#got me thinking about when i wondered if i could delete pool ladders if i thought hard enough about them and wouldn't look at them j in case

[wonderinc-sonic]

Orange-toned children v simulation games. I'm not convinced Cream's characters are making it out of the creation step. I think she thinks that's where the game ends.

[jyunshiim]

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬; 𝙨𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 *✬★*’☽* ✬ ⤷𝘒𝘪𝘩𝘺𝘶𝘯 𝘹 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘶 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑

Genre → romance | angst | friends to acquaintances | friends to lovers | college!au |

Contains → fluff | angst 

Listen to →  Compass

Word count → 4975

TW → drinking & alcohol, implied assault (not explicit but implied)

Chapters → Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

The airport was bustling with people from all over the world. People with hoods up, a neck pillows around their neck, sweatshirts on and power banks at hand. Your arms wrap around you, tightening around you as you walk alongside Changkyun and Kihyun. Changkyun rolls his suitcases along side him, his hood looming over his head and his airpods in his ears ready for his departure. The atmosphere was tense but you knew what you heart was feeling. Kihyun tried to initiate conversation and Changkyun tried to keep his composure too since his mind was hectic enough after what happened a month or so ago. He stood still and turned around ready to say goodbye to his two best friends. You coudnt be mad at him, he was following his dream, something you encouraged so you took a deep breath and gave him once last hug. Who knew when he’d come back, today was the last day. “Hey, I’ll message you and talk to you and we can still play you know?” his hand rests at the back of your head and you felt serenity when he did so. You nod your head, feeling your eyes pool with tears already; “I value our friendship and trust me, it will never change!” he forces a smile knowing how much it pained him to formulate what came out of his mouth. Kihyun gently patted your back as you stepped away from Changkyun, your cheeks wet from your tears. “Your hoodies wet, sorry.” You sniffle as Changkyun just smiles at you reassuringly. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” He looks down in despair. Changkyun hugs Kihyun however this time it felt apologetic and empathetic; “I’m sorry if I caused you any pain Kihyun, take care of her well, I’ll see you again sometime soon,” His lips stretch into a smile before he grabs his suitcase to make his journey to the States. Who knew when the trio would meet again.

“Hey, are you okay?” Kihyun asks you. He could tell from the empty stare that you were hurt but you turn to him smiling as you’d always do, “yeah, I’m okay just… wouldn’t have expected him to leave you know?” you shrug before linking your arm with Kihyun’s. Changkyun pondered in the aircraft, his head leaning against the interior of the plane, staring to the nothingness outside. He was off to the states with his parents to start a new life, to experience new things. You and Kihyun took the bus home but instead Kihyun stopped off at the mall. “why did you stop here?” you ask looking at yourself in your compact mirror. “Maybe get you something to eat since you didn’t eat anything?” He grabs your hand and looks back up at your again and stops for a moment. Maybe that wasn’t a good idea? He gently takes his hand away from yours and waits for you to get off before he followed. Kihyun tried his best on this occasion to make you happy, paying for food and also buying some ice cream. The sky was progressively getting darker as you both walked home together the sweetness of the ice cream setting on your tastebuds. “are you feeling slightly better now?” he asks you as he holds the empty ice cream cup in his left hand leaving his right hand unoccupied. “a little bit, I guess I just have to accept it right?” you smile at him, “besides I’m moving onto campus in a couple days so it’s just the matter of getting on with it.” You clear you throat before a downpour spewed from the darkened sky. Instinctively, you latch onto Kihyun’s arm but that was when he’d have an umbrella on him. “it didn’t say it’d rain today?” Kihyun looks over at you shivering from the rain. He takes his long bomber jacket off from his body and drapes it over your shoulders to keep you as warm as possible. “What are you doing Kihyun?” the exclamation in your voice startling him. “You’re cold and I gave you my jacket,” Kihyun’s head tilts, stating what he was doing. “I mean, thank you I do appreciate it,” you smile, “if you had other ideas in your head, don’t..” Kihyun panicked. You smiled at his light-hearted teasing but Kihyun looked ahead whilst walking. You approached your house first and gave Kihyun a hug; “thank you for walking me home and comforting me this evening,” You say as your head was leaning into his shoulder, his arms were around your waist respectively. “I’ll be here for you and Changkyun will be there for you to regardless of time zones,” he speaks softly as you part from the embrace, “I know, I hope we can still keep in touch when we move to university.” You say as you make eye contact with Kihyun’s . You remove the jacket from the shoulders and hand it to Kihyun; “please get home safely, message me when you’re home,” You smile at Kihyun. It was like old times, where you used to prove you cared for me…“I will, I promise,” Kihyun puts his hand on your shoulder before he turns around and leaves through the gates and disappears around the corner. My heart never skipped beats like this before, get a hold of yourself. He puts his jacket back on and makes the rest of the journey home with the bus.

“Are you home yet?” you type in then delete the message. Your phone rests in your hand and you think what to write. You didn’t want to sound obsessive or too protective but you wanted to sound protective enough. “hey, are you home safe and sound?”

Kihyun looks down at his phone, taking it out of his pocket as he takes his shoes off and hangs his wet jacket to dry. “Yeah, just walked in,” Kihyun types, it felt weird how you’d message him only when you didn’t have Changkyun’s attention but he shook his head to forget the absurd thoughts since his mind was making things up to mess with him. “you okay?” he messages back.

“Yeah especially after this evening, thank you so much Kihyun,” you reply to him as you sit at your dining table with your family for dinner; “do you wanna maybe help out with me moving out?” you type then delete it again because he must be doing the same. “when will you be moving to your uni campus?” You ask him since you didn’t know where he was going but assumed it wasn’t to yours. “I’m packing on Thursday for Saturday.” Kihyun replies,

The blinking line in the text box blinks to the rhythm of your heart. You felt stupid for asking but you were curious. Your evening was spent with your family, enjoying and celebrating your acceptance to Seoul University; you wondered how these wondrous dorms looked like and if you were going to have a room mate, you thought about making new friends and going to university events and having unlimited access to the library that was radiating knowledge. It was all so new and it was exciting to you. You messaged Changkyun just so he knew you were thinking about him and you waited for his response although you knew he wouldn’t reply until tomorrow. You had to begin packing so you went to scavenge for some boxes which were in the attic. Your father helped bring the ladder down and you both went up to grab some boxes and to your surprise you found a few things that your forgot about. There were some photo albums and multiple boxes of trinkets and items which you went through. They were photos of you and Kihyun from your preschool days, some toys and presents that were made by Kihyun and a his glove that he left at your house when he was 6 years old. It brought a smile to you face. “hey, are these all you need?” your father asks holding up some flat boxes; “huh? Oh, yeah those are it!” you leave the stuff in the box and put it back into its place and going back down to pack your items. During the process, it felt nauseating to leave your family and voyage on this journey alone. How would you cope without your mother and father there to help you when you needed them, your mothers cooking, your puppy? It should be fine right? Your desk was almost all cleared away and you grabbed the final two things; the photo of you Changkyun and Kihyun and the stuffed bunny. You couldn’t leave them behind you had to take them with you.

