#i already chitchat with some of y'all

[shuenkio]

Pretty please | Yjw. 🐇

Paring: Jungwon x m!reader : Genre: Fluffy

Synopsis: He was desperate to have you when he heard a conversation you'd never date him.

Cw: Cheesy line attack (12am cringe thought expect less y'all)

Non proof read | Eng is not my 1st lang

This is a work of fanfiction, do not throw unnecessary tantrums on this nsfw/sfw blog. ©Shuenkio

Crd dividers (Anitalenia) and the owner of pics

A&N: Head empty once filled when I was listening to ' pretty please ' such a mood what if he'd do these— (jkd au) you called these drabble right? Not sure... [This was so cringe at some point naurrr]

Imagine living your normal life peacefully until a cute guy comes crushing in. His name really did explain his own character. Like garden sheep? Pretty new and adorable.

But that was your first impression of him on the day you first met him in front of the school office. His face is round like a dumpling, his sharp eye liner is tight up above the end corner like a cat's eyes, and his pupils are as cute as boba. Jungwon is the most bubbly, lovely little guy ever. And it's actually what you were thinking back then.

Present time, He was a total opposite. Jungwon became taller, had buff body proportions, and last but not least, his maturity turned manly. Everyone would not dare approach him at school since his look could kill well for you; this was an exception. He still acts silly, like a ball of sunshine, just to get your eyes only. Who knows, maybe both of you are friends? Or did Jungwon think the other way?

Lately, the last few weeks after the exam, he started to act strange. He has a lot of physical touch, craves attention, is clingy like a koala, and would find any way to be with you, holding you in his grips. Growing suspicious and with a weird expression on his face, you wanted to ask him why, but before that could happen, he was already there.

During the times you talk to your friend, chitchatting about your crush, Jungwon happens to walk by and hears you saying—

"What? No, Jungwon was my boyfriend. Why would you think like that? There's no dating; don't get the wrong  idea." Denying the statement. Those sentences making Jungwon low-key sad about the fact he's giving all his signals to you just vanished. Msybey, it was not there; you're too oblivious to even bother to ensure him, so after school, Jungwon asked you to meet him somewhere you both usually go.

There he goes again—too strange, too weird—but you keep unziping until you get your answer.

When you arrived at the spot, you heard a sob while he was back facing you. Did you just hear him cry? Rare.

Heart almost dropped to the floor, turning him around as his face filled with broken pieces, red eyes, dry tears, and a puffing face. There's no way you actually witness your boyfriend crying; he's too cute to be in tears.

"What's wrong? Won-ie," asks him gently, trying to maintain the atmosphere as clear as clam ever. Hearing you ask only to fuel it even more, by seeing your face, he's already planned the future with you. He wants you; he likes you, but would you return his feelings? That day he eavesdropped, which is already enough, yet he can't accept it; he needs to do something.

"M/N, I have never cried before, but—can I ask something crazy?" Mumble in a low tone; try not to hic from streaming tears. Slowly lock his contact on yours, waiting for your next answer.

Nod and respond with action instead of words. Jungwon, then take a deep breath before kneeling on both knees, holding on to your hands.

Chin up, staring at your speechless reaction, as he processes to utter:

"Please take me; please love me, m/n. I had never done such cringe-worthy, cheesy things like these before, yet you made me. It's hard every day to not love someone like you. You're something I need every day, my very best friend, that I don't consider one but more than that!

Pretty please, I'll let you ruin my heart even if you have to just let me love you." Desperately, a lion could turn into a cat if it needed to; for what they love, unexpected things could happen. Jungwon is actually begging for you to let you hurt him just for him to love you?

"Jungwon—don't get me wrong, i uh ashh, you probably heard my conversation with my friends...

나도 좋아해"

🗣️Reblog and like is much appreciated ♥

🗣️ Please mind my English! ><

Ps: COPY AND PASTE KOREAN SENTENCE FOR BETTER EXPERIENCE 😜

[38livesalone-has3cats]

could you write for the impractical jokers with an s/o that has anorexia ? if that would be too triggering for you, i completely understand!!

hihi ! thank u for the ask :) i did my best with this and i didn't mention purging or binging because that's a lil triggering so i hope this is what you were wanting !!

The Impractical Jokers with a s/o with anorexia

-- tw; eating disorders(obv), unhealthy eating habits --

Sal

-he definitely monitors your eating as much as he can(in a loving way i swear, not trying to be creepy)

-texts you casual reminders to eat throughout the day, even if he know you won't

-he has your safe meals/meals he knows your comfortable with memorized

-y'all don't go out to eat often(he def has hellofresh or smth), but when you do, he makes sure to look up the menu with you beforehand and you guys plan what you'll get together

-he's very particular about what he eats so he has absolutely no shame while the two of you are out and will send back any food you mention isn't made the way you like

-honestly you could just give the plate a weird look and he's already calling the waiter back

-makes sure you take at least a few bites, but he won't force you into anything

-anywaysss

-sitting and eating with you is his love language atp

-he's always so proud of you, no matter what !! and he won't hesitate to tell you that

Joe

-we all know this man loves to eat

-he won't hesitate to finish your plate for you(after you take a few bites of course !)

-absolutely LOVES talking about sweet treats with you and honestly that's how he get's you to try new treats most times

-he will def get you to take silly pics with him with food connecting y'alls mouths or making silly faces with the food to "trick" you into eating

-his favorite dates with you are dinner dates, because he loves to chow down and he loves to watch his partner eat

-all in all he doesn't 100 percent understand ! but he supports you, loves you, and keeps you well-fed !

Murr

-he's genuinely so caring with you

-he makes sure you ALWAYS know how much he loves and cares about you

-he loves to pack lunches for the both of you, and he always leaves you cutesy little notes !!

-he insists that you two eat dinner together every night, he loves sitting down to unwind, chitchat, and share a meal with you(no matter how much you eat !)

-he can(and will) just go on and on about how beautiful he thinks you are

-he tells the guys that he doesn't understand how he got such a gorgeous person on his arm

-He will read books and watch yt videos to learn more about anorexia and how he can help

-will always keep it real with you when you start getting bad again, not in a mean way ! he just loves you and hates to see you that way

-loves to remind you of how far you've come in your relationships with food and your body

Q

-he's had his own struggles with depression, so although he may not completely understand, he gets it

-loves to curl up on the couch with you and watch movies; he'll hand-feed you a few bites of whatever snack he's got

-he's completely obsessed with you tbh

-he often brings home your favorite takeout for dinner because it's easy and he knows he can get you to take a few bites

-always wants to remind you how beautiful you are, rarely calls you by your name; it's always "gorgeous" or "beautiful" from him

-he will also text you throughout the day; he loves to yap about how his day is going, he'll also sneak in little reminders to eat a snack of some sort

-he will celebrate every little milestone with you, no matter how small or insignificant you tell him it is(he's buying you flowers, jewelry, the whole works)

-he's just so loving with you ugh

-on days where you're feeling extra weak or tired he's so gentle with you, he spends all day coddling you and making you stay in bed while he takes care of you

[herunswithscissors]

I'm the wife in my marriage.

It's funny to me anyway. Funny to me because my wife is the very picture of femininity, loving, caring, sexy, pretty, beautiful wife, loving and adored by all her children. And a satisfied and hot for her husband.

But to me she is beautiful and terrible as the Dawn! Treacherous as the Seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love her and despair!

And yet she chose me.

So to all the hella ladies who rejected my advances? Y'all missed out. Because she saw in me what way too many people couldn't. And sometimes still can't.

And she wants to run my life. And the lives of our whole family. And we all kinda love it. Mostly. But it ain't worth the headache or heartache of fighting her on anything. She's Daddy's little princess and her mother is the loving matron and queen bitch of the family and we all stay in line. Mostly. I love to do my own thing too much for my own good. But it keeps our fights about stupid stuff instead of my weed use again.

(I'm dead ass functional and present from 6am on till I finally get my insomniac ass too sleep while high just to escape the constant anxiety about my sick daughter's upcoming surgery, my dying suegro, my mourning wife, disturbed autistic son, special needs princess Daddy's girl I'm spoiling her to death to make her just as powerful and ungovernable mother and it's working too well already. Have you ever negotiated with a hostile bitchy entitled as fuck child? )

Anyway, you wouldn't know it looking at me or talking normal chitchat, but I'm pretty fucking manly. In the way my culture defines manliness. I'm not very masculine. But I'm very manly.

I'm feminine as fuck in my household. I mother the kids, help their emotional development, work on my wife's emotional and mental well-being, and I'm the one never in the mood for sex. And I do every single thing she says. And then she does the discipline and management of the family's affairs. And she's the one who has to seduce me. Did I mention she was sexy as fuck? (While I'm awkward as fuck every time we even roleplay.) And a horny Latina. (That's why these horny sexy, nice, Latinos are taking over. It's natural selection. The Whites just can't compete and as usual are getting their panties in a twist over not being able to compete even with everything in their favor to out reproduce them all but it was too many kids for a nuclear family to handle Whites.) So beautiful hot queen sexy as fuck Latina seduces me every night. #blessed. So fuck yeah I don't wanna fuck up this arrangement. So I do everything she tells me to and treat her real good and let her win every argument and over apologize. Except when I make a rare exception to make a stand in something important or just to make some trouble and have some fun.

Oh yeah. She's a clean freak 😮‍💨 But she's an impatient Latina housewife perfectionist clean freak. So she gets mad at my perfectly good job when company isn't ever coming job and tells me to stop even trying to clean. Go play Minecraft with your daughter to keep her occupied.🤣

I have the best living situation ever. I'll be your bitch my bitchy highness. Just please keep playing with my hair on your lap. Oh, and that sucking my dick the way you do and being right 95% of the time on judgement calls.

So yeah I'm the wife.

And I got a pretty good life.

[tongue-like-a-razor]

Faking It | Part I

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x F!Reader

Summary: Fake dating your friend, Bradley Bradshaw - what could possibly go wrong? Your sister is getting married and you need a date. You enlist Bradley's help and the rest is history.

CW: none that I can think of except that the reader's height is described as shorter than Rooster's.

This idea has been plaguing me so I had to get it out haha Hope y'all enjoy!

Bradley watches you skeptically. You have yet to convince him that pretending to be your date for your sister’s wedding is an outstanding idea. Your mother has undoubtedly invited a whole slew of bachelors because she thinks you might need some help in the romance department. You decidedly do not. Despite the fact that you are struggling to even get a fake date.

You make a face at him. “I will owe you,” you say. “Anything you want.”

He shrugs. “I don’t want anything.”

You roll your eyes. “C’mon, Bradshaw,” you plead. “I’ll do your laundry for a week.”

He purses his lips, not looking overly enticed.

“I’ll come over once a day and do all your dishes.”

“We’ve got Hangman for that.”

“Hangman does your dishes?” you ask incredulously, trying to picture Jake Seresin in an apron with a dishtowel thrown over his shoulder.

Bradley chuckles. “He lost a bet last week.”

You let out a soft laugh, then get back to business. “I’ll clean your room,” you offer.

“I’ll have you know that my room is immaculate,” Bradley replies.

You scoff. “Then do this for me out of the goodness of your heart!”

Bradley chuckles slightly. “I don’t know, Y/N. This is a big ask.”

“Please, my mother is rounding up all the eligible males on the western seaboard as we speak.”

Bradley laughs. “What does your mother have against landlocked states?”

“I don’t know. Political ideology?”

Bradley snorts. “Have you asked Hangman?”

You groan. “Please don’t make me ask Hangman. He will never let me live this down.”

Bradley nods. “That is true.”

“It’s just a weekend. A few photos here and there. Some superficial chitchat with my grandparents about the importance of educational funding for our nation’s youth. My niece loves airplanes so you can tell her all about your latest mission” –

“My classified mission?”

“Well, leave out the classified parts,” you retort impatiently.

Bradley contemplates your proposal while your mind scrambles trying to determine something that might make it worth his while.

“Free drinks for a week,” you say, wiping the already dry bar to give your free hand something to do.

Bradley raises his eyebrows. “You can’t do that.”

You roll your eyes. Bradley Bradshaw will never go along with a scheme unless it is one hundred percent above board. “Meaning I will pay for them. I get a discount on the alcohol.”

Bradley gives you an amused look. “So, you wish to buy my services.”

You let out a frustrated groan. “I told you, I will do anything you want.”

“Well, I don’t want you paying my tab,” he replies casually.

You lean into the bar with a heavy sigh, bringing your face closer to his. “You are really grinding my gears, Bradshaw,” you say.

His eyes lift to your face as he lets out a wry chuckle.

“Do you really think a weekend with me will be so torturous?” you ask.

“Nah,” he says, leaning back in his stool nonchalantly, but you wonder if he does it to expand the space between your faces. “I wasn't actually going to refuse. Just like to see you sweat.”

He chuckles, ducking as you go to smack him with the towel you just used to wipe the bar.

…

“Aunt Barb is a hard-ass,” you say in a low voice, turning your head toward Bradley as your aunt makes a beeline for you at the rehearsal dinner. You end up talking into Bradley’s shoulder because he’s so much taller than you and he instinctively lowers his head so he can hear you better.

“What’s that, shorty?” he mutters, and you roll your eyes at the nickname. But the next moment, you can feel his breath on your forehead and you gulp when his palm flattens against your back. You had been the one who'd asked him to pretend to be your boyfriend, but you hadn’t actually considered what that might entail. Apparently, it entails Bradley Bradshaw’s hand on your lower back and a woozy sensation in your gut akin to a 200-foot roller coaster drop. You aren’t too fond of roller coasters.

You glance up at him and your eyes meet for a split second. Bradley promptly straightens his back. You let out an unsteady sigh and say, “Aunt Barb will be questioning you; be prepared. Have you read my notes?”

Bradley gives you a pointed look. “Of course, I read your notes.”

But as Aunt Barb approaches, you feel Bradley’s touch along your back waver until his hand finally drops at his side.

“Y/N!” your aunt exclaims, giving you a kiss on each cheek. She blinks up at Bradley expectantly.

“This is Bradley,” you say. “This is my aunt, Barb.”

Bradley holds out his hand. “It’s great to meet you,” he says.

Aunt Barb gives him a crafty smile. “Is this your boyfriend, Y/N?” she asks, but her question is directed more at Bradley than at you.

Bradley returns her smile. “That’s me,” he replies, giving you a quick glance.

“Oh, good,” your aunt says. “We were starting to get worried after that whole fiasco with Steven.”

You stare at her as Bradley turns to you. “Who’s Steven?” he asks.

Aunt Barb gives him a probing look. “You don’t know?”

Bradley eyes you inquisitively. “Should I?” he asks, still looking at you.

“Her ex, of course,” Barb continues. “He’s here, you know?”

You peel your gaze away from Bradley to look at your aunt. “What? Why?”

She shrugs. “He’s friends with the groom, of course. Or have you forgotten?”

You grimace. You don’t remember Steven being exceedingly close with your sister’s fiancé, so the fact that he somehow weaseled his way into this function aggravates you greatly.

When your aunt walks away, Bradley turns to you with his eyebrows raised. “Steven wasn’t in your notes.”

You give him a sour look. “He wasn’t supposed to be here.”

Bradley shrugs. “Still think you should’ve mentioned him. Was it serious?”

“Nope,” you respond curtly, ready to put the topic to rest.

Bradley seems to sense your reluctance to engage in this particular conversation and drops the subject. “Shall we go grab some drinks?”

You’re about to respond when your mother appears before you and you nearly bump into her. “Mom!” you exclaim in surprise.

“Y/N, why are you so jumpy?” she asks.

You shoot a nervous glance in Bradley’s direction, but he appears unfazed. “Afternoon, ma’am,” he says, bowing his head slightly.

Your mother looks over at Bradley with a judgemental air. “Are you the aviator?” she asks with a hint of distaste in her tone.

“Indeed,” Bradley responds, giving you a confident look before glancing back at your mother.

But your mother is no longer paying Bradley any attention. She turns back to you. “Steven is here,” she says.

You let out a sigh. “Yes, I know, mother.”

She gives you a knowing look before glancing back at Bradley. “We all thought they were going to get married,” she says with an artificial smile.

Bradley raises his eyebrows and nods his head slowly. “You must be disappointed,” he says.

Your mother seems pleased with his response and nods at Bradley vehemently. “They have a lot of history,” she says.

You close your eyes. “Mom, stop.”

“I’m just saying, he’s here,” your mom says. “Do with that what you will.”

You blink at her. “I will do nothing.”

Bradley watches you squirm sympathetically and, when you glance up at him defeatedly, he takes you by the hand. “Ma’am, it’s been a pleasure,” he says and starts to pull you away. “We just want to hit the bar before the first course.”

“Sure.” Your mom gives him a quick nod and throws a pointed look in your direction.

You cling to Bradley’s hand gratefully, even going as far as clutching at his arm with your other hand just to get away faster. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” you whimper.

He looks down at you, squeezing your hand. “It’s why I’m here, right?” he says.

“Right,” you agree, feeling his bicep flex under your fingers as his hand tightens around yours.

…

After dinner, you make your way through the crowd to the bathroom. The evening is nearly over and it seems that you and Bradley have put on a reasonably convincing charade. Bradley’s relaxed disposition has made the evening infinitely more enjoyable than you could have imagined and you find yourself feeling almost sorry that the night is coming to an end. Almost. Because, after all, you won’t be able to take a real breath of relief until you’re in the comfort of your room.

You’re lost in your thoughts as you walk back to your table and you completely miss the fact that your ex-boyfriend has spotted you and is heading your way.

“Y/N!” he exclaims as if he’s surprised to see you attending your own sister’s wedding rehearsal.

You blink at him in alarm. “Steven,” you say with a slight grimace, kicking yourself for not checking your surroundings before making your way across the open floor.

Your eyes scan the tables, desperately searching for Bradley. When you locate him, you can see that he’s already watching you.

Steven steps closer to you, holding out his hands. “It’s good to see you, Y/N,” he says, leaning in for a hug.

You recoil as he tries to put his arms around you. “Is it?” you ask, holding up your hand to keep him back. The last time you saw him, he was throwing every insult imaginable in your direction.

Over Steven’s shoulder, you can see Bradley getting out his seat and starting to make his way toward the two of you, a stony expression on his face.

“You look great,” Steven continues, finally lowering his arms.

“Uh, thanks,” you say uneasily just as Bradley steps around Steven to face him.

“Everything alright here?” Bradley asks, his eyes sliding between you and Steven.

“Mm-hm,” you say, instinctively shifting closer to Bradley as Steven continues to scrutinize your every move.

“I’m Bradley,” he introduces himself, confidently extending his hand to Steven.

“Steven.” Steven takes his hand tentatively and you can see the slight wince on his face as Bradley crushes his hand in a handshake.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Steven,” Bradley says, and you look up at him sharply.

“Oh, really?” Steven lifts his eyebrows, giving you a smirk.

“No,” Bradley replies flatly.

Steven blinks at him in confusion, clearly taken aback.

Bradley slides his arm around your waist possessively and you lean into him slightly, relieved that he’s playing his part so perfectly.

Steven gives Bradley a hostile look which Bradley expertly returns. Then, he lowers his face, saying, “Drink?”

