#hope you guys are doing well and tapping into the spirit of love this season brings | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

curlynerd · 3 years ago

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Just Say It

Happy gift posting day for the @starrynightdeancas gift exchange! I had two assignees, so I'm posting two fics today! My 2nd gift recipient is @deanwinchesteradjacent! She requested canon-adjacent Destiel with fluff, action, and a happy ending. I hope you like it! <3

Word Count: 7.5K Rating: T Summary: A string of violent deaths at an otherwise charming B&B was all the excuse Dean needed to drag Cas down to Florida for some fun in the sun. Things had been awkward since Cas came back from the Empty and they could finally be together, but Dean was sure that a romantic getaway was the perfect thing to help Cas get out of the training wheels stage of Angel's-First-Romance and start acting like a real couple. Just as soon as they took care of a vengeful spirit. What could possibly go wrong? Notes: Post canon, fix-it fic, oneshot, love confessions, Dean is bad at feelings, case fic, beach fic.

Also read it on AO3!

“Alright, I’m heading out.”

“Did you pack deodorant?”

“Dean…”

“Toothpaste? Mouthwash?”

“...”

“Those fancy hair products? Cuz there’s just. So. Many--”

“Dean! I’ve lived my whole life on the road. I know how to pack a damn dufflebag!”

Dean smirked, unperturbed by Sam’s whining. “Yeah but Eileen is a classy lady. She’s not gonna put up with your usual road stank.”

Sam sighed in annoyance as he readjusted the bag on his shoulder. “I’m not the one who wears his underwear three days in a row, jerk.”

“Better leave that attitude at home, bitch,” Dean said cheerfully. “It’s your anniversary, after all.”

Sam’s mouth twitched into a shy grin despite his best efforts. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be on my best behavior,” he said, letting Dean have one last bit of fun before he left. “You and Cas too. Don’t get into trouble.” He nodded in farewell before he climbed the stairs to the bunker door.

“Oh, and Sammy?”

Sam paused at the top of the stairs and turned around. Almost like he could sense what was coming, his eyebrow twitched in irritation. Dean hucked a box up to the landing, and Sam fumbled to catch it. Dean flashed a shit-eating grin as Sam read the Trojan label and fixed him with a scowl. “Make sure you wrap it before you tap it, Sammy.”

Sam rolled his eyes as he walked out the door.

Dean laughed to himself as he turned back to his laptop, scrolling through news articles looking for a hunt. He was still at it an hour later when Cas came shuffling into the room still in his pajamas, two cups of coffee in hand.

“Mornin’ Sunshine,” Dean crooned cheerfully. Cas’ hair was in wild disarray, and between that and his worn, brown sweatshirt and loose pajama bottoms, he looked more like a bear stumbling out of hibernation than a guy just waking up. “Sam already left.”

Cas set a mug down in front of Dean before slumping down into the chair beside him. “I hope he and Eileen have fun this week,” he mumbled as he hunched over his coffee.

Dean smiled at how adorable Cas looked, all grumpy and sleep-ruffled. He was still an angel...somewhat. He had Grace, if only a little. So close to mortality, Cas often needed mundane human things like sleep and food. He wasn’t particularly thrilled about it. In fact, he was so irritated about the whole thing that Dean hadn’t been able to work up the nerve to invite him to sleep in his room, instead of alone. Dean chewed on his lower lip. Maybe after this case, things would change.

“Are you looking up a case?” Cas asked, tilting toward Dean’s screen.

“Uh...yeah.” With forced casualness, Dean turned the laptop so Cas could read a headline from last year: “Gruesome Death at Bed and Breakfast Leaves Locals Worried.” “Over the past forty years, there’ve been six deaths at this B&B. All either heart attacks or a brain hemorrhage. All without a scratch on ‘em. Always a couple. Always on the same night: this Friday. That sure screams ‘ghost’ to me.”

“Key West?” Cas asked as he scanned the article. “Florida? That’s quite a drive.”

Dean shrugged. His fingers tapped against the tabletop. “It is, but hell, why not? Sam gets the week off with Eileen, why can’t we have a little vacation too?”

Cas narrowed his eyes. Suspicious. He was suspicious. Was a little time off really so bad? “You haven’t taken a vacation the entire time I’ve known you.”

“Yeah, well…” Dean struggled to come up with a good excuse. “That was, ya know. Before.”

“Before,” Cas repeated stiffly.

Dean rolled his eyes. “Before everything.” He gestured around his head. Before Cas told him he loved him and immediately died. Before Dean rescued him from The Empty. Before they wound up in this awkward, stilted Angel’s-First-Romance training wheels relationship Dean found them in.

That seemed to placate Cas. He nodded and took another sip of coffee. “The beach would be nice…”

Dean broke into a grin. “Better than nice! Toes in the sand, drinks with little umbrellas… That’s better than paradise.” He gave Cas’ shoulder a friendly pat. Then--because he could, couldn’t he?--Dean let his hand run along the broad expanse of Cas’ shoulder and gently cup the back of his neck.

This was okay, right? He’d held back on any sort of real PDA because of how uncomfortable Cas would act. And that was okay. He understood. Angels and intimacy...Well, angels just worked differently than humans. And it was all new to Cas! It took him over a decade to say he loved Dean. It would probably take awhile before he was ready to hold hands.

But this wasn’t very much, right? Just a light hand on the back of his neck. This was about as innocent as things got!

Except Cas went stiff under Dean, and Dean took the hint and pulled his hand away as he bit back a sigh. So much for that.

His eyes trailed back to his laptop. Hopefully this getaway would change things, help Cas loosen up and finally see that they could act even a little like a couple now. A romantic beach, warm sunshine, half-naked romps in the water, a cozy and only slightly haunted bed and breakfast…

What could go wrong?

----

Three days and one slightly terrifying highway over the ocean later, Dean and Cas pulled into a parking space for a charming bed and breakfast painted in a lovely pale--

“Lavender?” Dean balked at the decidedly dainty color of the siding. “I know they like their pastels here, but geez…”

“It’s just a paint color,” Cas said as he crossed around to the trunk and started unloading their bags. The duffle full of salt, shotguns, and various iron weapons clanked ominously. He shouldered it carefully so it wouldn’t make so much noise.

“This whole street is like friggin’ Candy Land.” Dean eyeballed the canary yellow house across the street suspiciously as they made their way to the front door.

The inside was clearly the result of a scandalous love affair between a Jimmy Buffet concert and a Hallmark store--All tacky tropical themed furniture and a dizzying array of porcelain figurines.

Dean grinned from ear to ear and elbowed Cas. At Cas’ inquisitive eyebrow, Dean nodded his head to a shelf full of long-haired, sad-eyed blonde angels. Cas rolled his eyes while Dean laughed to himself.

“Hello! Can I help you?” An older woman sat behind a small reception desk, smiling warmly at them in the glow of her ancient computer.

Dean put on his best people-pleasing smile. “Yes you can. Hi, I’m Dean, and this is my, uh…” Dean glanced over to Cas and his eyes crinkled in delight. “Cas. This is my boyfriend, Cas.” Just the word caused a giddy bubble of effervescence to float inside Dean’s chest. After all this time, they were really here. This was real.

Cas offered the receptionist a small, tight smile before turning his studious gaze to the figurines on the wall shelves. The woman furrowed her brow, so Dean charged forward with the conversation before Cas’ awkwardness put her off. If they were going to pry into the case here, they needed her to be friendly with them. “I booked a reservation for this weekend. It--Are you guys still open? It’s kinda quiet in here.” Dean glanced around the empty living space. There weren’t any other cars parked outside either.

The woman waved off his concerns. “Oh yes, it’s just the off season right now. Some weekends are like that.” She spoke a little too quickly as she clicked through her computer. Dean suspected all the news articles about bloody deaths had something to do with it. “Not hard to find your reservation. You’re our only guests tonight.” She grabbed two keys off a hook and held them out for Dean. “You’ll be in room 4, down at the end of the hallway upstairs. It’s the largest one. If you need extra towels or anything, let me know. I’m Susan.”

Sensing they were about to be dismissed, Dean swerved into a distraction. “You know, we’ve been on the road for ages. Do you have any coffee or anything like that? A little wakeup before we hit the beach?”

Susan pushed back from the desk. “Oh of course! I was about to get some for myself, actually. I’ll be right back.”

“Keep an eye out for anything suspicious, Cas,” Dean muttered as Susan disappeared down a hallway. “Anything out of place or really old. You know, haunted stuff.” Cas nodded, and Dean covertly pulled his EMF reader out of his jacket pocket and flicked it on. It was silent. They both made a pass of the room, pretending to look around.

“Here we are!” Susan said brightly, expertly holding three coffee mugs in her hands. Dean jumped a little and hastily put his device away before turning around. “I hope cream and sugar is okay.”

“Any caffeine is fine,” he assured her as he and Cas took their mugs. “So Susan, what is there to do around here? You know, other than what Yelp says. The insider’s scoop.” Dean winked as he took a sip of his coffee.

Susan smiled. “Well, if nightlife is your thing, there are some great spots within walking distance.”

Dean chuckled. “C’mon, Susan. Does this guy look like much of a dancer?” He grinned fondly at Cas as he draped his arm over his shoulders. It was ridiculous how much his stomach fluttered from the small action, but dammit, after all they’d been through to get here, Dean had earned a few butterflies. He squeezed Cas’ shoulder even though Cas didn’t really react. Dean was definitely going to have to clarify that the personal space rule didn’t apply anymore.

“Well, the restaurant down the street also does an excellent brunch,” Susan offered instead.

“Now that’s more our speed.” Maybe if the hunt went well they could actually stay the night, instead of getting the hell out of Dodge before the cops chased them down. Keep their salt and burn quiet and enjoy a nice night in. Dean tried not to get his hopes up for sharing a bed with Cas.

And he did mean sharing a bed. Things were moving so slowly between him and Cas he’d be thrilled just to spoon, nevermind anything else. Dean bit back a sigh as he swept over all of the knick-knacks and decorations, hoping for some sort of clue as to the identity of their ghost. “I’ve gotta say, I love the decor. Is all of this your collection?” Maybe a haunted object? Or a cursed one?

“Most of it.” A faint twinge of wistfulness colored Susan’s words as she looked over the porcelain figurines. “My Marcy liked to collect the angels, but that was years and years ago.”

On a high shelf was a large urn next to an oil painting of a young woman that immediately pinged Dean’s hunter’s instincts. “That’s a lovely painting over there,” he said, catching Cas’ eye meaningfully. Cas turned around to look too.

Susan’s face melted into a quiet, sad smile. “Yes, that’s my Marcy right there. A self-portrait. She was such a talented artist.”

Cas tilted his head. “She was your...wife?” he guessed.

Susan’s face crumpled. “No. No we were never…” She took a deep breath and continued in a steadier tone. “She was my business partner, but I loved her. Very much. And I knew she loved me too. So I suppose you could say we were almost together. Should have been together.” Her lower lip trembled.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what stopped you?” Dean felt bad for pressing her for information that was clearly upsetting, but people’s lives were at stake. Possibly Susan’s own.

Susan curled her hands around her mug, staring into the steaming coffee with a far off look in her eyes. “I was afraid. Of my own feelings. Of opening myself to getting hurt. So I...When Marcy needed me to be honest about how I felt I...I let her down. She got mad...We fought...She ran off. There was an accident, and...Well...” Susan took another deep breath. Her eyes were glassy with tears and heavy with regret. “Today is the anniversary of the day she died.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Dean said, injecting even more sincerity into his words even though he expected as much. Marcy was the best lead so far. Was she attacking people on the anniversary of her death? She was obviously cremated, but perhaps there was something keeping her tied here?

“Not your fault,” she said with the heaviness of one who had heard those words hundreds of times. She shook her head. “You’re not the reason she--” Susan cut herself off and swallowed down her tears. Despite her best efforts, a single tear trailed down her cheek.

“It sounds like you loved her very much,” Cas said, his voice infused with genuine sympathy.

“She was my world. I loved her more than she’ll ever know...” Again Susan fell silent, this time lost in thought.

Then, with a deep, resettling breath, she wiped at her eyes with the edge of her finger and forced a cheerful expression. “But enough of that. You’re my guests. You don’t need to hear all of that! Do you need anything while you get settled in? More towels? Recommendations for restaurants?”

Dean shook his head, “Appreciate it ma’am, but we’ll probably just grab whatever’s convenient around here.”

“Well, would you like to eat here? Usually I don’t serve dinner for guests, but since it’s only the two of you, I can cook up something if you’d like. I honestly wouldn’t mind the company.”

Sensing another opportunity to interview Susan, Dean smiled his very best ‘comforting the bereaved’ smile. “We’d like that very much, Susan. Thank you for offering.” Then, carefully timed almost like an afterthought, he added, “Oh, and what’s the wifi password?”

Upstairs their room was somewhat small but airy. The walls were a crisp, breezy blue, the linens bright white. There was even a gauzy white canopy draped around the four-poster bed. Dean grinned. One bed. Surely that was cause for some optimism about tonight.

“I dunno about you, but I’m gonna sleep like a log tonight,” he said with the most casual tone he could muster as he grabbed the weapons bag off Cas’ shoulder and deposited it on the duvet. “What about you? Think you’ll need a couple z’s?” ‘Please say yes.’

Cas eyed the bed. Something strange flickered across his face. Something heavy, even sad. Dean immediately felt like a jackass for reminding Cas about his weak Grace. “I mean, who knows how you’ll feel tonight,” Dean added hastily. He started digging through his bag for his laptop. “Get some sea air in your lungs, and you might wake right up.”

Cas pursed his lips. “I suppose so,” he said, his voice carefully neutral. He turned away from Dean and started roaming the room, looking over the artwork on the walls and the little beachy decorations on the furniture. He came to a stop.

“This looks like Susan and Marcy,” he said, letting his fingers trail along the frame of a painting over the dresser.

“Yeah?” Dean looked up from his booting laptop. It was an oil painting like the one downstairs, with a young couple in bright dresses making each other laugh in front of a backdrop of a stormy gray ocean. One was undeniably a much younger Susan. Marcy looked the same as she did in the painting downstairs.

Cas frowned a little and pulled his hand back from the frame. He glanced around the ceiling and only relaxed when he saw an air-conditioning vent gently humming nearby. Dean shrugged it off and turned back to his laptop. He set right to work searching through the local newspaper archives and breaking into the coroner’s office servers. Finding their ghost was only a matter of time.

“Got it. Marcy Daniels. Died forty-three years ago tonight.” Dean flipped his laptop around so Cas could read the news article. “Hit by a car. Right outside this house. Died before she even got to the hospital.”

Cas squinted at the screen. The photo attached to the article looked just like the woman in the paintings. “And you think she’s the ghost?”

Dean shrugged. “Seems as good a guess as any. Violent death. Susan said they were fighting right before. Probably something happened between them that left Marcy pissed off enough to stay in the veil.”

Cas nodded. “We should ask her about it.”

“Nah, she’s not gonna let us grill her about her dead partner like that. We’ll strike up a conversation at dinner. That should give us enough time to figure out what’s keeping Marcy here before she attacks tonight.”

Cas deferred to Dean’s hunting experience. “Well then what should we do until then?”

Dean grinned from ear to ear. “What do you think we should do? To the beach!”

---

Dean shut the trunk of the Impala and straightened his back, lifting his face to the breeze blowing in from the sea. He breathed in deeply. “God, smell that salt air…” he said with a wistful smile. When he turned to Cas, the angel was looking at him with fondness, warmth making his blue eyes brighter. Dean’s smile grew, and he lifted up his sunglasses to flash Cas a playful wink. Cas quickly ducked his head and started walking.

Dean bit back a groan as he followed behind him with their beach bag. What was he doing wrong? He was trying to be gentle, to give Cas enough space to adjust to the idea that they were together now on his own. After all of the crap they’d been through together, after so many things keeping them apart, he understood why Cas was struggling. Hell, he’d been squashing down his feelings for so long, Cas probably didn’t know how to let himself have this happiness.

At least, that was what Dean kept telling himself. Deep down, though, he was afraid that Cas’ feelings were changing.

“There’s a good spot,” Dean said, jogging up behind Cas and forcing down his depressing thoughts before they could meet up with his self-loathing and really cause problems. He grabbed Cas’ arm and tugged him toward an unoccupied part of the sand. The weather was a little too temperamental this time of year to attract huge crowds, but there were still plenty of people out enjoying the sunshine.

Cas let himself be led, his flip-flops flapping awkwardly over the sand. Dean laughed a little, even though his footing wasn’t much better. When they’d walked far enough away from the boardwalk, Dean unceremoniously dropped their bag and dug out a large blanket to lay out.

“Perfect,” he declared as he tipped up his sunglasses to survey his work. He plopped down on the blanket and shucked off his shirt. A quick glance up let him catch the way Cas’ eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his expression smoothed over. Dean wiggled his eyebrows at Cas, but he didn’t see because he turned around like a friggin’ Victorian lady in order to pull off his own shirt before he sat down in front of Dean, facing the ocean. Dean’s gaze swept down the broad, muscular expanse of Cas’ back, and he could barely contain the heat in his eyes and in his grin.

Only then did Cas glance over his shoulder and catch Dean’s eye. Dean bit his lip suggestively, his grin widening, but Cas’ cheeks turned lightly pink and turned his head away. He rubbed at the back of his neck. Nervous, huh? Well that was alright. Dean could lighten the mood.

He held up the bottle of sunscreen. “Alright, let’s spackle your back.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary, Dean,” Cas said, not turning around. His voice sounded even more gruff than usual, which was certainly saying something.

“Nonsense!” Dean was already squirting a healthy dollop of sunscreen in his palm. “You can get sunburned, same as the rest of us.”

Cas sighed heavily. His shoulders twitched, tense, but he didn’t protest when Dean slapped his hand at the middle of his back.

Dean set to work rubbing the cream into Cas’ warm skin. “See? This is nice. It’s like a mini-massage.” He made sure to move slowly, almost caressing him. His stomach fluttered with the faintest whisper of excitement. This was the closest thing he’d gotten to action in months, after all. And Cas’ back was nice. Broad and firm and far more muscular than Dean would have guessed. His heart did a little tapdance at knowing that he was allowed to freely ogle now.

“I like seeing you out of the trenchcoat,” Dean said, now using both hands to stroke up and down Cas’ skin. Cas tensed again. “I mean, you look good under all those layers,” Dean said hastily, afraid that the reminder of his waning Grace was too painful. “When did you get so beefy?” Dean slid his hands up to Cas’ shoulders and then down his thick arms. He squeezed them playfully as he shifted closer, letting his knees bump against him.

He leaned in close so he could almost whisper, “Wish I could see it somewhere other than the beach.”

Cas’ back became hard as marble. He lowered his head. “That’s enough, Dean,” he said softly. His voice trembled with some barely contained emotion Dean didn’t understand.

Disappointment rose up Dean’s throat like bile. “Seriously? I’m almost done!”

Cas twisted around, his face pulled into a scowl. His cheeks were flushed. “Dean! I’m an angel! I don’t need this!”

Dean pulled back. “What? I can’t even put sunscreen on you now?” he demanded.

Cas didn’t have an answer to that. He only glared, his eyes flickering with something Dean couldn’t quite figure out. Pain? Longing? Regret?

Knowing Dean’s penchant for screwing things up all the time, it was almost certainly the latter.

Cas breathed out a long, frustrated breath and rose to his feet. “I’m...going for a walk,” he said. He folded his arms over his bare chest.

“Cas,” Dean pleaded. What had he done wrong? Why was Cas so mad?

Cas shook his head. “Please, Dean.” With one last glance filled with that strange, heartache-inducing emotion, Cas turned and started walking down the beach alone.

Dean stared after him as he left. “What the hell?” he said under his breath. The sting of rejection quietly throbbed in his chest as he turned his gaze to the ocean. What had he done to piss Cas off? Had he really crossed a boundary, or was something else wrong? Cas had been so weird since he’d been back. Shouldn’t he be happy? Hell, telling Dean he loved him was the happiest Cas had ever been, right? That was part of his deal with The Empty!

Did he regret it? Did he change his mind? Maybe Cas really didn’t want to have Dean. Not for real. Maybe that was why Cas never told him how he felt before. He had to have known Dean loved him long before his deal with The Empty came along. Maybe there was a reason Cas hadn’t said anything about it before.

Maybe Cas knew that Dean would screw things up if they got together. Maybe he was trying to pull away from Dean, make it easier to break things off when it all came crashing down.

Dean stewed in his thoughts, his expression dark as he watched the waves. He lost track of time until a pair of children came racing past him, screaming in delight and startling him out of his thoughts. He pulled at his phone to glance at the time. Cas had been gone over half an hour. Way too long. Dean looked down the beach, almost expecting to see Cas trudging back up the beach back to him, but he didn’t see any sign of him. But Cas couldn’t have left left. Dean had the car keys! Quietly cursing, Dean pulled out his phone and dialed Cas’ number.

...And heard a familiar ringtone coming out of their bag.

“Dammit, Cas!” Dean growled as he hung up. He stood up, but he still couldn’t see Cas. Had something happened? What if he’d gone in the water? What if he’d gotten pulled out to sea by a riptide? Despite knowing Cas didn’t even know how to swim, worry dripped ice cold down Dean’s spine, and before he knew it he was walking down the beach along the path Cas had taken.

“Cas!” he called out, but he didn’t see him. Dean started walking faster. He scanned the beach for a familiar dark head of hair and the bright orange swim trunks Dean had picked out for him. “CAS!” He was beginning to fear the worst.

“You lookin’ for someone?” a concerned voice called out. Dean whipped his head around to a small family sitting underneath an umbrella.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, my buddy Cas.” Dean jogged over to them. “You see him walk by? Kinda beefy, kinda dorky. Dark hair, orange trunks, about yea high.” He held his palm flat about eye level.

The woman who spoke nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I saw him walking back toward town, though.” She pointed over her shoulder.

Dean furrowed his brow. Did Cas walk back on his own? Irritation flared in his chest as he forced a cordial smile and thanked the woman before jogging back the way he came. He didn’t see any sign of Cas back at their blanket either.

Dean scowled. Maybe he had walked back. Running off without a word was infuriatingly in-character for him. Dean cursed under his breath as he hastily packed up their things and started stomping up the beach toward the car.

What was even such a big deal? If Cas supposedly loved him so much, was rubbing his back that bad? Dean was trying to give him space, he really was, but the way Cas was acting, it was like he didn’t even like Dean, nevermind love him!

The thought clenched tight around Dean’s heart as he drove back to the bed and breakfast. Maybe he didn’t anymore. Maybe Cas was getting sick of him. Twelve years in each other’s lives, it was bound to happen eventually.

Maybe what angels considered love and what humans considered love was just different.

Dark thoughts still swirled in Dean’s head as he returned to the bed and breakfast and marched up the stairs.

“Dude, what the hell?!” Dean charged into their room, anger burning hot as his glare zeroed in on the angel sitting in a chair. “You can’t just go running off like that! You left your phone behind!”

Cas carefully closed the book he was reading. He was fully clothed again. “It’s not a long walk back here. I assumed you’d know where I’d gone.”

“I was worried sick about you! What if you went in the ocean and something happened?”

Cas narrowed his eyes. “I wouldn’t do that. You know I can’t swim.”

“You can’t just go stomping off whenever you get mad!”

Cas closed his eyes. “I’m not mad,” he said, though the growl in his voice suggested otherwise.

“Like hell you’re not!” Dean shot back. “So what is it? I can’t touch you now? It’s freakin’ sunscreen, Cas. Is it really that big of a deal?”

Cas’ eyes flew open. “Yes!” he said, deeply pained. “Dean, does it really matter so little to you that you’re okay with just ignoring it?”

Dean was brought up short. “Does what matter?”

“Me!” Cas plastered his hand over his chest. He almost looked like he could cry. “I told you how I felt and you insist on acting like nothing happened!”

Dean blinked. “What? That’s...that’s not true, Cas!”

“Dean! You didn’t say anything! Not once since you brought me back, have you said anything about the fact that I love you! And you may think that by ignoring it and trying to force things back the way they were before that you can lock up that Pandora’s Box again, but you can’t! I can’t. I can’t…”

Dean took a step forward, his expression darkening with confusion. “Cas, what’re you talking about?” He didn’t understand. Why did Cas look so hurt? So heartbroken? Cas loved him. Dean loved Cas. So why wasn’t he happy? What had Dean done wrong? “Cas, I--”

Cold mist curled up from Dean’s mouth.

They both went tense and still as they noticed just how cold the room had gotten. The lamp on the bedside table flickered.

“Shit,” Dean muttered under his breath. His eyes darted to the open dufflebag on their bed with all of their weapons.

He made a move for it, but a figure flickered into being in front of him. She was wearing a torn, bloody sundress. Her long, straw-colored hair was plastered to the half of her gaunt face where it was smashed in, blood staining it crimson. The ghost took a step toward Dean. Thick, dark blood dripped from her head but never reached the floor.

“Marcy,” Dean breathed. Guess she didn’t need to wait for nightfall after all.

“Coward,” the ghost menaced as she took another step closer. Dean carefully backed up. “Can’t even say it. Even when you’re hurting him. Coward!”

Dean’s eyes flickered to Cas, who was edging toward their weapons bag. He tried to make the movement quick, but the ghost noticed. With a vicious growl she flung out her hand and Cas went flying into the far wall.

“Don’t worry,” the ghost said to Cas, and the venom in her voice dropped into twisted sympathy. “I’ll take your pain away soon.”

Cas struggled to his feet as the ghost rounded on Dean again. Her outstretched hand aimed directly at Dean’s head, fingers curled into a wicked claw. But before she could touch him, Cas made another attempt at the duffle. She shrieked in fury and sent it spinning through the air toward the window. A single iron poker tumbled out of the open zipper as it flipped over and smashed against the glass, shattering it. The bag tumbled to the ground below.

Cas lurched for the poker. “Dean!” he called as he tossed it through the air, directly through the ghost. She howled and dissipated into smoke while Dean barely managed to close his fingers around the weapon. Cas and Dean stood back to back as they circled the room, Dean holding the iron poker at the ready.

“Salt,” Dean barked. “We need salt!” Except all of theirs was now two stories below. Dean silently cursed. “The kitchen! Go! I’m right behind you!”

Cas nodded and made for the door. The lights were flickering again. He and Dean narrowly made it into the hallway when their bedroom door slammed shut behind them. They raced for the stairs and nearly collided with Susan.

“Cas, Dean, what’s going on?” Her eyes were panicked, taking in the cut on Cas’ temple and the iron poker in Dean’s grip. Mist followed her words out of her mouth.

“Look out!” Dean reached for Susan, but he was flung backward by an invisible force. Marcy flickered into existence over him again. “Salt, Susan! We need salt!” he cried out before the ghost clamped its cold hand around his throat. Dean scrambled from his poker, but it had fallen just out of reach. His other hand grappled with Marcy’s, trying to pull it away.

He couldn’t see with the ghost pinning him down, but he was pretty sure he heard Susan’s footsteps racing away. Good. Even if she didn’t come back, at least she was somewhere safer. Black dots started to swim in Dean’s vision.

“Hey! Marcy!” A ceramic angel went flying through the air and smashed into a framed photo on the wall next to them, shattering the glass. Marcy snarled and whipped her head around. Her grip on Dean’s neck loosened a little, and Dean sucked in as many painful gasps as he could get.

“This is what you’re about, huh?” Cas goaded. He stood next to an accent table full of figurines, another ceramic angel in his hand, fat load of good that would do against a ghost. “Exacting revenge against shitty lovers?” Dean stretched his arm until his muscles strained. He could barely feel the length of the iron rod brush against his fingertips. If Cas could keep stalling for just a little longer... “I think anger has clouded your judgement.” Cas’ lips twisted into a bitter smirk. “You have no reason to attack Dean. Can’t you tell? He doesn’t love me.”

The statement caught Dean completely off-guard. His hand stilled as he gaped at Cas. “What?” he rasped around the ghostly hand on his throat. Didn’t love him!?

The ghost growled at Cas. She raised her arm as if to psychically toss him toward the stairway, but right at that moment, Susan barreled up the stairs, a blue canister of salt in her hand.

“I have the salt!” she said, and with panic and desperation in her eyes she blindly flung the open canister at Dean and the ghost. Salt flung in a wide arc and rained down on Marcy, who screamed and disappeared instantly.

Dean rolled onto his side, coughing weakly as he grabbed onto the iron poker and clutched it against his chest. Cas ran to him, only stopping to grab the canister of salt. He hastily drew a circle around them, draining the last of the salt on their protection ring. “Susan, get in the circle!” he commanded as he knelt beside Dean.

“You don’t think I love you?” Dean choked out between gasps for air. His head was spinning. Cas’ hand on his shoulder helped a lot, but when Dean asked his question Cas quickly yanked it away. “How could you think that?” he said, genuinely confused.

“What’s going on? Why did that...that thing look like my Marcy?!” Susan nearly flung herself into the circle with them. She clutched at her chest, casting her terrified gaze around the room.

“Her ghost,” Cas said, though he didn’t take his eyes off Dean. His brow furrowed. “Dean, you haven’t--”

“Ghost?!” Susan screeched. “Then what the hell are we doing standing here?!”

“Salt repels ghosts,” Cas replied with way more patience than Dean would have had. “She can’t come into the circle.”

“What’s going on?” Susan’s eyes went huge, her face going pale. “She...She killed those people last year, didn’t she? How do we stop her?”

“Usually burn her remains, if anything is left,” Cas said, “but she was cremated, wasn’t she? So something else is tethering her here. Perhaps a locket? Something she cherishes.”

Susan frowned, panicked eyes darting around in front of her as she mulled it over. “Her painting,” she said with a gasp. “The one in your room. She finished it right before our argument! Right before she ran out into the street and was hit by the car. It was precious to her. She put her everything into it, tried to use it to confess her love for me, and I...I was too much of a coward to say it back. That’s why we fought.”

Cas and Dean’s eyes met, and they both nodded. Dean grunted as he pushed himself to his feet, poker still clutched to his chest. “Susan, stay here. Whatever happens, don’t leave the circle. Cas, I’ll keep her busy. You burn the painting.”