Moving out day arrived shortly and you sat in the car with your father going to your campus to move in. “did you check your accommodation?” your father asks. “I did and it looked good!” you smile confidently. Little did you know photos and real life are two different things. You arrived to your accommodation; it was a tall building looming over on the street that had other accommodation complexes; the prices were astronomical and almost unaffordable so you stayed safe with the cheaper option. You fiddle with the keycard between your sweaty palms, why were you so nervous? You got to your dorm and you swiped the card to let you in although, despite the technology, the interior was cold and almost damp. “oh god, why is it like this in here?” your father asks as he takes a look around. The gas pipes trailed along the skirting of the walls, the paint was chipped and had minor stains on them which you didn’t want to question, not to mention the tattered curtains and dark carpets. “these carpets were supposed to be a light brown,” your father gulped “I have a carpet cleaner at home, we can clean this place up a bit before you settle?” he suggests and you just nod to him, not feeling very satisfied with what you have witnessed. You check the bathroom; the tiles were a rusty brown and there was limescale covering the shower head, taps and sink. God… you thought to yourself, you had a lot of cleaning to do. You didn’t have a private kitchen so the communal kitchen was something you had to get used to as well as sharing a fridge and cupboards. From this day on, you began to get your dorm into shape, cleaning and restoring the dorm as much as you could and investing in some slippers just to be extra clean! You set up your computer at your desk and brought in your items to move in peacefully. The windows were large and opened wide enough to let out the aroma of bleach and chemicals waft out as you spray some air freshener so you could respirate in your own living space. After your father left, you tried to get used to your dorm before there was a knock just as you sat down. You didn’t know if you should open the door so you just yelled: “ I didn’t order anything, I just moved in!”

“We’re not here for delivery!” one of the voices called out. It was a cheerful, higher pitched voice. She sounded cute and friendly so you stood up and took the risk to open the door. The girl had a blue hair that was looking seafoam green in the hallway lighting. He eyes were rounder and her dark almost like a puppy. “Hello floor mate, I’m Gowon!” she is the most beautiful person I have ever seen in my life – you thought to yourself. “ I moved in a couple weeks ago and I thought we could get to know each other!” She smiles, her pink tinted lips turn into a wholesome smile. You nervously chuckle, “ahah yeah! That’d be nice. I’m trying to get used to me dorm right now,” your hand rests on the back of your neck. “ you’ll get used to it in no time!” she smiles at you, “what are you going to major in?” she asks. God, I’m a Business and Management major, does that make me boring? “Business and Management..” your tone lowers, embarrassed at what you were saying. “Oh my god really! My friend does that, I’m super interested in fashion so fashion designing was quite interesting!” who was her friend? “do you have anyone from your school here?” Gowon asks and you shake your head. “what can you do,” you let your lips curl into a smile, “ one of my friends moved to the states because he wanted to go to university there and my other friend is staying here but I don’t know where he’s going, he hasn’t told me and I don’t wanna ask him because what if he did tell me and I wasn’t listening, I’d feel bad.” Your thoughts where going hectic. Gowon puts her hand on your shoulder, “hey! It’s okay if you keep in contact that’s all that matters and besides you can meet new people here!”

Gowon was so sweet and you could see yourself become really close friends with her. You text Kihyun; “hey! I moved in.” you type and add a smile emoticon to make it seem less dry than looked. You notice the bubble with the three dots appear – he was typing- and you sat on your bed waiting for his reply. “that’s cool! How is it?” he replied. He wanted to know what conditions you were living in hoping it was too bad. “it’s okay, there were a few problems but it’s okay, it’s all sorted out… kinda.”

You spoke to Kihyun for a few minutes before he had to go offline since he was busy. You first university day starts in a couple weeks so you had time to get used to your environment and make some friends while you were at it but it wasn’t easy since everyone was in their rooms most the time. Only Gowon was out on walks or getting some coffee or going for a small food shop. You thought it’d be a good opportunity to hang out with her for a while to get comfortable and become closer friends.

[a couple weeks later]

Your alarm buzzed at 6am. You haven’t heard that for a while and it was infuriating to hear the annoying sound at your ears when it was still dark outside. You grab your phone and sit up in your bed, tossing aside your phone which decided it would like it better on the floor. You groaned tiredly and slip on you slippers and grab a hoodie to make your way to the bathroom to freshen up. You look around for the toothbrush and toothpaste wondering where they were. Of course, you didn’t turn the light on, so your pushed the light switch to find them on your sink. Your tiredness was getting the best of you. You got dressed and decided today wasn’t the day for breakfast, grabbed your bad, phone, purse and key card to make your way to campus. It was cold but it was refreshing to walk in. Usually you’d walk with Kihyun but of course, he wasn’t here to walk with you every morning.

Gowon runs up behind you; “bOO!” she yells which startles you. “oh my-” you raise your voice only to realise it was Gowon. “did I scare you?” he nudged. Your connection to her felt familiar, like you knew her for a long time and it was comforting. You see behind her there was another person; His hair was blond and wavey, stopping just under is brows, lips tinted a light pink and his smooth, glass like skin illuminated by the winter sun. “This is Minhyuk, he helped me out when we both moved on the same day!” Gowon introduces and Minhyuk waves at you, smiling at you charmingly. You raise your hand and introduce yourself before you all go to campus. Who knew how easy it was to make new friends? Two already? 

You think how Kihyun was doing but to your little knowledge, he was already in his first class getting to know everyone. He looked at his phone, swiping up to unlock it then pressing the green speech bubble to message you. “Hey, you in uni yet?” he asks you. “hey Kihyun, I am. Why are you messaging me?” you sounded a little passive aggressive you you send the ‘x’ kiss. “you do know I got to the same university as you but someonewas too excited to even ask me :/” you gasped and held the screen closer to your face. “have you seen a ghost?” Gowon asks “or did someone send you an early morning naughty photo” Minhyuk snickers behind her looking over her should just to see a series of texts. “boyfriend?” he asks. You shake your head; “no no, it’s just my best friend apparently he goes here too but-” you were interrupted by Gowon’s gas, “you didn’t ask him! Girl, were you dating someone and forgot about him?” you stood there silently biting your lip. “I take that as a yes, tell us about him, what does he do, where does he go, introduce us to him plea-” Gowon paused after seeing how dismal it made you feel talking about him. “he left to the states and I guess I have to move on,” you force a smile, “lets go shall we?”