“Yes, please,” you say, letting out a sigh.

“You take care, Steven,” Bradley says, wheeling you around in the direction of the bar.

Part 2

[christophersdicc]

Christopher Velez • Perfect Illusion • @besosdecnco's 500 Followers + Writing Contest

Okay so I just got back from writing this shitty story but this is for @besosdecnco's writing challenge and it was like a "sequel" of some sort or maybe a different interpretation of the story. It was super sad. The way this bitch wrote her piece is fucking impecable. It was raw and emotional that's why it gave me a big inspo to write a different version of somesort.

Here it is, hope y'all enjoy.

* * * * *

Forever. It's the word that brings life to a thing. It brings sorrow to a person. It brings agony to an indicted criminal. But when it comes to love, it's the most precious word that you would want to hear. Sometimes, it was said in an understatement because we never know what's going to happen. But often it's an overstatement. Stating facts, or lies rather, that a person can stay on someone's side forever. And in this world full of lie, would you be able to trust this word? For her case, the answer is clearly a no. And for his case, it's an overstatement.

"We will be forever." His words are soft and vibrant. The morning makes his voice so sexy and so manly. She thinks it was the most beautiful music you can hear. As the lights in the room shoot inside the room, his eyes glimmer with joy and excitement. Another day to face with his love. His greatest love. As he slide his arms on her jawline, he carefully pressed his red lucious lips on hers, biting his lips a little that shoot million of volts on her spine. A sensation she always want to feel. Like a drugs. She getting high on it. Suddenly, a buzz of an annoying piece of technology rung and the sound is horrendous. It's a new day for both of them but they must face it together.

"Chris, you're home!" As he put his bag on the floor, he run to her finding her smiling back at him while chopping some colorful vegetables on the kitchen counter. She noticed that his usual happy and bright man, is tired but the guy still managed to hugged her one and only love. It's making her happy. Her heart is jumping up and down like crazy, a sensation that never goes out since the first day she met him in a concert in her hometown. Things get heated out as he plant his lips on her jawline, nibbling every bit of her skin, her hands grasping his hard and bulging biceps through the leather jacket, his eyes full of lust and her eyes full of love. His pants and every squeeze into her back part makes her squirm a little and it sends deep-voiced laugh from him. He decided to sweep all the stuff on the kitchen table, plates and bowl falling on the floor broken but he doesn't care. He lift her on the countertop and things went from sweet to spicy.

"I'm leaving for a couple of months for the tour, I hope you don't mind." Why would she mind? It's his dream to tour around the world and it's what she signed up for. As they give their sweet nothings and cute little chitchats on the airport, she feels a little pinch on her heart: a feeling everytime he goes away for rehersals or hang out with her band mates that. She take away or shook the feeling. It's like a part of her now. But on the other hand, he knows his mn will be living the best of life. A life that a simple girl can't give. A life that he deserved. Well, the boy is talented enough to win some shit. But you can't take away the feeling of being left. It's hard and it hurts you. She just said to herself that he's coming back. Wiping the tears that rolled down her cheeks, she received a what it seems like a final kiss to give her reassurance that he's coming back.

"Would you do the honor of becoming Mrs. Christopher Velez?" A question which she waited for a long time. And it was worth it. She bobbed her head up and down to signal him that it's a yes, because words can't even describe the happiness she's feeling. And as per usual, she's crying, but this time, it was a genuine happiness. He immediately tool the ring out of the red velvet box and shoot it into her long almost-white finger. The cold palladium ring is sending her to other dimension, a dimension where happiness is the only thing that exist and it made her dizzy for quite a bit. He got up and he immediately cupped her face and kiss the life out of her like he never did before. It was the sweeteat moment of her like, his likewise. It was a successful wedding proposal and he thought it's going sideways but it's not. A cheer was heared from around them: their family and friends, and the his band mates, supporting him and her all the way. This is the start of fulfillment of his promises.

"I thought you'll love me forever." As the tears run down her cheek, not from a happy moment but from a sorrow. His love fades. As the time goes by, every time he is not with her, every time he looks at someone beautiful, every time he forgets that he has someone home, his love for her fade little by little until it was gone. Gone in the wind. Now she alone in the place where she used to call a home, it's now an empty space: without him. Without the light and warmth of his embrace, the deep voice reverberating through the walls, the sound of cackling whenever they sit in the living room couch and playing like kids, the love is already gone. Now she believes that all promises are not made to be fulfilled or upheld forever but it was a lie made by someone who is infatuated, a word that gives you comfort but will slice your throat if it had a chance. She should've never believed in him. She thinks fool of herself.

"I'm sorry but this is the end." Unfotunately for her, he still loves him. And it hurts him more than a specimen being played by a mad scientist.  She blurted the words she used to say to him and him to her but only greeted by deafening silence. She never thought silence could be that loud. She pleaded to say the words she want to hear, just to ease the sharp pain striking through her heart but his love was just an illusion. A perfect illusion.

The regrets she felt: by the time they met, the first time they held hands, the first time they kissed. She regrets it all. All of it. Now she's holding the paper that will break the sacrament of their marriage, picking up the pen and putting her signature on it, she thought the tears have already dried but she was wrong. She still loves him and the tears that used to be beacuse of happiness is now replaced by grief. She took a one last look at him and smiled while wiping her own tears, walked straight out of the door of a corner of a law firm. This is the end. He looked at her and his big eyes shed a tear. He regrets what he did. Well, at least she will be getting a good amount of his fortune but that is not the point. He knew she will be sad and miserable but he hoped she will find happiness. The happiness that she used to give. And he thought, it was just an illusion. A perfect illusion.

[oppatxtme]

Lee Sunghwa/GRAY: Just Tonight

xLee Sunghwa/GRAYx

A/N: Hello there fam ~ I am sorry if it’s taking me way too long to post some new fics/scenarios. Adulting hit me so hard. But anyways, be assured that I never forget y’all. To be honest, I missed y’all. I am here. Just trolling most of the time. Anyways, here is a birthday short story. Hope y’all like it. <3

Keep in mind that English is not my native language so there might be some spelling and grammar error. Sorry for my lack of talent and I promise to work hard on this. Thank you and please enjoy. Any feedback is well loved. <3

[masterlist]

"So, is he coming?" one of your friends asked.

You smiled. It's your birthday party. Who's boyfriend on the right mind will not be in his girlfriends birthday party?

"Maybe? Not sure. He said he's finishing some editing for his pending projects." you said shrugging. Not sure if your face didn't show how bitter you feel.

"Well, he better show up. It's your freaking birthday."

"Yea. Even though it's work, you're his woman. We understand that he doesn't like chitchats with many people but at least his presence is needed here."

You did not answer. How can you? They are right. You're in a relationship with him for almost two years and many of them really didn't get a chance to know him really. Every time your friends set up a group date, he's locked up at his studio, ending up you being the plus one of the group.

You can't blame them having their doughts about your relationship with Christian.

You busied yourself assisting your friends. You tried your best to not look up your phone and the time. The time that past by and still Christian hasn't shown up and failed to even text or give you a call.

"I think he's not coming, huh?" Jessi stated. You shrugged. "Then if that's the case, why don't we stay over - drink and make our selves drunk like the good old days."

"Yea! Yea! It's been a while we gather like this. It's rare so let's make for it." Hoody agreed.

You automatically looked at Jessi's boyfriend and Hoody's "friend".

"Are you sure that it's fine?" you voiced out while looking at the two guys.

"Of course!" all of them said.

"Alright. Let's wait for the others to leave then." you smiled.

------

Most of your other friends headed out. They kissed their good bye's and greet you for the last time. You thanked them. Some of them mentioned their dismay not meeting "The Christian Yu", your so-called boyfriend.

You apologized and said he's busy with work.

"Okay, guys! ITS TIME TO GET WASTED!" Jessi announced and you can't help but laugh.

"Oops! I think we don't have enough booze," you said while looking at your fridge.

"Don't worry. I called Gray-Oppa to bring us some." Hoody said while waving her hand as if it was nothing. As if you and Gray wasn't your ex-boyfriend.

20 minutes later, your doorbell rang.

"Hey! Happy birthday, sexy lady." Gray said as he kissed you on your cheeks. He smiled as he raised the plastic bag containing beer cans.

You moved aside for him to walk inside. While he removed his shoes he said, "I hope you don't mind me coming, I heard he's not here." he meant Christian.

"Of course not. I'm glad you could make it."

------

"5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1! Happy Birthday (Y/N)"

Everyone make a circle, you in a middle and hugged and kissed you. You never felt so happy. Nothing beats being surrounded by genuine people on your special day.

Hours passed and most of Y'all are drunk. Jessi and his boyfriend already find their way to my spare room.

"I think I have to get going." Hoody's "friend", said while gathering his things.

"Awww." You said. You know you're already at your limit because if you are in your right mind, you're not someone who's making cute sounds or more likely flirty like your body's doing right now.

"I have things to tend to before lunch later. And if I stay, I'm not sure if I can get up early to be there," he said apologetically.

"Hoody..." you said as you tried waking her up. But it's no good, she's already drooling at your couch.

"Okay man. I'll lead you out." Gray stand up - barely. He's at his limit as well. You know it since he keeps laughing even theirs no one's saying any jokes.

"Bye. Thank you for coming!" you manage to shout while you let yourself fall on the floor, making your one arm as a pillow.

You can feel the footstep getting closer on where you at. It stopped. You heard a sighed.

"(Y/N)... get up. Let's call it a day. You'll catch a cold if you lay there for too long." Gray said.

"No. One more round!" You immediately sit up that you almost bump at Gray's head.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

You looked at your phone. It's almost 3 am and the last message you received from your boyfriend was already 24hours ago. No missed call. No midnight greeting. Not even a single text!

"I'm fucking sure. Now, open that can would you."

------

In just 4 cans, you are already laughing with Gray, like true drunks. There's even a time that Hoody throw a pillow at you because you're being too loud.

After that, Gray come closer at you and whisper something about Hoody and her so-called friend. But you didn't understand any of it because all you can focus with is how you felt when his breath landed on your ear. There is even a moment that his lips touch the tip of your ear.

When he is done and looking at you - no idea what's running in your mind. He is waiting for a reaction from you about what he just said.

You just laugh, then he looked away and you grab your phone. You text Christian. After making sure it was sent. You turned it off. You set it aside.

You looked at the man in front of you. He starts talking about something happened at his latest project. He stopped when you suddenly try standing up but failed to do it alone, so he immediately holds you to support you or rather support each of you since he barely manages to stand up as well.

The way he wraps his arms around you is more off hugging you than supporting you to stand. You felt warn all over your body.

"I'm sorry. I think I'm tired, we should go to bed." You tried to stand still. You turned to face him. You saw how red his face. Maybe it's because he's drunk. He looked at you as if memorizing every bit of your face.

You lean closer to give him a peck on his cheek to say good night. But your lips landed to his lips. It shocked the hell out of you, but you hide it inside and act as if it was nothing.

You felt his lips were about to move, so you panicked and move away from him. But before you can completely enter your room, he caught your left arm. He made you face him.

"What?" You asked.

"What? I'm the one who should ask that." He said while his other hand touches his lips. "Earlier, when your texting someone. It was for Christian, right?" You nod. "Don't tell me you just broke up with him through text? Isn't it a bit cruel?"

"Then I won't tell you." You can't help but felt embarrassed because you know that he was right. It seems that alcohol is slowly leaving your body. "Aish! I'm going to bed."

You tried pulling you arm that he was holding but Gray pulled you even closer making you bump to his chest. You looked up to see his face.

"Not unless I said so." He said then lean down to kiss you. "Cause, tonight you are mine."

[masterlist]

LIKE - REBLOG - FEED BACK - HIT ME UP

[tayegi]

New Rules Ch. 8

Word Count: 17,457

The day after the date auction, a meeting is held in the sorority to discuss what to do with the proceeds. You've been busy hiding in your room all day out of embarrassment after your humiliation on stage at the auction, but you force yourself to leave the comfort of your bed for the meeting. Normally you'd be content allowing your sisters determine what to do with the proceeds themselves, but you overheard Jisoo mentioning that they invited BTS's community service committee along to choose a charity, and you don't trust those fuckbois one bit. Knowing them, they'd probably choose lifetime subscriptions to pornhub or some shit as their charity action.

Just the thought of that makes your blood boil and you quicken your pace down the hall. As soon as you reach the conference room at the other side of the building, you dramatically fling the door open, ready to interrupt the conversation. But before you can get a single word out, someone calls out your name.

"___! You're here."

You look up and almost jump out of your skin in terror at the sight of Jeon Jungkook sitting in the direct center of the room. "Oh, J-Jeon," you stammer, "What are you doing here?"

He beams at you, "I'm part of the community service committee in BTS."

He's cleared the seat next to him, but you quietly take a seat as far away from him at the table as you can. You haven't spoken since that uncomfortable exchange backstage, when he had lost his temper with you, and to say this is awkward is the understatement of the century.

"I see," you simply say before dropping your gaze to your lap.

All around you in the room, people whisper amongst themselves. They're undoubtedly talking about the two of you. That little stunt Jungkook pulled yesterday turned heads. And now you know the gossip mill will be unstoppable. You haven't been under this much scrutiny since Freshman year. You slink lower in your seat and pray for the ground to open up and swallow you whole.

"Hey, ___!" A boisterous voice breaks through the heavy tension.

"Oh, Hoseok!" Immediately, your countenance changes entirely, and you can't stop the brilliant smile that lights up your face. His summery presence is just addicting and a much-needed respite in the tense room. You jump to your feet to greet him with a hug.

He laughs in response and squeezes you back before dropping into the seat next to you, "How've you been, love?"

"Good! I'm all done with finals, what about you?"

"Same. Though I've been dying from practice… we've got the championship game this weekend. You're gonna be there to cheer me on, right?"

The way dimples form in his cheeks when he smiles at you makes your heart skip a beat, "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" You boldly declare, somehow fighting off the urge to swoon.

He chuckles at your exuberance, "I'll give you one of my jerseys so you can show everyone who you support, okay?"

"Ooh, that would be great!" you exclaim, your eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Cool. I'll just stop by to—"

"Can you guys please shut up? We're trying to have a meeting here."

Both of you turn in surprise to find Jungkook glaring at you from across the room.

"… but the meeting hasn't started yet."

"Yeah, probably because we can't with all your noisy chitchatting," he snaps back.

"But… but Jisoo isn't even here."

"So what?" he growls, "Does that give you a right to disturb everyone else?"

You and Hoseok exchange a look, "Jungkook, I—"

But at that moment, Jisoo finally walks in, and Jungkook takes that as an opportunity to angrily jump to his feet, "Aha! What did I tell you?!"

Chastened, you and Hoseok awkwardly slink down in your seats. Jisoo raises an eyebrow at the commotion, "Are you guys having a lover's spat or something? Settle this later during your date, ___."

Jungkook brightens up at that reminder, "That's right! Where are you taking me, ___?" he asks with a playful grin.

Embarrassed, you stare down at your feet, refusing to make eye contact, "I dunno," you mutter, "Just worry about your game for now…"

"I'm taking my date to Visotti's!" A pretty girl with waist-length black hair calls out, uninvited, "No one copy me!"

"Pssht, that's so lame," a second girl with pink highlights rolls her eyes, "I'm treating my date to a home cooked meal."

Jisoo beams at the two of them, "Wow, those are both great ideas! I'm glad that you guys are going through all this effort!"

"Of course. It's the least I can do after all that money he bid on me," the pink-haired girl says with a giggle.

"I like your hair," you blurt out at that moment.

She blinks at you in confusion, "Um… thanks?"

"Where did you get it done?"

"Oh, I do it myself!" She says with a smile, "If you want, I can show you later."

"Really?" you say, eyes popping open in surprise, "Oh my god, that would be so—"

"Ahem! Ladies, we're already late starting the meeting," Jisoo interrupts with a glare.

"Yeah, because of who…?" you can't help muttering under your breath.

Jisoo wisely chooses to ignore you. "Anyways," she says, turning back to the meeting with a clap of her hands, "We have just finished counting up the tokens and calculating the final amount raised from the charity auction… And the final amount is… drum roll please!"

Some of the sisters good-naturedly follow her instructions, drumming on the table and their thighs to build up the anticipation.

Jisoo smiles mysteriously, then announces, "Three thousand, five hundred and twenty-six dollars!"

There's a brief moment of stunned silence, then the whole room bursts into commotion.

"Are you serious?"

"Oh my god!"

"That's amazing!"

Jisoo happily claps her hands together, "This couldn't have happened without all of your help! Thank you guys all for participating, and let's give a round of applause to the BTS brothers for helping us out!"

You dutifully clap along, but nudge Hoseok with a playful roll of your eyes. He simply laughs and reaches over to ruffle your hair.

"It's not like we had a choice," someone mutters under his breath, and you don't have to look up to know that it's Jungkook.

Once again, Jisoo politely ignores the microaggression, "Anyways! Now, we should decide on which charity we should donate the proceeds to! We have come up with a list of potential organizations over the summer, but we would love any other suggestions BTS would like to add," she says as she passes around handouts with all the charities listed, "Then, at the end of the meeting, I'd like us to take a vote."

You shoot your hand up before you even receive your copy of the handout, "Can I make a suggestion, Jisoo?"

The sorority president flashes you a wary look before reluctantly agreeing, "Sure…"

"What if instead of donating all this money to a charity organization, which for all we know, may not be distributed properly, we could do some hands-on community service instead?" you suggest.

No one responds to that for a moment. And when two BTS brothers share a look of discomfort, you realize that it's a lost cause.

"Um… maybe?"

You deflate in your seat, "Never mind," you grumble.

"There are plenty of other organizations that do that," Jisoo reminds you, "And community service itself is free… If you want to organize something like this on your own, you're more than welcome to, ___."

You moodily cross your arms over your chest, "…Fine."

"Anyways!" Jisoo exclaims with a clap of her hands, trying to brighten the mood, "Where should we donate the money we raised?"

"What about the humane society?" A cute sorority sister with long, waist-length black hair offers.

"Oh yeah, great idea!" A BTS brother sporting a cap pulled over his eyes quickly chimes in, "Y'all know I love me some puppies and shit. You're so smart, girl," he enthusiastically compliments her.

She giggles in response, "You like puppies?"

"Yeah, girl. I love those little fuckers."

"Awww," she coos, resting her chin on her hand to peer at him, "That's so cute."

"What the fuck?" you rudely interrupt their flirting.

"Alright I'll put down the humane society as an option," Jisoo says, wincing slightly, "Any other suggestions?"

"The red cross?" Someone calls out.

"Ok, I'll add that to the list," Jisoo says as she scribbles on a piece of paper.

"Rotary foundation?"

"Got it."

"The pink ribbon foundation?" A voice to your left offers.

You turn to beam at Hoseok, impressed by his contribution. He winks back at you, and this gives you the courage to raise your hand and make your own suggestion, "What about the feminist majority foundation?"

But to your surprise, this suggestion doesn't the same sort of encouragement and support that the other ones did. Instead, a hush falls across the room, and your fellow sorority sisters look uncommonly flustered.

You glance around in confusion, but no one meets your eyes, "What?" you ask, "What'd I say?"

