried again as tears started to roll down her cheeks desperately.

The minute she managed to put a distance between herself and the man, the metal back door swung open harshly only for her to lock eyes with Jisung as he rushed down the steps, only to land a solid punch to the man’s jaw.

The man fell to the ground drunkenly as he struggled to stand back up.

“What the fuck man? Get your own girl!” The man said as he grabbed Y/N’s wrist and was about to pull her when Jisung roughly shoved him off again.

The man threw a few drunk punches to Jisung and soon they were both in a fist fight. The two males were starting to have blood clots and bruises all over their bodies and faces when Hyunjin and Changbin came to stop the fight.

“Jisung! Jisung! That’s enough!” Hyunjin yelled as they both grabbed Jisung by his arms and pulled him back.

“Don’t ever touch her again.” Jisung growled as the man stumbled back into the club.

Y/N frowned as she visibly hugged herself, only to see Hyunjin and Changbin give Jisung a subtle nod before they both went back inside, giving privacy to Jisung and Y/N. Once they were alone in the dark alley, that’s when she spoke up.

“Why did you come? Afraid someone might fall for me?”

“You clearly weren't comfortable with him.”

“So what? Why do you care? It’s not like he would fall in love with me. Who am I for someone to even like me? Right?”

Jisung frowned as he called out her name softly but she was quick to intercept.

“I didn’t go to Hankuk to get back at you for what you did to me. Never in a million years did I think I’d even see you again. But now that you’re standing here in front of me, that very day comes back to haunt me again. Because of your words, I have been so afraid of falling for someone, even just a tiny crush. That’s what you did to me Han Jisung and I don’t think I can ever forgive you for that.”

With that being said, she turned in her heels and left. Jisung stood there like an idiot as he cursed himself for letting her walk away yet again. 

If this happened back in high school, he would probably laugh at her. But now that he was actually starting to like her, he has never felt so upset and disappointed. This was probably even worse than a break up.

She refused to speak to him for days after as she avoided everyone in the friend group.

It was a gloomy Friday night as she was laying on her couch sideways, watching a sappy romantic movie to drown her sadness. She was wearing a loose sweater that made it look like a dress on her. Her calf high socks and a pair of shorts she always wore to sleep.

She had just thought about what she could get for supper when there was a knock on her door.

“Who the hell comes at a time like this?” She thought to herself as she went over to her door and opened it without checking the peephole first. She almost stumbled as she locked eyes with the same pair of brown orbs that she’s been trying so hard to avoid for the past few weeks.

“Jisung? What are you doing here?” She asked, genuinely shocked at how he knew her address.

“Y/N, can we talk?”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Please just hear me out. I don’t need you to say anything, I just need you to listen.”

She fell silent for a moment before she opened the door wider for him to enter. Once inside, he followed her to her living room, only for them to sit 3 feet apart. She urged him with a slight nod as he took a deep breath and soon began.

“Look. I know whatever I did to you back then was horrible. It was my ego talking. I didn’t know any better. We were so young… How could I possibly feel bad at the time when all I thought was to reject you?”

Just then, she cut him in by saying something that made him rethink his choices.

“You’re telling me that everything you said to me meant nothing to you just because it wasn’t you who received it?”

“I… I wasn’t thinking. I was young-”

“Bullshit. Even a 5 year old kid knows what’s nice and what’s hurtful to say to others. Don’t pull the young card on me.”

“Y/N please-”

“Get out. If you’re still gonna be the same arrogant, highly egoistic jerk then get out. You’ve said things that left a deep scar in my life and here you are saying it doesn’t mean anything? Get out.”

“Y/N-”

“I said get out!” She finally screamed as her chest was heaving, her tears streaming down her face in anger but she didn’t care. She got up as she dragged him to the door, while he tried to fight back. The minute he was out, she slammed the door behind her only to lock it as she found herself sliding down the door, only to sit on the wooden floor.

Her cries were soft, but they were filled with so much pain. On the other side of the door, Jisung could hear her cries as he too kneeled on the ground with his hands against the door.

He could hear her loud and clear as he felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. He couldn’t bear to say a word to her as he remained quiet.

The next morning, Y/N woke up suddenly wanting to get herself breakfast to clear her memory from last night. She got out of bed, took a warm shower, got changed into her sweatpants, a big hoodie and a cap. She unlocked her door and had just taken a step outside when she jumped at the slight of Jisung seated on the ground beside her apartment door.

Since he was a light sleeper, the sound of her door opening, woke him up as he quickly got on both feet.

Before she could re-enter her apartment, he pressed his palms against the door to prevent her from closing it as he spoke up softly.

“Y/N, please, please let me explain.” He begged as she wasn’t sure why but she decided to let him in. Once he was inside, they didn’t even bother to go anywhere further into her apartment as he stood by the door and began to explain himself.

“Y/N, please listen to me. I know what I did was bad. At the time, I didn’t realise how humiliating it was for you. But now that I’m an adult, I realized that my actions were extremely horrible and I would never, ever do that to anyone now.” He paused before he continued on.

“I know that whatever I said and did back then, I can’t take any of it back. And I don’t blame you for not forgetting or forgiving me for it. I admit that I deserve this from you. All I ask is for you to give me another chance to start over. But I understand if you want nothing to do with me.” He said with a tiny hope laced in his voice although he wasn’t so confident that she would forgive him this time.