As one unit Cas and Dean left the salt circle.

Immediately the hallway burst into chaos. Doors slammed shut everywhere. The knick-knacks and travel guides on the accent table went flying through the air. The lights flickered until their bulbs burst, leaving only the light of the window at the far end to help them see.

They ran.

“You don’t think I love you?” Dean demanded, because a deadly ghost hunt seemed as good a time as any to have this conversation. Some things were too damn important to wait for downtime.

“Because you don’t!” Cas snapped. He threw himself at the shut door of their room, but it was supernaturally sealed. He grunted and tried again. Marcy appeared at his side, a ghostly hand reaching for his chest, a snarl on her lips.

“Cas, of course I love you, you idiot!” Dean swung at Marcy, forcing her to disappear again. Cas slammed himself against the unmoving door. “How could you think I don’t?”

“Dean, I died--” Cas slammed into the door again. His eyes glowed faintly with his weakened Grace. “Telling you how I felt. And you said--” Another crash; the door cracked ominously. “Nothing about it since I’ve been back!”

Marcy flickered into being next to them again. Dean knocked her away with the poker.

“I thought you knew! I thought you didn’t love me and that’s why you never said anything!”

“I told you!” With one final crash, Cas burst through the door and into the room, Dean hot on his heels. They ran for the dresser. “I told you the one thing I wanted, I couldn’t have! That thing was you, Dean!” Cas yanked the painting off the wall and threw it on the ground, shattering its glass and exposing the paper.

Marcy screamed in fury and appeared in front of him. She flung him at the dresser just as Dean dispersed her with a forceful swing. He flipped the poker in his hand, readying himself to strike again while Cas scrambled to his feet, lighter freed from his pocket and held at the ready.

“Because of the Empty!” Dean insisted. Marcy’s form materialized again, and Dean raised his weapon as she approached. “You couldn’t have me because of the deal with the Empty!”

Cas fumbled with the lighter. “I can’t have you because. You. Don’t. Love me!” It finally lit. Cas threw it onto the painting, sending it up in flames.

Marcy howled in agony as her body sparked and burned. She raised her head skyward as if to escape from the rising flames, but in a flash of heat and bright orange light, she was gone, and Cas and Dean were left standing alone in the room.

They stared at each other in the sudden, violent silence. Cas’ face was a mask of frustration and pain.

“Dean, I’ve been back for months. Months. And you have said nothing about how you feel. Do not lie to me now because you feel sorry for me.” With one last heartbroken glare, Cas stomped out of the room, leaving Dean behind to stamp out the flaming remains of the painting.

Once Dean didn’t need to worry about burning the house down, he went looking for Cas. He found him outside, loading up their scattered weapons into the trunk of the Impala.

He looked shattered. His face was crumpled with pain, his eyes dull, deep furrows in his brow. It brought Dean up short. Guilt welled up so intense that Dean almost couldn’t say anything at all. Except, well, that had gotten him into this situation in the first place.

“I thought you knew,” Dean called across the distance between them. Cas stopped and turned to look at him. The bitterness in his eyes made Dean’s stomach churn. “I thought you knew,” he said again. He took a step toward Cas. “For years I thought you knew. But, you know, you’re an angel. I thought you didn’t...I thought you couldn’t…” He trailed off. Cas’ forehead was furrowed in confusion, but he was at least listening, so Dean swallowed down his discomfort and barreled forward. “I thought angels couldn’t fall in love. Except...then you died telling me you did. Telling me that the reason you couldn’t even tell me how you felt was because being happy would trigger your deal and…” He shrugged.

“You thought I was deliberately keeping us apart?”

“Because if you told me you felt the same, then we’d be together and you’d be happy and you’d die.”

The bitterness had faded from Cas’ eyes, replaced with something that Dean was loath to acknowledge looked a little bit like pity mixed with profound frustration. “So when I came back, you thought there wasn’t anything left to talk about?”

Dean scratched the back of his neck and took another step forward. “Yeah well…What else was there to say? You said you, you know, loved me. And I thought you knew that I, you know…” He trailed off.

“Dean.” Dean had never heard Cas sound so pained just saying his name. “You.” Cas scrubbed at his face. His mouth twitched as he struggled to find words for all the ways Dean had screwed up. Was continuing to screw up.

“The hoops that you jump through to avoid talking about your feelings astound me,” Cas finally said. He dropped his hand with a sigh of defeat, and Dean’s heart sank. This was it. The death rattles of a relationship that hadn’t even really started. Dean never had what he truly wanted, and he never would.

Dean ducked his head, unable to look Cas in the eye. “Right. Yeah. That’s me, alright.” He swallowed around the hard lump in his throat. The long drive back to Kansas was going to be awful.

“Say it,” Cas said softly. His words were a command, but when Dean looked up in surprise, his eyes were pleading. “Please,” he breathed, almost like he didn’t deserve to even ask, and something inside Dean cracked.

“I love you, Cas.” One step, two steps, he crossed the distance between them and threw his arms around Cas’ shoulders, clinging to him the way he wished he could have before the Empty took Cas away. “It’s you, Cas. It can only be you. It’s only been you for years. I promise.”

Cas’ next breath stuttered in his lungs. His arms wound tightly around Dean, desperate. “Dean,” he sighed, this time like a prayer.

“I’m right here, buddy.” Dean held him tightly, the way he should have when he first got Cas back from the Empty. The way Dean wanted to all these months when he thought...Well, when he was an idiot. “You can have me, you know. You already have me.”

Cas pulled back enough to look Dean in the eye. His eyes were glassy. Dean’s didn’t exactly feel dry either. ‘I wonder if I can kiss him,’ Dean thought, milliseconds before Cas did just that.

Cas’ lips were warm against his own, and Dean gasped softly as his hand wound through Cas’ thick hair to cradle the back of his head. His kiss was eager, if not clumsy, and Dean smiled a little as he let Cas take the lead anyway. When they finally pulled apart, Cas’ normally pale lips were flushed pink, and Dean’s soft smile morphed into a huge, affectionate grin.

“Hey,” Dean said, his voice surprisingly husky after a largely innocent kiss.

Cas smiled back. “Hello, Dean,” he said, and Dean couldn’t help it. He laughed. God, how he loved this angel.

“So whadya say, Cas?” Dean said when his laughter quieted. “Ready to get the hell outta Dodge?”

Cas’ hands slid down Dean’s back until they were resting on his hips. “Actually…” His gaze turned wistfully in the direction of the distant beach. “I had a different idea.”

---

“You sure this is okay, Cas?”

“Dean…”

“Cuz I mean, I want to respect your boundaries.”

“Dean!”

“And I totally understand if I’m crossing a line here.”

Cas twisted around and gave Dean and his closed bottle of sunscreen a baleful look. Dean couldn’t help but laugh. “If I get sunburned, you can get your own room tonight.”

“You’re probably not even going to sleep anyway,” Dean shot back.

“I’ll sleep just to spite you.” Cas scowled, but Dean could see the corners of his lips twitching playfully. With a rush of affection, Dean shifted so that Cas’ bare back was pressed against his chest and Dean could rest his chin on Cas’ shoulder. Cas went stiff against his body, but it only lasted a second before he practically melted into Dean’s hold. Dean wrapped his arms around him as he watched the waves.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Dean said with a sigh.

“Yes,” Cas breathed, but he wasn’t looking at the sea.

Heat rushed to Dean’s cheeks. He cleared his throat and kept his gaze solidly on the ocean. “You’re such a sap,” he grumbled weakly.

“You’ll get used to it.” Dean could see Cas’ smirk in the corner of his eye. Dean tightened his embrace.

“I dunno if I ever will,” he said quietly, a soft smile on his lips as he finally got to hold his angel.

#starrynightdeancas gift exchange #userstarry #deanwinchesteradjacent #destiel #deancas #destiel fanfic #deancas fanfic #destiel fanfiction #deancas fanfiction #supernatural #spn #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester #castiel #katie writes things #long post

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write-now-ggs · 3 years ago

Text

Jennie (Blackpink)

Wc - 17,400

song

"Where Do We Go From Here"

"Okay mom I'm leaving now." You grabbed your keys off the kitchen counter after making your way downstairs.

"Okay here's your lunch and drive safely. I love you." Your mom gave you a kiss on your cheek.

"Bye, I love you too." You smiled at your mom as you waved at each other.

Your phone started ringing as you walked out to your car, "Hello." You said into the phone before getting inside and starting your car.

"Hey, don't forget we have to pass out those bracelets this morning and at lunch." Your best friend's, Chaeyoung, voice rang through the line.

"Oh right, I'll be at school in like 10 minutes, are you already there..?" You asked her as you put your seatbelt on.

"Yea I just got here. Only me and Lisa are here, no one has showed up yet. So we'll just go ahead and get everything ready." You heard some noise in the background as she talked to you.

"Okay, sorry for running late, but would you and Lisa like some donuts..?" You asked her as you tapped your fingers on the steering wheel.

"Are you seriously asking me that..? Like I would ever turn down food, of course we want some donuts, especially if you're the one paying." She laughed into the phone.

"Haha yeah I should've already known. See you guys in a little bit."

"Okay bye!!" she hung up.

You pulled out of your drive way and made your way to the Donut shop near your school. You picked up a couple dozen boxes of donuts and left to make it to your school.

You found somewhere to park your car then hopped out with your bag on and the boxes of donuts in your hands.

"Hey guys!" You smiled at them as you placed the boxes of sweets on the table they had set up.

"Donuts!" they both yelled before greeting you and taking a donut to eat.

"Where's the bracelets?" You asked as you sat down in the empty chair next to Lisa.

"Right here."Lisa handed you a box with bracelets wrapped in plastic wrappers.

"Okay, has anyone showed up..?" You asked both of the girls as you looked through the box of bracelets.

"Umm no only some teachers but its already 7:20 so some students might start showing up." Chaeyoung spoke with a stuffed mouth.

"Okay well ill take this box and wait at the parking lot, you guys offer the first few people some donuts, but only the ones who grabbed a bracelet." You told them as you stood up with the box in your hands.

"Okay" they both said nodding like little kids with icing on their lips.

"I'll see you before the bell rings." You tossed them both a bracelet, "And make sure you put these on too."

"Okay we will, see ya!" Chaeyoung smiled as she took hers out of the plastic wrapper.

You walked over to the student entrance and watched as some people were finally arriving in the vacant lot.

You smiled as you watched the group of seven familiar boys walk towards you.

"Hey guys!" You greeted the group with a smile, "here are some bracelets." You said as you placed a bracelet in each boys hand.

"Hey thanks, what are these for?" Jackson said pulling it out of the package.

"Its to support our school, showing off a little school spirit." You smiled, "We're hoping these will make more people come to your guys' game tonight and support!"

"Ah that's awesome!" Bambam smiled brightly as he put the bracelet on. The bracelets were a mix of your schools color in a mix paint style with the schools mascot siting in the center with the name of your school around it.

"So I take it your coming to the game tonight..?" Jinyoung asked you with a smile.

"Of course I always come to support you guys." You answered him with a smile, "I haven't missed a game this entire season, Have a little more faith in me Jinyoung." You joked with him.

"Right right, sorry. Of course I should trust my number one fan." He smiled coyly.

"Hey no shes my number one fan, get it right." Youngjae said as he jokingly pushed jinyoung to the side.

"But I thought you were my number one fan..?" Yugyeom said as he put his hand over his heart.

"Guys C'mon we all know shes truly my number one fan." Mark said as he shot an imaginary ball into an imaginary hoop.

"Nope, she can only be the number one fan of starters" Jaebom said as he put a hand on Marks shoulder, "You're not quite there yet kid."

"Ouch, way to bruise my ego.." Mark said as he pushed Jaebom's hand off his shoulder.

"Guys, guys, I'm all of your number one fans. I'm the number one fan of the team and you're all apart of the team. I love you all evenly." You pointed to each boy, "And don't be so hard on Mark, he's one of the best sixth men in our district."

"Wow your so good with your words. We all love you too." Bambam said before rushing in to hug you.

"Group hug!" Jackson yelled then you were engulfed by all seven boys.

"Okay I think thats good, let her breathe now." Jaebom said as he started pulling the guys away.

"Ugh thank you Jaebom" You dramatically took a deep breathe and wiped your forehead.

"Haha well we have to go now, someone.." He looked over at Yugyeom who was trying to avoid his stare, "skipped their last class yesterday when they had a test so we have to take him so he can finish it, or else he won't play tonight. Thank you for the bracelets, we love them" He spoke sincerely as he showed you the bracelet on his wrist.

"Haha It's no problem, good luck tonight." You said to them then looked over at Yugyeom, "Make sure your finish your test, I already told you if your struggling in math I can help you."

"Yes ma'am Ms Class president." He jokingly bowed deeply to you, "But honestly I might have to take you up on studying together. I can't get any low marks this semester." He rubbed his neck as he looked down then back up to you.

"Alright well you know where to find me if you need help. The rest of you please get through today without hurting each other. Also Lisa and Chaeyoung have donuts, go get some."

"Yes captain, Thank you for everything!" The other six boys yelled with smiles and then they walked off playfully teasing Yugyeom.

You stood there handing out bracelets to any students that passed by and told them to get donuts from the other two girls.

"oh wow." You said completely starstruck as you stared at Jisoo who just got out of her car in the parking lot. "She's literally so beautiful, how is it even possible to look that good..?" You asked yourself as you continued to stare.

Like always she was with her friend Jennie. They were complete opposites, Jennie was considered a "delinquent" by anyone you could ask but she still managed to get good grades, meanwhile Jisoo was as nice as anyone could be but she struggled a little bit in most of her classes. You never really talked or hung out with either girl so you couldn't fully have your own opinion on them. You just went off of what everyone told you.

You cleared your throat and smiled, "Hey." Your voice came out slightly higher pitched than it did when you were talking to your guy friends earlier. You never knew why you always got so nervous when you were near Jisoo, especially when Jennie was around.

"Hey" Her voice was deep, and she smiled back as she walked up to you followed by Jennie.

"Here you go!" You handed both girls a bracelet.

"Oh cool what is this for..?" Jisoo asked as she put the bracelet on with a bright smile.

"Its for school spirit. The boys have a game tonight and we are trying to get as many people as we can to go." You told her as you tried hard not to stare at how beautiful both she and Jennie were.

"Oh who is 'We'..?" Jisoo asked genuinely curious.

"The student counsel, we just want the boys to feel appreciated for all the hard work they put in on the court. Next week the girls play and we will be doing something similar. We just want everyone at this school to feel like they're all apart of one big family." You answered her with a smile, you glanced over at Jennie then back at Jisoo.

"Awe that is so sweet, right Jennie..?" She asked the girl on her right.

"Yea, cool" Jennies voice was quiet as she stuffed the bracelet in the pocket of her jacket.

"Jennie, wake up we've got to get to school early, I need to ask Nayeon for help on my math homework from yesterday." Jisoo turned the lights on in Jennies room before going over to her window to open the blinds.

"Oh, hmm" you tilted your head to the side as you stared at the pocket she put it in.

"Hmm..? okay." Jennie sat up, hair wild and voice rough.

"Hey if we get there early enough you might get a chance to talk to your girlfriend." Jisoo teasingly wiggled her eyebrows as the sleepy brunette.

"Hey stop, she's not my girlfriend. She doesn't even pay any attention to me." Jennie said before she threw a pillow at Jisoo.

"What..?" Jisoo laughed at the look on Jennie's face " Its not my fault you have a crush on 'Ms. Perfect'". She tossed the pillow back at Jennie.

"Yea well too bad everyone see's me as a bad person." Jennie finally got up to get her clothes out of her closet.

"Whatever, you're a little baby." Jisoo shook her head as she walked out and closed the door to give her friend some privacy.

Jennie took her time getting ready and looked into the mirror to smile. "Ew no, not doing that again.." She scrunched her nose and shook her head. "That's better.." She said as she looked at her straight face in the mirror. She laughed a little at how ridiculous she was then she put some perfume on and walked out into the living room where she saw Jisoo sitting on the couch trying to finish her homework.

"What are you stuck on?" Jennie asked as she sat down next to her.

"Number 7," Jisoo mumbled as she handed Jennie the paper, "We did one similar to this one in class but I don't remember the steps.." She sounded defeated.

"Oh here.." Jennie calmly explained the problem to her, simplifying the steps of how to solve it.

Jisoo couldn't help but smile at the fact that she's the only person that gets to see this side of her best friend.

"See, you can do it now." Jennie handed her the paper.

"Ugh you're so lucky you're so smart." Jisoo groaned before writing down everything Jennie told her to, then she stuffed the paper into her bag.

"Its whatever. " Jennie stood up and shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay let's go" Jisoo grabbed her keys and made her way outside.

Jennie followed behind to lock the door to the house then she walked to Jisoo's car. When she got inside she put her bag in the back seat then she buckled her seatbelt in place.

"You ready..?" Jisoo asked as she turned the car on.

"Yea, its school how ready do i need to be..?" Jennie leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"Okay then, lets go." Jisoo drove out of her driveway then she pulled onto the road to head to school.

"Poong poong" Jisoo's playful voice and the way she was poking Jennies cheeks had awakened the younger girl. "We're here, wake up."

"Huh..? Okay I'm awake, I'm up.." Jennie grumbled as she looked into the mirror to fix her hair.

"Haha look your crush is over there." Jisoo said as she pointed to you talking to a group of boys while laughing and smiling. "Someone's jealous!!" Jisoo said in a sing song voice.

"Shut up" Jennie smacked her in the arm.

"Just talk to the girl once." Jisoo said as she put some lip gloss on while looking at her handheld mirror.

"After you finally ask Nayeon out." Jennie mumbled as she looked out the window to see you.

"What are you talking about..?" Jisoo snapped her mirror shut so she could glare at Jennie.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about" Jennie laughed and shook her head.

"Shut up, C'mon I have to get help on the rest of my homework." Jisoo reached in the back to grab her bag.

"I could've helped you last night." Jennie said as she also grabbed her bag.

"Yeah but you aren't Nayeon so..." Jisoo said as she opened her door to get out.

"Ugh, whatever" Jennie mumbled as she got out of the car. She watched as Jisoo locked the car and followed behind her as they walked to the entrance.

Jennie felt herself get more and more nervous as you stood there smiling at them. Well you were really smiling at Jisoo but Jennie just pretended you were smiling at her too.

"Ooh there's your woman." Jisoo said quietly as she tried not to laugh.

"I will literally stab you in your esophagus." Jennie whispered to Jisoo.

"Violent much." Jisoo said as she shook her head.

"Hey!" You told the girls once they were in front of you.

"Hey!" Jisoo said back to you. Jennie could only stare at you since every time she was around you her throat seemed to always dry up and her mind completely blanked. So she couldn't trust her voice enough to greet you.

"Oh here you go" You handed the girls the bracelets.

Jennie stared at the bracelet for a while as she examined the design.

Jisoo was engaged in a conversation with you as Jennie tried to hide the smile that began to creep up on her lips. She finally had something you had given her.

"Awe that is so sweet, right Jennie..?" Jisoo asked getting Jennie's attention.

Jennie looked up at the both of you, "Yea, cool" Jennie mumbled as she put the bracelet in her pocket so she could save it for later. She might've seemed uninterested on the outside but on the inside she was freaking out in joy.

"Oh, hmm" you tilted your head to the side as you stared at the pocket she put it in with an expression Jennie couldn't read but then it quickly turned back into a smile when you looked at Jisoo.

"These are really cool thank you!" Jisoo exclaimed before giving you a hug.

Jennie was the only one that noticed you cheeks turn a shade of pink.

"Oh before I forget, if you go over to Chaeyoung and Lisa they'll give you some donuts, just make sure you show them the bracelets." You said pointing to the two girls sitting at the table.

"Okay thanks, I've gotta get going now, i need to get help on my homework from nayeon." Jisoo said dismissing herself.

"Okay no problem and um if you ever need any help with homework whenever Nayeon isn't available, you can ask me. I have plenty of time and I would be more than glad to help you.." You said as you stared at Jisoo.

"Okay I might take you up on that offer cause Nayeon isn't the best at math." Jisoo said with a laugh.

"Haha well you know where to find me." You said as you subconsciously put a piece of your hair behind your ear.

"I do, well I got to go now bye." Jisoo smiled at you before walking away.

"Okay bye." You waved to Jisoo before turning to smile at Jennie, "Bye I'll see you later" You waved at her.

Jennie gave you a small smile and a little nod before walking to the table to get a donut because she was hungry.

Jennie smiled at you.. wow.. anyways..

"Hey loser!" One of your close friends called out to you as he walked with the rest of your friends.

"Hey Jimin, hey guys" you greeted the rest of the six boys with a smile.

"Hey" they all said waving to you with the biggest smiles.

"Here guys." You placed a bracelet in each of their hands.

"Ooh cool whats this for?" Namjoon asked as he placed the bracelet on his wrist.

You gave him the same answer you gave everyone else who asked.

"Oh thats nice" Hoseok said smiling.

"Yup wear them to the game tonight for support." You told them with a small smile before looking at Yoongi, "Good luck tonight, I already talked to the other guys and they're excited for tonight. Just make sure those two don't get hurt out there tonight." You said as you pointed to Jungkook and Taehyung.

"I'll make sure they stay safe." Yoongi said as he gave you his signature gummy smile.

"Okay good" You laughed

You and the seven boys talked for a while until the youngest spoke.

"We'll see you later we gotta go find Jackson and them" Jungkook said waving.

"Okay bye" You said waving bye to all of them.

(Time skip brought to you by Jennie's kiwi accent) (I really was going to delete this but like I just cant bring myself to do it -2020)

"So are you just staying after school for the game or are you going to go home." Chaeyoung asked you as the two of you walked out of your last class.

"Um I'm not sure yet, I think I might just go get something to eat at my mom's restaurant with you and Lisa if you want, then from there head to the game." You said as you walked down the hallway until you made it to the doors and walked out to the parking lot.

"Oh yeah that sounds like a good idea, we just have to find Lisa" Chaeyoung said.

You heard footsteps running towards the two of you so you turned around to see a... Running Jisoo.. Hm not who you were expecting but it was a pleasant surprise, you were expecting Lisa not Jisoo.

"Hu...huh... Oh gosh I just ran so much... oh wow" Jisoo spoke between deep breathes.

"Hey Jisoo are you okay," You asked as you ran up to her. You dug through your bag and found a water bottle to give her. "Here drink this."

She took it and drank some, "huh.. oh.. Yea yea.." She said handing the bottle back.

"What's up?" You asked her as you slowly reached out to lightly pat her on the back with one hand and grab the water bottle with the other.

"About the homework thing you said earlier." She spoke out of breathe, "can you help me tonight before the game..? Because if I don't do it today ill forget about it and i don't want a failing grade." She asked while giving you puppy eyes.

"Yeah sure, of course I can help. I can even help you now if you would like..?" You smiled at her.

"Okay good ill text you my address, see you later!!" She gave you two thumbs up as she smiled. Then she turned around and took off in another sprint to meet Jennie at her car.

"Okay then" You turned around to face Chaeyoung, "Looks like there's a change of plans."

"Haha its fine, Lisa and I will find something to do, we'll probably call Seulgi and the rest of the girls to go get some pizza." She smiled at you.

"Okay well ill see you tonight." You waved at Chaeyoung and walked to your car.

"Okay bye!" She waved as she watched you walk away then she went to go find Lisa.

(Time skip brought to you by Chaeyoung's Aussie accent) (Again, I really want to delete this but my heart wont let me.. -2020)

After receiving a text message from Jisoo and making your way towards her house, you were now sitting outside in her driveway. After you grabbed your things you got out of your car and walked up the the front door. You rang the doorbell and waited.

You heard the door unlock then Jisoo poked her head out with a bright smile, "Hey, C'mon in." She opened the door all the way to let you in.

You walked in and took your shoes off. You looked around the house and you were totally not expecting what you saw next. Jennie was laying on the couch as she played with a fluffy brown dog. This was probably the first time you'd ever seen her smile so brightly.

"Oh she lives here with me." Jisoo said once she saw where you were looking.

"Oh I didn't know that." You looked over at Jisoo then followed her to the dinning table. There were papers and pencils all spread out.

"Well here's my homework that I need help on" she sat down and showed you a paper.

"Ah Okay this'll be easy enough." You mumbled as you sat down next to her.

You started showing her how to do things in a slower paced manner to simplify everything and she even began to pick up on some things faster than others. But then you got on a problem you couldn't even figure out.

"Honestly I don't remember how to do this." You told Jisoo who just stared at the paper with an empty mind.

"Well if you don't know how to do it then I definitely don't" she said putting her face in the palm of her hands. "Huh!" she gasped loudly, "ah I know, JENNIE!!!!" She yelled loudly from the table. And not even three seconds later you heard footsteps rushing to the dining room.

"Huh what happened are you okay..?" Jennie asked as she ran into the dinning room with a bat in her hands.

"I'm not even gonna ask where she got that from." You mumbled to yourself as you watched her scan the room with her eyes before they landed on you.

"We're fine, well not really, just come here and help us with this stupid problem." Jisoo said flailing in her chair like a little kid.

"Huh really?? You scared me, i thought someone broke in you idiot, you know better than that." Jennie said shaking her head as she leaned the bat against the wall and walked towards the table.

"I'm sorry but I really need help, and even she doesn't know how to do this one" Jisoo showed Jennie the problem.

Jennie grabbed the paper and looked at it before opening her mouth, "Oh its simple look all you have to do is-" Jennie went on explaining how to do the problem.

You just watched in amusement at how simple the problem was to her.

"And that's it." She said handing the pencil back to jisoo.

"Wow.." You and Jisoo said at the same time.

"Okay" Jennie said awkwardly staring at the both of you, "Is that all..?" She asked jisoo.

"Oh I think so, but can you go over these real quick? I have to use the restroom."She asked as she gave Jennie puppy eyes.

"Um.." Jennie looked between you and Jisoo, "Ugh.." She rolled her eyes, "Sure I guess but you owe me." She told Jisoo after giving her a look.

"Okay fine I'll get you that unicorn onesie you wanted" Jisoo smiled innocently.

"Shhhh don't say that out loud you idiot" Jennie put her hand over Jisoo's mouth.

You smiled at how adorable the argument between the two friends was. You'd never seen this side of Jennie, her playful and caring side.

Jisoo moved Jennie's hand away and scoffed, "Whatever, plus its adorable that you still like unicorns, i even bet she thinks its cute." Jisoo gestured to you with an eyebrow raised.

"Haha yea it is cute." You nodded with a smile.

"Oh, well then.. um okay" Jennie before pushing Jisoo out of the dining room, "Hurry up.." She gave Jisoo another look before turning around to face you.

You looked at Jennie's wrist and noticed she was wearing the bracelet from this Morning. "Wow she actually wore it" You mumbled in disbelief.

Jennie sat in the seat Jisoo was and she intently looked over the paper.

"Oh this one is wrong" she said pointing to a problem.

"Oh oops" You said reaching over to grab the pencil that was in front of you, but she also reached to grab the pencil. The two of you had accidentally grabbed each others hand. "Oops, I'm so sorry." You looked up at her.

She turned to look at you and quickly hid her hand as her face began to turn red.

Everything got super quiet as the two of you stared into the others eyes, you began to notice some things about her eyes that you never did.

'Was she always this pretty..?' You thought to yourself before you snapped back to reality. You cleared your throat before speaking, "um so what did we do wrong..?" You asked awkwardly.

"Huh oh" she said as if she had just came back from dreaming, "Nothing major just a simple common mistake." She cleared her throat before continuing, "you divided by a um negative but you forgot to make your answer negative, and um" she said before looking back up into you eyes, "is it bad that I seriously want to kiss you right now?" She spoke barely above a whisper as she studied your face.

You stared back into her eyes then down to her lips then back to her eyes, "Is it bad that I feel the same way..?" Wow you couldn't believe you just said that, what is happening..?

You had never noticed how amazingly beautiful she is. You always spent your time staring at Jisoo and never really paid much attention to Jennie, after you thought about it for a while Jennie had never treated you like some people said she treated everyone. She had never said anything negative to you or ever did anything bad to you. Instead she was just a quiet girl around you. You were always too wrapped up in what everyone else thought about her you just assumed she was the person everyone said she was. Now looking at her through clear eyes you realized they were wrong about her, you were wrong about her. The way she played with the dog on the couch and the way her first instinct led her to try and protect jisoo when she thought she was in danger just showed you that she was actually a sweet girl.

So wrapped up in your thoughts you didn't realize how close she leaned towards you until your lips were centimeters apart. She looked up at your eyes then down to your lips before closing her eyes and leaning in, for some reason you did the same.

Kissing Jennie Kim was the last thing you expected when you agreed to come over to Jisoo's house, and now as you were wrapped up in her arms, It was your favorite part of being at Jisoo's house.

Jennie was the first one to pull away, rosy cheeks accompanying her shy smile, "I'm sorry.." She whispered.

"Wow" a voice came from the other side of the room breaking the silence and weird tension between you and Jennie, "My plan worked better than expected."

You and Jennie quickly turned to see Jisoo smiling like crazy as she clapped her hands and gave Jennie a thumbs up.

"Um.. uh... hmm.. Uh... I've got to go and get ready for the basketball game..." You stood up with one of your hands over your lips. You made it to the front door and quickly put your shoes on "Um bye... I'll see you at um.. school" you said before fumbling with door and walking out.

You closed the door and quickly walked to your car. As you tried opening the door you heard foot steps behind you. You turned around and were met with Jennie who looked concerned. Her cheeks were still bright red and she rushed out in only her socks.

"Hey wait!" She ran up to you. "I-I uh" she started before you cut her off.

"Don't worry about it i won't tell anyone okay..? I'm sorry" You apologized again then turned around to try and open your door.

A hand on your shoulder made you turn around and a gasp escaped you as you were face to face with Jennie.