"She's just a bit rowdy," the long, black-haired girl whispers to the puppy-loving fuckboi, as though apologizing for an embarrassing relative.

"___, you can't impose your radical views on everyone," Jisoo wisely informs you, "Let's try to find a more neutral organization that everyone can agree with."

Anger rises in your chest, "What are you even talking about?" you exclaim, "How is this not a topic that affects everyone?! I mean, I love puppies as much as the next person, but this foundation raises awareness about women's rights issues!"

To your dismay, your sisters look away in embarrassment. "Oh my god… here she goes again…" one of them whispers under their breath, making your face heat with equal parts indignation and shame.

You open your mouth to angrily defend yourself, but to your surprise, someone beats you to it—

"Pray tell exactly how this could be a radical view?" A deceptively cool voice calls out.

A dozen heads snap to look at the owner of the voice, and Jungkook unflinchingly stares back.

"Ah, Jungkook, you know what I meant," Jisoo nervously attempts to appease him, "There's nothing wrong with being a feminist, but trying to oppose your views on others is a bit problematic."

"Yeah, exactly!" The black-haired sister exclaims, sneaking a quick peek at the fratbrother she's been flirting with, "Not that I don't agree with some of the views, but feminists take it way overboard. I'm definitely not a feminist, and I—"

"Why not?" Jungkook rudely interrupts. She cowers under the heat of his glare and drops her eyes to her laps. Undeterred, Jungkook continues "I think you guys are fundamentally misunderstanding what feminism is…"

"Dude, what are you talking about right now?" The baseball cap guy says with a playful jab towards Jungkook's ribs, trying to defuse the situation, "Chill."

But Jungkook barely spares him a glance before he continues, "Feminism is defined as the advocacy of equality between sexes… So by this very definition, if you're not a feminist, then you're a sexist."

"Hey, so wait a minute—are you trying to say that you're a feminist, bro?" The baseball cap guy pulls a face, as though he finds this hilarious.

The cool intensity of Jungkook's gaze stops him in his tracks, "Yes, I am. And are you trying to say that you're a sexist, bro?"

"I… I—no, of course not," he splutters.

A tense silence falls across the room, where everyone can only look down at their hands in extreme discomfort. But you can't stop staring at Jungkook, as though seeing him for the first time. Why is he acting like this? Is it because of you? Maybe he's just trying to get your attention… But the fact that he's called them out in front of everybody without a single ounce of shame… It's impressive to say the least.

"Okay, okay, I'll add this organization to the list," Jisoo concedes, desperate to get the meeting back on track.

Jungkook's demeanor instantly changes like the flip of a switch, "Great!" he beams, "Thanks so much."

Jisoo shoots him a look of suspicion before cautiously continuing. Luckily, the atmosphere finally lightens and peace is restored to the conference room as people debate the pros and cons of each organization. But for once, you can't bring yourself to focus, not even about issues so dear to your heart. For some reason, you can't stop looking at Jungkook.

Finally, the meeting is over and you pack your things to walk out with Hoseok. But on your way out of the conference room, you accidentally overhear a conversation by the black-haired girl and her baseball cap friend—

"Ugh, he was so mean to me!" She exclaims as they walk down the hall together, "Was what I said really that stupid?!"

"No, not at all, babe," he instantly comforts her, "Don't take this personally—Jeon's always like that."

"Really?"

"Yeah, randomly he just goes on these social justice tirades. Like when he made us stop using straws to save the sea turtles… or when he created a mixtape for this anti-domestic violence campaign. I don't know. Homeboy's weird."

"Oh, phew. That makes me feel better," she says in relief.

They might be saying more, but you've zoned them out at this point. All you can think about is how wrong you were. Jungkook wasn't doing this for you… to impress you or some shit, the way the baseball cap guy tried to impress that girl with his exaggerated love of puppies. Jungkook called them out and caused a scene at the meeting because… because he genuinely believed in what he was saying. Because he genuinely wanted to do the right thing.

For a moment, your chest constricts so hard that you can't even breathe. You freeze in the middle of the hallway until Hoseok nearly runs into you.

"Whoa, ___, are you okay?"

"Yeah," you murmur, although you don't even look at him, still lost in your thoughts, "But there's just something that I need to take care of," you say as you turn on your heel to dash back in the conference room.

"Wait, I thought you wanted to grab food!"

"Sorry, Hoseok!" You call over your shoulder as you slam the door open and rush inside.

There are two sorority sisters still lingering near the doorway, chatting about one thing or the other, but you only have eyes for Jungkook. He sits in the very back of the room, aimlessly shoving things in his bag in an almost forlorn way. If you didn't know him better, you'd think he was sulking.

You slowly approach him, more nervous than you've ever been around him, "Hey."

Jungkook pauses to stare up at you with wide eyes, "___."

You hate the way he says your name. You hate the way heat rises up your neck, making it impossible to maintain eye contact, "I haven't seen you around."

"Yeah, it's been a while."

There's a million and one things you want to say to him. But you've never been any good at expressing yourself. But instead, you simply stand there, eyes trained to your shoes and silently praying that he can't see through you.

"Here, take this," he says, interrupting you from your anxious thoughts.

You look up in surprise when he suddenly shoves a loaf of bread into your arms, "Um… what is this?"

"I couldn't find a damn bread bouquet," is his stiff reply, "Where the fuck does Mijoo find that shit?"

You frown down at the loaf of ciabatta in your arms for a moment, bewildered beyond belief, when suddenly, the memory of the phone conversation you'd had with him about your one-woman show comes flooding back. He had actually remembered… Your chest tightens.

"My performance was too shitty to deserve this," you say with a laugh, "And by the way, I really need to pay you back for your bid," you say, shoving the bread under your arm to dig for your wallet, "I don't have cash on me right now, but can I write you a—?"

"Don't fucking insult me like that," he brusquely interrupts before you can finish your question.

You glance up and stiffen at the utter fury emblazoning his dark eyes. A slow shiver runs down your spine, "Jungkook, I—"

"Listen, I need to leave right now," he cuts you off again, "But I'll see you at the game or something, okay?"

"Yes, I wouldn't miss it for the world," you solemnly promise him, "Come say hi if you see me."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he grumbles, "I'll just look for the girl in Hoseok's jersey." And with that thinly veiled barb, he throws his bag over his shoulder and marches out the door.

You continue to stand there for a long time, even after he's left, jaw practically hanging on the ground as you attempt to process his words. Jungkook is mad at you, that much is clear. Nothing's changed since he blew up at you backstage of the date auction—he's beyond pissed. But the question is why? You don't think you did anything wrong that would warrant this level of anger… unless…

Unless… could it possibly be that he's… jealous?

No, that makes no sense, and you could laugh at yourself for your own stupidity. Why on earth would Jeon Jungkook be jealous over you? You chuckle as you rip off a piece of bread to shove in your mouth. Let's not be ridiculous here.

"So this is the last meeting before break, and there are just a few things I wanted to go over," Yoongi announces at the newspaper meeting a few days later.

You and Taehyung pretend to listen as you happily slurp on your matching big gulp-sized slushies.

"What color's my tongue?" Taehyung asks as he opens his mouth to show you.

"Omg, it's like neon blue!" you exclaim in delight, "What color's mine?"

"Can you two focus for once?" Yoongi says with an exaggerated sigh, "I literally only need the next thirty minutes of your time."

"…Sorry." The two of you mutter, chastised.

He shoots you one last warning glare before continuing, "Like I was saying, the final drafts of your assignments are due the week we're back, okay?"

Taehyung shoots him a thumb's up, "Will do, boss."

"Good. Now when are you getting your cast off, Somin? Will you be able to attend the final game this weekend?"

"Nope," she says as she shoots a glare in your direction, "My doctor's appointment to get it off is over break… So unfortunately, that woman is going to be fraternizing with my man for another week."

"That's no problem with me," you happily chime in, "I was going to go anyways to support the team. Hoseok's already given me his jersey and everything."

"He what?!"

Yoongi hurriedly intervenes before it can get messy again, "___, I have already booked your hotel room for the weekend. And I wasn't sure if you preferred to take the train or ride with the team in their bus?"

"Oh, it's an away game?" you ask in surprise.

"Yeah, are you okay with that?"

"Sure. It's not a big deal. It's not like I'm in any rush for my break anyways," you say with a shrug.

"Ok great. Here's an envelope with your hotel reservation and your ticket for the game," he says, sliding you the small white folder, "Now how do you want to get there? Bus? Train?"

"Hmm, how far away is it?" You ask as you accept the envelope, "Maybe I should just drive instead, so I can come and go whenever I want."

"It's about four hours away, so that can work too. Just send me your receipts, so the school can reimburse your gas."

"Ooh, can I ride with you?" Taehyung begs as he grabs your sleeve.

"Yeah, sure," you easily agree, "We can make it a fun roadtrip! What kind of interesting pit stops are there on the way to the grand destination of—?" you pause, "Wait, where are we going again?"

"Gwacheon."

"Ah, Gwacheon. That means we'll be able to—wait what?!" You suddenly sit upright to stare at Yoongi with wide eyes, "What did you just say?!"

He's too used to your eccentricities to bat an eye, "Gwacheon… In Gyeonggi province. Have you heard of it?"

At once, you break into cold sweat, "I… I can't go there."

"Huh? What's wrong with you? I promise, it's not that cold."

"No, you don't understand," you say in a hushed whisper, "I seriously can't go there. Please."

Taehyung tries to comfort you with a hand on your shoulder, "Don't worry, ___. I'll help you drive, if that's what you're scared of." But his hand has been chilled by his drink and only makes you shiver.

You don't say anything for a moment as you stare down at the envelope, trying to calm yourself enough to speak again, "Are they playing the local team in Gwacheon?" you ask when you finally find your voice again.

"Yeah, obviously," Somin says with a roll of her eyes, "They've been dominating in their district for the entire season. How are you qualified for this job when you don't even know that basic information?"

You sink your teeth in your bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, "I seriously can't go."

There's a brief silence in the room as everyone tries to process your cryptic words. Yoongi is the first to break that silence, "Give me one good reason why you shouldn't go and I might consider it," he says in a quiet voice.

You desperately wrack your brain for excuses, but you can't think of a single one that isn't entirely frivolous. So all you can do is hold your silence.

Yoongi sighs deeply, "That's what I thought… I'll see you on Saturday."

You stiffly nod your head, "Fine. I'll be there."

The Friday before you leave for Gwacheon, you and Mijoo decide to hit the mall. Normally, the two of you are so busy with classes and schoolwork that you don't have time for these frivolous activities, so this is a rare treat.

"Oooh," Mijoo exclaims, eyes lighting up in delight when she spots a lingerie boutique across the mall, "Let's go over here!"

You good-naturedly allow her to drag you into the store, and laugh when she immediately begins digging through the lacy underwear with relish. "Are you looking for something to spice up your love life?"

She shoots a glare in your direction, "No, I'm shopping for you. ___, what's your size?"

Taken aback, you find yourself telling her before you quickly catch yourself, "Wait, what?!"

The pretty brunette rolls her eyes at your reaction, "For your date with Jungkook, duh. You gotta look pretty for him."

"I was probably just going to take him to grab pizza or something," you say, "What's my underwear got to do with anything?"

"Oh my god… What about after the pizza? Are you really that dense?!"

"Why do you assume that we'll have sex?" you ask, indignant.

"Because you're exclusive friends with benefits!"

You can't argue with that one, yet you still try, "Hmph. Well, Jungkook doesn't care what I wear anyways."

"Maybe not, but wouldn't it be nice to surprise him with a little extra? Can you imagine his reaction if you stepped out in these suckers?" she happily holds up the tiniest, laciest little thong you've ever seen in your entire life.

Your jaw drops, "No way I would ever wear that! Besides, how are thongs even sexy? They're just butt floss!"

Mijoo snickers at your description, "Fine. Then you pick out a pair then."

You frown for a second, diligently scanning the room, before you settle for a pair of delicate, peach-colored panties. "What about these?"

Mijoo's eyes brighten at the very sight, "Beautiful!" She exclaims, "Go try it on! …Along with this," she says, grabbing a matching bra off the rack and shoving it in your arms.

You awkwardly stumble towards the fitting rooms, and to your horror, Mijoo follows you, "Ugh, do you have to wait right outside like that?" you ask, even as you close the door in her face.

"Yes, of course!" she cheerfully calls back, "As your wingman, it's my duty to get you laid properly! And you'll be spending two full nights in a hotel with the soccer players… I'll make sure you get the full use of your time there."

You can envision her undoubtedly lecherous smirk even from the safety of your fitting room. "Ugh, you're such a pervert."

She giggles in response, "I just care about you! And your poor dusty old pussy. Now tell me: how does it look?"

"It looks… oh… it doesn't look too bad, actually," you say, surprised by what you see in the mirror. You're not the type to wear lingerie. Most of the time the fit is wrong, and you're either sagging in some places or pinched in others, and the result is disastrous for your figure. But this time, it's surprisingly flattering. You frown as you twirl in a circle, but the pink lace molds perfectly to your every curve like a second skin. "Hmm… I might buy this, actually."

"Really?" Mijoo exclaims on the other side of the door, "It's that good? Oh my god, let me see!"

"No way, pervert," you say, thankful that you remembered to lock the door when she begins rattling the knob.

She sighs in defeat, "Will you at least send a picture to Jungkook?"

"Why would I do something like that?"

"To get him all worked up. So that he's ready to raw you for two days straight!"

You wince at her choice in words, "Ugh, you're so gross." But nevertheless, you pull out your cellphone to snap a few photos. It's embarrassing and you have no idea how to pose in the mirror, but eventually you find a few positions that aren't so terrible. "Why are you so obsessed with me and Jungkook getting it on?" you protest, "We're already exclusive fuck buddies. There's no rush. We can fuck all we want later."

"That's a good idea," Mijoo mutters under her breath, "Don't give it to him so easy. Hold out on him so he realizes what he's missing. And don't concede until he's on his knees begging for you!"

You sigh deeply, "What is going on in that mind of yours?" you lightly berate your roommate as you finish taking photos and begin to change back into your clothes, "We're not high schoolers playing a damn game. I don't want to trick him into liking me."

"I know you don't. And I know you're more mature than that. But the thing is, with guys like Jungkook, they won't ever admit to catching feelings unless forced into it."

"Oh god," you grumble under your breath as you pull your shirt over your head, "Why are you so convinced that I even want him to feel this way about me?"

"Because you two are perfect together," Mijoo says without missing a beat.

You trip over your tangled jeans, and nearly fall to the ground, "What?"

"Oh, come on, ___. You can't even deny it. I've seen the way the two of you interact. It's like you're in your own little world, and the rest of us stop existing entirely."

"I… I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't," she says, and you can practically hear her rolling her eyes from outside the dressing room.

"Ugh, I don't have time to worry about this right now," you groan as you tug your shirt over your head and emerge out from the fitting room, "I'm going to Gwacheon this weekend," you remind her with a scowl.

"Ah, I know," she says with a sympathetic frown, "But seriously don't worry about it. Taehyung will be traveling with you right? And Jungkook will have your back. Gwacheon's a big city. And you'll only be there for two days. You'll be fine, honey."

You offer her a half-hearted smile, "Yeah… I hope you're right."

Mijoo squeezes your shoulder before attempting to change the subject, "Are you going to buy that?" She asks, gesturing towards the lingerie set in your hands.

"…maybe," you admit in a small voice.

Your pretty roommate beams in excitement, "That's so great!" She exclaims, happily clapping her hands together, "Jungkook is going to lose his mind when he sees you!"

You wince at the very thought before trying to redirect her attention elsewhere, "What about you? Aren't you going to pick out a set for Jimin?"

But to your surprise, the slender brunette flushes a brilliant shade of crimson at your question, "___," she mumbles your name, "It's not like that."

"Why?" you teasingly nudge her in the ribs, "I know there's a reason why you and Jimin are the only ones staying behind while everyone else goes to the game, hmm? Empty bedroom all to yourself, you nasty kids?"

Somehow, Mijoo reddens even further, resembling a tomato rather than a human being at this point, "It's seriously not like that! Ugh, why are you like this?! Jimin and I… we haven't even had sex yet!"

You nearly trip over your own feet on the way to the checkout line, "Wait, what?! What do you mean you haven't had sex yet???"

Humiliated, Mijoo tries to cover her burning face with her long brown hair, "___, keep your voice down!" She hisses at you, "So what if we haven't fucked yet? Not everything is about sex!"

"Yeah, of course not. But it's been like… months…" You say, nearly going cross-eyed trying to count up the number of months they'd been together at this point, "Wait a minute… Is Jimin a virgin??"

Mijoo hastily slaps a hand over your mouth, "No!" She yells, "Oh my god… Why are you like this?! We just want to take it slow, okay?"

You scowl as you spit her palm from your mouth, "Why though?"

"Because we're not horny perverts like you and Jungkook!"

You refuse to be thrown off by that shallow jab as you continue to glare at her, "Mijoo, seriously. Why?"

She chews her bottom lip for a moment, looking conflicted, before she finally exhales, deflating like a balloon under your scrutiny, "Because I'm afraid he'll just leave me afterwards."

Your features soften at her confession, "Oh, honey…"

She winces when you wrap an arm around her shoulders, "I know it sounds stupid… But I've never met a guy I've liked as much as Jimin. And the thought of him just taking off afterwards is… unbearable."

"Sweetheart, this isn't stupid at all," you say as you comfortingly squeeze her to your chest, "It's completely valid why you're scared of that, given your track record."

Mijoo gently relaxes into your embrace with a sigh, "Yeah… I hate to be so distrustful… Jimin is ridiculously respectful. I know he wants to have sex with me… like really, really badly. You don't even know how many times I've felt his erection against my—"

"Alright, alright, skip the gross details," you hastily interrupt. You hate the way your stomach dips with unwarranted jealousy at her words, but unfortunately, it's still intolerable to hear this about the man you've liked for years.

Luckily, Mijoo misinterprets your discomfort and laughs, "Sorry, hon. But yeah… I know that he wants me… But he's too polite to ask for it. And I want him too… but I don't know… what if he—?"

"Mijoo," you interrupt her, "You know he's not like your shitty exes, right?"

She looks up in confusion, "What do you mean?"

You turn to stare her straight in the eye and grip her shoulder to force her to meet your gaze, "Park Jimin isn't anything like those assholes who fucked around and used you like a toy. He's not that type of man. You know that, right?"

Mijoo's gaze softens at your words, "I know, ___."

You smile at her, "So maybe you should take your own words of advice and let him in."

"___..."

"I care about you, Mijoo. And I want you to be happy. So do us both a favor and let Park Jimin make you happy, ok?"

Your pretty roommate practically melts at your words, "Have I ever told you how much I love you, ___?"

"Yeah, yeah," you gruffly say with a sarcastic roll of your eyes, "What else is new?"

She only giggles in response and throws her arms around your neck to press a kiss to your cheek, "Forget Jimin. I only need you!"

Later that night, as you're packing for your weekend trip and Mijoo is in the shower, you decide to take a quick break to scroll through your phone. There's a message from Yerin informing you that she's taking the train to Gwacheon tomorrow morning with Yoongi, and a voicemail from Taehyung asking where he should meet you for the roadtrip.

