#i am already so invested in this AU that I’m beginning my piece tonight | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tfwlawyers · 3 years ago

Note

Not me singlehandedly going through your entire parent trap au I’m so invested even though like half of the posts are from 2015 💀

THESE THINGS HAPPEN I get such a kick out of knowing this au is still making its rounds though 😭😭

and yk what just because I know I’m never going to do anything else with this, have a 3.5k attempted scramble of fic for this au I tried writing back also in 2015. i was even less of a writer back then than I am now so it’s absolutely terrible but have at thee

“Oh, wait...” Trucy winced and tapped her earring. Apollo’s eyes widened in realization. “Looks like we have one more thing to do tonight - it’ll be super quick, I promise.”

“Oh no,” Apollo said, visibly paling, “there’s no way you’re doing that to me-”

“Then cutting my hair was a total waste,” Trucy huffed, tugging at a newly shorn lock, “because there’s no way I can go to camp with pierced ears and come home without. Come on, Polly, where’s your sense of adventure? It’s just one little pinch!”

“Just one?” he asked hesitantly, eyes now trained on the sharp needle laying on the table.

Trucy paused. “Well... I guess it’s technically two. I really only wear the one earring, but both my ears are pierced.”

Apollo sighed. “Great.”

“Nah, I got this,” Trucy said, grinning toothily. “I went with Aunt Maya when she wanted to get hers pierced, even though she chickened out at the last second.” She picked up the needle and a book of matches from the table, eyes glinting. “I had to get mine repierced because of infection the first time too. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

“Put that apple slice back,” Apollo said, narrowing his eyes at the piece of fruit in Trucy’s hands. “They’re acidic, I don’t need that anywhere near me and oh God you’re really going to shove a piece of metal into my ear, aren’t you-”

“You sure I look okay?” he asked, patting down the skirt. He squinted down at the stark white boots he’d thankfully fit into. “I’m terrified to walk in these, they look like death traps -”

“Which is why we’re practicing,” Trucy said primly, wiping her hands on a gel-stained rag. She still didn’t quite have a grasp on the correct ratio of product to actual hair, but she was much better than when they had started five weeks ago. “Now, walk towards me.”

“One last thing, I guess,” Apollo said, removing his bracelet and handing it to Trucy, watching as she carefully slid it on. He rubbed his now bare wrist absentmindedly, feeling strangely naked without it.

“So... this is really it. We’re really doing this.”

“We’re really doing this,” Trucy confirmed, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. For all her apparent enthusiasm, she looked as nervous as he felt. The studs in her ears reflected the morning light.

“Give papa a hug for me,” he said, smiling weakly.

“Give daddy one for me too,” she said.

They hesitated a moment more before Trucy threw her arms around her brother’s shoulders. Apollo’s arms immediately snaked around her waist, drawing her in tight. They clung to each other, silently willing and praying this was somehow going to all work out - that they wouldn’t just to get to meet their other parent, that they wouldn’t only get a few short weeks with the other father they hadn’t even known had existed, but that they could find some way to reconcile the two, that they wouldn’t have to lose anyone across the wide expanse of the Atlantic ever again.

“You’ve had your ears pierced,” he said almost absently, cradling her head between his hands and gently turning her neck back and forth to better view the studs. He clicked his tongue. Trucy felt her heart sink.

“Do you... hate them?” she asked tentatively.

Edgeworth’s eyes snapped to hers. They were the same soft gray color as the paint Daddy always kept too much of around the house. “On the contrary - I find they suit you incredibly well. Please tell me you didn’t get an infection.”

Her face split into a wide smile.

Apollo thumbed through a stack of canvases that had been shoved into a corner. There was a thin layer of dust of them; if he had to guess, he’d say they hadn’t been disturbed for at least three months - not a particularly long stretch of time, all things considered. They were clearly less polished works, lacking the technical skill and attention to detail that made Phoenix Wright a name to be reckoned with in the art community, but they were still beautiful in their own way. Paintings of vineyards and what looked like London, towering skyscrapers and calm seas and -

His father.

Apollo blinked.

The portrait of Miles Edgeworth drawn in rich oils did not blink back. Nor did the three that followed.

“There were a lot of paintings of the same person in daddy’s works. Some guy with grey hair,” Apollo said, struggling for nonchalance.

Maya’s grip on the mixing bowl faltered. “Is that so,” she said carefully.

“Was he one of daddy’s favorite models or something he just never told me about?”

Maya pursed her lips and continued stirring with a newfound vigor. “You could say that.”

“You’re not Apollo?” he asked, voice thick. “You’re Trucy?”

She smiled weakly. “That would be correct.” One strand of hair fell lank across her forehead - how did I not notice, Apollo hasn’t used nearly that much gel in years - and he absentmindedly tucked it behind her ear. He felt her press into the warmth of his hand, as if she were afraid he might suddenly vanish across the Atlantic again.

“I hope you don’t - I hope you don’t hate me,” she said, voice beginning to waver, “it’s just that Polly and I met at the camp and the whole thing sort of just spilled out. I’ve wanted to see you for so long, and Polly felt exactly the same way about Daddy, so we sort of just - just switched lives and hoped it wouldn’t take you so soon to notice. I really hope you don’t hate me, because I’ve wanted to meet you basically my whole life and I hope that maybe one day you can love me for me and not Polly and -” (this is ALL from movie tho so mix this up)

Edgeworth’s left hand came to cradle the rest of Trucy’s face, cutting her off mid-sentence. “Oh, my dear,” he said, cautiously tugging her forward. She came willingly, all but sprawling across his chest, tucking her head underneath his chin and wrapping her arms around his middle. “I’ve loved you since the day you came to me,” he whispered into her hair, blinking away the beginnings of tears he felt gathering at the corner of his eyes. He felt her tighten her hold and he did the same.

He poured himself a thumbnail of scotch, perfectly content to pretend he didn’t have tickets to a plane back to a state he had vowed never to set foot in again departing in less than four hours. “He was rather handsome,” he found himself admitting, absentmindedly swirling the glass and taking a sip. He paused, staring at nothing and mumbling to himself, “...had the most crooked smile. Always made me weak at the knees.”

“What was that, sir?”

Edgeworth snapped his attention back to the other man; he’d nearly forgotten Gumshoe was even in the room. “Nothing, nothing, never mind, have you seen the tickets?”

Gumshoe shrugged. That was Trucy’s cue.

“Almost ready, papa?” she asked, stepping smoothly into the room from her hiding place behind the thick wooden door. Edgeworth looked just as wild-eyed as she’d been hoping.

