#he really is one of the few characters i am super close to and take kinda to heart | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nicka-nell · 2 months

Note

omg ur taking requests!

can you do some angst to fluff with Atsumu, Iwaizumi, Suna, Kuroo, Ushijima, and Sakusa (I’m sorry if they’re too many you can choose whoever you want to write about from these characters, I luv all of them soooo much)

Can you make it like really really Angsty in the start. Like the characters doing something they’ll regret a lot and then they spend a lot of efforts making up for it? Please make it fluffy in the end, I can’t handle sad endings 😭

Also please don’t include anything with infidelity or mentions of it. My boyfriend of 3 years cheated on me last month and I’m having such a hard time.

Thank you for considering my request. And there’s no pressure to accept, I don’t mind at all.

Hi! yes I am taking requests right now. 😇 First of all, I'm so sorry that you had such a negative experience. But tbh, you're better off this way. Nobody needs such an ass cheating on them! 😔😤 My ex did that too, with my ex-best friend btw. I also had a hard time but quickly felt better because I realised that it's a waste of time to cry over such a dick. I hope you don't lose hope in a healthy relationship based on trust. There really are good people out there and I hope you find someone who can appreciate you. Sending you a lot of hugs and kisses. 🤗💚❤️‍🩹

And for your request. I've written three stories for Tsumu, Iwa and Suna. Unfortunately they got a bit tooo long for my taste, so I only made these 3. I hope that's okay. I really had problems making it super angsty (urg, I need more practice for angsty stuff 😵‍💫). As you wished, I didn't include anything with cheating (even though I had a few ideas haha.) and I also added a trigger warning before each story. I think Iwa's and Suna's in particular might be a bit darker... so you can decide on your own if you want to continue reading it or not. Anyway, I hope you still like it, and thanks for your request. Stay healthy! 🥰💚

Regretting their actions

Pairing: Atsumu x, Iwaizumi x, Suna x reader

Warning: angst to fluff, break-up (Atsumu, Suna), mention of abuse/anger issues, mention of blood (Iwaizumi), mention of abortion, mention of drugs/pills (Suna)

Part 1 | Part 2 (End)

tw: mention of break-up

You met Atsumu when he came to his brother’s onigiri store for the housewarming.

The two of you got along well quickly. And it wasn’t long before he kissed you at a party, looked at you with his cheeky grin and said, “Tastes better than a victory.”

More things happened that night. Not just simple kisses and when you woke up next to him in bed, he asked you, still sleepy: “You’re my girlfriend now, aren’t you?”

You’ve been together for several years now and were thinking about moving in together soon when Atsumu’s career suddenly took off. He was traveling abroad more often and had less time for you or looking for an apartment.

And then it happened…

You scroll through the apartment search app for something suitable for the two of you, lying on the bed while missing him terribly. You close the app to go to your messenger, only to realize that you were the one who last texted Atsumu... two days ago… Two blue check marks indicate that he has read your messages but has not replied. Your fingers hover over the keypad of your phone and you think about writing to him. Maybe he read your message during training and didn’t have time to reply. Maybe he just forgot about it afterwards... maybe...

“Hey Tsumu... I know you’re busy but, I hope you’re doing well. Love you.” you type into your phone and send the message with a strange feeling in your stomach. It doesn’t take long before you see under his name that he is online. The gray check marks next to your message turn blue, but instead of replying, you see that he went offline again. You swallow a big lump down your throat, your heart feels heavy. Maybe he can’t answer you right now... you try to convince yourself again.

Several hours pass as you sink your head into your pillow and try to stifle your tears. Atsumu’s sports t-shirt is in your arms, which he had given you before his trip abroad. Time passes and suddenly you hear the ringtone of your phone as a message arrives. Your heart hits loud against your chest as you reach for your phone and see your boyfriend’s name. But your joy quickly disappears, the lump in your throat gets bigger and you can’t breathe.

>> Hey... listen, I think it’s better if we end the relationship… break up. I don’t know, but I just don’t have time for it. I’ll see you around. <<

It feels like a slap in the face. As if this is a poor joke. You want to write to him, ask him what this is all about, but your tears blur your vision. The only thing you send is a “really?” but the message is no longer read. It remains on one gray check mark.

Two days go by and you still think it was all a bad joke, but every time you read his message, you feel like throwing up. Has he really dumped the whole relationship? By a shitty text message? You open your Instagram account and enter his name almost as if on autopilot.

Another slap in the face as your tears run down your cheeks again. His bio no longer says “Best setter and proud boyfriend” but simply “Setter MSBY Black Jackal”. All the pictures he had with you on his account have been deleted. Instead, you can only see advertising photos or private photos of him. The last eight pictures are of him, Hinata and Bokuto dancing and having fun with fans in different bars. Atsumu grins at the camera as if he doesn’t care about you at all. As if your relationship meant nothing to him.

You text him some more times, leave him voicemails because he never answers your calls. But after a few days, you let it go. It only frustrates you even more to see how little this relationship actually meant to him. For days, you cry yourself to sleep, what doesn’t go unnoticed by Osamu. After all, he sees you three times a week when you help him out in his store. When you tell him what has happened, he is also speechless, because Atsumu has really pissed him off with all his raving about you. So why would he break-up with you out of the blue? Osamu can’t see you as devastated as a heap of misery. So he also tries to find out the reason for the break-up between you and his silly brother. But when he calls him, Atsumu only faces him coldly on the phone. “Did she tell you to ask me? Leave it okay? I think I just realized that I don’t want a relationship.”

Two months go by and somehow you still can’t believe that your relationship just fell apart. Osamu tries to distract you somehow, but it doesn’t help because he reminds you too much of your idiot ex-boyfriend.

Nevertheless, you are grateful to Osamu for swapping your shift with his coworker’s shift so that you can open the store with him in the morning. That way, you avoid running into Atsumu, who is more likely to be in the restaurant in the evening as soon as he returns from his stay abroad. You’re not ready to face him at the moment.

Just as you’re about to finish work, you remember that you wanted to show Osamu a video on your phone. “Look, the new trailer for the second season of this soccer series is out. Shall we watch the first episode together on Saturday after work?” you ask Osamu as he approaches you and looks over your shoulder. He rests his hand on the counter next to you, his chest almost touching your back, but he keeps his distance from you respectfully. You are both focused on the trailer, not hearing the doorbell from the store.

Atsumu is tired. The flight was delayed, and he hasn’t been able to sleep properly for weeks. How could he sleep well with all the partying and Hinata as his roommate, who spent the night in the hotel calling his friends from Karasuno. At least that’s what he tells himself… that this is the reason for his sleepless nights. But this thought vanishes when he steps into his brother’s store hungry, actually only wanting to eat a few onigiris and then go home. Into his apartment. His empty, dreary apartment. But as he walks through the door of the store, it feels as if someone has hit his chest with full force, knocking the air out of him.

He sees Osamu leaning towards you with a sense of familiarity. What’s going on there? And why does it bother him so much that you giggle and look at Osamu, who returns your gaze with a nod and a smile before turning to the door? His brother winces when he sees Atsumu. As you turn around as well, your smile disappears.

You look at Atsumu as if you’ve just seen a corpse, before packing your bag and saying goodbye to Osamu with a “See you tomorrow.”, only to walk past Atsumu with quick steps. You don’t even give him a glance, knowing that if you locked eyes with him, your tears would run. You would want to ask him questions upon questions. Why did you break up with me? Why am I not enough for you? Why did you lie to me for so long? Why...

As you walk through the door, you accidentally bump into him. This nudge, which was actually rather gentle, felt so painful. Why does it bother Atsumu to see you standing so close to his brother? Why does it hurt him that you stared at him with those empty eyes, as if he were a stranger? No. Worse, as if he were someone who had hurt you. Why does he have the feeling that he couldn’t make a sound if he opened his mouth now? The answer is simple, and even Atsumu seems to understand it by now as he looks from the now closed door over to Osamu, who stares at him with an indifferent expression crossing his arms in front of his chest. “So this is what someone who has realized that he doesn’t want a relationship looks like? Ya look like shit.”

Oh, how Atsumu would love to punch Osamu in the face. “Why are ya touchin’ my girl?” is bitter on his tongue, but he has no right to say it out loud. After all, he was the one who turned you down. The blonde Miya suddenly realizes how incredibly stupid his action was.

Back then, Atsumu had not expected to be traveling abroad so often. At first, it was only temporary stays. Nothing that would damage a relationship.

But the last few times in particular, he was sometimes away for several months. You kept telling him on the phone that everything was okay, but every time he called Osamu, he said that your eyes were sometimes red when you came to work and that you looked tired and sad.

Atsumu knew he was the reason. That you’d probably be better off without him. After all, you’re a great woman, someone who would find a new partner quickly.

You didn’t deserve to be sad all the time when he was gone. You should be happy. After all, a smile suits you so much better than a sad expression.

Atsumu would concentrate on his career. It would be difficult for him at first, but he would manage without you. He had to… for your sake.

So his mind was made up when he read your unanswered, concerned messages. If he texts you now to say that it’s over, being an ass to you, you’ll be able to forget him quickly… That was what he thought.

But it wasn’t that easy. Your puzzled messages, your crying voice on his voicemail, broke his heart. Yet he tried to cover it all up with parties and his dear fans. He convinced himself that he was fine. Only to arrive home, see you and realize what an idiot he was, how much he missed you.

And now it’s Atsumu who reaches for his phone and texts you message after message.

Atsumu 8:02 PM: Hey babe, no.. hey Y/n. I know I have no right to text you. But please… let’s talk. I fucked up. Damn, I fucked up so hard that I don’t even know how to start… shit…

Atsumu 8:12 PM: Please… please answer your phone, babe…

Atsumu 8:44 PM: I know I’ve fucked up. I know I hurt and disappointed you. Fuck, I know I was an ass. Yk, I thought I was doing the right thing.

Atsumu 9:34 PM: Fuck… please answer me… I still… damnit.

That was the last message you received from Atsumu before you put your phone away and tried to forget him. Why is he doing this to you? Why is he stirring up your feelings again?

But Atsumu doesn’t think about stopping now. He runs to your house, to the apartment building and rings your doorbell. Once, twice, he rings so often that you can’t ignore it. You are about to tell him to leave through the loudspeaker system, but he interrupts you.

“Fuck baby, please open the door. I’m… I still love ya, okay? I always loved ya. I - shit, can ya even hear me? Fuck…” he curses agitatedly and presses the bell next to your nameplate again several times.

But instead of letting him in, you go down to the entrance of the apartment building and open the door with an expression on your face that Atsumu has never seen before. What is it? Anger, sadness, despair? Everything somehow.

“Say... are you kidding me? Do you think that’s funny?” you ask him, bewildered, still standing in the open doorway. Of course, you wouldn’t just believe him. Atsumu could have guessed. Your reaction was completely understandable. But he has to do something to show you that he’s serious.

“No, no, I don’t. I’m dead serious. Please let me explain,” he says, and starts to tell you that he thought a break-up would be best for you because he’s not good enough for you. Since you were obviously so sad about him leaving so often and he didn’t want to be the reason. He tells you that he thought he could get over you, but that he had to realize that you are the most important thing to him. Something… someone he doesn’t want to lose. With shaky hands and a still agitated voice, Atsumu takes out his phone.

“I wanted ya to hate me so that it would be easier for ya. But believe me, I... I couldn’t forget ya. Look, you’re still my wallpaper. All the photos of the two of us are still on my phone, all the memories-“ he is about to unlock his screen when his phone falls out of his hand and drops to the floor. Atsumu seems to be completely overwhelmed right now, as if he doesn’t know what to do. Should he bend down, pick up the phone, should he keep talking to you or hug you? He doesn’t know.

”Baby, please, please, I’ll do anything. Please gimme a chance. I’ll talk to my agent about not takin’ so many jobs abroad. I will be with ya more often. Always write to ya and call ya in the evening when I’m not at home. Let’s look for an apartment so we can move in together. Please, please, I would do anything. Please believe me that I love ya. Please..." he begs in a voice that becomes more and more brittle with every word. His eyes are full of emotion and his hands, which have unconsciously reached for yours, are trembling terribly.

“Two months... two months you ignored me, treated me like a piece of trash.” You say in a low voice as you search for eye contact. Atsumu has never felt so scared. Only now does he realize that the love of his life is standing in front of him, and that this might be the last time he’ll see her again, the last time he’ll touch her skin. But then again… Atsumu was an ass, so why should you forgive him? No, he can’t think like that. After all, you loved him. And if you love him as much as he loves you, then maybe there’s still hope.

“I know, and I know I can never make it up to ya. I know it’s not done with an ‘I’m sorry’. I’m the dumbest, most idiotic ex-boyfriend you’ve ever had. But... I’m stubborn too. And if that means chasin’ after ya for 10 years, drivin’ to yer apartment every day to ring the doorbell and tell ya I still love ya, wishin’ ya a good night every day, nice dreams and telling ya how important you are to me... I’ll do it. Every damn day, if it means there’s still a little hope for us.” He answers you hoarsely, keeping eye contact, hoping that you see how honest his words are.

You sigh, bend down, and pick up his phone before handing it to him. Atsumu doesn’t know what to do with all this. His face grimaces as if he’s expecting the worst. “Then... you shouldn’t lose your phone... if you want to write to me every day,” you answer him, a weak smile on your lips. Atsumu’s sorrowful expression suddenly changes and you see him looking at you with hope.

“Does that mean ya...” the blonde Miya can no longer contain his emotions as he leaps forward and pulls you into his arms. His embrace is so tight that you can barely breathe, as if he’s afraid you’ll slip out of his hands. Firm, but quivering. His whole body is shaking and you’re sure you’ve just felt something wet on your skin. Tears? Is Atsumu crying? “I promise to be a pain in yer ass every day. To text ya, to call ya, to be there for ya. Even in yer sleep. Okay? I love ya... I love ya so much...”

tw: abuse, anger issues, mention of blood

You’ve been with Iwaizumi since your school days. Back then, as a little flirt at school, Oikawa and Matsukawa mainly teased Iwaizumi for having a crush on you.

But in the end, many were jealous of the perfect couple who waltzed together on the dance floor at the prom with loving looks on their faces.

You were inseparable. Even Iwaizumi’s stay in America for his university didn’t affect your relationship. So it was no wonder that you got married after his return and were the perfect happy couple.

At least for the first few years.

The stress of being a coach for the Japanese national team is weighing on Iwaizumi’s mind. He normally handles stressful situations well, but he is under pressure.

If the team fails to perform in the next few games, he will lose many sponsors and possibly even his job.

Iwaizumi is constantly on edge and you feel like you have to walk on eggshells around him so you don’t provoke him.

More often, he has sudden temper tantrums, shouting at you about things that aren’t worth mentioning. “Damn it, I told you I need this one shirt for today. Why isn’t it clean?”

And once, when you stumbled with your words and asked him whether it might not be better to take a break as a coach, he was so angry that he almost hit you. But he managed to hold back and just sighed before going out for a beer in a nearby bar.

You don’t want to admit it to yourself, but right now, you’re really scared of your own husband.

Today was another training match between the Japanese national team and the Indonesian team. The team’s performance was better, but nowhere near good enough to shine. You watched the game on TV and run through your imaginary list in your head already, of potential trigger points for Iwaizumi. You don’t want him to get upset. The laundry is done; the house is clean; the food is also ready and in the fridge. Did you take out the trash? You chew nervously on your lower lip as you walk to the kitchen and let out a relieved sigh. That’s done too.

You are just closing the lid of the garbage can when you hear the key in the lock of your front door and Iwaizumi comes home with a surprisingly normal, “I’m home, my love, smells good in here”. Your shoulders relax immediately, a smile is back on your lips as you walk cheerfully into the hallway to greet Iwaizumi.

“Hello darling! How was your day?” Iwaizumi hugs you and leans down so you can kiss his cheek. “Let me eat something first. My day has been really exhausting,” he sighs, watching you nod and turn around to warm up the food for him. Your husband hangs up his jacket, puts down his bag and is about to turn around to follow you when he stumbles against a nearby vase that you had placed as a decoration for the fall changeover. The vase swings, loses its balance and falls to the floor in pieces.

“Shit!” You hear Iwaizumi curse and immediately run to him, anxiously hoping that nothing has happened to him. But luckily, he is unharmed. “Wait, I’ll clean up the broken pieces, you eat-“ you’re about to say, but Iwaizumi interrupts you loudly. “Always this stupid bullshit you put up. Shit, I could have hurt myself. If I miss now, that’s it for my career!” he shouts and stomps past you. You turn around hastily and apologize. “That wasn’t my intention, really,” you say, before realizing that it was a mistake to talk back. Iwaizumi turns around, his eyes ferocious and angry like a wild animal as he takes a step towards you. Your heart is beating restlessly and you are suddenly afraid.

“Not your intention? Admit it, you’d be happy if I got rid of the job!” he shouts, noticing how you start to tremble and shake your head. But Iwaizumi doesn’t seem to be in his right mind as he takes another step towards you. “Go clean up the mess! Make yourself useful!” he says through gritted teeth as he looks at your anxious and puzzled face. You know you should move, but your body doesn’t seem to listen, too scared to move a finger. And then it happens.

Iwaizumi grabs you by the hair and pulls you towards him. You cry out, weeping bitterly as you hear his voice again. “Are you deaf?! Get going!” he shouts, before pushing you away with more force than necessary. You lose your balance, stumble over your own feet as you fall and hit your head on the edge of the stairs in the hallway next to the broken vase. Your head hurts terribly, something warm flows down your face, sticking to your hair and making your vision suddenly completely different. It gets smaller and smaller before everything goes black in front of your eyes and the sounds around you stop completely.

Iwaizumi is abruptly perfectly sober and only now understands what has just happened. What he has just done to you, the woman he loves more than anything.

His eyes are big as he stares at his hands, which start to tremble in front of him.

Panic spreads through him as he looks at you. At your motionless body, at all the blood under your head.

He doesn’t know how he did it. His memories are hazy, but he can still remember trying to wake you up, in vain.

He had taken off his shirt, pressed it on your head injury to stop the bleeding and somehow managed to call an ambulance. Iwaizumi can’t remember anything else, just the one question from the paramedic who put you on the ambulance stretcher and took you to the hospital. Since Iwaizumi was your husband, he was allowed to drive with you.

“How did this happen?” the paramedic asked, as Iwaizumi answered quietly, “I don’t know... I really don’t know.”

It’s now been some hours after the accident and your head had been stitched up. Thank God it wasn’t as bad as it looked at first.

You’re still in the recovery room, Iwaizumi next to your bed on a chair, his hands folded in his lap as he hangs his head in bewilderment, looking at his wedding ring shining on his ring finger.

What happened? What has become of him? He still can’t believe what he has done.

He looks at his hands again, opens them, starts to tremble, clenches them into fists and realises how he lets out a frustrated sigh, which he had been holding back, as warm tears roll down his cheeks, soaking the fabric of his trousers.

In his mind, there’s only your shaking body, that frightened look, your screaming, and then this unbearable silence.

When you open your eyes, your head throbs a little and you have to squint through the bright, clinical light. “Where... where am I?” you say quietly, looking around the room and noticing that you’re lying in a hospital room. Next to your bed is none other than Iwaizumi. But he looks different. Broken… He shrinks at your words and looks up at you. You see his red eyes and how he hesitates whether it’s okay to take your hand in his. Iwaizumi gets up from his chair, wants to close the distance to your bed but his legs collapse and he falls to his knees when he suddenly starts to... cry?

“Haji- me...” you say, still feeling exhausted. “I’m... god I...” Iwaizumi doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know how to look you in the eye. He takes a deep breath, regains his courage before peering at you. Carefully, he grasps your hand, checking if you are afraid, but you don’t seem to pull it away. Maybe because you’re still too tired. Awkwardly, he strokes the back of your hand before resting his forehead on it and closing his eyes briefly.

“I’m a terrible husband. I’ve done everything I shouldn’t have done. Instead of carrying you on my hands, bringing a smile to your face and protecting you from everything that would harm you, I’ve done the exact opposite. Instead of being happy to see me, you’re just scared of me, aren’t you?” he says in a shaky voice and looks up at you again. You are calm. Just stare at him with a hurt look.

“I.... I can understand if you want a divorce. If you don’t want to be with a monster like me anymore. I really can’t even blame you. But... please let me tell you one thing. When I saw you lying on the floor like that, the world collapsed inside me. I was afraid of losing the most important thing in my life. And the most important thing is not my job, no, it’s you. And I’m ashamed that I’ve forgotten that. I am disgusted with myself and I know that is no excuse. What I have done is unforgivable. But please... if there is still a bit of hope, then I will try to do everything I can to be the man you fell in love with again. I want to be your Haji-bear again. Your place of peace, and your favorite person. I will go to anger issues therapy, behavioral therapy. If it’s better for our relationship, I’ll step down as a coach and see if I can find a job as a volleyball coach at a school. No matter what, I would do anything.” Your hand becomes wet as his tears land on it. His words move something inside you. You want to believe him, you don’t want the relationship to end either, but everything that has happened so far will not pass by without damage.

“I need time, Hajime... If you really mean it, please grant me the time...” you answer him and notice how your words seem to tear him apart. But at the same time he seems to want to make the best of the situation. He lets go of your hand and stands up just to sit back down on the chair next to your bed, looking at you determinedly, his eyes still red and swollen. “As much time as you need. If it means we still have a chance...”

A few months pass. Iwaizumi has passed on the house to you and moved into his parents’ house to give you the space you need. He goes to therapy three times a week and tells you about his progress. He is still coaching the national team, but his assistant coach is taking a lot of the work off his hands and the volleyball team seems to be playing better again.

Just like when you were at school, you’ll find a letter in your letterbox once a week. Back then, Iwaizumi always told you a bit about his week and wrote it down because, funnily enough, he was too shy to talk to you in person. Only that in his current letters he writes that he misses you, but hopes that you are doing well at the moment.

He meets you in public places, goes out with you, so that you gradually feel more comfortable with him again, that you can see his progress in therapy and don’t just think it’s empty words.

Six months have passed since the incident. You are standing in the bedroom, changing the sheets, when Iwaizumi comes through the front door of the house. “My love, I’m home,” you hear Iwaizumi’s calm voice. Coming home from his therapy session, he hangs up his jacket in the hallway as your voice lets him know where you are.

Iwaizumi puts the flowers he bought for you on the kitchen table before he sneaks into the bedroom and sees you trying to unfold the sheets to put them on the blankets. With silent steps, he reaches around your waist to throw you onto the bed with him, wrapped in the covers that were in your hands earlier. Screaming, you laugh in unison with his chuckle as you look into each other’s eyes. “Hajime! Don’t scare me like that.” you laugh softly, while his hand gently tucks your hair behind your ear. Iwaizumi looks at your forehead, at the small scar that is left from your injury, before leaning forward and giving you a kiss on that spot.

“I’m sorry, but that was just so tempting,” he says, closing his eyes as he pulls you closer and just relaxes in bed with you. He strokes your back and kisses your forehead once more. “Hajime... what’s going on? Why are you so clingy suddenly?” you laugh, but Iwaizumi doesn’t join in the laughter, instead answering you seriously.

“Today, six months ago, I almost lost you. I’m just grateful that nothing happened to you. Thankful that you gave me another chance, even though I showed my worst side.” You can’t think of the right words to answer him, so you just smile, snuggle closer to him, and close your eyes. Safe in his arms, with his pulsating heart at your ear, you fall asleep.

tw: mention of abortion, mention of drugs/pills (without consent)

Suna and you were just friends for a long time. Even if the others saw you more like a couple.

You were the only one Suna didn’t mind when you sat next to him and pulled out one of his earphones to listen to music with him.

You always had the same route to school and if one of you came to school alone, you knew immediately that the other one must be sick.

With graduation, you mentioned that you might want to study abroad. That time, Suna had a weird feeling in his stomach for the first time. As if he was afraid of losing you.

That was the day he realised that he felt more for you than just friendship.

The same evening, he asked you to come over and watch a movie when he yawned in a very clichéd way to put his arm over your shoulder and pull you closer to him. He didn’t know why he was so nervous, but he just was.

A number of things went through his mind. What if you don’t feel the same way about him as he does about you? Will you still want to study abroad? Would you end your friendship with him if you didn’t feel the same way?

He tried to block out the questions and then, with his usual calmness, asked you if you could imagine anything more than a friendship. Luckily for him, you said yes.

From that moment on, everything was perfect. You had created your own little world over several years. You studied, and luckily not abroad. Suna was successful in volleyball, so you were both able to buy an apartment together quickly.

Just the two of you. Your friends were there from time to time, but in the evenings you were always alone at home, arm in arm, in the quiet flat without any noise or other people to disturb you.

Until one morning where you look at the little piece of plastic in the bathroom, stunned, when the two red stripes tell you that you are pregnant.

You hadn’t spoken to Suna about having children yet, but you’ve been together for so long now and everything is going well that you assume he would be just as happy as you are.

You thought…

When Suna comes home, you’ve already prepared a little surprise. There are a pair of baby shoes on the table in the living room, the pregnancy test in front of them and a little balloon with “Best Dad” written on it. You can’t help smiling as you see Suna walk into the room when you call out “surprise”, looking a little shy in his direction. But Suna’s reaction differed from what you expected.

Almost disgusted, he looks in your direction. “This better be one of those stupid TikTok pranks, right?” he says, and your smile disappears abruptly. Your stomach turns and you feel sick. And not because of the pregnancy. You stand there irritated, only able to utter a quiet “No... it’s not a joke”, confused by his negative reaction. “No? What week are you in? Tell me you can still have an abortion...” he says, annoyed, as he walks towards the table to see if there is any information about the week of pregnancy on the pregnancy test.

“What?” you say in bewilderment, still looking at Suna, who throws the test on the table in frustration before starting to massage his temples. “We’ll go to the gynecologist tomorrow, okay? Get rid of it. A child means responsibility. You have to look after this thing all the time, you’re no longer flexible and it’s noisy too... I just don’t want that.”

His words feel like a thousand stabs. Never have you seen Suna act like this before. You anticipated that he might be a bit taken by surprise and perhaps not be able to deal with the situation at first, but Suna seems to have a very clear opinion on the subject. He doesn’t even seem to be willing to talk. But abort a child? Let Suna’s and your baby die just like that? You can’t do that. You don’t want that.

The two of argue. Suna’s look gets progressively angrier. Yours sadder until he decides to leave the house with a “Do what you want, maybe it’ll die anyway”. Now you’re home alone with his painful words. You stand rooted to the spot in the room for several more minutes until the strength in your legs finally gives way and you slump to the floor, crying bitterly. The night, you spend alone in your bed, without Suna. He doesn’t answer his phone and doesn’t reply to your messages. You don’t hear from him the next day either, and he hasn’t come home. Thank God you get a message from Osamu, who texts you that Suna is with him and that you have nothing to worry about. But how are you supposed to stay at home without worrying if your boyfriend doesn’t get in touch with you and you’ve been arguing for days? You are scared. Afraid for the baby, afraid for the relationship and everything you two have built up.

Another day passes. You lie in bed, tired and lacking in energy. Nevertheless, you pull yourself together and get up, go to the bathroom to get ready for the day and don’t notice when the front door opens and Suna walks in. “Baby doll, I’m at home... and... I’m sorry...” you hear Suna’s voice and walk out of the bathroom. Even though you had a fight, you are still happy to see the man you love so much again. With a somewhat sad smile, he stands there, a bouquet of flowers in his hand as he approaches you.

“I’m really sorry. I behaved like an ass. You took me by surprise with the news and somehow... I don’t know. What do you say you sit down now? I’ll make us a drink and we can talk about all this. About the baby, and what happens next?” You can hardly believe his words. What has Osamu done in the last few days to make Suna suddenly do a full turnaround and be willing to talk to you openly, without shouting about becoming a parent? You make a mental note to thank Osamu later, before nodding with a smile and sitting down on the sofa in the living room.

But what you don’t know is that Suna went to a friend, a doctor, who gave him two pills before he came home. Pills for an induction of abortion. You have to take one now and the other two to three days later.

Suna knows that you wouldn’t take these pills voluntarily.

So he makes sure that you are indeed sitting in the living room before he takes out a small bag containing a pill, puts it in the grinder and turns it into a fine powder before mixing it into your iced tea.

He takes a deep breath, putting his smile back on as he walks towards you in the living room, where you are already waiting for him with happy eyes.

Without saying much, he hands you the glass, sits down next to you and watches you.

“I know it’s all so sudden and I could have said it differently. I really took you completely by surprise with the news,” you say quietly, looking at the iced tea in your hand, unaware that an abortion pill is floating there.

Suna listens attentively as you talk about how you first had to understand what a pregnancy means, but that your overwhelm quickly turned into joy because you are looking forward to holding a mini version of the two of you in your arms in less than 9 months. You talk about all the beautiful things that are going through your head, while Suna continues to listen to you, his eyes constantly focus on the tea in your hands and you.

He keeps looking at you as you raise the glass and press it to your lips, ready to drink the poison cocktail, when he realizes what he was doing. What he’s trying to do here.

Panic strikes him. His green eyes widen as he literally knocks the cup out of your hand. It falls to the floor with a loud thud. “Don’t drink that!” he says in an unsteady voice and looks at you in horror.

But you don’t understand anything, only shake your head.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I... I think I just made the worst mistake of my life,” Suna says, looking back from you to the broken cup. You don’t understand what’s going on and tilt your head, asking him if everything is all right. But when Suna continues talking and tells you what was in your tea, your world collapses. You are shocked that your own boyfriend wanted to do this to you. “I was overwhelmed. I... I know that’s no excuse. But when I heard you talking, I realized that -“ Suna wanted to continue, but your voice cut him off, your words silenced him.

“Let’s break up,” you say, and unlike before, unlike when you argued a week ago, your voice is determined now, your eyes full of pain and betrayal. Those green eyes that used to mesmerize you are now looking at you desperately. “What?” Suna whispers softly, followed by a “No, wait”. But you interrupt him again.

“You just wanted to give me some drugs without my consent so I’d lose the baby?! No, Rintarou… I’m breaking up with you. That... no, I can’t do that.” Abruptly, you get up from the sofa, ignoring the hand that tries to grab you before quickly slipping into a jacket and a pair of shoes just to leave the apartment. Suna wants to run after you, but his legs won’t move. His mind and heart are screaming to run after you, to stop you and tell you he’s sorry, but his body just won’t obey him. When he finally manages to get up, you’re already gone.

Still wearing his slippers and without putting on a jacket, he eventually runs out to check out all the places you love, all your friends, to see if he can find you somewhere. But no matter where he looks, he can’t find you. You don’t reply to messages or phone calls. The mechanical voice of your voice mail greets him directly. “Shit, shit, shit!” he yells as he stands in the park where you two had your first official date. The surrounding people look at him. Some with an irritated look, some as if they were pitying him.

Without really knowing where to go, your legs automatically led you to the bus that goes to Kita’s home.

Kita was one of your best friends back then. And you knew that if you went to Kita and told him not to tell Suna that you were there, he wouldn’t tell his friend either. And that’s exactly what Kita did.

You were in Kita’s guest room when you heard Suna’s voice in the hallway.

He sounded shattered, broken, as he begged Kita to tell him where you were.

This went on for several weeks, until one evening Suna rang the doorbell again, trying to talk to Kita in a voice you had never heard before.

His voice was so thin, so fragile, as if a heap of misery was speaking out of him.

Kita tells him once again that he doesn’t know where you are when you hesitantly open the door, thinking about going downstairs and listening to what Suna has to say. But for now, you just listen to the conversation.

“Please, Shinsuke, I know you know her location. Please, just give her this. Please...” Kita sighs, followed by a soft “ok...” before the front door closes. Your best friend’s footsteps creak beneath the floor as he walks up the stairs, looks at you a little twisted and hands you a large package.

You know that you demand a lot from Kita. It’s not easy for him to lie to his friend either. Eventually you have to talk to Suna.

Alone in your guest room, you spend almost half an hour looking at the unopened package at the other end of the bed until you finally decide to open it. When you see what’s inside, surprise catches you. Multiple emotions flow through your body without you even noticing how your eyes suddenly turn glassy. Small letters and several items are in the box. You take out the letter that is on top of all the other items.

“My love, I don’t even know where to start. I can’t apologize for what I did. Nevertheless, I want to tell you that I’m sorry. I was confused and scared. Our relationship has always been perfect so far and I thought it was great that it was just the two of us and that no one else disturbed our privacy. I was afraid that when we had a child, we would argue, have no more time for each other, and grow apart. I was selfish and didn’t think about how you would feel. I wasn’t thinking about our baby. The thought that we were both going to be parents hadn’t crossed my mind at all. But every time I walked past those little shoes you had placed in the living room, I couldn’t think of anything else but seeing our child standing in them. How it tries to move around in it, sometimes falls down because it loses its balance and seeks shelter with its beloved mom. I regret every second of what I’ve done, every word I’ve said. Hurting you was the last thing I wanted to do, and yet I did it. I am sorry. I am so terribly sorry.

I did some research. Did you know that it is currently very difficult to find midwives? You should probably start looking very early on. My team colleague gave me the number of the midwife he and his wife had at the birth of their two children. I also have three other numbers. You might want to give them a call. There are also birth preparation classes in our town. I have also put a brochure in the package for you. You don’t necessarily have to go there with your partner. With me… So... if you want, you could also go there with Kita, even if I would be happy if we both did it together. But I can understand if you don’t want to.

Are you eating enough? You should pay particular attention to your diet during pregnancy. A lot of women suffer from a vitamin deficiency during pregnancy. But you have probably already discussed this with your gynecologist. Anyway, I’ve written down a few recipes for you that are rich in vitamins. I admit that Osamu helped me a little with this. Oh, and on the back are some things you shouldn’t eat during pregnancy. Raw eggs and products containing them such as ice cream, mayonnaise and so on... you should not eat them, because the risk of salmonella infection is high. Peanuts can contain aflatoxins, which can also harm the fetus... but as I said, I’ve put together a list for you. In case you didn’t already know all this already. There are a few other things in the box. Maybe you’d like to take a look.

I hope you are doing well. I hope the baby is doing well too. Have you thought of a name yet? Do you know whether it will be a boy or a girl? I’m sure there’s already a little bump on your belly. I... would really like to be with you right now. Would love to hold you in my arms and stroke your tummy. I know I made a mistake that can never be fixed. But if you’re willing, if that’s what you want, I’d really like to be by your side again. And if not as your boyfriend, then as the father of our baby. I would like to do couples’ therapy with you so that we can find our way back to each other… So that you can trust me again. Because in all of this, I was the problem and never you. But only if you want it too, of course. I know it may be hard to believe, but I love you. So much that a life without you scares me. I am sorry…”

You’re crying bitterly by now as your tears blur the ink on the letter before you put it aside and look in the box. Next to a small onesie for babies, there is a note with the telephone numbers of midwives, a small book with recipes, the brochure he had mentioned and another box containing photos and memories. Pictures that Suna had always secretly taken of you at times when he thought you looked extra pretty. You always found the photos embarrassing, but for him they were beautiful to look at. Because they were moments when you were just being you, not smiling for the camera or doing anything else to disguise yourself.

There was also a necklace with shells on it in the box. You made it for Suna when you were on vacation in Croatia. It turned out incredibly ugly, yet Suna wore it proudly during the whole vacation. You’re touched that he still has this ugly necklace. Little notes that you wrote to each other at school are also in there. So many more memories from the past. Where had Suna hidden this little box in your apartment so that you never noticed it?

You hastily get up, open the door and run down to the hallway as Kita comes out of the living room and looks at you questioningly. “Is everything all right? Do you need to see a doctor?” He asks concerned, but you just shake your head, wanting nothing more than to see Suna, talk to him again. He asks you if you are absolutely sure, but your determined nod is enough for an answer. So he grabs his jacket and car keys, driving you straight to your ex boyfriend, to your apartment. He doesn’t want you to take the bus in your current state.

Suna is sitting in the living room. In front of him on the coffee table are various reports on pregnancy, parenting and more. His head is leaning on his hands as he takes a deep breath. Have you opened his package yet? He wonders, unable to think clearly, when he hears the key in the door lock and runs into the hallway as if stung by a tarantula. His eyes are wide as he looks at you, standing rooted to the spot in the doorway, not knowing how to react.

“Shinsuke... Drove me here...” you say. “I opened your package.” You continue, watching Suna swallow hard, still not moving an inch from the doorframe. “How are you, the baby?” he asks quietly, almost absent-mindedly, as if he can’t believe you’re really standing in front of him. “Good... can... can we talk?” you ask and watch him nod, having trouble sorting out his feelings. You take a step towards him, clearly seeing the dark circles, the red eyes, the slightly thinner face, as if he has lost weight. And on closer look, you can see his whole body trembling.