You quickly respond to them before reaching over to charge your phone. But you freeze at the sight of the half-eaten baguette on your desk. You haven't seen Jungkook in a really long time. That passive-aggressive encounter after the charity meeting didn't count. The last time the two of you properly hung out was when you were cramming for your finals together. But you had been on your period then and crabby beyond belief. So the last time the two of you really had quality time together was when—

Blood floods your face at the reminder of the night you spent in his bed. The sex was as good as always, but there was just something about the morning after… Waking up in his arms to his brilliant smile… You're not sure what it is, but the memories keep you up at night.

You'd rather die than ever admit it in a million years, but you miss it. You miss him. And you can't help but wonder if he misses you too.

You pick your phone back up as you contemplate calling him. But what would you even say? That you miss him? And that you want to see his face? You snort out loud at the absurdity of those words. Your whole body cringes at the very thought, and you're positive that he'd laugh in your face if he knew you felt any of those things. No, you can't say that shit. You need a subtler method…

And then you remember those photos you took of yourself in the fitting room earlier that day. You light up at the reminder. Here is a casual, non-threatening way to get his attention. You'll send him one of your underwear pics and pretend that it was an accident. Simple, easy, and he'll probably be begging on his knees to see you afterwards.

Snickering to yourself at your brilliant plan, you hurriedly scroll through your photos, looking for the best one to send him. It doesn't take long to select the one with the best angle of your cleavage before you happily text it to Jungkook without a second thought. Then you turn up the volume on your ringer, and wait for his response with bated breath.

For the first five minutes, you're giddy. You can't help envisioning his shocked response as he unknowingly stumbles across the scandalous photo. Maybe he'll beg you to send him more photos. Or even better—maybe he'll call you on the spot and beg to come over. You chuckle at the thought. You'll play hard to get for a bit just to tease him, then invite him over. It's a foolproof plan!

But then five minutes slips to ten... to fifteen. And you finally begin to worry. But you try to convince yourself that he's probably just busy. He has to pack for the trip tomorrow, just like you, and he probably doesn't even have his phone on him. It's no big deal.

Mijoo comes out from her shower thirty minutes after you sent the pic, and you dive into your dresser, messily throwing clothes into your duffel bag and pretending that nothing happened. But you keep an ear out for the vibrations of your phone the whole time.

It's not until forty-five minutes later, when you've anxiously packed and repacked every article of clothing in your bag about a dozen times, when Jungkook finally responds. You lunge for your phone like a sprinter at the start of a race and hastily swipe open the text with your heart pounding.

Did you send this to me by accident?

You smirk at his message. Are any nudes ever by accident? What a silly little boy. But you have a role to play here, and you feign ignorance to the best of your abilities.

What do u mean? You coyly text him, before sending him a string of rapidfire texts:

Wait… OMG.

That was totally an accident!!!

I def did NOT mean to send that to you!

Don't look at it, u perv!

There's a long minute of silence as you impatiently await his response. Will he plead with you to keep the picture? Or will he simply demand to see the real deal up close? You're giggling like a school girl when a new text notification pops across your screen. You open it up, but the reply is nothing like you'd been expecting…

I won't.

Those two simple words make your heart stop in your chest. Wait… what?

How can his reply be so cold and indifferent? You had thought for sure that this would rile him up… and that all the strange friction between the two of you would evaporate in a heartbeat, like it always does. What did you do wrong? Could it be the picture?

Panicking, you click open the photo you had taken in the fitting room and scrutinize it with care. Now that you look more carefully, what had previously been cute and sexy to your eyes is horrifying upon further inspection. Your stomach sticks out and there's gross cellulite and stretch marks all over your thighs. Your figure is awful and what were you thinking, sending such a horrendous image to Jungkook? You're unsure if he was more horrified or amused by the photo, but at this point, you don't want to know.

Jungkook probably gets hundreds of sexts from girls every day. Girls with toned bodies and long, lean limbs. Girls who are a thousand times sexier than you. What were you even thinking? Maybe it's okay in real life, when you have your clothes on, or when he can just turn off the lights. But that's only when he's horny and just looking to get his dick wet. And to forcibly subjugate him to your gross body against his wishes? You're so embarrassed that you could die. Fuck Jeon Jungkook. You know that your figure is just awful. But couldn't he have just pretended that he wasn't so turned off, to at least spare your dignity?

You reach into your bag for the newly purchased lingerie you had packed, and angrily ball up the lacy fabric in your hands to throw under your bed. You don't know what had possessed you to do such a stupid thing, but you regret it beyond belief. And there's no way you'll be making that mistake again.

What a shitty week it's been. And you haven't even arrived at Gwacheon yet.

"___... what are you doing?" Taehyung asks when he finds you ducking your head beneath the steering wheel for the what feels like the hundredth time that afternoon.

At his voice, you instantly pop upright and flash him an award-winning smile, "Oh, TaeTae, you're back already!" You cry out with faux enthusiasm, "I missed you!"

He gives you a weird look, "I just asked the concierge and this is the right hotel… Want to go check out our rooms together? Or are you just going to run off to hide behind a trashcan again?"

Indignant, you jump out of the car to rise to your full height, "How dare you, Kim Taehyung? When I have I ever hid behind a trashcan?!"

"About an hour ago," he bluntly reminds you, "At the rest stop near the park."

You deflate at once from his words, "Ah… you saw that?"

"Yup… You've been acting weird ever since we entered Gyeonggi-do Province."

"I'm on my period," you dead pan.

"No, that's not for another week."

"Wait, what…? You keep track of my periods?"

"Yup."

"… Taehyung, that's kinda weird," you carefully inform him.

"Yeah, I know."

"… Okay."

He cheerfully swings an arm around your neck as the two of you take your bags from the trunk and make your way to the hotel lobby, "I don't know what you're so paranoid about, but this is going to be fun, ___."

"I'm glad one of us is excited, Tae," you grumble as you follow him across the parking lot, "I personally can't wait for this weekend to be over…"

"You've been acting weird all week," the fashion reporter says with a frown, "Are you ever gonna tell me what's up?"

You simply shake your head in response, "It's just really dumb. And not worth your time to know."

Taehyung pouts in response, "But Mijoo knows, doesn't she?"

"Yes… I guess she does."

"Then why can't I know?" He whines.

"Don't take it personally, Tae. I wouldn't have told her either if she didn't already know… Trust me—you don't want to know."

He stares at you for another second, before relenting with a sigh, "Fine… Have it your way, you shady ass little girl," he says as he pulls open the front door to the hotel for you.

Your lips twitch at this, but before you can comment, you catch sight of a group of young athletes in the lobby. All the blood instantly drains from your face and your spine goes rigid with fear. As though by instinct, your eyes wildly scan the group for a familiar face…

"___," Taehyung interrupts you from your daze, "What's wrong with you?"

But at that moment you catch sight of a tall, broad figure with sleek black hair… "Taehyung, we need to go." Your voice is uncharacteristically broken, but you barely notice as you turn to make a run for it.

Taehyung grabs your arm before you can escape, "___, why are you acting like this? Did you and Jungkook fight or something? Stop being a scaredy cat and let's go say hi."

You pause at that, and turn to face him with eyes as wide as saucers, "Wait… Jungkook?"

The blonde main sighs deeply, "Why do you two always fight like cats and dogs? Geez, this is why I'm team Hoseok."

"You switched teams?" you absentmindedly ask as you scrutinize the group of athletes with more care. But sure enough, the broad dark-haired man who you had misidentified as someone else is none other than Jeon Jungkook. Your heart skips a beat, then finally slows its frantic pace.

"Yeah, of course! That Jeon dickcheese sucked face with that Jessica Rabbit wannabe," he says with a wrinkle of his nose, "Whereas Hoseok was honest as fuck. That's why I—"

"Taehyung? ___?" A voice calls out. The two of you look up to find a familiar redhead walking in your direction, a brilliant smile on his handsome face, "I thought I heard your voice, ___. When did you get here?"

As though by instinct, the very sight of his face makes you grin back in pleasure, "Not too long ago," you say as you feel your feelings of unease dissipate at once in his radiant presence, "We just park—oomph," you groan, surprised when Hoseok abruptly wraps his arms around your figure and squeezes the breath out of your lungs.

"I missed you," he murmurs as he pulls you tighter against his chest.

Your temperature rises to unprecedented degrees at this confession, "Hoseok… It's only been like a week."

"So what?" he says, childishly clinging tighter to you in protest, "It's a week too long."

You had no idea how much you needed to hear those words until you finally heard them. To have someone actually miss you… It's like a weight has been taken off your shoulders and you feel yourself dissolving into his embrace. And it looks like he has no intention of letting you go, judging by the way his grip doesn't loosen one bit. There's no telling how long he would have continued holding you in the lobby of the hotel, content to just breathe in your scent, until someone rudely tears you apart.

"How can you just be blocking the entrance like that? You're so fucking irresponsible."

You nearly topple to the floor when the person shoves the two of you apart to grab the bag from your hands. "Jungkook?"

He simply scowls at you in response, "Do you think the staff here have all day? Go fucking check in already." And without waiting for a response, he marches off with your duffle bag slung over a shoulder.

"Wait, Jungkook!" You exclaim, instantly forgetting about both Hoseok and Taehyung as you chase after him. To your surprise, he goes straight for the check-in desk.

"Tell her your booking number," he says when you finally manage to catch up with him. Confused, you nevertheless do as you're told.

"Thank you, ma'am. We're just going to have to have a credit card on hold."

"Oh yes, of course," you say, hastily digging through your bag and pulling out your wallet.

Jungkook makes a sound of disapproval in the back of his throat, "You should've just roomed with me and spared the cost."

"T-the newspaper's reimbursing me," you stammer as you hand your card to the concierge.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever." His response is so frosty that you feel shivers slide down your back. What has gotten into him these days? He's been having so many mood swings, it's almost like he's on his period or some shit.

"You're all set, ma'am," the concierge says as she hands back your card, "Here are two room keys," she says, handing you the first one. But to your horror, she offers the second one to Jungkook, who takes it without a second thought, "Enjoy your stay."

"Wait, no, that's totally not necessary," you say, ripping the key card out of Jungkook's hand, "We only need one."

"Nah, what if we get separated?" Jungkook asks as he easily retains possession of the spare key.

"No, why would we—wait! Not we. Me. Oh my god… Jungkook, you're not invited to my room."

His expression darkens, "Fine," he grunts out, before slapping the spare key back on the counter.

You scowl back at him in return. This is ridiculous. He has no right to be acting so butthurt when he was the one who's been rejecting you. This fucking hypocrite. "Look here, assface. I don't owe you shit, so you better tone down that shitty attitude of yours."

"I'm the one with the shitty attitude?" he scoffs, "You're the one who makes promises only to break them and fuck around with people's feel— ah you know what? Forget it," he says in a low voice, "Just give the key to Hoseok. I'm sure he'd fucking love that." And with that, he shoves your bag back into your arms and stalks off.

"What is wrong with you?!" You exclaim as you follow him.

But after only three steps forward, Jungkook pauses in the middle of the lobby, "Great. As if my day can't get any worse. What are you guys doing here?" He exclaims, throwing up his hands in annoyance.

"Huh?" Confused, you try to peer over his shoulder to see who he's talking to. "Who are you—oh." The bag falls from your hands to hit the ground with a loud thud as your whole world spins upside down.

The strikingly handsome man standing in line for the concierge desk behind you looks up at that. And his perfectly formed pink lips raise in a dazzling smile as he recognizes you, "Ah, ___. What a coincidence running into you here."

Your heart plummets to your feet and for a moment, you're afraid that you might be sick, "S-seokjin," you stammer, "I… I…" but you can't find your words.

"Long time no see, princess," the god-like man says with a laugh, "You look good."

He's just as smooth as always. Kim Seokjin hasn't fucking changed one single bit. For a moment, all your defenses crumble and you're 18-years-old again, crying uncontrollably as you beg him not to break up with you. Just his magnetic presence makes you feel weak and helpless as you were Freshman year. As though those three years of self-discovery and personal growth never happened.

At that moment, Hoseok and Taehyung finally catch up with your group, confused by how long it's taking for you to check in, "___, what's going on here?"

But you can't muster the courage to respond, heart pounding hard enough to burst out of your chest as you shrink from the first encounter with your ex-boyfriend for the first time in three years.

Jungkook is equally as confused, "Wait… How do you two know each other?"

You're too anxious to respond, so Seokjin does it for you, "We used to date," he says.

The explanation is so simple… so casual. It's like those four years together meant absolutely nothing to him. And it hurts more than you could ever express.

"Wait, really?" Taehyung says, looking back and forth between the two of you in surprise.

His reaction makes your insides shrivel up in humiliation. You know what he's thinking. It's how everyone reacts when they find out about your relationship. Little, grubby ol' you with the most beautiful, talented, perfect man who's ever walked planet earth. What could have possessed this god to ever date someone like you?

"Wait, is this the cheating bastard?" Jungkook asks, breaking you out of your self-loathing reverie.

You don't say anything in response, but your silence is all they need to jump to conclusions. Hoseok is the first to react. He jumps forward to grab you and protectively pull you under his arm, "You dated this fucker?"

"I… It was a long time ago," you mutter in a small voice, uncharacteristically spineless in front of the man who broke your spirit.

Seokjin eyes the way Hoseok splays his hands possessively over your stomach with interest, "___, are you fucking this one, too?" he says with an amused chuckle, "Wow, you must have a thing for soccer captains."

Your face blanches at the insult, but before you can deny it, Hoseok steps up to the challenge, "Damn, jealous much?" he says with a deceptively bright smile on his face, "I'm sorry that you feel so threatened, pal."

Seokjin scans Hoseok from head to toe with a raised eyebrow, "Does it really look like I would be threatened by someone like you?" He asks, lips curving into a shit-eating grin, "Nice try, pal. I'm just surprised that ___ would go for such a downgrade. Your standards have dropped, babe."

"Wow, where's all this confidence coming from?" Hoseok snickers as he takes a long step forward into Seokjin's personal space, "Compensating for something, pretty boy?"

"You say that as though it's an insult," Your ex-boyfriend chuckles, not backing down one inch, "But we all know that ___'s been fucking around trying to get over me. But it's useless. Because no one else can compare, huh, baby girl?"

"Really? You?" Hoseok scoffs as he examines Seokjin with the same derogatory intensity, "Damn, ___. I'm offended that you can even put me in the same category as this loser."

Seokjin cockily runs a hand through his silken black hair, and the sensual gesture causes many heads to turn in the busy hotel lobby, "Look who's talking, Jung. We're the undefeated champions of the entire country. And I've been listed MVP three years in a row. And how many times have you led your team to victory, Jung…?"

Hoseok reddens under the attack, causing Seokjin's shit-eating smirk to grow.

"That's right. Zero. So don't go talking shit when you've got nothing to back you up."

"It ends here, pretty boy," Hoseok growls as he shoves a finger into Seokjin's broad chest, "Prepare to eat your words tomorrow morning."

Seokjin's plush red lips spread further, "You actually think you have a chance at beating us?" he asks in amusement, "That's cute."

"You won't be laughing tomorrow when you get your ass handed back to you."

"Those are fighting words," Seokjin lightly muses, "Well, good luck to you and your little raglan gang. God knows you'll need it… Oh, and ___?"

The familiar sound of your name from his honey voice makes your heart stammer. You look up with wide eyes, "Y-yes?"

"When this little boytoy of yours fails tomorrow—like he inevitably will—you know where to find me. I'll make you feel better, baby girl," he says with a charming wink.

Your face blanches at the same time Hoseok's blood boils over. "Son of a bitch!" he growls, lunging forward without a second thought. Luckily, Taehyung and Jungkook grab him around the middle before he can make contact.

Seokjin laughs loudly as he watched Hoseok struggle in their grasp, "What have your standards become, ___? I'm looking forward to seeing you after the game." And with a causal wave of his hand, he saunters off without a second glance.

That will never happen! You want to scream at him. You are a disgusting pig and I'd rather die than let you lay a single finger on me ever again! But like always, any sense of self-respect dissolves before his presence.

"___ are you okay?" A soft voice rips you from your self-deprecating thoughts.

You look up and nearly wilt with despair at the sight of Jungkook's concerned face. It's bad enough running into your ex-boyfriend after all of these years… But having your current fling privy to all the dirty details? You're so embarrassed, you could die on the spot.

"Yes, of course," you grunt, too busy brainstorming a dozen ways to escape from this unbelievably awkward situation to really pay him much attention.

"I can't believe you dated our mortal enemy, ___," Hoseok groans, oblivious to your discomfort, "What were you even thinking?"

"I don't know," you tell him in a small voice, "I really don't know."

Hoseok sighs deeply at that, "Well, time to erase all traces of him… Here, wear this tomorrow," he say, grabbing a bundle of fabric from his bag and shoving it into your hand.

You don't have to look to know that it's the jersey that he promised you. "Thanks," you numbly say as you take the offered garment. You're about to absentmindedly cram it into your duffle bag when you realize that Jungkook is still holding it. And behind him, Taehyung pokes his head out in curiosity.

Your eyes widen with shock, "Tae, come here," you say, grabbing him by the wrist, "Let's go up to my room."

"Wait, ___, I—" Jungkook begins.

"Good luck on the game tomorrow, guys," you hastily interrupt him, "I'll be cheering for you." And with that, you snatch the bag out of Jungkook's arms and drag Taehyung towards the elevators.

"Don't worry, ___," Hoseok calls after you, mindless of the scene he's causing in the quiet hotel lobby, "I'll fucking thrash that pathetic ex of yours tomorrow, babe."

He is completely confident about his statement, chin proudly jutted in the air and back ramrod straight with pride. And that smirk that spreads across his handsome face… It's charismatic. It's charming and you know that your heart should be fluttering at his chivalrous words. Instead, you feel sick to your stomach.

"Just take care of yourself, Hoseok."

It looks like he wants to respond to your ambiguous words, but you've already fled for safety within the confines of the elevator, pulling Taehyung along with you.

"What the hell was that?" Taehyung exclaims as soon as the two of you have entered the privacy of your hotel room.

You sigh as you dump your bag on the meticulously made queen-sized bed. "Meet Kim Seokjin. Aka the reason why I was so afraid of going to Gwacheon. And the first person we meet not even ten minutes into this goddamn city."

"Bad breakup, I'm guessing?"

"That's one way of describing his multiple affairs over a four year period," you muse, "Never thought you were one to sugar coat things, Tae."

He winces, "Sorry. I really had no idea."

"It's okay. I wish you didn't have to witness that…"

"Ugh. I was so startled that I froze," he grumbles as he plops down on your bed, "I should've said something!"

You wordlessly tug on his boots, "You couldn't have known… It was just such a messy situation."

Taehyung lifts his feet and allows you to pull off his shoes, "Good thing Hoseok reacted for all of us! I wish I could've given that cheating bastard a piece of my mind, too, but Hoseok chewed him out enough for all of us. Wow, he was so cool confronting that asshole with no fear!" He gushes.

You sigh as you dump his shoes on the ground, "Is that really cool?"

"Mmhmm." He immediately scrambles onto your bed as soon as his shoes are off and flops onto his back, "He looked so manly, standing up for you like that."