She took a deep breathe with her eyes closed before looking you in the eyes. "Um, look i know this may seem crazy, and this was totally not how I was expecting this all to happen, but will you just hear me out real quick?" the look in her eyes was so genuine you could only nod to let her know to continue. She took another deep breathe before she reached for your hand and stared you in your eyes. "Um okay look." She sighed as she mentally prepared herself, "I really like you, and I'm not just saying this because we kissed, okay..? I've liked you for months now and i was hoping to properly ask you out one day but i never had the courage to. I'm not good with feeling or whatever this is.." She closed her eyes and put the hand that wasn't holding yours over her heart, "But I do know that every time I see you my heart begins to beat like crazy and I cant help but think that I want to be that person you can talk to whenever you have a bad day just so I can make you smile, I want to be someone you can trust. I just know I like you. And I like you a lot. I honestly don't even know if you like me, not even in a romantic way, just in general. Everyone seems to hate me so I'm sure you do too. I don't even know if you like girls.." She paused to take another deep breathe, "If you could just give me a chance to show you how much i like you it would mean the world to me. I don't know how to explain it, but I truly do like you and my heart hurts every time I see you because I know I can't talk to you to explain my feelings. This is my one chance, please.." her last sentence barely came out above a whisper.

You were rendered speechless, you couldn't talk. You just stared right back into her beautiful eyes as your mind was racing with a million thoughts. Her eyes started to get watery and you remembered you hadn't spoken yet. Her grip on your hand loosened and she began to turn away.

"Wait Jennie, yes." You turned her around and this time you held her hand with a tight grip.

"What..?" She looked at you in confusion.

"I said 'yes', of course" You smiled at her.

"Wait.. really..?" She couldn't believe what you were saying. She felt like she was still dreaming.

"Mhm" You hummed at her and watched as relief flushed over her face.

"Oh wow.." She rubbed the back of her neck, "I never thought I would get this far. So what do we do now..? "

"Are you going to the basketball game tonight..?" You asked her as you moved to intertwine your fingers with hers.

"Jisoo had mentioned that Nayeon invited her to go with them so I was thinking about going with her, I'm still not sure yet." She looked down at your hand that was holding hers and she tried to hide her smile.

"You should go, I'll be there.. In fact." You pulled your phone out of your pocket with your free hand. "I need to be there in around an hour, so I should really get going now." At the mention of you leaving Jennie's smile fell.

"Oh really..?" She asked timidly.

"Yeah I'm sorry, I have to help set up the student section.."

"Student counsel duties huh..?" Jennie smiled at you with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah.." You nodded your head with a small smile, "Please come, I promise it will be fun."

"But no one at our school likes me, whats the point of being in a room with people that judge me every second I'm around them.." She finally touched on the subject she knew you were thinking about.

"That's only because they judge you without truly knowing you, hell I barely even know you but the Jennie I've seen in the past hour has been nothing but sweet kind and caring. I know you're a good person, I can sense it. So please come out to the game tonight, I want to be able to spend more time with you to see where this," You gestured to the two of you, "Whole thing is headed."

"Wow never thought I'd hear the class president cuss.." She mumbled with a smirk as she tried to avoid what you said about the two of you.

"Hell is not a bad word... But before you get me distracted, I'm going to ask one more time... Please come to the basketball game so we can spend some time together. I want to get to know you. The real you. Not the Jennie that everyone judges based on a few stares, but the really kind and caring Jennie that I know is in there." You spoke with sincerity laced through all your words.

"Alright, I'll think about it." She smiled then she started to lean in.

Before she could get any closer you put a finger up to her lips, "Uh-uh, not until we truly get to know each other.."

"You weren't saying that a minute ago.." She grumbled as she pulled away.

"Hey now I wasn't expecting it." You laughed at the look on her face.

"Don't blame me when you're the one who came inside my house looking like this" She gestured to you, all of you.

"I'm literally just wearing jeans and a jacket... how is it my fault you can't keep your hormones in check..?" You tilted your head to the side as you enjoyed the playful banter between the two of you.

"Yeah but you have this.." She let go of your hand to hold your face. "So technically it is your fault."

"Technically it would be my mom and dads fault, its their genes that made me." You raised an eyebrow at her.

Jennie smiled before leaning forward to steal a kiss, "haha!" She yelled before running to the front door.

"You butt!" You yelled as you followed her but you were too late. She was inside the house and watching you from the window next to the door.

Jennie puckered her lips and made a funny face. The two of you couldn't help but laugh. "You should get going now, I'm sure you have even less time to make it there because of me now.." She spoke through the window. She had opened it just enough so you could hear her.

You checked your phone and noticed you only had around forty-five minutes to get everything ready. "ah you're right, and it's not your fault. I was talking too."

"Okay well I'll see you at the game." Jennie smiled.

"You promise you'll go..?" You asked with your pinky raised in the air.

Jennie nodded her head and lifter up her pinky, "I promise."

"Okay, well bye!" You waved at her then you ran to your car.

"What..?" Jennie said when she turned around and was greeted with a smiling Jisoo.

"I don't get a 'Thank You'..?" Jisoo crossed her arms as she stared at the younger girl.

"Fine, thank you so much Jisoo, you are the best person to ever exist." Jennie said with her childlike grin.

"So I take it your're going to the game now..?" Jisoo asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Were you eavesdropping..?" Jennie asked, her smile now replaced with a scowl.

"Its not my fault. It was like a romance movie out there, I had to.." Jisoo pulled her phone out. "Look at the two of you.." She swiped through her phone to show Jennie the pictures she took of the two of you.

"So yugyeom likes these, Taehyung likes these, ah Jinyoung likes these.." After you went home to change out of your clothes you stopped at a store to pick up some snacks for the basketball boys. You were honestly like all of their moms away from home. You always had snacks to feed the growing boys, but only if they were getting good grades. "Okay this should be good." You said to yourself as you went to go walk up to the counter. Before you made it something caught your eyes,

"Jisoo I can't believe you.." She shook her head. "But... send me those please.." Jennie said before running to her room to get dressed.

It was a little unicorn key chain which just so perfectly happened to have the letter J engraved into the Horn. "If this isn't a sign telling me to get it, then I don't know what is." You grabbed the key chain and put it with the rest of the items you were going to get.

You had made it to your school in time to help the rest of the members on the student counsel get ready for the game. Chaeyoung and Lisa got there a little after you did and they helped the parents that volunteered with setting up the concession stand.

You made your way down the hallway where the boy's locker room was. You knocked on the door then were greeted with Younjae's bright smile.

"Ah look it's my number one fan.." He yelled to get the other guy's attention. And at that all ten boys rushed out of the locker room in their warm-ups.

"Youngjae.." You gave him a look, "I'm all of your number one fans." You smiled at the rest of the boys. "I brought you some snacks." You held the bag up in the air and all the boys began to cheer.

"You're the best!" Jackson went over to lift you up in the air.

"Snacks! Snacks! Snacks!" The boys all yelled while jumping up and down with you in the air.

"Haha okay okay, but we all know all of you are even better." You said when Jackson finally let you down.

"No... boo!" They all disagreed in unison as they shook their head.

"We have the best Class president in the Country!" Jungkook exclaimed as he held your arm up in the air.

"You guys are too sweet. Here take these.." You handed the bag to Jaebom. "I got everyone their favorites, so there should be enough. Please share." You gave all of them a look and they all nodded.

"Yes ma'am" They all bowed to you. "We will win tonight in your honor!" They yelled as they looked back up.

"haha cute, how long did you practice that..?" You asked Taehyung who couldn't hide his grin.

"We just came up with it before you showed up. It was Bambam's idea." Taehyung answered you.

"Ah I see.. well I wish you guys luck. And don't eat too many snacks before the game, just a couple. We don't need you all out there running on heavy stomachs." You told them in a serious voice before smiling at them all, "Good luck!"

"Thank you!" They all yelled.

One by one they each gave you a hug before making their way back inside the locker room.

You walked back out to the gym to see if there was anything else you could help with.

"Hey Areum asked if you could help her with handing out the rest of the bracelets to the parents that show up." One of the other members of the student counsel asked.

"Oh of course. Thank you Soobin." Soobin was one of the younger members of the student counsel but he took his role seriously. You watched as some of the staff were bringing out the big jugs full of ice water. "Go see if you can help them by getting the cups and towels." You told Soobin as you showed him who you were talking about.

"Yes ma'am" He smiled at you then walked off to see if he could be of any help.

You didn't know why, but everyone at this school always treated you with the upmost respect, of course you treated them the same way. You never wanted to be on bad terms with anyone at your school. Like you had said earlier to Jisoo, you wanted everyone here to feel as though they were a part of a big family away from home.

You walked over to meet Areum who was greeting the first set of parents who were already arriving.

You knew all of the guy's parents so they all greeted you with your first name as you handed them the bracelets.

"So are the two of you dating..?" Nayeon asked Jennie while they walked to the gym.

Jennie shook her head, "No, and I'm not going to force anything on her either. I'll wait until she's completely comfortable with me before we discuss labels." She stuffed her hands in her pockets as the air around the three girls dropped in temperature with the sun itself.

"You should've seen them, I'm telling you it was straight out of a movie. They're probably gonna use their story in a movie or drama in the future." Jisoo said as walked next to Nayeon.

"Oh wow, seriously..?" Nayeon asked Jisoo before wrapping an arm around her. "It's cold.." She justified her actions to the older girl with a coy smile.

"I even have pictures." Jisoo said with a smile as her cheeks reddened.

"Which is creepy may I add." Jennie said as she shook her head at the other girls.

"Oh wow, there's your girl." Nayeon said as she gestured to the open doors.

You were in the middle of a conversation with Yugyeom's parents. They were asking you about his grades and what they could do to help him.

"We're not dating.." Jennie mumbled as her cheeks instantly heated up when you glanced up and shot her a smile when you realized she made it.

"Thank you so much sweetie.." Yugyeom's mother told you before giving you a hug to go find somewhere to sit in the stands.

You ran outside to meet Jennie. "You made it!" You smiled brightly at her.

"No, this is Jennie's identical twin, she was too nervous to spend time with you." Jennie said in a monotone voice before she failed to hold a straight face and was instantly smiling at you.

You laughed and playfully hit her shoulder. "You're so stupid.."

Jisoo cleared her throat making you and Jennie look over at her and Nayeon.

"We're gonna go find seats. Please don't make out in front of the school please." She told Jennie with a look before smiling at you. "We'll see you inside."

Nayeon waved at you and you greeted her. "Okay, we'll be in shortly. The boys are about to head out for warm-ups." You told Jisoo.

Then it was just you and Jennie standing outside.

"You changed your clothes.." She said as she couldn't think of anything else to talk about.

"School spirit..!" You reminded her with a smile. You were wearing a jacket with the school's mascot on the front and the basketball boy's names on the back.

Jennie exaggerated the eye roll she gave you, "Eww" she scrunched her nose.

"Oh shut up," You gave her an eye roll of your own before you grabbed her hand. "Let's go, It's starting to get cold."

"Okay.." She smiled as she intertwined your finger, letting you lead the way.

On the way to the student section you heard a couple of whispers from some of the other students in the school.

"Isn't that Jennie Kim..?"

"Since when does she come to school events..?"

"Why is she with the class president..?"

"She probably got in trouble or something..?

You turned to look at Jennie, who's smile was no longer on her face. She was staring at the ground.

"Hey, don't worry about them. We are here for a good time. Just ignore them.. okay." You asked as you lifted her head with your free hand.

Her eyes met you and she gave you a small smile, "Okay.."

"Hey over here!" Chaeyoung yelled for you from the front row.

Chaeyoung and Lisa were joined by Seulgi and all of her friends. Jisoo and Nayeon were sitting on the row right above them.

"Perfect, C'mon" You smiled as you pulled Jennie over.

Chaeyoung and Lisa raised an eyebrow when they saw you were holding hands with Jennie.

"I'll explain later.." You mouthed to them before introducing them to Jennie. "Jennie this is Chaeyoung and this is Lisa, they are my best friends."

"I know them. Hey guys." Jennie smiled at the two girls.

"Hey!" Chaeyoung and Lisa said at the same time.

You and Jennie took your seats and waited for the boys to come out for warm-ups.

"Do you like basketball..?" You asked Jennie.

She shrugged, "I've never watched it enough to have an opinion on it."

"It's great, you're going to love it. The boys worked so hard during the off season, its insane how much better they've gotten since last year." You told her with a big smile.

"Wow" Jennie couldn't help but smile at the excitement in your voice. "You must be close to them..?" She asked genuinely curious since she always saw you talking to at least one of the guys everyday.

"We are, they're like my brothers.." You paused and shook your head, "No more like my children." You laughed.

Before Jennie could say anything cheers erupted from the stands as the boys made their way onto the court with their warm-ups on. All ten boys look around before Yoongi saw you and smiled. He turned to tell the other guys something then they were all facing you. They all waved with big smiles. You stood up to wave back and gave them a thumbs up. Youngjae pointed to his stomach and gave you a thumbs up before pointing one finger in the air and sending you a heart. You laughed and shook your head as you gestured to all of the boys then held up a number one. The two of you shared a smile before he joined the other guys in taking practice shots.

You sat down with a laugh, "What am I gonna do with these boys."

"Oh Youngjae told us to give you this before the game." Chaeyoung said as she handed you a sign.

You read the sign and laughed, "Wow this kid." You shook your head as you stared at the sign.

" ♡ Youngjae's #1 Fan ♡"

The sign had Youngjae's number on it and his basketball head shot.

"You two seem pretty close.." Jennie said quietly as she looked at the sign then the smile on your face.

You looked at her and immediately shook your head, "It's not like that. It's just an inside joke with the team." You told her before reaching for her hand, "I don't have any kind of romantic feelings for the boys." You gave her a look to reassure her there was nothing underneath the surface of the friendship between you and the boys.

"Okay.." She smiled at you before feeling a thump on her back. It was Jisoo.

"Stop getting jealous" she mouthed to Jennie before sending her a look.

"Jimin! Jin! Namjoon! Hobi!!" Your voice made Jennie turn back around. You had let go of her hand to stand up so you could call your other friends over. "We made sure to save you guys the best seats." You told them as they walked up to you.

"Thank you!" Jimin smiled. He looked down and saw Jennie, "Oh hi! I'm Jimin." Following him the other three boys introduced themselves to her with big smiles.

"Hey, I'm Jennie." She gave them an awkward wave as she smiled.

"Your seats are next to Irene." You pointed past Seulgi and her friends.

"Thanks! You're the best!" Hoseok smiled at you.

"Haha it's no problem, just make sure you cheer loudly tonight!" You smiled at him.

"Oh we will. You should have seen Jimin warming up his voice outside." Namjoon said with a laugh.

You talked to the guys for a little while more until they walked past to get to their seats.

You sat back down next to Jennie after scanning the gym for anyone else you were close too.

"Wow you sure do know a lot of people." Jennie said as she looked at everyone that was seated near the two of you.

"It's kind of a necessity as a class president. I don't want anyone to think poorly of me. I'm on a first name basis with almost everyone. I want people to be comfortable around me and ask for help when they need it." You told her as you sat closer to her.

"What about when you need help..? Who is there for you..?" Jennie asked, curiosity evident in the way her eyebrows furrowed.

You watched as Jackson dribbled the ball as he talked to Jungkook about something. "I have my mom to talk to, sometimes even my dad if he isn't busy." You tapped your foot on the floor.

"What about chaeyoung and Lisa..?" Jennie studied your face.

You shook your head and scrunched your nose, "I don't want to inconvenience them with my problems, I can handle them."

Jennie shook her head and grabbed your arm so you could look at her, "I'll listen to your problems. You won't be an inconvenience to me. You can talk to me about anything." She spoke gently as she looked into your eyes.

You smiled at her, "I'll think about."

Jennie watched as your smile wavered a bit but deciding on not pushing the subject further she just nodded. She sat in silence as she watched you talk to chaeyoung, she admired how you kept her in the conversation but being shy she only responded with hums and head movement.

Jennie was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Jisoo.

"Outside." was the only thing Jisoo said to Jennie before getting your attention. "Jennie and I are going to the concession stand, does anyone want anything..?" She smiled at you and chaeyoung.

You shook your head, "I'm fine." You looked at chaeyoung who smiled then told Jisoo what she and Lisa wanted.

"Okay, we'll be back." Jisoo said as she grabbed Jennies arm and walked away.

"Don't take too long, the game starts in five minutes!" You hollered at the girls.

"What..?" Jennie asked Jisoo as she rubbed the spot on her arm Jisoo grabbed earlier.

"What are you doing??" Jisoo asked Jennie as she moved to stand in the concession line.

"What are you talking about..?" Jennie looked at Jisoo in confusion.

"Can't you see she's trying so hard to get you to interact with her friends..?" Jisoo shook her head at the younger girl.

"Um yeah..? What about it..?" Jennie was confused by whatever it was Jisoo was trying to prove.

"You idiot.." Jisoo sighed, "She wouldn't be trying so hard to get you to talk to her friends if she didn't want you guys to get closer. Don't you see..?" Jisoo asked the younger girl who just stared and shook her head, "She wants you to feel comfortable around her friends because she knows the two of you have potential, but she's doing what every girl does. Getting the most important opinion. The best friend test basically." Jennie stared blankly at Jisoo. "Ugh" Jisoo groaned, "If her best friends don't like you then you're basically a goner."

"Oh.." Jennie mumbled as she finally understood what the older girl was trying to say. Jisoo was already ordering the food Chaeyoung and Lisa had asked for, so she just stood and watched her best friend.

"Thank you." Jisoo smiled at the lady behind the counter. "Here." Jisoo handed Jennie the food the younger girls had asked for. "Give this to them and apologize for being rude."

"Okay" Jennie took the items. "But do you really think she see's something in me.. or like me and her..?" Jennie asked her friend as they walked back over to the student section.

"Duh, do you not see the way she smiles at you. Plus every chance she gets she grabs your hand. And she's basically stuck to your hip when your sitting next to each other. Just.." Jisoo looked over at her friend with a smile, "Try harder to let people in, Not everyone wants to hurt you, they just don't know you yet."

Jennie smiled, "Its funny, she said something similar earlier."

Jisoo laughed, "Of course she did, its smart people thinking."

"Says the girl who is struggling in Calculus." Jennie snickered.

"Whatever, don't make me embarrass you in front of your girlfriend." Jisoo threatened her with a smile. When they made it back to the student section she gave Jennie one last look before going to sit with Nayeon.

"You're back." You smiled at Jennie.

"Yup" She smiled then walked past you to stand near Chaeyoung and Lisa. "Here's the food you had asked for." She handed the food to the younger girls and smiled shyly at them, "I just want to say I'm sorry for not engaging in the conversations earlier, I'm just really shy. The two of you have been nothing but nice to me the entire time I've been here yet I've barely uttered a word to the two of you. Thank you for being so Inviting to me and sorry for being so quiet."

"Oh no no no.." Both girls shook their heads. "We completely understand, you don't need to apologize. If she introduced you to us," Chaeyoung gestured to you, "Then we know you're a good person." The younger girl smiled at Jennie.

"Yeah she would never introduce us to someone she didn't have a good feeling about." The youngest girl spoke.

You watched the way Jennie slowly relaxed as she continued to talk to your friends.

"Okay well thank you still for inviting me with open arms." Jennie told the two girls before going back to sit next to you.

"Everything okay..?" You asked Jennie when you noticed the way her left leg was bouncing up and down.

"Mhm" Jennie hummed with a small smile.

"Okay.." You watched her for a little longer until you heard the music begin to play.

Everyone in the student section got up and cheered as the boys ran out. When Youngjae looked over you made sure to hold the sign up and smile.

"Ooh tip-off.." You mumbled as you sat down and watched as Jackson and Jaebom talked to the referee.

The game was amazing, the boys had a big lead by the end of the first quarter and not only did that calm you nerves but also the fact that Jennie had loosened up enough during the first quarter to ask you questions about what was happening.

"Is it over..?" Jennie asked in disbelief at how short the game was.

You laughed and shook your head, "No, that was only the first quarter, there's three more."

"Three more..?" She asked as her mouth hung open.

"Yup" You smiled at her.

The boys were in a circle around their coach as they all drank some water. Youngjae managed to escape twenty seconds before the second quarter began and ran to where the student section.

"Hold my sign up higher this quarter" He told you while breathing heavily.

You shook your head, "Not unless Mark gets put in this quarter," You smiled at him.

"Ugh fine.." Youngjae groaned. "I spent a lot of time working on that poster, ya know."

"Ah so that's why it looks like an elementary students unfinished art project." You teased him with a smile.

"You're so mean to me.." He shook his head then smiled at you before running back over to join his team.

You watched as Youngjae talked to the coach.

You looked over at Jennie, who to your surprise, had a small smile on her face as she looked around.

The second quarter started and to your surprise Mark was on the court. He looked over to you and smiled. "Thanks" He mouthed to you before focusing on the game. At the same time Youngjae looked over and gestured to the sign. You rolled your eyes but held the sign up.

"Wow Youngjae is on fire..." Chaeyoung said halfway through the third quarter.

You had to agree. Not only was he challenging his defender when he was outside the three point line, he was also rushing into the paint with such a force he was able to cleanly make every lay-up. The defenders had no time to react so they could never set a proper screen which led to easy and-ones.

Currently Youngjae was dribbling the ball before saying something to Mark. He then looked at his defender and smiled. He rushed into the paint and soon the entire defensive team ran to the paint. He pulled up with the ball in his hands, but to everyone's surprise he easily passed the ball behind him where Mark was perfectly awaiting the ball. As soon as the ball made it into Mark's hands he threw up one of the most perfect shots you've seen this entire season. The ball cleanly swished through the net and the boys on the bench completely lost it.

"That was one of the best threes I've ever seen.." Lisa said as she watched in amusement.

The other teams coach called a timeout and Youngjae looked over at you and shrugged. You laughed and held the sign up giving him an "Okay" gesture with your fingers.

You sat back down to take a deep breathe. "Are you enjoying the game..?" You asked Jennie.

She smiled and nodded her head, "This is unexpectedly entertaining."

You laughed a little as you nudged her shoulder, "I told you."

And so the game continued, Youngjae continued to make his defenders look clueless, you and Jennie talked more and more as she gained a new interest in the game.

"10... 9.. 8.. 7.." The entire crowd was counting down as Youngjae dribbled the ball between his legs. "4.. 3.." Youngjae quickly stepped forward before stepping back, making his defender stumble on his own feet, then he shot an open three. The entire crowd was silent as the ball flew towards the hoop, the final buzzer rang through the gym then the ball cleanly swished through the net. Everyone began to yell in excitement. The entire team ran onto the court and lifted Youngjae up in the air.

"haha they're so stupid." You laughed as you shook your head.

People slowly filtered out of the gym except for family and close friends of the boys.

Jennie stayed with Jisoo and Nayeon as you went up to congratulate the boys.

"I see my sign served the best purpose today.." Youngjae said with a smile.

"Shut up, we want to see you play like that every game." Jaebom said before grabbing the sign out of your hand.

"Who made this..? Did you hire an elementary kid to make it..?" Bambam asked as he stared at the sign in Jaebom's hand.

"It took me two hours to make." Youngjae snatched the sign out of their hands to hand it back to you.

"Next time spend four hours on that, jeez.." Jaebom laughed at the look on Youngjae's face.

You spent a couple more minutes with all the boys before Youngjae let you know they were going to be throwing a small party to celebrate the win. "It starts at 10, invite anyone you want. We don't care." He smiled.

"Okay I'll see if I can make it." You told him as you handed him a towel.

"You know you're going to go. Make sure you invite your new friend too." He gestured towards Jennie as he wiped his forehead and neck. "She seems cool."

"Am I cool..?" You jokingly asked him.

"Of course, or else we wouldn't be friends." he told you as he put the towel over his shoulder.

"So you're sure you're not just friends with me for my snacks..?" You raised an eyebrow at him.

"haha" he shook his head, "I'm sure."

"Okay then.." You stared at him then the both of you laughed, "Go get washed up, you stink."

"Yes ma'am.." He laughed before waving and walking out to head to the locker room.

You walked back over to your group of friends. "They're throwing a party at Youngjae's house and they want all of us to go. It starts at ten." You told everyone and they all started cheering.

"I knew he was good for something." Lisa joked as she grabbed all her stuff.

Everyone began to talk among themselves and you grabbed Jennie to pull her to the side.

"Are you going..?" You asked her once you were away from the crowd.

Jennie rubbed the back of her neck, "I'm not sure they would want me there.."

You shook your head, "Youngjae told me they wanted you there.. because you seemed Cool..?" You laughed and shook your head. "But you don't have to go if you don't want to."

"Oh really..?" Jennie asked you with an eyebrow raised. "Um let me ask Jisoo what she's going to do."

"Okay" You smiled and watched as Jennie walked up to Jisoo to talk to her.

Chaeyoung and Lisa walked up to you question marks basically etched onto their faces. "Since when did the two of you get so close..?" Lisa asked as she looked at Jennie.

"Earlier today.." You said as you tried to hide the blush that crept up on your cheeks.

Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow then she shook her head, "She seems so different than the way people always describe her.." She said what the three of you all thought.

"Yeah people always said she was rude, but during the game she was smiling and giggling, not what I expected from her at all.." Lisa said as she looked back at you.

"Yeah she's actually really nice and sweet." You told them with a small smile. You watched as Jennie smiled then rushed over to you and your best friends.

"Hey!" Jennie smiled at the three of you, "Jisoo said she's going to go, so I'll be going too."

"Oh that's awesome, I don't think I've ever seen you go to one of Youngjae's infamous parties." Lisa told her.

Jennie glanced at you before answering, "Yeah I'm not much of a people person but I'm going because she asked me to." She gestured towards you.

"Well we'll let you two talk," Chaeyoung looked at you, "We'll come to your house in a little bit to get ready." She smiled then her and Lisa walked off, engulfed in their own conversation.

You and Jennie walked out of the gym to find somewhere less crowded to talk.

"Did you have fun..?" You asked her as the two of your walked down one of the hallways and stood behind a partial wall where some water fountains were. You leaned against the wall as you watched the way her eyes lit up.

"Yeah I didn't realize how much I was missing out." She answered you honestly.

"Hmm, well if you ever want to come to another game just let me know." You went to reach for your phone but paused when Jennie spoke.

"So is this the part where you give me your number..?" Jennie raised an eyebrow as a smirk fixed itself on her face.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes, "See I was going to give it to you, but... I'm going to rethink that decision." You smiled back, two could play at that game.

Jennie took a step closer to you, "You know you want to give me your number, I mean look at me. Who wouldn't want to give me their number..?"

You looked Jennie up and down then raised an eyebrow, "Hmm fair point."

Jennie's smile grew as she took another step closer, "So are you going to give it to me..?"

You rolled your eyes as you attempted to hide your smile, "Fine, give me your phone." You stuck your hand out to Jennie.

"Ooh demanding, I like it.." She said quietly as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She unlocked it before handing it to you. "Here."

"Thank you," You took your time as you entered your number humming to yourself.

Jennie watched you with a curious smile, "Why is it taking you so long to enter your number..?" She asked as she tried to take a peek of the screen.

"Because.." You said before typing one more thing. "Here I'm done." You handed her phone back to her.

"Thank you." She looked at the new number in her contact list as a smile appeared on her face.

"Wow didn't know having my number in your phone would make you that happy," This time it was your turn to smirk.

"Shut up" Jennie rolled her eyes as she put her phone back into her pocket.

"Make me" You countered with a proud smile.

"oh really..?" Jennie raised an eyebrow as she took another step, closing any space that was between the two of you.

"I dare you" You watched as Jennie's eyes examined your face before she smiled.

"Okay"

"Where have you two been..?" Jisoo asked, arms crossed against her chest and an eyebrow raised. "We've been looking for you for almost half an hour." She told Jennie.

"Ah I'm sorry." You told Jisoo with a small smile, "We were talking about something and we didn't even notice how much time passed by."

Jisoo looked at the way you had your hands wrapped around Jennie's arm. She looked at the brunette and shook her head as she smiled. "It's okay, I know she can't get into any trouble if she's around you."

Jennie rolled her eyes, "I can do what I want..." She mumbled.

You laughed and looked over at her, "Sure you can.."

Jisoo watched the two of you before getting Jennie's attention, "So are you ready to go home and get ready for the party..?"

Jennie looked over at you then back at Jisoo, "Yeah" She turned to face you, "I'll see you later tonight."

You smiled at her and Jisoo, "Okay I'll see you there. Do you have the address..?" You asked Jisoo.

"Mhm, Lisa gave it to me earlier."

"Alright then, Bye..!" You waved at both of the girls before walking away to help clean up the stands.

After the two girls were away from you Jisoo stopped walking and turned to face Jennie. "You know if you're going to make out with our class president at least don't do it at school. That's gross."

Jennie rolled her eyes as she tried to hide the smile on her face, "What are you talking about..?"

Jisoo scoffed, "Don't 'What are you talking about' me. It's super obvious." She pointed to Jennie's lips, "Since when do you wear pink lipstick..?" Jisoo raised an eyebrow.

Jennie pulled her phone out and opened her camera app to check her face. "About that.." She mumbled as she wiped her lips.

"Yeah 'about that' my ass. Come on lets go before you end up devouring her face."

"So are you two a thing..?" Chaeyoung asked as she finished putting on her lipstick.

"What..?" You raised an eyebrow as you put on perfume.

"You know, like.." Lisa did a very strange hand motion, "Together."

"What gave you that idea..?" You asked both of the girls who were sitting on your bed.

"Hmm idk.. Chaeyoung..?" Lisa asked the other girl as they shared a smile.

"Well thank you for asking Lisa." Chaeyoung dramatically cleared her throat, "Let's see she walked in holding hands with her." Chaeyoung told Lisa, who nodded and hummed in response. "Then after the game the both of them disappeared for half an hour plus she came back with her lipstick all over her lips."

"Hmm those are all valid points.." Lisa said as she rubbed her chin.

Both girls started laughing then turned to face you, "Does that answer your question..?" Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow.

You laughed and shook your head, "I can't with the both of you. Are you ready..?" You asked as you tried changing the subject.