“Yes, of course, I’m almost finished packing -”

She didn’t even have to look at his still mostly bare suitcase to know he was lying.

“ -and you did tell your father we were coming, didn’t you?” he finished, placing his drink on a nearby dresser and running his fingers shakily through his hair.

“Absolutely,” Trucy promised.

“Ah,” Edgeworth said, fiddling with his waistcoat buttons. They looked like they’d been polished recently.

“Liar,” Gumshoe leaned down to whisper. She shushed him.

“Might I suggest we continue this little gathering inside,” Maya said, already beginning to shepherd the twins - the twins, she was going to need another vacation just to process the fact that they were together again - into the room. She twisted back around to look at Edgeworth, still shoving Apollo (that was Apollo, right?) forward. “Hi,” she began again, offering a free hand, “you probably don’t remember me -”

“Maya!” he interrupted, smiling warmly and bending to kiss her chastely on the cheek. His breath was sour with vodka and his glasses clunked awkwardly against her face. As he turned and stepped fully into the room, Maya’s cheeks(rp) began to hurt from smiling so fiercely.

“I knew I always liked him,” she said to no one as she closed the door.

This was ridiculous. This resort was full of entirely too many people who favored the same sort of eccentric clothing that man had even fourteen years ago, a disproportionate amount of them with the same slate grey hair. He almost would have written that (awkward*) expression seen from across Dahlia’s shoulder/a hotel lobby as a figment of his overtaxed imagination had it not been so much realer than the stacks of canvases in his studio. Which meant Miles was here, but he’d swept the first level of the hotel twice already after begging Dahlia to take to her room for a bit, the pool area was as depressingly empty as the inside was, and -

There he was.

Across the pool, descending the steps carefully from the inside lounge area and walking on the balls of his feet like he always did when he’d had a bit too much to drink (and why did he still remember that) was, without a doubt, Miles Edgeworth.

Phoenix suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

Edgeworth was halfway down the opposite path before Phoenix realized he should probably do something.

“Excuse me,” he said, shouldering his way through the crowd. It would be rude and more than a little intrusive to just call out his ex-husband’s name in the middle of a resort, right? Perhaps not as rude as nearly shoving the poor bellboy into the shrubbery, but, well, desperate times called for desperate measures.

He didn’t immediately notice the odd assortment of friends and family and a lumbering man in striped green swimming trunks perched on pool chairs as he stepped past, but they certainly noticed him.

“Daddy, are you okay?” Trucy asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said vaguely, refusing to take his eyes off Edgeworth. He was abruptly terrified he might vanish again if he did.

“Nick, watch out -”

“Hey, pal -”

“Daddy -”

With that, Phoenix collided into a passing service boy, arms pinwheeling wildly as he fell directly into the pool behind him.

“Hello Miles,” he said, smiling sheepishly and wringing out his tie. He fought the urge to rub the back of his neck and settled for clenching his hands into tight fists instead. “Or do you people call you Edgeworth now?”

“Miles is - Miles is fine,” Edgeworth said weakly, trying to look anywhere but Phoenix, as if this was a perfectly normal conversation they should be having for the first time after fifteen years. “My father still calls me Miles.”

Something warm coiled in his chest. It felt infinitely more dangerous than it had fifteen years ago.

“You always had a smart mouth,” he murmured, rubbing a swathe of cleaning ointment along the cut on Phoenix’s forehead. Phoenix hissed.

“So glad you remembered,” he bit through gritted teeth.

“Hush.”

Phoenix hmmed but stayed silent for a few more seconds, staring at Edgeworth as he dug back into the first aid kit. Edgeworth tried not to flush under the scrutiny.

Phoenix held his wrist in a loose grip. He should have felt clammy from the pool and the rapidly descending night, but he blazed oddly hot against Edgeworth’s skin.

“Miles, I-”

“Feenie? Who is this?”

“Dollie!” Phoenix said, shooting upright and wincing at the sudden dizziness.

Edgeworth’s burgundy coat was hung carefully over his arm, too thick for the warm California night. The buttons on his waistcoat glinted from a nearby streetlamp’s glow.

Phoenix swallowed.

“Do you have any idea where they’re taking us?” Edgeworth asked, leaning in slightly. Phoenix’s (nose twitched? something about scent memory?) and he refused to let himself acknowledge that Miles’s choice of aftershave hadn’t changed since the day they’d met. He abruptly remembered the taste of cheap wine and overly sweet cake on his tongue, felt the ghost weight of a ring fifteen years gone.

He hastily turned away.

“No idea.”

“Grandfather chipped in a bit -”

“Apollo,” Edgeworth warned.

“Alright, so Grandfather chipped in a lot, whatever, we’re poor teenagers, the point is,” he said, emphasizing the final word by pulling the ship’s impressive doors open with a firm tug, “it’s ours for the night.”

Phoenix whistled shrilly in appreciation, instinctively reaching out to ruffle Apollo’s hair. It was a testament to how important the night was that Apollo merely batted Phoenix’s hand away. “Seriously, dad,” he mumbled. His scowl was clearly forced, however; he felt oddly warm that he was able to finally use that word at all.

“Subtle,” Phoenix remarked.

“Mm,” Edgeworth agreed. “I don’t suppose we should let their efforts, however misguided they may be, go to waste, should we?”

“You just want to know who else they roped into this ridiculous scheme of theirs.”

“Oh, because you don’t.”

“I,” Phoenix said, moving to the chilled champagne propped by the windowsill and popping its cork, “have a perfectly healthy level of curiosity. It does not involve wondering what’s going on in my kid’s head. Trucy is a teenager. That’s terrifying.” He carefully poured the sparkling drink into two glasses and offered one to Edgeworth.

“I find that somewhat difficult to believe,” Edgeworth said, striding forward and taking the proffered glass. He made certain their fingers did not brush. “Thank you.”

They waited until she had hastily bowed out of the room before turning their focus back to each other. “Miles, that’s why we came up with this arrangement in the first place,” Phoenix continued, nonplussed.

“Really?” Edgeworth carefully picked up his glass flute, trying to ignore the tremor he felt running through his hands. “I thought it was because we’d agreed to never see each other again.”

Phoenix’s heart clenched. “Not ‘we’, Miles,” he said slowly, spreading his hands on the tablecloth and feeling like if he missed a step here, he would risk something he couldn’t afford to lose again.

Edgeworth took a shaky draw of wine. “You know,” he said slowly, seemingly forcing himself to meet Phoenix’s eyes, “that part is unclear to me as well.”

“Oh, you don’t remember the day you packed?” Phoenix asked.

“No, I remember that day perfectly. Did I hurt you when I threw that - oh God, what was it -”

“It was Kamisar’s Modern Criminal Procedure. It left a dent in the wall from where it rebounded off my head.”