"I don't know…"

"Oh, come on. I know you'll probably claim to hate things like this, but even you have got to admit that the way Hoseok got all up in his face defending you was hot as hell."

"I don't know if he was defending me… Seemed more like a pissing contest to me."

"You just don't get it," Taehyung impatiently waves you off, "By asserting his dominance over Seokjin, he was protecting what was his! He was protecting you!"

You wrinkle your nose, "Do I look like I want that shit?"

"Oh, shut it. You know it was hot. And he kept Seokjin from taunting you and hurting you further."

"I mean… I guess."

"I'm just disappointed in Jungkook," Taehyung continues on, undeterred by your reluctance, "I really thought he'd also step up to the plate and rescue you."

You immediately bristle at that, "I don't need no man to save me!"

"Oh honey, I know. But let's be real: in that situation, you clearly needed someone's help. And Jungkook didn't give it to you. Instead, he just stood there like a gawking idiot… I've 100% made my choice. I'm team Hoseok until the day I die."

You bite down on your bottom lip, wanting to argue, but you can't help but admit that Taehyung might be onto something here. Of course, you wouldn't want Jungkook to get all aggressive the way that Hoseok had. But the fact that he had just stood here and watched Seokjin degrade you like that in front of everyone was disappointing. He was just so stoic and emotionless. Like you meant nothing to him.

"Whatever. I just really hope that they win tomorrow. I can't bear it if Seokjin wins… I can just imagine his smug face and the texts that would blow up my phone…" you shudder at the very thought, "In this city of thousands and tens of thousands of people, how the fuck did I run straight into him?"

Taehyung rolls over so he can sympathetically grab your shoulder, "Don't worry, ___. Hoseok will fuck him up tomorrow and knock him down a peg."

You smile hesitantly at him, "Thanks." But you're still not sure if that's what you want…

The next afternoon, you head down to the soccer arena for the championship game with Taehyung, Yerin, and Yoongi. It was difficult to sleep after the horrid encounter with Seokjin, and as a result, you feel like a zombie slugging over to your assigned seat. The only thing that keeps you from dissolving into a nervous wreck is the comfort of Hoseok's shirt on your back. It surrounds you like a protective cloak and makes the prospect of seeing your ex-boyfriend again almost bearable.

"Whoohoo!" Taehyung exclaims loudly, waving around his loudspeaker in excitement, "Let's go team!"

Yoongi cups his hands over his ears in irritation, "Ugh. Why did you bring that thing? You are so noisy."

Taehyung happily ignores him, "Let's go, Jung Hoseok! Jung Hoseok, Jung Hoseok, Jung—"

Yoongi snatches away the loudspeaker before the younger man can bellow the team captain's name a fourth time. "Okay, you've just lost all loudspeaker privileges for the rest of the game."

The game is unbelievably tense, and you can't properly catch your breath until the half time break. Taehyung aggressively attempts a fanchant, but the home team easily drowns out his voice. You stare blankly around the vast stadium, taking in the vibrant colors of the swarm of opposing fans, and the sparkly ribbons on the cheerleaders flipping around on the field. You wince when cheerleaders finish their elaborate routine by spelling out Seokjin's name with their flexible bodies spread out across the turf.

He's a god here, and rightfully so. Only forty-five minutes into the game, and he's already blocked every single one of your school's shots. Hell, he made even the infamous heavy-weight scoring champion, Jeon Jungkook look as useless and feeble as a newborn kitten. And you could practically see the steam coming out of Hoseok's ears as he stomps off to the locker room to strategize for the next half.

The world is unfair. Why else would it allow a selfish bastard like Kim Seokjin to win this championship for the third year running? Or maybe it's just you… You're probably a bad luck charm. That's why your school's previously undefeated team loses every time you attend the game.

"Oh my god… It's over," Taehyung sighs dramatically, expressing your very thoughts.

"Don't say that," Yerin lightly chides him, "They're only down by… two goals." But her tone drops at the end of her sentence.

"Jungkook's poor little ego will be crushed," Yoongi chuckles, "Good thing ___'s here to comfort him."

"Forget Jungkook," Taehyung snorts, "Hoseok's the one who truly needs ___."

You know that they're joking and they expect you to throw a comical fit at their teasing. Instead, you find yourself with no energy to even care. "I just want to go home."

Twenty minutes after halftime ends, and there seems to finally be a breakthrough. When Hoseok goes into attack mode, even as his role as midfielder, and boldly crosses the field to block Seokjin, Jungkook is finally allowed the opportunity to dribble past the other defenders and smash the ball into the net with ease. And with that, the opposing team's façade of strength quickly crumbles.

Seokjin is undoubtedly a brilliant athlete, but one player alone, as formidable as he may be, cannot carry a team. And when Hoseok begins doing all in his power to combat the opposing captain, seamlessly shifting into a defensive role, the other team is done for.

It's just unfortunate that your team didn't catch its stride until there's only half an hour left of the game. And despite what the public might think from the theatrical media depictions of grandeur, soccer is not a melodramatic sport. Very little happens in the next thirty minutes. Although the entire stadium is holding their breath, as of one mind, the ball only dribbles back and forth, with more referees calling out penalties than anything even close to a shot on goal.

And as the minutes slip by, you and your group of friends grow increasingly more nervous, whereas the entire stadium of people around you begin to light up with excitement. An exuberant fanchant echoes through the vast stadium, shaking you to the core. You know what they're thinking—there's only five minutes left of the game, and they're leading. It's game over.

And when the ninety-minute mark rolls by, you're sweating so hard with nerves that you've nearly soaked through Hoseok's borrowed shirt. Luckily, at that moment, the referees announce seven minutes of extra time to make up for the numerous times out and accidents. But you and your group have basically given up hope at this point. And even the team out on the field seem downtrodden—a complete 180 from the home team prematurely celebrating their win as they laughingly clasp each other on the back and wave at the crowd of their exuberant supporters.

"…Fuck," Yoongi curses, voicing everyone's secret thoughts.

"Well, maybe we should just go home early tonight…" Taehyung adds in a quiet voice.

You're not so convinced. "Just wait, guys."

They eye you with skepticism, "Come on, ___. It's one thing to be supportive, but another to be delusional."

"Let's just get back to the hotel," Yerin kindly offers, "You don't need to watch the rest of this."

But still, you hold firm and grit your teeth, "Just. Wait."

Perplexed, the three of them have no choice but to obey. You know they're questioning your sanity at this point, but you can't blame them. To be honest, you're just as confused as they are. You have no idea why it's so important to you to watch their inevitable defeat. But for some reason, you can't make yourself budge one inch. Because no matter if he wins or loses, you have to be here for him. You have to see Jungkook through until the end.

A loud scream tears you from your thoughts. You barely process it as Yerin's before your eyes dart down to the field. You glance over right in time to Jungkook falling down to his knees as his teammates suddenly crash into him, gleefully slamming him to the ground. Bewildered, you blink to clear your vision, and there it is—the beautiful white ball cleanly enveloped in the back of the home team's net. Jeon Jungkook has scored again. And now the game proceeds to the penalty kick shootout.

The most unpleasant sensation of déjà vu fills you watch the teams line up on field. You watch as Seokjin's team gathers up for a huddle, while your team stoically stands scattered across the turf, helpless but to watch as they strategize their way to victory. A memory of that faithful afternoon outside the lockers flashes across your mind at that moment. And how utterly dejected Jungkook looked, crumpled up against the wall.

Your jaw tightens. You can't stand seeing him like that, and you'll do everything you can to make sure he never feels that way again.

The first player from the opposing team makes the goal, before the home team follows it up with a ball in the back of the net with complete ease. This as expected from the undefeated champions, but you can't help the sliver of trepidation that slides down your back. Unconsciously, you clasp your hands together in a silent prayer.

The next three rounds slip by quickly. Despite their exhaustion, both teams are able to make every goal on shot—the satisfying swish of the ball slamming into the back of the net heard across the field. Because the whole stadium is filled with so much tension that no one dares breathe, much less cheer these small victories… Until the second to last penalty kick… Where Seokjin's team easily empties the ball in the goal, while your team kicks the ball into the awaiting arms of the opposing team's goalie. And then, a bubble of relief bursts across the stadium, leaving you and your friends stone-faced as those around you tentatively clap in excitement.

Finally, it's the last round. And you can feel the slightest morsel of hope build in your chest when you realize that Hoseok is kicking for your side. Here's the captain—the most solid player in the team. If anyone could possibly lead you to victory, it's him… Although no matter if he scores… your team will still be a point down.

"I thought it'd be Jungkook," Yoongi quietly says, breaking through the tense silence.

The rest of you look at him in despair. "He didn't play well last time," Yerin explains it to him in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, he basically cost the team the game," Taehyung adds.

You scowl at his comment. He's wrong. That wasn't entirely Jungkook's fault. A whole team can't depend on one player, and he was simply having a bad day, due to his nerves. But you have no idea how you'd be able to explain your impassioned rebuttal, so you force yourself to stay quiet instead.

The fans in the stadium are now feeling confident enough in their victory to boo Hoseok as he prepares for his kick. Ever the professional, he ignores their jeers and insults as he lines up the ball with the goal. You silently fume for him. These kids are so damn disrespectful when they should just keep their mouths shut and appreciate art!

And sure enough, when no one is expecting him, Hoseok suddenly darts forward with the sleek grace of a panther and smashes the ball into the net before the goalie even has a chance to react. At that, the boos instantly fade as the stadium lapses back into tense silence.

Huffing with pride, you're very much inclined to turn around and rub it in their faces, when a hand on your arm catches your attention. You whirl back around to find Taehyung tugging insistently on your sleeve, his mouth pursed with unease. You follow his gaze, and your heart nearly stops in its chest at the sight of Kim Seokjin preparing for the next shot.

Your school is down by one. Seokjin only has to make this goal, and they'll be declared the champions of the entire country for the third year running. And he'll be worshipped as a king once more. You feel sick to your stomach as you watch him set up the shot with easy confidence. This is the captain of the undefeated team. The winner of best defensive player in all of South Korea twice in a row. Who hasn't missed a single penalty kick this entire season. It's game over.

Taehyung sympathetically squeezes your hand in his own, but you barely feel it. Kim Seokjin is going to win again. He always gets what he wants, and it appears that this is no different. He is going to defeat your team. He's going to defeat you.

After the longest second that seems to drag for hours, Seokjin finally breaks into a run at the ball planted in front of the goal. But you can't bear to watch. You turn to hastily bury your face in Taehyung's shoulder, unable to tolerate Seokjin's gloating face. The sound of his shoe slamming into the latex ball makes you flinch.

But then, to your utmost surprise, there's a moment of hushed silence completely different from the exuberant cheers you were expecting.

"Oh my god…" Taehyung whispers.

Confused, you slowly raise your head from the crook to your neck. And the sight before you, with the ball nestled tightly in the goalie's arms makes your heart leap to your throat. Could it be possible? Could Kim Seokjin have actually messed up for once?

"Does this mean we have another chance to win?" Yerin gasps, diving across the bleachers to grab your hand.

"I-I don't know," you stammer, as ignorant in sports knowledge as always.

"Yes," Yoongi answers for you, "But now it's sudden death. First team to make the point wins."

Your heart skips a beat at that realization and you tighten your grip on Yerin's hand, too anxious to be concerned about your sweaty palms. A coin flip determines the order of the kicks for the sudden death round, and you realize with dread that Seokjin's team will go first. Luck has never been on your side. But maybe… just maybe, this won't matter?

It's terrible to wish for someone's failure, but you can't bring yourself to feel an ounce of guilt as your prayers are answered and the opposing team missed their shot. There has never been a more beautiful sight than the splotchy whiteness of the ball clutched in the goalie's grip. Now it's your team's turn. And this time, you actually have a chance to win.

Hoseok gathers his team up for a brief huddle as the opposing team's goalie fills up the net next. You can't hear what they're saying, but they're most likely debating on the next player to attempt the penalty kick, if the way Hoseok's brow furrows deeply in consideration is any indication. There's a brief pause… Then Jeon Jungkook is dragged out from the huddle and pushed in front of the goal. And suddenly, you're digging your nails into Yerin's palms so hard that she whimpers from the pain.

Jungkook is clearly feeling unsure of himself on the field, as he anxiously bends to tie and retie his shoelaces and adjust the ball mere millimeters in front of the goal. As though that'll make any difference. He looks a thousand times more nervous than even the last game, when the place was swarming with recruiters, and the team broke their ten-game winning streak. He looks unbearably pale and young as he stands on the field like a lost child.

Your chest is tight with emotion, and before you can restrain yourself, you find yourself rising to your feet and screaming, "You got this, Jungkook!" on the top of your lungs.

Of course you realize that he probably can't hear you. The stadium is massive and your voice is probably just a buzz of a fly in his ear next to the roar of voices. Yet, is it just your imagination or does Jungkook seem to twitch at the very sound of his name? A millisecond later, and he's charging down the field at full speed, and when his foot connects with the ball, the resulting sound is akin to a gunshot.

He smashes into the ball with so much speed and power that no one knows what's going on for a few seconds. The loud crunch of the rubber ball can be from anything really—the ground, a metal post, even the goalie's leg.

It takes a second for everyone to recognize the object spinning erratically against the white webbed net, while the goalie collapses to the ground in defeat. Another second, then—

"GOALLL!" Taehyung's shout roars through the stadium, breaking out of your stunned denial. Could it be? Could it be that Jeon Jungkook just single-handedly won the national championship?

But then Taehyung exuberantly pulls Yerin in for a bear-hug, tugging her straight off her feet at the same time Jungkook's team members tackle him on the field, childishly dog-piling on top of him and yelping with joy. There's no denying this now, whatsoever. Your team won. They actually fucking won. And now they are South Korean national champions.

You collapse back on your seat with a wearied chuckle of disbelief, "Well, fuck."

Yerin turns back to you, her face wreathed in smiles once Taehyung finally places her back down on her feet, "Now how are we going to celebrate?"

"Ugh, Yerin, no," you complain as she drags you by the hand towards the waiting Uber.

"Come on, ___," Taehyung urges with a palm pressed to the small of your back, "Stop being such a party pooper."

"Yeah, this will be fun!" the younger blonde girl chimes in with a grin.

"I don't know," you hesitate, "Isn't it kinda awkward if I show up uninvited?"

"No, they'd love to have you there!" She insists, "I'm surprised that Jungkook didn't invite you already."

"Or Hoseok," Taehyung adds.

"Stop it, both of you," you bark.

They simply grin at each other, "Come on, ___. It'll be fun. Just have one drink to celebrate! This is a huge victory after all. You know how much it means to them…"

Their whining finally wears you down and you concede with a deep sigh, "Fine! I'll go… But just for one hour, then I'm off to bed!"

"Yayyy!"

"Ugh, you kids are so noisy… Oh wait, should I change first?" you ask, realizing that you're still wearing Hoseok's borrowed jersey.

"No way, it's cute," Yerin insists, "And besides, if you're just going for an hour, why do you need to change?"

"Fine…" you mumble. But something in your gut tells you that this won't be a simple, hour-long socialization…

"Can you guys please fucking hurry?" Yoongi calls out from the passenger seat of the Uber, interrupting your conversation, "Do you realize that we have to fucking pay for waiting time?!"

Sobered up, the three of you hurriedly jog to the car, "Coming!"

The party is just getting started when the group of you arrive at the bar. You instantly spot the rowdy group of athletes against the back wall, even though they've showered and changed out of their dirty uniforms. Instinctively, you drop back to hide behind Taehyung.

Hoseok is the first one to notice your group's entry, and instantly jumps to his feet to greet you guys, "Hey, you made it!" He exclaims, hopping over to enthusiastically envelop Yoongi in a hug.

While the others are distracted with their greetings, you cautiously scan across the table. And your heart skips a beat when you find Jungkook looking straight at you. There's a moment of awkwardness when you're unsure whether you should pretend as though you haven't caught him staring, or whether you should playfully call him out for it. But Jungkook makes the decision for you when he suddenly gets to his feet to approach you.

"Hey."

"H-hey," you wince at your stuttering reply and hurry to clear your throat, "Congratulations, Jungkook."

He smiles at that, "Thanks."

There another beat of awkward silence where you wonder if you should hug him. It's a normal gesture to celebrate such a huge win, and from the corner of your eye, you can see Taehyung clambering on Hoseok's back with glee. No one would even blink if you wrap your arms around Jungkook the way you want to, but something holds you back.

"You played well," you say, feebly settling for a thump on his back instead.

Jungkook blinks at the impersonal gesture, "Thanks…" he says again.

You mentally curse yourself for your wimpiness. What has gotten into you these past few days? You've been acting totally out of character. You're not this simpering, weak-willed coward anymore. But somehow, you can't muster the courage to approach him… because what if he doesn't hug you back?

Luckily, someone saves you from the awkwardness right at that moment. "___!" A loud voice shouts your name.

You barely have time to turn around before Hoseok is crushing you to his chest. Your yelp of surprise quickly turns into a peal of laughter as he manages to pull you straight off your feet.

"I'm so glad that you're here!" he exclaims as he chokes off your breath with the force of his hug.

You happily hug him back with equal enthusiasm, "Hoseok, you were amazing out there! Congrats!"

He places you down to peer at you in curiosity, "Really?"

"Yes, really!" You gush, "I was blown away!"

Your flattery makes him laugh, "___, you are the best!" he says with an affectionate ruffle of your hair, "By the way, my shirt looks great on you."

"I know right?" You teasingly strike a pose for him, "I think it actually looks better on me…"

"Of course it does," he easily agrees, "You're so cute, everything looks good on you."

Surprised by the compliment, your eyes widen, "Wh-what?"

He chuckles at your reaction as he pats your head again, "I wish you could’ve seen the look on your stupid ex-boyfriend’s face when we crushed his ass,” he hoots, “It was fucking legendary!”

At the very mention of Jin, your mood drops, “Ah... I see.” 

“That overgrown baby looked like he was going to cry,” he chortles, unperturbed by your less than enthusiastic response, “I still can’t believe you dated such a loser!”

“Yeah,” you quietly agree, “I don’t know.”

“It’s alright. You can make it up to me by having a drink with me."

"Okay!" You agree, allowing him to sling an arm around your neck and lead you away. And as a result, neither of you notice Jungkook standing behind you, glowering after the two of you.

Two hours later, and the party has grown in size, along with people's levels of intoxication. You took a shot with Hoseok earlier, but since then, have somehow gotten away with just nursing a beer as you scrutinize the drunken revelry occurring all around you. Not for Yerin and Taehyung's lack of trying though. They've throw themselves at you countless times, begging you to do a round of body shots off a random stranger's chest, or to attempt a keg stand off the mysterious barrel of beer they've mooched off the bartender. But you manage to firmly stand your ground, reminding them of the drunken mess of Halloween. Fortunately, Yoongi is there to vehemently take your side, desperate to never have to witness a repeat of Halloween night ever again.

You never realized how interesting it could be going to a party sober. Sure, you're not having much fun yourself. But just studying other people's drunken shenanigans from a healthy distance is fascinating. You've never seen any of these people drunk before—or at least, not when you yourself weren't also drunk, and unable to serve as a functional witness. And now, it's quite hilarious taking in everyone's drunken habits.