She knew he felt guilty for whatever he did back then so it wasn’t wrong for her to give him a second chance right?

“How would I know you’re not just acting this way to set me up for humiliation again?” She asked.

“Would I say all those things and bring my ego down just to prove that I felt like utter shit after everything you told me, only to humiliate you even further?”

“Nobody knows what your ego is capable of.”

“If my words won’t convince you, would my actions do?”

“What if you do it, only to leave and tell on me to everyone else?”

“I can’t seem to get your trust now, can I?”

“Try being in my shoe and you’ll know.”

“Y/N please… I know I left a deep scar on you emotionally and mentally back then, but please… I beg you, please just… let me start over. I need you to trust me just this once.”

“Fine. But if you abuse my trust, I’m never speaking to you again.” 

“Believe me, you have no idea how fucked up I felt that night at Chan’s.”

Right after he finished his sentence, he didn’t waste anymore time as he reached up to cup her face in both hands and soon kissed her. She instantly melted against his body as he pulled her closer by the waist. His kisses were so gentle, as if he was afraid he would break her again.

His touch was soft as he slid his hands under her shirt only to draw random patterns onto her waist.

Just then, he pulled away from her lips but it was so addicting he couldn’t help but peck her lips one last time before he spoke up.

“I’m really, really sorry Y/N for everything back then. I couldn’t help but feel like complete shit after that night when I found out that was you. You don’t have to forgive me, I totally understand.”

Y/N just smiled as she gently tangled her fingers in his hair at the nape of his neck before she spoke up.

“Would I have let you kiss me if I was still mad?”

He remained quiet as she then continued.

“Besides, I’m giving you a chance to redeem yourself so please, don’t take advantage of this.” She warned gently.

Jisung kissed her for slightly longer before he pulled away and whispered against her lips.

“I promise.”

With that, she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest while he snaked his arms around her smaller figure. 