“Is everything you wrote in your letter true?” you ask him, trying to keep your voice as calm as possible, even though you’re at your wits’ end. “Yes, yes all of it. I’m sorry for everything... I want nothing more than to see you happy. To see our baby happy. And if you want another partner by your side to be happy, if you don’t want me in your life, then I will accept that.” Suna whispers, knowing that if he were to speak even a little louder, his voice would fail and he would cry. You take another step towards him. “What if I want you? Want to give it another try?” You have barely spoken your sentence before you hear a bitter shuffle from Suna, which he seems to have been suppressing the whole time. His shaky hands carefully reach for your face before he presses his forehead against yours and says softly, “I would wish for nothing more than that.”

Although you hesitate for a second, you finally put your hands around his back and stand with him in the doorway for a while. Neither of you says a word. Both of you let your tears run until Suna releases you at some point and gives you a kiss on the forehead. “You shouldn’t stand for so long. You’d better get some rest,” he says in a somewhat steady voice before helping you out of your jacket and leading you into the bedroom, where he pushes the sheets aside so you can lie down.

“Rin, but I’m not tired at all...” you say, even though you are exhausted, but Suna lies down right next to you, pulling you close while his free hand moves to your stomach. “I know... But... let’s just lie here like this for a moment, regain our strength before we talk... Talk about everything, our future, how I can make it up to you, our little baby… Agree, baby doll?” He whispers tiredly. Yet you also notice how all the crying is slowly making you a little tired. “Agree, Rin.” you smile weakly, snuggling closer to him as you both fall asleep arm in arm, his hand protectively on your baby bump, your hand on his.

#haikyu x #haikyu x reader #haikyuu x reader #atsumu x reader #suna x reader #iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi haijime x reader #atsumu miya x reader #suna rintarou x reader

310 notes · View notes

halbravd · 2 years

Text

jealousy jealousy // aib.

summary: in which they are getting jealous because you’re super invested in a conversation you have with an other guy.

characters: chishiya shuntaro, ryohei arisu, niragi suguru, sunato banda.

content warning: mentions of sexual intercourses, niragi deserves his own trigger warning.

⪧ chishiya shuntaro,

chishiya is petty as fuck. he won’t confront you and ask you what’s going on, but will definitely be that one overthinking guy wondering if he ever did something wrong to you in the first place (yes, he takes it very personally). but then, he would turn into the pettiest little shit ever: sitting on the last chair available so you’d have no choice but to sit on his laps, getting super close to you and the guy you’re chatting with and saying something like ‘am i interrupting something?’, or even worse — giving you the silent treatment. and if at first you don’t really understand why he’s being like this, you’re quick to get the few hints left behind him. when you ask him if he’s jealous, he’d definitely try to play it cool and deny it at first, but would eventually give up when you kiss the tip of his nose while reminding him he’s the only one you love in this entire world.

⪧ niragi suguru,

niragi doesn’t know how to use his words so he’d most likely go full beast mode and start punching the poor dude without trying to understand what’s going on. it’s not that he doesn’t trust you, but his fear of not being good enough will always taunt him — the inferiority complex he’s faced while getting bullied so harshly in the real world never left him, and he can’t control the hatred and anger rushing through his veins anytime he feels threatened by an other man. it would take a huge amount of time (and we’re talking about hours here) for him to realize it was just a misunderstanding, but you’ll have to go through so many emotions from fear to pain to relief when he finally realizes you're all his.

⪧ ryohei arisu,

arisu is a clueless dude so he wouldn’t even get jealous in the first place — you’re chatting with a guy? good for you, socializing is important, just as much as keeping your personal space. but if the guy starts to be a little bit clingy, he’d definitely step in and gently ask you if he can talk to you; don’t get him wrong it’s his only way out and he won’t even talk about that dude’s behavior to you anyway, but he definitely can’t stand that situation anymore. arisu isn’t an overly protective lover at all and gives you all the freedom you could dream of, but it ends when a guy he doesn’t even know starts touching you like he's been knowing you for years.

⪧ sunato banda,

banda wouldn’t take that shit at all. but it’s all about getting his personal revenge, so he’ll get right behind you, his hands grabbing your hips, a soft smile stretching his lips. ‘i’m borrowing this cutie from you for a while, we’ll be right back.’ he’d drag you to the nearest empty spot / room before fucking his jealousy and bitterness out of you, his fingers wrapped tightly around your throat and his eyes focused on your fucked out face. he would then send you back to the guy still waiting for you, stealing your panties and shoving it into his pocket as he watches you struggling to walk back. he can’t help but smirk at the sight of you rubbing your thighs against each other, hopelessly trying to keep his cum inside your hole and preventing it from dripping.

this was requested by anon; hope you like it!!

#alice in boderland x reader #chishiya x reader #niragi x reader #arisu x reader #banda x reader #sunato banda x reader #arisu ryohei x reader #chishiya shuntaro x reader #niragi suguru x reader

4K notes · View notes

kyleoreillylover · 11 months

Text

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡 𝐖𝐞 𝐀𝐢𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 ♡

𝙅𝙚𝙮 𝙐𝙨𝙤 𝙭 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠!𝙁𝙚𝙢!𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

Summary: Everyone swears something is going on between you and Jey, but you guys are just best friends. Here are a few moments to disprove that.

Warnings: SMUT!!! Unwanted advances, wrestling related violence, two idiots pining after each other.

A/N: This is one of my longest and best works and I am proud of it! I got inspired listening to Shameless by Camilla Cabello, so I’d reccomend listening to it while reading. This took so freaking long, so I hope you enjoy! Tagged: @southerngirl41 @pinkwithhearts @xbutterflius-effectusx

Word Count: 28,105

Moment One

You took off your headphones, taking a sip of your water and putting your weights away, your muscles aching from your intense workout. The gym was nearly empty, the dim lights casting long shadows across the mats.

You liked it like this, quiet and calming, unlike the rest of your schedule. You loved your career, but it nothing if not demanding and mind consuming. Long days as you were on the road while you interacted with media, fans, and even longer meeting with creative. The gym was the one place you felt like you didn't have to play a character, where you could be 100% yourself, where you could finally feel calm. It was one of your few safe spaces.

And you glanced at your other safe space, Jey- who was across the gym sparring with a training dummy. He was drenched in sweat, his muscles glistening in the low light as he hit the dummy over and over again.

You watched him for a moment as you made your way over, a grin on your face as he super kicked the dummy. "Y'know, a lot of people would pay good money for you to do that to them?"

Jey turned towards you, a playful smirk dancing on his lips. Oh, are you one of 'em?" he teased, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

You chuckled, walking closer, the scent of his sweat and the gym's metallic tang filling your senses. "Maybe," you replied with a grin. "If you'll let me."

Jey's eyebrows raised, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You gotta pay the price for that privilege, then, sweetheart." He smirked, beckoning you to the mat.

You listened to him and made your way into the ring, tilting your head, feigning innocence. "And what's the price, huh?"

Jey grinned at you, lips curled into a challenging smile as he wiped more sweat off his brow. "How 'bout a little match? Winner chooses punishment for the loser."

You smirked at him, rolling up your sleeve and circling him. "Can I get punished too if I win?" You pouted, making Jey laugh, a deep, hearty sound that sent a shiver down your spine.

"Sure thing. But you ain't gonna win." He teased, stepping closer and mirroring your stance.

"Whatever makes you feel better, babe." You shot back, and the two of you closed in, locking up in a grapple. The both of you knew each other inside and out, so it was like a game of chess, jey's strength against your agility. You both tried to stay serious, but Jey kept on using terrible trash talk each time he had the upper hand, making you giggle, then making him laugh, then making him lose the upper hand, and that process relating itself over and over again.

You finally got Jey in a headlock, and couldn't help but laugh as he pretended to struggle to free himself. "Come on, big man, what you got?" you taunted.

Jey chuckled as you tightened your grip. "You really tryna see what I got?" he said, still grinning. "You gonna regret it, sweetheart."

But as he tried to break free, his foot hit the edge of the ring, and he stumbled, pulling you down with him.

You both tumbled to the mat, and in that moment, everything felt like slow motion as Jey quickly turned around and moved you, trying to soften the blow for you as the two of you fell on the mat. You ended up on top of him, your breath hitching as you looked down into his dark, intense eyes.

The gym was silent except for the sounds of your heavy breathing, and you could feel the warmth of his body beneath you, his arms around your waist. Jey's eyes never left yours, and his grip on your waist didn't loosen, his chest rising up and down with each heavy breath.

What is happening? You wondered, face inches away from Jey. This is your best friend, the person you've been friends with for years and who knew you in and out. You shouldn't be feeling like this, right?

Jey's voice broke you out of your thoughts, his gaze still locked onto yours. "You good?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

You swallowed hard, finding it difficult to tear your eyes away from his. "Yeah, I'm good." You managed to stammer out, your voice slightly breathless.

Jey nodded, but his grip on your waist didn't loosen. Just as he was about to say something more, the gym door creaked open, and Jimmy's voice echoed through the room. "Yo, where you guys at? Roman's been looking for ya'll, he wants everyone at the hotel so we don't miss our flights!"

You quickly pushed yourself off Jey, your cheeks flushing as you scrambled to your feet.

"Uh, yeah, we're coming," you called out, your voice slightly higher pitched than usual. You avoided looking directly at Jey, still feeling the lingering warmth of his touch.

"Ya'll good?" Jimmy asked, eyeing the two of you in the ring, and you hopped he didn't sense the tension between you.

"Yeah, just lost track of time," Jey replied smoothly, standing up and giving you a quick, knowing glance before turning to his brother.

Jimmy looked like he wanted to ask more, but he gave his brother one more look before shrugging it off, heading back out of the gym. "Alright, just don't be slow. I'm not saving ya'll if Roman decides to go full tribal chief on ya," he chuckled, disappearing through the door.

You bit your lip, glancing at Jey who was already looking back at you. There was a mix of emotions in his eyes, but you couldn't quite place them.

"Thanks for… you know," you started, gesturing vaguely to the mat, but Jey understood what you meant. He always understood.

Jey's lips curled into a soft smile. "You know I always got your back, Uce," he said, his tone warm and reassuring. "We good?" He asked, holding out his hand to you for a handshake.

You took a breath before giving smiling back, dabbing him up. "Yeah, we're good." you replied, his skin feeling smooth on yours.

"I told ya'll to hurry up!" Jimmy yelled out again impatiently from outside the gym. You and Jey shared a look before breaking out laughing, the tension from a moment ago fading into comfortable laughter. That's what you liked about him, how no matter what, he always made you feel comfortable.

"Alright, alright," Jey chuckled, slinging an arm around your shoulders once you got your stuff. "Let's go before Roman goes all crazy on us."

And as you both headed out of the gym, your heart was still racing, but you chalked it up to the adreadine. You knew there was nothing going on, just your stupid heart mistaking fear for something else. Nothing else.

And if he brought you just a bit closer to him than needed that you were practically tucked into his side, it was probably just his way of making sure you were alright. Right? You tried to convince yourself of that, even as you felt the steady beat of his heart against your shoulder.

It was nothing else. It couldn't be anything else, and you would always make sure of that.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Moment Two

Jey was grumbling under his breath as he watched you flirt with Finn Balor like there was no tomorrow, his arms crossed tightly over his chest

"Jimmy, Solo, you seeing this?" Jey muttered, his gaze never leaving the scene unfolding in front of him. Jimmy chuckled, leaning in closer to his brother. Solo remained silent, but raised an eyebrow at Jey's demeanor.

"Relax, Uce. It's all part of Roman's plan, remember? She's just doing her job." Jey shot Jimmy a frustrated look, still unable to tear his eyes away from you and Finn.

"Yeah, but does she have to be so... convincing?"

Jimmy raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "You not getting jealous, are you, Uce?"

Jey's eyes narrowed, and he huffed in annoyance. "Of course not. It's just... I don't want him trying anything with her. I don't want him playing with her."

Jimmy nodded knowingly, glancing back at you and Finn. "Trust me, she knows what she's doing. And we ain't gonna let nobody hurt her. Roman's got this all planned out. Right Solo?" Solo nodded silently in agreement.

Jey clenched his jaw before nodding as well, but his gaze never left you and Finn. A tech walked up to the three of them, informing them their match started in 10. Jey immediately bolted to you and Finn, not looking back to his smirking brothers.

"Aye, time out on all the lovey lovey crap, we gots to go." You jumped in surprise when Jey came out of nowhere, stepping between you and Finn.

"We were just having a friendly chat, nothing to worry your arse about, man." Finn smirked at him, moving to get closer to you but Jey stepped in front of you, blocking Finn's path.

"Well too bad, friendly chat's over!" Jey grabbed your arm and pulled you away, and you waved to Finn, blowing a kiss at him. "Talk to you later, Finn!"

"You ain't talking to nobody later." Jey grumbled, continuing to pull you away, guiding you to the ramp where his brothers were waiting.

"You never let me have any fun!" You pouted, trying to keep up with him.

"You look like you had plenty of fun." Jey muttered, his voice dripping with annoyance.

You couldn't help but laugh at the frustrated look on Jey's face. "Don't be jealous. You know you're still my number one boy."

Jey couldn't help but roll his eyes at your teasing "I ain't jealous," he said, though the slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips told a different story.

You gave him a mocking pout, playfully batting your eyelashes. "Mhm, whatever you say babe." He looked ready to argue with you, but you approached the ramp, Solo and Jimmy waiting for you.

"Everything set with Finn? You guys were real close earlier." Jimmy asked, a knowing grin on his face. Jey clenched his jaw again while you smiled, oblivious to Jey's anger.

"Everything's set, trust me. Finn and Damien aren't taking your tag titles tonight, or any other night." You confidently promised, earning a nod from Solo, a wide smile from Jimmy and a more restrained nod from Jey,

"That's what I'm talking about, girl!" Jimmy hollered, clapping you on the back and dapping you up. You giggled at his enthusiasm, leaning into him and glancing at Jey, who thankfully had a small smile onto his face and slowly began to ease back into his usual self.

"You ready to put these emo freaks in their place?" You joked, moving from Jimmy and nudging Jey. Jey let out a laugh at your words, looking at his title before meeting your eyes again.

"Let's go show em why we run this place!" Jimmy hollered again, dabbing Jey up, holding their titles up and clanking them together, waving out the ramp.

You held out your hand to Solo for a fist bump, smiling up at him. "You ready?" Solo nodded and gave you a firm fist bump.

"Let's do this."

You strutted to the ring with him by your tail, your own women's championship shining around your waist as you walked to the ring, Jey and Jimmy by your side, the Judgment Day all already waiting, Rhea standing at ringside. You waved at her mockingly, taunting her as you stepped into the ring, giggling at her glare. You blew a kiss at Finn as you sat on the apron, making him smile at you before Damien elbowed him harshly, making his smile turn into a glare.

The bell soon rang, and you hopped out of the ring to ringside, Solo by your side as the match went underway. Jimmy and Jey were bringing it to Damien and Finn, but they were honestly all evenly matched, which worried you. But whenever it looked like the Twins would lose, you made sure to jump on the ramp, distracting Finn with your flirty words and pretty looks, making him lose the upper hand.

"Finn, did you look this good just for me tonight?" You purred, fluttering your eyelashes for added effect. Finn stumbled back from his attacks on Jey, not being able to take his eyes off of you, too distracted by you.

Damien noticed the distraction too. "Finn! Snap out of it!" he yelled, snapping him out of his stupor. But it was too late, Jey had gotten back up and slammed Finn back down onto the mat, and you smirked across the ropes as Jey took control over the match.

"You little minx!" Rhea yelled at you, seething with anger, moving from her corner get to you. You got off the ropes and ran to Solo, hiding behind him.

"Come get me if you want me!" You peeked out from Solo, a grin on your face. She scoffed and tried to push past Solo, but he blocked her path, not letting her get to you. They had a stare down, neither of them backing down.

You took advantage of the distraction and slipped back into the ring, just in time to see Finn hit coup de grace on Jimmy as he went for the pin. The referee counted: "One, two..."

But before the referee's hand could come down for the three-count, you grabbed Finn's leg and yanked him out of the ring, breaking the pin. Finn stumbled, anger flashing in his eyes before realizing it was you.

You gave him an innocent smile, winking playfully as you retreated a few steps. "What's the matter, Finnie?" You teased, your voice dripping with faux innocence. Your mouth opened to make another teasing remark, but a fist connecting with your face sent you reeling back.

It was Rhea, her eyes blazing with fury as she tried to land another punch on you. But this time you were prepared, ducking it and jumping on top of her, raining down punches on her. The two of you brawled all over ringside, the crowd's cheers echoing in your ear as fists flew and hair was pulled, Solo struggling to pull the two of you off of each other.

You ended up on top of the ramp, standing and leaning on the ropes to catch your breath. You stood up, breathing heavily, seeing Rhea on the ground, also out of breath. But what you didn't see was Damien hurling towards you, thinking you were one of the twins. You turned around, and Damien realized you weren't one of the twins until it was too late, crashing into you.

You shrieked as you tumbled, bracing yourself to hit the floor. But instead of landing on the floor, you landed in muscled arms that quickly caught you, the impact jolting through you.

You looked up, wide-eyed, and found yourself staring into Jey's concerned eyes.

His arms were securely around you, holding you close to his chest while yours were wrapped around his neck, almost on instinct. Everything else faded away as you looked into Jey's brown eyes, his face inches from yours. Neither of you said a word, time seeming to slow down as you were locked in an intense stare, your heart pounding in your chest.

"Are you okay?" This time it was you that broke the silence, whispering the words as your breaths mingled. The worry in Jey's eyes softened, and he nodded slowly, his grip on you relaxing just a bit. "Yeah, I got you," he murmured, his voice low and soothing. "Are you?"

You nodded, unable to tear your gaze away from his. "Yeah, thank you." Jey's grip tightened just a fraction, his thumb brushing gently against your side, reminding you you were still in his arms.

"No need to thank me, sweetheart." he said, his voice gentle. "Just doin' what I always do." You managed a small smile, but before you could respond, you saw Rhea hurling towards you.

Jey moved before you could do anything, sidestepping with you in his arms, making her miss and craah into the barricade instead. You quickly got out of Jey's arms, missing the way his arms lingered as he watched you go, his expression unreadable.

You brushed off what happened, focusing on Rhea and beating the hell out of her.

Jimmy and Jey ended up winning the match and retaining their titles, you and Solo going into the ring and celebrating with them.

You stood next to Jey, his eyes never leaving yours as you raised his arm, pretending like you didn't feel his gaze burning through you. He was probably just proud of the victory and you helping him, right? You let go of his arm, running right into a hug from Jey.

"Couldn't have won without you!" Jey exclaimed, pulling you close and lifting you off the ground, his title cold against your skin. You smiled back at him as he set you down, but your smile faltered a bit when you noticed the intensity in his gaze.

The four of you eventually left the ring, the adrenaline still coursing through your veins as you went through the curtains, the roar of the crowd still ringing in your ears. Jimmy noticed the smile leave your face, and as soon as you dragged Solo to the locker room, he approached Jey with a knowing look. "You guys alright, Uce? She seemed a little off."

Jey shifted his gaze from you, who had just left the area with Solo, to Jimmy. He had an look Jimmy couldn't read before Jey gave him a smile, "Of course, Uce. We're all good," Jey replied, though his smile seemed just a tad forced. Jimmy studied his brother for a moment, sensing there was more to the story, but he decided not to press further. If Jey wanted to talk about it, he would.

He just hopes Jey's words are true.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Moment Three

You clenched your phone, the cold air biting into your skin as you looked around panicking, seeing that same man from outside still following you, making you quicken your pace.

You fumbled with your phone, your glossy eyes making it hard for you to dial the number you know by heart. You managed to press the call button, the phone ringing on the other end. Your heart pounded in your chest as you prayed for him to answer. The call rang once, twice, and then, a familiar voice answered.

"Hey sweetheart. Wassup? If you wanted to see me you coulda just went to my room" He teased.

Tears welled up in your eyes, both from fear and relief. "Jey, I need you," you managed to choke out, your voice trembling.

Jey's tone immediately shifted, concern washing over him as he sat up in alarm. "What's goin' on, baby girl? Where are you?"

You took a deep, shaky breath before speaking, still keeping an eye on the man following you. "I'm... I'm outside, and there's this guy. He's been following me for a while now, and I'm scared."

Jey was already starting his car, running to the parking lot and putting his keys in. "Stay on the line with me, sweetheart. I'm coming to you. Can you tell me where you are?"

You quickly glanced around, trying to spot anything familiar that you could tell him. "I'm near that little park we passed by earlier, the one with the fountain," you managed to say, your voice trembling.

"Alright, I know where you at. Just stay on the line, okay? I'm on my way," Jey reassured you, trying to keep himself calm as he rushed to get to you.

"Okay, Jey. Please hurry," you pleaded, your voice barely above a whisper, trying to keep your composure. You looked around you when you heard a noise, and saw the same man coming closer to you, a disgusting smirk on his face.

"Get the hell away from me!" You yelled, taking a step back, your heart pounding in your chest. You were scared, but you knew you couldn't just stand there.

"What's the matter, baby? I just want to please you." You gave the man a disgusted look as he licked his lips, trying to advance on you.

"Well I don't want your musty ass, so stay away from me!" The man's eyes darkened with anger at your words, and he grabbed your wrist, making you shriek and try to push him away,

"What!? What happened, baby?" Jey yelled through the phone at your scream, hearing your yelling and panic.

You didn't respond, the phone dropping to the ground as you were pushing the man away from you and making him fall to the ground and try to grab your leg, but you managed to kick him off and scramble away, your heart pounding in your chest.

The man tried to crawl towards you, but before he could a car pulled up beside you, and the door swung open, revealing Jey, his eyes red with anger as he saw you on the floor, trembling with fear because of this disgusting man trying to get to you.

Jey lunged towards him, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into the car, punching the man hard in the face over and over again until he was bleeding, his knuckles raw with how hard he was punching him. The man was crying, begging for forgiveness, making Jey scoff at his audacity.

"Why you crying now, big boy? You were all tough a minute ago," Jey taunted the man, punching him once more before shoving him into the car, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against the car window. The man's gasps for breath echoed in the chilly night air.

"You mess with my girl, but you don't have the balls to handle it, huh?" Jey tightened his grip on his throat, enjoying the scared noises coming from him. The man gurgled and struggled to speak, his eyes pleading for mercy. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry," he managed to croak out.

Jey's grip on the man's throat only tightened as he growled in a low, menacing tone, "Oh trust me, you gon' be real sorry." Jey slammed the man's head against the car window, causing it to crack and the man to scream in pain.

You watched with tears streaming down your face as Jey beat him unconscious, slamming his head against the car over and over again.

Jey wasn't letting up, making his head crack against the car until you feared the man not be alive anymore if you let this continue and rushed over to Jey, tugging at his arm desperately.

"Jey, please stop! He's not worth it!" Jey stopped and turned to you, breathing heavily with anger. His eyes softened as he looked at your trembling form, your tear-streaked face and the fear in your eyes. He released the man's throat, letting him slump to the ground, unconscious.

"Are you okay, babygirl?" Jey asked, hands hovering over you, not sure you wanted to be touched right now.

You threw your arms around him, burying your face in his chest as you sobbed. "If you didn't come..I don't know what would have happened," you managed to say between sobs, your voice muffled against Jey's chest.

"Shh, don't think 'bout that. I'ma always come for you." Jey whispered to you, tightening his hold around you, his heartbeat soothing your racing one. He looked down at the man he had just beaten, a sneer on his face as he looked at the piece of trash.

"This piece of shit ain't gonna bother you again," Jey said, his voice still laced with anger as he gently led you to his car. You nodded, your throat tight with fear and relief. Jey opened the car door for you, helping you get in before hopping in the drivers seat, his hand on your thigh rubbing circles into your skin helping you calm down as he drove through the streets to your shared hotel.

"Did he touch you?" You shook your head, still clinging to Jey's hand on your thigh as he drove. "No, he didn't. I managed to keep him away, but I was so scared, Jey."

Jey squeezed your thigh gently, his eyes glancing at you a couple times before going back to the road. "You did good, baby girl. Real good. You're safe now, okay? I got you," Jey's voice was soothing, a stark contrast to your racing mind.

You leaned your head against the window, letting out a shaky breath. "I know you do. I don't know what I'd do without you." Jey's grip on your thigh tightened, his thumb still tracing soothing circles.

"You ain't ever gotta find out, sweetheart. I'm always gonna be here for you. Always."

You finally arrived back at the hotel, your heart still pounding in your chest, but Jey's arm wrapped around you as he escorted you inside made you feel better. He lead you up to your room.

As you both entered your room, Jey locked the door behind you. He gently guided you to the bed, making you sit down, and then crouched in front of you, his hands cupping your face to ensure you looked into his eyes.

"I'm right here, baby girl. You're safe now," he said, his voice filled with tenderness. He brushed his thumb over your cheek, wiping away a stray tear.

You nodded, leaning in the warmth of his touch. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Jey. I didn't want you to..." Jey's fingers gently pressed against your lips, silencing you.

"Shh, none of that. You did what you had to do, and I'm glad you called me. You're safe now, that's all that matters." "

But if I didn't leave to get some air in the first place, none of this would have happened," you whispered, guilt gnawing at you.

Jey's eyebrows furrowed at your words, his fingers moving from your lips to your chin, making you meet his gaze. "Don't go blaming yourself for this sweetheart. This is on that man, not on you, okay?"

You blinked back tears at his words, his soothing touch grounding you. You nodded, your voice barely a whisper. "Okay, Jey."

Jey smiled softly, hugging you closer to him. "Good." He hugged you a moment longer before pulling away, his eyebrows furrowed again.

"I ain't mean to pry, especially right now, but is everything good? Why you needed some air in the middle of the night?"

You looked away from his gaze, a mix of emotions swirling inside you. Part of you wanted to keep everything to yourself, to not burden him further, knowing Jey's strained relationship with his cousin, but another part of you longed to confide in him.

"It's just... everything's been so overwhelming lately, Jey. The traveling, the constant pressure, especially from Roman..."

Jey's face fell at the mention of Roman, his jaw clenching at the thought of Roman making you feel this way. He reached out and gently tilted your chin up, making you meet his eyes again.

"What did he do?" You hesitated, not sure how well Jey would take it. But he wanted to know, wanted to protect you. You finally decided to open up.

"He's just been... demanding, controlling. Sometimes it feels like he's suffocating me," you admitted, tears welling up in your eyes again.

"After the show today, he called me in his hotel room to discuss my loss." Jey's eyes darkened, it must've been serious if you were talking to him about this, you hated talking about your losses.

"He was furious, yelling about how it reflects on the bloodline and how I need to step up. But it's not like I lost my title! And when I told him that he got mad and I tried to apologize.... but he started throwing stuff, and said it wasn't good enough," you continued, your voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I needed to get out of there."

Jey's eyes were red with anger and something else you couldn't decipher as he listened to you. His arms rubbed your back soothingly, the comfort just as much for him as it was for you. “I ain’t gonna let him treat you like that.” Your head perked up at the anger lacing in his words, not liking the rage consuming him.

“No, you’re not gonna do anything.” You pulled back slightly to look at Jey, concern in your eyes. "Jey, please dont do anything stupid, you know how Roman is!”

“Yeah, and I don’t care! He's crossed a line, baby girl, and now he gonna pay the consequences.” You brought your hand to his cheek, gently caressing it in an attempt to calm him down. “Jey, think is why I didn’t wanna tell you! Cause you get so mad you can’t think straight. I don’t know want Roman doing anything to do, so just drop it.”

“Drop it?” Jey scowled at your words and how easy you were brushing all this off. There must’ve been something else you weren’t telling him. “What the hell he say to you, cause I ain’t ever seen you like this.” It was true, you were one of the most independent and strong-willed people Jey knew, and seeing you like this had him on edge.

You sighed, looking down for a moment before meeting Jey's gaze again. "He... he said some things about you. Said he knew how you are and how I blab everything to you… and that if I told you he would hurt you. That he’d destroy you, and It’d all be my fault.”

You bit your lower lip, tears welling up again. “He sounded so...so serious, Jey, and it scared me. He can hurt me all he wants, but I’m not gonna let him do anything to you.”

Jey’s heart sank at your words and how serious yet sad you sounded. How dare Roman use you as his fucking pawn to keep you all in line?! He pushed away his anger as best as he could and brought you closer to him, making your head rest on his chest. His hand gently stroked your back, comforting you while his thoughts raced.

He knew how fucked up Roman could be, and all this brought him back to 2020; all that hurt, all that anger, all that pain his own family member caused him. But it was worth it to protect you, and hed do it agaun to shield you from Roman’s wrath. But now it felt like all his efforts meant nothing, like he was trapped in a cycle he couldn't escape.

"Listen to me, sweetheart." He was sitting on the bed with you, grabbing you and bringing you onto his lap, holding you in his arms. He had never been this touchy with you before, but you welcomed it, needing his touch to ground you in that moment.

"I promise you, baby girl, I ain't gonna let him touch me. I ain't gonna let him touch you either, no matter what.” Jey’s voice was scarily calm as he spoke. He held you tighter against his chest the more he spoke, but you could feel his heartbeat racing. You knew he was seething with anger, but he was doing his best to keep it in check for your sake.

You held onto Jey tightly, your fingers clutching his shirt as if he were your lifeline. And in that moment he was, he was the only thing keeping you sane. "Please, Jey," you whispered, your voice trembling. "Don't do anything. I don't want anything to happen to you. I can't have a repeat of 2020... I can't see you get hurt. Please promise me you'll let this go.

Jey's grip on you tightened at your words, his chin resting on the top of your head. "I can't just let this go, baby girl," Jey murmured, his voice conflicted. "You're my best friend, my girl, the one person other than Jimmy I trust with my life. And the thought of him hurtin' you or threatenin' you like this..." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself before continuing, You were holding onto him like he was your anchor, your grip never wavering, listening to every word he was saying.

"It makes me so fucking mad, tears me up inside knowing he fucking did this." Jey scowled at the thought of Roman making you feel like this, making you feel like the way he's felt for the past 3 years.

You lifted your head, looking into Jey's eyes with a pleading expression. "I understand, Jey, I do. How do you think I feel every time he treats you like that, every time he goes after you? It breaks my heart too, but I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt because of me." Your voice broke at the end, all your pent up emotions and the night’s effects on you coming to a head.

Jey's heart broke at the sadness coming from your voice, his heart aching at the pain he saw in your eyes. He brought a hand to cup your cheek gently, his thumb tracing small circles not your soft skin.

"I hate seein' you like this, baby girl. I hate that he's got you feelin' this way, and I hate that I can't just... fix it." Jey opened up his own emotions getting the better of him. He wasn't the type of man to wear his heart on his sleeve, but with you, it was different. You brought out a side of him he hand't known existed.

You sighed, leaning into Jey's touch, the warmth and care in his eyes soothing you. "I know, Jey. I wish I could fix it too. But it's not that simple, trust me. Promise me that you'll let this go. For me, please. You're all that matters to me right now."

Jey hesitated for a moment, his eyes locked onto yours and you could see the internal struggle in his gaze. He was torn between his fear of Roman, his instinct to protect you, and to respect your wishes. He sighed, looking away from you deep in thought. You wrapped your arms around his neck,

scratching the hairs on the back of his head gently until he was ready and finally met your eyes again. His eyes were still filled with anger, but they softened the more they looked at your begging gaze. "I can't promise anything, but for you, I'll let it go... for now. But if he ever tries anything like this again, he's gonna have to deal with me, okay?"

You nodded, relieved that Jey didn't go fists pounding and swinging to Roman's hotel room in a fit of rage. You knew Jey could be a hothead, but you also knew that he cared about you deeply, and you didn't want to see him get hurt or make things worse.

"Thank you, Jey," you whispered, hugging him tightly. You wrapped your arms around Jey, holding him close, and for a while, the two of you just sat there in silence, finding comfort in each other's presence. Jey's heart still raced with anger, but he was doing his best to control it for your sake. He continued to caress your back, trying to provide you with as much comfort as possible. "Anytime, baby girl," Jey whispered back, his lips brushing against your hair as he held you close.

After a while, your eyes began to grow heavy, from the day's work and the emotional turmoil of the night. Jey noticed you drifting off to sleep and shifted you in his arms, pulling your head from his chest. "You should get some rest, sweetheart," he murmured, his tone gentle. You snapped awake and grabbed his arm in a panic. "Can you stay with me please? I don't think I can stay alone, not after tonight."

Jey smiled softly, holding your hand that was clinging onto him. "Of course, baby girl. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here with you all night if that's what you need." You sighed with relief, your exhaustion finally starting to take its toll. Jey saw and gently helped you sit up, letting you lean on him. "You gotta change first, sweetheart. Want me to help you to the bathroom?"

You nodded, still feeling a bit shaky from the night's events. Jey helped you to your feet and guided you to the bathroom. He stood outside, giving you some privacy while you changed into more comfortable clothes. When you came out he let out a teasing whistle.

"You clean up pretty good, baby girl." Despite the events of the night, he was trying to bring a smile to your face. You managed a small chuckle, which was a good sign. You settled into the bed, and Jey joined you, peeling off his shirt and pants, leaving him in just his boxers.

Your eyes went straight to his defined and very hot abs, taking your eyes away when he brought his gaze back to you after he finished changing. He slid inside the bed and brought you close to him, holding you in his arms as you both settled in. You felt safe and warm, your head resting on his chest as you listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Jey's fingers lightly traced patterns on your back, lulling you into a sense of security.

Jey pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head, his warm breath against your skin. "Sleep now, baby girl. I've got you." He murmured in a soothing tone, massaging your back gently. You closed your eyes, finally feeling at peace in his arms.

Jey continued to massage you, alternating between gentle strokes and soothing words until your breathing slowed, and you drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

He watched as you slept soundly in his arms, his mind racing with anxiety and anger that he had grown accustomed to. But he had not grown accustomed to seeing you hurt like this, seeing that sad look on your face and feeling your trembling form clinging onto him. It shattered and tore at his heart, knowing he couldn't completely shield you from the pain caused by Roman. It reminded him of the helplessness he felt in the past, reminded him of the part of him that was broken because of Roman. He couldn't let Roman do that to you. He looked at you, his heart aching for you, but not just at your pain, but something else he stuffed deep down inside of him for a long, long time. He sighed softly, bringing his lips down to your head one more time.

"I love you, you're..." Jey hesitated for a moment, barely able to hear his voice from how low he was speaking. He had never said these words out loud, never allowed himself to admit it even to himself. He gazed at you, his fingers still tracing soothing patterns on your back. "my best friend."

He still couldn't bring himself to admit what he knew out loud, partially in fear you might be secretly awake and hear him and partially because saying it out loud felt like crossing a line he wasn't sure he was ready to cross. Jey wasn't good with feelings and opening himself up, and was terrified of the vulnerability that came with admitting his feelings.

"You're my best friend. You're my girl, and it don't matter who comes at you, Roman included, I'ma always protect you. Always." Jey promised himself, holding you a little tighter every time he spoke.

He looked down at you one last time before snuggling into you, finally closing his eyes and the weight of the world fall from his shoulders with your touch. He let sleep wash over him, drifting off to sleep with one thought in his mind.

If Roman wanted to run back 2020, then his ass better be prepared. Cause Jey wouldn't let history repeat itself.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Moment Four

incoming text from jeybae: why the hell you avoiding me?

another incoming text from jeybae: i know you seeing these. neither of us want our business coming out on camera, but if that the only way I'm gon' have u talk to me then it's what's gon' happen.

another incoming text from jeybae: don't say i ain't warn you. you ain't gon' run from me, ma.

You sighed as you shut your phone off, continuing to put your makeup on in the girls locker room and ignore the concerned glance that Liv was giving you.

"Everything okay, hun?" Liv finally asked, concern lacing her voice. You looked up, offering Liv a faint smile. "I'm fine, don't worry your pretty little head about me, Liv."

You were far from fine, but she didn't need to know that. You did know that you were at least kind of valid with your feelings. Ever since Sami betrayed the Bloodline, Jey had been radio-silent, not speaking to anyone, including you. You had tried calling, texting, doing anything but you hadn't heard a peep from him. He hadn't called any of his family members either, Jimmy being the most concerned for him outside of you. You had spent many nights consoling Jimmy, assuring Jey would come back when he was ready. And when he did come back, it wasn't even for you, it was for Jimmy, and even though he didn't tell Jimmy either, it felt like a slap in the face after everything you've been through.

And yeah, it might've been petty to ignore him when everyone else accepted him with open arms, but couldn't just pretend like everything was fine and peachy and go back to the way things were. You were snapped out of your thoughts when Liv gently touched your arm.

"Look, I get that you've got some stuff going on, but maybe you should talk to Jey. I've known him a long time, and he's a good guy. He's probably just trying to figure things out too."

You bit your lip, grateful for Liv's concern but not entirely convinced it was that simple.