Yerin is a sweet drunk. She's normally sweet even sober, but when intoxicated, this characteristic is magnified. She's hugged nearly every single person in the bar, and when she went missing for half an hour, you found her in the bathroom coaching a random girl through a breakup with her cheating boyfriend. As her direct foil, Yoongi is a sleepy, grumpy drunk. After just three drinks, he was ready to crawl under the bar and take a nap. It took three people, and lots of begging, to get him to sit in a booth instead.

Hoseok and Taehyung are quite similar to one another when intoxicated. They're both the life of the party, happily celebrating and keeping up the lively mood. Their positivity is contagious, spreading positive energy throughout the bar… And then there's Jungkook… And Jungkook as a drunk is… well, just an asshole, to be honest. But what's new?

"___!" Jungkook yells your name, forcing your attention back to him, "Hey, ___! Yoohoo!" He whistles loudly at you when you take too long to glance over, and the sound makes your blood boil with rage.

"What?!"

"How much beer do you think I can drink when doing a keg stand?"

"I don't care!" It's a bit embarrassing how he's yelling these irrelevant questions at you from across the bar, making everyone in the group turn their attention on the two of you.

"I bet I can drink more than you can ever imagine!" He cockily states.

"What part of 'I don't care' do you fail to understand?" You yell back.

To your annoyance, he throws his head back and laughs, "You're funny. Watch this, babe." And with that, he plants both hands on either side of the barrel of beer and suddenly flips over into a headstand. His loose shirt instantly drops to pool around his neck from the gravity, but of course, he doesn't care. In fact, a self-confident smirk spreads across his face when he catches you looking.

Embarrassed, you quickly snap your eyes away and cross your arms tightly over your chest, angry that you got caught. His head's already too damn big. You don't want to increase its size by ogling over his body… though other girls at the bar clearly don't share the same sentiment. At the sight of his perfectly formed honey abs, a chorus of female cheers breaks across the room, and one girl goes far enough as to clutch her chest and swoon. You scowl in response, "What a fucking show-off."

Another hour passes before you decide that you've finally had enough. It's getting late, and you'd like to get a good night's rest before the long drive in the morning. But unfortunately, they won't let you go so easily.

"Come on, ___," Hoseok urges with a little bump of your shoulder with his own, "Have one more drink with me before you leave."

But you wince at the sight of the glass of beer he tries to coax into your hand, "Just one more itsy-bitsy little drink?" he begs, "I mean, you never even really congratulated me!"

"What? I had a shot with you earlier!"

"Yeah but that was like… seven hours ago!"

"We've only been here three hours, hon."

"… Wow, when did you become such a math whiz?"

This makes you laugh, "Fine," you concede, "Just one sip…"

"Yes, yes!" Hoseok eagerly nods his head.

You chuckle at his insistency, and good-naturedly reach down to take a swig of the offered beer. But in the midst of doing so, you notice a very interesting spectacle from the corner of your eye. There's an oversized brunette jock sitting onto of a tiny little gray-haired dude's lap. You can barely make out his silvery hair from beneath the bigger man's mass. The size difference is so amusing that you nearly spit out your drink.

"Wow, it's not even midnight and people are already this drunk!" You chortle, pointing at the strange duo at the booth.

Hoseok follows the direction in which you're pointing, but cringes when he sees the odd couple, "Oh my god… oh no. Please don't tell me Jeon's fucking at it again…"

At the sound of that particular name, you snap your head up with interest, "Hmm? What'd you say?" You glance towards the duo on the booth again, and your eyes widen with shock when you finally recognize the large dark-haired man as Jungkook. "Holy shit…" you curse in a quiet voice, "What's gotten into him…?"

"Ugh, this is terrible," Hoseok mutters as he rubs his thumbs into his temple, "Barely three hours into the night, and he's already onto stage two!"

"Stage two?" You repeat in confusion, "What does that mean?"

"Jungkook goes through three distinct stages of drunken revelry," the team captain patiently explains as he studies the way the tall brunette nuzzles his face into a very displeased-looking Yoongi's neck, "The first is overly cocky machismo, which you already experienced."

You wince as you recall his obnoxious keg stand from earlier, "Yuck. Anything's better than that."

But Hoseok adamantly shakes his head, "No way. The arrogance is annoying, but still tolerable… Unlike stage two… where he suddenly turns into a baby boy."

You blink three times in rapid succession, "Jeon Jungkook… turns into… a baby boy?" you repeat after him, carefully enunciating every syllable for fear that you've gravely misunderstood.

To your horror, Hoseok solemnly nods his head, "Yes… Stage two drunken Jeon Jungkook is the world's biggest baby boy… He literally thinks that he's eight-years-old… Or a gay bottom... and that every man around him is his top…"

"Oh my…"

"Yeah… he doesn't even approach women in this state… he just wants his… 'daddy,'" Hoseok says, face blanching at the thought, "It's quite different than the stage one fuckboi… The entire team tries to avoid this at any cost… But still, it's better than stage three Jungkook."

"No way," you gasp, "Nothing can be worse than this!"

The handsome redhead turns to you with complete seriousness, "Oh honey… You don't even want to know…"

Curiosity piqued, you open your mouth to question him, but at that moment, Jungkook seems to notice the two of you for the first time. "Ah, there you are!" His cry is heard from across the room as he suddenly jumps off of Yoongi's lap to come galloping straight towards the two of you.

You instantly stiffen and hold both hands in front of you for protection when it becomes apparent that he isn't slowing anytime soon… And last time he had greeted you in such an… enthusiastic manner, he sent you flying back ten feet across the field. This time you will surely die.

It takes a whole second after the expected collision to realize that you're not being bodyslammed into the back wall. You slowly lower your arms and peek through your eyelashes. And to your utmost surprise, you find Jungkook draped all over Hoseok's back like a koala bear.

"Hobi! Cuddle me!" He exclaims in a whiny voice.

"What the fuck? Jungkook, you're literally twenty-one-years-old."

"And you're old," he sasses back, "Now carry me!" He demands, holding up both arms like a small child.

Hoseok sighs deeply, "Jungkook, you are bigger than me, remember?"

"So?" Jungkook pouts, "Who cares?"

"…Are you serious right now? Jeon Jungkook, you're taller and heavier than me. How the fuck am I supposed to—?"

"Cuddle me now!" Jungkook suddenly explodes, stomping his foot like a child throwing a tantrum.

Startled by the outburst, Hoseok instantly gathers his teammate in his arms, "Is this… Is this okay?"

Jungkook hums softly in response, "Cradle me, too."

"But you're really heavy. I can't possibly—"

"Cradle me, you son of a bitch!"

"Fuck, okay!" Frightened, Hoseok jumps to obey, and somehow sweeps his heavy teammate straight off his feet. "Oi, you're so damn heavy," he mutters under his breath as he attempts to rock the hulking younger man back and forth in his arms.

And standing just a few steps behind them, you happily whip out your camera to begin recording the debacle, "Wow, this is fucking gold."

"Hey, ___," Someone approaches you from behind, "You're still here?"

You turn your head to see Yerin frowning at you, "Yeah, sweetie. I'm not missing this shitshow for anything in the world."

It was a mistake to not have made your escape while you still stood a chance. A huge, miserable mistake, because less than half an hour into his Stage 2 appearance, Jungkook suddenly launches into Stage 3. And never have you longed for the comfort and sanctity of your own bed more.

You were just happily minding your own business, recording Jungkook as he made Hoseok feed him beer like it was a milk bottle, when his personality suddenly made a 180-degree shift. One minute he was happily bouncing on Hoseok's lap and suckling at the beer bottle like a swaddling toddler, and then next, he was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

Slowly, Jungkook detaches his lips from the bottle and pushes the team captain's hands away from his face, "Hoseok, why are you like this?"

"Huh?" The redhead puts the beer down on the counter before staring down at the younger man in his arms, confused, "What are you talking about?"

Jungkook eases his way out of Hoseok's embrace before responding, "I thought we were friends, Hobi… I thought you actually cared about me… So how could you do this to me?"

You slowly lower your camera in surprise. He's actually speaking fully sentences again instead of the whining or weird gurgling sounds he was making earlier. Could this mean…?

"Oh shit," Hoseok curses, his eyes widening in realization, "He's going into Stage 3…"

"Stage 3?" An innocent bystander overhears their conversation, "Jungkook's going into Stage 3?"

"What?!"

"Fuck! Run, everyone!"

This sparks a frenzy among the soccer players, who immediately turn to run for their lives, while the non-athletes look on in bewilderment. One even goes as far as throwing himself under the booth while the rest flee for the safety outside.

Yerin watches the mass exodus with a frown on her lovely face, "What the heck's going on, ___?"

You simply shake your head as you slip your phone into your back pocket, "I have no idea." But something tells you that you shouldn't record it.

"I loved you like a brother!" Jungkook dramatically cries out, making everyone in the vicinity jump in surprise, "How could you betray me like this?!"

Hoseok winces at the volume of his voice and tries to surreptitiously shush him, "Shh, it's okay, Kookie," he says with an awkward pat of his teammate's back, "Just calm down."

But this only serves to infuriate him further, "Don't tell me to calm down!" He exclaims loudly, "I won't hear it from you, you traitorous bastard!"

Hoseok throws his hands up in response, shocked by the unexpected insult, "Wait, hold on a minute! What did I even do?!"

"You know exactly what you did, you backstabbing asshole," the drunken younger man growls in response.

"Stop this nonsense, Jungkook!" Hoseok cries out in exasperation, "I seriously didn't do anything to you!"

"You did!" Jungkook vehemently insists.

"And when did I ever try to backstab you?!"

"You're trying to steal ___ away from me!"

The force of his confession hits you like a punch to the gut. You instantly winded and doubling over with your hands resting on your knees for support as you gasp for air. Could he have actually…? Did he really just…?

"Oh my god," Yerin gasps besides you, confirming your fears.

You slowly raise to your full height again as you watch Hoseok gape at Jungkook with similar shock covering his handsome features.

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me, you son-of-a-bitch!" Jungkook snarls, "You fucking knew I liked her, yet you're stealing her away from me! How could you?!"

"Kookie, seriously calm down," Hoseok says, firmly placing his hands on the dark-haired man's shoulders, "I didn't do anything wrong. You and ___ aren't together, remember?"

At that reminder, Jungkook's brow furrows deeply and his jaw clenches so tightly that you can see a muscle popping in his cheek, even from where you stand across the bar. For a moment, you're worried that he might hit the older man. But instead, Jungkook does something much more concerning… He lowers his head such that his dark fringe shadows his eyes… and then abruptly bursts into tears.

"How are you such a jerk?" He sobs noisily, "I thought you were my brother!"

Hoseok is clearly taken aback by this intense reaction, and helplessly flutters his hands towards him for a few seconds, his anxiety skyrockets, "Shh, Jungkook, it's okay. I am your brother. Don't cry, Kookie."

But that only makes him cry harder. It's such a strange sight to see the normally overly confident, borderline-pretentious athlete break down like this. He suddenly looks much younger than his actual age, like a little boy crying for the loss of his mother. And although you know that this isn't real—that it's just a reaction to the copious alcohol he's consumed in such a short period of time, you can't help but feel for him. It feels like your chest is being crushed to fine dust to watch him in this state, and all you want to do is go over to comfort him. But Yerin beats you to it.

In a blink of an eye, the pretty blonde crosses the room to grip Jungkook's hands tightly in her own, "Jungkook, are you alright?"

He pauses for a moment to stare at her through watery eyes, "Y-yerin? Wow you're so beautiful."

She flushes at the unexpected compliment, and stares over Jungkook's shoulder to raise her eyebrows at Hoseok, who simply shrugs back in confusion, clearly glad that the younger man's lost interest in him. "Um… thank you?"

"No, I'm serious. You are the prettiest person I have ever seen. How can anyone be so gorgeous??" He exclaims, suddenly grabbing her cheeks.

Her large eyes widen further in surprise, her long eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks as he suddenly leans in until his face is inches away from hers. From across the room, your heart sinks in your chest with dread. If you weren't frozen solid with horror, you might have tried to rip them apart to prevent his inevitable descent. But you are too far away and helpless but to watch as he descends closer and closer until his lips are touching her—forehead.

Wait, her forehead???

You rub your eyes in confusion, but there he is, noisily kissing Yerin's forehead like she's a newborn baby in his arms. "You are my ideal daughter!" he bellows in delight as he gives her nose a smacking kiss this time, "I would die happy if I could birth someone like you!"

"Jungkook, you can't birth anyone—" Hoseok begins, but the younger man cuts him off again.

"Omg! If ___ and I tried, do you think we could birth you?!" He excitedly asks as he pinches her soft cheeks.

"I'm only two years younger than you..." she politely reminds him, though her words are slightly muffled by his pinching.

He ignores her, "I will protect you from the world, sweet baby."

"… Alright… cool?"

Jungkook beams at that, but before he can try to kiss her on the head again, someone violently interferes, "Yo, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Oh, Taehyung?" Yerin asks in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"Getting you away from this creep," he growls as he angrily rips her away from Jungkook, "Keep your hands to yourself, dickhead."

"Wait… what?" Jungkook says in a small voice, taken aback by Taehyung's aggression. And when you notice his chin wobbling dangerously, you decide that it's finally time to intervene.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop it, both of you," you hastily step between the two of them before an unnecessary fight can break out. "We're all pretty drunk right now, so we should just cool down and go back to the hotel to sleep this off."

"___?" Jungkook murmurs your name in a tiny voice.

You turn to him with a deep sigh, in no mood to deal with his drunken nonsense right now, "Look, Jeon. Congrats again on your win, okay? Are you happy? Can you stop drinking now?"

"What is there to be happy about?" he bitterly retorts, "What's so good about winning?"

Shocked, you plant both hands on your hips, prepared to chew him out for his rude lack of gratitude. But then he says something that makes your reprimand die in your throat.

"Maybe if I had lost, you would've hugged me again."

For a second that seems to last a lifetime, it feels like the entire bar falls silent, everyone reeling from the impact of his statement. You shake your woozy head, trying to clear it, but incoherent thoughts and emotions continue to whirl around, making you feel dizzy.

Luckily, everyone else seems baffled by his cryptic words. "Jungkook, honey, what are you talking about?" Yerin asks in a sweet voice.

But he just shakes his head with a humorless laugh, "Nothing… ___ just really is heartless."

This rouses your anger, and you quickly snap out of your brief moment of dazed astoundment, "Whatever. I'm not going to stand for this BS. Good night, kids. I'm out of here."

But before you can take one step forward, Jungkook suddenly lurches forward to grab your arm with bruising strength, "Wait, ___!"

You turn to shoot him the dirtiest glare you can muster, "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Jeon Jungkook?"

He winces at the look of sheer fury on your face, but doesn't loosen his grip one bit, "Don't go, ___."

But this only infuriates you further, "Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?! Let me go!"

Desperation flashes across his face as he smooths his hand down your arm to grab your hand in both of his own, "Please, ___. Please don't go."

You stand there for a second, momentarily distracted by the way he ardently presses his lips to the back of your hand But you quickly snap out of it and shake your hand out of his grip, "You don't get to act like this, Jungkook. Not after how much of a dick you've been to me all week." And with that, you attempt to march away.

You make it exactly halfway out the bar before he catches up to you again, his reaction time slightly slowed by one too many shots flowing through his bloodstream. "___, I'm sorry!" He exclaims, grabbing your hand to slow you.

You angrily whirl around to face him, "I know that you're drunk and probably just want your dick sucked right now, but trust me when I say that there's no way in hell that'll happen."

"That's not what I want! Well—actually… maybe… Wait, no!" he exclaims when he sees the look of disgust flash across your face. "That's not what I meant! Why do you keep pushing me away?" He cries out in exasperation.

"Me?" your eyes widen in astonishment, "Are you fucking kidding me, Jungkook? What about Friday night, huh? How do you explain that?"

"What about Friday night?" Jungkook asks in surprise.

"Seriously? Have you forgotten already with the number of sexts you get everyday?!"

"Sext?" he repeats with a furrow of his brow, "What sext?"

"The photo I sent you!" You practically yell at him, frustrated beyond belief, "You didn't even respond to it! If you're not interested, then fine. Just let me know so I can fucking move on with my life!"

"That's not it!" he exclaims, grabbing both of your hands this time in an attempt to calm you down. "You're the one who's not interested!"

"What the fuck are you talking about? I sent you the photo, and you didn't even care! I know I'm not pretty, and that photo might have been cringe-worthy, but damn, Jungkook. I actually tried, okay? This is so embarrassing to admit and I promise I'll never—"

"I jerked off half a dozen times to your photo!" He brusquely interrupts you.

"—send you another photo if you hate it so—wait what?" Your brow creases as you finally process his statement, "What? Jungkook… I literally sent you that photo two days ago…"

He at least has the decency to look chagrined, "Yeah… I know."

Your thoughts swirl dizzily in your mind as you try to process this new information, "But then… if you liked it so much… why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it was an accident!" He explodes, "You didn't even want me to look at it!"

Realization hits you, "Oh my god…" you whisper, "You're so stupid… We're both so stupid… I wanted you to look at it, idiot."

His alcohol-addled mind can't process your words, "Huh? Then why did you tell me not to?"

You can't answer that question, and instead drop your eyes to your shoes in embarrassment, "I don't know," you admit in a small voice.

"Why do you always do this?" he pushes on, relentless, "Why didn't you bid for me at the date auction? Why are you wearing Hobi's shirt right now instead of mine?"

"I don't know," you repeat again, "Why did you kiss Hyejin at the last kickback?" you shoot back at him, displeased by being the only one grilled.

"Because I thought you were with Hoseok!"

Shocked by his honest answer, you stumble a step back from him in fear. Suddenly, this is all too much for you. You feel unbearably claustrophobic in the cramped, musty bar, with Jungkook's presence overwhelming you from every angle. It feels like you can't breathe, can't even think in his proximity. Adrenaline fills your system at that moment, and all you can think about is fleeing the situation. This is too much, too soon. It's terrifying and you just need some time to think.

"Jungkook, I really need to go," you say as you try to wiggle your hands out of his grip, "Can we talk about this in the morning?"

But sheer panic flashes in his eyes when you attempt to shake him loose. "Don't leave me," he croaks out in desperation, "Please, ___. Don't leave me…

"Not like she did."

You freeze entirely and turn to stare at him with huge eyes, dumbfounded by his confession. She? Who is this woman who has clearly hurt him so much? You study the way his hands tremble over yours, and how his pupils shake with fear. He's just drunk and overly emotional right now. It doesn't mean anything…

Yet, for some reason, you find yourself sliding your fingers between his to hold his hand better, "Jungkook…" you murmur in a soft voice, "Would you like to sleep over in my room tonight?" You don’t know what’s gotten into you. You don’t know what’s possessed you to make such a bold offer. But you can’t bear to part from him right now. 

Something seems to shift between the two of you as he stares at you with eyes that shine like stars in the sky, "Yes," he breathes, "Please don't let me go."

You give his hand a tight squeeze, "I won't."

A/N: Please don’t ask about updates! Also I didn’t have time to read this through or edit it, so I apologize for any mistakes!