Ever since then, Jisung did everything he could to redeem himself for what he did to her back in high school. She slowly began to fall for him as she gave him a solid second chance and she could see how genuine he was now whenever he did something nice for her. Even if he didn’t say it out loud, she knew that he really tried his best to win her heart. And it worked.

~~~

[khaleesiofalicante]

PROMPT #1

Based on this prompt - Malec au, University students. Alec is a med student, Magnus fashion design. Alec is trying to study anatomy for an exam but is struggling to remind the bones and ligaments of the body. Magnus offers to be his human naked (with boxers because 'you know how we get magnus') model.

“Why did I choose biology again?” Alec asked.

“Is that a rhetorical question or do you want me to answer that?” Magnus questioned, lying on his bed, his sketch papers and pencils sprawled all around him.

“It is,” Alec replied. “But why would I do this to myself!!”

“Listen to me,” Magnus pinned a pencil behind his ear. “Because you come from a family of surgeons, and you want to make them proud? But I think it’s mostly because you genuinely enjoy healing people and saving lives?”

“Ugh,” Alec groaned. “Why did I have to be such a good guy?”

Magnus laughed.

“You know, I should have been an arsonist or something. I have pretty good aim,” Alec pondered out loud. “But no. I had to choose this instead. Stupid, Alec!”

“Alright. Alright,” Magnus sat up on his bed. “What’s wrong, you drama queen?”

“I have an anatomy test on Friday,” Alec sighed. “And I can’t seem to remember all the names.”

“That’s it?” Magnus asked.

“What do you mean that’s it?” Alec demanded. “Do you know we have 206 bones in the human body? Why do we even need so many??”

“I hope that’s a rhetorical question too,” Magnus chuckled. “Considering you’re going to be a surgeon and all.”

“At this rate, the only way I’m getting into a hospital is as a patient because of all the stress,” Alec closed his book dramatically. “Please make sure they have a closed casket at my funeral.”

“Okay. I’m sure it’s not that bad-”

“206 bones, Magnus!” Alec yelled. “206 bones! Why couldn’t we just have like 12 or something?”

“That would make us very grotesque,” Magnus grimaced. “And then I won’t be able to design us all these pretty clothes.”

“How is your project coming?” Alec asked, not wanting to hog the conversation. “You finished with the design?”

“Nope,” Magnus giggled and helped up a piece of paper. “But I did do a nice sketch of Harry and Draco.”

“He has his mother’s eyes,” Alec giggled back.

“Alright, we got this,” Magnus jumped off the bed. “How many do you know for now?”

“Let’s see,” Alec pouted. “First, you have the paired bones in the skull. They make a total of 28 bones. Nasal, Lacrimal, Maxillary, Zygomatic, Temporal, Palatine, Parietal, Malleus, Incus and Stapes.”

“How do I know you aren’t lying?” Magnus raised an eyebrow. “You could be naming different kinds of spiders for all I know.”

“Why in the world would I know eleven kinds of spiders?” Alec rolled his eyes.

“Okay that’s valid,” Magnus shrugged. “And then what?”

“Well, then we have the torso bones – which are basically the ribs. There are 52 bones there. And I got those covered.”

“See?” Magnus patted him on the shoulder and Alec shuddered at the touch. “It’s not that bad. You are already know like most of them.”

“No,” Alec said. “I need to memorize the appendicular skeleton.”

“How many there?” Magnus asked.

“126,” Alec groaned.

“Yikes,” Magnus winced. “Well…Maybe it has one of those anagrams? Like you know a song that helps you remember these kind of stuff?”

“For 126 bones?” Alec rolled his eyes. “It’s gonna be bloody long song.”

“Hmmm,” Magnus put his hands on his hips. “Do you have one of those skeleton thingies?”

“A what?”

“A skeleton thingy,” Magnus repeated. “Medical students have them, don’t they? I think the visualization helps you memorize the bones or something.”

“Oh, those,” Alec said in realization. “Yeah those are expensive as fuck.”

“Isn’t there one in the biology lab?” Magnus asked. “I swear I’ve seen Simon practicing his flirting skills on one of those.”

“Yeah, we are not allowed to borrow them,” Alec muttered. 

“Oh,” Magnus frowned.

“But we could steal it!!!” Alec said suddenly. 

“Alec, no!”

“Think about it,” Alec said encouragingly. “If we don’t get caught, then I can study for my exam. If we get caught, then I don’t have to sit for my exam at all. It’s a win-win, Magnus!”

“Okay nobody is stealing anything,” Magnus showed a threatening finger. “You are not getting suspended again. I can’t let Raphael move into our dorm room. He is an ass. And he doesn’t appreciate my fashion sense like you do.”

“But you look good in everything you wear,” Alec said quietly.

“Right?” Magnus asked. “I’m not losing this. Nope. Okay I think have a solution for you.”

“You are willing to sacrifice your life so I can practice on your skeleton?” Alec asked dryly.

“Let's hope it doesn’t have to come to that,” Magnus laughed nervously. “But how about you just practice on my regular body?”

Alec blinked. “What?”

Magnus just took off his shirt in one move and Alec coughed loudly. “I mean, you can’t see my bones. But you can probably feel them.”

“I...What?”

Magnus reached out, grabbed Alec’s hand and placed it above his chest. “Which one is that?”

“Hhhh,” Alec said.

“What’s that?”

“That’s the pectoral girdle,” Alec cleared his throat. “This is your clavicle. And this is the scapula. And right here, in the middle of your chest is the sternum.”

“Sounds sexy,” Magnus chuckled. “Okay, what’s next?”

“Are you…Are you sure you want to do this?” Alec asked hesitantly.

“I don’t mind,” Magnus shrugged and then looked alarmed. “Do you…Do you not want to-”

“No. No,” Alec said quickly. “I do want your help. I just…I just wanted to know if you’re comfortable.”

“I’m comfortable,” Magnus smiled.

“Okay. Alright. Then let’s do this,” Alec smiled back.

“If we are going to do this, then let’s do this properly,” Magnus announced and took off his jeans without another word.

He was wearing tight black boxers underneath. Not the cute ones like Alec wore.

These were sexy.

Who wears sexy underwear on a Wednesday afternoon? Sexy underwear is only for special occasions, goddamnit!

“Oh god,” Alec gulped.

“Pardon?” Magnus asked, throwing his jeans on his bed.

“I said Thank God!” Alec corrected quickly.