"I appreciate your advice, but he had his space, and now I need mine." Liv gave you a sympathetic look, but didn't push anymore. "Alright babe, just know you can always talk to me if you need to."

You gave Liv a genuine smile, touched by her kindness. "Thank you, Liv." You stood up, giving her a hug before leaving the room, smoothing out your outfit as you waited for your cue to go to the ring.

Roman had surprisingly let you have your own promo tonight, saying it'll get your mind in shape and out of the sadness that seemed to consume you recently. Your music hit, and you made your way to the ring, ignoring the cheers and boos as you gestured for the crew member to give you the mic.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Smackdown, otherwise known as my show." You had an-albiet forced- cocky smile on your face as you addressed the crowd. "Everyone has been so busy with Sami that they've forgotten who the true face of the women's division is, and I am here to remind everybody that it is me."

You smirked, patting your women's championship that was shining around your waist. "You see, there are those who chase opportunities, and then there's me, who creates them. I don't wait for my moment; I seize it. And Sami had to chase for his opportunity, beg for it, and then when he finally got it, he threw it all away for Kevin Owens, his best friend who doesn't even like him!"

You laughed, reveling in the boos as you gloated. "But his time has passed, and mine has arrived. So this will be the last time I address him, and the first time I addressed what else has happened with the Bloodline."

Your tone shifted from playful to serious, as you looked directly into the camera, your smirk turning into a glare. "Everyone is saying how the Bloodline has turned vulnerable, how they're divided. But let me make something clear: the Bloodline will always stand strong. There is nothing wrong, no division, only unity, and no matter what we will always run the WWE. So if anyone wants to come test me on that, feel free to come out right now so I can teach you how wrong you are."

You paused, looking at the ramp to see if anyone would be stupid enough to challenge you. But to everyones surprise but your own, it was Jey's music that hit, and the two of you locked eyes across the arena.

Much like the other times you guys locked eyes, it was like you were the only two in the room, his steely eyes never leaving you down as he made his way into the ring, frown never leaving his face as he stepped in the ring, the two of you mere inches apart.

"Cut my music." Jey demanded sharply, the tension in the air so thick you could practically cut it with a knife. The music abruptly halted, leaving only the echoes of the crowd and your shallow breaths.

"What, no welcome hug, Jey?" You quipped with a sarcastic smile on your face, your words dripping with a mixture of bitterness and pain. Jey's gaze remained fixed on you, his expression a mix of frustration and hurt.

"This aint the time for jokes." Jey's voice was low, his tone edged with a kind of intensity that sent shivers down your spine. "You ain't answering my calls, my texts, anything!"

You scoffed, feeling anger boil up inside you. You held the microphone firmly, your voice resolute.

"You're right, Jey. I haven't been answering your calls and texts. You want to know why? Because for once, it's me who needed space. You disappeared without a word for weeks, and when you finally came back, it wasn't to see me. It was to see Jimmy. You didn't tell me what you've been going through, and I get it, you needed time, but it hurt, Jey. You hurt me. And I needed to figure out my own feelings, too."

Jey's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing at your words. He let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"I had to get my head right, sweetheart. You know how it is. But I'm back now, ain't I? And I came back for Jimmy 'cause he needed me, just like you need me now." You shook your head, a mixture of frustration and sadness bubbling up within you.

"Jey, you don't get it. I needed you then, too. And it felt like you just left me in the dark. I watched you struggle with Sami, and I wanted to be there for you. But you shut me out. And then you come back, and it's like nothing happened. Like we can just pick up where we left off. And now you're mad at me for doing the same thing?" Your cocky facade slipped off and the pain was now showing on your face as you yelled your feelings at Jey.

"Where were you when I called you? When I comforted Jimmy cause he was worried as hell cause you wouldn't pick up the damn phone! Where were you when I needed you, Jey?" Jey's frown deepened at the raw hurt in your voice, and he took a step closer, reaching out a hand, wanting to touch you, to comfort you, but you took a step back, keeping a distance between you.

"I didn't mean for it to come to this, alright?" Jey's voice was low, strained. "I was dealing with my own shit, tryna sort it out. I thought you would understand like Jimmy."

You swallowed the lump in your throat, , your anger still simmering beneath the surface."Understand what? How you just left without a word? How you didn't give me a chance to support you, to be there for you? I wanted to help, Jey. I wanted to be the one you could lean on. But you shut me out, just like you're doing now."

Jey's face contorted with frustration, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "I didn't know how to handle it, okay? I thought I could deal with it on my own. I didn't want you to see me like that."

"But I want to see you like that, I want to be there for you, no matter how tough it gets. That's what love is, Jey." Your eyes widened at the word that left your mouth, quickly backtracking before he could speak. "The love best friends show each other. The love we always show each other." You looked down onto the mat, not wanting to see his face. "But I can't give you that love if you keep shutting me out."

Jey's breath caught at your words, his heart pounding in his chest. Did you really mean it the way he wanted you to mean it? Jey's mind was racing, torn between the fear of losing you and the fear of admitting what he knew was true.

You waited for an answer, and waited and waited and waited until you realized you wouldn't be getting one. After everything you've been through, he couldn't even give you the decencey of a response! You scoffed, turning away from him. "I can't even do this right now, I can see you don't even care about this, about us, about me. So just do me a favor and leave me alone like you've been doing since you came back." You spat at him, your word burning with the hurt in your chest. You turned to leave, but before you could move even one step, Jey's hand shot out, grabbing your wrist and stopping you in your tracks. His touch sent a jolt through your body, and you turned to face him, anger and hurt burning in your eyes.

"Please..." Jey whispered, his voice filled with a mix of desperation and longing, his eyes locking onto yours. He was standing so close to you that you could feel the heat of his body, and it was maddening.

"No, we are done here! I gave you a chance to explain yourself, to make things right, but you're just proving my point." You seethed, snatching your wrist from his grasp and dropping your mic on the mat.

Jey's face contorted with pain, his hand still hovering in the air where your wrist had been. "Wait, please, just hear me out," he pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion.

You shook your head, biting your lip to try and contain the flood of emotions threatening to spill out. "There's nothing else to say, Jey." You looked at him one last time, his guilty expression and puppy dog eyes etched into your memory before turning on your heel and made a beeline for the ropes, desperate to get away from the ring before you caved and let your emotions take over.

"Wait- you ain't gon' walk away from me again!" Jey called from behind you, slipping out the ring and trying to catch up with you. You had been avoiding him forever, and he wasn't gonna let his stupidity cost him the most important person in his life.

You quickened your pace, the fans' cheers drowning in your ears as you made your way up the ramp. You could hear Jey's footsteps getting closer, and you walked even faster, not wanting to see him.

"Just leave me alone!" You shouted over your shoulder, not looking back as you made your way backstage and breezed past the crew members and other wrestlers, ignoring their concerned glances and storming past them. Whatever half baked apology he was gonna spew- you didn't wanna hear it.

But you knew he wouldn't leave you alone, and you spotted an open door to a storage closet and made a split-second decision. You darted inside, hoping he wouldn't see you.

But Jey was fast, and he caught sight of you just as you slipped into the closet. He rushed in after you, his chest heaving from the chase. He pushed the door shut behind him, leaving the two of you in the small, dimly lit space.

"Can't you just leave me be?" You rolled your eyes and tried to push past him, but he blocked your path, his body towering over you.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that, ma." Jey whispered, his voice heavy with emotion. "I can't let you walk away like this."

You glared up at him, frustration boiling over. "And why not? You've had no problem doing it before, so it should be no problem for you to do it again. So excuse me, but I have better things to do than listen to your empty words." You tried to move past him again, but he blocked you again, making you groan in frustration.

"Move."

"I ain't movin'. Please just listen to me-"

"I gave you a chance and you didn't take it! Now move-"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't care about you!" Jey shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the closet.

"Oh so now you care about me? if you do you would listen to me and leave me alone!"

"Of course I care about you! You're the person I care about the most! The person I love the most"

You pushed at his chest, desperation and anger coursing through you as you poked at his chest, trying to ignore the way your heart was racing, betraying your own words. "Don't say that, Jey. Don't you dare say things you don't mean"

Jey's hand shot out, grabbing your wrist, effectively stopping your assault on his chest. He looked down at you, his puppy dog eyes searching yours, his grip on your wrist firm but not hurting.

"You know I ain't ever lie to you, and I never will." His voice was low and filled with raw intensity. "You know me better than anyone. You know how I feel about you, even when I messed up."

You stared into his eyes, and the walls you had built to protect yourself crumbled in an instant. "Jey..." you whispered, your voice filled with a mix of vulnerability and longing.

Jey took a step closer, his other hand cupping your cheek, his thumb brushing away a stray tear that had escaped. "I'm sorry for everything I did. Everything that hurt you. And I wouldn't hurt you again by lying to you right now."

You shut your eyes, trying to wade off the emotions you always shut yourself from, that part of you you never allowed yourself to let out. This could not be happening, not right now.

"Jey...stop." Jey didn't stop, his thumb continuing to caress your skin. "I can't stop. God, I've tried so fucking hard to, and if I could I would, but I can't." Jey's hand was shaking as he continued to stroke your cheek, his heart and mind in complete turmoil as he tried to express himself, express his emotions.

"Every time you smile at me, every time you laugh at my dumb jokes and take care of my family, every time you hug me and make me feel like I'm worth something,c eveytime you comfort me when I need it... I fall for you all over again." Jey's voice was barely a whisper, his forehead resting against yours, his warm breath mingling with yours. "You're the best part of my life, ma. And I'm sorry, but I can't let you go."

You opened your eyes, and the tears that had been held back spilled over, mingling with Jey's own. "I don't want to let you go either," you admitted, your voice trembling.

Jey's grip on your wrist softened, his hand now tenderly holding yours. He let out a shaky breath, relief washing over him as he heard your words. "Then don't, ma. Please, don't." And with those words, he gripped your face gently and brought his lips down to yours.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, hands on the ends of his mullet and practically jumping into the kiss, his arms snaking around your waist, pulling you impossibly closer to him.

The kiss was hard and heated, all your pent up desire and longing coming to a head as you brought him closer to you, teeth clashing as you longed to taste every part of his mouth, his taste familiar and new all at once, intoxicating you and making your head spin. Every movement of his mouth was like an apology, every sigh he broujht out of you a sorry for all the pain he's caused you, his arms squeezing your soft flesh, a silent confession to do better for you, to be better for you.

When he pulled away, his voice was hoarse, his gaze locked onto yours. "I've wanted this for so damn long."

You looked up at him through your lashes, your heart pounding with a mixture of nerves and desire. "So have I," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. "I forgive you. I can’t keep pretending I don’t love you too."

Relief washed over Jey at your words, his thumb traced soothing circles on your hip as he looked at you with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine.

"Then let's stop pretending, ma." He molded his lips against yours, his hands running up and down your waist. You grab the back of his head, deepening the kiss and pulling on his hair, groaning into his mouth when Jey bit your lip, his tongue brushing against yours.

"Best friend, huh? Jey teased as he pulled back slightly, his hair tousled from your eager hands. You grinned playfully, running your fingers through his hair. "Best friend, lover, whatever you want, Jey. I just want you."

Jey's eyes darkened with desire as he looked at you, his hands sliding down to your hips, pulling you even closer. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that." He whispered, his voice low and seductive.

With a mischievous smile, you leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Well, lucky for you, you don't have to wait any longer." You trailed kisses down his jawline, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath your lips.

Jey let out a low, appreciative growl as your lips moved along his jaw, his hands caressing your back, exploring the curves of your body.

"Baby girl," Jey murmured, trying to keep his moans low. "I've missed you so damn much." He leaned in to capture your lips again,the kiss burning with pent up desire and longing that you both have been keeping to yourself. Every desperate meeting of your lips was delicious and everything you imagined.

Your fingers deftly worked to remove Jey's shirt, and his hands trailed down your back, pulling you closer as if he couldn't get enough of you. The closet was small, but Jey made it work as he backed you against the wall, his lips trailing down your neck, nipping and kissing with a fiery hunger. You tilted your head to give him better access, relishing the sensation of his warm lips against your skin.

"I've missed you too, Jey," you whispered, your voice filled with longing. His hands moved to your hips, and he lifted you effortlessly, your legs wrapping around his waist. You gasped as he ground against you, and the friction sent a jolt of pleasure through your body.

Your fingers tangled in his hair, and you pulled him closer, your kiss growing more fervent, more heated. Jey's hands moved up your thighs, the fabric of your dress hitching higher as he gripped your hips tightly. The sensation of his hardness pressing against your core sent a shiver down your spine, and you let out a breathy moan against his lips.

You broke away from the kiss for a moment, gasping for breath as you looked into Jey's eyes, your faces inches apart. "Jey," you whispered, your voice trembling with desire. "I need you."

Jey's eyes burned with desire as he looked into your eyes, his chest heaving with longing. He didn't need to hear those words twice.

"Then have me, sweetheart," he growled, lowering you to the ground just long enough to remove his remaining clothes before lifting you back up, pressing your back against the wall once more. He held you up with his strong arms, your legs wrapped around his waist, your dress bunched up around your hips. Jey's lips crashed against yours, the kiss wild and passionate as he held you against the wall.

You moaned into the kiss, your hands roaming over his bare, sculpted chest. You could feel the heat of his body, the hard muscles pressing against you, and it sent shivers of desire coursing through you. You nipped at his lower lip, causing him to groan in response, his hips grinding against yours, making you groan when you felt his arousal pressing firmly into you.

Jey's moans and the way his lips devoured yours drove you crazy, and any other day you would've loved the teasing, but not today. You couldn't wait any longer. You needed him, now.

Breaking the kiss again, you whispered, "Jey, please," your voice filled with desperation and longing. His eyes locked onto yours, and he understood exactly what you needed. It was the same feeling he had everytime he looked at you. Without a word, he lowered you gently, making sure you were steady on your feet before guiding you to a nearby table in the closet.

Jey's lips moved from yours to your neck, his breath hot against your skin as he left a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses along your collarbone. He worked his way down your body, his fingers brushing against your clothed clit gently, relishing in the soft gasps and moans he got out from you.

With a hungry look in his eyes, Jey slipped his fingers beneath the delicate lace of your underwear, his touch sending a bolt of pleasure through your body. You arched your back, pressing yourself against his hand, silently begging for more.

He obliged, his fingers expertly rubbing your clit, making your breath hitch and your moans grow louder. "No teasing, just give me what I need, Jey," you pleaded, your voice shaky with desire. Jey's lips curled into a wicked smile as he continued to work his fingers, his thumb circling your sensitive clit agonizignly slowly, relishing in the whines and moans you gave him as he tortured you He knew exactly how to push your buttons, and he reveled in the way your body responded to his touch.

"Jey, I swear to god, if-"

Jey cut you off by speeding up his fingers, making you choke on your words when he circled your clit, slipping another finger inside you

"What were you gon' say?" Jey taunted you, loving to see you like this. You rarely let your composure slip, barely let anyone else take control like this, and he was loving every moment of it. He loved this, the way you responded to his touch, your moans, your vulnerability.

"Answer me, sweetheart. " Jey slowed down his movement for an agonizing moment, never breaking eye contact with you. The heat in his gaze was scorching your skin in the best way possible.

"What were you gonna say?" You struggled to form a coherent sentence, your breath coming in shallow gasps. You tried to grind against his hand, but Jey tightened his grip on your hips and held you in place, enjoying you squirms and toying with you. You tried to grab his hand to make him move, but he kept his grip firm, making you whimper with frustration.

"Come on, baby." Jey eased as he continued to torture you, his fingers moving in a torturous slow rhythm that made you want to punch him and kiss him at the same time. "You not gon' get what you want till you answer me."

He seemed to be trying everything to get you not to answer though, moving his fingers every time you tried to speak. You tried to muster up any self-control you had left, but it was slipping away with each brush of his fingers against your aching core.

You bit your lip, locking eyes with Jey as you struggled to speak through the overwhelming pleasure. "If you don't stop and make me cum, I'm gonna kill you after this. " You panted out, making Jey chuckle softly, the sound sending a delicious shiver through your already heated body.

"Say my name," he demanded, finally picking up the pace and giving you what you craved. Your fingers left the edge of the table and dug into his shoulders harshly, but he didn't seem to mind, fingers expertly moving inside you and teasing your clit until you were a trembling mess.

"Jey!" you moaned out uncontrollably, your nails digging into his back as again and again and again, until your eyes rolled to the back of your head and you slowly went slack in his touch, chasing that heat building up in your body.

Jey could feel you tense, and he added another finger, moving even faster until you were scratching his shoulders. "That's it, baby girl," he growled, his lips finding yours for a searing kiss. "Come for me." His fingers were relentless, pushing you closer and closer to the edge, and you couldn't hold back any longer.

With one final desperate moan of his name, you came undone, shutting your eyes as pleasure hit you hard, making you gasp for air and tremble in Jey's arms, his arms and the table behind you the reasons you didn't fall in your wobbly feet. Jey continued to move his fingers gently, his lips pressed against your neck as he whispered sweet, reassuring words in your ear. You let him gently move his fingers against you and help you ride out your climax until you finally pushed his hand away, too sensitive to take it anymore.

You collapsed against the table, his arms wrapped around you, supporting you. His eyes were smoldering as he watched you catch your breath, a satisfied smile on his lips as he licked his fingers, savoring the taste of you.

"Damn, you taste so good, sweetheart." Jey groaned at the sweet taste of your nectar. You gave him a seductive smile in response, your chest still rising and falling rapidly as you walked towards him, reaching for the waistband of his pants pulling them down to free his hardened length. Jey hissed in pleasure as your fingers wrapped around him, and he let out a low, guttural groan as you softly stroked his throbbing dick, your touch light and driving him crazy.

You yelped when Jey grabbed your hips, and in one swift motion laid you on the table, the surface cool against your heated skin. He positioned himself between your legs, the sight of that making the heat between your legs grow even more intense.

"You sure you want this?" Jey asked, looking into your eyes for any hesitation or hint that you're lying. He was giving you an out, giving you a final moment to reconsider this, a chance to change your mind. But he knew h if you left him like this it would completely break him, that you guys were already in too deep.

You grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him down for a passionate kiss that wiped all doubts out of his mind, made him focus on the now, on how good your body felt against him, on how the wait was worth it.

When you pulled back for air, your brown honeyed-eyes stared at him with the heart eyes you've always looked at him with but more intense than any other time you've gazed at him, no longer hiding the desire in your eyes you've always felt for him. "I've never wanted anything more than this." You breathed, spilling the words out like you've said them a million times. "I want you."

Jey's heart was stuck in his throat at your words, the words he's been wanting to hear since the first time he laid eyes on you in catering a couple of years ago, when you were in NXT and the face of the women's division back there and he was on the smackdown low with Jimmy trying to make themselves stand out, to prove they belonged to be their and to be tag team champions. It was a chance meeting, you were on Smackdown to make a special appearance promoting your NXT main event match and happened to bump into Naomi while trying to find the locker room, and she was more than happy to help you find it.

When he saw you talking with her, your sparkling smile that made him want to always put it on your face and your laughter ringing in the hallway, he felt his heart skip a beat, and he couldn't get himself to look away from you. There was something about you, your charisma, your beauty, something untangiable that made him want to instantly be around you, learn about you, be a part of your world.

It was like you sensed his stare on you, and you looked away from Naomi and locked eyes with him, and he forgot how to breathe when you gave him a bright smile, moving away from Naomi and walking up to him.

"Hi! You must be Jey, Naomi's already told me so much about you, you're the cute twin, right?" You introduced yourself with a teasing glint in your eye as you extended your hand to him, your voice soft and charming.

"He better be the only cute one to you, I already got the other twin, you better remember that." Naomi glared at you playfully and nudged you, which gave Jey enough time to put on his big boy pants and act like a normal human being. "It's your first day and you already know the truth." Jey smirked, taking your hand and shaking it gently, trying to play it cool despite the way his heart raced. "Yeah, that's me, the cute one."

You giggled, the sound of it making his knees weak, but he managed to stay upright. "Well, it's lovely to meet you, Jey. I'm really looking forward to my match here on SmackDown. Naomi's been telling me about how great Smackdown is, and with you here I have no doubt that it is." You grinned at him, your kind words putting him at ease but also making his heart jump out of his chest at the same time. Naomi chuckled at you, already knowing something was up between you and Jey. "You have no idea. Jey, how about you show her around after your matches, make her feel welcome."

Jey internally gave Naomi a death glare, knowing that the look on her face meant no good. But he was also grateful she gave him an excuse to talk to you even more. "Of course, on behalf of the Uso Penetary, I'll be your tour guide." he replied with a charming grin. "But be careful, it can get real ucey in here."

Naomi rolled her eyes at him, while you laughed at his dumb joke, surprising him by linking your arms with his, your smile blinding his eyes and his heart. "Then let's get a head start, and we can get real ucey. Lead the way." You tightened your grip on his arm, ignoring Naomi's teasing look and looking at Jey expectingly. He glanced at your arm that was wrapped around his and looked back at you, a smile making its way onto his face.

"Whatever you say, m'lady." He flicked his hat like he was a cowboy jokingly, making you laugh again before leading you further backstage.

And ever since then, the two of you have been inseparable. You would hang out whenever your schedules were free, talk for hours at a time about anything and everything, your energies matching and his playful nature mirroring your own. You grew closer and closer to each other, and you opened him up in ways he’d never imagined he’d be comfortable with, especially when it came to how much he closed off his heart, but you managed to worm your way into his heart and throw away the key when he finally shared his soul with you.

But as you grew closer, he was afraid to make a move on you, scared he would make you run away, so he settled for being your friend, which was one of the greatest and stupidest things he'd ever done.

Great because you were the sweetest person he had ever fucking met, and the love you showed him was something no one else had ever given him, not even his own family. But stupid because he realized he had already fallen in love with you by the time he figured it out, and now he was in way too deep to tell you.

And now, here you were, looking up at him with those eyes, with those words he'd wanted to hear, and he was starting to wonder if he had dreamt this whole thing, if he was gonna wake up, find himself alone in his bed, with a throbbing hard-on, wishing you were really there. You caressed his cheek, and the warmth of your touch grounded him, confirmed that this was real, that he was right where he wanted to be.

Jey let out a shaky breath, his eyes locked on yours, his lips curling into a smile. "I want you too, baby girl," he whispered, as if he was trying not to wake himself up from a dream.

You smiled back at him, at the words you always dreamed he would say. You brought him into another kiss, but this time it was sweet and slow, like you were pouring everything you felt for each other into it, everything you've held back, finally realizing how far you've come and how far you're willing to go for each other.

Jey's hands moved tenderly over your body, exploring every inch as if committing it to memory as he felt himself already being addicted to the taste of you. He broke the kiss, his forehead resting against yours as he gazed deeply into your eyes.

"I can't believe how damn long it took us to get here," he admitted with a soft chuckle, his voice laced with affection. "But I wouldn't change a thing if it meant I got to be here with you right now.

Your heart softened at his words as you caressed Jey's cheek with your thumb and smiled warmly. "Sometimes the best things are worth the wait."

His smile widened, and he nodded in agreement. "Damn right, baby girl." Jey brought himself closer to you, his eyes filled with the unspoken question you already knew your answer to. You nodded, giving him permission for what you both knew was meant to be.

You both moaned once he entered you, his mouth finding yours in a kiss as he thrust into you, slowly at first, holding back and letting you get used to his length. You breathed out for a minute, waiting for the pain to turn into pleasure and he peppered your face with soft kisses, trying to distract you from the discomfort. After a minute or two you felt yourself relaxing, and you needed him to keep going. You arched your hips, dizzy with your want for him, knowing once he started you'd be an absolute addict for him.

"Jey, please move." You whined, wrapping your arms around his neck and trying to have a bit of self-control, but Jey always took away your self-control, made you get out of your own head the only way he could.

"Relax, baby. I got you. Relax." Jey tried to calm you down, a smile making its way on his face at the way you were already begging for him. He thrusted slow and deep, watching your face for every moan and reaction you gave him, your eyes half-lidded and jaw slack with pleasure you never had with anyone else.

"Eyes open, or I'll stop, sweetheart." You forced your eyes open at his command, his dominance making you clench hard around him, and he felt it and smirked, enjoying every bit of control he had over you. Your eyes locked onto his, and you could see his own pleasure overtake him, his brain overflowing with how good you felt on him.

"Good girl," he praised, feeling your tightness around him as he continued to pound into you slowly at first, then speeding up, then slowing down again, driving you even more crazy. You let out a particularly high pitched moan when he hit a certain spot deep inside you, making you clamp a hand over your mouth, suddenly hyper-aware of even though this was secluded, anyone could walk past you at any moment and hear you. But Jey pulled your hand off of your mouth, grabbing your wrists and pinning them gently on the table, and hit that sweet spot in you, making you loudly moan out again.

"Let everyone know who you belong to, baby." Jey whispered in a deep, sexy voice. " Let it out. Tell me how much you've missed me, baby."

You didn't hold back, "I've missed you so damn much, Jey," you moaned, your hands trying and failing to find a grip on anything as your body rocked with the rhythm of Jey's thrusts. "Needed this. Needed you."

Jey thrusted harder into you in response, the sound of your words and the way you moaned his name fueling his encouragement to keep going until you remembered. nothing but his name. "That's it, baby. You're mine," he growled, his possessiveness turning you on even further as he nuzzled and kissed your skin, his lips working their way down your chest, his tongue tracing teasing circles around your hardened nipples. "And I aint going nowhere this time, you stuck with me now." You groaned, instinctively trying to get your hands to cover up your noises but Jey shook his head, tightening his grip on your wrists.

"Don't be shy, baby, let 'em know you're mine," he purred, his hips grinding against yours, setting a relentless pace that had you gasping and moaning uncontrollably, no matter how hard you tried to stop your moans Jey brought out every single one of em, his free arm snaking down to your legs and his fingers finding their way between your thighs. Your leg’s quivered even more when he gently played with your clit, a stark contrast to hard his dick was pistoling into your core.

“If we get caught, I’m blaming you.” You moaned out with effort, too busy to focus on anything but Jey, Jey, Jey.

"Baby, you can blame me all you want. I’ll take full responsibility." he chuckled against your skin, his breath hot and intoxicating. "But you won't be thinking about that once I'm through with you." He finished his sentence with a powerful thrust that made you cry out his name that proved his point and made you quickly forget about anything other than him.

You felt that familiar sensation building up inside of you, and you could tell Jey was close too. You shut your eyes again, feeling overwhelmed but in the best way possible.

Jey's fingers went faster, making you open your eyes and throw your head back with a groan. Your eyes snapped open again and the breath was knocked out of you when you met Jey's eyes, the raw desire in his hungry gaze and the way he looked at you like he just wanted to eat you up made you feel like you were coming apart.

"I said keep your eyes open. I ain't gonna tell you again, got that?" You nodded, arching your neck, offering it to him as he continued to trail kisses along your throat, feeling you clench around him even more at his demanding tone.

“Oh, you like that shit, huh?” You couldn't help but let out a soft, sultry moan at his cocky tone as Jey's lips and tongue worked their magic on your sensitive skin. "I love it," you purred, your moans growing louder and louder with each slow but deliberate and delicious thrust.

"I'm yours, Jey, all yours." His lips found their way to your ear, and he bit your earlobe playfully, making you shiver and clench on him even more.

"You’re damn right." he growled. "You've always been mine, baby. It's just taken us a little while to realize it."

You felt yourself getting closer and closer, and his words didn't help the matter, they only pushed you further to the edge. Your walls clenched tightly around his cock, his thrusts speeding up more and more as Jey chased for both your releases.

"Jey," you gasped, your voice strained and needy that you trusted only him to hear. "I'm close. I'm so close."

Jey let out a rough groan against your ear, his movements growing more and more urgent as he chased his own release. "Hold it, baby," he rasped, his voice strained with reaching both your pleasures. "Hold it for me, just a little longer." He quickened his pace, the sound of your moans and the slap of skin against skin echoing in the small space.

A few tears escaped your eyes as you tried to hold, every muscle in your body tense and trembling. "You’re doing so good, baby," Jey murmured, his own voice shaky with need as he tried to control himself. "Just a little more, sweetheart."

You nodded, our breath hitching as the sensation grew almost unbearable. He thrusted into you one, two, three times, until you were too out of it to count and could barely breathe, sweat glistening on both your bodies.

"Jey, I can't hold on much longer. Please…" You begged, your body on the verge of shattering and your fingers clawing at his back, leaving red scratch marks against his tattooed skin.

Jey was barely holding back himself, his control slipping as he brought his head to the crook of your neck, groaning sexily against your skin. "Go on, baby," he whispered hoarsely, his hips moving erratically as as you were teetering on the edge.

"Let go for me, baby. Let it all out."

His sexy whispers were what pushed you over the edge. Everything turned white, and you saw stars as you came hard, your body shaking from the force of it. You didn't remember anything but the wave of pleasure that washed over you, the way Jey held you through it all, his name falling from your lips like a prayer.

The feeling of your orgasm and seeing you come undone before him was Jey's undoing. He groaned deeply as he came, closing his eyes and biting your shoulder as he shuddered, releasing inside you and trying not to float away and savor this moment forever, trying to ingrain your bodies, your moans, and the feeling of your tightness around him into his memory forever.

He held you close, both of you riding out your climaxes. You breathed heavily, trying to not slip away and leave this moment. Jey placed tender kisses alongside your neck and shoulder, his hands caressing your back soothingly to bring you back to him.

"I can feel you getting away, come back to me." Jey's soft voice helped you snap back to reality. Your eyes met his, and he was gazing at you with so much love and tenderness that it took your breath away. You couldn't help but bring your lips to his in a tender kiss your hearts pounding in sync as you melted into each other, not wanting to let each other go.

Jey pulled away from the kiss, his eyes locked onto yours as he brushed a strand of hair from your face, his touch gentle and loving. "Hope that the wait was worth it."

You chuckled at his words, leaning in for another sweet kiss. "Oh, it was definitely worth it, Jey. You have your work cut out for you, cause I'm not letting you go now."

Jey's eyes lit up with a mixture of relief and happiness as he held you close, your bodies pressed against each other. "Good, 'cause I'm not planning on going anywhere, baby." He whispered, sealing his promise with a kiss. You grabbed the back of his head, deepening the kiss, not getting enough of his addicting taste, and when he slipped his tongue between your lips, you welcomed him eagerly.

Jey pulled away before things had gotten too heated. He rested his forehead against yours, both of you trying to catch your breath.

"As much as I want to, if I kiss you again we won't be leaving this closet anytime soon," he said with a soft chuckle. You let out a breathy laugh, still trying to catch your breath.

"You're right," you admitted, your fingers gently tracing along Jey' s jawline. "It's not my fault that you're so irresistible."

Jey grinned at your words, nuzzling your nose affectionately. "I can say the same thing about you sweetheart. But we need to go or Jimmy will call the cops looking for us if he notices how long we’ve been gone.” You pouted, but reluctantly nodded and Jey moved off of you, making you hold in a whine at the emptiness. You stood up, or tried to- almost falling over if it weren’t for Jey quickly catching you from eating dust.

“Damn, I fucked you that good, huh? Jey chuckled cockily, steading you on your feet. "They don't call me ucey jucey for nothing baby.

You giggled at his cockiness. "You definitely did, Mr. Uso." You leaned in to kiss him again before leaning away from him and putting on your clothes, him doing the same with a smug grin on his face.

“What are you smiling for?” You asked once the both of you were dressed, his hand outstretched for you. Jey's smirk never faded as he took your hand, lacing his fingers with yours.

“I’m smiling cause now I can officially call you my girl. Before it was just a matter of time, baby girl, but now it's official." He brought your hand to his lips, making you smile uncontrollably when he kissed the back of it.

"And you're my man, and you better not forget it." You interlaced your fingers with his, letting Jey lead you out the closet, his hand squeezing yours as you checked if the coast was clear before yanking him out, making him giggle at the force you used.

"Damn, you tryna take me out before I even take you out?" Jey teased, his laughter filling the hallway as you playfully punched his arm.

"No, I'm making sure no one sees us so we don't get in trouble with the higher ups, dumbass." You punched his arm again, making him chuckle even more. "I can't believe how much of an ass you are."

Jey feigned offense, putting a hand over his heart as you both continued down the hallway. "Hey, I'm a gentleman, baby girl."

You rolled your eyes, but there was an affectionate smile playing on your lips. "Yeah, you're such a gentleman, 'ucey jucey'." Jey grinned, unfazed by your teasing. He was used to it, making fun of him was one of your love languages.

"Well, you're the one who can't get enough of this 'ucey jucey,' so I must be doing something right." You went to punch him again, but this time he dodged it, grabbing your other hand and holding it in his, his grin turning into a serious expression as he looked at you with genuine affection in his eyes.

"But I want to be a gentleman to you, and treat you right, y'know?" Jey's voice softened as he spoke, his thumb caressing the back of your hand. "I wanna take you out, give you everything you deserve, be the man you deserve, if you'll let me." You smiled at his words, feeling your heart swell with warmth.

"Of course I'll let you, Jey. There's no one else I'd want to be with." You leaned in and gave him a sweet, lingering kiss. ""I know you'll treat me right."

Jey smiled against your lips at your words, returning the kiss with the same level of tenderness. When he pulled back, he cupped your cheek with his hand and looked deeply into your eyes. "I'm gonna do my damn best to be the man you deserve, baby girl." You couldn't stop the wide smile that spread across your face as you looked back at Jey. "And I'm gonna do my best to be the woman you deserve, Jey." You gave him another kiss, your hearts full with happiness with the love you showed each other.

"But seriously, we gotta leave before we get caught making out in the hallway." You whispered as you teared yourself away from Jey's lips. Jey chuckled softly and reluctantly pulled away from you. "Yeah, I don't wanna be giving nobody a free show when they don't deserve it."

You giggled and let go of his hand and grabbed his arm, wrapping it around your shoulders. He raised his eyebrow, and you leaned into him before explaining. "Let's not tell anyone right now… they'll probably guess why we were gone for so long. But I still want you to hold me, so this is a win win."

Jey grinned and held you close as you walked together, his arm draped over your shoulders. "That's my smart girl." You grinned at that, you would never get sick of him calling you his girl.

As you guys made your way to the bloodline's Locker room, you passed Liv in the hallway. She wiggled her eyebrows, giving you an 'I told you so' look that you responded to with a wink, making her giggle. She exaggeratingly waved to Jey, making you both chuckle as you continued down the hallway, your secret safe for now.

Jey let you go when you arrived in front of the locker room, his hand on the small of your back guiding you in the room burning your skin. Jimmy was sitting on the couch and Roman was seated in his chair, looking up at the noise. His piercing stare made you feel like he was staring directly into your soul, like he could see right through you.

"You were right out there about the Bloodline being on top- and the only way we can stay on top is if we are united." Roman's stare never left you, his glare suffocating all the air out of the room. But you were used to it, being apart of the bloodline meant having to deal with Roman at his best, and mostly at his worst.

"We can't stay on top if we aren't united. So is whatever animosity between you and Jey settled?" You met his hard glare with one of your own, but Jey's hand on your back made you turn to him.

"It's settled, uce." You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, he never interrupted Roman's briefings before. Roman turned his glare to Jey, his eyes flickering to his hand on your back. You could feel the tension between the two of them.

"I asked her." Roman then turned to you, and his gaze bore into you with intensity. "Is it settled?" You met Roman's penetrating stare and nodded firmly, not breaking eye contact. "It's settled, Roman." Roman's gaze held yours for a few more seconds, as if he was searching for any sign of deception. Satisfied with your response, he finally nodded, his expression relenting just a fraction.

"Good. That's what I like to hear." He gestured you to sit, and you took a seat, Jey sitting beside you, his eyes never leaving Romans until you nudged him, and he turned his attention back to you.

"Alright, let's get back to our game plan..." Roman's voice filled the room, but your mind was only half there as Jey's hand trailed up your back, rubbing slow circles that warmed you up.

After the meeting was over, Roman allowed everyone to disperse, but when Jey wrapped an arm around you to leave, Roman stopped Jey with a stern look. “Jey, I need to talk with you for a minute.”

Jey whipped around to face Roman, his expression guarded when he looked at him, and you couldn’t school what he was thinking. “Then talk to me.”

Romans eyes flickered to you and Jimmy before meeting Jey’s gaze, his voice dropping lower. "Alone."

Jey exchanged a quick glance with you, and you nodded, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

"It's okay, Jey. I’m not going anywhere.” Jey hesitated, his gaze shifting to you and Roman before nodding, giving your hand a final squeeze before turning to Roman. “Let’s talk, uce.” You watched Jey and Roman walk away, a knot of worry forming in your stomach.

Jimmy sensed your concern and moved closer to you, giving you a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry ‘bout them, Roman ain’t mad, he just making sure everything’s good.”