“Oh,” Edgeworth said, at least having the grace to look properly abashed. “Right. Sorry.”

Phoenix shrugged. “It’s not like I was making it that easy on you.

And....” Edgeworth trailed off, twisting a napkin between his fingers. “You didn’t chase after me.”

Phoenix felt (something) shift. “I didn’t know that you wanted me to.”

“A toast to -”

“Our children,” Edgeworth cut in. He ignored the tightening in his chest at the our.

“Our children,” Phoenix repeated slowly, as if the words didn’t quite match with what his mouth had wanted to say.

“We both got where we actually wanted to go.”

Phoenix’s eyes never wavered from his. “We did,” he said, voice strange.

They toasted again and finished their meal in silence.

“Apollo, what are you doing in those clothes? We’ve got a plane to catch.”

“We’re getting totally ripped off,” maybe-Trucy said. “Daddy said we’d get our camping trip and we want to go.”

“Wait, hang on,” Phoenix interrupted, “what camping trip?”

“The one Aunt Maya and I make you take us on every year before school starts,” almost-definitely-Trucy said. Phoenix began to lift his finger in triumph, sure he’d found his kid -

“ -the one behind the house that runs all the way up to Gourd Lake, remember when you fell in that one year,” I’m-not-too-sure-if-this-one-is-still-in-fact-Apollo finished.

Phoenix’s arm fell listlessly to his side. Edgeworth snorted.

Phoenix shot Edgeworth a look. Thanks for helping, one of these is yours. “This is entirely unfunny, you’re going to make your father miss his flight,” he said, shifting his attention back to the twins. Honestly, he was an Ivy University graduate and Miles was a world renowned defense attorney, how were they being duped by their own kids -

“Apollo -” Edgeworth began.

“Yes?” they both said in unison.

Edgeworth groaned. “They get this from you, I’m sure,” he said.

“It’s not my fault you’ve apparently been raising a devilishly deceptive teenager,” Phoenix quipped back, never taking his eyes off the twins. He could feel the beginnings of a migraine pound at the base of his neck. “He’s probably rubbed off on Trucy.”

The twins grinned.

Phoenix rubbed a hand over his eyes before stooping to their height once again. He stared hard at each of them, looking back and forth between their faces. “This one’s Trucy,” he said slowly, pointing a finger to the sibling in orange. “I’m positive.”

“You know, I hope you’re right, Daddy. You wouldn’t want to send the wrong kid all the way back to Germany - ”

“ - would you?”

How was any of this fair?

“Here’s our proposition. We go back to Daddy’s house, pack our stuff, and the four of us leave on the camping trip.”

“The four of us?” Edgeworth interjected. They ignored him.

“And when you bring us back,” maybe-Trucy-maybe-Apollo continued, “we’ll tell you who’s Trucy and who’s Apollo.”

“Or,” Edgeworth said, carefully stepping around and in front of Phoenix and crossing his arms firmly across his chest, tapping his finger rhythmically against his arm, “new plan. I take one of you back to Germany with me whether you like it or not.”

Two identical sets of eyes twinkled back at him.

(He felt a migraine beginning to pound in his left temple.)

“You can cook now?” Edgeworth asked.

“Oh yeah,” Phoenix said. “I can make pasta. And pasta. Probably more pasta, if you ask really nicely.”

“Hm,” Edgeworth said, eyebrows scrunched in mock thought, “pasta sounds good.”

Phoenix grinned, bumping Edgeworth’s shoulder. He was warm through the cotton. “Pasta it is.”

Edgeworth looked across the seat at Apollo. His glassy eyes reflected the flickering street lamps as the taxi sped down the empty street.

“Apollo, I -” he began, deflating as Apollo turned further away. It’s entirely justified, he thought despondently. I’d hate myself as well.

“Grandfather?” Apollo called, shrugging out of his heavy jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. The house was silent.

“I’ll check the study,” Edgeworth said, tugging his jabot loose. Apollo nodded and headed towards the direction of the kitchen, toeing off his shoes on the way. Pushing open the wide doors that led to the study, Edgeworth saw someone reading a paper at the desk. He cocked his hip against the door and crossed his arms. “Hello, father. We’re back.”

The newspaper lowered. It wasn’t Gregory.

“Hiya, papa,” Trucy said. The corners of her mouth were quirked despite her obvious attempts to reign in her expression. “Did you know the Concord gets you here in half the time?”

Edgeworth slipped against the doorframe. He felt the knob dig into his hip. “I - yes, I’ve heard that.”

(Edgeworth was acutely aware of the doorknob digging into his hip from when he pressed against it. “I - yes, I’ve heard that.”)

Apollo walked into the room, drawn to the sound of voices. When he saw Trucy his face split into a blinding grin. “What are you doing here?”

Trucy neatly folded the newspaper on the desk and clasped her hands in front of her. “It took us about thirty seconds after you left that we decided we didn’t want to lose you two again,” she said, eyes crinkling.

Edgeworth swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. “We?” he said, voice cracking.

“We,” a new voice agreed.

From the corner of his eye, Edgeworth noted Trucy moving to stand by the far wall of the study, giving the vaguest attempt of privacy. It didn’t matter. His eyes were trained on Phoenix, tracking his movement as he crossed the room.

Phoenix peppered his face in light kisses, smiling into the curve of his throat and pressing his lips to the thrumming heartbeat beneath his skin.

They eventually pulled back, desperate for air. Phoenix’s eyes crinkled - crow’s feet, Edgeworth thought wildly through his haze, he’s got crow’s feet now, I haven’t seen him this close up since - and he rested his forehead against Edgeworth’s.

“God, I’m never letting you go again,” he whispered, hands snaking around the other man’s back to pull him even closer.

“You want to toast with this? I’d have thought you might want to upgrade to something with a little more class.”

Phoenix smiled sloppily, pressing a chaste kiss to his temple. “You’re the only one I said I’d drink it with, remember?”

Edgeworth smiled back. He took the proffered bottle warmed by the weather and tugged his husband into a proper kiss, matching rings glinting in the dying sunlight.

#bluefaewren #replies #parent trap au #attempting to write tag

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let-them-read-fics · 4 years ago

Text

Yours Truly (Pt. 2)

Requested By: Some of you!

Pairing: Jisoo x Fem!Reader

AU: College

Word Count: Part 1 -> 9,786 // Part 2 -> 7,433

Warnings / Misc. -- Angst, Pining, Fluff

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: Here's the second and final part of the imagine, gang. I hope you enjoy the adventures I wrote for you! Let me know about your fav part(s)!