"Hmm Lisa, here's another valid point." Chaeyoung pointed to your face, "She's turning red and trying to avoid the question by changing the subject."

Lisa looked at you and hummed, "Hmm interesting.."

"Interesting indeed.." Chaeyoung said in the worst attempt at an old English accent.

"Okay Sherlock Holmes stop thinking so hard, you know you only have so much brain power a day." You told her as you shook your head. "But honestly.." You looked at the two girls who gave you all their attention. "I'm not sure what is going on between us."

Lisa gave you a sympathetic smile, "Well she's cute and she is your type. Plus I don't think I've seen you smile this bright since Chaeyoung surprised you with tickets to see Wonder Girls." Lisa paused as she came up with a joke, "Now its time for you to Be her baby and don't worry we will tell Nobody Nobody." Lisa and Chaeyoung both laughed at her lame joke.

You couldn't help but laugh too, "That was pretty good, I'll give you that."

"Thank you." Lisa smiled.

"But seriously, do you like her..?" Chaeyoung asked you once the three of you stopped laughing.

You leaned against your dresser as you thought about Chaeyoung's question. "Do I like her.." You mumbled quietly as Jennie's smile popped up in your head which instantly made you smile. You thought about how happy Jennie seemed during the basketball game and the way she spoke to you. She was sweet to you and you had to admit it filled your heart with joy to be the person that caught Jennie's eyes.

"She's smiling so I think that's a good sign." Lisa whispered to Chaeyoung.

"I mean honestly speaking they would make a cute couple. A little cliche since she's the class president and Jennie seems to be the 'rebel' in our class but I guess we've got to give the people what they want." Chaeyoung whispered back to Lisa.

"What people..?" Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"The people reading this right now... Uh I mean.." Chaeyoung paused and smiled, "It's a figure of speech."

"Ah okay." Lisa nodded.

You snapped back to reality, "I guess I do like her.." You said quietly before looking at both girls, "But wouldn't it be too sudden to start dating her..?"

Lisa looked at chaeyoung and shrugged her shoulder, "Well if you like her and she likes you I don't see why not."

"True but we don't really know each other that well." You told her with a sigh.

"So what, you can get to know each other while you build your relationship up, and if it doesn't work out then it doesn't work out. I say go for it, you might regret it in the future if you don't." Chaeyoung told you as she spun her lipstick on her finger tips.

You looked down and shook your head, "I don't know, ugh" You covered your face with your hands, "I don't want to think too much into this right now." You moved your hands away from your face to look at your best friends, "Let's just go and have good night, I'll figure this all out later. Whatever happens, happens."

Both girls shrugged, "We're ready." Chaeyoung told you.

"Okay lets go."

"Jisoo said we'll be there in less than ten minutes, try not to miss me too much ;)"

"Ew as if, you think too highly of yourself."

"You weren't saying ew in the hallway earlier"

"Ugh you get on my nerves"

At the sound of someone clearing their throat, you looked up from your phone.

"Are you going to sit out here all night..?" It was Jinyoung, he brought you something to drink.

You and the girls had arrived at Youngjae's house twenty minutes ago and after greeting everyone you went outside to wait for Jennie. "Thank you," You smile at him as you grabbed the drink, "And no I'm just waiting on Jennie." You took a sip before you scrunched your nose, "What is this..?"

"Yugyeom told me to give you some Hawaiian Punch but he said there's too much sugar so he added water." Jinyoung shrugged at you, "He said not to give you anything alcoholic until you came back inside."

You laughed as you set the cup down, "That boy." You sighed as you checked your phone but Jennie hadn't responded.

"So Jennie.." Jinyoung said quietly as he put his hands in his pockets, "When did the two of you become friends..?"

You looked up at him with a small smile, "You're not gonna believe it but we just started talking earlier."

"Wow and you're out here waiting in the cold for her..? Damn she really must be as charming as people say she is.." He said as he sat down on the steps next to you.

"What do you mean..?" You gave him a questioning look.

"I've heard she's talked her way into a bunch of the guys hearts at our school so they would do stuff for her." He laughed, "She even managed to talk one guy into doing her entire research paper for her anatomy class."

"Really..?" You stared at the ground.

"Yeah, which is why it's surprising to see our innocent class president be so friendly towards her. She's not a bad person from what I've heard she's just really good with her words. A couple of those dudes resent her a little because they thought they were gonna get to be the lucky guy she took to bed, but all they were met with was a quick block and a cold stare." He laughed and shook his head, "I personally think it's funny, she's a really attractive girl and the guys at our school are stupid if they think they would get a chance with someone like her. I admire how smart she is when it comes to getting what she needs."

"I never knew any of that about her." You said quietly.

Jinyoung shrugged, "I'm not surprised, it's just information that stays between the guys at our school. They just managed to convince some of the girls at our school to talk bad about her so that's the reason most people avoid her."

"Wow that's kind of messed up. So people just talked bad about her without really knowing what kind of person she is..?" You asked him.

Jinyoung nodded and gave you a sad look, "Yeah people will take any negative information about anyone and blow it out of proportion. But.." He paused, "I have noticed something about her." He looked at you and raised an eyebrow seeing if you wanted him to continue.

You gave him a small nod, "You can say it."

He looked down before looking in your eyes as he tried figuring out how to say what was on his mind, "I have a couple classes with her and every time your name is mentioned, which is a lot by the way, she always looks up and tries to listen." You raised an eyebrow at him, but before you could say anything he continued, "She was near me one day when you had brought me my jacket that I had left at the library that one night you helped me study. She basically stopped walking and just watched you. I didn't know if it was a good thing or bad thing but when you noticed she was around you smiled at her and she just stared before her cheeks got red and she walked away." He paused to smile, "Take what you want from that information as you will, but in my opinion I believe she has some romantic feelings for you. Personally as your big brother figure, I think the two of you would make a great couple."

You scoffed and rolled your eyes, "You act more like my child than a big brother." You playfully shoved his shoulder. "But do you really we would be a good couple..?"

He smiled and nodded his head, "She needs someone good in her life, plus if she's around you maybe you can help clear her name. She's never done anything to me or all of our friends so no one here has any negative feelings about her. I say you try and see where things between the two of you will go."

"Since when did all of my friends become relationship coaches..?" You joked with him.

"We all just want the best for you. You're always there for all of us no matter what is going on in your life, we feel like Jennie would be a good person to be there for you when we can't." He told you as his voice conveyed all the sincerity he was feeling. Before you could say anything he stood up when he saw a car pull up. He gave you a friendly pat on your shoulder, "It's time for you to live your life and enjoy yourself." He grabbed the cup you set down earlier, "I'm sure you don't want this so I'll take it with me."

"Thank you Jinyoung." You smiled at him.

He shook his head, "We're friends, I'm just doing what friends are supposed to, you don't need to thank me."

And with that the two of you exchanged smiles before he opened the door and went back inside with the blaring music.

You sat there and thought about everything he said.

"Thinking about me..?" You could hear the smirk in her voice without even needing to look up, you did so anyways.

"No," In reality you were but you didn't want to give her the satisfaction of her being correct. You looked next to her and saw Jisoo and Nayeon. "Oh hey" You smiled at both of the girls, "Everyone is inside already."

Jisoo looked at Jennie before smiling at you, "Okay we'll head in." She grabbed Nayeon's arm and she walked inside.

You looked at Jennie and your jaw literally dropped, she was next level gorgeous, but your staring was ruined when she opened her mouth, "Take a picture it'll last longer."

You rolled your eyes, "Why did you get so dressed up, it's just a simple house party not a club where all the high rollers visit." You said as you gestured at the black dress she had on, well if you could even consider it a black dress. You could see most of her skin through the fabric except for her more personal areas.

"I wanted to look good for you." She said before moving to sit next to you.

"Yeah right.." You scoffed and shook your head.

Jennie looked at you, "I'm serious."

"Oh, sorry I thought you were joking." You brushed your fingers through your hair.

Jennie looked at the conflicted look on your face, "Is something wrong..?" She moved closer to you.

You gave her a small smile and shook your head, "No, I'm fine."

Jennie squinted her eyes, "Why are you lying to me..?"

Your eyebrows went up in surprise as you stared at her, "I'm not.."

Jennie glanced down to your fingers, "I don't know if you've noticed but every time you lie your left hand balls up into a fist."

"huh..?" You looked down at your hands and to your surprise your left hand really was balled up in a fist. You shook your hand and placed it on your knee. "No I don't."

Jennie smiled, "Look down." She glanced down to your hand then back up into your eyes.

You looked down, and once again Jennie was right. You hand was balled up into a fist as it rested on your knee. "What the..? How did you even know that..?" Your looked at her like she was witch.

"It's just something I've noticed since you caught my eye." She said like it was nothing.

"How do you just say that like it's not a big deal..? Not even my close friends picked up on that, not even I picked up on that.." You stared at your left hand.

Jennie shrugged, "Nobody looks at you the way I do, I guess." She paused for a moment before speaking again, "So are you going to tell me what's bothering you..?"

You sighed and shook your head, "I don't want to seem rude."

"I told you earlier that you can tell me anything." Jennie's voice came out gently and she put her hand over your left hand that was still on your knee.

You looked down, "I know, but I can't say what I want to. I'm scared you'll get mad at me."

Jennie gently squeezed your hand before grabbing it with both of her hands. "I promise I won't get mad. Just say it.."

You closed your eyes as a shaky breathe left your lips. "Okay," You opened your eyes and turned your body a little so you could face Jennie. "Is it true..?" You asked her and looked down as you couldn't hold her stare.

"Is what true..?" She asked you in return.

"What everyone says.." Your voice came out quietly, afraid you were going to offend her.

"What do they say..?" Jennie tilted her head to the side as she tried to understand what you meant.

"That..." You took in a deep breathe, "That you use people's emotions for your own benefit.." You looked at her and continued, "I don't want to believe it, and I know I shouldn't because you've been nothing but sweet to me, but you see that's the problem. I started to catch feelings for you but after hearing what people said I cant help but feel like I'm going to be led on."

Jennie sat in silence for a while as she ran everything you said through her mind. Then out of nowhere she began laughing, "You can't be serious.." She let go of your hands almost like they had burned her.

"Jennie" Your voice came out barely above a whisper.

She stood up and walked down the stairs. She quickly walked away from you and behind Youngjae's house.

"Wait Jennie.." You got up and quickly followed after her, "Great job dumb ass, that's what you get for speaking your mind. Idiot this is why you don't ever tell people anything.." You spoke to yourself as you looked around for Jennie. "of course she just had to wear black." You pulled out your phone and turned your flashlight on as you looked through all the shadows, until you saw Jennie leaning against a wall.

You thought about approaching her but then you just shook your head. You turned around to walk back up to the porch. You sat on the steps with your face in your hands for what felt like a while. You were lost in your mind until the door opened and you heard someone run out of the house. You lifted your head and saw Jisoo run around the house.

You decided it would be best if you just went home, you didn't feel like celebrating anymore. You got up with a small sigh before walking in to find Youngjae. It took a couple minutes but eventually you saw him in the kitchen talking to Jaebom.

You walked up to him and were greeted by his big smile, "Finally coming in to enjoy the party..?" He asked as he reached for an empty cup, presumably to fix you a drink.

You grabbed his arm to stop him from getting the cup and you shook your head, "No actually I came to say bye. I'm heading home now." You gave him a smile.

"Oh really..? Already..?" He tilted his head to the side.

"Yeah my mom called me earlier and said she needed help closing everything up at her restaurant." You lied. You felt horrible. You lied to one of your closest friends.

"Awe man that sucks." Yugyeom frowned, "But its all good, take care of what you need to do. Your family comes first." He gave you a hug. "Drive safely."

"I will." You smiled at him when he let you go.

Jaebom walked over to give you a hug. "Make sure you tell your mom I said hi." He smiled at you.

"Okay I will." You gave him a small nod. "I'll go tell all the others bye." You told Youngjae.

He shook his head, "Don't worry about that, I'll let them all know you left. Hurry so you can help your mom." He walked with you to the front door. "We'll all see you on Sunday anyways."

"Okay." You smiled at him before waving bye.

You checked your phone as you walked to your car. You heard you name being called and you turned around and saw Jinyoung running up to you. "Hey, you're leaving already..?" He asked as concern took over his face when he saw your eyes were watery. "Hey what's wrong..?" His voice came out gentle.

You tried smiling but you just couldn't, "It's nothing, I just have to help my mom with closing up the restaurant."

He took his phone out and shook his head, "Its already ten fifty five, your mom's restaurant closes at Ten." He looked back up to you, "What's wrong..?" He asked you again.

You looked down and closed your eyes. "I messed up." You opened your eyes and looked back up at him.

"You can tell me, I won't tell anyone." He gave you a sad smile as he reached out to lightly rub your arm. "Just take a deep breathe first." This was the first time Jinyoung had seen you like this. You always kept everything in as to not bother anyone else with your problems, but now as Jinyoung was here looking at you with all the care in the world you told him everything. "Oh wow.." He looked at you, "So you didn't try talking to her after she walked away..?"

You shook your head and looked down, "I didn't want to bother her. She walked away for a reason," You looked up at him, "And I'm the reason. I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable."

Jinyoung didn't say anything, he just pulled you into a tight hug.

You didn't realize how much you needed one of Jinyoung's comforting hugs until you were already wrapped up in his arms. He was just one of the most calming people you knew.

After he pulled away he talked to you for a little bit longer. "Don't stress too much about this situation, just go home and rest. You need it." He opened the door to your car up. "Text me when you get home so I know you're safe. Okay..?"

You put your keys in the ignition and turned it on. "Okay" You looked over at Jinyoung. "Thank you."

He shook his head with a smile, "I already told you not to thank me for doing what friends are supposed to do. Bye." With one last smile, he closed the door to your car. He gave you a small wave before walking back into the house.

You sat in your car for a while, as the calming music from the speakers filled the empty space. You were about to shift your car out of park but you heard someone tap on your window. You stopped moving and turned your head to see Jisoo standing there as she held Jennie's arm with her left hand. Jisoo gestured for you to roll the window down. So you did.

"Yeah..?" You asked her once the window was down.

She sighed and gave you a small smile. "I have a favor to ask of you." Her words came out slightly slurred. You gestured for her to continue, so she did. "Jennie is ready to go home, but I can't drive since I'm sorta messed up." She paused to laugh, "And Nayeon is the one who drove us here, she's not ready to go home yet, so I was wondering if you could take her home for me..?"

You looked past Jisoo and at Jennie, who was looking down at the ground. "Um.." you began to shake your head but Jisoo began to speak again.

"Please, I know it's a huge favor. I'll owe you big time" She looked you in your eyes.

You let out a sigh and nodded your head, "Fine, I wouldn't want her to be uncomfortable in a space she's not familiar with."

"Thank you so much!" Jisoo smiled brightly as she walked over to the passenger side.

You unlocked the passenger side door and watched as Jisoo was saying something to Jennie.

"and fix it.." That was the end of the sentence Jisoo said as she opened the door. Before Jennie could say anything back, Jisoo shut the door and just waved with a smile.

You reversed out of Youngjae's long drive way in pure silence since you turned the radio down to talk to Jisoo. The air inside of your car was thick and heavy, it was almost impossible to breathe.

Almost scaring you out of your seat, Jennie was the first one to break the silence with a question, "Was that your boyfriend..?" She sounded spiteful.

You took a quick glance at her before looking ahead at the road, confusion etched in your face, "What..? Who..?"

Jennie scoffed and rolled her eyes, "The guy you were hugging out by your car. The two of you seemed oddly friendly with one another."

"What..? Jinyoung..?" You asked in disbelief.

"So the boyfriend has a name.." Jennie spat out sarcastically.

You turned your hazard lights on and pulled over. "Get out." You told her simply as you unlocked the doors.

"What..?" She asked you in disbelief.

"You heard me." You spoke calmly as you tried to keep your emotions in check.

"Why, cause I insulted your little boyfriend..?" You did not like this side of Jennie at all, your stomach felt upset.

"No because your insulting my friends. I don't tolerate shit like that. Pardon my french but if you're going to be in my car you better respect my friends. I don't give two shits about how big and bad you think you are to talk about my friends who've done nothing to you but accept you with open arms. Now if you would so kindly fuck off and get out of my car, that would be great." You gripped the steering wheel so hard your knuckles turned white.

Jennie laughed bitterly, "So it's not okay when someone talks about your stupid fucking friends but when people talk about me its okay and you believe them..?"

You closed your eyes tightly as a sharp pain went through your head, "I can't believe I let myself catch feelings for someone as terrible as you. You're a real piece of shit, you know that right..?"

"Ouch never taught I'd have my class president talk about me this way." Jennie lifted an eyebrow as she stared at you.

You took a deep breathe and just looked ahead at the road.

"Did I hit a soft spot..?" Jennie asked with a smirk on her face.

You weren't one to lose your patience this easily but this girl was really trying you, "Jennie for the last time, please get out of my car."

The girl unbuckled her seatbelt but you didn't hear the door open. "No." Was all she said.

You looked over and she was leaning against the door with her arms crossed in front of her. "What..?"

"I said No" She rolled her eyes at you.

"I'm driving straight home, So I'm not sure where you're going to go but you're not coming to my house. The last thing I need is for someone with a bitchy attitude to insult my family. Get out." You narrowed your eyes as another shock of pain was sent through your head.

Jennie laughed, "Ah I can't take it anymore." She shook her head and clapped.

"What..?" You raised an eyebrow at her.

"You know, you're really hot when you cuss. You should do it more often." She told you in a deep voice as she began to lean over your console.

"What are you doing now..?" You looked at her.

She smiled and grabbed your hand that was balled up into a fist, "You're lying. You know damn well that you're going to either take me home or take me to your house." She let go of you hand and pretended to yawn, "lets hurry up here, I'm tired."

"What has gotten into you..?" You asked her once your heart finally began to beat at a normal pace. You'd never gotten this worked up before so you knew your heart had to be wondering what was going on.

"What has gotten into me..?" Jennie leaned her face closer to yours. "Well let's see.." She hummed, "There's this girl, right. And I told her I liked her, but now she keeps sending me mixed signals, oh and to top it all off she thinks I'm only trying to use her to my own advantage even though I've liked her for months, which I specifically remember telling her. It's not my fault she wants to believe the things that come out the mouth of teenage boys."

"Jennie I didn't mean it like that, and plus you said you weren't going to get mad." You stared her in her eyes, "So seeing as you did in fact get mad, I'm starting to wonder if everything else you said was a bunch of bullshit too."

Jennie smiled as she put her right hand on your face, "Wow language. I think we need to clean your mouth out with soap young miss."

You rolled your eyes, "Jennie I'm not in the mood for these ga-" Before you could finish your sentence, Jennie tightened her grip on you face before pulling your lips onto hers.

"You're hot" Jennie mumbled between your lips before she moved to sit in your lap.

After a while you pulled away to look at her in complete shock.

"What..?" Jennie smiled innocently.

"Don't 'What' me.." You stared at her, "What was that?" You asked in complete shock.

"What we just did..?" Jennie asked as she stared at your lips.

"Um yeah..?"

"A kiss, you should know what that is by now.." Jennie smirked before leaning in again.

Before she could kiss you, you turned your head, "No idiot, everything else. Also how did you get in my lap?? And I don't know if you've forgotten but we're on the side of the road."

"I like you better when we're kissing, you ask way less questions." She placed her hands on your shoulders.

"Jennie" You grumbled, "Answer me."

Jennie sighed before smiling, "I thought I was a Real Piece of Shit.. I would like it if you would only refer to me like that since that is what you think of me."

You sighed again before trying to move her off of your lap. "Jennie honestly, move. I don't know what has gotten into you."

"I was hoping you." She winked at you.

"Jennie!" You smacked her arm.

Jennie laughed, "You're getting so red, look at you." She squeezed your cheeks. "And come on, you can't tell me you haven't thought about it. Especially when I look like this." She gestured to her dress.

"No Jennie, I haven't thought about that. But what I have been thinking about is whatever it was that made you act like you did not even five minutes ago." You told her as you tried looking out the window.

Jennie grabbed your chin to make you face her, "I'd just always wanted to see you get mad. You walk around school in this little happy persona of yours, I've been dying to see what kind of a monster you were hiding behind that smile. And wow did I awaken a beast."

"So you're telling me you purposely made me upset..?" You stared at her in disbelief.

She smiled innocently as the hand that wasn't holding your chin began to run through your hair, "I'm not going to say I regret it either because that was hot. I'm gonna get jealous if you tell me that anyone else has seen this side of you."

"No Jennie, no one has purposely pissed me off as much as you did." You rolled your eyes at the girl in your lap.

"Good" was the only answer she gave you before leaning in for another deep kiss.

"I thought you didn't want someone like me to come to your house..?" Jennie asked as she took her seatbelt off.

"Jennie just shut up before I lock you out." You told her as you turned the car off. "And this doesn't mean anything." You gave her a look.

"Oh yeah cause letting me continue to kiss you just screams this doesn't mean anything." She rolled her eyes. "You have the hots for me, admit it."

"At this point I don't even know what I feel anymore." You said before getting out of the car. You started walking but paused when you noticed Jennie hadn't gotten out. You turned around and she was still in the car staring at you. "What..?" You asked as you threw your arms up in frustration.

Jennie smiled then gestured to the door.

"You can't be serious right now.." You walked to the passenger side and opened the door for her. "Happy..?"

"Oh very" She smiled as she watched you close the door.

"You get on my nerves.." You mumbled as you tried walking past her.

Jennie grabbed your arm and pushed you up against your car, "Yet I don't hear any complaints when your lips are on mine."

"Um try rethinking that ma'am, you're the one who makes the moves on me." You tried moving but Jennie held you in place with that stupid little grin of hers.

"Don't sit here and try acting like you don't kiss back."

You rolled your eyes, "No comment."

"See I'm right." She pulled you in for yet another one of her, amazing, kisses. You wouldn't let her know you enjoy them that would give her too much power over you. "No complaints either.." She said as she pulled away.

"I hate you" You tried hiding your smile. "And let me go, its cold out here."

Jennie stared at you for a while longer before smiling. She let you go but made sure to hold your hand.

You led her up to your front door as you unlocked it. You opened the door and took you shoes off, Jennie did the same. You stepped further into your house to see if you mom was awake but since all the lights were off she was probably already in bed. You turned to look at Jennie who was looking around the house.

"Do you want anything to drink before we go to my room..?" You asked her quietly.

"Um just some water is fine." She answered you as she looked at all the pictures on the walls.

"Okay" You tried to let go of her hand so you could walk to the kitchen but she didn't let you go. So with Jennie following behind you walked into the kitchen to fill up two glasses with water. "Here" You told her as you handed her the water.

"Thanks" She took a sip and watched as you led her up the stairs to your room.

Jennie finally let you let go of her hand so you could open the door. You walked to your night stand in the dark so you could turn your lamp on. You looked back and Jennie was still at the door. "What are you doing..?" You asked, getting her attention.

"huh? Oh" She smiled and shook her head as she stepped in and closed the door. "Nothing I was looking at that picture over there." She gestured to the picture above your bed, "You got to meet Wonder Girls..?"

You looked at the picture Jennie pointed at and smiled. "Yeah, it was the summer before my freshman year, Chaeyoung surprised me with the tickets. I really like them."

Jennie looked at your book shelf and saw your Wonder Girl's album collection, "I can see that."

You walked to your dresser and got out some of your comfortable clothes. After you picked out your clothes you turned to Jennie. "Any preferences on night clothes..?" You asked her as you pointed to the open drawer.

Jennie shook her head, "No as long as there's some shorts I'm fine with whatever."

"Okay" You said as you looked through your drawer. "Here" You handed Jennie a change of clothes. You walked back over to where you set your clothes down and picked them up to head to the door.

"Where are you going..?" Jennie asked you when she saw you heading towards the door.

"To the bathroom to get changed..?" You raised an eyebrow at her.

"Just get dressed in here, we're both girls and plus I won't look." She told you as she laid the clothes you gave her on the bed.

"Hmm.." You stared at her, "I don't believe you."

Jennie laughed and rolled her eyes, "Just cause I have a crush on you doesn't mean I'm also a peeping tom. I promise I won't look."

"Fine." You set your clothes back down and got dressed as Jennie did the same.

The two of you then sat on your bed just talking, the both of you apologizing for your behavior earlier and Jennie cleared up any misunderstandings you had about her.

"So you see, I'm not that bad of a person." She gave you a small smile then she yawned.

You checked the time then realized you and Jennie had just sat there talking for an hour and a half. "Oh snap" You mumbled as you had remember to finally text Jinyoung that you made it safely to your house.

This time it was your turn to yawn. You looked up from your phone at Jennie who was rubbing her eyes. You set your phone down on the night stand, "Are you ready to go to sleep..?" You asked her with tired eyes.

"Huh..?" Jennie blinked a couple of times then she smiled tiredly, "Yeah."

"Okay," You got up and began pulling the comforter on your bed back and organized the pillows for the both of you. You looked up at Jennie who was giving you a look. "What..?" You asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"You already letting me sleep in your bed..? You're moving pretty quickly in this relationship." She said once again with that stupid grin on her face.

You rolled your eyes, "Unless you want to sleep on the cold hard floor, I'd suggest shutting up." You told her as you gave her side of the bed a pat.

Jennie smiled as she moved to lay in your bed next to you. You reached for your lamp and turned the light off.

You and Jennie just laid in your bed looking at each other, both of you wondering where things between the two of you were going to go.

#jennie #blackpink #jennie imagines #blackpink imagines #jennie kim #girl group imagines #write now ggs

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trulymadlysydney · 4 years ago

Text

Scorpio Season: One

Harry is the ghost that haunts the sorority house, Misty is the only one who can see him, and Scorpio season is far too short.

tw: Death

***Do Not Repost Without Permission***

It had started with a simple knock on her bedroom door.

Misty Garland was sitting and reading on her bed the first time she’d heard it. It was a windy fall day, the slightest bit of sun poking through the clouds every so often. Her sorority sisters had thought it was the perfect weather to go day-drink over at the Kappa house. Misty thought she would rather die.

Her knee-jerk reaction had been to call out a soft “Come in!” to the knocking visitor. But it wasn’t until after the words left her lips that it hit her-- she was home alone.

It wasn’t something that could be passed off as the creaking of the walls of the old house, or the knocking of a branch against the window. No, it was a clear, distinct knock, as if someone were trying to get her attention.

Intrigued, she’d set her book down and padded barefoot across the floor. “Hello?” She’d called out half-heartedly, knowing perfectly well that it was in vain. Cautiously, she’d turned the gold knob and pushed her squeaking door open, only to be met with an empty hallway. Just as she’d expected.

It should have worried her. She should’ve been frightened or at the very least, slightly alarmed. But she wasn’t. She wasn’t any of those things.

If anything, she was intrigued.

A slow smile spread across her face as she stepped out into the hallway. One half of her brain reminded her that this could very well be one of her sisters who’d chosen to stay home instead of blacking out on Strawberitas and Jungle Juice with creepy guys. If that were the case, however annoying it would be, she decided she’d laugh it off. Chalk it up to a harmless, albeit immature prank. She’d get whoever it was back, in tenfold.

However, that was not the case.

After searching the entire house top to bottom, (even going so far as to enter all of her sister’s rooms uninvited) Misty came to the equally exciting and somewhat disconcerting conclusion that she was, in fact, home alone.

For the rest of the evening, she waited for a second knock that never came. She spoke, whispered, even shouted into the void, calling upon whatever dark spirit that had seemingly taken up temporary residence in her sorority home.

When only half of her sisters returned home that evening (with the other half apparently electing to stay with their respective boyfriends, girlfriends, fuckbuddies, etc) she’d gone back and forth debating if she should mention it to anyone. Ultimately, however, she’d decided that explaining it was not a good use of her time. So she’d gone to bed early, hoping to hear another knock.

Another knock never came.

It was about a week later that her attention was caught again. It wasn’t from a knocking, but from a gentle thud against the cold tile of the kitchen floor.

Misty had been in the kitchen, washing the dishes that had been slowly accumulating in her room for the past few nights of mid study-sesh snacks. The house was fairly quiet that evening, save for the television in the living room and the chattering of gigging girls in the dining room-- obviously doing more chit-chatting than studying.

She’d been zoned out, lost deep in her thoughts when she’d heard it. Something in the pantry had fallen. Assuming it was a clumsy sister, she’d turned around to help clean up-- only to find that no one had been there at all.

There it was, though-- a loaf of bread that had fallen from the top shelf and landed in a spot that, according to physics, it wouldn’t have logically been able to land.

Misty glanced around the kitchen nervously, unsure of whether or not she should even dare touch the bread. She cleared her throat, becoming more and more aware of the lump growing there. She willed her brain to come up with something to say, anything, but all she could force out of her mouth was, “I… who…?”

Honestly, she wasn’t sure what type of response she was expecting, so she wasn’t surprised when she was met with none at all. Her eyes had darted between the bread and the sink, which she’d left running, as her brain tried with all of its might to explain this situation in a logical manner.

She held her breath, waiting to see if it would move again while her heart pounded loudly in her ears. There was no way she could have imagined this, because there it sat, plain as the nose on her face. With a deep breath and another hurried glance around the room, Misty took a step forward, slower than she’d ever moved in her life. She craned her neck to see if there was anyone in the pantry (of course there wasn’t) and willed her heart to stop thumping so loudly. Surely there had to be an explanation for this. Maybe it was a prank. Maybe she had left a window open and it was windy outside.

A loud laugh came from the dining room then, nearly startling Misty out of her skin. She gasped, whirling around only to quickly realize that the sound was no more than a sister, laughing at a joke presented by another sister. Because of course.

Misty sighed, shaking her head at herself and rolling her eyes at how jumpy she was. For heaven’s sake, it was just a loaf of bread.

She walked to the bread, picking it up to return it to its rightful home in the pantry and allowing herself no further thoughts about the incident. Whatever it was, there was no logical explanation. And some things, Misty thought, were just better off that way. She was comfortable not knowing what had caused the bread to fall. Maybe she would never know. And she was okay with that.