You smiled back at him, his words reassuring you somewhat. Jimmy then teasingly nudged you, wiggling his eyebrows. “You and Jey made up real good, huh? Ya’ll were gone for a long time.”

You rolled your eyes at his teasing and chuckled, trying not to blush. “Whatever you are thinking, stop thinking it. We just talked it out, that’s all we did.”

Jimmy smirked, giving you another playful nudge. “Sure, just talkin’. I know that look, and it ain’t just from talking.”

You swatted his arm at his words, making him yelp and pout. as he rubbed his arm. "Alright, alright, damn you can hit."

You laughed at how dramatic he was being, thankful he lightened the mood up.

"Okay, okay, no need for violence," he teased, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "But seriously, I'm happy you guys worked things out. You and Jey, you're good for each other."

You smiled warmly at him, touched by his words. "You really think that?" Jimmy nodded, his expression sincere and honest.

"Yeah, I do. I've been by Jey's side since we were babies, and I ain't never seen him ever smile the way he do when he's with you. You make him happy and that's all I ever want for my brother."

You felt a warmth spread through your chest at Jimmy's words, and you brought him into a hug, hoping he felt how much you cared for him through how tight you were hugging him.

"Thank you, Jimmy. I want to keep making him happy too. He hugged you just as tight, patting your back in a brotherly manner, smiling into you. "You're welcome , uce. You're family. Just keep making my brother happy, and we're all good."

You rolled your eyes good-naturedly as you pulled back, grinning at Jimmy. "I'll try my best, but if you become a little less of an ass I I think that would help too."

Jimmy laughed, giving you a playful shove. "Ay, now you asking for too much." The two of you laughed, and it was at that moment that Roman and Jey returned, walking out of the office and joining you in the room.

Roman's expression was composed, and when Jey glanced at you, his face was unreadable, and you couldn't see what he was feeling. But he couldn't hide his feelings from his twin when he looked at him.

Jimmy gazed at him, and a silent communication passed between them, and Jimmy nodded at Jey as if he understood something that you didn't.

Roman's voice broke through the tension. "Everyone understands how important it is that the Bloodline remains strong. No more arguing, no more disagreements, no more room for doubts, or there will be consequences. Everyone got that?"

You all nodded, and he seemed satisfied until he turned back to Jey, glare back on his face. "Did you get that, Jey?" Jey met his gaze with an equally fierce glare, reluctantly nodding. "I got that." Roman held Jey's gaze for a moment longer, then nodded, seemingly content with the response.

"Alright then. You're all free to go, Tribal Chiefs orders."

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding as you left the room, Jey and Jimmy following behind.

Jey's hand found its way around your shoulder once again, bringing you close to him as you walked down the hallway.

"I can hear you thinking, babe." Jey commented, his voice low and soothing as he leaned in closer to you. "Everything's fine, trust me. He was just tryna sort me out, and we're all good now."

You sensed there was something more to the conversation, but you didn't want to push, you knew he'd come to you when he was ready. "I trust you, if you say it's fine, then it's fine."

Jey smiled at your response, a genuine and affectionate smile. He brought you closer to his side, rubbing up and down your arm. "Thank you for understanding , sweetheart. I don't want you worrying about any of this."

You leaned into him, giving him a bright smile. "Of course, Jey." You grinned at him before seeing the exit and realizing you didn't have your bags on you. "Can ya'll wait up for me though? I need to get my stuff from the ladies locker room."

Jey nodded, his hand still warm and comforting on your arm. "No problem, babe. Take your time, we'll be right here." You gave both of them a dazzling smile before leaving. as soon as you were out of earshot Jimmy shot Jey a confused glare. "Why you ain't tell her the truth?"

Jey let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. "This are finally good between us again, and I aint' wanna stress her out, she's got enough on her plate as it is. I gotta do what I gotta do to protect her, no matter what. I ain't mind taking Roman's anger for her, no way in hell I'ma let him put his hands on her."

Jimmy sighed, studying Jey's expression. "She's gon' be pissed at you for taking the brunt of Roman's shit, you know that? She ain't gonna like it if she finds out you're keeping this stuff from her."

Jey's jaw tightened, knowing his brother was right. He didn't want to hide things from you, but he also didn't want to put any unnecessary stress on you. You didn't deserve that. "I know, Jimmy. But I'll figure it out. Right now, I just need to keep her safe."

Jimmy had a worried look on his face as he clasped his brother's shoulder. "Just be careful, Jey. You know how stubborn and protective she can be. When she finds out, she's ain't gonna be happy."

Jey bit his lip, his gaze distant. He knew he was walking a fine line, but in his heart, he believed he was doing what was best for you. "Then I'll make right with her when the time is right. But for now, I need to protect her." He let out a heavy sigh and his shoulders slumped. "And maybe take the heat for a while, so she doesn't have to."

Jimmy understood where his brother was coming from, he truly did, but he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. He knew things might go south once you found out about it, and he didn't want you and Jey to go to a bad place. he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. He gave Jey's shoulder a supportive squeeze, making him look at him, his eyes filled with concern.

"Look, uce, I get why you're doin' this, but she gon' find out sooner or later, and she deserves to know the truth. You're just gonna have to be honest with her, no matter how hard it is."

Jey let out a deep breath, his brother's words sinking in. He knew Jimmy was right, and he couldn't keep this from you forever. "I know, Jimmy." He admitted, a sense of resignation in his voice. "I'll tell her, when the time is right. But for now, I need to protect her. She's been through enough."

Jimmy nodded, squeezing Jey's shoulder once more. "Just don't wait too long, uce, or it'll be too late by the time you tell her."

Jey absorbed his brother's words, a serious expression on his face. He knew his brother was right, he couldn't put off telling you forever, but for now he needed to shield you from any harm, all means necessary. "I won't, Jimmy. I promise."

Jimmy knew his brother was telling the truth, and with that he nodded, squeezing his shoulder one last time before dapping him up.

They heard the clacking of your heels and turned around, seeing you with your bags walking up to them. You grinned at them as you approached. "Thanks for waiting, guys. Ready to go?"

Jey nodded, grabbing one of your bags and slinging it over his shoulder with ease. "Of course, babe. Let's get you home." He looked back at Jimmy. "You coming with us or doing your own thing?"

Jimmy shook his head, giving you a warm smile. "I'm gonna head out and grab some food, uce. You guys have fun."

"Be safe, Jim!"

"Ya'll too. No funny business while I'm not around!" Jimmy yelled out as he went the other way, making you stick out the middle finger at him, making both Jimmy and Jey burst out laughing.

As Jey linked your arm with his as you both made your way out of the arena, he knew all he wanted was you like this, in his arms, with him, no matter what. You made him smile, made everything in his life feel better, made every moment of hell on earth turn into a heaven designed only for him.

And he knew he was taking a risk, keeping things from you, keeping the anger away from you, but every time he thought like that he remembered your cries that night in the hotel, the anguish on your face that he wanted nothing more to take away from you.

And if keeping things from you meant you'd never face that anguish again, that he'd be able to keep that smile on your face for as long as he could, he would do it again and again and again as long as you kept smiling at him like the world was in his eyes.

He'd just hope you'd forgive him for it.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Moment Five

"I thought we talked about shutting each other out sweetheart." Jey sighed across the room as he watched you fix up your hair in the mirror, his gaze locking with yours in the reflection.

"We talked about you not shutting me out, not the other way around." You continued to fix your hair, trying not to look at him, making him sigh again.

"It goes both ways, sweetheart. You said we need to communicate better, but you ain't talking to me." Jey walked over to you, his body pressing against you as he stood behind you, his arms encircling your waist. You tried to move out of his arms and ignore his warm body against yours, but he tightened his grip on you, resting his chin on your shoulder.

"What is there to talk about? I lost, that's it." You snipped, continuing brushing your hair until Jey's hand slid the brush gently from your hand.

"Try again, and this time tell me the truth." You huffed, trying not to look at him and ignore his captivating gaze in the mirror. "I am telling the truth. What more is there is to talk about? I moved on from it, and you should to." Jey planted a gentle kiss on your neck at your words, his lips lingering there for a moment.

"I can't move on until you can. And you can lie to everyone else all you want, but you can't lie to me sweetheart." he whispered, his voice laced with concern.

You finally turned to face him, meeting his deep, searching eyes. You saw the worry and love in them, and it tugged at your heart. "I let you down.... I let everyone else down. You saw what happened, I let that bitch Bianca take it...." Your voice wavered slightly, and you breathed deeply, trying to compose yourself. Jey was patient, kissing at your neck while he waited for you to find the words to describe your pain. "I failed… you know it, the fans know it, and Roman knows it.." You remembered the night all too well.

It was Night of Champions, and you and Bianca were putting on a classic, reversing moves left and right and the crowd was on their feet.

You had Bianca right where you wanted her, her laying on the ground completely helpless, with you smirking at her, ready to finish her. You climbed the turnbuckle, ready to hit your finisher on her and make her regret ever stepping up to you and challenging you for your title.

Then, out of nowhere, Bayley came out of the crowd, hitting you with a steel chair and throwing you harshly into the ring mat, making you hit the mat hard, your back arching in pain. You and her had been in a on and off feud for months, but even you didn't see this coming.

The ref didn't see it, but Bianca did, and she capitalized on it, picking you up in the K.O.D and pinning you for the three count, the bell ringing echoing through the arena.

When you came to the back after, ignoring everyone else's congratulations for how good your match was. You went inside the locker room, and Roman's expression in the ring mirrored your own. Disappointment, frustration, and perhaps a hint of anger flashed across his face. And you felt the same way.

And Jimmy kicking him in the face after he was finally fed up with Roman's bullshit didn't make the situation any better. You pushed aside your own emotions to calm Roman and Solo down, and any inner turmoil you had was shrunken down when you saw Jey's red eyes and his body shaking from all the emotions and adrenaline racing through him. You held him then, whispering sweet nothings and leading him to the locker room.

And you held him throughout the night, running your fingers through his hair and letting him hold you so tight you felt your skin against his start to bruise. He didn't say anything, but brought you on top of him and buried his face into your shoulder, trying to shield himself from the outside world. You held him in the darkness, comforting him in a way only you could, seeing him in a way only he would allow you to.

And in the morning, when the rays of dawn began to filter through the cracks in the curtains, and it was time to get back on the road again, Jey tried to do the same for you, but you didn't let him. You could handle it yourself, Jey was more important.

You simply brushed the hair out of his face, pressing a kiss to his cheek, letting him hold onto you a little more until you had to leave for the airport. And yeah, coping by yourself wasn't the smartest thing to do, but you've dealt with losses by yourself before, so you could do it again.

Except Jey wasn't letting you handle it by yourself. He would try to coax you into opening up, in the morning and at night, in the quiet moments in between. But you'd push him away, telling him that you were fine, that you needed to focus on getting back on track.

Jey's voice brought you back to the present, his fingers gently tracing along your jawline, his touch grounding you. "Baby, you can't keep blaming yourself for stuff you can't control. We talked about this."

You bit your lip, biting so hard that it stung, just like your heart was stinging.

“But I could have controlled it. I should have seen it coming, Jey. I should have been prepared. But I wasn’t. And I let everyone down because of it.” You shut your eyes, not wanting to see his reaction.

You pushed out of Jey’s arms, sliding down and leaning on the edge of the locker. The cold metal bit into your palms, but it was grounding in a different way.

Jey slid down next to the locker with you. He let the silence stretch for a moment, knowing how bad this was eating at you and that sometimes words were not enough. You could feel the weight of his gaze on you, and looked up at him when his hand gently hovered yours on the floor, and you gave him a nod, letting him intertwine his fingers with yours, his thumb rubbing comforting circles against your skin to try and get you to open up.

As you looked at him, the floodgates of your emotions threatened to burst. You took a deep breath, Jey's grip on your hand the only thing keeping you in check.

"It's just... I feel like I failed, Jey," you admitted, steeling yourself to composure. "And don't lie to me and say I didn't, because I saw it in Roman's face, in Jimmy's and Solo's eyes, I saw it in your expression." You fiddled with Jey's fingers, trying to find solace in his touch. "I hate that feeling, Jey. It's like a weight in my chest that won't go away. No matter what I do, it won't go away."

You choked on the last few words, not being able to speak. Jey thought that was enough for you, and he reached out, gently pulling you into his lap, his arms wrapped securely around you, allowing you to bury your face in his neck, inhaling his comforting scent and gripping onto him for dear life.

His hands rubbed your back as he let you cling to him, his voice soft and reassuring. "I ain't never gonna not be proud of you. And I know that night didn't go your way, and trust me, that night was tough for all of us. But what's tougher is seeing you beat yourself up over it."

Jey's lips softly pressed against your neck, his kisses tender and comforting. "It wasn't your fault, and i'on want you to keep thinking that it is. You did your best, stole the show and it ain't your fault you didn't get the dub, it's Bayley's. And you'll get your lick back on her, but you gotta take care of yourself first if you wanna do that."

Your grip on Jey loosened your body relaxing in his embrace at his calming words. He spoke with such love, such sincerity that even your overthinking irrational brain had to listen. You let his words wash over you, letting them seep into your soul and psyche, let them help you breathe for the first time in what felt like forever. He always had a way of bringing you out of your own head, understanding you in a way that few did. And in that moment, it was exactly what you needed.

You lifted your head from his neck, meeting Jey's gaze, your eyes still glistening with unshed tears. "I'm just… scared, Jey. Scared that I'll never be good enough, that I'll always be haunted by that one loss," you confessed, your voice quivering with vulnerability. "Scared that I'll let you down again."

Jey's eyes softened even more at your confession, and he tenderly brushed a strand of hair away from your face. His thumb traced along your cheekbone, his touch tender as hebrushed a strand of hair away from your face. "Baby, you are good enough. You've proven it every single time you've given it your all, every time you step into that ring. All them other ladies can't compare to you, and that's the truth."

He held your gaze as his thumb traced along your cheekbone, his touch gentle and reassuring and his brown eyes filled with love and understanding. "As for letting me down, that can never happen. You've been holding us up, sweetheart. You're the reason we're all still standing strong. And no matter what happens out there, win or lose, you're still the one I'm proud to call mine."

You had a watery smile tugging at your lips, your heart swelling with love for Jey. You cupped his face and brought him into a kiss, trying to convey all your unspoken emotions through the tender kiss.

He responded in kind, melting into you and giving you a sweet kiss trying to convey how much he graved for you through the gentle press of his lips. When you pulled away, your breaths mingling in the small space between you, you couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Jey. I needed that, needed you."

Jey smiled back at you, his eyes shining with affection. "You don't have to thank me, sweetheart. I'm always here for you," he whispered, his voice warm and reassuring.

It made you want to kiss him again in thanks, but before you could a knock sounded at the door, and a loud voice came from outside the room. "Your Tribal Chief has brought me to inform you our segment starts in 5 minutes. So if I were you, I'd get a hurry on, cause he is not in a mood to be bothered and crossed."

You moved off of Jey, rolling your eyes at Paul's annoying voice. "We'll be there Paul, don't worry. Give me a minute." You called out, sharing a look with Jey as you dusted yourself off, trying not to look like you were on the verge of crying or sucking face with Jey just a minute ago.

No one knew about your relationship, not even Jimmy. The two of you wanting to take it slow, and you wanted to keep it that way for the time being. No meddling, no one in your business, no pressure. Sure, it was hard when one of you got jealous, but the two of you knew each other in and out and knew when to reassure the other.

Jey stood up, his hand gently squeezing yours before he moved towards the door, opening it and giving Paul a look of annoyance that had you internally giggling.

"We're coming, Paul. You don't have to babysit us." Jey grumbled, letting you walk ahead of him.

"Good, because I have more important things to do than babysitting you fiend of besties." Paul huffed, leading you all to the ramp where Solo and Roman were waiting, Solo leaning against the barricade and Roman pacing back and forth, an irritated expression etched on his face.

"Finally," Roman grumbled, eyeing you both. "Let's get this over with and make them acknowledge me."

You exchanged a glance with Jey and Solo before moving into position with everybody else, putting on your best smile for the camera as Roman's music hit. You strutted confidently as you all made your way down to the ring, the roar of the crowd echoing around you as you all posed for the cameras. Jey held open the ropes for you as you stepped into the ring, his eyes never leaving you.

"Acknowledge me!" Roman began, his authoritative voice capturing the attention of the crowd.

"We all saw what happened at Night of Champions, other's rose to the occasion, while other's failed to rise up to their expectations." You shied away from the jab and pointed look Roman was giving you. Jey noticed and wrapped an arm around your shoulder, glaring at Roman. You leaned into him, grateful for his silent support.

"But other's decided to try and drag people down with them into the descent of their own failures, and that is exactly what Jimmy did to me and Solo. He betrayed me, he betrayed Solo, he betrayed all of us! The people who helped him get to the top are the same people he didn't hesitate to throw under the bus!" Roman's eyes darkened with anger as he spoke, shoulders bunched with anger.

He turned to you, Jey and Solo, pointing at each one of you. "Solo, your own brother cost you that tag team match. Your own older brother!"

He turned to you, pointing at you furiously. "He betrayed you too, stabbed you in the back without a second thought, all because he was jealous he didn't have a title."

He finally turned to Jey, who was silently brooding and glared up at Roman when he turned to him. "And Jey… your own twin brother left you, hurt you, left you hanging all because he was jealous of our success." Jey's grip on your shoulder tightened, his jaw clenching as he stared Roman down.

"But don't worry, that will all change. Jimmy will regret what he did, will regret trying to bring the Bloodline down for his own agenda. But most importantly, he will regret messing with the Tribal Chief. And trust me, I will make him acknowledge me-"

Jimmy's music suddenly cut through the arena, interrupting Roman's speech. The look on Roman's face was downright furious. Jimmy stormed down the ring, that same look of fury in his eyes as he entered the ring.

"I am sick and tired of your bullshit, Roman," Jimmy spat, standing toe to toe with Roman. "You keep lying, and lying, and lying! You are the only cause of all this chaos. You only have yourself to blame for what happened. Cause you know what?"

Jimmy locked eyes with him, anger running through his veins. "I don't regret a single thing I did that night. And you wanna know why?"

Roman's voice was laced with venom, his nostrils flaring as he stared down his brother. "Why is that, Jimmy?"

Jimmy leaned in closer, their faces inches apart, his voice low and full of conviction. "Because I had to stop you from dragging everyone down with you and having you becoming even more of a narrcastic asshole that you are. You were willing to hurt us all for your own damn ego, Roman. You've been doing that for 3 fucking years, and you know what? I got sick of it!"

Roman's glare bore into Jimmy, and you could practically feel the seething anger radiating off him. "You've always been the weak link, Jimmy. I've done nothing but carry this family on my back, give you all the opportunities you have. And this is how you repay me? By turning your back on your own blood?"

Jimmy chuckled angrily, not backing down from Roman."Carry this family? You are delusional as always, uce. You never cared about anyone but yourself. You only care about being the 'Tribal Chief' and having everyone bow down to you. Well, I'm not gonna do that anymore. I'm not gonna let you control us, use us, and then toss us aside when we don't do what you want us to do.

The two men stared at each other with fiery intensity, Roman's fists clenched at his sides, and Jimmy's knuckles white from the force of his grip.

"You were always jealous, weren't you?" Roman asked mockingly, Jealous that I was always the one to lead, the one to make the decisions, the one to take the Bloodline to the top. You never had the guts to do what it takes, Jimmy. You were always content being in my shadow, following my lead. You never even had the guts to be my right hand man like Jey."

Roman gestured to Jey, who looked conflicted as he stood nearby, torn between his loyalty to both his brothers. "You were jealous you never had the power like my right hand woman."

Roman pointed at you, and your own conflicted eyes, his words dripping with spite.

"But you know what, Jimmy? You can never be me. You'll always be the lesser Uso, the one who couldn't measure up." Jimmy's face contorted with a mix of rage and hurt at his words.

"You're wrong, Roman. I ain't jealous of you. I'm disgusted by you. You've done nothing but bring us all down to bring you up, and sooner or later everyone else will see it too." He gestured to you, Jimmy and Solo, you and Jey having a smiliar expression of concern on your face while Solo had his typical stoic look on his, arms clenched like he was ready for a fight.

Roman followed his gaze, looking at the three of you for a long moment before turning back to Jimmy and bursting out in laughter, a mocking and humorless sound that echoed through the arena.

"You really think they'll leave me for you, Jimmy? You really think they'll choose you over the Tribal Chief, over the one who's been leading this family to greatness?" Roman laughed again, shaking his head in disbelief. "How about you guys tell him what you really think? Tell him what a mistake he's making." Roman turned to you, Jey, and Solo, his gaze piercing through you all.

You spoke up first, trying not to look at Jimmy's pleading gaze but it was futile. "Look... Jimmy, I get why you're mad. The titles, the pressure, it's all getting to you. But…" You looked conflicted, your heart torn in two different directions. "Roman is right. You made your choice, and now you have to live with it."

Jimmy looked like he gotten slapped in the face at your words, his hurt showing on his face making your heart clench. Roman started cackling again, the sound making your heart ache even more.

Jimmy's eyes bore into yours, wounded and betrayed. "I thought you'd understand out of all people," he muttered, his voice heavy with disappointment. "I thought you had my back."

Roman smirked, patting you on the back and giving you a proud smile. "You see, she sees the truth you are blinding yourself from. What about you Jey? How do you feel?"

Jey stepped up, his heart heavy as he gazed at his twin, his pleading eyes filled with sorrow. Jey turned back to you, sharing a glance with you that spoke more than words could before turning back to his brother.

"Jimmy, you know I love you. And you know I always have your back. But I also have Roman's back too." He extended his hand to Roman, who took it smiling, dapping him up. Jimmy watched on with an ache in his heart. "He's the one who made me , the one who turned me into main event Jey Uso!" Jey exclaimed, Roman patting him on the back proudly.

"And now… you're out of the bloodline." You and Jey exchanged one more look, and you knew what you needed to do.

"And I'm out too!" Roman's smirk dropped, but before he could speak he was getting super kicked by Jey, sending him sprawling to the mat.

Solo moved quickly, trying to attack Jey but you super kicked him in the jaw, sending him stumbling back. A smile made its way onto Jimmy's face as he joined the fight, helping you beat down Solo as Jey speared Roman, your mind finally at peace as you finally left the Bloodline, leaving the one person that always tormented you, getting your sweet sweet revenge.

You grabbed a mic and walked towards a fallen Roman, who was lying on the mat, breathing heavily and clutching his stomach. You grabbed at his hair harshly and tugged , forcing him to look up at you.

"You thought I forgot everything that you put me through, Roman?" you spat, your voice dripping with venom. "All those years of manipulation, of making me feel small and insignificant? Well, guess what? It ends now." Your grip on his hair tightened as Jimmy and Jey looked on in satisfaction at Roman finally getting what he deserved.

"I choose my family, and you were never a part of it. And now you are all alone, and I'm out the Bloodline, " you declared, letting go of him in disgust and throwing the mic to the ground. You felt arms wrap around you, and looked up to see Jey smiling down at you with absolute pride in his eyes as you finally took control, finally stood up to the man who had abused him for months. Abused and tormented you for months. Jey felt a sink sense of glee watching him be hurt like this, hurt like the way he used to hurt and belittle you.

Jimmy hugged you both when you all walked up the ramp, unshed tears of relief in his eyes as you were squeezed by both men so tight you could barely breathe.

"We did it." Jimmy whispered into your skin as he squeezed you tighter. You nodded back, just as emotional. You did it. Finally fucking did it. You stood up to the most, abusive manipulative and emotionally draining man you'd ever fucking met.

Jey was on your other side, his smile never fading as he held onto you both. "We're free, uce. We're finally free."

The crowd's cheers echoed in your ears, but you could barely hear it over the poouding of your own heart. As you held up the ones, basking in the moment, you finally felt that weight on your heart release, and you realized that it wasn't you putting that weight on yourself, it was Roman.

And as Roman glared at you from across the ring, you promised yourself you'd get rid of that weight, no matter what.

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

"Ay, all your shots on me, uce!" Jimmy's rambunctious voice yelled throughout the bar as you danced, the music pulsating you and the alcohol coursing through your veins as you danced with Liv, her arms around your waist as you moved to the beat with her, giggling like a couple of schoolgirls.

After your revenge on Roman, Jimmy insisted on the three of you going to a local bar to celebrate and let off some steam, and lord knows you deserved to let off some steam. You and Jey needed no convincing, you ordering an Uber and heading straight to the liveliest bar you could find, inviting Liv to tag along with you.

The bar was dimly lit, with neon signs casting colorful glows across the worn wooden floors. Jimmy was already drunk as hell, dancing all over the tables and acting like a complete goof. You and Liv were already a bit tipsy, her insistence on taking a shot every time Jimmy did something stupid being the cause of that.

And Jey couldn't take his eyes of you, tipsy as well but not as much as you and Liv as he sat back at a corner booth, a contented smile on his face as he kept an eye on his twin and watched you enjoy yourself. You deserved this, to let loose and have a good time after everything you'd been through.

Liv wrapped her arms around you, bringing you to a different section of the bar and grabbing you both more fruity drinks you couldn't get enough of.

"I'm so glad you finally got rid of that toxic asshole and finally decided to act your age and party!"

You giggled, the warmth of the alcohol making you feel lighter than air. "I'm glad too. And I finally decided to take your advice and enjoy my twenties before I end up an old women like you."

Liv playfully gasped, clutching her heart dramatically." Hey, I'm not that old!" Liv protested with a mocking glare, making the two of you burst out in giggles. "But seriously, it's about time you let loose and had some fun. You've earned it."

You smiled at her words, clinking your glass with hers. "You're right. Cheers to new beginnings!" You toasted, the clinking of your glasses ringing through the air. Liv grinned back at you, her eyes sparkling with happiness for you.

"Cheers to that!" She cheered with you, taking a sip of her drink. Her eyes wandered around the bar before finally meeting your own, a mischievous glimmer in them. "And speaking of having some fun… Jey has been eyeing you all night, y'know?"

You felt your cheeks warm up as you followed Liv's gaze back to Jey, who was still sitting in the corner booth, watching you with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine that you both loved and hated at the same time. Did he have to make it so obvious?

You turned back to her, a nervous smile on your face. "You're imagining things," you replied with a nervous giggle, taking another sip of your drink. "He's probably just making sure I'm not drunk out of my ass. Y'know, typical best friend duties."

Liv narrowed her eyes at you, mockingly accusing. "Uh-huh, sure. Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart."

You rolled your eyes playfully, knowing Liv had a talent for picking up subtle cues and interpreting them in not-so-subtle ways. You couldn't risk her finding out about you and Jey, even though she was drunk she was still Liv and could figure it out at the drop of a hat. So you decided to change the subject.

"Alright, Sherlock Holmes, what about you? Anyone caught your eye lately?" you teased, trying to divert the attention away from you.

Liv smirked, taking a sip of her drink. "Maybe… maybe not. But that's a story for another time. Right now, it's all about you and Jey. Seriously, though, you should talk to him. He's been giving you that 'I'm gonna jump your bones' look all night."

You choked on your drink, eyes wide. "Liv! Don't say things like that!"

She burst into laughter, slapping your back gently. "I'm not lying though! Ya'll have mad sexual tension, and it's honestly adorable. Just talk to him, okay? Trust me, it'll be worth it."

You tried to hide your smile, knowing you and Jey already solved that problem, but she and anyone else didn't need to know that.

"Y'know what? If you won't call him over, I will." Your eyes widened in amusement and laughter as Liv waved at Jey, beckoning him to come over. Jey looked a little startled but then gave you a knowing smile before excusing himself from the booth and making his way over to where you and Liv were standing.

"How are you fine ladies doing?" Jey's voice was smooth as he not so subtly checked you out, making you internally groan as Liv clocked it, making her practically beam in excitement.

“We're doing good Jey. But this one," Liv wrapped her arm around your waist, "wants to jump your bones just as much as you want to jump hers.”

You blushed furiously, shooting Liv a playful glare. Jey, on the other hand, seemed amused by the whole situation. He leaned in closer to you, his warm breath brushing against your ear as he whispered, "Is that so?"

You tried to compose yourself from your boyfriend's teasing, ignoring Liv's laughter from next to you. "Maybe. You need to show me your moves before we can confirm anything though."

Jey's playful smirk widened, his hand gently grazing your lower back. "Oh, I'm more than happy to demonstrate, sweetheart." You giggled, feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement bubbling within you. "Alright, let's see what you've got, baby."

You walked away with Jey, Liv's laughter fading into the background as the two of you made your way to the dance floor, Jey's arms making their way around your waist , pulling you close.

Jey's body grinded against yours, the music thumping in your ears as he danced in sync with you. Your body fit into his perfectly, moving together as if you'd been dancing like this forever.

"See, this isn't so bad, isn't it?" Jey whispered into your ear as he turned you, his hands sliding down your sides. You gave him a faux glare, rolling your eyes playfully.

"I'm gonna kill you after this. Are you trying to get the entire roster to know about us?"

Jey chuckled, his breath hot against your neck. "Relax, babe. I just wanna have fun with my girl. And no one's paying attention to us, trust me."

You raised an eyebrow and shot him a teasing grin. “Mhm, that’s the reason youre being so touchy. Not because you got territorial seeing everyone here and want to claim me as yours?”

Jey's playful smirk never wavered as he continued to move with you, his eyes locked onto yours. “Maybe a lil’ bit of both.” He admitted, his voice laced with desire. His hands slid sensually down your sides as the music pulsed around you. “But can you blame me? You look absolutely stunning tonight. Can’t help but want to show you off a bit.”

Your cheeks warmed at his words, he always had a way of making you feel special no matter what: it was one of the things you loved about him. "You're such a smooth talker," you teased, letting your fingers playfully trace along his jawline.

Jey's eyes twinkled with a mix of mischief and affection. "Only for you, babe," he whispered, turning you around once more before pulling you close again.

Everyone else faded away as his lips ghosted against yours, his eyes darkening with a silent question, the alcohol making your brain fuzzy and bold. Jey’s fingers grazed across your lower back, the lights of the bar reflecting in his dark brown eyes, the colors dancing in his eyes making it impossible to look away from him.

“Can I kiss you, sweetheart?” Jey asked, his voice a gentle rumble against your ear. You gazed at him, not caring about anyone or anything else. In that moment, it was just you and him, his arms around you that you felt so safe in, the thumping of the music beating to the beat of your heart, and the desire pulsing between the two of you as you looked at each other.

A small, anticipatory smile played on your lips as you met his gaze. "Please do.”

Jey didn’t need to hear that twice. He titled your chin, leaning in, and then his lips were on yours. His smirk faded as you wrapped your arms around him, deepeing the kiss and flicking your tongue against his, tasting the salty tequila he drank earlier and the taste of sweet cherry chapstick on his lips. His chain was cold against your skin as he pressed closer to you, the cold contrasting to the heat burning through your skin at Jey’s touch. The kiss was a slow burn, Jey’s lips slowly invading all your senses, his mouth swallowing every sigh of pleasure that escaped your lips. His body melted against yours when you grabbed the ends of his mullet, tugging harder when his tongue slid against yours. He swirled it in your mouth and it was like he was trying to memorize every part of your mouth.

You were dizzy off of Jey, his lips so familiar yet felt so new everytime you kissed. Your lungs burned with need for air, but you ignored it in favor of Jey’s lips that were more intoxicating than all the alcohol you drank tonight. He was your high, and you never wanted to stop being addicted to him.

He grabbed your hips, pulling you impossibly closer and grinding against you in time with the music, making you groan into his mouth. Time didn’t matter, the only thing that mattered was the heat between your thighs as Jey helped curb your addiction to him with his hands roaming across your sensitive skin and him bringing his teeth between your bottom lip in a slow, teasing bite.

His grills flashed against the dim lights, making you groan once more before pulling him in into another searing kiss, gripping onto your favorite leather jacket of his- that he also looked so sexy in-for something to ground you.

“Oh my god! I knew it!” A squealing voice made you pull away in a panic, your heart racing for a different reason as you turned to see Liv right behind you, Zelina and Raquel on her tail looking equally as drunk.

“Best friends my ass!” Liv squealed again, practically shaking in excitment. “You guys finally stopped being wusses and did something about your sexual tension!!”

“Liv, you scared the hell outta us! Practically broke my eardrum!” Liv ignored your complaints, too elated to care. She wrapped her arms around both of you in a tight, tipsy hug. I can't believe it! You two are officially a thing!"

You tried to backtrack, laughing nervously. "Liv, you’re just drunk, you didn’t see an-“

But Liv was having none of it. "Oh, please! I may be drunk, but I've got eyes, and I'm not blind! You two have been practically glowing with sexual tension for ages. It was about damn time!"

You exchanged an embarrassed glance with Jey, who was trying his best not to burst into laughter. He wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer, no longer caring about who saw. “You caught us, uce. And it only took you a couple months and a few tequila shots to do it."

Liv gasped at the new information while you went to punch jey in the shoulder, but he dodged it and grabbed your hand, interlacing his fingers with yours. This made Liv gasp again.

"I can't believe it! " Liv gushed, still jumping excidtley. This is… you two are… wow! Liv struggled with her words, so Zelina and Raquel spoke up for her, their smiles mirroring Liv's wide one.

"It took ya'll long enough." Zelina smirked, drinking her cocktail. "We've been placing bets on when you'd finally get together." She then turned to Raquel, her smirk widening. "Which means you owe me a hundred bucks!"

Raquel groaned, pulling out her wallet and recultanly sliding it to Zelina. "Why couldn't you guys have kept up the act a little longer? I had money riding on next month!" But she had on a smile underneath her faux anger as she looked at you and Jey's intertwined hands. "But I'm happy for you guys, honestly."

You couldn't help but smile despite your embarrassment, it warmed your heart that your friends we're happy and supportive for you, even though they could be too prying and curious for their own good. Jey leaned down and pressed a sweet kiss to your cheek,chuckling softly at the whooping from your friends at the gesture.

"We 'preciatte it, ya'll, but you mind keeping it on the down low for us? We don' need no press or rumors runnin' wild."

Your friends pouted, but nodded in understanding. No one was more annoying than the dirt sheets.

"Don't worry, we got your back!" Liv said her voice dropping to a whisper and her smile turning into a conspiratol grin. "Your secrets safe with us, chica." Zelina added, giving you an understanding smile. Raquel had a similar smile on her face, her eyes warm and supportive.

"We're here for you, both of you," Raquel reassured, her hand resting gently on your arm. "And we'll take care of Jimmy if you guys wanna leave early." She wiggled her eyebrows, making you swat her arm away with a giggle.

"We are definitely taking you up on that offer, right Jey?" Your eyes met Jey's, who was looking down at you with a soft, loving smile that dazzled your heart.

"Yeah, we definitely taking you up on that." He giggled, pulling you away from your friends and making them holler at the both of you again.

"Yeet! No take backs, uce!" Jey yelled back at them, giving his brother a wink as you passed and guiding you out the door, the chilly air wrapping around you both as you stepped out of the bar.

Jey noticed your skin break out in goosebumps and he quickly shrugged off his leather jacket, ignoring your protests and dropping it over your shoulders. It was warm, just like his eyes as he looked down at you, heart thumping with how beautiful you look in the moonlight- that dress he loved so much on you hugging all your curves the right way, your hair falling gently around your shoulders.

But most importantly, your smile that was shining brighter than any of the city lights around you that made him feel like the luckiest man alive.

"You look beautiful as hell in my leather jacket, sweetheart," Jey murmured, his voice a soft caress in the cool night air. Your cheeks warmed at his compliment, the combination of his words and jacket making you feel even more warm.

"You spoil me too much, babe." Jey chuckled softly, his hand finding its way to your cheek, his thumb gently brushing over your skin.

"Well, if you don't get used to it, I'm not doing my job right. I always wanna spoil you." His thumb caressed your soft skin, his eyes turning serious as he looked at you.

"I know I kinda didn't give you a choice considering I caused our lil' make out sesh, but are you okay with people knowing? I ain't wanna put any pressure on you, sweetheart. I understand if you're not ready for that."

You smiled, your heart swelling with affection for the man in front of you. His handsome features were softened by the streetlights, casting a warm glow on his face and making you yearn for him even more and think about how lucky you are to have bagged him. You reached up, gently tracing your fingers along his jawline, feeling the familiar stubble beneath your touch.

"Jey, I am more than ready for that, for people to know you are the one who has my heart. I'm proud to be with you, and I don't want to hide it, especially from out friends. You make me happy, and I don't want to hide my happiness anymore."

Jey's smile grew even wider, and he leaned in to kiss you softly, his lips lingering on yours for a moment before he pulled back, his eyes shining with adoration.

"You make me so fucking happy too, babe. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm not letting you go. Not now, not ever."