♡ Happy Reading ♡

Part 1 -- Click Here

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

5.) Epiphanies

A Week Later

"Yuqi, why the hell did you drag me here? I'd so much rather be writing…" you shove your hands further into the pockets of your hoodie and look at her with a scowl. Rows of people fill the bleachers around you, everyone excited for the football game that's scheduled to start soon. Happy couples sit together all around the stadium, and the sight only works to remind you of how weird things are with Jisoo right now.

"One: it's a Friday night and you need to let loose, and two: I wanted to come, so you have to tag along by default. The rules of friendship are very simple, Y/N," she trails off, tilting her head at you with a smile.

"Well I am gonna go get some food," you imitate her, "Do you want anything?" You stand from the bench and look down at her, noticing how her permed hair sticks up in a few different places. You smooth it out for her as she answers, "Nachos, please."

"Alright, dork. I'm sure the line's kinda long, but come look for me if I'm not back in 20." She pats your butt as you leave, and you just shake your head with a smile.

"--I know! Did you hear about Lee's new girlfriend? I heard she got in a fight with his ex last ni--"

"I'm fucking starving bro."

"Yeah, they totally hooked up at Jackson's party!"

Various conversations work their way to your ears as you walk towards the back of the line, but you attempt to not get too invested in the gossip. As welcoming as your school tends to be, even it has its fair share of scandals and drama. You've never been one to care about rumors though, and you don't plan to start now.

"I heard that Jisoo likes someone."

Funny how plans can change in an instant, don't you think?

You can't find it in yourself to ignore the childish desire to eavesdrop, so you listen in as the line slowly shifts forward with each new customer served, doing your best to be inconspicuous.

"Supposedly she's been into them for a while but they don't know about it. I guess Lisa is planning to get them together tonight or something, I don't know." You recognize the brunette speaking as Seulgi, a dance major that you share a couple classes with. She's talking to Yeri, whom you've seen a few times in passing.

That must be why she was defensive about the kiss; she has feelings for someone else.

"Ooh, that'll be interesting. I can't say that I'm not disappointed, though; now Jisoo's gonna be off the market." The shorter girl frowns, basically reading your mind with her statement. You've never fooled yourself into believing you have a chance with Jisoo, but knowing that she'll be whisked away by some lucky classmate of yours definitely isn't an easy pill to swallow.

You pass the remaining wait time by imagining who that person may be. Jisoo has a lot of friends, but you've never seen her around campus with any particular love interest; she always puts her studies first, deciding that her education is far more important than any potential relationship.

You remain lost in your thoughts until it's your turn to order.

"Hey Y/N, what can I get for you?" The cashier greets, resetting the register as she grins at you.

"Hi Yeji," you smile back, happy to see your old friend again after what feels like forever. Your busy schedules have kept you from hanging out much lately, but seeing her now is something you're grateful for. "I'll take two waters, a medium nacho, and 1 hot dog, please."

"You want everything on it?" She asks in reference to your last request, assuming you still stick with the order you used to go with in your childhood.

"You know it. And make sure to--"

"--spread the toppings out well. I remember, girl." She says with a wink, turning around to get started on your order. The familiar interaction warms your heart, aided by the idea that some things never change. After she packages your things up in a convenient little container, you thank her and pay, walking away with a promise to meet up at the school's café next week.

About halfway back to your seat, something unexpected happens.

"Rosie, we can't buy out the whole place. This is the 4th trip we've taken back here and the game hasn't even started yet!" You freeze as you round the corner, almost dropping your food as Jisoo's low voice sounds off nearby.

"Unnie, I didn't even get to eat much of the other stuff at all! Lisa and Jennie stole it and shared it with everyone else," the artist pouts, rolling her hands into fists at her sides like a toddler.

"Fine. But this is the last trip I'm taking." She warns, rolling her eyes when the Australian attacks her with a flurry of kisses. "Yah! Let's go before we miss something." She says, pushing her off of her with a smile on her face.

Even her voice makes your heart ache, and it reminds you of what her kiss felt like against your lips. It was short, no doubt, and barely there; but the sparks remain, waiting to be reignited anytime she's around. Maybe you're just destined to pine.

----

"There you are! I was literally about to go steal some food from Shuhua because you were taking so long."

"Yeah, yeah," you say, sitting down beside Yuqi with the cardboard box in your hands. "You're lucky I love you enough to pay for this. Now I'll have to survive on 3 grains of rice and ramen for the next few weeks."

"Oh, the struggles of being a broke college student." She says woefully, clutching her hands together in front of her chest to add to the effect.

"Precisely," you agree, scooting closer to offer her some nachos. When she tries to greedily take the whole tray of them, you're quick to stop her.

"Ah, ah, ah," you warn, pulling her wrist back down. "We're sharing, chica." She huffs, but eventually settles down and decides to shove her face full instead of protesting anymore.

Now, with your best friend happily eating, you relax and begin to prepare yourself for the match.

"LET'S GO!" You shout with Yuqi, chanting together as your school's anthem echoes throughout the stadium. The rival team has been behind the entire game, but they closed the gap in the last few minutes and now it's neck and neck. Your band plays loudly to encourage your team, and it seems to be working; they manage to repeatedly hold the others off and keep them from scoring.

It's the start of the fourth quarter now -- the home stretch. With their spirits still high, your team continues to keep victory out of their opponents hands. The black paint underneath their eyes is really streaked now, showing all the effort and sweat that they've put into the game so far. A beautiful sunset just previously gave way to a rapidly darkening evening sky, allowing some stars to peek out now.

"My high school team sucked; this is epic!" Yuqi says, making you laugh. You tear your eyes away from the heated game to say something to her, but all thoughts soon disappear from your mind and you stop mid-sentence.

She notices your sudden silence and looks at you, only realizing what's happening once she follows your line of sight. Jeong is standing against the metal fence that borders the track, mingling with everyone at the bottom of the bleachers. That doesn't bother you, but what you see next certainly does; you spot Jisoo beside him, giggling at something he said as he tucks a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Oh shit," Yuqi breathes out, fully grasping the weight of the situation now. She doesn't even attempt to give him the benefit of the doubt, because he knows how in love you are with Jisoo and yet there he is, flirting away. He's the only other person besides Yuqi who knows of your feelings for the brunette, and you really trusted him with it. Clearly that was a mistake. You blink a few times and set your jaw, quickly looking away as he moves closer to whisper something in her ear over the noise of the crowd.