Why did Kihyun make it hard for you. Now they think you’re in a love triangle, you hope they didn’t at least. Your introductory day went well and you met a lot of people who are doing the same degree as you. “Hey,” Kihyun waves with a smile whislt walking over to you. “Wow how have you not fallen for him?” Gowon asks you and you don’t respond. “what’s up man, your bestie here has said a lot about you!” Lies. Absolute lies. I don’t hate him but you don’t want people to get the wrong idea. “oh really? I must be the centre of your conversations then.” He looks down at you and ruffles your hair and you smile back. “well me and Kihyun have know each other since we were born pretty much,” you giggle before someone interrupted yet again, “hey, you four coming to the freshers party?” he asks. You all look at each other. “oh um, sure why not!” Minhyuk smiles from ear to ear. Freshers parties are for the new students to interact and get to know each other often organised by the senior students. “when is it?” Kihyun and Gowon ask simultaneously. “it’s actually going to be next month since the uni team are free then, it’ll be at a share house just a few minutes away from the campus, but I hope you guys can come!” the guy smiles and waves. “OI wait, what time?” Minhyuk hollers. “Probably 7pm and you can leave by the early hours of the morning, see ya!”

“damn so much freedom and responsibility, how does it feel to be so free?” Gowon asks. “My parents allowed me to do things reasonably, but this is a lot of responsibility,” you twiddled your thumbs, “she never got drunk, a good little bunny she is.” Kihyun smiles and chuckles teasing you. “you guys seem like a couple” Gowon giggles, “what a shame girly, I quite liked the look of your best friend Kihyun.” Gowon pouted. You felt a bit sick; “ew, this guy? Did you know he-” Kihyun’s hand covers your mouth, “now now, I am a man of many mysteries,” he raises a brow. You scoff.

Later that evening you hung out with the three friends you have, and you were invited to Minhyuk’s dorm. “Damn you have everything sorted here, your lights are cool!” Kihyun points out, “and a games console, alright turn it on let’s play!”

You and Gowon sit on Minhyuk’s bed and talk to each other. You glance at the boys and your heart does flips. No stop it don’t do that. You tell yourself, Gowon’s voice muffling until you were shaken out of it – quite literally. You try to divert the attention and soon after you decide to go back to your dorm. The trio seemed disheartened that you had to leave first but you just had to go.

You lay in your bed staring at the leak stain on your ceiling before turning away to the side, watching the screen of your phone glow blue. You gasped; “Hey, how are you?” it was Changkyun and he finally messaged you since he left. “I’m okay-” you think to type ‘I miss you’ but you didn’t want to sound .. well you know. “I’m okay, I made a couple friends!”

You and Changkyun spoke for a little bit until he stopped replying. It seems like he fell asleep; you knew he was enjoying his time there, Changkyun never turns down a party. You sigh loudly in your room before the heating stops and your room temperature drops rapidly. “no no no-“ you go to your heating dial trying to fix it. There was no hope; why is it your dorm room with all these problems? You let it be and tried to go to sleep with layers of blankets to keep you warm.

-

“Hey, are you excited for the party?” Gowon asks. “so excited,” you smile and look at Minhyuk and Kihyun talking about something, “how about you guys?” You ask. “awh yeah, I think it’d be so cool!” Minhyuk smiled; his soft puppy like features not matching up with his ‘rebellious bad boy’ vibes was something that entranced you, just how? “Yeah, It’s a new experience so that’s cool,” Kihyun added.

Throughout the day you and Gowon and Minhyuk became closer as did Kihyun. “yo, so where does your girlfriend go?” Minhyuk asks assuming Kihyun had one. Kihyub smiles and sighs, “I never dated anyone..” Gowon gasped at his remark. “I mean I tried to set him up with my friend Irene but he just refused,” you shrug “what a shame, she was a nice girl.” You say as you stand beside him. “she actually refused me, did she tell you otherwise?” he asks you, his voice low. What’s gotten in to him? “I mean, no I just assumed that-“ you were interrupted by him, “heres a life lesson, assuming things isn’t very safe it can lead to many problems,” He patted your head and smiled “she refused me politely so now you know.”

Gowon stared at him in disbelief. “have you ever had feeling for anyone?” she was interested to know. He shook his head; it was a blatant lie. “Woow…” she looked away in disbelief. Kihyun laughed already predicting their reactions but he brushed it off it was no big deal, sometimes it was best to move on, right? [later that evening] The room was cramped with students new and old dancing and drinking with their friends in the kitchen, standing in the hallways and sitting on stairs. The music was blaring out so loud that you could barely even hear your thoughts which was a good thing. You approached a small group of people who seemed to be a year older; “hey! You’re a new student here right, first year?” one of the guys spoke out to you from the other end of the room and he seemed to be approaching you at a quick pace with a drink in his hand. “want some help getting to know some people?” he seemed super friendly and draped an arm around you and escorted you around the place. You already lost the others, usually Kihyun would be beside you regardless but he left with Minhyuk somewhere. You took a sip of the liquid which gave your tongue a burning sensation; “new to drinking I see, you’ll get used to it,” he smiles at you his arm tightening around your shoulder. “so out here are all the kids who were a part of some drama and they’re quite daring too, I must say I am a part of that group,” he chuckles “no worries though because in the kitchen are the 2nd year business and management lot.. they’re a bit boring but there’s that,” he tuts and passes them as your heart sank since you saw Minhyuk and Kihyun together with Gowon and someone else they befriended whilst you were being taken around by some random student. You felt a little dizzy as he was showing you around until you asked to sit down to which you were sat down on a couch with that guy. Voices began to muffle slowly, your world a haze; what was that drink? Or what was IN that drink?

You open your eyes, gasping for air finding yourself still on the couch although your head was in someone’s lap. You look up to see it was Kihyun and you gulped, nervous to even ask what happened. He looked rather angry and out of character, Minhyuk sitting with his hands in his hands and Gowon sitting on the arm of the seat. “she’s up guys there really was no reason to act up like that was it?” She looked at the boys. What even happened?

–      Minhyuk and Kihyun both saw you passed out on the couch with the older boys surrounding you with cameras out facing the ‘nice guy’ trying to do something that wasn’t right. They were both furious but they were confused as to why each other reacted the way they did. Charging in absolute anger, Minhyuk threw the guy off you and Kihyun lifted your head up to check up on you. “Leave her alone!” Minhyuk grunted as the guy held him by the collar throwing a punch and leaving him on the floor. Kihyun checked if you were hurt and luckily you weren’t but he thought why Minhyuk go so angry so quick. It reminded him of how protective Changkyun was of you and it made his stomach churn. –

“let’s take you home..” Kihyun sighs “ I don’t think right now is the best time to come to parties..” he knew something would happen if he left you alone. “taking advantage of people is so shit,” Minhyuk scoffs as Gowon pats his back. “Let’s all just go and make sure she’s okay,” Gowon picks up your stuff. Only 3 hours in and this is what happens, what a vibe killer.