Jey promised, punctuating his words with another kiss on your lips, the taste of his lips like a promise of forever, and you pulling him even closer and deepening the kiss was a silent agreement, and the tender slide of his tongue and the gentle arm going around your waist and squeezing out every groan from you was a vow of the love that you’d always have for each other, no matter what.

You pulled away, breathless and smiling up at Jey, your heart feeling like it might burst from the overwhelming love that filled it, and knew there was no other time to say the words you've wanted him to hear since the first moment you met. "I love you."

Jey's eyes glistened with emotion, his hand coming up to cradle your cheek. He looked at you with an intensity that took your breath away. The weight of his gaze held all the words he didn't need to say out loud. Of how many days he spent thinking about you, of how you made him laugh, how his heart fluttered every time you hugged him, how you made him feel loved and cared for in a way he never thought possible. It was all there, in that single look.

"I love you too, sweetheart." Jey whispered, so softly that it felt like a secret meant only for the two of you. Tears glistened in your eyes, but they were tears of joy as you pulled Jey into another sweet kiss, your tears intermingling with the taste of his lips. You were sealing your love with a kiss, a promise that would forever bind your hearts together.

You both pulled away, and the look of absolute content and desire on his face was enough to make the heat between your legs come back. You let his hands roam your body, pulling you impossibly closer as his hands explored every curve and crevice as if he was committing it all to memory, not helping the fire consuming your skin at his touch. "Jey, I need you.”

Jey's breath hitched at your words, his eyes darkening with desire. "Lemme call an uber so we can go back to the hotel and I can properly take care of you the way you deserve."

You nodded, your heart pounding in anticipatio at his words. Jey quickly fumbled for his phone, fingers tapping urgently as he ordered an Uber. In what felt like mere moments, a car arrived, and you both climbed in, Jey's hand on your thigh as the city skylines disappeared behind you.

You shot him a look when his hand climbed higher, but Jey just smirked as he rubbed circles into your skin.

"Relax, babe, we're almost there." His voice was a low rumble as his hand inched even more, skimming under the hem the hem of your dress and brushing against your inner thigh, making you squirm in your seat.

Before Jey could do anything else, the car pulled up to the hotel. You both practically bolted out, Jey pulling you in the elevator and it took everything in you to not jump his bones right then and there. Jey felt the same way, and you held in a chuckle when he kept pressing the elevator button repeatedly, frustrated with how slow it seemed to be moving. Finally, the doors opened, and you made your way to your shared room.

As soon as you were inside, Jey pinned you against the wall, his lips crashing onto yours with a passion that been building between you all night. His teeth nibbled against your bottom lip so hard it drew blood. But you didn't mind when Jey soothed the bite with a lick, his arms going to your thighs and lifting you up effortlessly. Your legs wrapped around his waist, and you barely noticed him carrying you to the bed, too caught up in the heated kiss to care.

Jey gently laid you down on the bed, never breaking the kiss and towering over you, arching his body so he could be closer to you. our hands roamed over his strong back, fingers tracing the lines of his tattoos, while Jey's hands traced the contours of your body as if he were learning it all over again. Your breath caught as his fingers found their way to the lace of your panties, teasing along the edge. He bunched your dress up, revealing more of your skin to his hungry touch.

You arched into his arms, pressing yourself closer to him when his fingers pressed harshly against your cloth-covered core. Your reaction made him repeat the action again, fingers circling slowly around your clit, making you break the kiss with a soft moan.

"Jey," you gasped, your voice thick with need, "please..."

Jey lowered himself down, his breath hot against your core, his fingers toying with your lace. "Tell me what you need, babe. I'll give you anything you want."

You brought yourself to a sitting position, your elbows keeping you steady as you kept eye contact with jey, your breath coming in rapid pants. "I want you to love me, Jey. I want to feel all of you, to be completely consumed by you."

Jey's heart pounded with your words, and he leaned in closer to you, giving you a kiss that he hoped would convey all the love and desire he felt for you. How much he cared for you, how much he loves you, how he would do anything for you.

He pulled away, his eyes never leaving yours, a loving intensity shining in them. "I'll give you everything, sweetheart. I'll love you like you've never been loved before."

With that promise, Jey lips lingered on yours once more before he moved lower, trailing kisses down your body. From your collarbone to your neck to your stomach, he worshiped every inch of your skin with his mouth and hands, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. His lips moved lower, down to the lace of your panties, and he looked up at you with a hunger that made your heart race.

He hooked his fingers into the lace and slowly peeled your panties off, his eyes locked on yours the entire time. When they were finally discarded, he pressed a gentle kiss to the inside of your thigh, his hot breath fanning across your sensitive skin.

Jey suddenly dove down, his tongue tracing slow, torturous circles against your core. Your back arched off the bed, a strangled cry escaping your lips as the plaasure coursing through your body.

His hands gripped your hips, holding you in place as his tongue licked your folds, sucking on your clit gently, dragging his teeth gently against it before sucking against your clit again, making you moan out loudly, your fingers gripping the sheets tightly.

He sucked on your bundle of nerves with a deliberate rhythm, his fingers tracing patterns on your thighs, coaxing every sweet sound from your lips as he quickened his pace, licking up and down your cunt, making you try to grind your face against him, but he wouldn't let you. His firm grip on your hips kept you in place, continuing his sweet torutre as you writhed and moaned beneath him.

"I love you." You groaned out, the words spilling from your lips like a mantra. Jey responded by kissing your clit softly with tender affection, making you mewl loudly before his tongue delved even deeper, curling and stroking at your sweet spot and making you let out a guttural groan and tug on the sheets even more.

You thought you couldn't take anymore, but Jey added a finger, slipping it inside your pussy and curling it with surprising precision even while drunk that it made you whine uncontrollably into the mattress.

"I love you too, sweetheart." Jey whispered against your clit, the vibrations of his voice on your clit and the swirling of his tongue and curling of his fingers finally catching up to you. You could barely breathe as you succemed to Jey’s every will, white spots dancing in your vision as you came, your body going limp in his embrace.

When you finally came too and found the energy to open your eyes, you saw Jey's face hovering over you, his lips doused in your arousal and a smirk playing on his lips as he leaned over to you.

"Was that everything you asked for?" Jey cheekily whispered against your skin, his breath warm and soothing. He lifted his head, his eyes locked onto yours, a playful glint dancing in them.

You managed to catch your breath, your chest rising and falling rapidly. "You already know what you do to me," you replied, your voice a mix of breathless and teasing. You gave him a smirk before sitting up, your hand going straight to his pants and the obvious hard on he was sporting underneath.

"But I think it's time I return the favor." You palmed him through his pants, and Jey groaned against your skin before pulling you away fro him, taking off his pants and shirt and leaving him naked. You mirroed his actions, slipping your dress and bra off with a smirk.

"Nah, it ain't about just me tonight. It's about us." Jey pulled you back to him once all his clothes were off, capturing your lips in a searing kiss, the taste of you still lingering on his tongue.

You were so distracted by his dizzying kisses you didn't even notice him sliding inside of you until he was already inside of you, your mouth going slack at the delicious stretch of him filling you up just the way you liked it, your walls clenching around him to keep him in your pussy every time he slid out to slide back in twice as hard.

His thrusts were controlled though, his hand pushing on your stomach to make you feel how hard his dick was inside of you. His other hand slid down your thighs and circled your clit harshly, making you moan hard and throw your head back into the pillows.

Jey didn’t let up, thrusting in time with his fingers moving inside of you, the delicious friction of his thrusts and fingers making you moan in bliss and your mind teeter from present-day to heaven with every alternating fast thrust that had you going closer and closer to the brink.

“Fuck, babe, I’m close, so close.” Each one of your whines was encouraging Jey to go faster and faster to drive you to the edge of ecstasy, to give you the slice of heaven you’ve been craving all night. His lips found yours as he thrust into you so hard you felt like he was gonna break the flimsy hotel bed you were both laying on, but you didn’t even care. All you cared about was that he broke you so hard you couldn’t even feel your legs.

Your eyes teared up as you were getting closer and closer to the brink, and Jey moved his lips from your own to your face, kissing each and every single tear off before kissing the top of your head, hitting your sweet spot so hard, making you so close to cumming.

“I love you, baby.” He whispered against your skin, making your heart ache with love before he thrust into you one more time, with that and the curl of his fingers you finally were on the brink of heaven.

You shut your eyes, your breathing scattered and your moans falling on deaf ears as your mind shut down, finally giving into the sweet ecstasy that was heavenly and yet felt so sinful, every inch of your being consumed by its devilish pleasure as you came so so hard, midlessley gripping Jey’s hair and pulling as hard as you could.

The feeling of his locks in your tight grip and seeing your blissed out face was what pushed Jey over the edge, making him so mind-numb with pleasure at the feeling of you cumming on his cock he almost forgot to pull out until the last minute, but you barely noticed in the post-sex bliss state that you were in. You were stuck in that haze until you felt lips press a gentle kiss to your forehead, then your nose, your cheek. Then when you finally opened your eyes one was placed on your lips, and you returned the gentle peck, sitting up and admiring the way Jey's mullet was still damp and sticking to his forehead, how his lips were slightly swollen from your passionate kisses, the way his glorious abs glistened with sweat, the contented smile that played on his lips, just admiring jey period. He looked at you with a mix of desire and adoration, his dark eyes tracing every curve of your body.

You reached out, running your fingers gently through his damp hair. "You're amazing," you murmured, your voice filled with genuine affection. "I can't believe how lucky I am to have you. To be loved by you."

Jey's gaze softened, his hand finding yours and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Nah, sweetheart, I'm the lucky one. You are the reason I am still here, the reason I am whole. You complete me.” He whispered, his voice tinged with emotion. "I don't know where I'd be without you. And I ain’t never want you to forget that."

You smiled, feeling a warmth spread through your chest at his words. You loved it when he was like this, so open and vulnerable, baring his heart to you without a second thought. It made you feel special, for you to be the only person he trusts like this. You leaned in and pressed another soft kiss to his lips, savoring the taste of him.

"I won't forget, Jey," you assured him, your voice filled with sincerity. “Trust me, I can't forget when you remind me every day how lucky I am." The way you looked at him, the hearteyes you were making as you looked up at him, the way you looked like you wanted nothing and nobody else but him made his heart so full of love he could barely breath and his eyes glisten with unshed tears and emotions he only reserved for showing you. You wiped a tear that fell from his cheek with your thumb, a tender smile on your face.

"I promise you that I'll never stop reminding you, sweetheart. No matter what happens with our family, whatever happens in that ring, you'll always be my priority, my hear, my everything." Jey's honey sweet and soft voice wavered slightly as he leaned his forehead against yours, his eyes closed as he savored the closeness between you two. He held you tight, tighter than he had ever held you, bringing your bodies so close as if he wanted to fuse your soul with his. You snuggled your head into his chest, relaxing into him and feeling the steady rhythm of his heart against your cheek, the heart he always claimed only beat for you.

Jey’s arms rubbed gently up and down your back while you traced his never-ending tattoos. And as you were tangled in the sheets together, your bodies melting into each other and your souls merging together, you knew this was it for you. That Jey was it for you, that he was the one for you, that he was the one who held your heart in his hands, and had the power to crush it in a heartbeat and make you feel empty inside, yet at the same time make you feel whole in a way no one else ever could.

And the old you would have ran away at the realization, gotten scared at the fact you were letting someone in so deeply, letting yourself be vulnerable to getting hurt, letting someone see all the parts of you that you kept hidden away.

But this was different. You were now different. With Jey, it felt right. He understood every part of you, loved every part of you unconditionally, embracing it all without hesitation, cherishing your insecurities just as much as your strengths, accepting every single inch of you as if you were a diamond in need of nothing more than a gentle polish to shine brilliantly.

And that's what he always did, didn't he? He polished your soul with his love everyday, making you feel like the most precious gem in the universe every time he held you close, every time he made you giggle when he told you a stupidly funny joke, every time he looked at you like you were the only thing he ever wanted to think of, every time he kissed you like he was trying to communicate all his love and devotion in a single touch.

So as you looked up at his beautiful baby brown eyes that were staring at you with awe and affection, you knew that you were exactly where you were meant to be. In his arms, his lips on your skin whispering promises of love and forever, his heart beating in sync with yours. There was no where else you'd rather be, no one else's love you'd rather have then his, no one else you'd rather be with than him. His love was like a diamond, strong, unbreakable, and yet so tender in its touch. You felt it in the way his fingers traced gentle patterns on your skin, in the way his lips pressed against yours with a tenderness that made your heart swell.

And in that moment, with your heart in the palm of his hand and his love seeping through your skin, you promised yourself you'd never let him go, never let him slip away, never have a day go by where you don't stare at him like he hung the moon and the stars in the sky just for you and would give you the galaxy if you asked him too.

You gazed into his starry eyes and knew this was where you belonged, entwined with Jey with his eyes staring at you with consellations of love reflecting in his gaze, like you were the celestial masterpiece he had been searching for all his life.

And you'd be dammed if you let anyone take your universe away from you.

——————————————————————————

You stirred awake slowly, eyes burning at the soft rays of morning light filtering through the curtains. Your limbs ached- a reminder of the night before. You stretched before realizing you were trapped inside a warm embrace.

The strong arms wrapped around you were familiar, and the steady rise and fall of the chest against your back was comforting. You looked up and saw Jey, his features relaxed in sleep, his breath warm against your neck. Memories of the night before flooded back, the love, the intimacy, the passion you shared with him and it made you smile to yourself like a dork.

You heard your phone buzz on the nightstand, but you ignored it in favor for nuzzling your head in Jey's chest and relaxing into his warm embrace, planting a kiss on his bare chest, feeling the steady thud of his heart against your lips.

But then your phone buzzed again, and again, and again, making you groan quietly and shift slightly in Jey's arms. You reluectnaly pulled away from his comforting arms, trying not to wake him as you reached for your phone. You giggled when he immedieley pulled you back to him as soon as you got your phone, leaning into his touch and giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek as you opened your phone.

You frowned at the barrage of messages you got from Liv. She wasn't a morning person, especially after she had a few too many drinks, so you were concerned to say the least.

incoming text from livvy<3: girl, pls tell me ur awake rn!!

incoming text from livvy<3: wake up!!!!

incoming text from livvy<3: girl idc how good the sex was, you better wake ur ass up!! twitter is going wilddddd!

incoming text from livvy<3 apparently the stupid fucking paps were waiting us out, hiding their creepy asses in the bushes and they followed you and jey all the way to ur hotel and caught u kissing :( I'm sorry their such bums. if you need someone to talk to I'm here babe <3

Your heart got caught in your throat as you immedielty went to twitter, and sure enough they were going crazy, circulating the photo of you and Jey.

You sighed, rubbing your face as you went through the comments, most of them surprisingly supportive and happy for the two of you.

jeylover121: omg!! finally!! they're so cute!!

wrestlinglover: mom and dad finally got together!! brb i'm gonna cry!

uceyfanatic: i knew they weren't just besties! the way they look at each other>> them heart eyes were fooling nobody 😭

y/nstan124: i knew something was going on, jey ain't slick! they way he always has to have his hands on her and pull her close, no ones taking her away from u 😭

You couldn't help but smile at the overwhemingly positive comments, but you also knew there would be some negativity. You scrolled through the edits and messages, trying to take everything in.

Not that you cared what others thought of you, their negative words didn't really hurt you, you had to have tough skin to get in this business in the first place. But you didn't want it to affect your work life negatively and you didn't want it to affect Jey or his family.

As you were scrolling, Jey started to stir beside you. His eyes blinked open, and he looked down at you with a sleepy smile.

"Mornin', sweetheart," he murmured, his voice husky from sleep. You smiled back at him, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Good morning, babe." you replied sweetly, your voice soft and filled with warmth. "How did you sleep?"

Jey stretched his arms above his head, his muscles flexing. You couldn't help but ogle at them as he looked down at you, his gaze softening. "Like a damn baby, thanks to you." He chuckled. "You really wore me out."

You smirked at his words, your fingers tracing lazy circles on his chest. "I'm glad to know I could be of service" You teased, Jey smirking back at you as he leaned in closer to you, his lips brushing against yours.

"Oh, you were of service, alright. The best damn service." He punctuated his words with a sweet morning kiss, his tongue sliding softly against your lips, inviting you to deepen the kiss, and you gladly obliged. You pulled away before it could get too heated, giggling at Jey's pout and innocent expression.

You gave him one last kiss before sitting up, reaching your phone again. "Liv texted me, saying the paparazzi caught us last night," you explained, getting straight to the point, your expression turning a bit more serious. "They got a photo of us kissing outside the hotel."

You handed him the phone, and Jey's face shifted from sleepiness to alertness in an instant as he read through the messages and saw the photo on social media.

"Damn, they ain't waste no time, did they?" Jey chuckled, though slightly annoyed and worried about how you might take it. He didn't want you getting overwhelmed and running for the hills, he couldn't handle the idea of you leaving.

He came closer to you, bringing his hand to your face and caressing your cheek with his thumb, his eyes searching yours for any sadness or regret. "You okay, sweetheart? I know this how we ain't plan on coming out to the world."

You leaned into his touch, feeling the warmth of his hand against your skin. You met his gaze with a reassuring smile, your fingers gently entwining with his.

"Hey, don't worry," you said softly. "I'm okay. I knew that eventually, people would find out, and I'm not ashamed of us. I want everyone to know the man who holds my heart." You kissed the back of his hand, giving him heart eyes that were making him melt and cause his heart to swell.

"Plus, I'm sick of those women in your dm's thinking they have a chance with you when you're mine." You gave him a playful wink, making him giggle like a nerd and squeeze your hand affectionately.

"Why you jealous when you got the real thing right here." Jey teased, his eyes sparkling with affection as he brought you into a quick kiss, pulling away and giving you a real genuine smile.

"You know ain't nobody gonna take me away from you, babe. You've got me wrapped around your finger." You laughed, feeling a warmth spread through your chest at his words.

"Good to know, because I'm not letting you go anytime soon," you replied with a playful grin. "You are stuck with me for eternity, babe. No receipts accepted."

Jey's smile turned into a look of pure adoration. He pulled you into a tight hug, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

"An eternity is too short to love you, babe," He whispered into your skin, his voice so sincere and full of devotion you felt it radiate through your entire being, radiate through your heart and soul. You held him just as tight, feeling the depth of you love with how fast his heart was racing and how his body seemed to mold perfectly against yours, how his kisses and caresses felt like they were only made for you and only you to experience.

After a few minutes, you pulled away, staring at him with a lovestruck stare that conveyed all the words you didn't need to say out loud but he understood.

"If you wanna love me some more, than you can get your lazy ass out of this bed and meet me in the shower, poking his chest playfully before escaping his arms and dodging his attempt to pull you back, giggling at his mock-scowl as you walked to the bathroom.

His scowl dropped when he noticed you wearing his shirt. And nothing else but his shirt. "Ay, wait up ma! You ain't doin' nothing without me!" Jey called after you, running after you.

You were already stripped of your clothes and in the shower by the time he arrived. His eyes ran up and down your body with a possessive glint that made your insides warm, and it took him 1.5 seconds to take off his pants and pounce on you, shutting the shower curtains and snaking his arms around your waist as he pressed his chest against your back, nuzzling your neck with his lips.

"You're gonna pay for that little tease," he murmured, his voice a low, sultry rumble that sent shivers down your spine. His hands slid up your sides, and you titlted your head to give him better access to your neck.

"A punishment from you sounds like a reward." You purred sultrily, melting into his arms with each kiss. He turned you around, backing you up against the wall and turning on the water, the warm water cascading down your back, a soothing motion in contrast to the way he was harshly kissing and sucking hickies into your skin.

"Oh, you talking like that now? You aint gon' be talking that shit soon though, I promise you that." You were about to make another snarky remark, but the breath got caught in your throat at the sight of Jey lowering himself to his knees, his eyes never leaving yours as he pulled you by your thighs, dragging you to him and making the lower half of your body fill up with heat as his breath fanned over your cunt that was hover over his face.

"What I tell you?" Jey's smirk was both infurtiating and hot as he taunted you, and yet again when you are about to make another snarky remark, he cut you off with burying his face between your thighs, sucking and licking your cunt so harshly you moaned out loud pathetically and gripped your hands onto his shoulders to find some leverage to try and ground you.

Let's just say, he definitely made you eat your words.

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

LIKED BY UCEYJUCEY, TRINITY, YAONLYLIVEONCE, JIMMYUSO & 5 MILLION OTHERS

y/n: Acknowledge Us.

tagged: uceyjucey

VIEW COMMENTS

yaonlylivonce: hot couple alert hot couple alert 🚨 🚨 i told u to pick that dress!! you look so good!! 😍 ily💗

y/n: thats why ur my all in one bestie and fashion designer 😘 ilyt 💗

trinity: bad bitch!! jey is a lucky man 😍♥️

y/n: learned from the baddest bitch of them all 😘 but trust me, the lucky one is me 🥹

uceyjucey: my girl looks so good ♥️I love calling you mine ♥️

y/n: ty baby 🥹 and i love it when you call me yours ♥️

uceylover: omg omg omg omg it finally fucking happened!!!

wrestlingstan: bi panic bi panic bi panic 🚨‼️

WWE: power couple vibes 😍

jimmyuso: THIS IS HOW I MF FIND OUT!! I’m happy for ya’ll… but WHY YOU AINT TELL ME SIS 🙄 ily anyways

jeyuso: cause u talk to much uce

y/n: what he said, cause ur a blabbermouth 🙄 ilyt ♥️

jimmyuso: Now I’m being attacked by both of ya’ll… the audacity 😑

LIKED BY Y/N, JIMMYUSO, TRINITY, BIANCABELAIR, & 3 MILLION OTHERS

uceyjucey: left my headache, found my peace ♥️

tagged: y/n

UCEYJUCEY HAS RESTRICTED COMMENTS

VIEW COMMENTS

y/n: i love you ♥️

uceyjucey: i love you more sweetheart ♥️

998 notes · View notes

luvrbug · 1 year

Note

can i request sleep over hcs with any hsr characters?

i tweaked this request into a more "sleeping together" instead of a sleepover. I hope that's okay! (they also kinda turned into cuddling headcanons... oops!)

«────────«⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅»────────»

GEPARD

He sleeps on his back arms to his side, completely straight and stiff. Puts a whole new meaning to "sleeping like the dead"

He really loves cuddling, but he's so nervous the first few times you guys cuddle. Sweaty palms, heart beating fast, etc. But he gets used to it after the first few (16) times you guys sleep together!

Lay on top of him!!! it doesn't matter how heavy/light you are, gepard Loves when you just sprawl on top of him and he can just wrap his arms around you <33

you can also just snuggle into his side or just hold hands. Gepard likes to know that you're there throughout the night.

He's a super heavy sleeper but will bolt up once he realizes you're not there 😭 literally gets up and starts searching for u half awake while you're in the bathroom.

He's sooooo warm. His body temperature HAS to be abnormal because he's just so warm!!! Belobog gets absolutely freezing during the night, but you dont even notice when Gepard is keeping you warm :]

His alarm goes off at 4:30 am Every Morning.

«────────«⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅»────────»

Sampo

Sampo somehow wormed his way into sleeping in your bed before you even started dating. He loves to get to sleep in his favorite person customer's bed! After all, you do owe him a favor for that one time...

Without a doubt, Sampo is a cuddler. He will lay his entire body on top of you, curl himself into a fetal position with YOU in the middle, he will be the little spoon, the big spoon, he will fall asleep just leaning on you.

And the worst part is his hands and feet are So. Fucking. Cold. His body is warm, but his hands and feet are FREEZING, and he insists on using you to warm them up. No matter how loud you squeal or how many times you scentence him to the couch, Sampo will be using you as his personal space heater.

Sampo is also incredibly loving when you sleep together. Quiet, secluded nights when you're half asleep and sampo has just slipped under the covers is when he shows you his entire heart and soul. His childhood, the friends and family he's lost, his deep rooted fear that one day you'll leave too...

Sampo either wakes up at 1 a.m., and you dont see him again for two days, or he sleeps until 5 p.m., and you absolutely can not get alone time. He's like a stray cat in that aspect.

«────────«⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅»────────»

Dan Heng

Insists that he only likes you as a friend for 3 months while you actively sleep in the same bed and cuddle every night.

Dan Heng absolutely loves to snuggle up to you, BUT he has issues with being seen as weak or getting close to you in general. However, your very soft bed and even softer hugs eventually win him over.

He sleeps with his arms wrapped around you and his head on your chest, over your heart. The fact that you're real and alive, and he can keep you safe, soothes his soul on such a deep level. He gets the best sleep of his life when hes with you.

He can't sleep if you're off on a trailblaze mission alone or if he's not there to protect you. He chugs down Himeko's coffee in the morning to deal with it.

Once you're back, Dan Heng is latching onto you !! you are both taking a nap now. No, he doesn't care that you're covered in dust and dirt. You're coming to the archives and sleeping.

#i hope i wrote dan heng correctly hes such a hard character for me to grasp!#gepard x reader #gepard landau #gepard honkai #gepard x you #sampo koski #sampo koski x reader #sampo x you #sampo x reader #dan heng x reader #dan heng #dan heng x you #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #honkai star rail #gender neutral reader

1K notes · View notes

starlightkun · 1 month

Text

❧ word count: 26.1k ❧ genre: angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, paranormal/supernatural au, ghost!jisung ❧ warnings: mentions of death, prominent side character dies early in the fic, depictions of grieving, family member of the reader is sick (it’s dementia-like, though the disease is never named in the fic), family tension/drama (reader has some family members that are not very nice to her), reader has some sleep/physical health issues at one point, reader is just really going through it in this fic for a while ❧ extra info: the reader’s mom in this has early-onset memory issues; i didn’t name a specific disease because im not a medical expert of any kind and didn’t want to misrepresent any real-life illness in this fic. i combined both my own experiences with my own family members who have had these kinds of illnesses and some research, but i am not an expert and the representation in this fic may not be entirely accurate! ❧ author’s note: i don’t think i’ve done a spooky fic like this before? but this one was super fun! also i will say it takes a little bit for jisung to show up, so please be patient when you don’t see him in the first few scenes, he’ll be there, i promise! ❧ sequel

That night, the rain was still pounding against the windows. Your mom had gone to bed a while ago, but your mind was restless. Something had happened again as you were helping your mom get ready for bed. Your stepdad’s reading glasses, which were on the nightstand on his side of their bed, as they had been since he passed, had fallen off with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Not wanting your mom to get spooked about the house again, you reassured her that you had just bumped into the furniture—her back was turned when they fell—but it left you with an uneasy feeling.

“Hi, Hyukjun.” You picked up the phone call from your stepdad as you headed back towards your office building from the restaurant you’d taken your lunch break at.

“Hi, sweetheart. How are you?” His warm, familiar voice was on the other end as always, though there was something different about it, something you couldn’t quite put your finger on from the quality of your phone speaker. Your steps slowed thoughtfully as you listened more attentively, a pit growing in your stomach.

“I’m good,” you answered shortly, suspicion creeping over you. “How are you two?”

It wasn’t that you didn’t appreciate hearing from your stepdad, you were on good terms with him. Your father passed when you were a little girl, and your mom continued to raise you on her own, not even considering any romantic prospects until you graduated high school. She and Hyukjun only dated for six months before marrying and had been happily married since. Hyukjun was a mild-mannered divorcee with three adult sons of his own, all of whom were at least a decade older than you, and none of which you were exceptionally close with. When your mom had been diagnosed only five years into their marriage, he began taking care of her—no question and no complaints. With her condition, you were fairly certain that you visited them more than Hyukjun’s own kids did, despite all of them living nearby to your knowledge.

He at least didn’t beat around the bush anymore. “She’s getting worse, Y/N.”

“How bad?”

“She thinks the house is haunted,” he admitted. “And I…”

“What?” You prompted him.

“She’s been asking for you. I know you’re busy, but if you could visit soon, I think it’d really help her.”

“Yeah, I have some time this weekend,” you agreed immediately. “I’ll be there.”

“Thanks.”

You were arriving at the building then, slowing to a stop outside as you prepared to hang up. “My break is ending, Hyukjun, I’ve got to go.”

“Of course,” he acquiesced. “Hey, I love you.”

“I love you too.” You looked up at the gray storm clouds gathering in the sky above you. “And tell Mom I love her, and I’ll be there soon.”

“I will. Have a good rest of your day at work, sweetheart.”

“Right. Bye.”

When your mom and Hyukjun got married, you already had a lease on a small place closer to your job in the city, so your mom sold your childhood home and moved in with Hyukjun. Despite the small twinge of sadness at her selling your childhood home, the place where you, your mom, and dad had all been together, you were happy that she was no longer there by herself. Their home was a quaint two-story, two-bedroom townhome, with well-tended flowerbeds and a porch swing out front. A long time ago, you knew that this house had been your stepbrothers’ childhood home, the three of them sharing what was now the guest room, Hyukjun and his ex-wife occupying the primary bedroom that was now his and your mother’s. Hyukjun had been divorced for many years before he met your mom, you didn’t know the exact number off the top of your head—you weren’t sure if you had ever been told.

The snapdragons were in bloom, stalks of purples and blues and pinks, and you squatted down next to one. Feeling a bit like a child, you gently squeezed the sides of one flower to make the “mouth” of the dragon open, like Hyukjun had shown you one of the first times you’d met, the very first time you ever went to his house. The front door opened, and you looked up to see your stepdad stepping out of the house. You stood up, walking up the three short steps from the sidewalk to meet him on their porch.

“I saw you coming up the street,” he explained, gesturing to the front window. “It’s good to see you, Y/N.”

“Hi, Hyukjun.” You hugged him. “Good to see you too.”

“I just wanted to give you a heads up. She’s calm, but she’s not exactly… here,” he explained. “I didn’t want you to be caught off-guard.”

You nodded in understanding. “Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

Following your stepdad into the house, he guided you towards the living room at the back of the house.

“Hon?” He poked his head into the living room.

Your mom looked up from where she had been reading a book in an armchair, her face breaking into a gentle smile. “Oh, Sangwoo, you’re back.”

“Yes, I picked Y/N up, just like you asked.” Your stepdad stepped aside to let her see you.

You pushed aside the alarms going off in your mind to give your mother as calm of a smile as you could, approaching her with your hand outstretched. “Hi, Mom, it’s Y/N.”

“Y/N, hi, sweetie.” She beamed at you, taking your hand that was offered and squeezing it tight. “How was school?”

“It was good, I had a good day,” you answered brightly. Looking down at the book in her lap, you asked, “What are you reading?”

Your mother had been a Literature teacher for all her life, before her diagnosis forced her to retire many years before she ever wanted to. She would read to you at any opportunity when you were a kid, especially at bedtime. It was always easiest to get her talking now about whatever book she was reading, no matter where her mind was.

“Oh, I’ll tell you about it later. First, do you have homework?”

“No, Mom, nothing today.”

Hyukjun cleared his throat then. “You must be hungry, Y/N. Would you like something to eat?”

“Yes, yes, go get a snack.” Your mother insisted.

“Okay,” you acquiesced, giving her hand another tight squeeze. “I’ll be right back after my snack. I want to hear about your book.”

In their kitchen, you turned on your stepdad with wide eyes. “She’s not just mixing up your names anymore, she thinks you are my dad!”

“Sometimes…” Hyukjun nodded, leaning against a kitchen counter. “Not always. She has her lucid days still.”

In the bright kitchen lighting, you could see a certain tiredness in Hyukjun that was new, a pallor in his skin, a hitch in his breaths, a lag in his movements, none of which used to be there.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, eyes locking on his. “With you? You were going to tell me something on the phone, and you didn’t. Tell me.”

He sighed, the sound dragging out into a wheeze and then a hacking cough that he covered in his elbow, and you winced just watching him. When he’d caught his breath again, he answered, “They found a tumor, in my lung. I have maybe six months, Y/N.”

“That’s it?!” You blurted out. “I-I mean, even with chemo, or radiation, or whatever?”

“I’m not—”

“It’s not treatable?”

He cast a sidelong glance down the hall, at the room where your mother was. “Someone needs to take care of her. I need to be here, and after I’m gone, our savings will go towards her care. We can’t spend it all on something that might give me another few months.”

“Another few months with her! With us!” You grabbed his arm, knowing how desperate you sounded. “What about your kids? Do they know what you’re doing?”

“No.” His voice was heavy, but determined. “I know you all don’t talk… but don’t tell them, please.”

His face wavered in your vision as your eyes filled with tears. You tried to swallow them down, but a couple spilled over. “Let me move in, and help. I want to take care of both of you. Please.”

“What about your job?”

“I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about me. You’ve done enough for me, for us. Let me do something for you.”

“Thank you.”

Your work agreed to let you move into a part-time remote position. Most days you were able to get all your done, early even. Not only was Hyukjun there, but a memory care aide named Nayoung came by for an hour three days a week to assist as well.

It had been a month since you moved into the primary bedroom on the second floor, the bedroom that used to be your mom and stepdad’s. You found out that they moved their things into the guest room on the first floor two months ago, when your mom hurt herself on the stairs. It had only been a skinned knee, but Hyukjun didn’t want to risk something worse.

That night you laid in bed with your laptop open, desperately trying to finish up a report that was due the next day. Today had been rougher, your mom needing constant redirection and reorientation, not to mention the conversation that you had with your stepdad earlier this evening. Usually after your mom went to sleep, the two of you would watch a movie or a couple episodes of a show, or just have a drink and chat. It was a nice, slow, easy part of your day with just the two of you. But this time as you rooted around the for the fresh tub of ice cream that you had just bought from the store, and called to him over your shoulder asking if he wanted a bowl, you saw him waiting for you with papers in his hand.

One of the errands he’d sent you on today, in addition to groceries, the post office, and the pharmacy, had been to an attorney’s office. You’d known that, you weren’t stupid. There, you had been handed a large envelope with the law firm’s name embossed on it, and your stepdad’s name typed on a label under that. You didn’t inquire as to the contents of the envelope from the receptionist, nor your stepdad when you delivered it to him upon returning home. It was none of your business. But at the kitchen table that night, he showed you the documents that he had drawn up.

Once he passed, you would own his house, the one that you lived in now, as a life estate pur autre vie. For the life of another. Until your mother passed, you would own his house, and could stay here and take care of her. Then, once she passed, the house would go to his sons, your stepbrothers, as he’d always intended.

You sighed and deleted the sentence you’d just written. “Stupid, stupid,” you muttered to yourself. Looking at the time, you let out another sigh and rubbed your face in exasperation. “I’m never going to fucking finish this.”

Setting the laptop aside, you pushed your covers off yourself and got out of bed. Keeping your footsteps light, you crept downstairs and into the kitchen to get yourself a glass of water. After drinking a whole glass in the kitchen, you refilled it to bring it back up to bedroom with you. Halfway up the stairs, the sconce on the wall next to your head flickered on, making you pause. You’d left all the lights off on your way down. Peering behind the frosted glass cover, you reached your hand back there and tightened the bulb. The light stopped flickering, and you looked around at the empty, dark staircase again. Shrugging to yourself, you finished your journey to your room.

Cutting up your mom’s breakfast into small pieces, you hummed a song that had been stuck in your head. The sound of something clattering startled your peaceful reverie, and your head snapped up immediately. You darted around the kitchen counter to get your eyes on where your mom was sitting at the kitchen table.

“You okay, Mom?” You asked, eyes searching her for any signs of injury or distress.

“Oh, I’m fine, sweetie,” she reassured you, pointing at a point on the floor further away from her. You saw that a silver utensil was gleaming up from the tile. “I dropped my fork, that’s all.”

“I’ll grab you another one when I bring your food in, don’t worry about it,” you reassured her. “Leave it, I’ll pick it up in a sec.”

Returning to the kitchen, you finished cutting her food, then prepared yours and Hyukjun’s plates. Carrying all three of them in, along with your mom’s clean fork, you cocked your head when you saw the fork sitting on the closest edge of the table to the kitchen. Looking at Hyukjun, who had joined your mom at the table in the interim, you said, “You didn’t have to pick up the fork, Hyukjun, I was going to grab it.”

His face betrayed his momentary confusion, looking between the food you just set in front of him, then to the fork on the edge of the table. “That was there when I came in. I didn’t move it.”

As you set your mom’s food down for her, you asked, “Mom, did you get the fork?”

But her eyes had a familiar far-out appearance, and you knew she wasn’t going to be able to answer you. You shook your head at yourself, putting your own plate down and grabbing the dirty fork off the table. Dropping it in the kitchen sink, you then returned to the table to take your seat next to your mother and across from Hyukjun.

You weren’t sure why you were awake at first. Everything seemed quiet, but something didn’t feel right. Sitting up in bed, you checked the time on your phone. 2:48 a.m. You desperately wanted to go back to sleep, but you couldn’t shake the uneasiness in your mind, and so you pushed the covers off of you.