[supercasey]

Why I don't make many friends over the internet anymore

Alright, so, I know I've vagued about this a lot. I know I've been leaving y'all in the dark, and I'm sorry for that. I thought I could hold this all in until it went away, but she isn't going away, and I don't want to be angry anymore; I just want to move on and get better.

So yeah... This is why I don't try to make friends online anymore. This is why I don't talk online much at all. This is what happened. Take it as you will, all I ask is that you understand that I'm at my limit with this person, and I ask that you please don't harass her once you realize all that went down (if you even figure out who she is. She's sorta... infamous in the RvB fandom, and not in a good way). I just want her to leave me alone, and starting a fight won't solve this mess.

It started with a bad fanfic that I wrote.

...

I will not say the name, but I wrote it for RvB and it was... a vent story. On my alternate account. About... gross shit. I double guessed posting it at all but I was determined to vent about my fucking issues, and this seemed like the best way to do so. And, surprise surprise... It's my most well received RvB fic, and I'm not even taking full credit for it.

To make it simple, it's about age regression. No, it is not sexualized. No, I don't get off on it. Yes... I age-slide. I hate it. It hasn't happened in a bit here, but I still hate it, so I made a fic where the characters are forcibly made to age-slide and it's written out as the psychological horror that it's meant to be. Except... there was always this one Anon, the one consistently rooting for the villains. Even when the heroes were rescued, they begged for more time with the heroes kidnapped and abused. They loved their "pwecious wittle babies UwU" and wanted nothing more but for the torture to continue.

I... humored them. I joked and bantered, but nothing was done. I never undid the rescue, and while the characters were still very much suffering from the results of their kidnapping, they were actively recovering, and I loved it. The small crowd of regulars I had following my story were pleased, and always willing to give me support. I felt validated. I felt good knowing that I was able to expose age-sliding in a way that wasn't grossly sexualized or enjoyed. While the characters were happy at times, it was a naive happiness, and it was made clear that what was happening wasn't safe or okay.

A few months pass without an update. I've grown a bit tired of the story, still plagued by self doubtful fears of my work being perceived as some sexual bastardization of a story. Then, one day, I get a message on Tumblr. I don't recognize the username but... they found me out. They knew it was me writing the story (to be fair my style kinda stands out in the fandom, not to mention that I'm bad at lying) and they wanted to talk about it. I was, of course, fucking terrified. But, to my utter surprise... they liked it. And they wanted to discuss my thoughts on it!

I was estatic! Finally, someone who understood! Someone who I could talk to about this horror story that means so much to me! However, it soon became clear that we interpreted the story... very differently. Where I used it as a means of venting and exposing the trauma of unwillingly regressing at a moment's notice, my newfound "friend" loved the "baby fantasy" and wanted to "adopt" the main characters, especially the boy.

I kinda just... enabled it. No, I encouraged it. I was so desperate for a friend, I actively wrote little things for her where the age-sliding was more consensual/enjoyable, all while wishing for it to go back to being an insight on abuse. But it never was about that; it was about fulfilling her needs and making a baby doll for her to fantasize about.

Before long, we had been chitchatting back and forth for a few months, and eventually over a year. I was happy, or at least, I convinced myself that I was. I struggled to respond regularly so it wasn't that bad, right? I wasn't always around her so I couldn't be that upset, right? Time passes, I idly mention having an online friend to my family and they, the loving family that they are, support me. They're amazed that the loner of the family has finally made an actual online friend.

Suddenly, talk of meeting face to face becomes commonplace. She's in Washington and I'm in Michigan, so I figure it's never gonna happen. I'm wrong. The year is 2018, and February's just hit. Talk of RTX has started, and I, a shy little RvB fan with hardly any money, know I'm not going. But my friend is. She's excited, already telling me about her plans, when she suddenly asks if I'm going.

I of course say no. I mean, come on, I'm not even close to rich enough to pay for a whole trip across the US. But my friend is... insistent. I make if clear that I can't afford it, and out of the blue, she offers to take me. No strings attached, no payment on my part (except of course for merch), just bring... me.

I'm of course floored. RTX? Really? My siblings and I have always wanted to go, ever since we started with AH videos. But here it is, right in front of me. An opportunity to go to the biggest convention I've ever heard of, and she... really wasn't taking no for an answer. I tell her that I'll think about it, that I need time to figure it out. She assures me that it's fine, take all the time I need. I tell my family about the offer, about how I've known her for over a year and trust her (I don't, but I'm too afraid to admit it). Mom's scared, but at the promise of a video call with my friend, she chills out. Dad's supportive, but also a bit worried. My siblings are over the moon, excited for me and raring to someday go as well.

It's obvious, right? Now I have to go. After all, my friend HAS to have someone go with her, and no one else she knows wants to go. After all, my siblings have always wanted to go, and it would be shitty to say no when they'd say yes in a heartbeat. After all, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and really, who wouldn't?

I say yes. I save all the money I can, my dad video chats her, and then... I'm off. I fly to Texas (I insisted on buying my own plane ticket). Up to that point I had never left my family before, not for over forty-eight hours, and yet here I was, leaving for over a week. My therapist, my parents, and my siblings were all cheering for me to go, to get out of my comfort zone and do the thing I never should've been able to do.

I didn't have the heart to tell them that I was scared I wouldn't come home alive.

I land in Austin, Texas the day before RTX begins. I meet her in the airport. I'd already seen her face before, so I wasn't exactly surprised, but I felt safer seeing she was a bit heavier. I could outrun her, if need be. I could get away, if she tried to take me. Unless I was in headspace. Unless I was a little fucking baby. Unless I was sliding and woke up on a one way trip to Washington-

I shook my head. No, I thought. No, I'll be okay. Stop being paranoid, Ted, it's all in your fucking head. Again. Paranoid motherfucker.

We got to our hotel room, and after a long day of walking around and exploring Austin, we called it an early night, eager for tomorrow's adventures.

It was fun, at least at first. She got me a platinum badge, so we got a garanteed spot everywhere we went. There was a cool-ass rec room for platinum badge wearers where we could chill in-between events. I stuck close to her, as she's been to RTX a thousand times over, and I felt like it was going to be okay. That night, I streamed all of Nomad of Nowhere, and intended on going to the panel the next day. Unfortunately, things took a... bad turn.

You see, my friend had enemies. People she believes are "heartless abusers who are evil and cannot be trusted", especially not near me. Well, I'm a dumbass, and I can't keep track of everyone in her fucking burn book (too many names to count). Cue a mutual from Tumblr contacting me, wishing to finally meet me in person (I made a post about being at RTX and they saw it). I, of course, agreed.

Later, I nonchalantly mention that I'm going to meet up with a mutual at the RvB panel. She asks who it is. Still unaware of the shift in my friend's mood, I casually say the username. She goes white.

"I'm sorry, did you say [INSERT NAME]?"

"Uh... Yeah? Is that... bad?"

Holy. Fucking. Shit. She loses it, sobbing like I shot her dog. Empathetic little bastard that I am, I also begin to cry, begging to know what's wrong. Cue a lot of "How could you!?"s Followed by me desperately apologizing, still completely in the dark.

Apparently, my mutual? Her worst enemy. Number one. They who must not be named. And me, a dumbass with PTSD induced memory issues, did not remember the one time she mentioned them. So now I'm fucked, in-between a sobbing friend and a promise to meet a mutual. I've gotta fix this, and fast. I was scared, and in a panic, I promised her that, no, I'm not meeting to "be their friend". I'm just... seeing what they look like! So I can protect my REAL friend!

This all felt very dramatic, and honestly a tad juvenile. Here we were, me just shy of twenty, and her over twenty-one. I felt like I was in second grade, promising not to be friends with anyone else on the playground. Hell, I was still in the dark as to what this person had fucking DONE.

Later, we meet. My mutual is, unsurprisingly, incredibly nice and sweet. We compliment each other's writing in the back of the room after the panel, all while I know my friend is watching from afar, glaring at us. I make it quick, too scared to get in trouble, and then it's over. I felt like such an asshole, blowing my mutual off, but I was afraid of the lion a few feet away, ready to pounce and maim me.

Afterwards, I was grilled about our talk. What'd we talk about? What did they say? Was that laughing she heard? Were we laughing at her? *Gasp* Am I turning on her!? Oh, she knew it, she knew it! I'm an ABUSER! Another monster!

This, of course, gets me crying. I'm empathetic as all hell and as a result I'm unfortunately prone to taking on other's emotions. She knows this. We get out of there, but the tension is high. She has a panel only she's interested in, so I stay alone in the hotel room.

Again, I made the most of it. I binged all of Nomad of Nowhere for the first time, and it was enough to calm me down. Delighted, I discovered that the panel for NoN would be the next day, around noon. When my friend returned, I was quick to fill her in, begging if we could go. She smiled, and promised we would. I fell asleep quickly that night, momentarily forgetting the drama for a bit.

The next morning, my friend's dead quiet. I ask if she's alright, and I'm repeatedly assured that she's fine. We reach the convention center around 8AM, and agree to meet up at 11 so we can catch the NoN panel together. I run off to wander and explore, and my friend goes off on her own for awhile.

For two hours, I'm chill. Everything's super. I talk to cosplayers and I listen to my music, and at around 10AM... I get a worrying text from my friend. I'm not going to post screenshots (because they're out of context/confusing/taking screenshots for a call out makes me feel shitty) but it started as her repeatedly saying how her enemy was "ruining the con for her" and how she was crying. I immediately start looking for her, but I have no idea where she is. Just as I'm getting ready to check the hotel, she sends me this:

"I'm writing down a statement!" ((Reporting my mutual))

I panic. I'm fuckin' bolting through the con, looking for the help desk. I'm crying, I'm shaking, I'm scared I'm gonna pass out. Thankfully, I find a guardian. She leads me to the help desk and there my friend is, crying her eyes out while filling out a form to report her enemy for... existing. And being "mean" to her on Tumblr. Yeah.

I was still kinda having a panic attack when this occurred, so it's kinda blurry at bits. I remember sitting on the floor next to her (there weren't a lot of chairs and I didn't want to be rude and ask for one) and rubbing her back. I gave her my extra Arizona green tea because it was still cold and had honey in it.

The guardians praised me, saying I was a great friend. I felt like the scum of the earth.

Awhile passed. She filled out her form, and after the guardians checked over her "screenshot evidence", they told her there was nothing they could- or should- do. They chilled her out and told her it was HER con, and to not let some bully get in the way of it. Tearfully, I apologized over and over again. They just smiled and assured me that it was fine. It wasn't.

We almost missed the NoN panel. Almost. I wonder, sometimes, if that was intentional.

I should mention now, while I have the chance, that I was keeping contact with my older brother through all of this. When I was sitting on the floor panicking, I texted my brother for advice. He offered to talk to my friend about this (I knew exactly how that would go, considering how my friend was), and I just... cried. Cried and begged him not to make my friend mad. He didn't, but I could tell he was willing (and wanting) to tell her off.

The rest of the convention went... bumpy. There were a few more meltdowns, but overall, I survived. We went to the airport early (because I was afraid) because there was nothing to do, and after she left to wait for her flight... I felt safe again. I breathed in. I breathed out. If I cried, all the more reason to leave early.

Back home, life returned to normal. My older brother was worried about me, but I blew him off in favor of trying to be like him and have a successful online friendship. I was not backing down. People are sensitive sometimes, right? It doesn't matter that her reasons for hating my mutual are inaccurate and fake. I'm her friend. It doesn't matter that she scares me. She took me to RTX. It doesn't matter that I'd rather die than keep talking to her when all she does is make me afraid. I owe her. She's been nothing but kind. I'm just a selfish, greedy little bastard that needs to be grateful and stop questioning this.

It gets worse. Now she wants to know everything about me. She wants to hear every detail of my trauma, every moment of fear or weakness. I tell her I'm scared, and not ready.

"Just a little, sweetie. Just tell me a bit. How am I supposed to be your friend if I don't know what's damaged you? How am I supposed to have you if you keep running to your big brother?"

So... I told her everything. I tried to keep it small, but lord knows I'm an oversharing mess. The minute I start, I can't stop. She knows that. A few hours and it's all typed out; my heart, my soul, my damaged bastard of a body. She says she loves me. She says she'll take care of me forever. I tell her I need a break, and for over two weeks I'm mentally fucked, drifting in and out of headspace, struggling to coexist with my dug up trauma. I'm drowning. I'm scared.

While all of this occurred, my friend took it too far. When discussions of next year's RTX came up (always from her. I'm never going back there, not with her, maybe never again), she balked at the thought of me bringing my siblings (with them paying for themselves of course).

Mostly, she feared my brother. She caught wind of his suspicions, and immediately began to try and convince me that my brother was Bad, and he was gonna Hurt Her. Didn't I promise to protect her? Didn't I promise to keep her safe? Now's the time, Ted, chop chop! Your best friend needs you!

Except... she was a dumbass to think I'd ever turn on my brother. One night, after all of this; after telling her everything about me, after sharing my deepest traumas, after refusing to turn against my brother... She went off. She began mass texting me, accusing me of abusing her, of being a monster. How could I? How could I be so mean and terrible? That must make me an abuser, and all abusers are the same! Evil!

I was... shocked. And hurt. And crying. I broke down, and finally- fucking finally- I told my brother everything. About the emotional abuse, about the pressure, about the guilt... I must've talked for two hours straight, just flipping out. By the end, I was ready to do what I needed to do, and with my brother's support... I cut ties. I told her I was done.

Three days later (she always texted back right away, so I knew she was giving me time to wonder what she'd do) she responded with a "I think we need a break from each other :/ we're both pretty terrible, huh? :/// Mostly you but whatever bye ://///"

Since then, I've been trying to get better. She still sometimes does things in order to remind me that she's around and stalking my Tumblr (sent a few messages before she abruptly deleted the blog she used to talk to me (still has her main), passive aggressively messaged me for a spell, finally made me lose my cool by harassing my sister, etc) but I'm trying to ignore it.

I know this is a lot... but they're hard lessons to learn, and I'd much rather you all learn them through my stupid actions before you get hurt or cornered: Not everyone online is your friend. Just because they say they love you doesn't mean they love YOU. Trust your fucking gut before you drag your ass onto a plane because someone told you to. And most importantly of all... Not everyone you're told to hate is bad, because guess what? Everytime I've been down, been questioning shit, or just vented, do you know who's almost always responded? The very mutual I was told was evil. And you know what else? I found out every fuckin' thing my ex said about them was a straight up lie; every screenshot was fake/out of context, and every "abusive" word was from my ex, not my mutual.

So yeah... I know better now, Natalie. I hope that if you see this, you actually try and get help. You need to realize that you don't own people, and that you can't force everyone who doesn't adore you to be an antagonist in your story... all you're doing is hurting yourself. I never lied when I said I loved you; I still sorta do, even after what you've done to me. I fucking love you, Natalie, and it's because I love you that I'm getting away from you. Please oh please get yourself actual help, before you make things any worse for yourself.

Sincerely, Ted.

[elle-daily-days]

Day 10 - A Typical Day (March 11, 2021)

Annyeong!

So, woke up early this morning feeling thankful to the Lord our God, for waking me up again and for all the blessings I recieved and I have to receive. 🤗

There it was, my daily routine, I cooked our breakfast, we ate, I washed the dishes and at 10:30 A.M we had our class in Positive Psychology wherein we tackle about 'Living in the FLOW'. There, I've learned that we achieved more with less effort and also the low energy solution with high energy problem. Living in flow, also, have a disadvantages and advantages and one of the disadvantages is that, when we tend to focus more on what we are doing, we do not realize that we actually loses someone whose around us, like our family. As for me, I can relate with that because I am a working student. I work at night and I have online classes at morning, therefore sometimes I forgot to have a chitchat with my family because I am only on my room. I study, study, study. I work, work, work. I forgot why am I studying, why am I working. The reason is, it is for my family. To help them. Hence, because of what I've learned today that living in the flow can be dangerous, I realized that I should prioritize or balance everything at hand.

On the afternoon, I had this 'kulitan moments' with my younger cousins and we had some fun. I actually misses those times when I was a kid too. I'd love to go back but then I can't 🤣.

Time check, it's already 7:56 in the evening and ofcourse, I've already eat my dinner which are coffee and biscuit. Time to work now, so Ciao! Hope y'all having a great and blessed day!

Lamentations 3:44

You have hidden yourself in a cloud

so our prayers cannot reach you.

[raysofthesun-allaine]

Remember Me

( Short Story by Allaine Eclarinal)

*pls listen to the song while reading!*

Its 9am in the morning when I woke up. Yesterday was very tiring day, going in and out of cities in the Philippines to visit my company and business, plus some issues with the customers because of the mistakes of my employees.

" Should I fire them?" I think to myself, it's always my thing to fire employees if they do mistakes, I never tolerate mistakes in my company.

I get up in my bed and go to the shower. While holding my phone, it rings.

" What time is it?? Today is the boardmeeting Ana!" Sam shouted in the phone. Sam is my fiance, we've been together for five years and last year was when he propose. It's been a year but the wedding is still postponed, I don't know why but there something, probably he's cheating?.

"Yeah yeah I know... those business man can't wait huh? And Another thing, I already said to cancel that partnership with that brand diba?!" I said getting angry, here we go again.

"Ana this is the time! it will be a great step for our company! Don't you want this?" Sam said.

" Cancel that partnership, my company can stand on his own" I said with firmly and end the call.

Those business man are hungry for power and money, if only I could kick them in the company but there are my father's friends.

I did my bath and go downstair too eat breakfast. My secretary hurriedly come to me, probably gonna tell about the boardmeeting. I peak at the clock, it's ten am I have to eat then.

"Mam, the meeting is going on" my secretary said.

" Those men can't wait huh? Okay " I said. They getting on my nerves slowly

" They still proceed when I said to cancel... " I said with an amusement in my voice, they never learn huh?

I was always feared by my employees and business man. I always display my unwelcoming face and strong sttitude to people that I met because I need it, to run this company so that no one will ever take advantage of me. Being a young girl and A CEO of the most famous company in the country is not a joke. People know me as Agatona Lasera a beautiful shark in the business world.

I finished my breakfast and got in the car with my bag. I drive to the office with my secretary.

"What's my schedule for today?" I said while my eyes on the road.

" You have a meeting with Mr. Shang at 12nn and later, u have a visiting appoint in another new branch of hotel." my secretary said.

" it's that for today?" I said.

"Yes mam," my secretary said.

oh? Good that my schedule is not packed because yesterday was a tiring day and I don't want that again.

We have reached the parking lot. I walk through the elevator holding my bag. I got in and my secretary press the floor. I see my reflection on elvetor, I wearing a jumpsuit with higheels, I let my hair down brush it with my fingers. I also put lipstick and powder in my face that bring brightness in my face.

The elevator stop and open. The employees stop talking when they see me, they were all standing and bow at me as I pass through them. Some greeted but I ignored, I don't have time to chitchat.

I opened the door in the meeting room. Business man were all shock because of my appearance.

" Go on with ur meeting.. I know that y'all can't wait to this partnership. " I said while walking to my sit and rolling my eyes in them.

They still silent. I glanced at them, putting my elbow in the table with my hand holding.