Or so she thought.

The final time Misty had heard it had been the most prominent sign, and the one thing that had tipped her over the edge. It was a night not unlike any other, and Misty was tucked up into bed. She’d elected to keep the window open while she slept, because the weather that day had been perfect-- not hot, but not too chilly either. The perfect weather to cuddle up under a blanket. Misty loved it.

So there she was, nightlight on and covers pulled up to her ears. The sheets smelled like the lavender spray she spritzed all over her bed each night, and although it was familiar and comforting, she couldn’t help but notice that tonight smelled slightly different. The sheets smelled almost spicy, like cinnamon, and although it seemed a bit odd, Misty didn’t spare much more of a thought about it as she yawned most ungracefully.

In the spot between sleep and consciousness, Misty’s ears buzzed. She could feel herself slipping into fully numbed relaxation, her thoughts coming in and out of focus like waves. She knew she was about to be pulled completely under and slip into a dream that was already beginning to form in her brain… and then she heard it.

“Misty.”

Loud and clear.

Immediately, her eyes shot open. As her full consciousness came quickly back to her, she sat up in her bed, eyes scanning the dimly lit room for the source of the voice. Her blood ran cold as she waited in anticipation to see something-- a shadow, a full figure, anything-- but as she lay there, trying to catch her breath, she couldn’t tell whether she was terrified, relieved, or annoyed to be met with absolutely nothing.

“Is someone there?”

The only sound she was met with was her own breathing, and she let out an exasperated sigh.

“Look, I know you’re here,” she said slowly, absentmindedly fidgeting with the sheets as she waited for a response. “And I’m… not scared of you.”

It wasn’t really a lie, of course; she wasn’t scared so much as intrigued. Truthfully, even as a little girl this sort of thing had always fascinated her. She’d always felt she had a special and strange connection to the other side. But it had been ages since she’d really tapped into it, and now that she was practically face to face (so to speak) with what she assumed--and hoped-- was a spirit, she was feeling, at the very least, overwhelmed.

“Did you hear me?” She asked, voice a bit louder than before. “I’m not scared.” Nothing. “You’ve been messing with me for like, a while now. And I want you to know I hear you.” Nothing. “You don’t have to hide yourself.”

And still, nothing.

Misty sighed. “You know, I think it’s pretty rude of you to not introduce yourself. You just show up and wake me up when I’m almost asleep and then ignore me? You throw stuff around, you knock on the walls and the doors and stuff, and for what? Just so you can get a laugh?”

When she was met once again with the deafening sound of silence, she rolled her eyes. Misty reached up to rub the sleep out of her eyes with a finger and gave her room one last scan before speaking again. “I’ll get you to talk,” she says, “one way or another. Don’t think I won’t.”

Nothing.

“This is a threat.”

Nothing.

Misty shook her head, laying back down in her bed and pulling the covers up to her chin. It really was a threat. She had read about ways to contact spirits her entire life, but she’d never actually been brave enough to try any of them. In fact, in all honesty, the thought of doing it now still scared her a bit. Nevertheless, this spirit intrigued her. And as Misty drifted somewhat uneasily into sleep once again, she went over the different ways she was going to try and contact them to know once and for all what it was they had to say.

Which is how Misty finds herself where she is now.

Currently, Misty sits alone in the attic of the old sorority house, setting up for a ritual that she’s never been brave enough to try. The attic is old and a bit stuffy, and Misty coughs as she crawls along the dusty floor into the center of a circle of unlit candles. In hindsight, Misty realizes that the ritual doesn’t really need to be performed up here, considering that she does have the entire house to herself this evening. Still, it seems fitting-- the perfect amount of spooky while still being in a somewhat well- lit and cozy area.

The sky outside is a dark blue, bright enough for her to be able to see her surroundings just barely; and as she glances around in the darkness, she notices that one of the candles in her circle is slightly out of place. She reaches forward to adjust the candle, then takes a deep breath in through her nose to steady and ground herself before reaching into her pocket for a small green lighter.

“Alright,” she says, reaching forward to begin lighting the candles one by one. “It’s just you and me here. And you will show yourself to me one way or another, alright? Nice and easy.”

As she works her way around the circle, lighting each and every candle, Misty prays that the spirit is a kind one. Maybe a sister from the very beginning of her sorority’s chapter. Maybe a lost child trying to find their way to the other side. Maybe--

“OW, fuck!” Misty yelps when she accidentally burns her finger lighting one of the last candles in the circle. She sticks the finger in her mouth to wet it, then pulls it out and shakes it violently, trying desperately to ease the pain.

Misty sighs in frustration at the slight inconvenience of her throbbing finger, then finishes lighting the final candle in the circle. She glances around, pleased with her work, before settling herself in the direct center of the candles, cross legged and as relaxed as she can possibly be.

She tries her hardest to calm her pounding heart. Everything she’d read online about this process had highly recommended getting a professional medium-- one who wasn’t going to get anxious and mess up the process. Misty, of course, did not have access to that. So here she is.

Taking another deep, slow breath-- in through her nose and out through her mouth-- Misty allows herself to sit in the stillness for a few beats. She feels her heart rate slow down, and she takes another breath. Reaching beside her quietly, so as not to disturb the peace that is washing over the room, she picks up one of the stones she’s brought up here for protection.

The small stone feels rough and cold in her hand, and she squints down at it to make sure it’s the stone she wanted. It’s light purple color tells her that it’s an amethyst, and she focuses intently on it for a few moments before taking another long breath-- in through her nose, out through her mouth.

Misty holds the amethyst in her palm, allowing herself to really observe the feeling of it. She focuses on the weight of the stone in her hand, and the way the cool, rocky underside feels against her sweaty palm. She tries to focus on the energy she can feel from the rock, envisioning it surrounded in a glowing white light. She stays like this for a while, and when she’s certain she can actually feel the warm light that she’s envisioning, she clears her throat gently and speaks.

“I dedicate this crystal to the highest good of all. May it be used in light and love.”

Misty lets her words hang in the air for a few moments before repeating them, three more times. After she’s certain her words have stuck, she slowly brings the stone up to her chest. She allows herself to pause, to really feel the faint thump of her heart and the jaggedness of the stone against her chest. She takes in another deep breath and closes her eyes.

“I program this crystal for clarity. For heightened intuition, for protection from evil. I program this crystal for open communication, and unclouded thoughts. I program this crystal for calmness.” With one last breath, she speaks her final words-- a repeat of an earlier sentence. “May it be used in light and love.”

Misty lowers the crystal then, placing it in front of her in a spot where she can always see it out of the corner of her eye. Programming the crystal did help to ease her nerves, yes, but not entirely. Seeing it sitting in front of her in her little circle of candles does wonders, however, to remind her to stay calm, stay focused, and stay present.

So, shit, she thinks, she’s done everything she can at this point. Now it’s time for her to act.

Shot in the dark, she opens her mouth.

“If there is someone in here with me tonight,” she begins slowly, eyeing the room, “will you please show yourself?”

When she is met with silence, she sighs. “It’s just me here,” she says softly. “Just me. We have the whole house to ourselves. I just want to know who you are. If there’s something I can help you with.”

Misty pauses, and goes to open her mouth to speak again when she sees it. The gentle flutter of only one of the flames. If she’d have blinked, she would’ve missed it-- but there it is. A little wiggle of the flame that deviates from the gentle flicker of the others. Misty smiles, and lets out a little surprised breath.

“Was that you?” she asks, then pauses. She doesn’t even realize she’s holding her breath as she watches the flame intently, and when it flickers abnormally again she lets out a pleased laugh.

“I see,” she says, unable to hide the smile on her face and the pounding of her heart. “That was easier than i thought it was going to be. Are you the spirit that’s been messing with me?”

There’s a brief pause, and then the candle flickers again. Misty can hardly believe her eyes. “I knew it,” she says, more to herself than to the spirit. She scrambles to think of the next question she’s going to ask, because she wants to hold the spirit’s attention as long as she possibly can.

“Can you do something else to show me you’re here? Maybe like… move two flames instead of just the one?”

There are a few moments of silence, and Misty almost worries that she’s asked too much of the spirit. She’s about to say a few words of encouragement, to remind the spirit that it’s only her and them in this room, when she sees it.

Every single flame flickers chaotically, in all different directions. Misty can hardly believe her eyes.

“Oh my god,” she breathes. “Holy shit.”

Misty swallows thickly as she ponders what exactly is happening. “Okay,” she says slowly. “Can I ask you a few questions?”

There is no response, but Misty thinks nothing of it. “Who are you?” she asks, then immediately rolls her eyes at herself. How is she expecting the spirit to identify themselves to her?

“Okay, don’t answer that,” she quickly adds. “Umm… how can I ask this?”

There’s a creak in the floor, as if someone were stepping closer to her, and it makes the hair on her arms stand up. She licks her lips as she tries to keep herself calm.

“Okay… um… are you a ghost? One flame for yes, two for no.”

She feels stupid for asking that, but she isn’t really sure how else to ask. She stares at the candles almost a little too intently, and scoffs when one of the flames flickers.

“Should’ve figured that,” she mutters, “sorry.”

Misty notices that one of the candles is slightly out of place, and she reaches forward to adjust it. Just as she does, however, she is overcome with the sense of feeling insanely cold. She gasps, retracting her hand quickly, and the air in the room becomes tense.

She clears her throat as she processes what she just felt. “Was that you?”

There is no response, but the thickness of the air does resolve a bit. Misty settles appprehensively back down into her comfortable position before changing the subject.

“How long have you been dead?” she tries.

There’s a brief moment, and she considers rewording her question, when she notices that four different flames flicker in succession, one right after the other. “I see…” she says, “So four years then?”

There is no response, and Misty thinks about their answer. “That’s not very long,” she says, frowning. “This must be a pretty fresh death, no? I’m sorry.”

One of the flames wiggles, almost sympathetically, and it makes Misty giggle. In all honesty, she’s feeling completely comfortable with this spirit.

“Look,” she says, relaxing her posture a bit. “I wish I was better at this. Truth be told, I’ve never really…. talked to a ghost before? So like, I hope I’m doing this right. I wish I had a better communication system though.”

The flame that wiggled gently before suddenly begins to shake with more vigor, burning brighter and somewhat bigger than it had before. This catches Misty’s attention.

“Do you have something you’d like to say?” She asks, and the flame grows slightly larger.

“You’re free to say it,” she says, moving to tuck her knees under her butt. “Like I said, it’s just you and me in here.” She watches the flame dance, enthralled and fascinated by its movement.

“Why me?” she asks, and another flame begins wiggling violently as well. “I mean… why have you contacted me? Surely you have something to say.”

A third flame begins shaking, and Misty is growing a bit anxious. “I know you have a voice,” she says, her own voice a bit louder now. “I’ve heard it. You woke me up the other night.”

Misty’s eyes dart from one flame to the next, willing herself not to panic at the way the flames seem rather large. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the reflection of the flames on the glassy edges of her amethyst, and she thinks perhaps she should reach for it to remind her to stay grounded, stay calm, stay focused.

Just as she raises her hand to reach for it, however, a fourth flame grows larger in size.

“What are you trying to tell me?” she asks, growing a bit frustrated. “I don’t know how else to help you other than--”

Misty is cut off when she sees the amethyst move, ever so slightly. She freezes in her tracks.

She wants to pass that off as a trick of the lights, but there’s no way she can. She saw it move, plain and simple. Not to mention she’d heard the soft scratching of the stone moving against the wooden floor.

When Misty looks up, almost all of the candles are flickering aggressively. She gasps, completely panicked now.

“Show yourself!” she blurts out. “I know you’re here, I know you have something to say!”

She watches the flames intensify, and she almost considers abandoning this entire mission and blowing them all out right here.

“Why are you doing this?” she asks. “Just… say something!”

In somewhat of a trance by the way the candle lights flicker, Misty feels her heart rate increase as she stays stuck, frozen against the wooden floor. That same smell of cinnamon as before fills her nose, and she swallows thickly around a dry throat. “I--” she nearly chokes on her words. “Why are you trying to scare me?” she shouts. “I said, say something!”

Still nothing. Now she’s growing increasingly more impatient.

And then it happens.

With a sudden gust of air Misty is shoved, and all of the air in her lungs is let out with a forceful grunt. The candles are extinguished all at once, and the room instantly grows a stuffy sort of dark. The moon shining brightly in the window somehow fills Misty’s stomach with anxiety and dread, not relief. She swallows thickly, taking a few moments to gather her wits and straining her eyes against the thick blackness surrounding her.

The stillness of the room is alarming, and Misty’s heart pounds aggressively against her rib cage. It isn’t until her lungs start burning that she realizes she’s been holding her breath for fear of breaking the silence, and she lets it out slowly and cautiously.

With a shaky hand she reaches forward until she feels her lighter once again, and she flicks it on. She can hardly see in the dimly lit room, but her eyes begin to adjust, and she glances around herself nervously. “Who are you?”

“It’s about time, sunshine.”

The voice comes from behind her and startles her so much that she jumps, flinging the lighter halfway across the floor and bathing the room in darkness once again. Shit.

“Ohh,” coos the voice, deep but unthreatening. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Here.”

Misty feels a brush of cold air that causes the hairs on her arms to stand up before, one by one, each candle in the room flickers alive once again. Her jaw trembles as she tries to find the source of the voice in the now illuminated room.

“I thought you weren’t scared,” the voice says again, now coming from a different direction.

“I wasn’t,” she says, then swallows around the dryness of her throat. “I’m not.” It’s a complete lie, but she doesn’t want to let her guard down now.

The voice is raspy and deep, but friendly, and a thick, honey drip of a british accent coats the noise sweetly. “That’s a lie,” it says, and it sounds like a man. A pouty man at that. “You weren’t so afraid of me before. Now you’re shaking.”

“You just startled me, that’s all. Where are you?”

“Well, I’m not going to show you if you’re going to be scared.”

Somehow, his words aren’t comforting. Still, Misty isn’t a quitter. “What is there to be scared of? Are you a ghost?”

“I am.”

She smirks. “Are you an ugly ghost?”

This time, he scoffs. “Hardly.”

“Well!” Misty says. “Someone’s full of himself, isn’t he?”

“I’m not!” he insists, and he sounds closer now. “It’s just that you spoke a big game before. Now I’m not so sure you’re ready for this after all.”

Misty sighs, growing increasingly more irritated by the second. “If I wasn’t ready for this, I wouldn’t have summoned you. I thought you were intriguing before. Now you’re just annoying.” She moves like she’s going to stand, and suddenly feels another gust of cold air on her arm.

“Wait!” He sounds as though he’s right in front of her now, and she’s overwhelmed by his cinnamon scent. “I’m not trying to be annoying. I just… want to make sure you’re ready for this.”

“I told you I am,” Misty huffs. She gestures vaguely around the room. “Your words are scaring me more than any of this did. Why wouldn’t I be ready to see you?”

“I don’t know,” he says softly. “Just… sometimes people don’t know how to respond when they see their first manifestation.”

“I’ve seen a ghost before, dude.”

Now, it’s his turn to sound intrigued. “Have you?”

“M-hm. I’ve always been able to sense these kinds of things.”

“But have you seen one?”

“Shadows mostly. Or I heard voices.”

“But a physical manifestation--”

“You don’t count shadows?”

“Of course I do.” There’s a noise, and it sounds as if the spirit has just sat down. “But I’m not a shadow.”

“What are you then?”

“I’m a different type of ghost. Did you know there are several types?”

Misty leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I mean yeah, of course, but I had always just assumed you all showed yourselves as shadows.”

“Not all of us. I mean, we can-- but it isn’t natural for me. I’m not sure we’ve got an actual name for me, but there are many out there like me. We’re a certain type of intelligent ghost that can physically interact with the linear time and space around us. Usually we’re harmless.”

“Are you harmless?”

Once again, she can practically hear the spirit’s smile. “Usually.”

“So… when I see you, you’ll look like, what, just a regular dude?”

“Yeah, more or less.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad. Why are you hyping this up so much?”

“I don’t know! It’s been a long time since I’ve manifested in front of someone!”

“Ah.” Misty grins. “So you’re the one who isn’t ready.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“It’s why you’ve been stalling for so long. You wanted my attention so badly, and now you’ve got it. So show yourself.”

“Fine,” he huffs. “There’s no need to be pushy.”

Silence follows his words, and Misty stares blankly ahead-- waiting for something to happen. She shakes her head slowly and shrugs. “I don’t…. Get it....”

“Turn around.”

Once again, Misty jumps out of pure surprise when the spirit’s voice comes from behind her. She whirls around almost too quickly, nearly losing her balance despite being seated. The minute she sees him standing calmly behind her, she rises.

She takes a moment to really just look at him. She’s not sure what exactly she’d been expecting; maybe a glowing transparent blob of a young man from the early 1900s, or, worst case scenario, a perfectly normal looking guy who just happened to have a very visible axe lodged into his brain (or some other indication of his death)-- but in any case, he doesn’t look like anything she’d been anticipating. He looks like any other guy she’d see walking around on campus, and if it weren’t for the hardly visible glow outlining his body, she’d assume this was a new Kappa pledge pulling a prank on her as part of his hazing.

He’s got shaggy brown hair that hangs from his head in curls that frame his face and his ears. His eyes are blue-- or are they green? Misty isn’t close enough to be able to tell, and truthfully she’s still a bit apprehensive about befriending a dead guy, so she stays put. Whatever color they are though, they’re beautiful. He’s not floating-- she doesn’t know why she’d been expecting him to-- but standing flat on his feet he’s still taller than her. He’s one of the prettiest people she’s ever seen, and it makes her feel faint (although she blames that on the fact that she’s face to face with someone who’s died).

“I’m Harry,” he says slowly. He’s calm, but he’s unsure. He watches her as if waiting for some type of earth-shattering reaction. The less she moves, the more nervous he becomes. When she doesn’t say anything, he speaks again. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

For someone who isn’t alive-- Misty can’t seem to get over that fact-- he dresses remarkably well. He honestly does look like a Kappa brother, and it weirds her out.

“How did you do that?” She frowns at herself. That was the first thing she could think to say?

Harry laughs, relieved that she’s seemingly so calm. He shrugs. “Dunno. Just something I can do.” He takes a step towards her and, instinctively, Misty takes half a step back.

This time, Harry smirks, but he doesn’t move closer. “Are you still scared?”

“I was never scared!” Misty groans.

“Just startled then.” There’s a twinkle in his eyes, and now Misty can see that they’re clearly green.

Misty rolls her eyes. It’s impossible to stay annoyed at him when he’s looking at her like this. “Fine!” she sighs. “I’m a little scared.”

“Ha!” Harry beams jubilantly. The smile fades just as quickly as it came, however, and he frowns. “Why are you still scared?”

“I don’t know! I’ve just never done this before.”

The bright smile returns to his face, softer this time, and Misty-- though still apprehensive-- relaxes a bit. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he says gently.

“I didn’t think you were,” Misty replies. “But I also don’t know why you wanted my attention so badly.”

Harry shrugs. “Because. I think you’re pretty.”

It’s so straightforward that Misty is taken aback, and she scoffs. “What, seriously?”

“Yeah.” Harry blinks back at her, standing by his words completely and keeping that air of smugness about him.

Misty waits for a further explanation, but when Harry only stares back at her and raises his eyebrows, she realizes that she isn’t getting one. She laughs in disbelief. “So you went through all this trouble…. Just to tell me I’m pretty?”

“Suppose so.” Harry’s head cocks a bit to the left, and it’s the first time that Misty notices the endearing little dimple on his cheek. She doesn’t know why he flusters her so badly, but she feels her cheeks heating up when she realizes that yes, he’s telling the truth. He really did just want to tell her she was pretty.

Misty’s hand comes up to comb through her hair and she swallows thickly. “Oh. Well. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The silence that follows isn’t awkward, but it’s tense. The air is thick with tension, in fact, and Misty wonders if it’s possible to flirt with a ghost.

Harry clears his throat. “Anyway. If you want me to leave you alone--”

“No!” Misty responds, almost too quickly. “I don’t. Not at all.”

“You don’t?” Harry beams back at her, and Misty realizes that he really is just as nervous as she is.

“I don’t,” she replies. “But, I mean-- are you just gonna live here from now on? In the attic?”

Harry laughs, a tinkling noise that sends butterflies straight to the pit of Misty’s belly. “I live in this house one way or another. Have for several years. It’s just that I can only show myself at a certain time of year.”

“But why is that?”

“You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?” Harry laughs, taking another cautious step towards Misty. When she doesn’t retreat, he relaxes and fully closes the gap between them. Once again, the smell of cinnamon fills Misty’s nose. Slowly and decidedly, Harry reaches forward to touch her arm and the instant his hand comes in contact with her skin, she is flooded with goosebumps.

His skin is cold, but not as cold as she was expecting. Although honestly, she wasn’t expecting to be able to make tangible contact with him at all. But she can feel it so clearly-- five fingertips trailing comfortingly along the skin of her arm with the gentleness and intention of a lover. Five perfectly groomed fingernails that show no indication of death. Standing this close to him, she can make out the details of his face; a little scar on his neck, a small freckle on his lip, soft smile lines around his eyes. Misty shivers-- partly because of the coldness of his touch, but mostly because it’s been ages since she’s stood this close to someone so beautiful.

His fingers trail down to her hand, and then more specifically, the one finger she burned. She’s almost in a trance as he brushes his cold fingers against the stinging patch of skin, and in an instant any pain she felt in the throbbing finger is now gone.

Misty glances from her finger, then back to Harry, who’s smiling the most tender smile she’s ever seen. “How…?” She begins slowly.

Harry lets out a sigh, and Misty realizes they’ve just been staring at one another. “Don’t worry about it, sunshine.”

Misty practically melts into his touch, and she isn’t sure if he’s got a spell on her or what, but she has the overwhelming urge to kiss him now. She swallows, then opens her mouth to speak before Harry cuts her off. “Your sisters are home.”

“What?”

She doesn’t have time for answers, however, when through the attic window she sees the blue mini cooper of one of her sorority sisters pull up to the curb. She watches the car for a moment. “How did you--”

But when she turns to finish her question, Harry is gone.

------

The following day, Misty finds herself bundled up and sitting in her favorite spot on campus, despite the chill in the air. She’s sitting on the cold grass against a large rock, overlooking a tiny stream that runs throughout the entire small town. She knows it won’t be long before the stream freezes over, so, despite the cold weather, she’s brought herself here to read and listen to the babbling water while she still can.

Harry hadn’t showed up for the rest of the night last night, which had led Misty to wonder if she’d dreamt the entire thing. It had kept her up most of the night, and when he still hadn’t appeared this morning, she knew she had to do something to get her mind off of him.

Which is how she’s found herself here now. Most of her homework for the week is done, so she’s decided to spoil herself by grabbing her favorite coffee at the shop she frequents and a new book at the library before heading to her spot.

It’s a brisk October day, and the Halloween decorations hanging from the campus houses flutter in the chilly wind. Misty wraps her scarf a little tighter around her neck and snuggles further into her coat as she turns the page of her book.

“There you are.”

Misty jumps, nearly spilling her coffee, when she hears it. The thick, British drawl she’s been so desperately craving to hear all morning comes from behind her, and she whirls around to see Harry, in the exact same outfit he’d been in last night, smirking at her.

“Stop doing that!” she hisses. Despite her grumpy tone, she scoots over when Harry makes his way to sit beside her. She feels immediately comforted when she smells the cinnamon that comes with his presence.

Harry chuckles, plopping into the grass. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to.”

“It’s about time you showed up,” Misty huffs, putting her finger between the pages of her book to mark her place.

The smirk on Harry’s face is so smug that Misty wants to slap it off of him. “You’ve been expecting me?”

This throws Misty off guard, and her cheeks go hot. “Well, yeah,” she says, trying to maintain her attitude. “I mean, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

Harry laughs. “No, I don’t.”

“Seriously?” Misty rolls her eyes. “You’re the most annoying person I’ve ever met.”

“Not a person,” Harry states. “I’m a ghost.”

“Well whatever you are, you’re annoying.”

“Thank you.” Harry nods towards the book in her hands. “What are you reading?”

Misty doesn’t answer him, suddenly far more self-conscious than she’d been before. He reaches out to take the book and pulls it closer to himself to read the title aloud.

“‘When Ghosts Speak: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits.’” He snorts. “Seriously?”

“Well if you won’t tell me anything, I have to figure it out myself.”

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know!” Harry says, relaxing against the rock and stretching his feet out in front of him. “Fire away.”

Misty eyes him for a moment. “You’re not kidding?”

“I’m an open book.”

She takes his sudden burst of confident vulnerability and considers the questions she wants to ask. There had been so many in her head since he’d disappeared last night, but now that she’s on the spot, she’s blanking.

Misty clears her throat. “Alright. I’ll start off easy. How are you here?”

Harry smiles. “I can go anywhere I want to. Just like you.”

“Can anyone else see you?”

“If I wanted them to. But I don’t.”

Misty looks around, suddenly nervous that anyone nearby might hear her speaking and think she’s talking to herself. Luckily, she seems to be the only person crazy enough to willingly subject herself to this weather. So she turns back to Harry.

“So then why did you wait for me to summon you? Why didn’t you just show yourself?”

“That’s where it gets tricky,” Harry responds. “I can only manifest during a certain time period every year. But in order to manifest at all, I have to be invited first. After I accept the invitation, I’m free to come and go as I please until the end of the season.”

“So you’re going to be a pest for this entire fall then?” Despite her words, Misty smirks.

Harry matches her wit and chuckles. “No, not that kind of season. Scorpio season.”

“Oh god,” Misty groans. “You’re an astrology freak, aren’t you?”

Harry snorts. “Look, I didn’t make the rules. That’s just the way it is. When Scorpio season starts, I can show myself. When it ends, I leave.”

“Where do you go? When it ends, I mean.”

Harry shrugs. “I dunno. Nowhere bad. It’s just kinda… nothing. I can’t explain it.”

“Is it scary?”

Harry considers her words, then shakes his head. “I… really can’t explain it. It’s not scary. It goes by fast. I just kind of… sleep, I guess. Nothingness.” A sudden thought dawns on him, like he’s remembering something. “But! I can pop into people’s dreams while I’m there.”

“You can?”

“Yup. I don’t do it too often, just because it takes a lot of my energy, but I’ve seen some pretty interesting things, I’ll tell you that.”

Misty doesn’t say anything, and Harry lets her sit in silence while she processes his words. He knows it’s a lot, and he knows he would be weirded out if he were in her shoes. So he watches her, trying to gauge her reaction.

Finally, she turns to him. She doesn’t look nervous, but something is on her mind. “Can I ask you something… a little more personal?”

“Anything.”

“Okay.” Misty takes a deep breath, focusing her attention on the birds hopping around nearby. “How did you… die?”

“How did I die?” Harry repeats her question, then blows out all of his air in a puff. “It’s not anything exciting.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I just--”

“No, no!” Harry holds up his hand. “I don’t mind. It’s just… anticlimactic I suppose. And you’re probably going to laugh.”

Misty leans closer, a serious look spreading across her face. “I wouldn’t dare laugh about someone’s death.”

“No, you will,” Harry says, smiling to himself. “It’s kinda funny.” He takes a deep breath, preparing to tell the story. “I fell off the roof of your house.”

Harry laughs, but Misty doesn’t find it funny at all. “That’s horrible, Harry. How did you--”

“While having sex.”

Misty stops her sentence dead in its tracks, and a new look of pure surprise blossoms on her face. “You…”

Harry sighs, launching into the story. “A few years ago, your sorority was throwing a Halloween party. I wasn’t into Greek life but a few of my mates dragged me along. I was already pretty drunk by the time we got there, right, so all bets were off. Well, I met this girl, right? Never even learned her bloody name, but I guess she was a sister. Made eyes at me from across the room and it was over. Drank some more, chatted her up, and then we decided ‘hey, might as well.’ Only, all of the bedrooms were taken. So then, she had the brilliant idea to go up on the roof. It was raining so, you know, in hindsight we should’ve known better. But we were drunk and horny and stupid. So we went up, started going at it, slipped, and uh… splat. So to speak.”

Misty doesn’t know how to respond, and Harry doesn’t expect her to. He just chuckles. “Found me with my pants around my bloody ankles,” he continues. “ Not a very dignified way to go is it?”

“That’s awful.” Misty frowns.

“Eh. What can you do? Apparently the girl lived but she felt so guilty that she dropped out of school and moved away. I guess no one’s heard from her since.”

“You don’t think she did it on purpose, do you?”

“Oh, nah. No way. It was an accident.”

“I’m sorry to make you talk about it.”

“I don’t mind talking about it,” Harry replies. “All I can do is laugh about it at this point.”

“Well,” Misty says, shifting her position against the rock. “I still don’t think it’s funny.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Can I ask you something else?” she asks, changing the subject.

“Mm?”

“Why me? Like, what was it about me that made you decide ‘Ah, yeah, she’s the one I’m gonna haunt?’”

Harry smiles, crossing his foot over his opposite leg and resting his ankle to his knee. He gives her question a moment of thought before responding. “Told you. Think you’re pretty.”

Misty rolls her eyes but the smile that forms on her lips is undeniable. “That’s seriously it?”

“I mean,” Harry says slowly, absentmindedly shaking his foot back and forth. “Yeah. Been stuck at that house for the past, what, four Scorpio seasons now? You’re the first girl I’ve seen who’s caught my attention.”

“Ew, so you like, spy on us?”

Harry snorts. “No, god, I’m not a perv. But, you know, I live there, too, so. Sometimes I’ll join in for movie night. Or game night. I also pop in to the occasional party. But I don’t spy.”

“Good,” Misty says. “Although I don’t even think you’d find anything juicy anyway. They’re a bunch of duds.”

“Can I ask you something now?” Harry’s got an intrigued smile on his face.

“Yeah.”

“Why did you join a sorority? You seem to hate everything about it.”

Misty sighs. “I don’t hate it,” she says slowly. “I mean, it definitely wouldn’t have been my first choice for like, extra-curricular activities.”

“So why then?”