“We got this,” Magnus grinned and laid down on Alec’s bed. Now it’s gonna smell like fucking sandalwood.

Alec already had trouble sleeping at night knowing that Magnus slept just a couple of meters away. This was not going to make things better.

“I’m waiting, Dr. Lightwood!” Magnus called.

Alec bit his lip. This man knew exactly what buttons to push.

Just be a professional, Alec. You just gotta be a professional.

Mercifully there was a knock on the door.

“Hold on,” Alec held up a finger.

He opened the door and sighed.

“What?”

“Can I borrow your notes from Monday?” Jace asked. “I need to-”

He blinked at Magnus and before he could speak, Alec pushed him out of the room and closed the door behind him.

“Um, why is Magnus half-naked on your bed?” Jace asked.

He couldn’t tell the truth. He knew Jace had to study too. What if he wanted to study with Alec?

Nope. Not happening.

“He is…sunbathing,” Alec answered.

“Inside the room???”

“He doesn’t want to go outside,” Alec explained, trying to sound casual. “He is…shy.”

“He can’t go outside,” Jace said incredulously. “Alec, it’s fucking snowing.”

Fuck. One look at Magnus and Alec had literally forgotten all sense of time and place.

“Exactly,” Alec said, trying to cover up. “That’s why he is sunbathing in the room.”

“But there is no sun. It’s hidde-”

“Don’t you have an exam to study for?” Alec demanded. “I’ll email you the notes. Now, off you go!”

Jace gave him a suspicious look before walking off. “I will get to the bottom of this!!”

Alec rolled his eyes and went back inside the dorm.

“The doctor will see you now,” Alec managed with a straight face before bursting out with laugher.

“Get over here, you dork!” Magnus laughed with him.

Alec sat down on the bed, his body now only inches away from Magnus’.

Alec hesitated. But Magnus reached out and took his palm and placed it on his abdomen.

“And what is this called?” Magnus asked.

Alec’s breath hitched.

Alec couldn’t believe this was actually happening. He couldn’t believe this was real.

Magnus’ skin felt warm – even though it was apparently snowing outside.

He knew he was supposed to focus on the bones. But Alec couldn’t help but focus on all of it.

The line of sunburn just above the waistband of his boxers.

The birthmark right next to his bellybutton.

The way his stomach moved up and down with every breath, the movement almost hypnotic to the eyes.

Alec was so focused (or out of focus?) that he didn’t even realize he hadn’t spoken in over a minute.

“You don’t have to feel weird,” Magnus said gently. “You’re my friend.”

Alec’s hand moved away as if Magnus’ skin had burned him.

Magnus thought of him as a friend.

Magnus was just helping out a friend.

This wasn’t reality. It was just another fantasy.

“I think I’ll go study in the lab,” Alec said, picking up his books.

“What? Why?” Magnus sat up hastily. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Alec said in frustration. “I just…I’m gonna go.”

“Alec, wait,” Magnus said. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”

“This is…This is weird.”

“I don’t mind you touching m-”

“I don’t want to touch you,” Alec snapped.

Magnus flinched and then immediately got off Alec’s bed. “Right. Of course.”

“Magnus, that’s not what I-”

“I heard you loud and clear,” Magnus replied. “You can stay here. I’ll go out.”

“Magnus, hold on-”

“It’s fine,” Magnus said shortly from his own bed, already picking up his jeans.

Alec grabbed his arm and pulled him up. “I don’t want to touch you. Not like this.”

“Like what?” Magnus demanded.

“Like a friend.”

Magnus blinked.

“When I touch you for the first time, I don’t want it to be like this,” Alec said quietly. “I don’t want to be memorizing stuff. Fuck, I don’t even want to think. I just want to lose myself in you.”

Magnus’ eyes softened. “Well, why didn’t you say that before?”

Alec tried to think of a reason. A proper reason.

He couldn’t think of any.

“Cause I’m an idiot,” Alec said lamely.

Magnus looked at him for a minute then and Alec wondered what he was thinking. He is probably making a plan to get out of here, Alec thought.

“Take off your sweater,” Magnus said.

“I-” Alec blinked. “What?”

“It’s for a project for my design class,” Magnus shrugged. “I want to analyse the fabric. Take it off.”

“But you hate my clothes,” Alec said in confusion. “You always criticize how ug-”

“Alexander!!” Magnus put his hands up in frustration.

And then it clicked.

“Right,” Alec said, taking off his sweater. “Of course. Happy to help. Would this project by any chance require you to analyze ratty sweatpants?”

The smile Magnus gave him in return was enough to make up for the hidden sun outside.

[darklove9314-blog]

Underneath My Skin:A Nessian fanfiction

Author’s note: Hey guys!!! Welcome to day 7 of Nessian month, ( This one is late) today’s prompt is Tattoo Artist AU. If you want to participate in Nessian Month, all prompts are on @illyrianet page

“Are you nervous?” Gwyn asked as Nesta looked over to her, Emerie sitting in the next chair, scrolling through her feed on her phone.

“Why would I be nervous?” Nesta asked leading through the book she had brought with her.

Today had been the day that Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie had made the spontaneous decision to each get a tattoo. It was all their first and each of them had an appointment with a different tattoo artist who they had talked with over the phone and sent the rough idea of what they wanted done.

“Well it is your first tattoo and I know most people are nervous for theirs.” Nesta shrugged.

“Nesta?” A voice asked as her eyes flickered up to see one of the hottest males she had ever seen. She put her book away looking up at him with a smile. His hazel eyes looking down at her.

“That’s me.” She answered with a grin as Emerie gave her a knowing smirk. “I’m all set up whenever you’re ready.” He told her as Nesta stood up, Cassian was going back towards the booth in the corner Gwyn whispered

“Of course Nesta would get the hot one.“ She sighed as her name was called from the other side her eyes widened.

“I stand corrected.” Gwyn grinned standing up and calmly making her way to the other side of the parlor shaking another attractive mans hand. Introducing himself as Azriel. Nesta gave her a subtle wink. Emerie sighed,

“Of course you and Gwyn got the hot ones knowing my luck I’ll probably get-“