As soon as you were at the top of the stairs, you could hear voices downstairs, your mother’s and your stepdad’s. Your stepdad was clearly trying to keep his voice down, but your mom wasn’t, and she sounded distressed.

“Sangwoo, I’m telling you something’s wrong with this house! We need to go! Where’s Y/N?!” She demanded of him.

“She’s fine, she’s sleeping. Please, tell me what’s wrong with the house, and we can try to fix it,” he pleaded with her quietly.

You finally made it to the hallway just outside their bedroom, taking in the scene of your mom’s wild, scared eyes and Hyukjun’s desperate concern. “Mom, I’m here, I’m okay.”

“Y/N!” She let out a gasp of relief as soon as she saw you. “Oh, you’re okay.”

“Yes, Mom, I’m okay.” You offered her your hand, and she grabbed it tightly. “What’s wrong? Why are you up?”

“I’ve been trying to tell your dad—” She gestured to Hyukjun pointedly. “But this house isn’t right.”

“What do you mean?”

“It just isn’t right,” she repeated insistently. “What happened to our old house? We need to go back there!”

You looked at Hyukjun desperately, at a loss for words to explain that she sold it years ago. Thankfully, he took over.

“It’s late, hon. We can’t go all the way back to the old house this late at night, especially not with Y/N. It’s not safe,” he persuaded her gently.

She seemed to relax a little at this. “Oh. Right. It’s late.”

“Can you read me something, Mom?” You requested sweetly.

This finally brought a smile to her features, and she nodded, her grasp on your hand turning tender. “Oh, of course, Y/N. I’m sorry I woke you, sweetie.”

“It’s alright, Mom,” you reassured her, leading her back into their bedroom. “Everything’s alright.”

Hyukjun’s funeral was quaint. It was kept to family and close friends, and organized mostly by his sons and ex-wife. You didn’t mind, your mother was in no shape to organize a funeral, and you were more than happy to step aside and support her through this while they dealt with the details.

Today of all days was one of your mother’s better days, possibly one of the best that she’s had in a while, and you didn’t know if that was better or worse. Better, you decided, so she could say goodbye to him properly. After the small funeral was the wake, held at Hyukjun’s home—which was now your home, you realized—and was a more open-door affair. Your mom’s memory care aide, Nayoung, came as well, which you were glad for. While your stepbrothers and their mother played host more than you, greeting guests as they showed up, chatting and reminiscing with them about all their shared memories of Hyukjun from years or even decades ago, it was still your residence, and you couldn’t bring yourself to just stay in a corner. Hyukjun had been your family too, for however brief a period of your life.

You were alone in the kitchen getting refreshments for yourself, your mom, and Nayoung when you sensed that you weren’t by yourself. Turning around, you did in fact see your stepbrothers entering the kitchen, followed by their mother.

You offered them all a small, polite smile. “Hi.”

“Glad we caught you, Y/N,” the oldest brother flashed you a grin. “You got a sec?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“We know it must be really tough for you, taking care of your mom by yourself now,” their mother said, her voice coated in an over-the-top sugary sweet sympathy.

You shrugged noncommittally. “Nayoung helps.”

The youngest jumped in, “We just wanted you to know that you and your mom can take as much time as you need to move out.”

“Of course, of course,” their mother agreed. “You know, a week or two.”

They all nodded and murmured in agreement, focusing the same overeager, empty, sympathetic faces on you that made you feel like you were surrounded by some kind of predator that wanted to empathize you to death. Steeling your nerves, you met all of their eyes in turn as you went to answer.

“We’re not moving out.” You informed them firmly. “Hyukjun left the house to me to keep taking care of my mom. After… it’s all yours.”

“And we’re supposed to believe you’ll just give it to us?” The youngest scoffed, immediately dropping his kind, caring act. All of their faces were somewhere between disbelief and anger.

“No, he set it up that way. You can get your copies of the papers from his attorney, Mr. Shin.” You brought out the business card for the attorney who drafted the papers. You’d tucked it into your wallet absentmindedly when it’d been given to you on your initial errand from Hyukjun, and you were glad you hadn’t had the time to clean out your wallet since. You set the business card down on the counter between you.

The oldest snatched up the card. “There’s no way…”

“We’re going to fight this. No way the house is yours,” the youngest swore.

The middle son spoke finally, his gaze hard as he glared at you. He practically snarled, “You’re not his family, you’ve never been.”

“It was good seeing you all again,” you said, no emotion in your voice. Abandoning your three glasses, you scooted around the counter, then around them, heading towards the kitchen door that they had been blocking the whole time. “Please have all communications about the property go through Mr. Shin. He’ll be able to answer your questions better than I can.”

Crying at a wake was normal. Encouraged even. But you weren’t amongst loved ones, remembering someone you’d lost. You were alone, sitting at the top of the stairs in the dark, crying into your arms to muffle your sobs as you tried to compose yourself from the confrontation you’d just survived. Barely. Your hands were balled into fists to keep them from shaking.

“Are you okay?” A quiet voice caught your attention, gentle, then hushed as he seemed to be speaking to himself, “Why are you asking that? Stupid, stupid.”

You picked your head up out of your arms, quickly wiping the tears that had been streaming down your cheeks as you spotted a young man at the bottom of the stairs. He had dark hair and was dressed in a pair of black pants, a white shirt, and what looked like a black cardigan over the shirt. You didn’t recognize him from the wake, but you hadn’t greeted everyone, nor did you know all the mourners personally. Many were either family friends of Hyukjun’s from before he met your mother, old colleagues, or distant relations.

Sniffling and trying to right your clothes, you offered him as much of a smile you could muster, “I’m sorry, it’s uhm, been a long day.”

He froze, his eyes locking on yours and going wide. The man looked behind him, as if expecting you to have been addressing somebody else, and upon seeing an empty hallway, he turned back to you and hesitantly replied, “That’s… okay. Are you alright?”

“Oh, as alright as I can be, I suppose,” you admitted, dabbing at your eyes with your sleeve again. You weren’t sure why you were telling this random man that, but he had spotted you sobbing at a wake, so there wasn’t much of a point in covering that fact up. “Were you looking for the bathroom or…?”

“No, just stretching my legs.” He pushed his hands into the pockets of his cardigan. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.” You nodded. “I don’t think I saw you at the funeral. How did you know my stepdad? Family friend?”

“Yeah, I was around when his kids were growing up.”

“Oh, are you a childhood friend of his sons or something?”

“Friend is a stretch, I think,” he chuckled.

You couldn’t help but laugh bitterly as well, adding a polite but hollow, “I’m sure they appreciate you coming out to pay your respects.”

As he shifted on his feet, the shadows on his face lessened, letting you see his features better. You furrowed your brow with interest.

“How old are you? I mean—You don’t look older than me, you must’ve been much younger than them growing up.”

“I-I mean, we weren’t very close,” he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Feeling bad about putting him on the spot in this sort of scenario, you offered him a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that. I didn’t grow up with my stepbrothers, so I guess it’s a bit hard for me to imagine them having friends—Oh!”

As soon as the words were out of your mouth, you slapped a hand over it, wishing you hadn’t said them, especially not to some stranger, who for all you know could turn right around and repeat it to your stepbrothers. That would be the last thing you needed, to give them another reason to hate you, and by extension, your mother.

“That didn’t come out right!” You desperately tried to backpedal, holding your hands out in front of you. “I-I meant that I haven’t met a lot of their friends, since our parents got together later in life, and—”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he reassured you calmly, taking a couple hesitant steps up the stairs. You scooted over to make room for him to sit next to you on the top step. He pressed himself against the banister, leaving plenty of space between you two. “I didn’t mean to, but I heard some of what they said to you in the kitchen.”

“I would normally be upset at you for eavesdropping, but I’m kind of glad that somebody else heard some of the shit they said to me this time,” you chuckled cynically.

“‘This time?’” He repeated questioningly. “Are they always like that to you?”

“I don’t see them that often. I think the first time I met the middle son was at the wedding, actually,” you said. “They started spending more holidays with their mom instead of Hyukjun when my mom… after her diagnosis.”

“Oh.”

“God, sorry, you don’t need to be hearing all this shit.” You shook your head at yourself. “I mean, I don’t even know your name.”

“I’m Jisung.”

“Y/N.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s true. You and your mom are his family, too.”

You messed with the sleeves of your shirt as you stared at the bottom step, gnawing on your bottom lip, ignoring the metallic taste of blood when you broke skin. Finally, once you’d swallowed down the lump in your throat, you replied with a tight, “Thanks. And I mean, I understand why they would be upset. Their dad just died and two people who are essentially strangers to them are now living in their childhood home. Of course they feel weird about it.”

“That’s... gracious.”

“It’s true. And like I said, their dad died, they deserve some grace.” From elsewhere in the house, you could hear your mom calling your name, and immediately jumped to your feet. “Sorry, I’ve got to go.”

“I understand.” Jisung nodded to you. “It was nice talking to you, Y/N.”

“Yeah, you too. Thanks for listening, Jisung.” You waved to him over your shoulder as you rushed down the stairs and off in the direction of your mother’s voice.

The next day, you had habitually started preparing three plates of breakfast before you caught yourself. In the first couple days after his passing, it was painfully in the foreground of your mind with everything you did, but this was the first time you’d found yourself going about a daily task and it had slipped your mind. You left the full plate of food in the kitchen to clean up later, and took just yours and your mom’s plates to the kitchen table.

“Do you want to go on a walk after breakfast?” You proposed as you ate.

It was something that Hyukjun and your mom did every morning. Sometimes you joined them, but usually you took the opportunity to clean up around the house or get work done in the quiet. Your mother had no trouble ambulating, it was her mind that was going faster than anything else. With Hyukjun no longer here to walk with her, you didn’t want her to lose that precious time going out, or the exercise. Not to mention, you needed to get out of the house again.

“Oh, I’d love to, sweetie,” she agreed with a smile, one that you noticed didn’t reach her eyes.

“After we’re done, I’ll clean up while you get ready.”

As you scooped the extra food into a plastic container at the end of breakfast, you realized the lid that you’d grabbed was the wrong size. Opening the cabinet that contained all the plastic containers, you squatted down with a sigh, mentally preparing yourself to ransack through the absolute mess that greeted you down there. Hyukjun normally kept it meticulously organized, all containers accompanied by their proper lids, but in your rush to clean up after everyone left the wake late last night, you had effectively ruined all of it.

You tried to just look under a haphazard stack of plastic containers, and they of course all came crashing out onto the kitchen floor. You groaned, plopping down onto your butt as you got ready to have to put them all back. But as you went to pick up the first one, an overwhelming, crushing feeling of loneliness and sorrow hit you like a bus, and you covered your face as you started sobbing. The hot tears stung your eyes, every shaking breath you took hurt your chest, and even the task of putting the tupperware back seemed impossible and monumental now.

Rubbing one of your eyes, you inhaled and forced yourself to grab just one container to put back. “Come on, don’t have time for this.”

Slowly, you put the containers away, until there was one lid left that had slid much further away from you. You crawled over to it, realizing the shape seemed familiar as you held it in your hands. Standing back up, you fitted it over the container of leftovers you had perfectly.

“Huh.” Your sobs petered out as you looked down at it curiously. “That could’ve been easier.”

Throwing open the front door, you grunted as you hauled your heavy grocery bags into the home.

“Y/N? Is that you?” Nayoung’s voice called out. She had increased the frequency and duration of her visits since Hyukjun’s passing, and today you took the opportunity to do some much-needed restocking of the kitchen during her stay.

“Yeah!” You yelled back.

“Do you need any help?”

“No, I’m fine!” You hopped on one foot as you tried to wedge your other foot behind the door to close it. “Just—Shit!”

The door suddenly came loose, slamming closed even harder than you had opened it. Nayoung came around the corner with wide eyes, looking rather startled.

“Is everything okay?” She asked, taking a couple bags from your hands, looking you over inquisitively.

You looked between your still-raised foot and the door, a bit dumbfounded. You swore you hadn’t kicked it that hard. This wasn’t actually your house, after all.

“Yeah, Nayoung, I’m okay,” you reassured her, leading the way into the kitchen. “Do you have a window open? There must be a cross-breeze or something.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

It was pouring rain outside, the sky dull and gray, occasionally lit up with flashes of lightning. The constant pounding downpour was interspersed with cracks of thunder that would rattle frames on the walls. The weather was so bad that Nayoung couldn’t even make it out, leaving just you and your mom all day. It wasn’t so bad, today was a better day for her. She was calm at least, despite the weather, absorbed in her books for most of the day. Maybe a little too absorbed, as it was hard to tear her away for meals or snacks. But you could get your work done and do chores around the house uninterrupted, and once you finished your own to-do list, you were able to sit down in the living room with her and read as well.

After a particularly bright flash of lightning, followed by a boom of thunder that made you feel like you were in a low-level earthquake rather than a thunderstorm, the lights went out entirely. You heard the telltale clatter of your mom dropping her book in surprise as she gasped.

“Mom?” You called out to her, both to check on her and so she knew that you were still there.

“I’m okay, sweetie,” she promised. “I just got startled and dropped my book.”

“Stay there,” you directed her, pulling out your phone and turning on your flashlight. You could see that her book had skidded some distance away from her, out of arm’s reach. “I’ll check the breaker. Don’t get up, I don’t want you tripping over anything.”

“Alright. Be safe.”

Opening the utility closet in the laundry room, you threw your hands up in exasperation as you looked over the circuit breaker. You had no fucking clue what you were doing. Right as you had turned on your phone, fully intent on searching the internet for what the fuck you were supposed to do now, the power came back on all on its own.

“Well, there we go!” You called out through the house, starting back towards your mom. “I’m a genius!”

Upon your return to the living room, you stopped when you noticed one key difference: The book was no longer on the floor. It was on the side table next to your mom. There was no way your mom could’ve moved fast enough to have gotten the book and then sat back down in the time since the lights turned back on.

You sighed gently. “I told you not to get up, Mom.”

“I didn’t.”

“Then how’d the book get there?” You pointed to the book knowingly.

“I didn’t—” She looked at it curiously, then at where it used to be on the floor. “Oh… I guess I must’ve… Sorry, sweetie.”

You walked over to rest a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Mom. I’m sorry if I seemed upset with you. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

She patted your hand. “I know, Y/N. You’re doing a good job.”

The rain was still pounding against the windows that night. Your mom had gone to bed a while ago, but your mind was restless. Something had happened again as you were helping your mom get ready for bed. Hyukjun’s reading glasses, which were on the nightstand on his side of their bed, as they had been since he passed, had fallen off with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Not wanting your mom to get spooked about the house again, you reassured her that you had just bumped into the furniture—her back was turned when they fell—but it left you with an uneasy feeling.

You’d pocketed the glasses instead of replacing them on the nightstand, and were staring at them on the kitchen counter now, fondly remembering the way he used to peer at you over the lenses as he read the newspaper in the morning and you made sarcastic quips about whatever headlines were on the pages facing you.

“Hyukjun?” You said his name into the empty air, uncertainty making your voice waver. After a beat of silence, you hissed, “Of course you weren’t going to get a reply, stupid, stupid.”

Trying to gather yourself, you moved to open the freezer, securing the tub of ice cream from inside it. Sitting at the kitchen table with two spoons, you set one in front of Hyukjun’s spot across from you. Glumly spooning some ice cream into your mouth, you barely tasted it as you stared at his empty chair.

“I miss you,” you said softly, not expecting an answer this time. “A lot. It’s not fair. I know that’s what your sons think, it’s not fair that it was you and not her. But… it’s not fair that we only got… so little time with you.”

You sniffled against the oncoming tears, eating another spoonful.

“I wish… I wish my mom had met you earlier, I wish you didn’t leave us so soon, I wish we got more time…” You looked down at the tub in front of you, your appetite gone. “And I wish I wasn’t eating your favorite ice cream by myself.”

You stood back up, taking both spoons with you into the kitchen. Dropping them into the sink to deal with in the morning, you put the ice cream away and shut off the kitchen lights. You left his glasses on the kitchen counter, deciding you would put them back in your mother’s room tomorrow. As you headed up the stairs, you paused at the top step, a memory of Hyukjun’s wake coming back to you. The nice guy who sat with you and listened to you. You really wished you could have somebody to talk to again.

Something in you made you look over your shoulder then, back down at the bottom step. You swore a darker shape was standing there, unclear in the night. Your heart rate spiked.

“Hyukjun…?” You whispered, hesitantly going down one more step to try to make out what you were seeing better. The shadow seemed to back up one step at the same time you did that, and another name came to your mind.

“Jisung?”

The figure moved closer, a beam of moonlight illuminating half of his shocked face. “You remember me?”

You should’ve yelled. You should’ve shouted at him to get out, called the police, any number of things ahead of what you actually did. Getting even closer, you nodded slowly. “Of course I remember you, Jisung.”

He was still staring at you in disbelief. “And you can see me? Again?”

“Yes,” you confirmed, standing on the step right above him. “You’re a ghost.”

It was meant to be a question, but it came out like a statement, like you had known all along, just saying common knowledge.

He swallowed. “Yes.”

You peered at the space around and behind him. “Is my stepdad here?”

“No.” He shook his head. “He wanted to stay, for your mom. I told him if he stayed, he could get stuck. He decided to go.”

“Go… where?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

“What about…” You looked up into his dark eyes hopefully. “Is my dad here?”

“It’s just me,” he answered quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m glad he’s not… stuck. Either of them.” You breathed out, a mixture of relief and disappointment in your chest. Remembering what he told you at the wake, you asked, “You used to live here?”

“Before your stepdad bought it, yeah.”

You recalled the surprise on his face both tonight and at the wake when you addressed him. “You’re not used to being seen, are you?”

“No, I’m not. You’re the first person who’s seen me since…” He trailed off, biting the inside of his cheek as he seemed to be picking his words. “Since I’ve been like this.”

You nodded slowly, understanding what he meant. “Have you been… helping? Picking up my mom’s book? And closing the door? And the tupperware lid and the fork?”

Jisung nodded fervently. “I didn’t mean to scare you, or make you sad. I’m sorry. I just wanted to help you.”

“What about Hyukjun’s glasses today? Did you knock those off?”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “It was an accident… They were really close to the edge, I didn’t want them to fall off and break. So I tried to move them away from the edge, but there was this thunder, and I dropped them.”

You couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the mental image of a ghost getting spooked by thunder, slapping a hand over your mouth as you giggled. Jisung wasn’t laughing, but he did have a soft smile on his features as he looked at you.

“Sorry, sorry,” you were still chuckling as you tried to compose yourself.

“It’s okay…” He assured you. “I’m sorry for dropping them.”

“You didn’t break them, it’s fine.” You looked at him thoughtfully. He was wearing the same thing he was wearing when you met him at the wake, dark pants, dark shoes, a white button-up, and dark cardigan. You tilted your head curiously. “Are you sure my mom hasn’t seen you? She swears the house is haunted, you know.”

“I think she can tell that something is… off, sometimes. But no, she’s never seen me.”

“I’m guessing you have no clue why I can see you right now?” You surmised. “They don’t exactly give you a ghost handbook, do they?”

Jisung shook his head. “No, I don’t know.”

“Thank you again, by the way. For being so nice to me at the wake.”

“They really shouldn’t have been talking to you like that.” He frowned. “They have no clue… He loved you and your mom so much. You two are his family, too.”

You chuckled sadly. “So did you actually hear all of it, then?”

“I was already in there when they went in after you,” he confirmed. “I thought you might… I could create a distraction in another room if it got bad.”

“Do you do that a lot? Follow me around?”

His eyes widened as he clearly began to panic, shaking his head fervently. “N-Not like that! Only like, in normal places! I mean, like, there’s not a lot to do when you’re a ghost stuck in a house, and I think you’re cool—Oh god, I meant, uhm, I mostly stay on the first floor, promise!”

You couldn’t help but giggle again as he had missed the light teasing in your tone. “Mostly?”

Jisung visibly gulped. “I woke you up one time, when your mom was having a really bad time in the middle of the night and your stepdad couldn’t calm her down. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“Jisung, it’s okay,” you tried your best to be reassuring, even as you let out choked laughter. “I don’t expect you to sit in a corner for eternity. Thanks for staying in normal places.”

“Thanks for not being creeped out…” He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

You let out a yawn, covering your mouth with your hand. After it passed, you gave Jisung a sheepish smile. “If I go to sleep right now… will I still be able to see you in the morning?”

“You… want to?”

“Yeah.” You smiled and shrugged. “Better than just talking to my mother, Nayoung, and myself like I usually do every day.”

The corners of his lips twitched as he went to nod. “I’ll try to be here in the morning. You should go to sleep.”

“Alright. Goodnight, Jisung.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

Halfway up the stairs, you turned back around to see him still standing at the bottom, watching you. You threw back a teasing, “Promise you’ll stay on the first floor?”

“Cross my heart.” He made an X over the left side of his chest.

“Not sure how much that’s worth coming from a ghost,” you grinned. “But I guess it’s the thought that counts.”

In the morning, you sat with your feet dangling over the edge of your bed for an extra few seconds, very calmly contemplating your sanity. You had been spending the majority of your time in this house, talking to nobody else except your mother and Nayoung, who came five days a week for three hours at a time, your only other regular human interaction coming in the form of emails or the occasional phone calls with your co-workers. Was it really so unlikely that your brain was inventing someone new for you to talk to? How could you even determine if he was real or not? Did that even really matter?

With a sigh, you got to your feet and shuffled into your bathroom. Your mom had always been an early riser, something that hadn’t changed now, and you had to take care of your own morning routine before she woke up. While the shift in your schedule initially took some getting used to, the daily alone time that you got to devote to your own self-care was something you treasured, and helped you start your day in a good headspace.

Coming out of your bedroom refreshed and in clean clothes, you meandered down the stairs, listening for any signs of life in the rest of the house. If your mom was up, she would at least be moving around her room, if not elsewhere in the house. And then there was the possibility of seeing the ghost again.

Right as you reached the bottom of the stairs, your mom’s bedroom door opened, and she poked her head out. You smiled and walked over to her.

“Morning, Mom.”

“Hi, sweetie.” She took your arm, looking around the hallway.

“You okay?”

“Did he go out?”

You tilted your head, keeping your tone light as you asked, “…He?”

“Hyukjun,” she answered. “He usually leaves a note.”

You bit your lip and nodded. “Yeah, he had some errands, said he’ll be back soon. You can get on him about forgetting your note when he gets back.”

Her features relaxed, and she rubbed your back. “Thanks, Y/N. Don’t know what we’d do without you.”

There was a knock on the front door then, and you went to go open it up for Nayoung. As she helped your mom with the rest of her morning, you headed towards the kitchen to start on breakfast. A figure was already at the kitchen table, however, his back to you as he sat in the fourth chair that had always been empty for as long as you’d been in the house. Jisung turned around when he heard your footsteps, giving you a small wave.

“Morning,” you smiled and nodded, hoping you didn’t look too put-off. You weren’t sure if you would’ve been more surprised if he was here or not.

“Good morning.” His eyes followed you as you continued into the kitchen. From his seat, he could still see you over the kitchen counter. His hands were folded politely in his lap, and he watched you as you started pulling out ingredients for breakfast.

“So, what do you do all night?” You questioned. “Do you sleep?”

“Sometimes. Sometimes I read, or look at the moon, or think.”

“I think I’d hate being alone with my thoughts for eternity.” You shook your head, bringing down plates from the cabinet.

“It’s not so bad.” Jisung shrugged. “I wasn’t much of a talker before anyway.”

“An introvert?”

“Yes.” He tilted his head curiously. “You don’t normally cook for Nayoung.”

You looked down at the plates in your hand and realized that you had grabbed three instead of the normal two. Nayoung always ate breakfast before coming over, so you just had to make food for you and your mom. You’d done this before, accidentally making a serving for Hyukjun out of habit, but you knew that wasn’t what happened this time.

Putting the extra plate back, you said, “No, I was… I think I was about to make you a plate. Felt like I had a guest over.”

Surprisingly, this made Jisung crack a smile. “I appreciate it. Your food always looks good.”

“I don’t think it’s anything special.” You shrugged, turning on the stove. “I learned to cook from my mother, we just did it to survive. Hyukjun was a much better cook than either of us.”

“To survive?”

“After my dad passed…” You pursed your lips as you tried to think of how to phrase it, pushing around food in the pan. “She sort of closed up. My mom gave me a good life growing up, don’t get me wrong. But it’s hard being a single parent, and she never really made any friends, she spent all her time taking care of me or working. Then when I moved out, she closed up even more. I was kind of afraid she’d close all the way up, until she met Hyukjun.”

“I see…”

You heard footsteps coming from down the hall, and halted your conversation. Nayoung and your mom entered the kitchen dining area just a few moments later, paying Jisung no mind, clearly not seeing him at all.

“Y/N, were you on the phone?” Your mother asked as Nayoung guided her to her usual seat.

Nayoung took Hyukjun’s old place beside her.

“Oh, yeah, work call,” you fibbed. “Something urgent, couldn’t wait until I clocked in, I guess.”

“That’s inconsiderate.”

You chuckled, then looked to the aide. “Coffee, Nayoung?”

“If you’re making some, please.”

“Was just about to start a pot.”

Sitting down at the full table with your food and coffee in front of you, your mother to your left, Nayoung across from you, and Jisung to your right, you couldn’t help but smile, an odd sense of peace settling in your chest that hadn’t been there in quite some time.

That night, after your mother went to sleep, you traipsed into the kitchen, opening up the freezer. Turning to Jisung with the carton of ice cream in your hand, you said, “I don’t suppose you could help me with this?”

“Unfortunately not,” he chuckled.

“Figured I would ask,” you sighed, grabbing a spoon. “Come on, I’m thinking a movie?”

Curled up in the corner of the couch under a blanket, you had just opened the ice cream when you realized you left the remote on the coffee table out of your reach. Jisung was still standing, seeming unsure of where to sit.

“Can you pass me the remote?” You requested, stretching an arm out towards it but ultimately not reaching it.

“Oh, sure, sure.” He picked it up with ease just like you would, handing it off to you.

“Thanks.” You turned the TV on. He was still standing, so you gestured to the rest of the empty couch. “Sit, Jisung.”

“Right,” he mumbled, taking a seat next to you.

“You haven’t seriously been standing there like that this whole time, have you?”

“I… sit sometimes, yeah.”

“Good.” You patted his arm—or you tried to pat his arm, but instead your hand hit the back of the couch, a cold shiver running up your arm starting at your fingertips. You jerked your hand back in alarm, eyes going wide. “Shit! Sorry! Did I just like, smack your lung or something?”

Jisung laughed hard, his nose scrunching up and his hand flying up to cover his mouth as he giggled. “I’ve never thought of it like that. I don’t—I don’t think so, no.”

“It didn’t like, hurt, did it?”

“No. Feels a little weird, like… Ah, I don’t know how to describe it if you’re still corporeal. But it doesn’t hurt.”

“Okay good,” you breathed out. Looking down at the remote in your hand, you frowned thoughtfully. “How come you could grab this just fine, but I just go through you?”

“It used to happen with objects, too,” he informed you, reaching his hand out towards the coffee table. The ghost moved it down, his hand effortlessly gliding through the table just like yours had gone through him a few moments earlier. “I can control it now. But for some reason, people, I still can’t.”

“That sounds… lonely.”

Jisung shrugged, offering you a sort of sad smile. “Hey, I just spent a few decades not being seen or heard by anybody either. I’ll take what I can get.”

“Alright, what are we feeling?” You hummed as you pulled up the streaming service. “Ghost movie?”

He gave you a skeptical look. “You hate horror movies. You made Hyukjun turn all the lights in the house on when he put ‘Saw’ on.”

“Aw come on, no laugh? Not even a chuckle? Ironic scoff?” You wrinkled your nose at him.

“I’m laughing on the inside.”

“I was very brave for watching it all, though, wouldn’t you agree?” You grinned, grabbing a big spoonful of ice cream.

Jisung’s amused smile was apparent that time. “Very. If I had gold stars to give out, you’d get one.”

“Okay, what about ‘The Batman’? The one with Robert Pattinson, I literally don’t care about the other ones.”

“I’m not sure who that is, but sure.”

“Jisung, I’m about to change your afterlife. Possibly for the worse.”

From when you woke up to when you went to sleep, if you were at home, Jisung was usually around. You found that you didn’t mind his presence, if anything it was comforting, he made the house feel less empty than it would be with just you and your mother—and occasionally Nayoung. You had to catch yourself from talking to him when your mom or Nayoung were within earshot, or looking too obviously at where he was standing or sitting when they were in the room. Your evenings that you used to spend with Hyukjun were now spent with the ghost, watching shows or movies, showing him your favorite music, or just talking.

This morning, as your mom bathed herself and Nayoung waited for her in her bedroom, just in case, you had some extra time. Which you were glad for, as you knew you were moving slow, feeling more like a zombie than a functioning human being as you prepared breakfast. You yawned, covering your mouth with the back of your hand before gripping the tomato again and continuing your cuts.

“So what—”

“Y/N!” Jisung’s cry of warning came before you registered your tomato juice-slickened fingers slipping down the food and under the blade.

You looked down to see crimson red welling up and joining the tomato’s seeds at the same time you felt coldness on your hands. Jisung had tried to grab you, both too late, and in an ill-fated attempt even if he hadn’t been, as his hands went right through yours. You belatedly hissed as your sleep-slogged mind finally registered the pain, made extra by the sting of tomato juice in the cuts. Jisung swore under his breath as he grabbed a kitchen towel instead, wrapping it around your fingers and pressing hard as his other hand knocked the knife out of your uninjured fingers that were still lamely holding it. He reached over to turn the sink on, and pulled you over there by the grip he had on the towel. He couldn’t move your hand under the water once he took the towel off, though, staring at you pointedly.

“Right,” you mumbled, putting your fingers under the stream of the faucet to rinse the cuts clean of tomato guts. “Thanks, Jisung.”

“What—” He was cut off by the doorbell ringing.

You hurriedly ripped off a wad of paper towels to press to your cut, calling out to Nayoung, “I’ll get it!”

You knew Jisung was following you, not bothering to keep his sighs quiet as you peered through the peephole first—habit. A pit formed in your stomach when you recognized the man standing on your doorstep immediately.

Forcing your features into a pleasantly neutral expression, you opened the door just enough to greet your eldest stepbrother. “Good morning, Seohyuk.”

He fixed you with the same wide, dazzling grin that he always had, one that made you think he should be doing real estate instead of whatever his real job was—investment broker or something. He was in a suit, looking like he had stopped by on his way to work. You bit back the urge to look down at your own lounge clothes and hair still damp from your shower.

“Y/N! Good morning!” He was still beaming. “Looking beautiful as always.”

“Can I help you?” You asked politely, stepping onto the porch and forcing him to back up a step off the welcome mat, keeping one hand on the door handle.

He then seemed to have noticed your hand. “Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?”

“Nicked myself with a knife in the kitchen just now. I’m fine,” you shrugged off his concerns. “Why are you here?”

“Oh my god! We should go in and get that washed out!” His hands fluttered over you with feigned worry, trying to usher you back into the house, put you stayed put, firmly shutting the front door behind you.

“I already washed it out,” you informed him flatly. “What do you want?”

The expressiveness immediately dropped off his face, and a cool, suave smirk overtook it as he sized you up. “Alright. Big girl can handle herself.”

“We’re both adults, Seohyuk, I’d appreciate it if you can act like one and get to your point.”

“Funny, my dad never seemed to think you were one,” he sneered. “You were the little princess he never got to have.”

“If this is all you came for, I’m going back inside,” you sighed, reaching for the handle again.

“I came to inspect the property.” He finally gave you his reason, holding his chin up. “As is my right, to make sure you’re not letting it go to ruins. So you have to let me in.”

Right, as if the house could’ve fallen to the wayside and become dilapidated in a week. You turned back to him, meeting his gaze head-on. It was easier like this, just one of them. Especially Seohyuk, he didn’t have a temper like his younger brothers, nor did his words cut as deep as his mom’s, he was just… a jerk. You could deal with a jerk.

“And, as I’m sure you saw when you continued reading the papers, you have to give me at least twenty-four hours’ notice before conducting any inspection of the property. So, I will see you in twenty-four hours.” You grabbed the door handle again. “Goodbye, Seohyuk.”

You didn’t wait for his response, rushing inside and slamming the door shut behind you. You locked it up as quick as you could, not wanting to take any chances.

“You’re not seriously going to let him come in here?!” Jisung blurted out, wide eyes focused on you. Of course he heard everything again.

As you opened your mouth to answer, Nayoung stepped out your mom’s room hesitantly, worried eyes focused on you. You turned to her instead, offering her a reassuring smile.

“Is there anything I can do, Y/N?” She asked quietly. You didn’t want to know how much she had heard.

“I’ll try to arrange it so the inspection is during your time. If she’s up for it tomorrow, could you take my mom on a walk? I need to be here, and she really shouldn’t be.”

The aide nodded quickly. “Of course, yes.”

Back in the kitchen, Jisung pulled the first aid kit down, and you applied your own bandages to the cuts on your fingers. You could feel his eyes boring holes into your hair as you bowed your head to pay extra close attention to your injuries.

“Y/N—”

“What did you want me to do, Jisung?” You hissed, not meaning for it to come out as venomous as it did. “They’re entitled to inspect the premises, it’s technically also kind of their house. I would’ve been in bigger shit if I told him no!”

The ghost was quiet, and when you finally looked up, you saw the hurt on his own face. You sighed, throwing away the bloody paper towels and bandage wrappers. Rolling out your shoulders and your neck to relieve the tension that had built up there, you loosely wrapped your arms around yourself.

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly. “I’m not mad at you, none of this is your fault. I’m just… stressed, and I slept like shit last night. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“It’s okay, Y/N,” he reassured you. “I just… hate the idea of you and that guy being in this house by yourselves, you know? I don’t trust him.”

“Oh, we won’t be alone.”

“I know I’ll be here, but that’s not the same as having someone who could actually do something.”

“I know you’ll be here, and that’s reassuring,” you replied, an amused smile playing at your lips. “But that’s not entirely what I meant.”

“Mr. Shin, thank you for coming on such short notice,” you greeted the attorney with a polite bow, welcoming him into the house.

Mr. Shin was an older man, around Hyukjun’s age, with salt and pepper hair, who hastily returned the bow. He wore a simple black suit, white dress shirt, and black tie, thick-framed glasses perched on his nose, and he held his black briefcase tightly to his side. He was exactly as you pictured him from speaking to him on the phone yesterday—when you picked up Hyukjun’s papers, you’d only dealt with his secretary.

“Of course, Ms. Y/L/N, it’s my duty,” he replied briskly. “Your stepbrother has not arrived yet, has he?”

“No, I’m expecting Seohyuk in a few minutes.”

“Good, good.”

“Would you like some coffee? Or tea?”

“No, thank you, I couldn’t intrude.” He shook his head fervently. “Your mother isn’t home, is she?”

“She stepped out for a walk just before you arrived. She doesn’t need to be here, does she?”

“No, no, not at all.” He seemed relieved at this news, if anything.

The doorbell rang then, and you smiled at the lawyer. “That should be him.”

Looking out the peephole first, it was in fact Seohyuk. You opened the door wider than yesterday, offering him a polite smile. “Good morning, Seohyuk.”

“Alright, Y/N, it’s been twenty-four hours, let me in.” He skipped pleasantries entirely, a glare already on his features.

“Of course.” You obliged gracefully, opening the door all the way for him.

He obviously hadn’t seen anybody else, as he faltered upon stepping inside and spotting Mr. Shin in the entryway. It was as if a magic spell had been cast on him, Seohyuk straightened up, adjusting his own tie and throwing on his charming smile, offering a hand out to him. “Kim Seohyuk, nice to meet you.”

Mr. Shin once again bowed formally, ignoring the hand in front of him. “Attorney Shin. I’m the lawyer in charge of your father’s estate, and I’ll be overseeing this inspection.”

“Great. Yeah, I’m glad Y/N remembered to call you like we talked about,” Seohyuk lied through his teeth, keeping his voice casual. “She’s been a little all over the place with taking care of her mom by herself since Dad passed, so I offered to, but she insisted she would do it since she only works part-time now.”

You clenched your jaw to not call him a piss-poor liar to his face. Or punch him in the face. His ‘she’s a mess, but we love her’ tone really irked you. Jisung had been lurking in the corner the whole time with his arms crossed over his chest and chose now to mimic choking Seohyuk—it took everything in you not to burst out laughing, but it successfully dissolved the anger that had been bubbling in your veins.

Mr. Shin either didn’t believe him or didn’t care, as he simply nodded and then looked to the both of you. “If there are no questions, we will begin in the kitchen.”

The inspection was uneventful—you passed with flying colors, of course—and at the end, you got to see both Mr. Shin and Seohyuk out at the front door simultaneously.