Your dorm has a leaking ceiling so when you opened your door your bed was wet. “you must be joking..” you whisper. “are you okay?” Kihyun asks. “yeah I’m fine thanks, you can go now, sorry for the trouble,” you look down in disappointment. “no problem, I’m here for you whenever you need me okay, my apartment is a few minutes away from your dorm,” he writes down his address on a text message and sends it to you. You nod and thank him before shutting the door and looking at the leak and open your door heading out again. “oh hey, you alright?” Minhyuk comes back with a plastic bag of things he bought from the convenience store; “why are you outside?” he asks “leak in my ceiling again…” you respond. “ahh, wanna hang at mine before you decide what to do?” you think for a moment. Maybe going to Kihyun’s was a good idea. “I think I might visit Kihyun now,” you nod.

You felt awful. You created such a scene yet Kihyun was still there for you. You get to his apartment and knock at the door and he opens knowing it was you. “welcome, good thing I’m making food” he smiles grabbing your hand to pull your inside “come here it’s cold out there”

“I’m sorry for what I did today,” you gulp and avoid eye contact. “sorry for what? Being an idiot and taking a drink from someone else? Yeah don’t worry you didn’t know but next time don’t get lost you have a phone for a reason,” he says laying a bowl of ramen in front of you, “anyway eat up,” he says going for it as soon as he sat down. “why are you here?” he asks. You stare at him, there was genuine concern in his eyes. “I have a leak in my dorm and my bed is wet,” Kihyun laughs, “what a lame excuse to hang out with me AND stay with me,” he jokes “I’m joking of course.” He hands you one of his hoodies since you seemed cold. “well you can stay here until someone fixes that leak in your dorm,” he smiles softly. I want to tell her right here right now… he opens his mouth then stops. “what were you going to say?”

“it doesn’t matter don’t worry…” he held back, no matter how hard it was. He tucked a bit of hair that dangled down the side of your face back. “don’t eat your hair too?” he jokes and laughs. “since when were you so cocky Kihyun?” you asked him since you noticed a shift in behaviour. I have no competition… “Oh I guess new school new me?” he shrugs. “right,” you nod.

You and Kihyun sit on his bed watching something on youtube, laughing at a show you both like until he drifted off leaning back on his headboard. You thought it was an uncomfortable position, so you moved his head to your shoulder and threw a blanket over him. This felt like the good old days. Your eyes also began to get heavy, so you thought to close your eyes for only a few seconds. Although, seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours, by the time you knew it you were both asleep. Fast asleep.

- Chapter 4

[raywritesthings]

Dear Friend, 1/?

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak, Joanna de la Vega Pairing: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen Summary: When Felicity decides to get serious about Ray, she knows it won’t be a good idea for Oliver to be hanging around. So she turns to the world of online dating to keep him distracted. Unknown to the both of them, over the summer Joanna had set Laurel up with an online dating account in the hopes that her friend could move on from past failed relationships. There’s only one way this can end. *Can also be read on my AO3*

Not for the first time, Felicity wondered what she was going to do about Oliver.

After what had seemed an age, he had finally asked her out and they were going to give things a shot — only for him to back out thanks to a bomb going off in the restaurant. Definitely not her usual fantasy ending.

She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been hurt. He’d tried to tell her it wasn’t due to a lack of feelings on his part, but Felicity wasn’t really interested in what his excuse was. If he really loved her, he would want to be with her no matter what. She’d waited too long to settle for anything less.

And then things had changed.

Put off as she’d been by her new day job boss at first, Ray Palmer had quickly grown on her. Lifting her out of the secretarial pool had been a small mercy, for one thing. She would have rather stayed in her retail job than go back to that. And he was open with her about his past and the things he struggled with, more open than Oliver had been in three years. She felt like he saw her and as more than just a last resort.

Ray was...something. A something she sort of wanted to see what it might become. But that was never going to happen with Oliver and the specter of their nonstarter relationship hanging over her. She only had to look back two years to see how he’d single-handedly dismantled Laurel’s chances with Tommy to see where that would go.

Things would be best if Oliver’s attentions were directed elsewhere, that much was clear. But she doubted she could convince him to start a relationship with someone who didn’t even know his secrets if he wasn’t willing to date her and be the Arrow at the same time.

If she could just give him the illusion of pursuit to distract himself with, that might just be enough. He wasn’t any good at hanging onto relationships anyway, so it’d probably be more fun for him to not actually be in one, merely testing the waters of one — or perhaps several, if that was what it took.

Her chances of getting him to try speed-dating were slim to none, at least not in person. But there was a much more convenient alternative she thought far more likely.

“Technology saves the day again,” Felicity thought to herself. Now how to put this in a way he might actually be willing to consider.

She puzzled over that for the rest of the workday and on her drive to the Verdant. When she arrived, she found herself in luck; Oliver was the only one occupying the Cave. The salmon ladder, too. She was really lucky today.

As tended to happen, Felicity’s careful planning came out in a single blurt. “So, I was thinking about your problem.”

Oliver paused on the rung he was currently hanging from and looked down. “My problem?”

“Your dating problem.”

He grimaced and dropped down onto the mat. “Felicity—”

“I know, I’m the last person you want to talk to about this. But let us consider why we are in this situation in the first place.”

Oliver said nothing, but he wasn’t running away either. Not that he had anywhere to run when this was both his base and home. Felicity took this as a sign to continue.

“You don’t feel you can be close to another person while being the Arrow. But you would also like a relationship. So I thought of a way to achieve both of those things.” She reached over to the table where Oliver had placed his phone along with his water and wallet.

“What are you doing?” He was more puzzled than angry-sounding, and he made no move to stop her as she entered his password and went to the app store.

“I am downloading an online dating app and creating an account for you.”

“Online dating?” He echoed, incredulous. Oliver made a grab for the phone, but she pulled it in towards her chest, still typing away. Felicity knew he’d never force it out of her hands even though he could. “I don’t want that.”

“But you need it. You don’t stay single long, Oliver, and there is a long line of ex-girlfriends who can attest to that.”

He didn’t have an argument to deny that, and they both knew it.

Eventually he said, “I don’t think online dating is the best way for someone like me to date, Felicity. I have a reputation that would be hard for a stranger to see past.”

“That’s why it’s anonymous.”

“Anonymous?”

She nodded. “You get a username and a little bio description, and then you match with another person based off the answers you gave to various preference questions. Then after you have a certain number of conversations, you can choose to share your picture or name or whatever.”