A blonde woman emerged calling Emerie’s name as Emerie’s eyes swept up and down, a shy smile crossing her face as she commented,

“I love this place.” She sprang up almost tripping over her chair as she quickly recovered following the blonde woman into her section as Nesta headed towards where Cassian was stationed.

Nesta looked at the stencil in his hand with the design she had emailed him about, a small book that had one of her favorite quotes written on the front of it. A quote that meant a lot to her and her friends. Nesta smiled at the design as she looked into Cassian‘s hazel brown eyes. Gosh, he really was handsome. If she had been at a bar instead of a tattoo parlor, she would have offered to buy him a drink, but she guessed talking to him while getting her tattoo done would do.

“Did you decide where you wanted your tattoo?” He asked as Nesta pointed to a specific placement on her forearm.

“Right here will do.” she told him as he placed the stencil on her to test out whether or not she liked it. the gentle brushing of his fingers sending shivers up her spine. She shouldn’t be thinking all the thoughts she was thinking with a total stranger. It wasn’t like her.

“Does that look good?” He asked his voice seeming an octave lower, she ignored it dutifully and stared at the tattoo that would be inked permanently to her skin in an hour or so.

She nodded eager to get started.

“Alright, go ahead and sit on the chair facing me.” He instructed as she sat in the chair.

Cassian grabbed his stool pulling it closer to her as he looked at his inks. she had chosen to do a tattoo with colors, so she knew he was setting up his black, gray, blue, and silver ink. She had seen his work online, knew that he was good at it. she was fully prepared.

“Just remember we can stop whenever you want to. We don’t have to get this all done today just in case you’re not feeling up to it.” He smiled.

She smiled at him at the challenge. “Oh I’m more than prepared for this.” Nesta answered him. His smile grew.

“In that case, let’s get started.” He replied as she felt the first prickle to her skin. It felt similar to a cat scratch. with barely any pain there, but she knew that there could potentially be a difference between how she felt while he was outlining vs how she’d feel when he was shading, some claimed the outline hurt some the opposite, but she knew that it would be worth it in the end,

“So how long have you been a tattoo artist?” She asked

“Going on six years.” He answered.

“Impressive.”

He gave her a slight smile illuminating his face. She notice the tattoos that inked his light brown skin and the scars that marred them.

“Do you have a favorite piece?” She asked after a few silent moments had passed.

“Of my work or the tattoos I’ve received?”

“Both.” She asked intrigued to hear his answers.

“I’ve done a lot of tattoos, as for a favorite-“ He shrugged, “I like hearing the meaning behind the tattoo, I like people sharing their stories, Don’t get me wrong, I love my craft, but the people are what makes this job worth it.“

She tilted her head at that wincing slightly as the needle went over where the bone was, she was told that would hurt the worst, so she distracted herself.

“So what’s the story on your favorite tattoo?” She asked watching his hands as he worked.

“Me and foster brothers have wings on our backs to symbolize our relationship that way no matter how far we go or what city we may end up in, we’ll always have something to remember each other by.“ He answered as Nesta felt a pang in her chest. She had heard stories about the foster care system. knew how tough it could be for the children who were in them, but she knew it wasn’t her place to ask and that it was his story to tell so she simply asked.

“Do you all still talk to each other?”

He had finished the outline and now had started on the shading. It stung slightly but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

“We’re roommates actually. One of them is actually working on your friend now.” He told her.

“The one by the name of Azriel?” She asked him. He nodded.

“That’s the one. He and I have always worked together. Rhys however, he works for the courthouse.”

“Didn’t want to be a tattoo artist like the rest of you?” She teased as a small smirk crossed his lips.

“He lacks the skills to do so.” He answered as Nesta felt another pang in her chest, One of a different sort.

“I can relate. I was more of the studious one in my family. My sister Feyre was the artist.” She answered.

“Does your sister live in the city?” He asked.

“Yes, but ugh, we’re not that close, it’s complicated.“ she answered not willing to elaborat. it wasn’t that her and Feyre didn’t love each other, it was just that having two neglectful parents made them seek comfort elsewhere. Anywhere else besides each other. Had made their fight horrid, both slewing out venomous words that they weren’t sure if they meant or not. It had been the worst when they both were teens, Feyre had been three years younger, but still accomplishing her goals had always been easier for Feyre, for Nesta, not so much.

Her and Elain were closer, but not by much. To Elain, Nesta had been overbearing. and she didn’t blame her for the thought. It was either she suffocated the people that she loved, becoming a burden or she hadn’t loved them enough. Both of which she had worked on in therapy or rather what she was still working on.

“I get complicated families.“ He said, a sad look in his eyes.

“I was always the complicated one.“ She told him. Not sure why she had done it. He was a complete stranger. but for whatever reason she felt as if she could talk to him about anything.

“So was I.” He confided in her. Making her eyes meet his. “Out of me, Rhys, and Azriel, I took things the hardest and I didn’t always handle them in the best ways. I always got into trouble. Said some awful things to them and the others, it took me time. And it wasn’t until I had a foster mom who gave a shit about why I was hurting that I truly started to heal. So I get being the complicated one, The way you feel like a burden even when you’re not.“

His thumb smoothed over the skin, checking on the ink there as she felt a calming reassurance in her chest. knowing that this would end soon. that this was probably the last time they would see each other.

“It looks like we’re almost done.” He told her changing to a lighter topic. Not knowing how they had gotten onto a heavier one,