“I’m a legacy,” she replies. “My mom and my grandma were both Beta Sigmas. They would’ve killed me if I didn’t.”

“Is it really that serious to them?”

Misty smirks. “For someone who lives in a sorority house, you sure know nothing about sorority girls.”

Harry’s laugh is sudden and it makes Misty’s heart warm despite the coldness of his presence. “It would appear so. Jeez.”

The two fall silent for the next few moments, residual giggles dying off into happy sighs. It’s obvious that they both enjoy one another’s company, and Misty is ridiculously glad that he’s come back to check up on her today.

After about a minute of silence, however, another question pops into her head. “So. You’re a Scorpio then?”

Harry laughs, shaking his head. “I’m not, no. Or, I wasn’t, when I was alive.”

“Why Scorpio season then?”

“Because it coincides with spooky season, I guess. Or maybe because I died at a Halloween party? I don’t know. I didn’t make it up.”

“What are you then? What’s your sign or whatever?”

Harry smirks. “Guess.”

“Taurus.”

He shakes his head. “Guess again.”

“Leo.”

Harry makes a face now. “No. God, a Leo? Who do you think I am?”

Misty giggles. “I don’t know! I don’t know shit about astrology!”

“Obviously.” Harry snorts. “I’m an Aquarius.”

“Is that good?”

“It’s the best.”

“Great.”

Harry giggles, letting the conversation naturally fizzle out before starting his next sentence. “Misty?”

It’s the first time she’s heard him say her name to her face, not just in her ear late at night while she’s trying to sleep, and it fills her with butterflies yet again. “Hm?”

“I’m glad you’re not, like, scared of me. Really glad.”

Misty giggles. “I am, too, honestly.”

“Even though you were scared in the beginning.”

Misty’s smile turns into a scowl, but there is still a playfulness in her eyes and in her tone that makes Harry laugh. “I wasn’t. I hate you.”

“No you don’t.” Harry scoots the tiniest bit closer to Misty and nods at her book. “So. Tell me what’s going on in your book.”

-----

Harry just might be the most annoying person-- or rather, entity-- that Misty has ever come across in her entire life.

And she can’t get enough of him.

They’d spent a good portion of their days together throughout the past week, with Harry lingering around longer and longer each day. Misty didn’t mind, of course, and she welcomed his company. By the fourth day of spending time together, they were chatting as if they were the best of friends. Misty had learned about Harry’s life prior to coming to this school, about his mom and his sister and how he checked in on them via their dreams whenever he could. She learned about what he’d been studying prior to his death, and what he wanted to do with that degree. And Harry answered each and every one of her questions with patience (and usually a snarky remark), which Misty loved.

In turn, Harry had learned much of the same information about Misty’s life, and he found her fascinating. He asked her just as many questions as she asked him, and whenever she called for him, he showed up. He loved it every time.

He’d manifested in the kitchen this morning as she was pouring herself a cup of coffee, and he’d followed her around like a child while she tried to find something decent for breakfast. She hadn’t acknowledged him much, for fear of any of the other girls noticing, but she did manage to sneak him a few sleepy grins that he found himself melting for every time.

He’d then followed her up to her room, where he chatted with her while she crunched away at a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. They’d discussed her plans for the day and he’d asked her if he could stay with her (although truth be told, he didn’t really have to ask; he knew she’d say yes anyway).

It hadn’t been a very busy day by any means. Misty had had a few errands to run (which Harry had found unbelievably boring and dipped out of, promising her he’d be waiting for her at home). Presently, Misty finds herself sitting on her bed, laptop resting comfortably on her thighs, while she types away at a book report that she has due at midnight.

Harry had offered her his help, which she’d taken him up on, but Misty soon came to find out that the word ‘help’ in his case was used very loosely. Harry had elected instead to continuously chat and distract Misty, and each distraction was met with a protest from her… as well as her deepest insight on whatever topic Harry had decided to bring up. Truth be told, Misty welcomed the distraction. She loved picking his brain, and he hers.

Currently, Misty types away mindlessly, while Harry sits quietly at the foot of her bed flipping through one of Misty’s old yearbooks. Every now and again he’ll marvel at something in the yearbook, or he’ll tease Misty about her braces or tell her she looked cute during spirit week. “‘Nerd Day’ huh? Suits you.”

After Harry has been particularly quiet for a while, however, Misty starts to get suspicious.

She glances up from her work to find Harry staring at her, a mischievous grin that she hates to love tugging at his cheeks.

“What?” she says, subconsciously squirming under his gaze.

He only blinks, hardly bothering to look away or wipe the smirk from his face. “Sorry. Just thinking.”

“About?”

“Don’t know if I should say…”

This makes Misty’s cheeks grow hot, though she tries her hardest to cover it up. “Harry don’t be an idiot.”

Harry chuckles, using his finger to mark the page of Misty’s yearbook that he’s currently on. “It’s nothing bad,” he says casually. “It’s fine.”

“Then stop staring at me,” Misty says with a smile. “Creep. If you have something to say then say it.”

Harry grins, reaching down to wiggle his fingers against the underside of her foot. “I do, actually. I have an idea.”

Misty lowers her laptop screen just a tad so she can see him better before speaking. “What kind of idea?”

The smile on her face and the narrowing of her eyes tells Harry that she’s in before she even knows his idea, and he has to contain his giggles as he speaks.

“You wanna play a prank on your sisters?” He asks. “Just to spook them a bit. ‘Tis the season and all that.”

“What kind of a prank?” Misty sits up, leaning closer to Harry and lowering her voice excitedly.

“I don’t know,” Harry says, “maybe like… I could throw some stuff around. Make a few noises. Pretend to possess you.”

Immediately, Misty is intrigued. She gently tosses the laptop to the side and beams. “Shit, you think we should?”

“I do,” Harry says, a twinkle already forming in his eye. “Obviously we’ll have to work out the details, but yeah. Something like that.”

“Pretend to possess me,” Misty says, “do it.”

Harry raises his eyebrows. “Someone’s a bit eager, aren’t they?”

Misty rolls her eyes, but the embarrassed little smirk on her lips doesn’t go unnoticed by Harry. “Not like that,” she says, then tacks on a mumbled and affectionate “stupid.”

“Not like what?” Harry wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, purposely making Misty squirm. She laughs and tosses a pillow at his face.

“Nevermind,” she says through a grin, “I don’t even want to do this anymore.”

“Liar,” Harry says.

“Brat,” Misty replies.

Harry’s eyes twinkle. “I take it that you’re in, then.”

“I guess,” Misty says. “Don’t look so smug.”

“You’re cute when you’re annoyed with me,” Harry says casually, and it takes Misty a moment to even register what he’s said.

Misty feels the heat rising in her cheeks at his words, and as flustered as he’s made her, she bounces back quickly. “I must be adorable all the time then.”

Harry shrugs. “You said it, not me.”

“Anyway,” Misty says, desperately trying to change the subject to cover up how giddy he’s making her, “what did you actually have in mind?”

Harry smirks. “How good are your acting skills?”

---

Coincidentally, tonight is movie night among a few of the girls and their boyfriends. Which, Misty and Harry had quickly realized, was the perfect setting to execute their plan.

It’s 8:30pm, and Misty is sitting on the couch under a blanket, snuggled between a few other sisters. There are sisters scattered around the entire living room, some cuddled up with their respective partners and some without. Everyone has alcohol of some sort; Misty herself is about a glass and a half of wine in, and she’s actively trying to ignore the thoughts about how badly she wishes Harry were sitting beside her on the couch.

Especially since she’s the only one who can see him right now, sitting so casually in the corner of the room, eyes glued to the screen like everyone else’s, and looking so, so handsome.

If Misty didn’t know any better she would think he was just another one of the guys, and for a moment she allows herself to indulge in the make-believe world in which Harry is her boyfriend who has come over to join the girls for movie night. In her mind, he’s just gotten up to get Misty a bottle of water, but got so interested in the film that he ended up just sitting down to finish the scene.

It’s selfish, Misty knows. But seeing him like this, so casually cute, makes her heart hurt. Obviously she’s got things way easier than Harry, considering she is the only one between them with a beating heart. But she has to wonder if it gets lonely in his world. He can only visit his loved ones through dreams. He can only show himself for a month out of the year. Even now, he sits alone in the corner of the room, far from everyone else.

He had joked about it earlier, saying the reason he sat so far away from everyone was because the spot he was in gave him the best seat of the house every time. However, a few moments later he’d admitted that the actual reason was because he didn’t want to make anyone cold and ruin the fun. He’d given her a soft smile and brushed that statement off with yet another joke, but it had broken Misty’s heart.

As if sensing her thoughts, Harry turns just in time to catch Misty staring at him, and he grins immediately.

“Stop staring at me, creep.” He winks at her.

For a full five seconds, Misty is terrified that Harry’s just blown his own cover. She tenses up, glancing around the room in shock just waiting for someone to say something about hearing a voice. When she realizes, with confusion, that not a single person has moved, Harry speaks again.

“Don’t worry, they can’t hear me. Only you.”

Misty glances back at Harry, wanting to say something back but knowing she can’t, and he grins. “God, I bet it’s killing you, not being able to talk back to me. I could have some fun with this.”

When Misty shoots a subtle glare in Harry’s direction, he gasps. “If looks could kill,” he says, shaking his head.

Misty wants to laugh and throw something at him and fight back but she knows she can’t, and he’s right, it is killing her. She cracks her neck gently from side to side, in an attempt to relax herself, and Harry laughs.

“Alright, I’ll have mercy. Are you ready to get started? Or are you super into the movie?”

Misty’s face goes into a completely deadpan expression as she glances at Harry, as if to say “really?” How on earth is she supposed to answer that?

“Oh,” Harry chuckles. “Uh, blink once if you want me to start.”

Misty blinks as subtly as she can while still trying to make her answer clear to Harry. He beams.

“Blink once if you think I’m hot.”

This time, Misty can’t control herself. She lets out an exasperated sigh that does, unfortunately, catch the attention of a few of her friends.

“You good?” The girl sitting beside her on the couch-- Kennedy-- laughs.

Before Misty even has time to respond, however, Harry swoops in and saves the day. He knocks hard, twice, on the wooden floor, and every head in the room turns.

There is an intense shift of energy once everyone realizes that there is nothing that could have possibly made that noise.

“Uhhh…???” Another sister, Rosie, speaks up, curling even further into her boyfriend.

“What the fuck was that dude?” Greg, one of the most unbearably fratty boys Misty has ever known, sits up.

And there sits Harry, smirking in the corner, obviously pleased with his work.

Misty realizes quickly that she can’t blow her own cover, so her face changes to one of apprehension and terror, mirroring everyone else’s. “Uhh… everyone heard that, right?”

“That was like, distinct!” Rosie says. “Like two deliberate knocks.”

All at once everyone starts talking over one another.

“What the fuck, dude--”

“Was it over in that corner?”

“Go check it out--”

“No you go check it out!”

“Was it one knock or two?”

“You guys, what the fuck was that?’

Misty glances at Harry, who is staring back at her expectantly, as if to ask if it’s okay if he makes the next move. Misty gives him a subtle nod, and Harry rises to his feet.

He walks gently along the wooden floor, making sure to get as close as possible to the people sitting scattered along it. He wants them to feel his presence, and each person has a different reaction.

It’s Luca, Rosie’s boyfriend, who says something first. “Wait, I’m not even kidding you, I’m cold as shit right now.”

Harry grins down at Luca, shooting Misty a wink. “Uh ohhhh,” Harry says softly. He reaches down to lightly tickle his fingers against the back of Luca’s neck, and Luca instantly shoots up onto his feet.

“Swear to GOD dude, something just fucking touched me!”

Rosie shoots to her feet as well, taking a step away from Luca. “Luca you better not be fucking around--”

“Why would I fuck around about that shit?” he asks, voice raising.

“Guys there has to be a logical explanation for this.” Kennedy speaks up, reaching for her drink on the table. “Like, it’s getting colder outside. Maybe there was a draft.”

Rosie sniffs the air a few times, then swallows. Misty has never seen anyone look so worried before in her life, and it makes her want to laugh. “Guys, I smell cinnamon.”

“Oops,” Harry says, turning to Misty. “Might’ve gotten a bit too close there.”

In an instant, Harry is out of Misty’s sight. But he manifests again in the back corner of the room and steps on a particularly creaky floor board, causing everyone’s heads to turn.

Harry observes the shocked looks on all of their faces, then gives Misty a shit eating grin. “I do that a lot, actually,” he says.

As if backing up his words, another sister, Angie, speaks up. “That’s the noise!” she says. “Lindsey and I were in here the other night and we heard it!”

“I’ve heard it too,” Kennedy says. “It happens like, all the time.”

“So you’re just like, not even scared?” Rosie asks, panic in her voice now. “You’re like, completely fine with it? Like it’s normal to you?”

“Misty.” Harry’s voice is now right in Misty’s ear, and it makes her jump. She can feel his cold presence against her skin, and his all too delicious spicy scent engulfs her. She shivers, but turns her head as if to let him know he’s got her attention.

“You ever seen the movie Beetlejuice?”

Misty giggles and nods subtly, glad that no one in the room is really paying attention to her right now.

“Yeah?” Harry chuckles against Misty’s skin. “Thinkin’ we could do somethin’ like that one scene.”

Misty doesn’t even have time to question what scene he’s even referring to, his coldness is gone just as quickly as it came. She turns around again, eyes scanning the room of her panicked classmates and sisters, before she finds him in the corner of the room, messing with an iphone that’s charging. He doesn’t pick it up, instead he just taps the screen. Luckily, the phone is unlocked.

“It’s 2020,” he mumbles, “Who doesn’t have a bloody passcode on their phone?”

The unlocking of the phone, however, does not go unnoticed.

It’s Rosie who points it out, because of course it is. “Guys,” she shrieks, “look at Greg’s phone!”

All eyes are on Harry-- or rather, the phone, and Harry rolls his eyes. “Shit,” he mutters, then looks up at Misty. “Ask them if they hear something.”

Misty wastes no time. “Guys… holy shit do you hear that?”

The room goes quiet, save for the movie that no one had bothered to pause. Lindsey scrambles for the remote and quickly mutes the television, and everyone is stock still.

“I don’t hear anything,” Rosie whispers, and Misty quickly cuts her off with a sharp “Shhh!”

She glances back over at Harry, hoping he has a plan. He doesn’t even look at her, he just continues scrolling through the phone with a concentrated frown on his face.

Greg rises to his feet and takes a cautious step towards his phone. “What the fuck--” he mumbles.

And then Harry nods, pushes a button, and everyone jumps as the opening bars of Tainted Love fill the room via the bluetooth speakers in the corner.

A small smirk begins growing on Harry’s face as he slowly rises from his squatted position beside the phone. “Ahh,” he says slowly. “An absolute classic.”

Everyone seems to be in shock at what’s happening, so no one moves or reaches for the phone to stop the music. Harry is beaming at Misty, and now she can’t even try to hide the smile on her face as he begins bopping towards her.

His shoulders are grooving along with the beat, and he does a silly side step type of jig in Greg’s direction that makes Misty almost lose her composure completely. He punches the air with each prominent beat, wiggling his hips closer to Greg.

“Get his phone, Misty,” Harry says quietly, continuing his slow dancing movements. “Don’t let anyone turn the song off.”

Just as Greg takes a step forward to get to his phone, Harry swoops in, taking both of Greg’s hands in his and dancing with him-- a very poor version of a ballroom dance.

Nearly everyone in the room shrieks. “Greg this isn’t funny!” Rosie squeals. “Knock it off!”

“I’m not fuckin’ doin’ this!” Greg calls over his shoulder, as Harry spins him around the room.

Misty seizes this opportunity and makes a beeline for the phone, glad that everyone is too preoccupied watching Greg dance with a seemingly invisible partner. Harry, although focused on the dancing, keeps his eyes on her the entire time. When he sees her pick up the phone and subtly slip it into the pocket of her sweat pants, he grins. “Good girl.”

Misty tries to ignore how those words make her feel.

Harry ends his dance with Greg by dramatically turning Greg away. He glances at Misty with the most mischievous look she’s ever seen. “Who’s next?”

He doesn’t give her time to even think of an answer, he’s already shimmying his way over to Rosie. He stops briefly to deliberately knock a pillow off of the couch and giggles, “oops!” when it startles the daylights out of Lindsey. Everyone in the room has begun to frantically look for the phone, including Misty-- who is just trying to play her part. The scream that Rosie lets out when Harry grabs onto her though, is something Misty can’t even ignore. She bursts out laughing, earning a few shocked looks from her friends..

“Help!” Rosie screams. “It’s not fucking funny Misty!”

Misty immediately tries to compose herself, forcing her face into as serious an expression as she can muster. “Sorry,” she says, “It’s just--”

“Rosie if this is a prank, I swear,” Angie cuts Misty off and lunges towards Rosie, feeling the air around her.

“It’s not!” Rosie wails. “I don’t know how I’m doing this!’

Harry twirls away from Rosie and right into the arms of Angie, who gasps as she’s led clumsily, around the room. “Oh my god!’

“Oh my god!” Misty repeats, trying her best to seem as shocked as everyone else. “What the fuck is happening?”

“That’s good,” Harry says over his shoulder, “But I’m gonna need more feeling from you.”

Misty lets out a horrified shriek that puts Rosie’s own shriek to shame. “We have to find the phone!” she cries. “We have to turn this stupid song off!”

Harry frowns now. “Hey. Tainted Love isn’t stupid. Watch your mouth.’

Misty ignores him as she joins in on the frantic search for the phone that she knows damn well is deep in her pocket. Every now and then she and Harry share a knowing glance, as he switches from partner to partner.

Misty stands in the furthest corner of the room, pretending to busy herself looking for the item, when suddenly Kennedy laughs. Misty doesn’t even bother looking up, assuming simply that Harry has switched to her. It’s when Rosie speaks that Misty’s attention is caught.

“Kennedy what are you laughing at?!” Rosie wails, tears in her eyes.

“It’s kind of funny!” Kennedy says, taking a sip from her drink before setting it back down. “Like, whoever is doing this-- a ghost or a demon or like, whatever-- has a sense of humor. They know a good classic when they hear it.”

Harry, who’s currently spinning Luca into dizzy oblivion, grins. “Kennedy’s got the spirit!”

“It’s not funny!” Rosie cries. “How can you laugh?!”

Kennedy shrugs, already beginning a bop of her own. “I dunno, I think it’s funny. I don’t think whatever’s doing this is like, evil.”

“I don’t think it is either,” Misty chimes in, although she’s brushed off by everyone’s talking. Some people try to stop whatever force is making them dance, others are too scared to go near the dancer for fear of being next. Kennedy, however, just continues to groove on her own.

Misty reaches discreetly into her pocket to turn the music up a bit more, and Harry laughs gleefully. “Louder!” He calls to Misty, finally releasing his hold on Luca and scanning the room for his next victim.

As Misty watches him, cheerfully prancing around the room and trying to catch Linsdey-- who’s darting around the room like a chicken with her head cut off-- she tries her hardest to ignore the twitching of her heart. There’s no way she likes him, absolutely not. He’s dead, for fucks sake. But he looks so full of life, so full of happiness, and she realizes that this is probably the most fun he’s had in years.

“Misty what are you doing?” Kennedy calls. “You’re not even looking for the phone, come dance with me!’

“Yeah Misty, come dance!” Harry adds, shimmying his way up to Kennedy and taking her hand.

Kennedy shrieks, but she isn’t scared. She laughs immediately, as Harry pulls out his best dance moves for her.

“Someone is fucking with us,” Angie says, “They have to be.”

“Misty, why are you just standing there?” Greg asks. “You’re not even trying to help us!”

“Because,” Misty replies, her brain running a million miles an hour to come up with an excuse. She’s distracted by how much fun Harry’s having, beaming at his one willing participant as he twirls her around. She smiles. “Because I agree with Kennedy. Whatever kind of spirit is doing this is obviously having fun. I think we should let him--” Misty quickly realizes what she’s said and corrects herself “-- or it, whatever it is, just keep vibing with us. This is probably the most fun it’s had in years.”

“You’re right,” Harry calls over his shoulder as he dips Kennedy, “It is.”

“You’re a fucking freak,” Rosie sobs, practically throwing herself into Luca’s arms.

“Misty is the only person this spirit hasn’t fucked with!” Lindsey points out. “She has to be up to something!”

Harry makes a face. “That’s a good point,” he muses. He gives Kennedy one last twirl before disappearing completely out of Misty’s sight-- only to reappear right beside her seconds later.

“Care to dance, ma’am?”

Misty lets her guard down completely and laughs as Harry takes hold of her. For a moment, she seems to forget all the eyes in the room. She forgets that she is the only one who can see Harry. Kennedy cheers her on as Harry moves her body-- far more dramatically than he’d moved anyone else’s.

“Miss Misty!” Harry says, making a face as if he’s beyond impressed with her moves. ��You can dance!” He dips her aggressively and she squeals, reaching up to hold onto him for stability.

Kennedy starts to jokingly dance around with the other sisters, but Misty hardly notices because she’s so distracted by the silly faces Harry’s pulling as he flings her around. He goes to dip her again, nearly bashing her head accidentally on a lamp. “Whoops,” he says through a giggle.

Misty laughs so hard she snorts, and Harry brings her upright again with the biggest smile on his face. “Never heard you laugh this hard before,” he muses, “it’s cute.”

Instantly, Misty’s cheeks grow hot, and her insides twist as hard as Harry’s spinning her. As if sensing how flustered she is, Harry laughs, reaching down to pinch playfully at her side.

“I know it’s killing you,” he mumbles. “It’s kinda killing me, too.” Harry lifts Misty off the ground, spinning her around ungracefully and making her shriek “Although I know if you could talk to me, you’d probably yell at me. Or make some smartass remark.” Harry spins Misty out, then in, his face now unbearably close to hers. He grins. “So I am liking this a bit.”

Misty catches herself staring at Harry’s lips, and she subconsciously licks her own. She wants to say something so bad, and she knows he’s teasing her because he can. She hears Kennedy’s laughter mixed with another (maybe Angie’s?), and she sees the commotion occuring around her in the room, but it doesn’t feel real. The only thing she can focus on is Harry, and his scent, and the icy feeling of his breath against her skin.

Maybe everyone is too distracted, and she can lean in and kiss him. Can she kiss a ghost? Obviously she’s never tried before but he’s so close, he’s right in front of her… surely--

Misty’s thoughts are interrupted with the sudden sound of silence. She turns quickly, completely broken from her trance with Harry, to see Luca holding the wireless speaker in his hand, one thumb on the power button, mouth wide open in fear.

After a few more beats, Luca speaks. “Does anyone still feel anything?”

Misty turns to find that Harry is gone, completely out of her sight, and she tries to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.

“It’s gone,” Rosie says. “I think it’s gone. No one is moving anymore.”

Misty scans the room, trying to find Harry somewhere blending into his surroundings, but much to her dismay she finds him nowhere.

Greg slaps Luca’s arm dramatically before taking a step into the middle of the room. “Bro, what happened?”

“What the fuck was that?!” Rosie’s mascara is running slightly down her face, but her voice is at a much lower and less panicked level than before. “What the fuck just happened?”

“That was fucked,” Luca says, moving closer to Rosie. “Like, fucked.”

Misty tries her hardest to play her part, trying to act as shocked as everyone else, but she can’t stop her hand from flying to the cold spot on her chin-- where she’d felt Harry’s own mouth brush. She can’t stop herself from thinking about his words, wondering how lovely it would’ve felt to kiss him.

“And Kennedy and Misty didn’t do shit to try and fix it!” Rosie cries, reaching up to wipe at her now completely wet eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Kennedy says, “What should we have done? Begged nicely for this invisible fucking force to leave us alone? I’m sure it would’ve totally listened to us.” She chuckles almost bitterly, reaching for her abandoned drink on the table. “You guys don’t know how to have fun,” she finishes, punctuating her sentence by chugging the rest of her beverage, “And it shows.”

The evening is cut short and it passes by quickly and in a blur, with everyone checking around the room multiple times for whatever the source of the music was-- to no luck. At some point, Misty discards the phone subtly onto the couch for Greg to find. Everyone around the room discusses their perspective of what had occurred, and Misty tries her best to participate-- although she is mostly spoken over by a crying Rosie and an overly anxious Linsdey.

It takes nearly an hour for Misty to find herself in her own room, after reassuring her nervous sisters that they would be fine sleeping in their rooms alone. She’s tried her hardest to brush Harry’s words about her laugh off, to stop thinking about them, and about him in general but she can’t. As she slips out of her clothes and into her pajamas, she finds herself thinking deeply about his smile.

Misty hears the most gentle knock on her door, pulling her from her thoughts. She finishes pulling her pajama t-shirt over her head before calling out a soft, “Come in.”

Harry manifests himself in her room without even opening the door, and Misty jumps when she sees him in the corner by her dresser. She rolls her eyes as she speaks. “You didn’t even need to knock.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt,” Harry states, a smirk on his lips. “I didn’t know if you were changing.”

“You’re fine,” Misty says, plopping onto her bed. “I mean, I was changing, but like, you’re a ghost. You can walk through walls.”

“I am,” Harry says, “and I can. But I’m still respectful. What kind of a ghost do you take me for?”

Misty giggles, tossing a pillow at Harry. He dodges it-- not that he needs to-- and he snorts.

“Anyway, I just came in to say goodnight,” he says, his smile still wide on his face. “And to make sure I didn’t like… overstep tonight.”

Misty smiles back, ungracefully untucking the covers beneath her. “You didn’t overstep,” she says. “And anyway--” she doesn’t dare look at him as she continues her words, “I liked it.”

“Did you?” Harry seems completely unfazed, and Misty can hear the smirk on his face. It’s infuriatingly sexy.

“I did,” Misty says, finally turning to face him. She rolls her eyes when Harry is, of course, nowhere to be found, but she’s not even worried about it. She knows he’s still here. Her confidence grows in his absence. “I liked it a lot.”

“Did you?” He asks again, his voice lower and coming from behind her now. He’s close enough that he sends shivers down her spine, which don’t go unnoticed by him. He laughs.

She turns around to catch his smile as he sits directly behind her on her bed, close enough that she can feel the crisp chill of his skin.

“Yes,” she says quietly, “I did. Told you I did.”

Once again, Misty feels hypnotized by his beautiful face. Harry knows this, and he hesitantly raises his hand to trail along her arm. She shivers again. Without meaning to, she leans into him. His smile tells her she’s not alone in the way she’s feeling right now.

“That’s good to hear,” Harry says, voice barely above a whisper.

Misty lifts her head, lips ghosting along the icy feel of his chin. “Did you?” she breathes.

“Did I what, sunshine?” Harry’s mouth seems to follow Misty’s own without kissing her, and it absolutely drives her crazy.

Misty gulps, gathering as much courage as she can muster. “Did you like it?”

With a cheeky grin, Harry removes his hand from Misty’s arm-- much to her dismay. She is knocked back to reality just as quickly as she’d left it, but his words make her insides flutter. “I fucking loved it.”

Misty giggles nervously, deciding to change the subject. “Everyone’s going to think I’m fucking crazy from here on out.”

Harry snorts. “No they won’t. They’ll forget. They’ll continue to think it was a weird occurrence, but they’ll forget that you were one of the only ones who didn’t.”

Misty frowns, jokingly. “So I’m forgettable then?’

Harry rolls his eyes, his smile deepening wider. “Hardly.”

Now Misty beams, ignoring the twisting in her stomach. “In all seriousness,” she replies, “You’re right. It was a weird night. I doubt my quick compliance to you was very memorable to them.”

“I liked your compliance.”

Harry says these words so softly that Misty has to look at him twice to make sure she’s even heard him correctly. He’s no longer looking at her, but the smile on his face makes Misty’s insides go weak, and she notices her own breath hitching in her throat.

“I--” she begins, not knowing where to even begin with a response to him. “I liked--”

“You don’t have to say anything about it,” Harry says. “You don’t have to say anything at all.” He smiles sheepishly at her after a moment. “I just want to tell you that you were right. That was the most fun I’ve had in years. And I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You don’t have to!” Misty adjusts herself on the bed so she’s facing Harry more. “I had so much fun. You deserved it. And honestly--”

Mist trails off, licking her lips and preparing herself for what she’s about to say,

“I liked being the only one who could see you. And hear you.” Her voice grows quieter. “I liked you… Telling me what to do.”

Harry’s smirk deepens as he leans closer into Misty once again. His lips look so delicious, so inviting, Misty isn’t even sure what she’s looking at anymore.

Moments pass, with Harry and Misty both so close to one another that it’s overwhelming. Misty wants to kiss him more than anything else in her entire life, but she’s scared, and she pretends she doesn’t notice the way he melts when she sighs against his skin.

“Harry,” she breathes slowly, “I don’t know if it’s possible… but I--”

Harry stands suddenly, catching Misty off guard. “You should go to bed,” he says, quickly but sadly. “I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to cut off the--”

“No you’re right,” Misty says, suddenly feeling completely self-conscious. She retracts into herself, crossing her arms along her lower body. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for!”

“No, I know!” she lies. “But I… you know, I mean, it’s weird!”

“It’s not weird,” Harry insists. “Misty--”

“I have to go to bed,” she says, scrambling ungracefully to get under the covers. “It’s time.”

Harry looks at her for a few more moments before blowing all of his air out in a loud puff. “It’s time,” he repeats. He steps cautiously towards her, then softens himself as he reaches for her hand.

Misty eyes his movements, then smiles as she gently takes his hand in her own.

There are a few more moments of charged silence, before Misty speaks

“Don’t end tonight on a weird note,” Misty jokes, smiling up at Harry. “I had so much fun with you.”

Harry gives her hand a squeeze. “I did too, sunshine. Promise.”

“And you’ll come back tomorrow?’ Misty asks. “And it won’t be weird?”

“Why would it be weird?” Harry laughs, and Misty, once again, grows flustered.

“I don’t know!” she whines. “I just feel weird!”

“Don’t feel weird,” Harry says, leaning forward. He kisses her head without thinking about it, and he ignores the slight shiver of her body when he does so. “Promise it’s not weird.’