"I'm gonna head out to the car. Just let me know who wins," you mumble, brushing past her on your way toward the exit. You know there's no way you'd be able to focus on the game anymore after seeing that, so going is your best option. She catches your arm before you can slip away, and says, "Wait, I'm coming with you. And don't even try to tell me no; I can always watch highlights later. I'm not gonna let you be alone right now."

Knowing it's pointless to argue anymore, you nod once and wait for her to gather up her trash and coat. "Let's go," she says, taking your hand after tossing her garbage in the can conveniently placed at the end of your row. She squeezes it a few times for reassurance, and a bittersweet smile works onto your lips at the gesture.

You don't notice how Jisoo's eyes follow you, every fiber of her being yelling at her to go after you. She hates seeing you sad, and although she isn't 100% sure of the reason for it now, all she wants is to cheer you up.

"So, Jisoo. Do you have any plans after the game?" Jeong smirks, quirking a brow suggestively at his own question. Jisoo grimaces, saying, "Yeah, I do. I have to study." She tries to find you in the crowd again, but it seems that you've already slipped away.

"We're throwing a party tonight, you should come." He leans a little closer to her, but she takes a step back. The only reason she's even talking to him right now is because Lisa introduced them, and it would be impolite not to. She turns him down, yet again sneaking a glance around the stadium.

"No wonder Y/N's too chicken to ask you out; you're hard to get, but I don't mind a challenge." Her head whips around at his statement, heart regaining that familiar uptick at the mention of you. "What?" She blinks, not believing her ears. Surely she was just hearing things.

"I said I don't mind a challenge," his words come out slightly slurred, and the effects of the alcohol he's been drinking are beginning to show themselves in all the wrong ways. The more he talks, the less Jisoo can stand him. "Look, Jeong -- I'm not interested. I'm sure there are other girls here that would love to get to know you, but I'm not one of them. Now, if you'll excuse me," she says, turning her body to the side to maneuver around him and get to the stairs. He lets her go without another word, his pride too bruised to come up with a more fitting response than a muttered insult.

She makes quick work of getting to the parking lot, where she spots you approaching Yuqi's car, head hanging a bit. Seeing you upset saddens her, and she's determined to find out what's wrong.

"Y/N! Wait up!" The shout catches your attention, and you slowly spin around. Jisoo begins to jog out to you, and a scoff slips past your lips (though you don't put much effort into stopping it). You're hurt, and half of the reason for your pain is staring right back at you like nothing happened.

"What do you want, Jisoo?" You sigh, not looking forward to where this conversation will most certainly go.

"I want to talk, Y/N." She's in front of you now, scanning her eyes between yours to gauge your reaction.

"What is there to say? Just go back to talking to Jeong; you looked like you were enjoying yourself." She can hear the jealousy laced in your tone, and things finally -- finally -- begin to click for her.

"Is that what this is about?" She asks in reference to your sadness. The question isn't accusatory at all; she's genuinely trying to piece things together.

A disbelieving laugh leaves you at that. How is she still so oblivious? "Yes, Jisoo, it is. I just had to witness someone who I thought was my friend flirt with my crush. So yeah, that's what this is about." Sensing that she doesn't know what to say, you decide to conclude things for her. This is already pitiful enough, and you'd rather spare the both of you from having the "it's not you, it's me" talk.

"Look, I get it. You don't like me back, and you were only trying to be friendly by inviting me to the rehearsal that night. Just please, for the both of us, forget it even happened. Forget all of this. It was a mistake, and I won't do it again."

Jisoo hates that you're jumping to conclusions without even knowing her true feelings; you automatically think that she couldn't possibly feel the same, and you use her moment of silence as a form of evidence to prove that. The complete opposite is true, though you'd never give her enough time to straighten out her jumbled thoughts and tell you that.

She finds her voice when you turn away, and she reaches out to touch your hand. "Stop, you've got it all wrong." Your eyes glance down to your intertwined hands, but you wiggle out of her grip with a heavy sigh. Over your shoulder, you shakily say, "You don't have to pretend for me, Jisoo. I'll be alright. If he makes you happy, then so be it."

With that, you get in Yuqi's car and tell her to drive away, leaving Jisoo to deal with the sinking feeling in her chest that worsens as the car's tail lights grow dimmer and dimmer in the distance. You're gone, and she really has no idea how to come back from this.

6.) Broken Hearted

The next few weeks were hell. You avoided Jisoo as much as possible, too embarrassed to face her after what happened and too weak to be close to her again. You'd surely fall even harder if you allowed yourself to grow any closer, so you didn't take the risk. How could you? Falling alone isn't an enjoyable experience, and you've been teetering on the edge of no return ever since that afternoon at the daycare.

It was hard enough to escape her hold -- her face was everywhere, plastered on ads and bulletin boards all throughout campus, on reminders and sign ups for student council. You used your sick days in order to hide away in your dorm and block out the world, only being comforted by Ryujin when she wasn't busy with her own life or Yuqi when she could spare a few hours. They always made sure to care for you as much as they could, knowing first hand how tough heartbreak can be -- especially with the added stress of schoolwork.

One person you thought about often was Jeong. Every time he'd cross your mind, dirtying up your brainwaves with the mere notion of himself, you'd grimace. He didn't deserve the attention, and yet you couldn't help but question why he did that to you. He hadn't reached out since that night, likely due to Yuqi giving him a piece of her mind after the game. He made it clear that he wasn't sorry, and that if given the chance, he'd play his cards even better and hopefully score a date with Jisoo.

Maybe that was the worst part of it all. Hearing that it hadn't just been a stupid thing he did because he was drunk; he realized the weight of his actions, and he'd do it again, over and over, without caring about how you fit into the equation. That football game was simply a turning point, hidden in plain sight as an unassuming night for you to hang out with Yuqi. But you learned more then than you had ever intended to; Jeong's selfish, and he probably never even cared for you in the first place. The idea of that makes you feel dirty -- like you wasted so much of your time with such a horrible person, sticking up for him and defending his name when he wasn't around when he never even deserved that in the first place. You wish you would've known who he really was back then; you would've stayed away.

Unbeknownst to you, Jisoo was struggling much like you -- minus the whole "betrayed by a best friend" situation. Every time that she showed up in class, she hoped with every piece of herself that you'd walk through the door and grace the room with your presence. You seldom ever did, though -- but when you ran out of free days of absence and were forced to attend class in order to keep your grades up, you never even uttered a word to her. She'd make it a point to ask questions in class, hoping that hearing her voice would bring something out of you, as yours did to her. She longed to talk to you again, if only for a minute; but your resolve remained strong, and her determination grew weaker as the days went by.