“What if you don’t want to?”

“Then don’t,” she said with a shrug. She had to suppress a smile as well, as that was ultimately the goal here: keep Oliver busy with possible romances for as long as possible. She could never see him settling down with one, at any rate.

“So, your username. Any ideas?”

Oliver was silent. Still a reluctant participant, then.

“Hm. Well, what about…” Felicity snapped her fingers. “King of Survival. Get it? Cause surviving is kind of your thing, and the king part is a play on your name. Can’t really use Queen. That would definitely be giving off the wrong vibe,” Felicity said, her smile fading when he didn't laugh. Not that she would’ve expected it. She typed it in and hit the box for the next page. “Anyway, now there’s just the bio and answering some basic questions about preferences.”

She began typing out what she felt to be a fair and accurate description without getting into any incriminating detail. Oliver wandered over a little closer. He looked as though mentally he was starting and stopping several sentences.

“What sort of questions do they ask?”

“The basics. If you’re a neat freak or a slob, cats or dogs, favorite foods. You’re not big on sweets, right?”

“Actually, I — well, I don’t dislike them.”

Felicity looked up in surprise. She would never have guessed. “But you drink black coffee.”

“Sure, because it’s coffee. But I like, you know, ice cream. And Thea and I, every Christmas we used to — well, it doesn’t matter.”

Felicity was glad. She wasn’t particularly interested in Oliver’s Christmas traditions with his sister that had no doubt fallen by the wayside long ago. She held out the phone. “Maybe you should answer the questions.”

He took it and stared down at the screen. “There’s no chance you’re gonna let me just delete this thing, is there?”

“Nope.” Felicity reached out and touched his arm. “Just give it a try. For me?”

Oliver’s shoulders rose and fell with his sigh. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is,” she said scarcely before he’d finished. “Okay, so answer the questions, and then you should be all set up and start seeing other profiles.”

Oliver’s deep frown remained throughout as he hit the button for this or that answer. But John and then Roy soon entered the base, meaning she couldn’t really ask. Oliver was going to need privacy if she wanted him to actually try, and something told her John would say this wasn’t a good idea.

As the boys all left the Cave, however, she decided a little peek wouldn’t hurt. Just to make sure he’d finished setting up the profile. To her relief, he had, and slowly more and more matches were being brought up for him to look at.

“That’s one distracted Oliver and me in the clear,” Felicity muttered to herself, locking Oliver’s phone and setting it aside again.

So far so good.

—-

It wasn’t until the next morning that Oliver got around to looking at his phone again, much less the newly-added app. Part of him thought to just ignore it altogether, but the device had been periodically beeping with notifications. Probably as it found new supposed matches for him. This was ridiculous.

Oliver couldn’t even believe he’d agreed to this. What interest did he have in online dating? He wished he could be with Felicity, but it was just too much of a risk. Was this just her way of trying to prove a point to him? He already knew that the life he’d chosen could only be a solitary one.

But he supposed he owed it to her to give it a try. She’d gone ahead and put the app into his phone, anyway, so it was useless to argue whether or not it was happening. And it wasn’t as if he had anything else to do during the daytimes. Even he knew training for the entire day only to fight through most of the night was more of a detriment to his health in the long run than anything. And he’d promised Felicity.

Oliver opened the app and began scrolling down a list displaying accounts that had been selected according to his own preferences. They each had their own username and a short bio attached, and his eyes caught on one in particular.

JusticeIsAWoman

Career-driven. Closer to thirty than I’d like. Slow to get to know, but passionate about the people close to me. Really just looking for a friend.

That could work. At the least, it didn’t really sound like an actual relationship would result — which he didn’t want in the first place, but he didn’t want to hurt some anonymous person’s feelings over it.

He could tell Felicity he’d tried even if it didn’t work out. At the least it wouldn’t be lying.

And something about the bio’s frank tone intrigued him. It felt more authentic, like someone he wouldn’t mind talking to, even if it only lasted a few minutes. And there was no denying the irony of a vigilante pursuing justice.

Nothing ventured…

He hit the icon that opened up a message box and began to type.

—-

Work was not exactly going well today. She was still tired and a bit sore from her workouts at the gym, not that she was about to give those up. It was the only time she really felt alive anymore, not like at the office where she had to pretend everything was fine and that she hadn’t watched her sister’s body fall off a rooftop only a few short weeks ago.

It wasn’t that she hated her job. It just wasn’t enough anymore, not when the city was regularly on the verge of crisis the past few years and the justice system couldn’t even try keeping up. Sitting on the sidelines and watching Oliver and the others do something about it just grew more and more frustrating with each passing day.

It wasn’t as if she could have much of her own life anymore. She was lying to her father about Sara, lying to anyone not on Oliver’s team about the Arrow, and lying to herself about why she kept turning down various invites to go out or be set up with a friend of a colleague. Why not do something worthwhile with the time she wasn’t using?

A vaguely familiar sounding ping came from her purse. Laurel dug around in it for her phone and blinked at the screen. Then she groaned.

“Speak of the devil.”

There was a notification from the dating app Joanna had made her download this past summer. It had been a while since she’d heard anything from it; truthfully Laurel had been pretty sure she’d fended off the majority of any potential suitors, which she realized was not what her friend had wanted at all.

“You need to get back out there,” Joanna had said. “Seriously, Laurel, you have gone through so much, and I don’t want to see you give up on a single part of your life. And that includes relationships.”

“Joanna, I appreciate that, I really do.” Laurel had tried for a smile, not wanting to make her friend feel bad. “But it’s not that I’m not dating because I’m still hung up on some guy.” Not the guy Joanna had probably been thinking of, anyway. “I just really don’t have the time to date around.”

“Who does anymore? That is why all the young professionals have gotten into this nifty thing called online dating.”

She’d suppressed a groan. “I think you mean old people.”

“Yeah, on eHarmony, sure. But there’s sites for busybodies hitting their thirties just like you and me.”

“I’m not sure it’s going to look that great for the ADA to be online dating,” Laurel had said, thinking it an easy-out.

“Then we’ll set you up with one of those anonymous sites,” Joanna had decided. “It’s more for the practice than anything. Just to boost your confidence so you can start dating in the real world again.”

Grudgingly, she’d handed her phone over and let Joanna search for and download an app that met the right specifications.

“Now, you’re gonna need a username. Something kind of mysterious and sexy—”

“I’m not trying to be sexy,” she’d reminded her friend.

“--but still you,” Joanna had continued as though Laurel hadn’t spoken. She’d bitten her lip in a long few minutes of thought, and just when Laurel had begun to hope they’d been stymied before this could really begin, Joanna’s eyes had lit up. “Oh, this one’s perfect!”