She smiles up at him. “I liked tonight,” she says, for what feels like the hundredth time.

“I did too,” Harry reassures her, fighting the urge to bring her hand to his lips so he can kiss it. “So fucking much.”

Misty stares at him for just a tick too long, then smiles to herself-- clearly happy with their conversation. She snuggles down under the covers and Harry, without hesitation, pulls them up further to tuck her in.

“You didn’t promise me you’d come tomorrow,” she says softly, her eyes fluttering closed.

Harry reaches across her and flicks off her lamp, allowing his eyes to focus in the darkness before speaking. “Of course I’ll come tomorrow,” he says. “I’ve come every other day, haven’t I?”

“I just hate the idea of waking up and you not being here, you know?” Misty opens her eyes, blinking softly up at Harry. ‘I want to have you while I still can.”

Something about Misty’s words breaks Harry’s heart, and he leans in impossibly closer to her. ‘You may have me whenever you like, pretty girl. I will be here whenever you call.”

“Promise?”

Harry can feel tears welling in his eyes and he absolutely hates it. He tries desperately to blink them away. “Promise.”

“Good.” Misty settles herself further under the covers with a content sigh.

“Get some sleep,” Harry mumbles, reaching up to wipe at his eyes as subtly as he can. God, he wishes he were human. More than anything in the world, he wishes he could give Misty the love she deserves-- fully.

“Okay,” Misty sighs. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Harry nods. “Tomorrow.”

Misty smiles. “Goodnight. Don’t watch me sleep, weird ass.”

Harry snorts at her words. Of course she’d end the night on that note. With a gentle “goodnight,” He rises to his feet and takes a few steps away from her bed, just so that she can’t detect his presence by his scent. He makes himself invisible to her while still watching her for at least another full two minutes.

The way he’s truly starting to fall for this girl is completely alarming, especially considering their circumstances. If he’d still had a beating heart, it would be breaking, and he hates the isolated yet heavy feeling in his chest as he watches her drift gently into unconsciousness. He wants her, plain and simple.

And as Misty’s thoughts turn into dreams, she can’t seem to get the ghostly boy out of her mind. She wants him, just as badly as he wants her. It’s something she fears she’ll never tell him, for obvious reasons, but she still allows herself to indulge in the visions of them experiencing a somewhat normal relationship together as she drifts into sleep.

And as the moon rises over the old, creaky house, both Harry and Misty find themselves imagining, if only for the night, that they can love one another the way they know they were meant to. Surely it won’t be enough to sustain their longing for one another. But for tonight, Harry knows that he’ll subtly pop into Misty’s dream. And he knows Misty will never mention it to him, but it will sustain them both for the time being. It will make them both happy.

And Misty’s happiness, Harry thinks, is the most important thing of all.

#Harry Styles #Harry #Harry Styles fanfiction #Harry fanfiction #fanfiction #Harry Styles AU #Harry AU #AU #Harry Styles fluff #Harry fluff #fluff

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fictionissocialinquiry · 4 years ago

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FISI’s Favourite Zutara Fics

A lil late for ZFAW’s Saturday prompt, sorry about that! Haven’t had any internet over the weekend. But better late than never!

I’m not gonna lie… a lot of these are angsty af. But I promise you they’re not gratuitous angst! They’re well written, beautiful stories that will make you feel like a better person for having read them. These are my favourite all time fics, ones I’ve read more than once and will continue to read (even though I’m taking a week break from fandom and fic).

Multi-Chaptered Fics

The Sparrowkeet Series by audreyii_fic

To be honest, this story’s summary doesn’t do it justice so I ain’t including it. Originally a one shot, Sparrowkeet is headcanon for me now. Move over canon, this is where it’s at. Audreyii_fic’s characterisation, world building, and writing is exquisite. It’s incredible. She manages to channel the same fun and whimsical energy from the show while allowing the characters to grow and develop to places I wish they had actually been taken.

This one is a fandom Must Read and one I return to regularly.

Clothe Me in Seasons, Dress Me in Snow by sadladybug

It is not the memorial she deserves, nor the one she would want. But it can't be helped. He owns no property in the other nations, and he needed to keep her close. Closer than she was in life, anyway.

Zuko's reflections on a life lived and a life that could have been.

This is one of the best written fics I’ve ever read. It’s tragic and deep and will hurt you in all the tender places but you would be doing yourself a favour if you read this. There’s a real bittersweet feeling to it and the love between them is just… urg, visceral.

Lovable by LadyCharity

Zuko knew that he could not save Azula. He could only try to forgive her. Fittingly enough, those two were one in the same.

I love stories that make Zutara their centerpiece but every now but then a story like this comes along. A story where their relationship builds almost incidentally because the plot and character development straight up hijack your emotions. I got so invested in this story. Zuko is amazingly well characterised and his complicated thoughts and feelings around his father and Azula are incredibly well written!

One Shots

Lunar Ephemerality by @formerlygoldilocks (goldilocks23)

After multiple failed attempts on his life and years of self-set expectations, Fire Lord Zuko is a shell of the man he used to be. But Katara won't turn her back on those who need her.

I really didn’t expect this to hit as hard as it did. This straight up snuck up on me, fly-kicked my feelings, and by the end I had written an 800 word comment that was too big for AO3 and I had to contact the author directly to send it to her. Awkward. I couldn’t help myself. The side to Katara we see here is so good, her empathy and love for her friends are one of the things I love seeing most in AtLA fanfic. I’m a sucker for Zuko having complete breakdowns and having to piece himself back together too. So sue me. I like it when they suffer a lil bit. The writing is absurdly good and I will be keeping an eye out for any new stories by goldilocks23!

31 Minutes by @ifyouwereamelodymeg

It's quite astounding, really, how quickly she's learned to translate him. They've spent a grand total of zero time together outside of training, and he's hardly big on chat so she knows next to nothing about his life.

But she knows him, probably better than she knows anyone at the moment – with every tap of his fingers, every crook of his lips, every turn in his voice, he just...

He makes sense to her. It's weird.

I’m a sucker for fic writers playing with style to make the story pop and boyo does this fic deliver. This is one of the rare times that I’ve been dumbstruck at the end of a story— I just couldn’t accept the ending. Because I’m a sucker for pain, (and this story will bring The Pain) I loved it. The ease of Zuko and Katara’s growing relationship in this bowls you over, it’s absolutely beautiful and you find yourself nodding along emphatically when Zuko calls himself an idiot for waiting… “Life’s short, kids, live each moment as though it could be your last,” says this fic as it pulls my heart out and dropkicks it off a cliff.

i count to five (and life passes by) by @markedmage

Five heartbeats.

I still haven’t forgiven Mage for this one. I think it’s the best thing she’s written to date! I mean, tragic and painful and heart-rending but holy shit is it powerful <3

The Lake of the Dismal Swamp by @thewhiitelotus

Spook af. Spook (horror) is real hard to do well but thewhiitelotus is coming for your goosebumps and those shivers down your spine. She has a way of balancing beautiful, evocative imagery with action (in this and other stories of her) that just keeps you reading!

Calloused by @rideboldlyride

Iroh hadn’t been able to watch. The pure horror of a man - a father- burning their child for a slight infraction... He couldn’t do anything to stop it, but he will stop his brother from destroying entirely the kind boy he knew Zuko could be.

This is a painfully underappreciated fic for how great the characterisation is. I know we in the zutara fandom tend to not read stories that aren’t Zuko/Katara centric as often but do yourself the favour of reading this (or listening to it: RideBoldlyRide has done us the gift of recording a podfic for this and it’s stupidly *good*). This story is Iroh confronting Ozai just after he burns Zuko’s face and it kicks.

four days and three nights by @hinaoyamas (lettersfromnowhere)

Zuko discovers firsthand that nothing is more fleeting than happiness, or more enduring than memory.

Do you like reading stories with a distant, omniscient narrator? The kind that read like a myth from the ancient world? Welp, hit the hyperlink, friend, cause this one’s for you. Not only is the writing exquisite but the characterisation and painful inevitability of the plot is grade A.

For the Fire Nation by tullyblue12

He falls in love with her for his country before he falls in love with her for himself. A Zuko/Katara AU that explores how love and duty aren’t always mutually exclusive.

There are about 40,000 exquisite lines in this story but here is just one of my favourites: “He falls in love with her for his country first. That’s what his people never understand.” This fic says a lot with so few words, which is something I really look up to! In 2,800 words, tullyblue12 does what some 100,000k fics cant: They make you feel.

Guide Me Home by Rashaka

To sleep, perchance to dream. Katara and Zuko find a friendship they never expected in a place that seemed impossible.

This is a one shot I will forever wish for a continuation of. The setup is just… so juicy. There’s a real sorrowful innocence to this story that the unique short, dialogue only scenes really punch home. I know some people don’t like dialogue only fics but when done well like in this one, it leaves you with the impression of something deeper than a 1,185 word fic has any right to!

Other Favourites!

Hopeless by tullyblue12 — Kids grow up fast when a cruel world awaits them. In times of hopelessness, Katara and Zuko grow together. In times of separation, they hope to see each other again.

Speechless by goldilocks23 — Zuko has a medical condition. Or: Zuko speaks in haiku at inappropriate times.

Don’t Follow Me Down by eleventy7 — Katara is the dread queen of the underworld, ruler of the dead, destined to reign her cold kingdom alone. Until a sun god catches her eye. A Hades/Persephone retelling with incredible writing.

I Don't Speak Meow Language by @botherkupo (Boogum) — In which Zuko adopts a cat and Katara just wonders what spirits she pissed off to deserve this fate.

I have the privilege of being friends with some of these authors (they know who they are) and am in near daily awe and gratitude for the works of free fiction they provide us, the fandom. And not just any old stories: Guys... Really good ones!! Can I ask that if you go check out these fics, can you just drop a kudos or a comment their way? If you’re feeling shy just copy and paste this into the comments box anonymously: “WOW! Loved this! Thank you so much for writing it!”

I know it would mean the world to this talented bunch <3

#ZFAW #Fic Rec #favourite zutara fanfics of all time #zutara #atla

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heyiwrotesomethings · 4 years ago

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Feel it Out

Emily (Stardew) x They/Them Reader

A/N: Just Penny is left! Enjoy some time with the dancing queen, even if you aren’t that coordinated. Word Count: 1,798

(Y/n) smiled to themself, the sound of music slowly growing louder as they approached Haley and Emily’s house. Just as they were about to knock on the door of the grand house, Haley opened the door with such force that it pushed (Y/n) back on their heels.

“Good, you’re here. I’m leaving.” Haley grumped, muttering something about tasteless music being too loud and insufferable sisters. She didn’t even stop to apologize for nearly breaking (Y/n)’s face with the front door.

“See ya, Haley,” The farmer smiled and waved anyway, earning a grunt from the photographer as she made her way into the Cindersnaps.

(Y/n) shrugged and entered the house, following the sound of music to Emily’s room. They opened the door and couldn’t help but laugh at the way Emily was dancing. She was just so carefree. Even when the blue haired girl took notice of her visitor, she continued her eccentric movements.

“(Y/n)! Glad to see you made it!” Emily called out mid dance.

“Hi sweetheart, how are you?” (Y/n) greeted.

“The energies are really good today, (Y/n). Perfect for learning how do dance!” Emily breezed towards (Y/n) and took their hands, twirling them around the space.

“Wait a minute, Em. Let me take off my boots first. When I inevitably step on your toes, I don’t want it to hurt too bad.” (Y/n) said, extracting themself from Emily’s hold.

“On a lucky day like today? Not likely. But please, do get comfortable. Really feel the way you move around the floor.” Emily swayed and hummed while she waited for (Y/n) to take off their boots before scooping them up in her arms again.

“Emily if you could move a bit slower and maybe explain the footwork to me, I’d do better.” (Y/n) laughed, their feet moving in half skips to try to keep up with Emily.

“Alright, something slower and more controlled for my no nonsense farmer.” Emily paused her dancing, though she still swayed her hips from side to side in tune to the music as she thought of how best to proceed. “I got it!” She snapped her fingers, “the traditional Flower Dance is easy enough. It’ll be good practice for when we dance together next spring!”

(Y/n) thought back to being the wallflower at their first Flower Dance. They hadn’t even been in town for more than a few weeks back then. They remembered the slow and methodical footwork and nodded.

“Yeah, that might be a good place to start. And you’ll have two seasons to teach me before the next one rolls around so if I can’t get it by then, you can get a partner who knows what they’re doing.” (Y/n) joked.

“Don’t worry honey, I’ll dance with you no matter what! If we have to dance to the beat of our own drum, that’ll work just fine!”

“I don’t think Haley would be happy with interpretive dancing going on during the traditional dance. She’d probably kill us with how seriously she takes it.” (Y/n) said, thinking back to how the girl practiced right up until the beginning of the line up.

“Haley could learn a little something from going with the flow from time to time.” Emily shrugged. “Now watch what I do and repeat after me.”

Emily took a few steps, counting them out, “one, two, three, one, two... try that.”

“One, two... three? One?” (Y/n) parroted with uncertainty. Their feet hardly matched Emily’s steps at all.

“You’re close,” Emily lied. “Let me slow it down a bit more. One, two, three, one.”

(Y/n) tried again which quickly led to them calling out in pain as they knelt to the ground after back stepping into Emily’s work table.

“You okay?” Emily asked with a sympathetic smile. She held her hand out to help pull the farmer up.

“Yeah, that’s gonna leave a bruise.” They winced, taking the hand Emily offered them.

“Want me to kiss it better?” Emily asked slyly.

(Y/n) snorted and shook their head, “no.” They said.

“Then let’s try again. Maybe it’ll help if you move with me. Here I’ll do the steps walking back and you follow by stepping forward where I left, okay? It’ll work, I’m sure of it.” She took (Y/n)’s weather worn hand in hers as she smiled brightly.

“Hey, for you, I’ll try my hardest.” (Y/n) smiled back, giving the hand in their own a loving squeeze.

“You are just so charming I can hardly stand it!” Emily cooed. “I knew the spirits brought me something special when you moved into town.”

“I knew I made the right choice moving here when I saw this pretty girl serving drinks at the bar.” (Y/n) flirted.

“I remember that night,” Emily giggled, swaying on her feet and making (Y/n) rock with her, “you came in caked with dirt and you tracked in slime all over the floors. Gus was so miffed. Good thing you ate a lot to make up for it.”

“I was starving, the mines’ll do that to a person.” They snickered. “And like I said, it was like you were a cute, colorful Junimo sent by Yoba. I may have drank a little too much just so you would keep coming back.”

“Good thing I caught on, I think I really saved your liver.”

“Hey, I stopped after a couple drinks!”

“Not before you fell off your stool.” Emily reminded.

“Well, it was a good sign for me to stop, wasn’t it?” (Y/n) laughed sheepishly.

The couple laughed and swayed until another upbeat song began to play and they remembered there was an objective to complete. Emily showed (Y/n) the steps again and they clumsily followed her back. They worked in circles around the room until (Y/n) more or less had the steps.

“Wonderful, (Y/n)!” Emily beamed. “Let’s try the next set of steps now.”

“You mean there’s more?”

Emily laughed, nodding her head. She explained the next set, showing them with her own feet before looking up at (Y/n), waiting expectantly. The poor farmer looked so lost. Like the lights were on but nobody was home.

“Here, step on my feet.” Emily directed, wiggling her bare toes for emphasis.

“I thought we were trying to avoid that.” (Y/n) said, brow quirked.

“Well don’t stomp on them. Just, rest your feet on top of mine and let me do the rest.”

“Are you sure this is going to work?”

“Won’t know until we try!”

“Well, if you’re sure...”

(Y/n) gave in, resting their feet on Emily’s. They laughed when they saw Emily wince but try to hide it with a wink.

“Too much for you?” (Y/n) smiled good naturedly.

“No way!” Emily shook her head. “It’s just that, well, I’m kind of pinned down.” She sheepishly admitted.

“Yeah,” (Y/n) set their feet back on even ground, “I think that method only really works on kids. Show me the steps again?”

“You know what? Let’s just put that on the back burner for now.” Emily waved dismissively, backing up from (Y/n) to begin a new dance of her own design. “Let’s loosen up! Just let the music take you wherever. Really feel it pull and push you around.”

“Huh?” (Y/n) squinted, as if that would help them understand the prompt at all.

“Just do what feels right.” Emily simplified.

(Y/n) pursed their lips and stared down at their feet. They listened to the music for a bit before shrugging and began tapping their foot and gave their shoulders a stiff little shimmy.

“I feel dumb.”

“Don’t be afraid, honey. Really let loose! It’s just me, I’m not going to judge you.” Emily coaxed, motioning artfully for (Y/n) to turn up the heat.

“I’ll try.” (Y/n) blew out a big breath of air.

They turned on their heels and spun in a circle popping up with some jazz hands for flare.

“There you go! Now add even more flare!” Emily encouraged with a twirl of her own.

(Y/n) surprised Emily by taking her by the hips, spinning Emily along with them before lifting her up into the air. They spun her around a few more times before safely returning her to the floor. The blue haired girl giggled in delight, taking the lead from there to rock (Y/n) and herself side to side. She kissed the farmer as she looped her arms around their neck.

“See, that was really good! You’ve got more moves than you thought.” Emily said.

“I learned from the best,” (Y/n) said, their hands still placed on either side of Emily’s hips, “I’ve kinda learned how to just roll with it and expect the unexpected with you, Em.”

“Glad I could help you open your mind. I also think it’s nice how you ground me when I’m floating too far away,” Emily pressed closer, “I think we compliment each other quite nicely.”

“That we do.” (Y/n) easily agreed.

They swayed together again for several minutes, only pausing a few times in between when an accidental misstep would leave Emily’s foot pinned to the floor. They’d laugh it off and try again, staring at each other adoringly. They were so far off in their own little world that they both jumped in surprise when Haley came in without them noticing and turned off the music.

“You two have been at this for hours. Don’t you have work, Emily?” Haley asked with disinterest, at least she cared enough to ask. The blonde then trudged out of her sister’s room, only to return moments later with a closing remark, “you guys look like huge dorks by the way.”

Emily ignored Haley and turned to look at the clock, “Wow, how time flies! Gus will be expecting me soon. I better get ready.”

“Right, I needed to see Robin about a couple of new projects we’ve been working on. I’ll pop in for dinner?”

“I certainly hope so,” Emily subconsciously kept swaying with (Y/n) even though there was no music, “it’s my favorite part of the night.”

“Then I’ll be there by eight.” (Y/n) affirmed.

“I can’t wait,” Emily smiled, “dance me to the front door?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

(Y/n) and Emily made their own music as they paraded through the living room. Haley looked up from her magazine and shook her head, sinking deeper into the couch with the knowledge that she would soon have peace.

(Y/n) walked Emily to the Stardrop and they were already looking forward to coming back later when Emily gave them a sweet kiss on their cheek as they parted. Maybe they could stay until Emily’s shift ended and walk her home too. Anything to spend more time with the carefree soul.

As (Y/n) made their way into the mountains, they hummed one of Emily’s catchy tunes with an extra pep in their step.

#stardew valley x reader #stardew valley oneshots #sv emily #sdv emily #stardew valley emily #emily x reader #sdv emily x reader #sv emily x reader

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13uswntimagines · 4 years ago

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Baseball Showoffs (Rose x baseball Player!Reader)

Request: reader x rose, maybe the reader is a baseball player and is up against the Braves aka Mr. pugh and then maybe the team hosts a watch party for the game

Authors Note: Hey dudes, so I might have gone a bit crazy with the baseball terms. I also happen to be a big Yankee’s fan, so if you don’t like them, you can totally switch the teams. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to send me feedback or just hit up my page if you wanna say Hi!

Team bonding was a normal occurrence for the national team. It was typically a time filled with movies, stupid games like truth or dare and Dawn approved snacks. But today, it would be centered around a different kind of game.

It was the Atlanta Braves taking on the New York Yankees, or as far as the team was concerned, you verses Dansby Swanson (more like Rose vs Mal, but everyone was too afraid to say it).

“I didn’t think you two liked baseball,” JJ muttered from beside Rose, tossing a handful of popcorn into her mouth. The woman in question rolled her eyes.

“We don’t, but Y/n looks hot in the uniform, and her little celebrations are adorable,” The midfielder smirked, wiggling her shoulders as if to prove her point. The two of you had been dating for 4 years, and in that time you still couldn’t convince her that baseball was remotely interesting. She only watched to see your bat flips and dance moves. You had recently been traded to the Yankees in the hopes that you could bring them the winning spirit from the Nationals (which they had lost after Jeter retired, or that at least what you told her).

“Y/n has been killing it this season. She has like a .370 batting average” Ashlyn snorted, shoving popcorn in her mouth. She wasn’t a giant Yankees fan, but after the Braves defeat of the Marlins, she couldn't support them in good conscience.

“Dansby isn’t bad either though, it’s like a .33,” Kelley argued. She wasn’t a huge baseball fan, but she had to rep for her state.

“Yeah, but y/n has 16 home runs, and it’s only their 12th game, Mr. Pugh is going to have his hands full for sure,” Alyssa countered with raised eyebrows. Sure she didn’t like the Yankees as much as she liked the Cubs, but almost anyone was better than the Braves.

“No offense to y/n, but my money is on the braves,” Kelley said nudging Rose, who nodded in understanding.

“That’s right, gotta rep our home team,” Emily nodded back, giving the frat daddy a high five.

“Aren't they away this week?” Mal asked with furrowed eyebrows. .

“Y/n isn’t in grey so yeah,” Rose nodded. The only reason she knew that was because she thought you looked sexier in the blue pinstripes than the ugly grey one (though she much preferred the red uniform of the Nationals).

“Is that how it works?” Megan questioned, suddenly interested now that the fashion choices were the center of attention instead of batting averages or whatever.

“Yeah, the home team wears white pants and bats 2nd” Kelley nodded, returning her attention to the TV where the 1st inning came to an end after a strikeout.

“Y/n has got a damn good batting average and home team advantage, so she’s going to crush Dansby,” Rose mumbled and Mal rolled her eyes. There was no way that you were going to beat her boyfriend.

“Well Dansby’s up to bat, so we’ll see just how they match up,” JJ laughed, enjoying how riled up the team was getting for a sport that everyone claimed to not like.

*****

The New York sun was bright as you paced back and forth in the area between 2nd and 3rd base waiting for the next batter to be ready. You were frustrated that Dansby had managed to get into first, and with Riley up to bat, you were sure you were going to be getting some action soon.

You squared up to home plate, crouching slightly as Garrett got ready to throw the next pitch. The ball came off the bat like a rocket, slicing towards you as Dansby ran towards 2nd. Just as he rounded the base You caught the ball and tagged him as he passed you for a double play.

“Couldn’t have given me that one?” He winked at you after the 3rd vase umpire called him out. The two of you were pretty close considering you hung out at lots of USWNT matches.

“Not a chance, now stop trying to impress your girl and play smart, shoulda stayed at second,” You smirked back, tapping his chest with your glove.

“Ooh, like you aren’t doing the same thing,” He laughed back.

“Never said I wasn’t, but it seems to be working out a little better for me, I just made an amazing catch” You held up the ball to prove your point.

“Maybe you should go for something a little less subtle,” He shrugged back good-naturedly. Your girls weren’t big into baseball, but you were sure that your leaning catch would at least draw you a “good job” from Rose.

“We’ll see, there’s a time and a place for everything,” You smirked at the man, shoeing him back towards the dugout.

******

The team watch with bated breath as you edged your way off of second plate. It was the bottom of the 7th and your team was still frustratingly tied with Dansby’s (as your 2 run homer had been matched by 2 individual runs from the other team).

“ the braves better be careful, Y/l/n has the highest stealing average in the league,” Ashlyn chimes in, and right in cue you made a break for 3rd base.

The pitcher had been onto you, sending the ball towards Dansby, but you were already one step ahead, leaping over the man and landing safely on the plate.

“God she so cute,” Rose sighed dreamily as you stuck your tongue out at Mr. Pugh.

“She just stole a base and that’s what you say?” Kelley snorted. Yes her team was losing, but she had to admit that you had some serious skill.

“She’s got dirt in her nose,” Rose shrugged, smiling wider when you did a little happy wiggle as your teammate stepped up to bat.

******

The team crowded around the TV, far more interested in the outcome of this game than they thought they’d be. It was the bottom of the 9th, the bases were loaded and your team was down by 2. You needed to hit a run to win.

The women watched as you tightened your fingers on the bat, the commentators mentioning how your famous left-handed swing was similar to Rose’s.

“They should change the names on their jerseys, none of the fans call them by their own last names anyway,” Julie snorted, as the commentator went on about how this matchup was ingesting because you and Dansby were dating USWNT players. It didn’t help that you and him kept interacting every chance you got.

“Y/n and I have the same number, so they don’t wanna confuse the fans,” Rose retorted with an eye roll.

“She’s batting lefty?” Sam asked surprised. Every other time you were at-bat, you had hit righty. It was strange to see you switch it up.

“Yeah, she’s a switch hitter. It’s probably to trip Soroka up,” Kelley shrugged. Their pitcher was known for having issues with lefties, and you guys needed a hit to win, so that was most likely your motivation. They just switched Anderson for him, so you changed that is too.

“Soroka is solid. There’s no way she’s getting another hit off of him,” Emily fired back. The dude had one of the highest strikeout rates in the league, there was no way you were going to get anything more than a double. You were dangerous at-bat, and had already scored big, it was probably why they put him on the mound.

“10 bucks?” Kelley asked with a raised eyebrow, holding her hand out for a shake. Emily snorted, slapping the hand.

“Deal,”

*****

You tightened your hands on the bat, your eyes taking in every detail of the pitcher. The bases were loaded, you were down by two, you needed a hit to keep your team alive. Soroka nodded at the catcher, winding up for the pitch. You had watched enough of his games to know what that windup meant. The ball seemed to move in slow motion as it left his fingers and screamed its way towards home plate, right down the middle in his famous fastball. You took a deep breath and swung the bat, a crack resounding throughout the stadium when it made contact.

You watched the ball as it sailed towards the wall, standing frozen on home plate as it went. The fans roared when it came to a stop on the second deck of the stadium, a wide smile breaking across your face. You flipped your bat high and began the long trot around the bases, the fan’s cheers and the stadium’s fireworks the soundtrack to your success.

“Now that’s how you impress,” You smirked cockily at Dansby as you rounded 2nd base. He was a good friend to you, but scoring a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th was the ultimate euphoric moment and it totally deserved a little bit of cockyness.

“Whatever Y/L/N” The man smiled back shaking his head and low-fiving you as you passed him. You had beaten him in your competition to out show off to your girls this time, but he’d get you next time. Somehow, some way.

As you jogged towards home plate, the camera zoomed in on you. You tapped your number, and blew a kiss towards it, hoping that Rose knew that you had hit that grand slam for her, to impress her. (unknown to you she caught the kiss through the T.V. and put it in her pocket). Sure she didn’t like baseball, but she loved you.

#uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #rose lavelle x reader #rose lavelle imagine

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beautifulterriblequeen · 3 years ago

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B2:S - Chapter 3

Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.

Here be Lujanne, Callum, Rayla, Ezran, Bait, and Soren goodness!

Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.

Lujanne having excellent fitness for all her walking around the Moon Nexus, and she's so energetic that Callum has trouble keeping up with her! She seems like those active grandmas who almost never stop moving, who have a lifelong supply of endless stamina. It makes me wonder if Lujanne will need that level of fitness for some upcoming conflict.

Callum feeling really hungry over not eating grubs and then still deciding he'd rather be hungry. It makes me wonder all over again how Lujanne got to the point where she eats grubs, considering that other Moonshadow elves we know of back in the Silvergrove don't. I still love my hc that the giant leech ate all of Lujanne's moonberry bushes and she's taking her revenge. Whatever's going on there, Callum is definitely not at that point yet.

When Lujanne asks Callum how he knows she's real, he thinks to himself that he'd put up with just about anything from someone who was going to teach him magic. That's a great parallel and foreshadowing for Viren's student/master relationship with Aaravos! And it's telling that neither student gets exactly what they hoped to get. Lujanne doesn't actively teach Callum any spells, because she believes he can't learn Moon magic at all. Aaravos does offer Viren power, but it takes him to some very dark places - literally and figuratively - and the cost is terribly high.

Callum sees a moon shape among the ruins, and Lujanne explains that the Moonhenge layout is an intricate rune that uses the structures themselves as part of its symbols and power. That's apparently a thing even with ordinary Moonshadow villages like Hollow Wood in the east, which is the coolest idea I've seen in a while: city planning as magic runes!

Yes, that's the same shape as the pendants Ethari made for himself and Runaan. Protection? Home? Feelsiness? A sense of safety and belongnig for all cycles and seasons?

Wonder what this Moonhenge rune stands for, then, and how much of this landscape is included in that rune. I bet it's more than we think!

But it makes sense now, how toppling the stone pillars would disable the spell the druids would cast to connect with the Moon Nexus lake. Breaking the infrastructure of the Moonhenge breaks the rune.

There's a physical sensation involved with the visuals that Historia Viventem brings up! When that one ghostly druid walked through Callum, he felt icy cold. Like in ghost stories. I really wonder about what exactly Historia Viventem is doing when it activates. It shows truth, "what really happened here?", so it must have some kind of time-related element, maybe tied to how the moon always repeats the same cycles or something. But it also seems to draw on the spirits of any living people involved in the flashback, because Callum could physically feel that wispy shape passing through him. So very interesting!

Orrr... is that all wrong, and there's something else at work with this spell than time? Maybe the world beyond life and death can act as an imprint of the things that have happened in the living world, and the spell that Lujanne (and later Callum) casts taps into that place, with perfect recall. I'm looking really hard at the sentence that says "dozens of translucent elf ghosts" and "phantom Moonhenge" and "lost in their own world" here.

Lujanne says more here than in the show about the world beyond life and death, being her mysterious Moonshadow-mage self. She says that "beyond" and "between" might both apply to where this other plane of existence is, and she doesn't much care which. With all the relativity swirling around this place, and not much in the way of empiricism, it's sounding like perhaps multiple conflicting ideas might actually coexist in such a place, allowing more ideas to fit there than we might normally believe is possible. Which is a fascinating bit of worldbuilding. Basically, every headcanon anyone has ever had about the Moon Nexus could all be true at the same time, for all we know.