“I will be making note of this in the estate’s file, of course,” Mr. Shin said in closing. “So as to not intrude on Ms. Y/L/N and her mother too much, inspections are limited to once per year, as you know.”

“What?!” Seohyuk’s jaw dropped. “Th-That’s per person, right? Like, if my brothers wanted an inspection—”

“I’m afraid not, Mr. Kim. One inspection of the property per year. Unless good cause is shown.”

“Good cause? Like what?”

“If there is some damage externally that would lead you to believe Ms. Y/L/N has caused similar damage internally, or if she posted pictures to her social media of the inside that showed some damage. Something like that.”

You had to cover your mouth to keep from laughing in Seohyuk’s face as his jaw gaped open like a dead fish. After composing yourself, you gave the both of them a cheerful wave. “So I guess I’ll see you two next year.”

“And hopefully not any sooner!” Mr. Shin confirmed, bowing deeply once more.

You closed the door with a satisfying click. Turning back around to Jisung, you finally burst into laughter with him. He pumped his fist victoriously. “Gone until next year!”

Holding your hand up, you cheered, “Whoo! Come on, ghost five!”

Jisung whooshed his hand through yours, and the chill zipping up your arm only served to make you more excited. Finally, a win in all this.

3:16 a.m.

You glared at your bedside clock like it was doing this to you personally. Rolling onto your other side, you let out a disgruntled sigh. No matter how comfortable you were, how exhausted your bones and your brain were, you couldn’t fucking sleep. Sitting up, you threw your covers off of you and padded out of your room.

In the kitchen, you drank a glass of water, but couldn’t bring yourself to go back upstairs to your room. You wandered into the living room, plopping into your usual corner of the couch and pulling your knees to your chest. Turning your phone on, you once again glared at the time like it was invented to hurt you in particular.

3:20 a.m.

You could be doing something better right now, reading a book, laying very still with your eyes closed, meditating, anything but scrolling on your phone.

3:49 a.m.

Had you ever gotten a good night’s sleep in your life? You couldn’t remember in that moment. Your eyes stung looking at the screen, they stung when you closed them, but you blinked it away.

4:17 a.m.

“Y/N?” Jisung stepped into the living room. “Why are you still up?”

“Mm, Jisung, hey,” you greeted him dully, setting your phone aside on the arm of the couch. “I’m surprised it took you this long to find me.”

“I figured you were just getting a glass of water or something. I didn’t want to bother you. But you’ve been out here for almost an hour now.”

You sighed, resting your chin on your knees. “Can’t sleep.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I slept for a couple hours, but then I woke up and I just... couldn’t go back to sleep,” you sighed.

“Staring at that screen isn’t going to help you get back to sleep.” He frowned.

That made you chuckle. “And how do you know that?”

“Your mom used to get on your stepdad about using screens too close to bedtime,” he confessed. “Something about the light keeping your brain awake.”

You smiled as you could imagine that perfectly. “Yeah, that sounds like her.”

“Can I do anything to help? Do you want like, hot chocolate? Or…” He trailed off as he was clearly wracking his brain for another option.

“You want to keep me off my phone?”

He nodded.

You stood up, your fingers tapping over the spines on the bookcases before you grabbed one. You offered it out to Jisung. “Read to me.”

Jisung gently took the book from you, then nodded to the couch. “Sure. Lay down.”

“I’m not sleeping on the couch,” you snorted, taking your phone back off the arm and heading for the stairs. Tilting your head indicatively, you said, “Come on, you get to go to the second floor.”

His footsteps were quiet behind you, squeaking some of the same steps that you did as he followed you up the stairs. You opened the door to your bedroom, stepping in first and holding it open to gesture him in as he had stopped uncertainly by the threshold. Closing the door behind him, you then sat down on your bed again.

“Here.” You patted the empty side of the bed for him.

Jisung shuffled over, sitting up against the headboard with his long legs stretched out on top of your sheets. With amusement, you noted that he was no longer wearing his dark shoes, only black socks. You laid back down under your covers again, pulling your blankets up to your chin.

He clicked the lamp on his side of the bed on, and seemed to have read the title for the first time then. “Poems?”

“My mom used to read to me every night, way past the normal age that you stop doing that stuff I’m pretty sure. And whenever I got nightmares, or couldn’t sleep, I’d climb into her bed. It didn’t matter if I woke her up at two in the morning, she’d grab one of the five or ten books that were always on her nightstand and start reading to me until I fell asleep,” you explained, readjusting your pillow under your head. “That was one of my favorites. I figured it was worth a shot.”

Jisung opened the book to the first poem and began reading. His voice was soft and steady, deep and soothing. Despite your want to keep watching him and the focused look on his face as he read, his dark eyes following the words on the page, your own eventually fluttered shut against your will.

When you woke up, Jisung was no longer in your room. The book was resting on the nightstand on that side of the bed, and the lamp was off. Upon entering the kitchen, you saw Jisung standing at the humming microwave. He perked up when you walked in, despite the confused look on your face.

“Good morning!” He said brightly, then gestured to the microwave. “I’m making you hot chocolate. I heard the shower.”

“And if my mother had walked in and saw the hot chocolate making itself?” You asked dryly, still rubbing sleep out of your eyes. Your shower didn’t do much to wake you up this morning.

Jisung visually deflated, looking around guiltily. “Oh. Right…”

“It’s sweet, Jisung, thank you,” you added with a smile, watching his shoulders relax. “You’re very sweet. I just don’t want to give my mom a heart attack.”

“Of course.” He was smiling again too. “Sorry.”

Sitting halfway down the stairs with Jisung, you stared blankly at the front door. Dinner had been difficult for your mom tonight, and with no Nayoung at that meal, you had to do it all on your own. She was asleep now, and you held your head in your hands. Jisung was quietly sitting beside you, resting his elbows on his knees as his laced and unlaced his fingers in front of him. This was probably one of the best parts about having Jisung around. Despite being practically omnipresent at this point, if you didn’t want to talk, he didn’t talk. If you wanted to chat, he would talk to you about anything, but if you wanted utter silence, he would let you sit in utter silence—he just wouldn’t let you do it alone.

You felt nearly suffocated by the house in that moment, but you couldn’t leave your mom alone.

“Can you go outside?” You lifted your head to ask Jisung.

“Not very far,” he answered as if you were asking any other piece of trivia about him and his predicament.

“The porch swing?”

“Yes, I can go there.”

“Do you want to? Now? With me?”

He chuckled softly. “When have I ever told you no?”

It was a warm night, which you were glad for as you were only in your sleep shorts and a t-shirt as you sat on the wooden porch swing with Jisung. Holding the chain next to your head with one hand, you peered out at the nighttime around you, glad to be out of those walls finally.

“Pretty moon,” you commented, looking up at the silver half-moon above you.

“Mhm,” Jisung hummed his agreement.

“And stars,” you added, taking in the twinkling dots all around the moon.

“Mhm.”

“Pretty stars,” you clarified.

“Mhm.”

Looking at Jisung out of the corner of your eye, you kept the same tone of voice as you said, “Pretty garbage can.”

“Mhm.”

“Jisung?”

“Mhm?”

“You’re not listening to me.”

“Huh?”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Uhm… nothing.” He coughed. “Pretty moon.”

“Mhm.” You hummed back in the same sing-songy tone that he had. “I wish I could touch you.”

“Huh?” He spluttered out.

“Just feels like a nice moment to rest my head in your lap, don’t you think?” You looked over at him, meeting his dark eyes.

He looked down at his legs, then around him in what you would almost call an attempt to avoid your gaze. “Well… we could put one of the pillows on the swing where my lap is, and you can rest your head there and pretend it’s me.”

“That won’t be uncomfortable for you?”

“No, I’ll be fine,” he promised. “Just make sure it’s not too far over here, I don’t want to make you cold.”

After you settled onto your back with your head on a pillow, right on the edge of where Jisung’s thigh started, you could see Jisung and the porch roof directly above you. The corner of his mouth twitched as he looked down at you, and you smiled back up at him.

“Can you push the porch swing?” You requested.

“Sure,” he agreed, and you felt the swing gently push off backwards then sail forward.

You rolled your head to the side to be able to look at the moon again.

“Can I ask…” You poked your tongue on the inside of your cheek. “How did you die? If you want to tell me, you don’t have to.”

Jisung sighed. “I don’t know. I went to sleep one night and when I woke up, I wasn’t in my body anymore.”

You felt your eyes widen involuntarily. “Seriously? You weren’t sick or anything?”

“I felt fine,” he confirmed. “I didn’t even realize until I couldn’t grab the handle to open my bedroom door and leave. My hand just went through it. When I turned back around to my bed, I saw myself lying there. I thought I was still dreaming.”

“God... I’m sorry, Jisung.”

He shrugged, his fingers messing with the edges of the pillow that your head was on. “It could’ve been worse. It didn’t hurt, I wasn’t dreading the end or anything.”

You reached for his face, despite knowing that it wouldn’t work, holding your hand up as if you were cupping his cheek, hovering right on the edge of where your skin passed through each other. “Does that... I always feel cold when I try to touch you. Is this warm? To you?”

“I never notice that I’m cold until I touch you.” He hesitantly put his hand over yours. “Like when you’ve been outside during winter for so long that you don’t even feel temperature anymore. And then you step inside again and you can suddenly feel just how cold you are because everything else is so warm.”

“Is it… I don’t know, nice?”

“It’s… a lot,” he admitted. “It’s not bad, but I can never warm up.”

“Oh.” You took your hand back, resting it on your stomach.

“It’s late,” he said quietly. “Are you tired?”

“No, but I should probably head to bed.” You sat up reluctantly.

Only a few minutes after saying your goodnights, you were at the bottom of the stairs again, searching for Jisung. You found him in the living room.

“Can you read to me?” You asked, fidgeting with the sleeves of your shirt.

He chose a book off the shelves and followed you upstairs wordlessly. Back under your covers again, you listened to the sound of his fingers running over the edges of the pages, folding back the cover of the book before he started reading. It wasn’t the same book of poems as last time, instead you fondly recognized it as one of your favorite books from when you started reading novels as a kid, about a young girl who went on a grand fantasy adventure with all sorts of magical creatures. In the back of your mind, you thought to yourself that you were a little disappointed that you’d be asleep before the end, when she finally came home to her mother in the real world. That had always been your favorite part.

“Do cameras work on you?” You asked Jisung as you kneeled by one of the flowerbeds at the front of the house. It was early in the morning, and you made sure to keep one headphone in your ear so that any passerby who did happen by on morning walks or jogs would hopefully just think that you were on a phone call.

“Don’t know,” he shrugged, sitting on the porch swing. “I think I would’ve found out if I was in the background of any Kim family photos over the years.”

Curious, you took out your phone, opening up the camera and pointing it at him. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet, but in the low light you could see the porch swing just fine, seemingly rocking along on its own on your screen. Taking just one picture, you paused your weeding to look at it from your camera roll. Again, you definitely couldn’t see Jisung sitting on the porch swing like you could with your own two eyes, but there was something going on in the picture this time. The air seemed to shimmer and distort in the vague shape of a person sitting in the photo, exactly where he was in real life. You zoomed in on the fuzzy edges that nearly turned into shadow, squinting as you tried to make out whether the distortion was in the image file itself or part of Jisung somehow.

“Well?” Jisung questioned, tilting his head.

“I got... something.” You stood up, walking over to show him. “It’s not what I see when I look at you. I see, like, a person.”

“Oh.” His face fell as he looked over the photo of the strange figure.

“I think it’s cool,” you tried to cheer him up. “Very mysterious, you know.”

He gave you a half-hearted smile. “Thanks, Y/N.”

“I get why you’re bummed, though. It’s probably been a while since you’ve seen yourself, right? I never see your shadow or your reflection. Can you?”

“No, I can’t.” He shook his head. “It’s… I have my dad’s nose, and my mom’s smile. I just thought that even if I couldn’t see them anymore, it’d be nice to see the parts of them that are in me.”

You blinked back the tears that were pricking at your eyes. “I know what you mean. My dad’s mom was alive when I was younger, and she always said I looked just like him. I used to sit on my bathroom counter in front of the mirror with an old picture of him from when he was a kid for hours to try to see it too.”

“Do you look like him?” He asked quietly.

“Don’t you see it? I look just like my mom,” you laughed and shook your head.

Jisung chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know. I wasn’t going to spoil your connection to your dad for you.”

“It makes me happy to know that my grandmother saw my dad when she looked at me anyway.” You permanently deleted the photo you’d taken of Jisung. “I’m sure you have something else from your parents that you don’t need a mirror for, though. Like, for me, when I laugh really, really hard, I start wheezing—it’s honestly an awful sound—and clutch my sides and stomp my left foot. My dad would laugh with his whole body like that too. I didn’t even know until my mom pointed it out a few years ago out of the blue. I sneeze like Hyukjun now, too. Don’t even know how I picked that up in such a short time. I was dusting the other day and when I sneezed, I realized it sounded just like him.”

“Really?” He laughed, a real one this time.

“Yeah,” you smiled fondly at the memory. “I’m sure you’ve got lots of pieces of your family in you other than your nose and your eyes, Jisung.”

The ghost held your gaze, his dark eyes that you tried to imagine belonging to some ambiguous father of his that you could never recall, smiling up at you with a smile that matched a memory of his mother you didn’t have. Even if you would never know them, you remembered them in that moment for him.

You chewed on your bottom lip as you leafed through the large tome of local genealogies in front of you. At first you were worried that Mr. Shin would have questions for you as to why you wanted information on the deed of the house, primarily who had owned it before your stepdad bought it. But instead, he simply had his paralegal fetch the information from the previous title search they’d done when drafting the documents for Hyukjun. You took the list of names with you to the local library, where they kept an archive of all sorts of birth, death, and marriage records, including genealogies of local families.

Kim Hyukjun had purchased the home from a husband and wife, the Parks, decades before you were even born. The Parks were the first owners, and despite neither of their names being Jisung, you figured he must be related to them in some way to have lived there before Hyukjun bought it; their son, a nephew, grandson, something.

You finally found a married couple whose names matched, and eagerly read on for their children. They had one child, a son, Park Jisung—deceased.

“Found you,” you whispered to yourself, tapping the name in the book. Taking a picture of all the relevant information, you shut the book and returned it to its place before taking down another one, death certificates.

Finally landing on Jisung’s, you read with bated breath and a morbid curiosity. It started with all the normal stuff—name, age, date of birth, address—and you skimmed on, trying to find the thing that you really wanted to know. But as you got to the end, and desperately re-read again from the beginning, more carefully this time, you realized there was no cause of death listed. They must not have requested an autopsy. As your chest deflated, you shook your head at yourself. What would knowing even change now? You took a quick note of the cemetery listed before shutting the book.

The information—or lack thereof—that you’d gotten from the library was still on your mind when you returned to the house. Nayoung was sitting at the kitchen table, and looked up from her phone when you came in.

“Ah, Y/N, how were your errands?” She asked, clearly noticing your empty hands.

“Fine,” you gave a non-committal answer. “Where’s my mom?”

“She’s taking a nap in her room. She’s been asleep for about fifteen minutes or so.”

“Good.” You glanced at the time on the stove. “You can head out for the day. Thank you, Nayoung.”

“I’ll see you all tomorrow, then.” She stood up and flashed you one more bright smile before showing herself out.

A few moments later, you heard the sound of the front door locking after her, then Jisung entered the room from that direction. He stopped next to you.

“So where’d you go today?” He asked curiously. “You didn’t pick anything up…”

You sighed, taking a seat at the kitchen table. “Library. They didn’t have what I needed.”

“What book were you looking for?”

You grimaced at yourself, picking at your nails uncomfortably as you braced yourself to tell the truth. “I wasn’t checking out a book. I was… I was looking up stuff in the archives, about you.”

Jisung’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Me?”

“I’m sorry, I was nosy and shouldn’t have done that without talking to you first,” you apologized. “I’m sorry.”

“Y/N, you’ve got a ghost living in your house,” he reminded you frankly. “Normal personal boundaries aren’t really applicable here.”

“I… guess that’s one way to look at it.”

“And I mean, all you did was look in the archives, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s fine.” Jisung sat in his chair next to yours, leaning forward towards you eagerly. “What did you find out?”

You chewed your lip nervously. “Not much. I know your full name is Park Jisung. Your parents didn’t have an autopsy done, so we still don’t know why you… passed. I know where they buried… you, though.”

He kept looking at you expectantly, waiting for you to say more. But that was all you had. When he realized that you were done, his face fell, and he let out a breath, sitting back in his chair.

“Oh.” He nodded slowly.

“I’m sorry, Jisung.” You instinctively reached for his hand that was resting on the table. You did a double-take when your hand didn’t impact with the wooden tabletop under him, though, but with him.

Jisung’s hand was cool to the touch, but solid, yours didn’t just slip right through it like usual. You stared down at your hands as you readjusted your grip in disbelief.

Your ghost was similarly bewildered, eyes locked on your hands as he squeezed yours back. “Are you…”

“Yeah, I can actually touch you!” You laughed in amazement.

He looked up from your hand to your eyes, lifting his other hand towards your face. “Can I…?”

You nodded, not trusting yourself to speak, or even breathe, in that moment.

Jisung’s fingertips gently caressed your cheek, his eyes filled with wonder as he murmured, “You’re so warm…”

“Are you… you know, cold? Is it like before?”

“No, it’s-it’s nice,” he said, clasping your hand with both of his now. “Thank you. For letting me…”

“Oh, sure, yeah,” you cleared your throat awkwardly, looking around the kitchen.

“It’s funny, it’s one of those things you take for granted until you can’t do it anymore.”

“What?”

“Touch people.” He squeezed your hand softly. “I used to complain when my mom would kiss me, or my friends would give me hugs. Now… I can’t believe I’m holding someone’s hand again.”

You patted his arm, at a loss for words, but hoping that you could give him some kind of comfort in the moment. It sounded like a heartbreakingly lonely existence. You couldn’t imagine what you would do if you could never hug your mom again, or even bump into strangers on the train—small things that reminded you that you were real, that you took up space.

You felt your heart truly shatter when Jisung leaned over, pressing his forehead to your linked hands, and you saw his shoulders shake with quiet sobs.

“Oh, Jisung,” you whispered, scooting your chair closer to gently stroke his dark hair. “It’s okay…”

Tonight had been rough. This was the third night in a row that you had gone in circles trying to calm your mother down from a frightened state, afraid that every creak of the house settling, gust of the air conditioning rustling a curtain, or wind blowing a tree branch outside was a ghost. Despite being aware that your house was actually inhabited by a ghost, you knew it wasn’t Jisung doing any of those things.

You had finally gotten her back to sleep at almost one in the morning, and shut her bedroom door behind you with a sigh. Shuffling into the kitchen, you stopped in the middle of the room, rubbing a hand over your face as you just stared blankly at the countertop. You couldn’t even remember what you had come in here for.

“Hey,” Jisung called for your attention softly, his quiet footsteps approaching from behind you. “Did you want water? Hot chocolate?”

“Ugh, I don’t even know,” you groaned, turning around and burying your face in his shoulder. “I’m so fucking tired, Jisung.”

“Then let’s get you to bed,” he suggested, trying to usher you out of the kitchen, but you didn’t budge.

Looking up at him, you sniffled, “This is the third night this has happened… I don’t know if I can… What if I can’t—What if—What am I—What if I can’t do it by myself? What if I can’t take care of her like she needs on my own? She’s only going to get worse and I’m… Oh God, I’m tired.”

Tears streamed down your cheeks now as you felt an exhaustion from deep within. You felt it in every fiber of your being, in your bones, deep in your chest. You couldn’t remember a time when you didn’t feel worn out like this.

Jisung’s eyes widened as his hands frantically fluttered over your arms and shoulders, clearly unsure of where to settle as he went to try to comfort you. “Ah, Y/N, oh, no. Oh, God, I’m so sorry that you feel so tired. You’re doing so good.” He squeezed your shoulders. “You’re not alone. I know it can feel like that, but you’ve got Nayoung, too. Your stepdad left a fund to pay for your mom’s care, right? You can use that to have Nayoung here more if you need her to, can’t you? I’ve heard her ask if you want to adjust her schedule…”

“Yeah, she has,” you nodded, the admission only making you cry harder. “I just—I don’t want to think about needing more help, about needing Nayoung more, because that really means that she’s getting worse. But I can’t—She needs more than me.”

“I’m so sorry, Y/N,” Jisung said, his own eyes shining in the dim light. “I wish I could make everything better for you.”

You gave him a shaky smile, the best you could muster in the moment, patting one of his hands that were still holding you by the shoulders. “I know. Thank you, just having you here to listen to me means a lot.”

He wiped at your tears with his thumbs, his hands shaking slightly as he gently cradled your face. “Let me help you however I can—you know, without freaking your mom out. You can take care of your mom and I’ll take care of you. Please.”

It was all you could do to nod your head in his hands. He let out a breath of relief.

“Come on, let’s get you back to bed.” He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, guiding you out of the kitchen successfully this time.

At the top of the stairs, you stopped and grabbed his hand, pleading, “Don’t leave me, Jisung.”

He chuckled lightly, lacing his fingers with yours. “Where could I even go? I’m stuck here.”

“I mean, you always leave after I fall asleep,” you explained. “Don’t go this time.”

He nodded, using the index finger of the hand that was holding yours to trace an X over his heart, pulling your hand along with it. “I won’t leave you.”

You fell asleep curled up under your covers, Jisung reading a book of short stories to you, one of his hands resting on your head, fingers gently carding through your hair—a silent reminder of his promise that he would still be there in the morning.

When you woke up, you felt terrible. Not only because of how poorly you had slept lately, but all of your joints and muscles ached, your sinuses felt like they were stuffed up with concrete, your throat was scratchy and sore, and it felt like someone had turned the thermostat up to a million degrees. You winced as you rolled over and threw the covers off of you, already feeling that your sheets and clothes were damp with sweat. Groaning and clutching your head, you involuntarily coughed, having to prop yourself up on your elbow to avoid choking on your own mucus. Gross.

“You’re sick,” Jisung said from the other side of the bed, his voice sympathetic. You’d forgotten that he was even there, actually.

Sitting up, you tried to look as normal as possible, shaking your head. “No, just had something in my throat.”

You winced at the sound of your own voice; it sounded almost as bad as you felt.

“Y/N, you sound awful,” he pointed out. “And you were tossing and turning all night.”

“I’m fine—”

“Y/N.” He was giving you what could only be called a stern pout. “We just talked about this last night.”

You opened your mouth to argue again, but faltered at the intensity of his gaze. Letting the tension fall from your shoulders, you grabbed your phone off your nightstand. “I’ll see if Nayoung or another aide can stay all day.”

Jisung finally smiled at that, standing up and moving to leave the room. “I’ll make you breakfast before your mom wakes up.”

You watched him walk to your door, and instead of grabbing the handle to open it, walked right through it. That must be why you were never woken by the sound of the door when he would leave in the middle of the night before.

Once Nayoung arrived, you hauled yourself out of bed and to the doctor’s office. As soon as you got back, you trudged right back upstairs. From the living room, you could hear the sounds of your mother and the aide chatting. In your room, you shrugged off your jacket and had just grabbed the hem of your shirt when Jisung appeared through the door.

“So what did—”

“Ah!” You yelped, yanking your shirt back down and whirling around to stare at him incredulously.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Jisung sputtered out, covering his eyes.

“Knock! I know you can!” You yelled, gesturing at the door with exasperation. “What is wrong with you?!”

“I didn’t think—I’m sorry!” He fully backed up and out of your room through a solid wall, still covering his eyes.

A few moments later, you heard soft footsteps accompanied by creaks on the stairs. Nayoung’s voice came next, “Y/N? Are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah, Nayoung, I’m fine,” you called back. “Just stubbed my toe getting dressed.”

“Alright…” She didn’t sound like she believed you, but apparently wasn’t going to press the issue. “I have another visit to make today, so another aide from the service will be here in the afternoon to take over from me. Her name is Hyesoo.”

“Okay, thanks for letting me know.”

“I’ll say goodbye when I leave.”

“Thanks.”

You heard her retreat down the stairs, and finished getting changed in peace. Sitting down on your bed, you then heard a soft knock at your bedroom door.

“Come in,” you replied, crossing your arms over your chest.

Jisung stepped through the door, averting his eyes to his feet guiltily. “Sorry...”

“Forget about it, Jisung,” you sighed, flopping all the way under your covers. “I’m too sick to be mad at you.”

“What did the doctor say?” He asked, perching on the edge of your bed.

“It’s just a cold, but he said that all the stress I’m under isn’t helping,” you huffed, fluffing up your pillow under your head. “He gave me some meds, they’re in my bag.”

Jisung picked up your tote bag from where you’d dropped it by your nightstand, handing it to you. “I’ll get you some water to take them with.”

After he’d left the room, you set two of the bottles on your nightstand, and tucked the third in the drawer. Your ghost came back soon with a glass of water, and you eyed him suspiciously as he gave it to you.

“Nobody saw the floating glass of water?” You questioned, sitting up to be able to properly take a sip.

“Your mom and Nayoung were in the backyard,” he confirmed, watching you knock back the pills. “Are you hungry?”

You shook your head, shuffling back under the covers. “Sleepy. That doctor’s visit took a lot out of me.”

“Take a nap.”

“Will you wake me up before Nayoung goes?”

“Sure. But sleep right now.”

You were faintly aware of Jisung’s cool hand resting on your head as you let yourself get swept away by sleep.

Blinking your eyes open, you were greeted by the inky blackness of your ghost’s eyes first. Jisung was laying on top of the covers on the other half of your bed, cheek resting on his hand as he gazed at you. You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes as you rolled onto your back, suddenly feeling much warmer under the intensity of his eyes.

“The other aide just arrived, Nayoung is getting ready to leave,” he informed you quietly.

“Mm,” you grunted in acknowledgment. “Thanks.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Still feel like shit,” you admitted. “The doctor did say the meds wouldn’t start working until the second or third dose.”

You heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and both you and Jisung went quiet. There was a soft knock at your door.

“Y/N?” Nayoung said your name quietly.

“Yes, Nayoung?” You replied.

“I’m heading out. Hyesoo and your mom are in the living room. There’s an extra serving of lunch, would you like me to bring it up for you?”

You were hungry now, and against your instincts, agreed, “If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. I’ll warm it up for you, give me a few minutes.”

You stared up at the ceiling bitterly, trying to swallow down the uncomfortable, shameful bile rising up in your body. You don’t have to do everything yourself, you can accept people’s kindness, you can let people help you. This was exactly what you were getting upset with Hyukjun for doing, putting others before himself at the detriment of his own health. If you didn’t take care of yourself, your mom wouldn’t have any family left to take care of her—only Hyukjun’s fund to pay for more aides.

“Y/N, I’m setting it down outside your room,” Nayoung’s voice was back outside your door, startling you. You hadn’t even heard the stairs this time. “I made you some tea, too. I hope you feel better. See you tomorrow.”

You were out of your bed and opening the door before Jisung could. Nayoung was still on the top step, and looked over her shoulder, clearly a little startled. You looked down at the plate of food and steaming mug of tea, recognizing it as Hyukjun’s favorite coffee cup. Tears suddenly filled your eyes, but you didn’t move to hug her, knowing that she’d be visiting more elderly and possibly immunocompromised patients today. Instead, you stayed put in the doorway, giving her a small smile.

“Thank you, Nayoung.” You couldn’t string together any more words than that, but she seemed to get it anyway.

She beamed back at you, her young features holding a gentle understanding and wisdom. “You’re welcome. Rest well, Y/N.”

After getting ready for sleep that evening, you were sitting with your feet hanging over the side of the bed, taking your next doses of medications. You took the two on the nightstand, then pulled open the drawer to fish out the one that you had put away earlier. The nap you’d taken earlier had thrown off your sleeping pattern, you weren’t near tired enough despite the time.

“Y/N?” Jisung lightly touched your shoulder. “Everything okay?”

You were staring at the orange pill bottle in your hands, gnawing on your bottom lip. “What if I can’t see you?”

“What?”

“He gave me stuff to help me sleep.” You looked up from the bottle to your ghost. “But what if I take it and I can’t see you anymore?”

Jisung sat down next to you, shoulder-to-shoulder, and took the bottle from you. He turned it over in his hands as he spoke, “You could see me before you started having problems sleeping, right?”

You thought about this for a moment, then slowly nodded, relieved.

“And even if you took these and couldn’t see me anymore for some reason—I would rather you be well than see me,” he said, pushing the bottle back into your hand and wrapping your fingers around it. He held your eye contact sincerely. “Okay?”

You swallowed the lump in your throat and nodded. “Okay…”

Jisung watched silently as you opened the bottle, shook one out into your palm, closed the bottle back up, and knocked the tablet back with some water. He stood up to move to his usual spot against the headboard, grabbing the book that was sitting on the nightstand. You crawled under the covers, watching him open the book to where he left off.

“Jisung?”

“Yes?” He turned his gaze from the pages to you.

“Will you—” You sniffled, rubbing at one of your eyes as you yawned. “Will you just lay with me?”

“Oh. Sure.” He closed the book back up and set it aside, then laid down on top of the covers facing you. “Do you want the lamp off?”

“Mhm… please…”

He reached behind him to turn the light off, plunging the room into darkness. You could barely make out the outline of him from a strip of moonlight filtering in from a gap between the curtains. Your eyes were getting heavier, and you desperately fought to keep them open, just in case this was the last time you could see him.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” Jisung murmured. He crossed his finger over his heart. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Jisung,” you managed to mumble back as your eyes fluttered shut.

When you woke up, you were face-to-face with Jisung, his eyes shut this time, eyelashes resting delicately on his cheeks. You would’ve almost felt bad for what you were about to do, but you didn’t think that ghosts actually needed sleep, so you threw your arms around his neck, burying your face in his chest.

“Y/N?!” Jisung squeaked, freezing up under you. “What’s—”

“I can see you!” You cheered victoriously, your voice muffled by his shirt.

He let out a sigh of relief, one of his hands tentatively patting your back. “And a good morning to you, too.”

It was a couple weeks later, and you were all better. Just in time for winter, too. You let out a huff as you heaved your groceries up the porch steps, your breath coming out as a puff in the cold air. Unlocking the front door, you grinned when it was immediately opened for you, Jisung on the other side. He closed it behind you, taking your hat off you and brushing stray snowflakes from your hair, his brow furrowed in concentration. You mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him, well aware of the sounds of your mother and her new evening aide, Hyesoo, in the kitchen already. He just smiled and murmured “You’re welcome” back.

“Oh, Y/N, back already, dear?” Hyesoo greeted you brightly as you walked into the kitchen. The two of them were playing cards at the kitchen table. Hyesoo was an older woman, closer to your mom and Hyukjun in age, but insisted on you calling her by her first name nevertheless.

“Yep, just had one stop to make today!” You informed them, putting your bags onto the kitchen counters. “I think the snow kept everyone away, too.”

“It was snowing?” Your mom questioned, the disapproval clear in her tone. “You didn’t walk all the way there, did you?”

“I wore all my layers, Mom, promise,” you chuckled, beginning to unpack the groceries. “And my snow boots!”

“I’ll put those away,” Hyesoo insisted, setting her cards down and standing up. “You go warm up, we’ve got a fire going in the living room.”

“Well, I do have some work to get done before dinner...” You said sheepishly. “Thanks, Hyesoo!”

You took the stairs two at a time up to your room to get your laptop, then ran back down to sit in front of the fire with it. Opening up your email first, you were unsurprised when a familiar figure sat down beside you, holding his hands out towards the flames. You hummed to yourself as you answered a couple emails, marking some under your to-do list to deal with later, getting the easier ones out of the way first.

“Ugh, not him again,” Jisung complained from next to you, having been reading them over your shoulder. “Decline!”

You elbowed him with an eyeroll, whispering under your breath, “He’s my boss, I can’t decline a meeting with him.”

“He’s not technically your boss.”

“Okay, supervisor. Still, I can’t decline a meeting with him.”

“They’re never about anything important.”

“Yeah, that’s every meeting ever.”

“He’s just doing it to talk to you. It’s an abuse of power.”

“We’re working on a project together and he’s actually in the office and I’m not. He gives me updates. It’s helpful.”

Jisung made a ‘hrrmph’ sound, pulling his knees to his chest as he opted to stare into the fire instead. You looked at him out of the corner of your eye, mild amusement on your features.

“What? Are you jealous or something?” You teased. “He’s like, married with three kids. Have I not mentioned that? He just doesn’t know how to use computers so he makes everything a video call meeting.”

“Oh.”

“Jealous, jealous...” You said in a sing-song voice. “I already spend almost 24/7 with you, what more could you want?”

You had meant it to be rhetorical, but you swore Jisung’s mouth opened, about to answer, when Hyesoo walked in.

“Hey, I’m going to start on dinner, unless you had something planned?” She pointed to the kitchen over her shoulder.

“No, no, go for it,” you waved her off. “I have to take a call anyway. If I’m late, start without me.”

“Weren’t you just on one?”

So you hadn’t been as quiet as you’d hoped.

“Yeah, different department,” you fibbed quickly, getting to your feet and bringing your laptop with you.

You could hear the soft footfalls of Jisung following you, and at the top of the stairs, you turned around to put a hand on his chest, satisfied that Hyesoo wouldn’t be able to see you here. Jisung pouted, looking down at the hand you had on his chest.

“Work call,” you whispered, gently pushing him back. “Wait downstairs. Please.”

He nodded, not looking very happy about it, but descended the stairs anyway. It’s not like there was anything that happened on your work calls that Jisung couldn’t hear, but you didn’t want to risk a floating object in the background, you looking over at Jisung, or otherwise reacting to him in any way during one of your work calls. It was just easier to concentrate without him there.

The call with your supervisor once again really could’ve been an email, but you didn’t mind catching up with him after you got through the two or three minutes of real work conversation that you had. He was a younger guy, and had been one of the people that you were friendlier with when you actually worked in the office full-time. He filled you in on how his three kids were doing, as well as his wife, who you would always chat with at office social events. He asked about how your mom was doing, and you did inform him that she needed aides in two shifts now, to which he reminded you that if you needed to adjust your schedule or workload, that could be discussed. You appreciated that, but if your workload was any lighter, you wouldn’t be employed, and you needed money. The fund from Hyukjun paid for your mother’s medical care, but you still needed to cover the rest of your living expenses like food, utility bills, incidentals, and yourself.

“And you know those staff dinners that get put on your calendar aren’t just to say we invited everyone,” your supervisor added. “You really are wanted there. We know it’s difficult with your mom, but everyone still talks about you.”

You smiled to yourself. “Thanks. Her evening aide is going to be staying the night a few days a week now, so I might be able to make it out one of these days.”

“No pressure, Y/N. Just wanted to let you know,” he leaned back in his own office chair, and seemed to take a glance at the time for the first time in a while. “Sorry, I’ve kept you for a while.”

“It’s fine, Mr. Choi,” you reassured him. “I always enjoy our chats. Give your family my best, will you?”

“Oh! I’m late for dinner!” He suddenly shot up straight in his chair. “Thanks, Y/N. I’ll talk to you soon!”

“Goodbye, Mr. Choi,” you chuckled, hanging up the call.

Closing your laptop, you went back downstairs to the kitchen to see your mom sat at the table, reading a book. Jisung was sitting in his chair across from her, and turned around expectantly at the sound of your feet. You poked your head into the kitchen to check on Hyesoo, who looked like she was still cooking.

“Hi, Mom,” you announced your presence to your mother, coming around the table to her seat.

She looked up at you with a smile, her eyes clearly focusing on you. You wrapped your arms around her shoulders from behind, resting your cheek on the top of her head. She held onto your arms with one of her hands, squeezing gently.

“What are you reading?” You asked, trying to glean any information from the pages that were opened in front of you.

“Oh, this was Hyukjun’s favorite book,” she explained, closing it on her finger to let you see the cover. “I was thinking about him today…”

“I think I read that in a Lit class I took in undergrad,” you commented. “I never knew it was his favorite.”

“Funny enough, it was your father’s favorite too.”

“Here I spent my whole life thinking ‘Goodnight, Moon’ was Dad’s favorite book,” you snickered, referencing the answer he had given you when you were a kid, one of the many children’s books you had at the time.

“Well, he didn’t really want to tell you about this sort of book when you were that little, I think.”

“Can you let me know when you’re done with that book?” You requested. “I think I’d like to reread it.”

“Of course.”

Hyesoo came into the dining area then with three plates, and you let your mom go to take your seat. Your mother set her book aside as dinner was set in front of her.

“Did you look at the mail today, Y/N?” Your mom asked.

“I skimmed it, threw out the junk,” you shrugged, taking a bite of your food. “Why? Did you?”

Your mom must’ve had a very good day today. She usually didn’t bother with things like the mail at all.

“Did you see that Seohyuk’s getting married?”

“Yeah, again,” you snorted. This was marriage number three, if you were up to date on your stepbrother lore. “I’m surprised we even got an invite.”