" what? I said go on? " I said with a smirk. " Ah sorry to interrupt, but I already said no to this partnership right?" I said a little angry this time.

The people in the room starts to be confused, probably shock because of my decision.

" But Miss Lasera, This Is a Big opportunity to us to bring our company overeseas!" A business man stand from he's seat shouting at me.

I look at him in the eyes, he got intimidated at me. I smirked.

" You know that company can go on it own right?" I said while starting to draw circle on the table. I am getting angry at this. " The company dont need this partnership! " I said firmly.

They were silent. I called my secretary, and asked a question.

" Who insisted to proceed this partnership?!" I said.

"Mr. Ladesma po" he said slowly. My fiance? we already talked about this but why did he proceed this? I said in my mind.

I sighed and look at the people on the board.

" Cancel the partnership or I will fire all of you, even if y'all are my father's friend" I got up from my seat and walked to the door. Those people are really testing me huh?And what the hell is Sam thinking?.

" Where is Sam? " I said to my secretary while entering my office.

" Mam I don't know po" He said.

I seated on my chair and lean. Sam is starting to cold be cold on me since he proposed on me, I don't know the reason of it.

I reached my phone and called him. He didn't answer but its ringing. I put my phone down, annoyed by it. I checked at my watch, it's eleven am maybe i should go out.

" I'm going out, stay here. Just called me when there Is important" I said to my secretary.

" Copy mam" he said

I walke to the elevator with my cellphone and car keys. I dialed again Sam's no. and still there is no answer. Where did he go huh?. I got on my car and start the ignition. Where would I go? hmmm, I know I will visit the site of our ongoing project.

The traffic was heavy and my temper was getting high. I have no patients when it comes to this. I was opening my window when I see Sam on the window of the restaurant, he was talking with a girl, they were laughing and holding hands. I was stunned and froze at what I see. I stared my eyes in front of me. My eyes getting blurry as I hold the string wheel tightly, all of this years being with him was very important to me, but why? how could he do that. I slammed my hands infront crying hard, I coudlnt breath properly. The car behind me was honking at me and passing by me, I didnt notice that the lights was green. Out of anger, i step on the gas and drive straight not knowing where to go. I was getting fast and can't see properly because of the tears.

I shouted loud and close my eyes and felt a strong impact, my body feels numb as the darkness eats me.

Chapter 2: A wandering soul

I regain conscious but my body was okay, I look around and I'm on the street. I see my car and run to it. It was crashed on a truck, people were flocking on my car. Its looks like they trying to get someone out, when they got it out. I was horrified, it was my body, full of blood and no concius. I start to look at the people, it seems that they don't see me.

An ambulance come. They take my body on the car probably go to the hospital. I got shocked, am I a spirit now? how?. Still crying but not hard, I can't proses properly, I just go on with my body following it until we reached the hospital. I stared at my body, nurses and doctors flock at my body. All I can do was to stare at it horrified.

A man in black jacket came right me. I was shocked because he was staring at me and could see me.

" Your name is Agatona Lasera right?" he said to me.

Still shocked " Y--yes" I Stutterd.

He was writing something in a notebook of his. This time I look at him fully, he was tall and look like an angel if he wearing some white.

" So you are on the waiting list huh? A wandering soul" He laugh at me.

My one eyebrow raise, how could this man laugh at my situation. I'm no longer in my body! My god!.

I rolled my eye right him. Ignoring him.

"That's right, keep adding your sins... that why your soul wandering" he said to me while smirking.

"What the hell your saying?" I said getting annoyed at him.

"Shss! Stop saying that word, you could go to hell already" he said in a serious way.

I look at him curiously. " Okay, Who are you? Can you explain what's happening? why I'm like this? And why do you know my name?" I said getting out of breath. I need to know something.

He smile at me " Well... You didn't do good things in your life soo.. karma I must say?" he said while looking at my body. Doctors was busy reviving my body. I started to panic a little, I need to live and need to smack Sam for cheating me.

The sound of a hearbit, I heard. They revive me but why I'm still in this situation? I need to be back at my body.

" No you can't " he said " Your a wandering soul so you have to wait for the heavens decision if they will permit you to live" he said and turn his back at me. he started to walk away from me.

" What? U mean I have to stay here like this? wth" I said really annoyed. He didn't answer and entered into a room. A famiily was crying, a little girl where comforting his parents. It seems like they can see him, she's like me a soul.

"It's time to go huh?" The girl said to the man I was talking too.

" Uhuh, let's go." he said

" Will be my family be alright?" the little girl said " Yes, probably sad but they be okay" he said happily.

The little girl turned back and smile at her family. Slowly she disapperead, a emotion was getting me, i felt a saddness got me. I looked at him and he look at me.

" You need to do good things starting today so that god will let you live okay?" he said. I didn't get it at first but slowly I understand. In my life I always been so harsh to people, getting angry all the time for a little reason. Firing employees and not giving them a second chance to work. I've never been realize that I've been a bad person all along. I always look the world as cruel that's way I néeded to be strong.

" How do I start then?" I said in low voice, I'm ashamed to myself. This is my firstime I felt so defeated and hopeful was my only choice. This time I want to make things right.

Chapter 3: Making things right

We are here now standing here in front of my building aka my company. I don't know how we get here but I don't care. This guy better help me to this or I will swear the God.

" Uhmm, why we here?" I take my eyes from the building to hiim. This time I can fully see him in broad daylight. He has a black eyes that shapes like an almond, his eyebrows are thick and has a pointy nose. Damn, he's hot! I wonder what kind he is ? maybe a servant of God? if yes I just want to die maybe in heaven there's a lot of boys like him heheh---

" I know what you're thinking, stop that, ur sinning again" He said when he's done looking something in his notebook. I wonder what is the purpose of that notebook?hmm.

He started to walk again, I followed him when he enter the building. It felt so weird to be here, not a CEO but as a wandering soul! I never thought to be in this situation, walking like a ghost and people just pa's through my body like wind.

He was not seen by the bodyguard when he entered. Yes, people can see him, but how ? How can he entered when there is a security system? Is this what I'm paying for work? How can this gaurd be so---

" Stop that, don't fire him" he said while not looking at him as he walks. People where busy, like its a normal day? probably some are happy because my accident, huh surely the board members are dancing right now! That thing makes me angry, wait ttill I'm came back hahahah.

He stop at the janitors lounge and greeted some employees. What is happening? Is he working here? How?.

" Yes, I work here" he said as he open his locker probably change he's oufit.

" How? You're a Janitor? by the looks ur not, ur just kidding me" I said with a smirk. He closed the locker loudly that made me jump. he was looking me intensely like I'm just a joke.

" So ur gonna humilated me by my job?" he said " I never thought u could be this so bad huh?'' he said

" Sorry.." I said " I never want to humiliate you, Im just amazed that ur working in my company and to this job I mean---'' I said. He haved changed his cloth with a workers name Antonio.

'' You're name is Antonio huh?... cute" the last word was a whisper. " So what we will do? where do we start?" I said getting ready.

He look at me and sigh. " We should start with your Secretary" he said preparing to go in the elevator.

" Oh okay how?" I said while finding my reflection, still I cant see it thou.

He sighs again. " Remember, when he was requesting something to you. It was an increase in his salary since he was working with u for 10 years. He was the bread winner of his family and having a financial trouble." he said

" I have never thought he was that, he never tell me" I said. I realized that I have nothing know about my secretary because mostly we talked about business, he was a effecient and professional, he was the best even thou he's annoying somestime.

" So raise his salary" he said seriously.

" but how? I'm a ghost ?" I said unbelievable " unless u will help me?" smiling at him. Damn hes handsome in that uniform.

" Yeah " I hinted some hesitation but said yes sooo... I smiled and we get out to elevator.

Our plan was to sneak him up to my office to use my monitor so we can wire some money to my secretary, but we decided to wire some money to my employees. This is a little thing for me, and it feels so great to give something to someone. I did tell him my security password and he did do the thing. While he was doing it, I looked at my shelfs. All this award were nothing when you die honestly. Money and wealth can't be brought in heaven too, this was a realization to me.

" Done" he said while streaching his body as he get up. I came out first to check if there is someone outside, maybe my secretary was in the hospital. He came out in the office quietly and we walk when suddenly all employees was jumping and happy. Some are crying while looking at there phone, probably they receive the money.

" So what now? " I said. I feel happy that somehow I did something right, I hope it helps them.

" I don't know you should wait when the time comes.." he said looking at his watch.

Watching the employees smiling and crying was a greatfeeling. Suddenly, I miss my family, maybe my mom and dad is crying because of what happen to me.

" U know, this is actually great huh?" I said looking at the employees. " I never thought Ive been so selfish all this time. I view the world was as a cruel place and there is no good so that u have to be tough on this life. But I'm wrong, good is the beautiful thing that I feel and do now." I said out of nowhere. When I didn't here a response I looked at him and he was looking at me intensely.

"What?" I said still gazing att him.

"nothing" he replied. " I need to do work, go somewhere else" he said

" But I have nothing to go, and to talk to ! I'll follow you!" I said. I've never been so scared in my life but this! Is so unbelievable! I never believe about God or anything but now ....

" Okay suit yourself" he said.

Chapter 4: The Choices

It's been a week since the accident and I'm still not wake up, I'm not still in my body I've been in many place for the past week. My house and my parents house, and hospital. Sometimes, I see Antonio here talking to other ghost, sending them to the heaven. I follow him every time but its okay for him. He maybe look annoyed at me but we pretty getting close now

I'm here in my hospital room and staring at my body. my parents go home to change. I don't know but my hopes wear starting to fade now. Maybe god decide to take me and send me in hell for thing I had done.

I got out before I think something else. I got out from the room when I came across to a random soul. He was spacing out so I came near her.

" hey u okay?" I said. He looks sad. He sigh and replied. " I will got to heaven now, it feels so sad living here" he said.

" Butt why? Don't you wanna enjoy life here ? plus god will decide to you? right " I said

" No, I chose to goo up now, I don't wann live anymore. We choose our own destiny and God will only guides us." he said.

I am starting to doubt. I thought God will decide if I could live? Why Antonio lied to me? How.. I've could have choose already if he only said to me early, but why not now.

The boy start to walk to my left and meet Antonio, I was mad rushing to him getting ready to lash out.

" Why didn't you tell me ? " I said while in the verge of crying. "How could you lie to me? that I'm a the one who will chose my decesion in life?!" I scream at him frustrated that I had to feel this.

" You can choose now" he said. His face was nothing, but I can see in his eyes that hes hiding something to me. " You will live and get back on your body or die and will live on heaven" he said. I don't know but the suddenly I can see a sadness in his eyes.

" I choose to be live" I said calmly to him. " I don't want to be like this anymore. " I said but theres something not right.

He smiled at me sadly and replied " Okay, I wish you to be happy" and then turn his back at me leaving me at my place alone. I should be happy now but why I'm sad? his face, I can see the sadness but why? he should be happy right?

That night I stayed in the hospital with my body so when time comes I could wake up easly. The sun was up now, I was still sitting on the floor waiting for the time. When Antonio was rushing to my door and when he see me he run to mee and hug me tightly.

" I will miss you" he said " Remember me when u wake up huh?" he said while he run his fingers through my hair. God I have a crush on this man! Damn.

" So u finally come to me huh? I thought ur angry at me" I said, I didn't see him through the night. I hugged him to tightly. Damn! this guys smell nice too.

" Of course I'll remember you!" laughing att him. " I'll give salary bonus when I wake up" I said seriously because I will dot it first when I wake up

" How I wish uu could remember me" he whispered it like something he always pray.

" I promise ! I'll treat you when I got in my body okay!" I replied to him as he looking me. We touch our head together and hold hands while I close my eyes. He whispered something but I didn't here it and when I open my eyes. I see tears on his eyes, he was sad. As I dissappear in the air..

Chapter 5 : She awake

I opened my eyes slowly, I feel dehydrated now and my body, I can't move except my fingers. I touch something and it made sound. My vision still blurry but all I can see is white and the sound of an operating system. I couldn't remember anything but only the accident and why it happened.

A sound of the door opening. A two hospital doctor and a nurse hurriedly check on me, I couldn't here clearly what they saying because I felt tired, I still want to sleep. Then I closed my eyes because of the tiredness that I feel.

I suddenly woke up from the noises of people talking inside my room. I could move my head and my arms now. It was my parents and Sam who is there. When they notice that I'm awake my parents came to me.

" Ana! Are you okay now? How do you feel? You need something? " My mother who was about to cry in front of me.

" I'm okay now mom" my rasp voice came out. I looked at my dad who aged maybe from stress that he get to me. " I'm sorr mam and dad, I made you worrry" I said.

" No, Ana ! I'm thankful that ur alive now, your mom couldn't sleep for days thinking about you." he said. I smiled to my parents I'm lucky to have them.

" How's the company? " I said.

" It's okay, our investors where shock at what happened to you! thankfully Sam willing to help us with the company" dad said while looking at sam.

This asshole has the audacity to visit me after I see him cheating on me huh? let me say something. He was looking at me smilliing like he didn't do something.

" I'm calling the engagement off, get out my life Sam" I said firmly. Myy parents where shock at what I've said.

" Ana what is happening? Why you calling of the engagement? " my mother said. I didn't answer because I don't want to humiliate him in front my parents. I raise my eyebrow at him and smirk

"I know what your doing, so save yourself and get out in this room! I don't want explanation !" I said .

He did get out quietly after staring me for a second. My parents were confuse but I didn't say a thing. I just sleep again

It's been a three weeks since I got discharged from the hospital that I stayed for at least a month. I'm fully okay now and strong, news we're all over the place, it is about me giving bonuses on my employees which I don't know, but then I didn't regret it and go with the flow.

Today, its my first time to comeback at the company. Sam was fired by my father after they discovered by themselves that he was trying to take the company and planning some dirty and also the cheating stuff. I'm gladly that he's gone. Since I was in the hospital there is something that i couldn't remember, I always cried thinking about it day and night. I don't know but in my heart there's something missing.

Im in front of my building, as I enter all the staff was bowing and greeting me. I greeted them back and they were shock by it. I proceed to walk when I bumped into someone tall. I looked at the guy and the first thing that I saw was a name Antonio. I looked at his face, he is familiar to me. things were getting awkward the employees were curious of whats happening.

I smiled at him and he smiled at me as I pass by him. He's cute I wonder where he work.

----------The End---------

[shachathabrah]

okay holy shit you guys. i made this blog on september 12th with little more than a stupid url and a strawberry seed’s worth of an idea for him and it already has 100 followers(104 now???). what the fuck. shame on you. this muse is terrible and y’all have horrible taste

okay but actually i wanna thank each and every one of you for not only PUTTING UP with cath, but also for interacting with him, caring about him, and being engaging with him. it blows my mind that someone so awful and terrible can actually make friends, have people that genuinely care for and have his best interests in mind.

without you guys... idk where to start! i haven't had this much fun with a muse in a long time, and i'm not sure if it's because i've thrown aside the shame of being a person that's a little more on the abrasive and crass side to play cath, or if it's because the interactions i experience on him are either super meaningful or just plain fun! or both. it’s probably both.

so here i am to do a dumb follow forever/blog i love thing. most of these names won't surprise you but if you want a slice of awesome in your blogging experience please consider giving them a follow if you don't already!

@txmescence - this is lial! this muse is the driving force behind this blog and muse. a lot goes on behind the scenes that regrettably not everyone can see, but a majority of cath's growth and development comes from this muse and this mun. they’re a terribly terrific duo and honestly i wouldn’t have nearly as much fun with cath if not for lial. FURTHERMORE, lin is ?? amazing ??? i love her so much she's so wonderful and creative and fun and funny and we have so many ideas and i really want y'all to follow her so you can experience her awesomeness!!

@floramodus - i love? flora? she is such a sweetheart and so good. she cares so much about cath and lial i literally can't believe it sometimes. like, the boys don't deserve her care or kindness but there she is anyway proud to be their adoptive momma. THEY SAY THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES, but lately i don't know what they'd do without her. and mun is the sweetest, i'm so happy i took the initiative to crawl outta my shell a little and talk to gubs. pls follow and give love. :')

@thalassophiloustopaz - lemme get uhhhhhh some great support and a cute boy and on-demand flirting 24/7???? in all his centuries of existence cath has never met anyone, let alone a mortal, that's willing to look past all his glaring (really. like. neon sign, roadside tourist trap, wikipedia page-worthy) faults and be like hey i love you and think you're worthy of that regardless of what you are or what you can and can't do. even if cath bites his tongue a lot in regards to the stupid shit he does. smh. dirk is??? a good boy... and mun is a fucking delight... gxd bless

@technophobicdreamboat - listen. listen,, , are you listening. this muse is cool af and cath(and me!) thinks he's really neato and finds his weird perks completely fucking off the wall baller. they chill and do naughty stuff together and cath thinks that he's found an individual, if possible, more fascinating than himself. mun is fun to talk to and bounce neat ideas off of and just chitchat with in general. 10/10

@chimechoho - also adorable? wtf. what the fuck. cath secretly looks forward to all his positive stuff (and the things he posts on his naughty blog ;) ) and also not so secretly likes all the nice things he says about him. also?? the cute selfies that are posted like every day??? i love them so very much. pls u are wonderful and adorable keep it UP <3

@kindredconfectionery - john is a nice guy that cath likes joking around with and talking about COOL PLANTS with. they gotta hang more and talk more cause i miss their banter :p but all in all ??? a Very good. thank u for being there and helping 2 build him w me :3

@famelicose-sanguine - OXY IS THE NUMBER ONE CATH BULLY SHE SHOULD BE ASHAMED?????? but also holy shit it's a fucking riot and i'm so fucking happy for it lmfao i love this between them cath thinks she's great and also the Zelda friend pls. pls love him forever.

@wicked-honktraband - i swear these two are kindred fucking spirits that need to get high af and watch suplex videos and lick teeth and possibly fuck and also be GOOD FRIENDS DAMMIT

@mothical - good boy, good friend. what can i say. gimme these good cryptid boys forever xoxo

HEY i'm bad at words and shit but here's some other gr8 blogs u should follow: @ask-cherrylioness @meufasa @lokalcryptid @kyprinos @turntechhex @darkplumdragon @paythegeist @tabescentabasement @bloodied-blades @nyota-sungura @sanesspsuede

also please?? if you ever?? want to plot shit with me oocly IM me or ask for my discord and we can DO STUFF!! bad stuff good stuff naughty stuff you name it i wanna do it pls don’t be afraid to approach me i’m so nervous but wanna rp with y’all

 also soft shoutout to my other blogs that deserve love too: 

@mechfucker​ my dirk (crocker? strider? who knows) that i’ve had for many moons and love a lot. dirk is complex and sort of an ass, but recently his memories have been swapped with someone else’s unbeknownst to him, and facing the concern from others is an interesting challenge.

@anathematique​ my alpha dave that i’ve had for longer and love even more. the past 4 years have been cruel to him, blackmail and other dark secrets dotting his past. but he holds his head up high and does his best to pass on the good feelings and new lease on life he’s acquired.

ANYWAY THAT’S ALL THANK YOU I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

how the fuck do you write a follow forever wait is the mic still on fuck