Oh oh oh, Callum coming in soft with a secret wish! He takes one look at the Moonhenge and immediately thinks of finding a way to see his mom again! Poor boy, my heart! I'd say that could be another interesting parallel with Viren, but then, who wouldn't hold that sentiment?

Oh my, is this another breath of life into Ye Olde Ley Lines headcanon? Lujanne mentioning the Nexuses again, so soon after talking about the runic design of the entire Moonhenge, makes me wonder if the six nexuses are in fact giant runes. On Earth, the places where ley lines cross are called nexuses, and there are those who believe those points got marked with ancient structures, like Stonehenge and many many others. If Xadia were crossed with magical lines which naturally formed nexus points where they met, and if powerful magical runes were built across those entire areas, well. That would be cool beans, fams. Can I smack a map of Xadia and release a spell like Luz Noceda does? Because ngl that is my first instinct here.

Lujanne has got to be missing some grandkids to spoil, right? The way she's always whipping out cake and ice cream for Callum, and she's so grandma-ish about it. Headcanon about her being Runaan's mom aside, she is canonically lonely and she's very sweet to Allen and Ellis and I think she's missing whatever family she once had in the past. She may never get to have that family back, so she's finding a new one among the humans who live nearby, and I think that's sweet. Found family isn't just for the young.

But Ellis is straight up gonna be her fave, I bet, because she didn't turn up her nose at Lujanne's illusion food!

Ezran and Bait have a lot more to their relationship than was visible in the show, and I'm so excited by it! Ez can tell by looking at Bait's colors that he's not truly jealous of Zym, even if he's really grumpy about the dragonling taking up his favorite human's time.

And Ez thinking a lot about his dad and the things he's taught him. They're soft leadership material, and I love that so much! "Pick your battles" and the importance of encouragement. Ahh, my heart. Ezran, you're going to be such a good king.

But wait a second: both times that Bait gets extra grumpy in Zym's first training session, Ezran has just mentioned something about flying. Guys, I think Bait wishes he could fly, really badly. And that's his biggest problem with Zym, and with Ezran teaching Zym to fly, instead of Bait who doesn't have wings so. Bait is so old that his secrets have secrets, and I'm really curious how flying fits into them now!

Rayla, Dramatic Assassin: "I need to patrol for dark forces." That's what Lujanne called the source of the purple wisps that found them. I wonder if that's an official term all Moonshadows know, or if Rayla is just taking her cue from a veteran Moon mage. And I wonder how far Rayla is falling into the apparent pattern of "one mage, one assassin", since she does spend a lot of her time patrolling without being asked.

When Callum tells Lujanne that he was bad at prince stuff, and she asks if he didn't give up and got good at those things anyway, it's an opportunity for Callum to embrace subverting his parents' expectations in favor of seeking his own path, which is a primary theme of the show. But Lujanne is a couple generations older than Callum, at the very least, and I have to wonder what her upbringing was like. Is her version of success the one she took? Was she bad at magic once too, but she persisted? She is very soft and doesn't want to kill anyone.

Maybe Lujanne had dreams of doing something else with her life, but she felt she had to pursue the destiny that others handed to her, so she studied magic as hard as she could, and she did get good at it, but using it to defend Xadia from humans is not what she wanted to do with her life. Whether there's a parallel between her and Ethari on that point, there's one between Callum and Ethari, I think. How much of your life are you willing to let others direct for you?

LISTEN I WAS DYING AT THE EAR BREAD SCENE OKAY

This is my new favorite Soren and Claudia moment ever. Soren loves him his bread, okay. Even as earplugs for Claudia's sleep ocarina tune. The fact that it's "super effective" makes me think of a Pokemon defense. The fact that he learned it at camp, where he also learned about Moonshadow Madness, is hilarious. Later on, Corvus doesn't know Soren by name, but I still love the idea of Corvus being a kind of Strider-esque camp instructor, filling the ears of his young charges with all kinds of useful tactics like ear bread for magic spell songs (which actually seemed to work as intended), and warnings about the enemy elves' blood-themed tactics (which may or may not come back around in BH)

I thought they were gonna go in a kind of deep direction when Soren still wanted his ear bread back, but then he just. Eats them. Just noms them. I love this kid. Give Soren all the bread!

#book two: sky spoilers #book two: sky #b2:s #tdp spoilers #ToX spoilers #gloaming glade spoilers #lujanne #callum #rayla #ezran #tdp zym #soren #tdp claudia #tdp bait

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arigatouiris · 4 years ago

Text

remember... me? // nakahara chuuya x reader

Author’s Note: Being awol for so long could only mean I was drowning in Bungo Stray Dogs and am now a hoe for Chuuya and Dazai. No regrets. I’m on season three rn and I’m only going to go on and read the manga after this, so I’m just THIRSTY. Hope you like this!

Word count: 5k+

Pairing: Nakahara Chuuya x Reader

Summary: Ever since laying his eyes on you, Chuuya sensed a familiarity that almost suffocated him. The ever-growing sense of deja vu didn't disappear even as he had you locked in his arms, or even as he stayed away; there was no explanation to it, whatsoever. He wondered if love was an emotion that would constantly have him question every action, every thought, and every moment that occurred, but what did he know of love? But then again, what didn't he?

Warnings: angst to fluff, soft chuuya, mentions of sex, mentions of drinking alcohol, mentions of blood, swearing (because Chuuya ofc), slight amnesia? ah, you’ll see, ig that’s it?

Even before you fell in love, you had always known that it was a bad idea. As unfortunate as you were, every time you felt a close connection with someone, it ended negatively. Whether it was the first boy you had ever kissed, who had broken your heart ruthlessly by kissing another boy a few days later, or the first person you thought you were in love with who had broken your heart by declining your proposal. Love had always left a remnant of displeasure and fear in your heart, and even without these experiences, you were certain that the concept of love was scary as it was. It wasn't as if Nakahara Chuuya was any different. Well, at least, he wouldn't be.

As soon as you opened your eyes, you noticed how the sun blossomed right outside your window. You knew from the telltale signs of dawn that it was your cue to leave; getting dressed would take less than 30 seconds, and heading out the door would take another 30. In less than two minutes, you'd be out of Nakahara Chuuya's hair, and live your life without the worry of any unnecessary attachment sticking to your psyche. However, for a moment, you lay there, admiring the lone tear that leaked out of his left eye, and you mindlessly wiped it away before it reached his cheek. You wanted to smile at his apparent softness, something you knew he'd try to hide with everything he had. You quietly got off the bed, careful not to throw the covers off his naked torso, and just as you were putting on your pants, your eyes darted to a very asleep Chuuya on the bed, obviously naked from the events of last night, before a thought crossed your mind—oh, how you'd kill just to linger around, but duty calls. A person so devastatingly afraid of love had no business to wish for fluff, it was just roll-call. A sigh exited your lips as you traversed on, mindful not to lay any loud step to awaken the sleeping beauty. To Chuuya, you were someone he had met just the night before, you weren't aware of his opinions on one night stands, but you were of the firm belief that they had to remain just one. Goodbye, Chuuya, you thought before sneaking out the door, almost as easily as you came in.

When Chuuya woke up, he smelt you. He felt a long-forgotten feeling at the back of his eyelids as if he had cried—but Chuuya stopped doing that long ago. He never cried again, he had seen and lived through too much even to consider letting his emotions loose. Yet, why had there been that feeling lingering behind that morning? His eyes searched for any sign of you but when he found none, his heart sank; he was familiar with one night stands, but he hadn't imagined that you adhered to such rules so stringently.

Ah, f*ck, he thought, as he sat up on the bed. He let out a shaky breath before feeling his eyes burn once more. His left hand reached forward and wiped off an incoming tear from his right eye before he frowned. What the f*ck? He thought before groaning. Something must've gone into my eye, he thought; desperate not to think of you. You had left behind your smell and as people say, memory and smell are intertwined. However, Chuuya didn't know that.

A short while after his shower that morning, Chuuya's phone rang indicating that he was needed elsewhere. The stupor that he had been transported into was over, and the feeling that he may have forgotten something had to be buried.

"Yeah?" Chuuya grumbled, ignoring his aching stomach; he knew he was forgetting something, something almost vital to his existence and identity, but his common sense reminded him that post-sex emotions can be overwhelming.

"Oh, rough morning, Chuuya-kun?" Mori's voice from the other end did little to ease his growing uneasiness.

"What is it, Mori-san?"

"I'm starting to worry about you. Chuuya-kun. You disappeared last night and just left. Regardless, your private affairs are your own, after all. I need you to look into something."

Took him long enough to come to the damn point, "What is it?"

"There's a large collection of ammunition that the mafia's stored by the bay. Rumor has it that someone's discovered that location and is intending on... borrowing our merchandise. I can't have that happen, you see. It's our produce, after all."

"Ah?! You can send someone else for something so small! Why can't you send the Black Lizards or something—"

"Oh, Chuuya-kun! I'm asking you because I know I won't have to ask again."

Chuuya hated taking orders from someone else, but he liked to believe he held some amount of agency in these areas. Letting out a long breath, Chuuya ended the call once accepting what needed to be done. It was simple enough, considering he didn't have anyone to kill or torture for information. As long as this meant he could work alone, Chuuya was glad. His life had reached a certain blissful limbo ever since Dazai's disappearance, not that he was complaining. Walking over to his hat, which was gracelessly laying on the floor, he felt the familiar smell reach his nostrils again—your smell, to be precise—and he almost froze as he reached to pick his hat. A sense of deja vu burned through his veins; strangely, these moments were occurring far too many times for him even to count. Some days, Chuuya could sense mornings repeat themselves, and nights disappear. Days would sometimes come to a standstill and sometimes, he'd lose them entirely. Time was breaking itself down rapidly, and sometimes, it grew numb.

Chuuya then did what Chuuya did best and ignored the entirety of it before letting his legs carry him to his next destination; he had always been a journey first, destination later type of guy, but Chuuya had mellowed down through the years. He wasn't the same free-spirited, arrogant 15-year old—he was now a man.

On reaching the bay Mori had mentioned, Chuuya's eyes narrowed when he spotted members of the Port Mafia having already been posted there. If people are here, then why'd Mori-san tell me to come here? Chuuya walked toward them before tapping a seemingly large man on his shoulder and waiting to hear from him.

"Ah, Chuuya-san! Thank goodness you're here!"

"What the f*ck's the hold up? If our guns are here, then just relocate—"

"We'd do that, but... there's a deranged person inside who's locked themselves in there! I think they've got an explosive and that could jeopardize everything! The guns, the dock, uh... Mori-san will—"

"Shut up, will ya?" If this was already annoying him, Chuuya could only wonder what the rest of the task would do. "Did you take a look at this deranged person?"

The man shook his head, "N-Not really. They've been here all morning, in fact."

"Oh? No one's seen this person get in?"

"I don't think so—"

"Tch, useless." Chuuya turned toward the entrance of the building and noticed how the shutters were closed.

"Also, one more thing, Chuuya-san," the man admonished, "There was a letter that was slipped out of the shutter. It was addressed to you."

This got his attention. Addressed to me? That's why Mori-san sent me here. Chuuya took the slip of paper before opening it, and on it was written with a neat cursive — 'I'm willing to speak to only Nakahara Chuuya, not anyone else. You do not know my ability, so if anyone approaches the building apart from him, I'll blow this place up.' A smirk landed on his face at the seemingly suicidal note that this person had written, and half of his mind wondered if it was Dazai who had played this ridiculous scheme. Letting out a breath, he waved his hand before walking toward the building and standing right in front of the shutters.

"Alright," He said loudly, "Open the damn shutters. It's me. Nakahara Chuuya!"

When the shutters did open, Chuuya stepped inside without a second thought; once he took close to six or seven steps inside, the shutters closed right behind him, keeping the light away. His eyes didn't waver, though. He had spotted the person in question's silhouette before the light left the room.

"This is mighty stupid," Chuuya said, laughing, "Blackmailing the Port Mafia? You're some idiot, aren't ya?"

"It isn't blackmailing, really," Came a familiar voice, and Chuuya froze. "It was a bad calculation, is all. I got a tip that there were illegal weapons here and I wanted to find out myself if that was true, but little did I know..." You stepped out of the shadow, with a sweet smile plastered over your face, "...that the Port Mafia was involved. By the time I could think of a justification, I trapped myself here and willingly gave myself to you."

It took him a couple of seconds to register what to say. He wasn't always thrown for a toss, Chuuya was sometimes quick-witted, but you seemed to have that annoying wit that reminded him of a certain suicidal moron. Your smile was infectious. But then again, so was the plague.

"You're not very smart, are you?" Chuuya countered with a straight face.

You only tilted your head in that annoyingly sweet way and said, "It wasn't a problem last night, was it?"

Chuuya's face brightened at the sudden recollection of your interactions from the night before. He turned his face away from you, not before regretting the action since that caused you to laugh at his sudden change in behavior. Chuuya wasn't shy, he didn't have a shy bone in his body—but, Chuuya could be put in awkward situations that made him feel bashful. Once your laughter ceased, he noticed how sullen your expression got suddenly. A dim look of hesitance plastered all over your face and there it was again—the deja vu—he recalled someone having written in a book he had once read that deja vu was simply a remembrance of the future. But then why had your facial expressions struck a chord in him the way that it had? Letting out a sigh, he pulled his phone out of his pocket before dialing the one person who could end this.

"Mori-san? Yeah, it's me. The issue's solved."

As soon as he placed his phone back inside his pocket, Chuuya chose to accept what he was feeling right then. Yes, it had been a one night stand with you, but something had been altered in the due course of time that he had spent with you. Ever since he laid eyes on you drinking alone in that bar, wine that he knew was cheap and low-class, ever since he had offered to buy you wine that you swore you'd love more than the cheap stuff you were drinking, Chuuya knew that interacting with you was a poison that he willingly swallowed, as if his life was dependent on it. Your quirky smirks, the way your eyes crinkled at the pressure of his gaze, the way you licked your lips after tasting the wine he had recommended, the way your eyes widened at the tenacity of the flavor, and the way your eyes met his, just a moment after, and a smile crawled its way to where a surprised look was—Chuuya was quite aware what this feeling was.

But, you had gotten out of bed hours before he could open his eyes. You had run away from the possibility of Chuuya getting to see those very reactions from you again. If you had denied him those experiences in the future, could Chuuya even ask them from you? It felt deeply insulting that you didn't choose to give them to him yourself, but for some reason, Chuuya didn't mind taking another step forward.

"What is it? You want me to repay you for saving my life?"

Chuuya scoffed before straightening his posture. "That's right. You owe me."

Your eyes twinkled at the teasing tone of his voice, "Oh? And what is it that I owe you, Nakahara Chuuya-san?"

"A date," He said, almost too quickly, knocking the air right out of you, "I want a date."

You were staring at Chuuya as if you were a blind person staring at the sun for the very first time. You weren't just surprised at his blatant honesty, but you were surprised that he had outright asked you out as if it were some demand. There was no hint of hesitation lodged in his voice, but that was Chuuya; he never hesitated before doing something he was sure would result in success. You had to give him more credit than that, honestly. You would have honestly laughed if your heart wasn't accelerating like a fawn running for its life, but at the same time, you were glad. More or less.

"I'm... surprised."

Chuuya scoffed before turning around to leave, "Yeah, I don't like it when I wake up to an empty bed. If we f*cked last night, then I'd like to know it was stellar. Or I'd rather it doesn't happen."

If that's the premise, so be it, you thought, a soft smile etched on your face. A smile Chuuya had seen many times before but simply had forgotten. When you walked out of there, no member of the Port Mafia followed you or even gave you a stink-eye, you were left to wander on your own. However, a hand gripped your wrist just as you were about to leave—your eyes widened to see Chuuya's intense gaze burning yours.

"Not a word to anyone about this."

It took you a second to realize he was talking about the ammunition and not him asking you out. When you blushed right then, you were glad he didn't spot it; or if he did, he didn't make too much of it. There was no need to say anything more, you knew when to meet him and what time as well. Just as the previous night. Chuuya never had to wait three days to know if someone was interested; Chuuya took what he liked because, for the most part, it definitely liked him back as well.

Unlike what most people believed about Nakahara Chuuya, he hated being angry. Even though he sported a constant frown across his face that he seemed to carry with pride, anger was quite rare for him to carry around with it. Anger made him feel vulnerable, dangerous—in a way that he didn't like; it deprived him of control, agency, dominance; it was a paralyzing emotion that rendered him helpless. He didn't need anger to get anything done—in fact, Chuuya was beyond that. However, that night, when he waited two hours for you to show up and you didn't, Chuuya felt a different sort of anger.

An ire born out of devastating humiliation was no ire at all. It was a rage nestled in a dark place, reminding him of the Corruption that he desperately wished to forsake. Chuuya not only felt humiliated for being stood up, he felt a deep, growing sorrow—a sorrow that didn't involve tears or screaming but silence, which was the worst indicator. Quietly, he left the bar where he had first met you and walked out only to notice that it was raining. One of the things he prided about himself was his ability to deduce things quickly—sure, he wasn't as witty as Dazai was, not that he'd ever admit that, but he was smart where he needed to be. Recalling details about you that most people would have forgotten seemed simple not because he was as talented as he thought he was, no, it was because you were impossible to forget. A drug that he just couldn't shake off.

His legs then carried him toward an area that seemed so familiar that he felt a wave of nausea itch at his throat. Chuuya clawed at his collarbones to stop the feeling from spreading but the nausea had reached his head and he felt as uncomfortable as when he had too much wine in a single night, on an empty stomach. Reaching a particular door that screamed at him for some godforsaken reason, Chuuya didn't bother knocking; the confidence bubbled inside his chest alongside the nausea. He spotted you on the couch, a bottle of wine in your hands—the wine he had recommended to you the night before—and your eyes widen at his sudden appearance.

"Chuuya!?"

"You f*cking stood me up—"

"How did you remember where I lived?"

Perhaps it was your choice of words. He was always good at guessing what people meant from the words they use, it had always been a certain gift he carried with himself. However, Chuuya didn't care right then. The ire rendered him blind. He rushed to you and knocked the glass off your hands, having it spill all over the carpeted floor before grabbing your collar and pulling you close. He was seething but for some reason, just the sight of you—surprised and quite possibly drunk from the wine—burned down his ire as if it were embers sparking off a tree trunk on a rainy night. Your silky robe slid off his hands with ease as he let you go, before darting his gaze away from you.

"Chuu—"

"I don't f*cking understand it either, alright?" He said, eyes stuck to the spilled wine on the floor. "I don't understand what this is, I don't understand why I can't let it go. I've had sex with women whose names I don't even bother to remember, but I can't forget your stupid f*cking face, or your stupid f*cking smile or the way you annoy the crap out of me. I can't forget how you'd rather drink cheap wine at the store and drink the wine that I f*cking recommended to you in secret, so I know there's something there, alright?!"

"Chuuya, I'm sorry—"

He looked at you with a deep frown, "What is it, then? Was the sex bad? Was it me—"

Your hands sprung to his face and it hit him again—the wave of deja vu—the feeling of your skin against his; it was intoxicating. He breathed in deeply, trying to recollect where he had smelt you before for it to have become so deeply rooted in his mind.

"How is it..." You began to mutter something under your breath but Chuuya's hand lifted your chin and forced you to meet his gaze, "Chuuya, I... I'm sorry. It's not that. It's not any of that. You're amazing. You're... I love you."

His eyes widened. Words that he normally would have run away from suddenly felt like home—he swore he had heard them before. He had heard them, from you, a long time ago and the smell of it resonated with the way you carried yourself. Apricots and honey, a smell so utterly natural yet devastatingly intoxicating, Chuuya was certain that whatever it was had to be love; because if it wasn't, then he didn't know what love was. Moving in, Chuuya's lips captured your own, and your hands quickly reached his hair before pulling him closer as if your life depended on it. A lovely trick designed by nature, Chuuya used it to silence you from uttering words right then. There was no need for words when action spoke so loudly. It didn't take long for his hands to reach your neck, pasting your body to his; and for this to lead further to a place of no return. Not that you minded, of course.

When Chuuya woke up, he smelt you. There was no long-forgotten feeling, there was no remnant that he desperately needed to remember—there was just you. You were breathing beside him, eyes closed, mouth slightly open, looking as peaceful as he had ever seen you; a sight he believed he had seen many times before. The intensity of which made him wonder if this was what people meant when they said soulmates existed; perhaps, he knew you in a past life, and had reunited with you in this one. Whatever it was, he felt content. His hand reached to brush a strand of stray hair off your cheek before noticing you inch closer toward him, blinding him with your scent again.

As established before, Chuuya was good at guessing what people meant by the choice of their words. He instantly remembered something odd that you had let loose the night before, something that made him wonder if there was a reason why he felt so intensely for you. Reaching forward and placing his hand at the back of your head, he pulled you to his neck, feeling your arms wrap around his naked chest. Chuuya's gaze fixed at the wall behind you before trying to decipher just what you had meant by 'How did you remember where I lived?'

A second later, you stirred before looking up at him and he cocked an eyebrow at your emotionless stare.

"God help me..." You said, "You're so pretty."

"Don't call me pretty." He argued, and you swore he could kill you with his morning voice and you'd be glad.

"Hey," He began, clearing his throat, "What did you mean by... what you said yesterday?"

"That I love you? Aw, Chuuya... Don't you know what that means?"

"No, you idiot. You asked me how I remembered where you lived. Why would you ask me that unless I..." His eyes widened. "Unless I somehow forgot..."

"Wrong choice of words, I guess. Forgive me, I was down three glasses of wine before you got here."

Chuuya laughed at your words right then before pulling you closer, feeling more content with your explanation than the gnawing suspicion that raged inside his brain. He wondered if love was an emotion that would constantly have him question every action, every thought, and every moment that occurred, but what did he know of love?

But then again, what didn't he?

Blissful days were cursed, or so he believed; Chuuya noticed how quickly they passed. He could, on some occasions, watch the days as they passed, exiting his body and seeing himself interact with the everydayness of things. The only thing that brought him life was to return home to you. Even with the ever-growing blissfulness, Chuuya didn't malinger. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling that every word that exited your mouth was a red herring—something that you were deviating from a fact that he had missed. He hated feeling like he was missing an important detail, but each time you smiled at him or stole a kiss, Chuuya was taken back to the very moment he fell for you.

Suddenly, as if his mind was taking him somewhere else, he recalled something. He didn't know if it was entirely a made-up scenario or something that happened in a past life because if it happened in this one, he'd have remembered. He spotted you, stumbling in front of a broken wine bottle, the owner of the store screaming in your ear—and you were trying to sound convincing. Chuuya watched himself walk over to you, and turn to the owner of the store before quickly understanding what had happened. You had dropped an expensive bottle of wine, and you had no means to pay for it; it caused him to chuckle a tad bit before throwing some money (or more) at the owner, causing you to turn to him with wide eyes. "It's alright," he had said to you, "I've got money."

Chuuya watched as he walked away from you, but missed how you had removed one of your shoes and thrown it at the back of his head. He froze before turning to you with a deadly expression, but instantly blinked when he noticed how heavily you were blushing before thinking, 'Holy shit, she's cute,' before having you walk over to him and scream—

"What do you think you're doing, pretty face?"

Chuuya stared at you as you chopped onions without shedding a single tear; he had no clue how you had learned to art to do so, but boy, was he glad you knew how to cook. You reached forward before using your wrist to wipe off a tear from his eye, scrunching a bit before realizing the onions must have done it. You giggled before turning back to them, chopping them quietly. That wasn't it, Chuuya thought, narrowing his eyes. That wasn't how he met you. He met you at the bar, where he spotted you drinking cheap wine and he walked over to you and recommended something else. He didn't meet you in a wine store—he didn't have a shoe thrown at the back of his head. Yet... His hand reached the back of his head and his fingers grazed the area where the shoe supposedly landed, It feels like it actually happened.

He shook his head before entwining his hands around your waist, before kissing the back of your neck. He wasn't usually so affectionate, but you didn't mind. Every time Chuuya touched you, it left scorch marks that were welcome; it was passion breathing fire, reflecting the color of his hair, the aura of his heart.

"What're you thinking?" You hummed, unaware of how intensely Chuuya was watching you.

"Nothin'."

Blissful days were cursed, Chuuya knew this for a fact. He could watch happy days pass by with him barely breathing, existing, feeling; but the bad ones lasted ages. He remembered walking into his own home one day, drenched in blood, covered with soot and mud, the urge to feel human contact was strong just then. He knew he could call you, he knew that he could rely on you especially since you had said the words 'I love you' to him over and over again, despite him having not said it in return. He wondered if that bothered you, he wondered if that made you want to leave him but you made no sign so far that you were displeased. He watched you like a hawk, after all, with that growing suspicion that drowned him on nights like these. He rang you in a moment, before feeling the phone vibrate next to his ear, his eyes ghosting on a dark patch in front of him. He needed your hands, your body, the smell of your hair; he needed the familiar apricot and honey to cover his nostrils whole. He needed you, just before asking you why you lied.

"Chuuya? It's 4 a.m., what's—"

"I need to see you."

You were quiet on the other end, wondering if he had figured it out. He must've, you thought, a bitter smile formed on your lips.

"I'll be there in—"

"No," He wasn't going to risk it, "I'm coming to you."

Your eyes glanced all over Chuuya's bloodied appearance before hearing the sound of your heart break—it was a soft sound, like a twig snapping under the weight of a stone. Your heart fell as he gave you his hat and removed his coat before you threw it into the wash. You led him to the bathroom, having him strip, and let him sit aside while you filled the tub. You knew he was watching you, you knew he was going to tell you the very same thing he had always told you.

"We need to stop this."

You didn't know why, but you laughed. Every single time that it had happened before, you had cried and asked him for an explanation, or even threw things at him—but this time, you laughed. This time, you desperately tried being away from him until he magically appeared at your home, shocking you to your very core at how your powers were slowly slipping off of him. You turned to spot Chuuya's eyes fixed at your form before a nasty frown formed on his face. You touched his cheek before whispering, "The bath's ready."

He sat in the water before letting out a groan, indicating that this was what he needed before he could reprimand you and leave you once again. However, just as you were about to leave, his hand gripped your wrist, another action that shocked you, and he stared at you.

"Wash my hair."

You nodded wordlessly before following through with it, wondering where this was going. All the other times, Chuuya would leave instantly after saying those words. All the other times, he'd ensure that he wouldn't see you for another month or so—before realizing that he had never met you. You weren't a cruel person, you were just desperately in love, having uncovered an ability that you thought could save you from torment. Yet, it presented more than it took away. One of the things you admired most about Chuuya was his hair, of how soft and luscious it was despite it being coated with blood on many days. You admired how well he took care of himself on the days that he could, and how he'd managed to put on that responsibility to you as well. You only began taking care of yourself because of him; and in a way, he had saved you.

"I..." Here it comes. "I didn't meet you for the first time at the bar, did I?"

You were quiet. But, silence at an occasion such as this was admittance.

"I've met you for the first time an exact three times. When you broke the wine bottle, and when you were scrambling around during a case, that's when I learned you were a journalist. And then... And then the bar,"

You didn't answer.

"I was chasing this guy, this..." He leaned his head over and sighed, "...this guy who ran off from the Port Mafia with some documents or some shit. He... He found you, and I... I thought I lost you," You couldn't tell if he was angry or just overwhelmed, "That's when I left you for the first time."

"Chuuya..."

"I left you one more time after. I can't remember everything..." His eyes met yours, steady and intense, "...and that's thanks to you, isn't it?"

"Chuuya, I—"

"You have an ability," He said, finally, "An ability to make people forget you."

You sat there, behind him, with your hands sunken in his locks. Your heart was rummaging against your chest and you bit your lip enough to draw blood; if he asked you why what could you say? Was there even a reason why you did what you did? Despite having him forget you for a total of three times, he had somehow magically returned, somehow asking for more and staying longer than he did before. It was almost a curse than anything else. The more you used your ability on someone, the less of an effect it would have each time. It was only a matter of time Chuuya figured things out. And now he had.

After the bath, he silently wore a change of clothes that you surprisingly had. He wanted to ask if this was from the first or second time he had met you, but he didn't. He turned to spot you standing a few feet away, before meeting his gaze.

"You did that for me, didn't you?" He was expressionless. To see Chuuya this way broke your heart. "So that it doesn't bother me."

"Also because I genuinely wanted you to stay away from me." You let out a laugh.

"I didn't f*cking stay away, did I?" He demanded, taking a step toward you, "No matter what stupid trick you used, I kept coming back!"

"You were the one who left first." You snapped, gritting your teeth.

Chuuya bit back his words for a moment before turning away. This action always melted your heart, when Chuuya turned away from you because you had stolen his words away.

"Things are different now, aren't they?"

"Yeah," They were different. He didn't leave. "Yeah, they are."

Silence followed a deep revelation such as this. His eyes didn't leave yours and you stared right back—it almost reminded him of the shoe-throwing incident. He chuckled before earning a frown from you.

"For being played around like that, I should be the one glaring at you." He scoffed.

"Chuuya, I love you."

It was at that second he remembered something. He believed you'd leave him because he hadn't told you he loves you or even bothered to say it back even when you had said it multiple times before already. However, at that second, he remembered that the first person to say those words between the two of you was Chuuya himself. I'm not going to leave, he thought before letting out a breath. He kissed the side of your head before wrapping an arm around your waist.

"Don't f*cking do that again." He scolded you.

"I could have stayed away from you each time, but you're like... a disease." You laugh.

He rolled his eyes before raising his voice, "Who're you callin' a disease?! If anything, you're a goddamn manipulator. F*cking stupid."

He rested his head on your shoulder before smelling the apricot and honey attached to your skin. It was just as intoxicating as the first time.

"I ain't leaving so..." His voice was muffled with how his mouth was pressed to your shoulder, "...I love you too."

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