“Y/N.” Your mother said your name sternly.

“Sorry,” you mumbled. Clearing your throat, you kept your tone more neutral as you said, “Yeah, I saw. Good for them.”

“What do you think?”

“About what? I just said good for them?”

“Going.”

You looked at her incredulously. “Like, to the wedding?”

“He’s family, Y/N.”

“Hyukjun was family,” you didn’t mean to snap at your mom like you did, your voice filling with vitriol. “They’re just three assholes that Hyukjun had the misfortune of being related to. We don’t owe them shit.”

“Y/N!” Your mother gaped at you.

Hyesoo and Jisung had both been silently watching the two of you go back and forth, and you suddenly became aware of the presence of two others in the room again. You took a deep breath in, looking over at the aide.

“Sorry,” you muttered, pushing your chair back from the table. “Good food. I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Y/N, sweetie, can we—”

You ignored your mom’s pleas to talk, scraping off your plate into the garbage and putting your dishes in the dishwasher before storming upstairs. Flopping onto your back on your bed, you stared up at your ceiling fan.

When you heard a knock on your door some time later, you rolled your eyes, but called out to Jisung anyway, “Come in!”

Your door handle turned and opened, revealing not Jisung, and not even your mother, but Hyesoo. She paused at the doorway, obviously aware that you hadn’t been expecting her.

“May I come in?” She requested.

You sat up straight on your bed, nodding. “Sure.”

Hyesoo came and sat beside you, leaving a polite distance between the two of you. “I don’t want to overstep, Y/N… But I imagine there’s some stuff that has happened between you and your stepbrothers that your mom doesn’t know about?”

“Yeah, lots,” you scoffed. “They hate us. They’ve always been rude to me, but ever since Hyukjun left us the house… it’s just gotten worse.”

“When’s the last time you saw or talked to one of them?”

You breathed out. “Uh… probably when Seohyuk came to inspect the property a few months ago now. Mom didn’t even know it happened, Nayoung took her for a walk.”

“Hyukjun was family to you, right? That’s what you just said.”

“Doesn’t meant his shithead sons have to be my family,” you retorted. “They said to me, at his wake, that my mom and I weren’t his family. Like, how awful do you have to be?”

“Hyukjun saw you as his family. His wife’s daughter,” she said slowly. “Do you think, your mom might see Hyukjun’s sons the same way? I’m not saying you have to. But consider your mom’s feelings for a moment.”

You took a deep inhale, trying to separate your thoughts from your own swirling emotions in that moment. “I… I didn’t think of that.”

It was then that you saw she had something in her hands, and she held out two small pictures to you. One was the wedding invite, a picture of Seohyuk and his fiancée smiling on the front. The other was of a young man around Seohyuk’s age, the image grainy, as it was clearly older and taken on film. It was undeniable who this was, though—Hyukjun.

“Your mom was showing me some photo albums earlier, when she saw the wedding invite,” Hyesoo explained. “She didn’t say it, but don’t you think he looks so much like his dad?”

You swallowed the anger in your throat, eyes tracing over the two photos, the similar smiles, the way their crow’s feet crinkled, their noses, cheekbones, and jawlines. It was hard not to see Hyukjun in his eldest son now.

“Yeah, he does,” you agreed.

“Nobody is saying you have to go to the wedding and be best friends with your stepbrothers,” she said. “Or at least, I'm not saying that. But it might be a good idea to think about why your mom would want to go. Those ‘assholes’ are living, breathing pieces of Hyukjun that are still walking around. They’re his sons, and maybe she wants to feel connected to him by connecting with them.”

“He was such a good guy,” you reached for the picture of Hyukjun, holding it between your fingers. “How did he raise three absolute fucking jerks?”

“A mystery we’ll never be able to solve.” Hyesoo clicked her tongue. “I’m about to help your mom get ready for bed, do you want to talk to her before?”

You sighed and nodded. “Yeah, let me do that.”

She handed you the wedding invite as well, standing up from your bed. “She’s in her room. Let me know when you’re done.”

Steeling your nerves, you knocked lightly on your mom’s bedroom door. “Mom? It’s Y/N.”

“Come in, sweetie.”

You opened the door quietly, immediately spotting her sitting on the corner of her bed, as if she had been waiting for you. Sitting down next to her, you took her hand, squeezing it.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” you started. “I should’ve listened to you instead of being rude and talking to you like that. I was only thinking about my feelings about Seohyuk and them, and not yours. Can you tell me more about why you want to go to the wedding?”

“I-I know you and your stepbrothers haven’t gotten along, sweetie,” she prefaced her reasoning. “But… When I think about the fact that Hyukjun won’t get to see this… Even if he did see the first two, you know.”

The both of you snickered a little at that, bumping your shoulders together affectionately. You held the two pictures out to her just like Hyesoo had done to you.

“I get what you’re saying, Mom,” you leaned your head against hers, looking at the nearly identical visages of Seohyuk and Hyukjun. “I miss him too. If this will make you feel closer to him, or that you’re honoring him or something like that, then we should go. I’ll support you.”

“Thank you, Y/N.” She ran a thumb over the picture of Hyukjun.

“What do you want to do for your birthday?” You asked Jisung, searching the table for your next puzzle piece. Your mom had gone to sleep and the two of you were putting together a jigsaw puzzle in your relaxing time before your own bedtime.

Jisung dropped his own puzzle piece that he had been trying to place, staring at you from across the coffee table. “My what?!”

“Your birthday. It’s next week.” You finally fished an edge piece out. “When I looked up the genealogy stuff, it had your birthday on there.”

“I mean, I figured that’s how you knew, but I didn’t think you’d actually—I don’t know, I’m surprised.”

“What? It’s probably been a while since you’ve celebrated it, right?” You put your puzzle piece down. “We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, I just figured it might be nice.”

“No, I-I’d like that,” he smiled softly. “Just don’t get me a cake with an accurate number of candles in it, please.”

“I think that’d get more candle wax on it than frosting.” You wrinkled your nose, making him roll his eyes. “Are you telling me I have to plan it? I asked you what you want to do.”

“Just you remembering is enough to make my birthday feel special this year, Y/N.” Jisung reached across the table to grab your hand. “I don’t really care what else happens. But I’ll think of something, promise.”

One week later, and Jisung’s birthday lined up with a night that Hyesoo was staying over, so you couldn’t use the living room, as she slept on the couch whenever she stayed. So the two of you retreated to your bedroom after dinner. Closing the door behind you, you turned to Jisung with your arms crossed, narrowing your eyes at him.

“You still haven’t told me what you want to do for your birthday,” you reminded him, tapping your foot. “And your birthday’s almost over.”

“I know what I want,” he reassured you. “But you need to change into your pajamas first, so—”

And with that, he stepped back and through the wall, out of your room. You begrudgingly changed from your casual daywear into your pajamas, then called for him to come back in. Your ghost popped back in immediately, heading towards his side of the bed. You watched him suspiciously as he sat down and grabbed the book on the nightstand. Instead of turning on his lamp as he would usually do, though, he reached over to the lamp on your side of the bed and clicked it on, then offered the book out towards you.

“I want you to read to me tonight,” he requested.

“That’s it?” You frowned.

“That’s it,” he confirmed. “You can sing me ‘Happy Birthday’ too, if it’ll make you feel better.”

You took the book from him and sat down against the headboard, pulling your covers over your lap. Jisung laid down on top of the blankets, looking up at you, waiting. You sighed and shook your head, fondly brushing some of his hair out of his face.

“Happy Birthday, Jisung,” you said, opening the book to where he had left off when he’d been reading to you.

“I can’t believe you’re actually going,” Jisung grumbled, handing you a lid to the plastic container.

“Me neither,” you sighed your agreement, snapping the container shut.

Today was finally the day of Seohyuk’s wedding. You, your mom, and Nayoung had just finished up lunch, and the aide would be helping her get ready while you got yourself dressed. Your ghost had made his distaste of the situation plenty clear.

“You couldn’t just send money and a card?”

“My mom wanted to go, and she doesn’t have another daughter to go with her,” you put the leftovers into the fridge. “I would’ve looked like a bitch sending her with an aide while I stayed home. And felt like a bitch.”

“Can’t believe that guy has even found three people who wanted to marry him.”

You laughed heartily at that. “Me neither. It’s got to be the money. Investment brokers make good money, right?”

“To fuck if I know,” your ghost snorted.

“Anyway, stay here while I get ready.”

Jisung saluted you, making you chuckle a little as you left the kitchen. The dress code was cocktail, unfortunately for you, meaning that you had to dress in the nicest outfit you’d worn since Hyukjun’s funeral. Most of your day-to-day wear was lounge clothes lately. After putting on your outfit, and doing your hair and makeup as well, you did a final once-over in the mirror, honestly a bit surprised at yourself.

Walking back downstairs, you could tell that Nayoung was still helping your mom in her room, so you looked around instead for Jisung. You saw his dark head of hair sitting on the couch in the living room, and started that way. He turned upon hearing your footsteps, jaw actually dropping when he spotted you.

“You’re going to catch flies like that,” you teased, pushing his chin back up as you stopped in front of him.

He looked up at you with wide eyes instead. “Woah…”

“Good woah?”

Jisung nodded, standing up and offering you a hand. You gently placed yours atop it, and he lifted it to twirl you around, making a giggle bubble out of you.

“Great woah,” he confirmed. “So not fair you look like this for that asshole’s wedding.”

“It’s not for him,” you scoffed. “It’s for me.”

“Still… I think the bride is going to get jealous.”

“Oh my God.” You rolled your eyes, putting your hand over his mouth insistently, despite you being the only person in the house that could hear him. “You’re awful, you know that?”

He was obviously grinning behind your hand, eyes crinkling up with a mischievous twinkle. You sighed and dropped your hand from his mouth.

“So not fair to be that cute when I’m trying to be mad at you,” you huffed, pinching one of his cheeks.

“Ow,” he pouted, covering the reddened skin once you’d let go.

You heard your mom’s bedroom door open, and her and Nayoung came out a moment later. You walked over to give her a hug.

“Mom, that dress is so pretty,” you complimented her.

“Oh, Y/N,” she cupped your cheek. “You look so beautiful, sweetie.”

“You’re really beautiful, Y/N,” Nayoung added quietly.

“Oh, thank you,” you brushed down your outfit. “Thank you for your help, Nayoung. We should be good to go, I think.”

“Yes, yes, we need to get going!” Your mom clapped her hands together. “Don’t want to be late!”

After putting your mom to bed following the reception, you crept out of her room with your heels in hand. Jisung was at the bottom of the stairs, clearly waiting for you. He held his hands out to take your shoes from you, following you upstairs.

“So how was the wedding?” He asked, stopping outside your door to let you get changed inside in peace.

“Oh, it wasn’t bad, actually,” you answered him as you got undressed. “I think everyone was on their best behavior because it was a wedding, you know?”

“That’s good.”

“Seohyuk’s wife is actually really nice,” you informed him, chuckling in disbelief. “I hope he treats her right. And if not, I hope she’s got a good pre-nup.”

“Did your mom have a good time?”

“Oh yeah, she tore up the dance floor.”

“Really?”

“Yup.” Finally in your pajamas, you called out, “You can come in.”

Jisung materialized through the door, and went to put your shoes away for you that he was still holding. “I’m glad you two had a good time.”

“Me too.” You plopped into bed, feeling the exhaustion of the night hitting you all at once. “I’m almost glad that I went.”

“Almost?”

“I’m still thinking about how I could’ve spent all night in my pajamas instead of getting hit on by Seohyuk’s best man.”

“Seriously?”

“Mhm…” You yawned and pulled your blankets up over you as Jisung sat down against the headboard and robotically grabbed the book on the nightstand.

“Was ‘fuck off’ not clear enough for him?”

“Didn’t tell him to fuck off,” you shrugged.

“What?!”

You winced and rubbed your ear. “Loud…”

“Sorry, sorry,” he quieted his voice down again.

“I was bored, and he wasn’t a jerk about it or anything,” you explained simply, closing your eyes and pushing your cheek against your pillow. “Still would’ve rather been here in my pajamas with you, though.”

“Oh. Okay…” Jisung took a deep breath, opening the book up to pick up where he’d left off in the story.

You were putting leftovers from dinner away some nights later as Hyesoo dispensed your mom’s medications for the upcoming week. You knew your worry was written all over your face. Your mom had been having so many good days��so many lucid days—lately, but today was bad. She asked you why you weren’t at school multiple times, refused to eat, and had another fit over the house being haunted. You were putting her plate of food away right now, entirely untouched.

“It was stupid,” you sighed. “For me to think she was getting better. I know her diagnosis—she’s only going to get worse.”

“There will be ups and downs, Y/N,” the aide reminded you gently. “The important thing is to not blame yourself for any of it.”

You sighed. “You’re right. Thanks, Hyesoo.”

“You don’t have work to do after this, do you?”

“A little bit. You’re staying the night, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Good, good.”

“You know, I’ve been doing this for a while, dear,” she said kindly, shaking out a few pills. “And while I don’t know everything, I do know you can’t run yourself into the ground trying to take care of them. Or else there will be nothing left of you, and then how will you take care of her?”

“I know, it was hard to focus on work today, that’s all.”

“I mean—I’ve been with you all for some time now, and when was the last time you hung out with your own friends? Or went on a date? You’re a beautiful young lady, you’re doing the world a disservice staying cooped up in here all the time.”

You laughed and shook your head. “Really—”

“I’m being serious! Just think about it, dear. I promise, taking some time to keep living your life now won’t be the end of the world. This way, you’ll have a support system when you need it.”

You nodded in understanding, putting the leftovers away with robotic movements as your brain continued turning over her words.

Just about a week after that conversation with Hyesoo and you were fixing your hair in the mirror when a gentle knock came at your bedroom door. You called out to the person as you continued messing with your hair. “Come in!”

Jisung phased through your door. “Dinner’s ready, are you—”

He stopped his words as he seemed to take in what you were wearing, tilting his head with a curious frown. “You got changed?”

“I’m going out for dinner,” you told him, leaning over to focus on putting your earrings in.

“Out? Like, a work thing?”

“No, I’ve got a date.”

“What? With who?” He sputtered, then collected himself a little. “I mean—This is the first I’ve heard of it. How did you meet them?”

“His name’s Dongmin. I met him at the wedding last week.”

“Wait, don’t tell me he’s the best man you were talking about?”

“He gave me his number.” You shrugged. “So?”

“I thought you didn’t even like him?”

“What does it matter to you?” You crossed your arms.

“What do you—? Of course I care if you’re going on a date with some creepy guy who you don’t like.” Jisung ran a hand through his hair.

“I reached out to him, Jisung.” You didn’t know why you were getting so defensive, why you felt so on edge at the moment.

He crossed his arms. “Why did you hide it from me?”

“I didn’t hide it from you,” you scoffed. “I don’t have to tell you everything.”

“Yeah, but this is—”

“What? This is what?”

He held his hands up in surrender, looking away from you. “Never mind. Hope you have fun.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t passive aggressive,” you snorted, grabbing your phone. “You’re just pissed because I’m the only person you can talk to all day but I get to actually leave this stupid house and hang out with people other than you.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Jisung glared back at you, raising his voice to match yours. It was quite possibly the most venomous you’d heard the normally soft-spoken ghost be towards you. “You leave the house all the time, you always talk to your mom or her aides. I don’t give a shit.”

You checked the time on your phone, setting your jaw. “I need to go. I don’t have time for you to keep avoiding what you’re actually trying to say.”

“Oh, right, I’m the only one avoiding,” he retorted sarcastically.

“Lalala! Not listening! Too busy avoiding!” You said in a purposefully childish, loud, and sing-songy voice, plugging one ear as you threw your door open and slammed it shut behind you.

The lights in the house were dark when you got back. Good, you didn’t want to face Hyesoo like this. It was already going to be bad enough risking running into Jisung. Hopefully he was still pissed at you and would stay scarce. Taking a deep breath to dampen your sobs for a few moments, you unlocked the front door and opened it as quietly as you could. No paranormal force on the other side opened it for you this time. Hyesoo’s light snores could be heard from the living room, but other than the sleeping aide, the house was eerily silent. You locked up behind you and started up the stairs, but couldn’t even bring yourself to make it all the way to your room. You all but collapsed at the top step, letting your tears stream freely again as you cried quietly into your hands, hunched over your knees.

That was a fucking disaster.

“Y/N?”

You opened your eyes back up at the soft, familiar voice. Jisung was at the bottom of the stairs, hands in the pockets of his cardigan.

“Oh, Jisung, hey.” You didn’t bother wiping your tears this time as you greeted him. He hesitantly shifted his weight from one foot to another. You patted the spot next to you for him. “Déjà vu, huh?”

He sat down next to you on the top step, deep frown on his features. “What happened?”

“Ugh, guy was an asshole,” you sniffed. “Like, I thought he was really nice and everything, but as soon as he realized I wasn’t going home with him, he turned into a jerk.”

“He didn’t…”

“No, he just said a bunch of rude stuff. Called me a bitch, a whore who was just using him for his money or whatever.”

“Y/N—”

“All that, I didn’t really care about,” you admitted, curling your hands into fists and digging your nails into your palms as his words came back to you. “It was what he said about my mom that really pissed me off. Essentially said I should just put her up in a home and get on with my life. I about threw a punch in the middle of the restaurant.”

Jisung let out a light chuckle at that, but the humor in his features didn’t last long. He scooted closer to you, tentatively wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “I’m sorry it didn’t go well for you.”

You shrugged, leaning against him and resting your head on his shoulder. “I don’t know what I expected, really. He was Seohyuk’s friend, of course he was going to be an asshole.”

Jisung wasn’t warm, but you found his cool embrace comforting enough, the steady pressure of his arm encircling you, his sturdy body supporting you as he let you lean against him.

“I’m sorry, for getting upset at you earlier,” he apologized quietly. “You didn’t have to tell me where you were going, and I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

“I wasn’t being very fair either,” you replied. “I’m sorry too.”

“But… Why did you go out with that guy? I mean, if he had been nice, would you have… Would he…” Jisung stopped, apparently frustrated at not knowing how to phrase what he wanted to ask. “Why not me? I know that sounds so pathetic, but that’s all I wanted to ask you before.”

You squeezed your eyes shut tighter, biting your bottom lip against the emotions rushing up in your chest at his words. “Jisung…”

“I’m not… imagining all this, right? I mean, there’s something here, Y/N. A-A connection.”

“What kind of relationship can you even have with a ghost?” You asked sadly.

“Maybe the kind you need now.” He grabbed one of your hands, holding it tightly in your laps between you.

“I’m going to get older, Jisung,” you reminded him calmly, despite each word piercing your chest like a knife. “Not to mention—I won’t be here forever. Like, in this house. I don’t own it. I’ll have to leave once she… I’ll have to go. I can’t stay here.”

“Does everything worthwhile in life have to last forever?” He murmured, his voice practically begging now. “Tell me you didn’t think about me while you were on that date…”

Your breath hitched in your throat. “I can’t…”

“You did? Think about me?”

“The whole time,” you admitted. “Even when it was going okay, I was thinking about you.”

“Y/N…”

You looked up from your entwined hands, realizing that you were gripping onto him maybe even harder than he was you. Meeting his dark gaze, you blinked away a few more stray tears.

You finally let out a shaky breath and nodded. “Until it’s over, you and me.”

A smile overtook his features as he rested his forehead against yours. Readjusting your hand to cover the back of his, you moved his index finger to his chest, tracing an X over his heart. Your ghost watched your movements fondly, echoing, “Until it’s over, you and me.”

“Do you have anything left here that’s yours? Hair in a locket under a floorboard or something?” You questioned, looking around your room.

“What? No,” Jisung scoffed.

“Figured I’d ask.”

The two of you were brainstorming. Jisung really wanted to be able to go somewhere out of the house with you, but the best ideas you had of course came from popular ghost media.

“Your stepdad kept a lot of the original house fixtures when he bought it. Maybe one of those,” your ghost suggested.

“I’m not carrying a faucet around in my purse,” you replied frankly. “Not to mention, I’m not allowed to damage the house while I live here. My stepbrothers could sue me for anything that’s not exactly how it was when Hyukjun left it.”

“What about…” Jisung walked through the closed door, and you could hear the squeak of the stairs as he went down them. A few moments later, he went back up them, then came through the door again. He held out something in his closed fist towards you.

You stretched out your hand palm-up, and he opened up his fingers to drop a small piece of metal into it. It had some weight to it, and you turned it over in your hand to get a better look at it. It looked like a knob to a cabinet or drawer, in the shape of an eight-pointed starburst. It wasn’t familiar to you at all, it didn’t look like he had taken it off any place in the house that you could tell.

You looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “Where…?”

“It’s one of the original knobs that was on the cabinets in the kitchen,” he explained. “Your stepdad’s first wife wanted them all replaced when she moved in. He put them in a box in the laundry room closet and they haven’t been touched since. I doubt your stepbrothers even know about them. She probably thought he got rid of them.”

“These were on the cabinets when you lived here?”

“Yep.”

You pocketed the cabinet knob. “Can’t hurt to try.”

Once you’d given your mom and Nayoung your goodbyes, you headed for the front door. Jisung was right behind you, looking positively giddy as he watched you put your shoes on.

Patting your pocket again to reassure yourself that the cabinet knob was in there, you stepped down from the porch and onto the walkway. After nodding politely to a jogger going by, you looked around hesitantly at the empty space on either side of you.

“Jisung?” You said quietly.

“I’m here.” He appeared next to you, beaming down at you. “I’m here.”

The two of you had never gone past the porch swing, not even down to the flowerbeds you had continued to tend to. You grabbed his arm to pull him down with you as you squatted in front of the snapdragons that had just come back into bloom. Pride and bittersweet nostalgia welled up in your chest as you looked at the flowers that used to be Hyukjun’s hobby.

“Do you know the secret with these?” You asked Jisung.

“No?” He replied, tilting his head.

You reached out to gently squeeze the sides of a pink flower, making the dragon’s “mouth” open and close. “You can make their mouths open and shut.”

Jisung watched you fondly, then tried it on another bloom. He giggled. “That’s kind of fun, actually.”

Standing back up, you continued to the end of the house’s short walkway, stopping on the sidewalk.

“This is the furthest I’ve been in… a while,” he said, eyes shining.

“We’re still in the lay lines of the property…” You kept your hopes guarded. “I don’t want to call it a success yet.”

Walking down the sidewalk, you kept your eye on Jisung the further you got from the house, waiting for him to hit some invisible barrier and disappear entirely, or at least flicker or something else to indicate that he was losing his connection to the house. But he looked… normal. Fine.

When you were a full three blocks away from the house, Jisung grabbed your hand, lacing his fingers with yours.

“Would you stop looking at me like I’m going to die again?” He joked.

“Sorry, sorry,” you sighed. “I just… can’t believe it. How do you feel?”

“Fine. Great!” He grinned.

You'd never seen Jisung in direct sunlight before, only ever the lights of the house, sunbeams that filtered in through curtains and windows, or moonlight at night. You were surprised at how… normal he looked. His skin had a lifelike rosy tint to it in places, his hair shone and reflected a dark brown at some angles, and he didn’t have any sort of ghostly pallor to him. The only thing that didn’t change were his eyes, still as dark and enrapturing as ever, his pupils melting into his irises.

“So where are we going?” He asked, swinging your linked hands.

“You’ll see.” You squeezed his hand before letting it go, hearing the sounds of other people around the corner that you were about to turn.

The destination you had in mind wasn’t very far, which was good, because your shoulder was getting tired carrying your tote bag. Veering off the sidewalk at a seemingly random place, you walked through a gap between two bushes. Jisung followed you diligently, keeping whatever questions he had to himself. The path underfoot was overgrown with grass and clover, only a path to a keen observer, or those who already knew it was there.

Finally, you ducked around a large tree and emerged at a clearing in front of a small pond. Jisung looked around in wonder as you proudly put your hands on your hips.

“Hyukjun and I came out here a couple times, when he and my mom first got together,” you explained. “Bonding stuff. I’m happy I remembered where it was.”

“I think…” Jisung slowly turned around in a circle, still taking it all in. “I think my friends and I used to swim here in the summer. And when the pond would freeze in the winter, we’d skate…”

He walked over to the largest tree nearby, fingers tracing over the bark that had endless initials carved in it, until he squatted down by the base. “Yeah. I didn’t recognize the streets when we were walking over here, but…”

You joined him by the tree, watching as he pointed out a cluster of initials, seven in total, ending on PJS. “There you all are,” you said quietly. “I didn’t even know this was here.”

“They’re probably all old men now,” Jisung chuckled, a laugh that you could tell was forced.

You reached for his hand, holding it with both of yours. “It’s okay to be sad that you didn’t get to grow old with your best friends, Jisung. I know you’re the one that passed away, but have you mourned them yet? All your friends and family that you didn’t get to see grow old?”

“Damn it.” He shook his head. “I didn’t want to make you all sad on our first real date.”

“I’m dating a ghost,” you pointed out, running your thumb over the back of his hand. “I think a little doom and gloom comes with the territory.”

“To answer your question, I haven’t thought about it like that,” he sighed. “I always felt bad that I left them, that they had to mourn me. But I never… grieved the fact that I lost them too.”

“I don’t want to make you sad on our date, either,” you panicked a little at the shadow that had fallen over his features, moving to wrap an arm around his shoulders and hug him. “I’m sorry!”

Jisung laughed a real laugh this time, hugging you back. “It’s okay, Y/N. It’s better than feeling guilty for something I had no control over.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“I honestly hadn’t even thought about coming here with them in so long… Really, it’s nice to remember them all again.”

You let go of him to reach into your tote, pulling out the large picnic blanket you’d brought with you. “How about instead of the both of us making each other sad, you tell me a bunch of fun stories about your friends while I enjoy the picnic food I packed?”

He pecked your forehead, taking the blanket from your hand. “Deal.”

The pond had become one of yours and Jisung’s favorite spots to go when you could find time between work and your mom. The two of you could get out of the house together without risking you getting some very strange looks in public. Sometimes you brought a picnic, sometimes books or a crossword puzzle or deck of cards or just laid on your blanket and tried to find shapes in the clouds. Every so often, you’d get someone coming by walking their dog, or a gaggle of kids cutting through from one of their backyards to another, but nobody ever paid you much more attention past a ‘hello’ or ‘lovely afternoon, isn’t it?’

After submitting a big project at work, you finally had some free time again. As long as your mom was having a good day today. She’d been more sensitive to you leaving the house lately on her bad days, and while the aides promised that she always calmed down eventually, you hated causing her so much stress if it was avoidable—errands were one thing, but a date with your ghost boyfriend that already haunted your residence could take a raincheck.

You looked in the living room first, then the dining area and kitchen, and frowned thoughtfully when you couldn’t find your mother and Nayoung. Turning around, you were greeted by Jisung, who pointed to the backyard knowingly.

“They’re in the back drinking lemonade,” he informed you. “She’s having a good day.”

“Oh, good. Thanks, Jisung,” you let out a breath of relief, giving him a kiss on the cheek as you passed by on your way back into the living room.

Opening up the door that led onto the back porch, you immediately spotted your mom and Nayoung sitting beside each other on two rocking chairs, a pitcher of lemonade between them as they overlooked the small backyard. Their conversation stopped when they heard the door open, both of them turning to look at you over their sunglasses.

You held your hands up defensively. “Woah, I feel like I just interrupted something…”

“Yes, you can go, sweetie,” your mom said knowingly.

“What?”

“You finished your work and are checking on me to see if you can go out.” She took a sip of her lemonade, pushing her sunglasses back up and settling back into her chair again. “I’m telling you I’m fine, and you can go.”

“Nayoung?” You turned to the aide. “Everything okay—?”

“We’re fine, Y/N!” Nayoung waved you off with a smile. “Really!”

“Alright, alright.” You surrendered, backing up towards the door again. “I’ll be back before Hyesoo gets here.”

“What day is it, Nayoung?” Your mom asked.

“Wednesday.”

“You know, my memory isn’t the best, remind me, when does Hyesoo stay the night?”

“Mondays and Wednesdays.”

“Hm.” Your mom tsked. “Interesting…”

Nayoung didn’t add anything further, but giggled as she took another sip of her lemonade.

“You two are nuisances,” you scoffed and shook your head, finally heading back inside.

You beelined for your bedroom, finding your ghost already sitting on your bed clearly waiting for you.

“Oh yeah, she’s having a great day,” you snorted in lieu of a greeting, grabbing your usual tote bag. “That new medication her doctor put her on is doing wonders. I might have to have him cut her off.”

“I think she’s a lot of fun,” Jisung snickered. “Earlier, when you were on that work call, she was telling Nayoung about your third-grade science fair—”

“Ahh!” You cut him off by planting two hands over his mouth, eyes going wide with mortification. “Of all the things she remembers, that’s what sticks around?! Are you kidding?”

His shoulders were shaking as he let out muffled laughter behind your hands, and he eventually collapsed backwards onto your bed. Your hands dropped from his face as you stayed upright, allowing his laughs to echo freely in your room.

“If you’re going to keep making fun of me, we’re not going out.” You crossed your arms. “I’ll bury your cabinet knobs in the backyard, and your soul will really be stuck here forever.”

“You’ve got to stop being so cute when you pout, and I’ll stop teasing you.” He was still chuckling as he sat up and reached for you with two hands. With an eyeroll, you let him pull you into his lap and wrap his arms around your waist.

“This isn’t fair, I can’t find out embarrassing stuff about you unless you tell me,” you huffed, well aware you that you were still pouting.

“I always answer your questions. You just don’t ask me that stuff.”

“Well now I will.”

“Anything else you need to pout about?”

You let out a deep breath, your face relaxing a little bit. “No. Done for now I think.”

He cupped your cheek, leaning in to press his mouth to yours. Like everything else, Jisung’s lips were cool as they meshed with yours. Not uncomfortably so, he wasn’t quite an icicle, just unlike any human you’d kissed before. You put your hand over his on your cheek, remembering when even that used to be a far-away impossibility.

You left him with one more kiss on the tip of his nose before asking, “Are you ready to go? Mom and Nayoung gave me the okay.”

He started playing with your fingers, eyes focused downwards as he spoke. “I actually wanted to ask if we could maybe go somewhere else today?”

“Sure. Where were you thinking?”

“I don’t want to be a bummer or anything but…”

“What is it?”

His throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed. “You wrote down the cemetery, right? When you went to library and looked up the genealogies and stuff about me. You said you wrote down where my parents buried me?”

“Yeah, I still have it,” you confirmed, cradling the back of his head as you patiently waited for him to finish asking what you knew he wanted to ask you.

It took him a few inhales and exhales to ask, “Can we go?”

“Of course.”

This was officially the furthest you and Jisung had gone from the house together. He’d gone with you on errands a couple times before—the post office, library, things within walking distance—but you had to get on a train for this. You were a little nervous that he might not be able to go this far, even with the cabinet knob safely tied onto a leather cord and tucked under your shirt. So far, the only limit you’d discovered to his leaving the house was time—six hours or so seemed to be the magic number. You’d found that out on a particularly lazy day, when you were looking up at clouds together and suddenly his lap disappeared from beneath your head. He’d apparently popped back up in the foyer with the first headache he’d experienced in decades. Since then, you’d been more careful to keep an eye on the time when you brought him with you.

But he sat comfortably through the whole ten-minute train ride at your side as if he were any other passenger. The car that you were in wasn’t full, meaning that you had a row to yourself, leaving an empty seat next to you for Jisung. After arriving at your stop, you had another five-minute walk until you finally arrived at the cemetery.

“This is where my parents are from,” Jisung stated as you passed under the metal archway at the entrance. “That’s probably why they didn’t choose somewhere back in town.”

A winding path went through the center of the land, smaller pathways breaking off into other areas. It was a big cemetery, gently rolling hills dotted with headstones, grave markers, elegantly carved statues, all sorts of tributes to loved ones. The two of you took a meandering pace, eyes scanning all the names for just one. You looked around the property warily, now extra aware of being a public nuisance somewhere so sacred. You especially didn’t want to risk disturbing any mourners who might be here. But you couldn’t spot anybody except yourself and Jisung, maybe because it was the middle of the day in the middle of the work week.

“There,” Jisung announced, his gaze locked on something in the distance, while you had been looking at markers much closer. He grabbed your hand and pulled you with him as he rushed across the cemetery.

You stopped in front of a simply shaped granite headstone with a carved border. The name at the top read ‘PARK JISUNG’ and under it, a birthdate and death date that were familiar to you. It was the epitaph that was new to you, however.

‘THERE WILL ALWAYS BE LOVE

CROSS OUR HEARTS’

Jisung reached a finger out, tracing over each letter in ‘LOVE.’ He said, “I always wanted to know what they wrote. What they said about me. How they wanted to remember me forever.”

“It’s lovely. They love you a lot,” you replied quietly, resting a hand on his back.

He looked over at you hopefully. “You’re talking in present tense. Are they…?”

“The records I looked at didn’t list them as deceased when I was looking for information about you, but I don’t know how often it’s updated,” you informed him. “I didn’t look any further into them, I was only trying to find out what happened to you.”

“Do you think two more headstones could fit there?” He gestured to the empty space beside his own.

You took the seemingly random question in stride, genuinely contemplating it. “Probably, yeah. Or one big one would fit better, like the couples that get buried together.”

Jisung had a satisfied smile on his face as he nodded. “Yeah, one big one. That’s it.”

It dawned on you then what he was thinking—his parents had most likely reserved the plot next to his for themselves once they passed, and since it was still empty, they were still alive.

“Thank you.” He took your hand, lacing your fingers together. “For coming out here with me. This must be the weirdest date you’ve been on.”

“Visiting my boyfriend’s own grave with him?” You tilted your head back and forth contemplatively, a teasing lilt in your tone. “Mm, yeah, definitely up there. But I’m glad that you wanted to do this with me, Jisung. I can’t imagine what this feels like for you.”

“I’m ready to go,” he declared, looking up at the blue sky above you. “It’s such a nice day, isn’t it?”

“It is,” you agreed, fondly admiring his little one-eyed squint against the sunlight.

Back home that night, you shook one of your sleeping meds from the bottle, setting it down on your nightstand as you went about getting ready for bed. Your ghost was already sat against the headboard, his legs covered by your blankets, hands folded over the book in his lap as he waited for you. Finally ready, you knocked back the tablet with a gulp of water and climbed under your covers. Jisung rested one hand on your head, thumb stroking over your forehead, but after an abnormally long period of silence, you opened one eye to peer up at him.

He was just gazing down at you tenderly, and you fought the instinct to cover your face, instead reaching over to tap the cover of his closed book.

“Aren’t you supposed to be doing something?” You complained in jest.

“Sorry, I was just thinking,” he responded, still not moving to open the book.

“What about?”

“My epitaph. ‘There will always be love.’”

“It’s nice.” You bit back a yawn.

“Yeah. I was thinking about how they probably meant it like their love for me will persist, and proof that I was here and was loved and loved others when I was alive will persist.”

“I like that, Jisung. I think that’s what they meant.”

“And… there was no way they could’ve known this when they picked it, but I was thinking…” Your ghost paused, dark eyes enrapturing you in that moment that you didn’t even think about breathing. “About how even after I died, you somehow found me.”

You grabbed the book from his lap, reaching behind you to blindly put it on your nightstand. Jisung immediately understood, turning his lamp off and leaving the room in darkness as he slipped the rest of the way under the covers. You buried your face in his neck, tangling your fingers in the hair at the back of his head as you simultaneously pressed yourself into him and pulled him as close as possible. He wrapped his arms around you tightly, digging his fingers into you hard enough to make you feel real, which you were glad for.

“I’m going to bring you with me,” you choked out past the tears rising in your eyes. “When it’s time for me to leave. I’ll bring all the cabinet knobs, a chunk of the foundation, whatever will make it work. Fuck my stepbrothers—I’ll pay whatever damages. If you want—”

“Of course I do.” He didn’t even let you finish that thought, and you could hear the tremble in his voice. “But we’ve never been able to get around the time…”

“I’ll figure it out for us, Jisung.” You pulled back just enough to show him as you drew an X over the left side of your chest. “Cross my heart.”

He took your hand from your heart, kissing the back of your fingers tenderly. “We knew it was going to be like this. We promised.”

“We said ‘until it’s over,’” you argued. “I don’t want it to be over yet.”

“It’s not,” he agreed. “But I don’t think it’ll be our choice when it is. Not everything worthwhile has to last forever.”

“Jisung—”

“We’ll try everything,” he assured you, squeezing your hand. “I’m not giving up on you, Y/N. You and me, until you hand the keys over and close the front door behind you.”

“You’ll be coming with me when I do that, Park Jisung,” you declared, your voice cracking over his name.

He wrapped both arms around you again, tucking you under his chin. “Of course.”

⤷ sequel | masterlist