Being the person she is, though, she knew giving up wasn't an option. After a few weeks of that cycle, greeting stands were placed at the front doors of each complex on campus, manned by different members of the council. She came up with a story for the administration on the fly, using her people skills to convince them that it would be good for student morale and getting more people to join clubs. It was a great effort, but she underestimated your avoidance skills; you thwarted her plans again, slipping right through her strategically linked fingers.

Eventually, she lost hope. She exhausted every option she knew to try, and the girls ran out of new ones as well. Seeing their unnie so upset saddened them, and they did all they could to cheer her up in any and every way they knew how.

7.) Premiere Night

"Y/N, get up. You're gonna shower and get dressed if I have to force you to do it myself." Yuqi commands, blasting into your room and flipping on the overhead light that shines far too bright for your liking.

"Mmm," you groan in protest, not even bothering to roll over.

"I mean it; don't test me, you know I'm true to my word."

"Why, Yuqi?"

"Because we're going to the performance tonight. The big show that everyone has been going on about is premiering, and you're coming with me to see it."

"I can't do that." You say, her words sobering you up from your sleepy stupor.

"I know who the lead is," she informs, already knowing about your reasons for being hesitant, "and that's precisely why we're going. You can't keep living like this, so either go get your girl, or agree to be friends with her and work past what you're dealing with."

"You sound like a mom at the end of an 80s movie."

"80s movie moms are valid, so I'll take that as a compliment. Now go!" She shouts, shoving you off the bed. You tumble to the floor in a heap of blankets and pillows, still managing to hit your funny bone as you let out a pained groan.

"Remind me to slap her later, Ryujin."

"Will do." She salutes, reaching a hand down to help you up. With one last glare at an annoyingly bubbly Yuqi, you head to the bathroom to shower.

----

"How do I look?" You ask, looking yourself up and down in the skinny mirror attached to the wall.

"Is it gay if I say I'd ask you out?" Yuqi asks with a smile, fanning herself animatedly when you strike a pose.

"Very much so, yes."

"Well, hand me the rainbow suspenders, then."

You push her over with a laugh -- the first real one you've shared in a while -- and wrap her in a hug.

"Thank you, for real. I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have you." You say against her shoulder, pulling back to look at your roommate and add, "Either of you." The three of you settle in for a group hug and tell a few more jokes before Yuqi finally drags you out of the dorm.

----

"How does it feel to be back in society?" Yuqi whispers, leaning in close to you to read the seat numbers printed on your tickets.

"As lame as ever." You add, amusingly unenthused.

"You're never gonna convince Jisoo to date your dumbass with that attitude." She retorts, feeling a little guilty when she sees your expression change upon hearing her name. You're afraid to see where the two of you will stand at the end of the night, so saying it's still a sore subject is the understatement of the year.

"I'm messing with you, dude. If she doesn't want to be with you, then it's her loss; but I highly doubt that's the case. I've heard she misses you a lot." For once, Yuqi's words are halfway encouraging to hear, and you let out a light smile.

"Well I'm prepared to worry about that whole situation later. For now, let's find our seats and enjoy the show." Your best friend quickly agrees, and the two of you squeeze through the crowds in the aisles to get to your row.

----

"Jisoo, I promise you'll do well. You've been practicing for months; you've got this," Soo-hyun says, rubbing his co-lead's back in reassuring circles. The certainty in his deep voice gives Jisoo some semblance of security, and she stands to look at him with one final, nervous sigh. Stage fright has never been this big of an issue for her, but the size of the crowd and the idea that you might be out there scare the hell out of her. She wants you to be there with all of her heart, but she doesn't know if she'll be able to handle watching you walk away again. The past few weeks have been torture, and she misses your presence and witty remarks more than she ever thought possible.

"Thank you, Soo-hyun. I'll meet you out there in a couple minutes, just let me collect myself."

He nods and says, "Take your time. I'll let Mrs. Choi know," before leaving and shutting the door behind himself. Now alone again, Jisoo digs through her personal bag that lays neatly on the small futon of the dressing room. When her fingers come in contact with that familiar material she's spent hours staring at, she bites the inside of her cheek and unfolds it for the millionth time. Multiple poems and blurbs litter the page, accompanied by cute doodles and cartoons here and there that give it a personal feel. She's spent the time away from you methodically working through the different writings, restraining herself from reading all of them in one setting so that she can have new content from time to time.

She's down to the last one, now, and a surprising sort of realization hits her when she reads it. It instills within her a sense of determination -- determination to get you back and set things right, one way or another. She makes a plan to find you after the performance.

-- After The Performance --

It was even more spectacular than you ever imagined it could be. The school spared no expense in getting the best props, employing the most skilled technicians on hand, and recruiting the best artists that the school had to paint the backdrops. Everyone behind the scenes worked tirelessly to produce the best show possible, and their efforts really paid off.

And, of course, you can't forget the actors.

The entire cast was incredible, their talent matching some of the world's most sought-after stars. Every part was played to perfection; even the smaller, supporting roles were acted with passion, really bringing the piece together as a whole. The production left you wanting more, too inspired and awestruck by the amazing performances to be content with just seeing it once. So, after numerous calls for an encore, the cast returned to run through a few of their key scenes.

---

As the cast takes their final bow, large cannons placed on either side of the stage shoot out bursts of colorful confetti, and you watch it flutter down around them. Some try to catch a piece or two to add to their scrapbooks, wanting to have a trinket from their college years, while others just hug each other and twirl around with content smiles on their faces. The crowd continues its loud cheering, and eventually you find the courage to sneak a glance at Jisoo.

To your surprise, she's looking right back.

Her eyes hold a mixed softness; she's proud of herself and glad that you came to support her on such a big night, but part of her wants to escape the busyness of it all and tell you everything she's been feeling. She'd be content with looking at you forever, she realizes, as she studies you. You're the true star in her eyes, always shining so bright and making everyone feel at home whenever they're around you. She hopes you know how special you are.

Mrs. Choi approaches the cast from stage right, gathering their attention to congratulate them and commend them for their performances. Jisoo reluctantly looks away from you, unsure if it's the last time she'll be seeing you tonight. The thought upsets her, but there isn't much she can do about it right now; so, she gives her attention to her professor and flashes that smile that makes everyone weak in the knees.

You knew it was just a matter of time before she'd be pulled away and immersed in some conversation about the show, but the selfish side of you never wanted her to look away. No matter how confusing things may be because of all of your unresolved issues, she still looks at you like she always had before -- her gaze is kind, albeit bittersweet, but it's full of care. Seeing her like that makes you feel like even more of an asshole than you already do -- maybe you should have just listened to her at the game. Running away was an immature choice, rooted entirely in your own sadness in that moment as you deprived yourself of any explanation she could've offered, though you can't judge yourself too harshly. The situation is complicated, and you still don't know whether to hate yourself for running or go easy on yourself in light of what happened.