“Looks like it.” She had told him. Looking at the book on her forearm.

“So I take it you’re a reader?” He asked, working on the last of her touchups.

“Have been since I was old enough to read.” She confirmed.

“Is this a quote from a book?” He asked gesturing to the quote there.

“Ugh no. It’s just the motto for us that my friend Gwyn came up with.” she told him as he read it.

“We are the rock against which the surf crashes and nothing can break us.” He smiled admiring the tattoo. “I like it.”

She wasn’t sure why the blush had crept on her cheeks at his words but it had.

“Thank you.” She told him hiding her blush from him. Normally she didn’t blush when a man gave her a compliment, but Cassian somehow was different.

“Well it looks like you’re done.” He answered. as she got up and went over to the full length mirror observing her tattoo, a book with her and her friends motto on it. They had all chosen the design together because as Gwyn had said herself, all their stories deserved to be told and all of them had a love for books.

“I love it. Thank you.“ She smiled as she glanced up at him.

“It was my pleasure.” He stated wrapping up her tattoo.

“Now you’re going to want to keep this wrapped for a couple of hours and then follow the instructions I give you on the paper you’ll leave with for tattoo after care, but besides that, you are free to go.”

After Nesta had paid and Gwyn and Emerie had finished with theirs. Gwyn and Emerie chatted happily about their tattoos looking at the colors they had chosen them in. the same colors as their friendship bracelets, Nesta smiled turning towards Cassian as she extended her hand to him.

“It was a pleasure meeting you.” Nesta told him as his hand slipped into hers, giving it a slight shake,

“The pleasure was all mine- Nesta-“

“Archeron.” She finished. A little more quickly then she would have liked.

“Nesta Archeron, the name does have a ring to it,” He answered giving her a wicked grin, Was he-Was he flirting with her? “Well Nesta Archeron, I hope we see each other again.” He stated and before she could answer his other client arrived as he went to tend to them and Gwyn and Emerie flocked her while they were outside,

“Do you ever think you’ll see him again?” Gwyn asked as Nesta looked back at the tattoo parlor with a smile on her face,

“I’m not sure, but I hope so,“

[hxney-lemcn]

In My Head — Five Hargreeves x fem! reader

Summery: Reader finds her soulmate as well as some of his family.

tw: Swearing

a/n: Soulmate au! Once you meet your soulmate you share a mental bond that allows you to know what the other is thinking.

wc: 1.1k

Main Master List | TUA Master List

Sitting a coffee shop I was on my computer working on homework. Currently doing my Trigonometry project that in my opinion stupid as all hell (I’m totally not projecting on the reader). I let out a frustrated groan as I once again read over the instructions and still having no clue what the teacher wanted me to do. I had my notebook open and flipped through notes hoping that could help me in any way yet got nowhere. 

You know what, fuck school. I minimized the tab and I felt an empty feeling wash over, not knowing what to do now. I took a sip of the tea I had forgetting I had it simply due to the fact I was too busy stressing over school. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes trying to lessen my stress. 

The sound of ceramic hitting wood caused me to open my eyes. A guy took a seat across from me (I was sitting in a booth). He was handsome I’ll give him that and to be honest I was surprised and confused on why he sat by me when there were many empty seats. My terrible social skills were apparent when my mind went blank, not knowing what I should say. I stared at him from behind my computer screen trying to make out what he wanted. He looked at me for a few seconds before going to stare out the window. 

Deciding to ignore the weird cute guy in front of me I pulled out my phone to text my math group chat to see if my friends could help. They didn’t reply fast enough for my liking and I decided that I should read the instructions one more time. Reading it more thoroughly I finally understood the basic of what I need to do. I smiled proudly at myself for being smart enough to slightly understand. I wrote down the correct equations in my note book and solved them, not really caring if they were wrong. 

“You did it wrong,” The guy finally spoke up pointing at one of the problems I solved. 

I looked up at him and shrugged, “Too bad, teacher’s gonna have to deal with it.” I looked back down at my work and I heard him sigh. 

“You forgot to add 4,” He hummed as he took a sip of his coffee. Looking over my work I realized he was correct and went to fix it. 

“Thanks,” I thanked him.  “My name’s (y/n), nice to meet you!” I smiled nicely. It was nice of him to help a stranger with their math work. 

“The name’s Five,” Five replied. “Nice to meet you too.” During our entire interaction he didn’t smile once and it made me kinda nervous. I didn’t want to annoy him but he was the one talking to me. 

“Why am I helping a stranger?” A voice said in my head. I furrowed my eyebrows not understanding why that went through my head? The sudden thought made me lose my focus on what I thought was important. 

“What the hell...” My thoughts trailed off as I stared at my computer confused. And of course a song got stuck in my head and that moment and I tapped my pen to the imaginary rhythm. 

“Why is a song I never heard running through my head?” The strange voice said once again. 

“Okay this is weird, why would I think that about (favorite song)?” I thought. 

“What’s your favorite song (y/n)?” Five asked me randomly. I tilted my head to the side and sent him a stare of confusion. “Humor me.”

“(Favorite song),” I replied. Five looked at me with a look of realization but his face went back to his normal stoic look. He nodded and then looked back out the window. 

“So I do have a soulmate,” The voice said in my head and I felt my eyes widen. I totally forgot soulmates were a thing. I remember my mom saying something about them before but I never truly believed her. What did she say about them again? Once you meet your soulmate you gain a mental bond? That would explain the voice in my head. I looked back up at Five. 

“How did I get such an attractive soulmate?” I wondered, but then I realized he probably heard that and I felt completely flustered. 