Laurel had leaned over the table to watch her friend’s typing. “Justice is a woman?”

“And that woman is you. Come on, it fits.”

She’d coached Laurel through writing a little bio section that didn’t give away any real personal details and a brief questionnaire that was meant to determine her preferences. Laurel had insisted on making it clear she wasn’t really in the market for a relationship; just a friend would do.

“You realize most guys are gonna take that as code for a one-night stand, right?”

Joanna had been right, which had meant a couple solid weeks of slogging through various offers and blocking anyone who sent her an attachment on sight. With a little bit of tweaking, the messages had slowed to a trickle — though most of those were requests to join some pre-existing couple’s threesome since she’d honestly listed her openness towards talking to either men or women once Joanna hadn’t been watching.

But she’d forgotten all about it especially in the wake of Sara’s murder. Laurel unlocked her phone with the full intention to just delete the app, but her eyes caught sight of the message that had been sent.

KingOfSurvival: is the looking for a friend part of your bio for real?

Something about it gave her pause. It wasn’t exactly easy to tell over the internet, but the question seemed genuine. Although she wasn’t sure what to make of that username. The likelihood was that she was reading way too much into it, however, so with that in mind she typed out a terse reply.

JusticeIsAWoman: is that the setup for some kind of ‘change your mind with a dick pic’ maneuver

The reply was almost immediate.

KingOfSurvival: no

KingOfSurvival: I just meant I could use a friend myself. I’m not really on here to see anyone or hookup or anything with pictures

KingOfSurvival: do people really do that?

JusticeIsAWoman: you wouldn’t believe how often

She sat back in her chair, considering the turn this had taken. He wasn’t interested in dating her or sex, but he’d messaged her anyway. And in the middle of the workday. That didn’t exactly speak well for him, but maybe he was on his lunch break. Laurel hadn’t been planning to take one, but there wasn’t anything pressing on her desk at the moment.

JusticeIsAWoman: if you’re not interested in dating, what are you doing on a dating site?

KingOfSurvival: couldn’t I ask you the same?

“Touché,” Laurel muttered under her breath. He’d already sent a second message before she could begin typing.

KingOfSurvival: truth is a friend signed me up for this

JusticeIsAWoman: same thing happened to me

KingOfSurvival: that might say something about the company we both keep

JusticeIsAWoman: is that why you’re looking for new friends

There was a longer wait for his answer, and Laurel chewed her bottom lip, wondering if that remark had been a bit too biting.

KingOfSurvival: I laughed more than I should have at that

KingOfSurvival: but really, I guess my personal life is a little complicated and having someone else to talk to would be nice

Complicated personal life. Well, she doubted it could be as complicated as hers. And really, what was she doing chatting with some random stranger on the internet while her whole world kept getting knocked out from under her?

But having someone else to talk to would be nice. Someone who didn’t see her as all her past mistakes, or as just another fellow alcoholic. Wasn’t that the whole point to this anonymity?

JusticeIsAWoman: well, I don’t know how good I’ll be at it, but I can try to be that someone

JusticeIsAWoman: but there’s no way your personal life is more complicated than mine

KingOfSurvival: we’ll have to agree to disagree on that

KingOfSurvival: but if you need someone to talk to, too, then this might work out for both of us

JusticeIsAWoman: looks like it

She happened to glance at the time at the top of her screen and gave a guilty start

JusticeIsAWoman: but maybe later. Kind of need to get back to work

KingOfSurvival: oh, right. My bad

JusticeIsAWoman: are you unemployed or something?

KingOfSurvival: or something

JusticeIsAWoman: hm

KingOfSurvival: don’t you need to get going?

A short laugh escaped her at that, which surprised her. She actually couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed. Probably with Sara on the roof…

What was she doing? Laurel shook her head.

JusticeIsAWoman: fine, you get off easy for now

She set her phone aside face down and resisted the urge to check when it chirped again with her new anonymous friend’s reply. She’d save it for after work. That was the responsible thing to do.

Was it wrong to feel like she had something to look forward to now?

[mystwright]

Lone Wolf PT.2

Characters: You and Taehyung (V)

Word Count: 3542

Genre: Fluff/ Smut

PT. 1 here PT.3 Here 

Chemistry felt like it was taking longer than usual to end. As you sat staring at your teacher lecture about chemical bonds, you couldn't help thinking about what happened earlier between the three of you. Maybe Tae was used to remarks like that by now, but you couldn’t stand the idea of that.

It was true that he had a rather bad reputation… but you found out through time that majority of them were all lies and rumors made by tasteless peers�� peers who included some of your “closest” friends. A bad guy… some might say about Tae... But really, he was just someone people could point their fingers at and blame when something went wrong because he seemed to fit the mold.

“Ionic bonds” Your teacher continued. “I’m sure you have all heard about this before. When opposite charges attract, those atoms bond together to form a molecule”

You stared at the powerpoint and thought about what your teacher had just said. In a way, the bond he spoke of kinda felt like the relationship you had with Tae. Complete opposites.. Yet when you two were together.. It felt so right.

You laughed at yourself for a second. Only you would use your relationship as an example to help you study for any upcoming test.  All this thinking about him though just made you realize how badly you wanted to see him already.

You took a glance at the clock and saw that 10 minutes still remained. Now was your chance to put your plan in action. After months of using your phones secretly in class, you and your friends were now self proclaimed pros at not getting caught. You swiped your phone open and began a new text message.

*Hey Jess, I won't be able to make it to the meeting today. I’m not feeling too well… even missed English earlier... Could you take some notes for me since I can’t make it?*

Your phone buzzed immediately and you almost burst out laughing from her response.

*I knew that blueberry muffin seemed suspicious! I told you not to eat it!* She replied.

*I’m sorry! I’ll only listen to you from now on* You texted back.

*Damn right Y/N! God, you’re so lucky to have me in your life! And don’t you worry, I’ll take notes for you.*

*Thank you*

You saw that you still had 3 unread messages from Jin. You contemplated just deleting them but then you didn't. Even if he was an asshole to Tae…. He was just being a concerned friend, right? He didn't know of your relationship with him… In fact, no one did.

*Y/N, I heard that you weren't feeling well, let me know if you need anything*

*Class is almost over. I wrote the HW down for you.*

*Where are you Y/N?”

You figured the last message was what sent him on a mission to find you since you never replied.

You turned your phone off and stared at the clock again. One minute remained and so you began to pack your bag. Looking at it reminded you of Tae carrying it, and you couldn’t help but smile and wonder what the two of you would be doing later that day.

As soon as the bell rung, the school’s hallways were filled with students trying to leave and get home. You took your time walking down the hall to the parking lot because you didn't want to make yourself seem suspicious. You and Tae had a secret meeting spot that was more than a few blocks away from campus and you didn't need to have anyone seeing or following you there.