When Yuqi sees you stand up and shuffle towards the end of your row, she sends you a warning look.

"Dude, I'm not gonna run away. I'm literally just gonna step outside for some fresh air, I promise." She visibly relaxes, no longer having to prepare herself to wrangle you back into the seat.

"Fine. But if you aren't back in 15 minutes I'm coming to track you down. You really need to talk to her."

You sigh, nodding in agreement. "I know, trust me. Just let me get my thoughts together first." She sends you off to do just that, but not until the two of you complete the special handshake you made up all those months ago.

---

Brisk air rushes over your skin in waves the moment you exit the side door of the building, automatically sending goosebumps to raise in its wake. It feels nice, though; it grounds you, and works to cool off your heated skin. The atmosphere inside was thick with the tension you've been feeling ever since what happened that night at the game, and its effects were only heightened by the raw performances of the evening. Passion and longing were the driving factors of the play, ironically, and many of the scenes drew eerie parallels to your current situation. So, it's no wonder that you're thankful to step away from it all for a bit.

You greet a few stray audience members that're puttering around outside as well, opting to walk down a little further away from them and lean against the building. The wall's brick material feels rough against your back, lightly scratching it whenever you shift your weight from one foot to the other. You don't mind it, though; it's oddly nostalgic, somehow.

When you hear the door open again, you think nothing of it. The metal hinges latch just the same as they had for you, so there's really no reason for you to even look up. However, that all changes when you feel someone's eyes on you.

Unprepared is leaps and bounds away from being a fitting statement to describe how you feel in that moment; Jisoo stands merely 10 feet away from you at most, right next to the stage door that she just came out of. Her hands fiddle with the drawstrings of her costume, seemingly always needing to be occupied when she's nervous or unsure of herself; it's a habit you've picked up on after seeing it so many times.

The longer you look at her, the more you want to look away; she's so beautiful it hurts, and the silence is eating away at you. You can't blame her, though; neither of you know what to say or do, and the only thing you seem capable of is staring at each other. When you break the intense eye contact you were sharing to turn away, only intending to take a minute to collect yourself, Jisoo is suddenly set in motion.

She's afraid you'll leave again, and she's prepared to fight even harder for you this time.

I love you as the stars love the night sky

A fateful, cyclic romance

A game of eager greetings and reluctant goodbyes

Those words -- ones that you remember penning one day in class while completely entranced by Jisoo -- roll from her lips effortlessly, as if she had spent time committing them to memory. She had, in fact; whenever days passed without her even catching a glimpse of you, she always found herself unfolding that note again, tracing a finger over the curve of your unique letters as she reread the poem. It always brought her comfort to think that you were in just as deep as her, and a similar sense of hope blossoms in her chest now when she spots an unbelieving smile tug at the corner of your lips as you slowly turn to face her again.

You're still into her, and she's falling even deeper at the realization. Maybe she didn't lose you after all.

She takes calculated steps towards you and breathes a sigh of relief when you stay put, not showing any signs of running. The wheels in your head are going into overdrive now, turning and churning as you process her little recital, and she prays with all of her heart that you won't be upset once you put two and two together.

"How did you…"

"You dropped it one day, and I picked it up. I meant to give it back to you, but I guess I just never got around to it." She feels a little guilty for keeping it as long as she has, but it's served as a way of keeping you close during your time apart. Those bits and pieces of you, scattered around on that page, encapsulated by the annotations and doodles you so kindly left behind, have stayed in her heart. Ever since she discovered it all that time ago, it's never been very far from her; she cherishes it more than you'll ever know.

"You didn't show it to anyone, right?" Your voice is laced with worry, lowered a bit to keep others from overhearing.

"No, no! Of course not. I just… kept it for myself. You're really talented; I couldn't stop reading your stuff."

"Thank, I guess?" You awkwardly chuckle, still a bit rusty on how to interact with her after everything. Plus, to be fair, having your crush read one of the love letters you wrote about her is a bit unheard of. Newfound territory, you think to yourself.

"How long?" You ask after a minute of silence, only realizing how loaded your question is after it slips past your lips, turning into a puff of steam in the chilly atmosphere. "How long have you… felt that way about me?" You quickly add, "Assuming that you feel what the poem says, of course."

An amused smile tweaks her lips at how cute you are. "I do, Y/N. I always have; ever since that afternoon at the daycare."

"Really?" The question is quiet, full of childlike disbelief.

"Really. It was always you." She says it freely now: unafraid.

The sentiment is sweet, but memories of the football game come flooding back and you're reminded that as much as you want to skip this next part, you still have things to discuss.

"What about Jeong?"

"What about him?"

"Did you ever like him?"

"No. The girls thought so, but it was just a misunderstanding. That's why Lisa introduced us at the game; she thought I had a crush on him, but I told her that you were always the one I was looking at. I told all of the girls that, after that night."

Her confession renders you speechless -- only capable of listening and nodding every now and then. She takes advantage of your silence to finally explain herself and tell you everything she's been dying to.

"I didn't know you felt the same until our talk in the parking lot. I mean, I was hopeful after some of the moments we had, but I didn't know for sure until then. I wanted to beg you to stay and hear me out, but you left before I had the chance."

You blink a few times as the reality of her words begin to sink in. "I had no idea…"

"Yeah, well…" she trails off, unsure of what to say next. She's forgiven you for walking away, knowing you were just hurt, but the whole situation still left a bad taste in her mouth. So much pain could've been avoided for the both of you if you had just listened.

"How did they take it?"

"They yelled at me for waiting so long to tell them, but then they tried to help me get you back. Remember those student council booths?" She leans in a little closer to ask that last line, her lips pulling to the side in that iconic smirk of hers.

You audibly gasp and point at her animatedly. "I knew that was you!"

"Mhm, pulled some fancy-sounding excuse out of my ass to convince the board, and boom; 20 brand new tables set up the next day. I still can't believe you managed to slip past them, though. I mean, c'mon, have you seen how talkative those kids can be?"

"Trust me, it wasn't easy," you laugh with her. "I had to sneak to the back entrances like a drug dealer."

"I can totally see that."

"I'm dedicated, what can I say?" The stupid hair flip you do makes her laugh even harder, clutching her stomach as those beautiful sounds slip past her lips.

As your shared laughter eventually turns into soft chuckles, she smiles at you, saying, "I really missed this. I missed you, so so much."

"I've been a wreck without you, Jisoo. It's honestly embarrassing."