“Not to bad yourself,” Five thought smirking at me. I felt my cheeks flush and I looked away. 

“Fuck me,” I thought wanting to escape the situation I found myself in.

“Take me out to dinner first,” He replied and I choked on my tea. I gave him a wide eyed stare and he chuckled but tried to hide it behind his hand. 

“Don’t laugh!” I exclaimed not being able to stop myself from laughing as well. 

“Is little Five smiling?” Someone asked like they just saw the most bizarre thing in the world. I looked to my left and saw a man, who had amazing taste if I do say so myself, sit down next to Five.

“What are you doing Klaus,” Five said with a glare. 

“He’s never going to let this go,” Five thought.

“Is it so bad that I want to see what my little brother is doing?” Klaus asked putting a hand over his heart pretending to be sad/shocked. 

“I’m not giving you any money,” Five retaliated with a huff. 

“Wha-?” Klaus lets out with wide eyes which soon turn into puppy dog eyes. “Can’t I just see why my brother is sitting with a pretty young lady?” Klaus put his attention on to me and give me a wide grin, “My name is Klaus, nice to meet you!”

“(Y/n), nice to meet you as well!” I grinned back. Klaus glanced behind him before standing up. 

“It was nice meeting Five’s love interest but I have to head out now,” Klaus smiles at us before continuing. “Make sure you use protection.” Once again my cheeks flushed and I felt my eyes widen. 

“Ignore my sad excuse of a brother,” Five sighed out like that one moment drained all his energy. 

“I think he was funny,” I laughed slightly. Five rolled his eyes but I noticed the faintest of grins rested on his face. 

“I’m glad she likes him,” Five thought and a happy grin rested on my face. We sat in silence for a bit enjoying each others company. I saw the time and realized I needed to head home. I packed my computer in my backpack and stood up. I felt Five’s gaze on me and I gave him an apologetic smile. 

“I have to head home now,” I explained and he nodded in understanding.

“Meet me here at 2pm tomorrow,” Five said handing me a paper that held an address. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. 

“Uhm...okay,” I nodded slowly.

“Then it’s a date,” Five smirked and walked off.

“I wonder what their favorite movie is...” I heard Five think and I realized what type of date it’s going to be.

“(Favorite movie).”

[eatyourchancletas]

SUMMARY |  y/n l/n; the trauma surgeon who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and is taken hostage by the terrifying mafia known as ateez. despite their situations, love arises between the doctor and san; but when an enemy comes in between the group, breaking trust and belief between the members, what will san choose to save; his newfound love or his brothers?

PAIRING | choi san x male reader

INFO/CATEGORY | mafia au, angst

WARNINGS | violence, weapon usage/mention, adult language

[chapter index] [playlist] [previous chapter]

AUTHOR’S NOTE | chapter 2 is finally up! it was written by monnie, a sweetheart 😙 edited by alex! we hope you enjoy! please leave feedback, we really encourage it and enjoy it!

WORD COUNT | 1.7k

TAG LIST :; @jonghoshoe​ if you’d like to be added to the list, please say so in out inbox/ask box!

at this point y/n wondered why he followed his instincts. had he known it was a mafia on the other side of where he was, he could have gotten in his car, gone home to enjoy a cup of ramen, and then go to sleep. then again he didn’t know, so he blamed life’s cruelty.

“hey, good morning.” a soft voice brought him out of his thoughts. he glanced over at the familiar voice that belonged to the only person he’s seen in the past few days.

y/n said nothing, watching the other slide in a tray of steamy fresh food. “i noticed you eat a few things more than the others so i tried to give you bigger portions.”

“thanks,” y/n accepted the tray with no expression and seonghwa pursed his lips at the short answer. 

at the tense atmosphere, seonghwa excused himself. he wasn't sure if he felt pity for y/n, but either way, he just wanted y/n to grow used to this new environment because one thing was certain and that was that y/n could never go back to his old life.

seonghwa sighed softly, "good morning."

y/n tilted his head at him, looking up at the second in command with dull eyes. he simply hummed in greeting, clearly not in the mood during the past five days. 

the blonde gripped the tray, his patience running low with the older’s behavior. he's meaning well, he understands y/n, he does, but no one will get anywhere if there’s constant passiveness between the two.

 “i threw in an extra cookie,” he gestured to the pastry, “i figured you’d like some extra sugar in your system.”

once more, y/n hummed, nodding his head lightly.  it made seonghwa's blood boil—clearly, y/n wasn't vibing with him, and the last thing he thought of in this situation was the way y/n was being affected.

"hey, listen. your little silent treatment isn't gonna do jack here. you either socialize or stay down here, which isn't gonna happen because sooner or later they'll drag you up there. keep in mind you won't have anyone else to socialize with—forget your friends, family, everyone you had around before this. you'll be around us for as long as needed, maybe until your last breath."

y/n scoffed, looking away from seonghwa, something the older didn't take very nicely until he heard y/n’s meek reply, "you say that like it's easy."

the younger sputtered, handing y/n the tray of food, "i know it's hard, but just know each of us gave something up too. but, eventually, we all learned how to live with it,” seonghwa squatted to y/n’s level, “and you will too." 

the doctor swallowed, taking the tray and finally making eye contact with seonghwa. they shared a small pained smile, and seonghwa made one last comment before heading back, "make sure you eat up—don't want you dying on me after i took all that time to make such delicacies." 

y/n smiled to himself as he heard seonghwa shuffle to turn around. "thank you…i'll see you later…"

"sure will…” seonghwa’s chuckle ricocheted off the walls as he walked down the hall to the metal door. he pushed it open, making his way up the stairs and to the living room where a few of the others were gathered.

“hyung! just on time, we were talking about this upcoming mission we might have in a few days,” san commented as soon as he saw the older.