With your phone in your hand, you texted Tae as you sat in your car waiting for it to warm up.

*What are we gonna be doing today?*

*It’s a surprise ;) * He texted back.

Such a tease, you thought to yourself.

*I’m gonna head home and shower real quick. I’ll see you in a bit, okay?*

*A shower sounds good. I guess I’ll go take one too…Or maybe we could take one together? Save water?*

You were ready to throw your phone out the window.

*OMG* You texted back.

*I’m joking Y/N! I’m an idiot. Please don’t take me seriously!*

You just laughed to yourself in the car.

*Like I said, in a bit,  okay?*

*Okay ;)*

At home and in your bathroom, you took a glance at yourself in the mirror as you held a small pill in your hand. Tiny bruises covered your breasts and your bum was still a little red. You checked to make sure there were no marks on your neck or arms. You would have no idea how to explain that to your family or friends if they saw. Overall though, he did a really good job of not marking you anywhere visible. You took the pill and then stepped into the shower and wondered if you left any marks on him.

The place where you and Tae met up was nowhere special except to you and him. It was the town’s run down drive in theatre that no one ever came to visit anymore. You pulled in and saw Tae parked in his black mustang. Once he saw you, he got out of his car to meet you. As he walked over, you ran up to kiss him.

“Did you miss me that much Y/N?” He asked smiling.

You nodded and he placed a kiss on your forehead.

“I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier…” You began

“Don’t worry about it Y/N” He said stopping you.

“But..”

“Really, Y/N. Let’s just forget about it. You’re here and I’m here. That’s all that matters” He kissed you on your forehead again. “Come on, I have something I want to show you. But we need to start driving there now if we want to get you back home in time.”

“Where are we going?” You asked.

“Swimming” He said with a smirk.

In his car, you looked at Tae and wondered where he was actually taking you guys. He was being awfully quiet. Too quiet.

“Tae”

“Humm” 

“I don't have a swimsuit.. And neither do you, right?”

“Right”

“We’re not going skinny dipping, right?” You asked.

Tae began to laugh.

“Tae!”

He looked over at you.

“You’re just so cute sometime Y/N. We’re not going skinny dipping… unless you want to some other time?”

You shook your head.

“Noooo! I’ve heard horror stories about skinny dipping before.”

“Like what?” He asked as he turned the steering wheel.

“Things like people getting sick.. getting pink eye or somehow the flu from the water… people getting caught... Having their stuff stolen and having to walk around naked outdoors. It just doesn't seem fun!”

Tae laughed again and you couldn't help but smile.

“Don't worry Y/N, we will never go skinny dipping then.”

“Thank god” You replied.

You looked outside the window.

“Hey! I know where we are! We're at the college campus, aren't we?”

“You've been here before?”

“Only once for a quick tour. We weren't here very long. 30 minutes at most to get an interview from a professor”

“Oh good, for a second I thought you might have already seen where I was going to take you.”

“No idea!” You replied.

Tae pulled up to a parking station to grab a parking pass and winked at you.

“We’re gonna need one of these so we don't get a ticket”

Once he found a parking spot, he grabbed a black bag from his back seat and then motioned for you to take his hand.

“Come on Y/N”

Walking on the college campus with Tae felt like a completely different experience. Here, no one knew who you were and so you both were able to walk around and hold hands. No one judged you or Tae. If you were back at school, everyone would talk. Here, you were just free. 

“Tae, wait”

“What is it Y/N?”

You moved up to him and gave him a kiss in the middle of the campus while students continued to walk around.

“What was that for?” He asked.

“This is our first time really out in public together… and that was our first kiss out in public.” You replied. “It's a little cheesy, I know, but I couldn't help it”

Like earlier, Tae moved his forehead to yours. It was a small notion, but it was one you enjoyed so much.

He lifted your lips to his and kissed you again.

“And that was our second kiss out in public” He replied.

The two of you made it to the edge of the campus. 

“Just a little more Y/N.”

He led you through a small open field and then through what seemed to be  a man made trail.

“ Are you getting tired?”

“No, I’m fine, but what's out here?”

“Just a few more steps and you’ll see”

You took a glance ahead and then you saw it. In the middle of the field was a giant abandoned swimming pool.

“Woah! What is this place?”

Tae smiled.

“Back in the early 90’s, swimming was all the rage here. But once they started winning more competitions, the board felt the need to build a bigger and better pool. This one eventually became abandoned… kinda like our movie theatre.”

Despite the age, the empty pool still seemed to have life. Somehow, small flower patches had begun to grow inside and the walls were covered with beautiful works of graffiti.

“Ready for a dive?” He asked. “There's a ladder over here”

You both climbed down and you continued to look around in awe.

“Did you do these?” You asked referring to the graffiti. You ran your hand across the empty pool’s wall and tried to imagine how he probably spent countless hours creating all the art down there.

He seemed a little embarrassed.

“I did. Sorry, they're nothing impressive. Just something I did to pass the time when I was bored and by myself.”

“No need to apologize, I think you did a great job. Could you teach me?” You asked.

A giant grin grew on his face.

“Let me grab the bottles out of my bag”

“This was your plan all along, wasn't it?” You asked smiling.

“Maybe” He said as he grinned again.

Out of his black bag, he grabbed two spray cans.

“Red or yellow…. Which color do you want?”

“Red!”

He handed you the can.

“Oh, one more thing Y/N.”

He went back to rummaging his bag.

“Here.”

“What is it?

“A face mask so you won't inhale the fumes. I won't be able to see your pretty lips but I'll still get to see your pretty eyes”

You could feel yourself turning red from his words. “How will I kiss you now?” You asked after you put the mask on.

He shook his head and laughed.

“Ah, Y/N, what am I going to do with you? You're making me lose my cool here”

He put his mask on and then grabbed the can and motioned for you to do the same.

“You're gonna want to shake the can first like this and then aim towards the wall. When you're ready, push down on the nozzle”

After demonstrating what he said you did the same.

“Oh! This isn’t too hard!”

“Let's try to make a flower”

He outlined some petals and you did the same.

As you traced the outline of the petals, Tae couldn't take his eyes off of you. You looked so determined not to fail but you were already perfect in every way. He wanted nothing more than to take your mask off and kiss you again.

“How am I doing?” You asked.

“Better than me” He replied.. And he meant it. Everything just came so effortlessly to you.

You felt proud and continued to spray paint the wall. “Could we get in trouble for doing this?” You asked.

“Probably”

“What?!?”

From behind you, Tae put the spray bottle down and then wrapped his arms around you and laughed.

“You’re bad Y/N. Admit it.”

He took his mask off and rested his chin on your shoulder.