“is that so?” seonghwa mumbled in response as he sat down next to hongjoong, the other sipping iced bourbon from a glass cup.

“i’m not sure about it yet,” hongjoong set the glass down on the coffee table in front of him, “wooyoung still needs to gather more info before i verify anything. can’t be careless, remember?”

“totally, hyung. i’ll dig more into the client and have the info needed before morning.” wooyoung gave a reassuring smile to their boss, who simply hummed in return.

“by the way hwa,” hongjoong glanced at his boyfriend, leaning back into the leather couch and crossing his legs, “how’s the doctor?”

seonghwa blinked, “he’s fine, a bit down but he’ll get over it. so, in short, he’s behaved well these past days.”

hongjoong nodded, “that’s good, we’ll let him out tomorrow then. but right now i need you to go with san to the mechanic shop, make sure business is flowing well—which i don’t doubt. maybe visit mingi and yunho and see how well the loaning business has been. if i recall correctly, mingi said something about a few people not paying back on time; tell them not to get aggressive, we aren’t monsters after all.” there was a playful lilt to his tone, but they picked up on the seriousness behind it.

san got up, nodding at hongjoong’s orders, “we’ll tell yeo if anything happens.”

seonghwa followed suit, “we’ll see you later then,” he waved farewell without looking back at them.

wooyoung slid the folder over to hongjoong, the older raising a brow while taking it in his hands. “i gathered some info, it’s all in there—but to put it simply, i think we’ll gain lots of benefits after signing a deal with him. his name is yoo dongwoo, lives in seongnam.”

“that’s a bit too close to us, don’t you think?” hongjoong hums as he sets the folder down, resting his elbow on the armrest and his chin on the palm of his hand. 

“yeah, it is. but i think it’d be worth it. he seems to have lots of connections, and so far he’s never had an issue with payments, transportation and business—” wooyoung’s attention is taken when the door leading to the basement is pushed open.

“people!” yunho blocks y/n, capturing the attention of the others in the room. the tallest holds his arms out in a way of grand gesture, bowing, “i present you, y/n-”

“that’s...not necessary…” y/n can feel his skin grow warm under the tense and awkward atmosphere. luckily it’s broken by the one and only choi san.

“well we haven’t properly introduced ourselves if you think about it,” he pushed himself into y/n’s space, the doctor tensing up a bit at the close intrusion. yunho watched san, stepping aside to give the two some more space,“i’m san! nice to meet you! i’m sure we’ll get along just fine.”

the cheerful boy grinned widely, dimples making an appearance while his eyes did the opposite. y/n blinked, processing how close san was before taking a small step back. he didn’t reply verbally, giving a small smile and a nod instead,

“you know me already,” yunho said while taking a seat at the table.

"you know me too," seonghwa walked in with a tray of cookies, baking gloves protecting his hands.  "and take a seat."

y/n glanced at the table, not sure where to take a seat, but he guessed it didn't matter as long as he didn't sit near the boss.

"i'm hongjoong, the boss in case you didn't know," hongjoong watched the tray seonghwa placed on the table, waiting to grab a pastry.

"i'm mingi!" said male smiled as y/n hastily took the seat next to him. 

"i'm wooyoung, but call me woo if you want!" wooyoung was on the other side of y/n, making the doctor sandwiched between him and mingi.

"yeosang," the said male sat across from y/n, an intensely bored expression taking over his features. 

"did we miss anyone?" seonghwa rose a brow while taking off the gloves. 

"oh right, jongho! he's our bodyguard," san gestured at the buff male that stood by the door. 

y/n turned to look at him, jongho gently nodding his head at him and y/n doing the same. 

hongjoong clapped his hands, capturing everyone's attention. "great, now with that out of the way, let's get down to business."

everyone nodded at his words, taking a cookie from the tray seonghwa placed on the table. y/n accepted the one san handed to him, smiling a bit at how caring the male had shown to be so far. 

"we're heading out in the morning, i need everyone to get back to their usual jobs by evening so we'll try to make the exchange as quick as possible. everyone except y/n and yeosang will go, we need info and updates from the outside. 

before we leave i need yunho and mingi to make sure all the parts we'll hand over are correct. i don't want mistakes. wooyoung and i will take care of the talking, san and seonghwa will stand by the nearest exit to make sure everything is in order. jongho you'll be with me and woo." 

all nine of them nodded at hongjoong's orders. y/n voluntarily nodded, remembering seonghwa’s earlier words, “each of us gave something up too. but, eventually, we all learned how to live with it.” he knew he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so he figured he’d make it a bit easier for himself.

"and i need you all to wear bulletproof vests under your clothes just in case. your guns must be locked and loaded, got it?" 

"guns?" y/n blinked, capturing everyone's attention, "why are you guys willing to blow your organs out?" 

wooyoung smiled, his head tilting a bit, "why are you willing to work for people who’s organs have been blown out?” 

y/n opened his mouth before closing it and nodding in defeat, "fair point. i get paid for it, at least..."

they were all quiet before chuckling, the atmosphere feeling more warm and calm than what it was when they first gathered.

"has anyone seen y/n?" 

his peers shook their head, speaking of the last time they saw said male. the doctor he worked with mentioned something that made the nurse worry even more. 

"last thing i knew was that his car was towed since he never picked it up. didn't hear anything else though, but don't worry heeseung, maybe he picked it up afterwards." 

heeseung, the nurse that had asked about y/n's whereabouts, sighed. "right...i hope so...see you guys tomorrow!" 

his peers returned the smile and farewell. 

as heeseung took a seat on the bus, he pulled out his phone. the first thing he did was go to the messaging app and open his and y/n's chat. 

'hi :] 

how are you?