“Never.” You replied.

He nuzzled his face into your neck and then began to leave a trail of small kisses down your neck.

“You sure about that?”

You lifted the spray can and tried to distract yourself from what he was trying to do.

“Yep! Now stop trying to bother me! I'm trying to work” You replied…. but he was determined to make you admit it and you were glad he was. Moments like these were hard to come by and so you enjoyed every moment.

His hands traveled over your lightly clothed body and you cursed at yourself for changing into this thin t shirt. He continued to kiss your neck and then he ran his hands under your shirt and gently grabbed your breasts. You let out a small moan and he continued.

He lightly bit your neck.

“Admit it Y/N”

He pulled your bra down and teasingly rubbed and pinched your nipples.

Momentarily lost in bliss, you dropped the spray can and jumped up, scarring the both of you. Two loud screams echoed through the pool. You glanced over to Tae and couldn't help but laugh at how scared he looked.

You readjusted your clothes and then took off your face mask.

“Are you okay?” You asked.

“Holy crap Y/N, I think I just had a heart attack”

“That's what you get for teasing me”

You looked at each other again and started laughing. You went up to him and hugged him.

“Alright Y/N, ready to head home? It's getting pretty late” He asked as he looked at his watch.

“Already? But we just got here?”

You hugged him tighter.

“If I'm being honest, no. I still wanna be here with you”

“Sorry it takes so long to get here but we gotta get you home before you get in trouble” He reminded you. “I promise you that we'll come back one day when we have more time.”

“Just a little longer? The flower we made looks too lonely by itself….”

You began to pout and Tae couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

“Let's meet up again tomorrow” He replied.

“Tomorrow after school?” You asked with a smile.

He shook his head.

“Ah, I didn't finish Y/N… Early in the morning. You and me. Are you up for it?”

Your smile turned into a pout. “How early are we talking?

“Early early.”

“Before school?”

“Earlier”

You dug your face into his chest. “But you know I love sleep” You replied.

He backed away slowly and lifted your face up to meet his. “And I know you love me”

Holy shit. You thought to yourself. Did he just use the L word on you?

You needed to distract yourself from what he just said.

“What's there to do so early in the morning?”

Tae smiled.

“You'd be surprised. So are you up for it?”

“If it means being able to spend more time with you…. then yes”

“Perfect. I'll pick you up. Now let's go. I want you to get lots of rest!”

The walk back to his car was sweet to say the least. You both continued to hold hands and even stopped to look around every now and then to see what was going on around campus.

“Look, there's a little pop up shop! Could we stop by real quick?” You asked.

You both walked up to the booth and you couldn't help but be in awe at the dream catchers that were on sale.

“Do you have a lot of bad dreams?” Tae asked.

“When I first moved here I did. But then I met you and now my dreams are really happy! Before that though, I just have always wanted one anyways”

You continued looking around.

“They have posters too!”

You sprinted off before Tae could reply. As you browsed the posters, he went up to the owner of the booth.

“Will you be here tomorrow?” Tae asked.

“Oh yes! The booth is usually set up by 11 am and I stay here until about 6 or 7.. depending on if I get any help putting everything away”

“I see. Thank you” Tae replied.

He walked over to you.

“See anything you like?”

“I love them all!” You replied with a smile. “But I think this one would look great in my room!” You said as you held up an all too familiar painting.

“One of my favorite artists” He replied.

“I remember you telling me that. I like his art too”

You put the poster back down and smiled at him. “Okay, I'm really ready to go this time”

“You sure Y/N? You said that last time and then we had to stop and grab a drink” He replied laughing.

“But you were thirsty too! And besides… it was a nice little rest! We walked so much today!”

“If you're tired Y/N, I can carry you”

He got closer to you and you could tell what he was planning.

“No, I'm fine! Don't you dare!” You said as you backed away.

But it was too late. He picked you up in his arms and couldn't help but laugh as you protested.

“I'm too heavy for you to carry!”

“Nonsense Y/N. You're perfect. I could carry you for days”

You looked at him and couldn't help but laugh with him. He gave you a kiss and then put you down.

During the drive home, you couldn't help but look at him every now and then as he drove you back to the drive in. There was just something about how the light hit his sun kissed skin that made you swoon. Forget the posters you saw today you thought. Tae was living art and all he was doing was driving. 

Due to the time, at the drive in you both said your goodbyes and then quickly parted ways after a few kisses.

*Sorry for the rushed goodbye. I'll give you a time later today* He texted

*Sounds good! Now go get some sleep!*

*It’s only 7 Y/N….”

*Shhhhhhh* You texted back.

“You're a little late today” Your mom said as you got in. “Dinner has been ready for quite some time now” 

“Sorry, I know. I should have texted you but we were stuck debating what theme prom should be. Do you have any ideas mom?”

You knew talking about school always made your mom excited.

“I always liked Masquerades!”

“Oh! I didn't think of that! I'll have to let the group know”

“Who are you thinking of going to prom with?” She asked. “How about that handsome boy I met that one time... What was his name? Oh! Jin!”

Ah. of course your mom would suggest him.

“I don't know. I mean, I haven't really thought about it yet, mom. I don't even know if I want to go”

“What!?” Your mom asked. “Prom is going to be one of those things you'll always remember and get to talk about later. Take me for example… I went to prom, and I don't regret it at all!”

“Oh gosh mom, I guess I’ll have to think about it some more then.”

“What’s wrong with Jin? Why don’t you want to go with him? If he asked me out, I’d say yes!”

“Oh my god Mom! Stop!”

“Well, what is it then?”

You knew why but now just wasn’t the time to let her know about you and Tae yet.

“I’m just too busy at the moment to think about this. Actually, I just remembered that I have a paper to write. Is it okay if I have dinner in my room tonight?”

“You know I hate it when you eat in your room… but I suppose it'll be okay just for tonight. I know you've been busy with school lately. Don't make this a habit though!”

“Thanks mom.” You grabbed a plate and ran to your room.

Inside your room, you hardly touched your food. Instead, you laid in bed and thought about you and Tae. You wondered how your mom would feel if she ever met him. Would she like him just as much as she liked Jin? Or would she be disappointed that he wasn't this seeming perfect human being?

Your phone went off and you finally saw a new text from Tae.

*How does 2 AM sound?*

*I don't think that's early enough* You texted back. *JK I should probably go to bed now then*

*Get lots of rest love* He texted.

There was the L word again.

*Alrighty! Good night Tae*

*Good night Y/N*

After returning your dish, you got back to your room to get ready. For once in your life, you were glad you lived down stairs. You left your window open just wide enough so it could fit you because you knew that opening it later probably wouldn't be a good idea. You got your outfit ready and then got in bed and turned on your alarm.

PT. 3 Here

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