She looks at you with something new shining in her eyes, and she carefully contemplates what she's about to admit. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

"I rarely cry, Y/N, but I did over you. So you have no reason to be embarrassed. It seems like both of us were pretty bad off." She looks down after saying that, scuffing her foot against the concrete of the sidewalk. Being vulnerable isn't usually easy for her, and she never really lets people see that side of her -- not even the girls. She feels like she has to stay strong for them to keep things running smoothly, but she fails to realize how important her own feelings are. You're different, though; she feels like her entire collection of secrets would be safe with you, and you make her feel secure enough to be open like that.

When she feels you step closer and hook two fingers underneath her chin, her eyes dart up to yours and her heart speeds up. Your other arm hesitantly wraps around her waist, giving her plenty of time to step away and deny you. You've spent so much time convincing yourself that she couldn't possibly want someone like you that you're genuinely surprised when she steps further into your embrace, pulling your arm tighter around herself.

Her right arm comes to rest loosely on your shoulder as her other hand caresses your forearm, rubbing various patterns against your smooth skin. "I tried so hard to get you to pick up on my flirting," she starts, playing with the baby hairs at the nape of your neck as she holds you close. "Every touch," she runs a finger down your arm, leaving a trail of electricity in its wake. "Every look," she moves her hand from your neck to your cheek, cupping it sweetly as she gazes into your eyes. She strokes your skin with the pad of her thumb, smiling beautifully when she feels you nuzzle into her hold even more.

"And that kiss…" she says, sounding breathless at the mere thought of it. "I wanted it to last forever."

"Why didn't you tell me that, then?" You ask, not even a trace of anger in your tone. You're determined to let go of all the hurt and fear that your misunderstandings have caused, opting instead to finally get the answers you've wanted for so long. "After I came back from putting Aera to bed you were just… different. And then when you said it was just a part of the script--"

"I know. I was afraid that if I let myself have you like that -- if I let you in all the way -- there'd be no going back." When she sees the confusion building in your eyes, she continues on. "I don't usually let myself get distracted; I can't afford it. You know how seriously I take my studies." You nod, recalling the numerous times you've found her in the library until it closed, studying hard for the exams everyone knew she'd ace. "But you wiggled your way past every line of defense I ever put up. You became my favorite distraction." A dopey grin tugs at your lips at receiving that title, and you subconsciously hold your head a little higher.

"But I wasn't prepared for that. You make me feel things that I've never felt before, and I really didn't think I could afford to let myself have you. Not fully, anyway. I could deal with a crush; I told myself I could keep you close enough that I wouldn't miss you, but far enough that I could keep myself protected."

"What changed?" You ask, smoothing your hands over the small of her back, feeling the heat radiate from her skin. They've worked their way under the hem of her shirt during your conversation, subconsciously seeking to share her warmth, and Jisoo has been acutely aware of it the entire time.

"When I saw you walk away like that I didn't know what to do with myself. I've had people leave before, so it's not a new thing; but I never missed them like I've missed you."

A bittersweet, melancholic look settles on your face at that; she deserves every good thing that the world has to offer, so knowing that you played a part in her sadness -- whether it be direct or indirect -- disheartens you a bit.

"But you're here now, and that's all that matters." She says, leaning her forehead against yours.

"And I'm not going anywhere," you affirm, holding her even closer than before. She brushes her nose against yours with a quiet sigh, relieved to be in your arms, caught safely in your warm embrace. If falling feels like this, she's more than okay with it.

"Can I?" You ask, glancing down to the heart shaped pillows you've dreamt of having against yours again.

She nods, uttering a soft, "Please", as she tilts her head to the side in expectancy. You close the remaining distance, bending your knees slightly to tighten your hold on her waist and pull her flush up against yourself. Both of her arms wrap around your neck now, occasionally coming down to tilt your head and allow her better access, or run her fingers through your hair. It's sensual and meaningful, but an air of urgency hangs in the air, thickening it the longer her lips are on you. Both of you are making up for lost time, so it's no wonder you're so eager.

She takes your bottom lip between her teeth as she backs you up, pressing you against the brick wall that you had migrated a few steps away from during your conversation. If she were kissing anyone else, perhaps she'd care about the strangers staring, or what they might say; but as she stands here, feeling your hands explore her body in the ways that she's dreamed of and your lips kiss her senseless, that's the furthest thought from her mind. Her hands grab at the collar of your shirt, balling the material up in her palms as she pushes her lips against yours from a new angle.

When you eventually pull back for air, you can't help but say the phrase that's been sitting on your mind for weeks. "I love you."

Her heart speeds up to match yours, both of them racing as you look at each other with giant smiles on your faces. "I love you, too. If you hadn't already guessed that," she chuckles, leaning up to kiss you again. This one's more innocent, though -- full of giddiness as you replay each other's declaration in your minds.

"Y/N L/N IF YOU AREN'T OUT HERE--"

Yuqi bellows loudly, blasting through the side door and out into the chilly night air. The metal smacks against the wall from the force she exerted, and you physically cringe at the sound. Jisoo does the same, quickly pulling away to find out what's going on.

When Yuqi's line of sight settles on the two of you, her eyebrows raise and a smirk lands on her lips. "Well, well, well. Looks like my work here is done," she says, cocking her head to the side self-assuredly when she sees how swollen both of your lips are and how mussed your clothing is. You send her a look that she registers as "Get lost", and she retreats back into the performance hall with her hands raised in surrender.

"Idiot," you mutter under your breath, shaking your head as you watch the door close behind her, its poor hinges still recovering from her assault. Jisoo's giggle makes you turn back to her, finding a breathtaking smile forming on her lips. "You're so cute," she coos, poking your cheek, "especially when you blush like that."

You fight the bashfulness that attempts to take over, managing to cock a brow at her and say, "Hey, watch it -- I might not be so kind in my next poem if you don't stop teasing me."

"Aww, don't be like that, baby."

She tenses up after realizing she let that pet name slip out at the end, but your smile only widens.

"Say that again."

"Baby," she drawls in her signature sultry tone, stepping closer to you again.

"Mmm, I could get used to that." You hum against her lips, pressing yours to them at the end of your statement.

"Good, because there's more where that came from."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhm," she settles into your arms again, looking into your eyes with so much love you nearly swoon. "This is only the beginning for us."

197 notes · View notes

is-it-madness · 4 years ago

Text

Pastries and Pain

A/N: This is for @fanfictionaries Classic Tropes Writing Challenge. Congrats on the 300 darling!!! 🥳🎉🥳 The prompt I chose was Fake Dating!AU with the charming Loki. And thank you to my darling beta @wowjeena I LOVE YOU 💜💜💜

Word Count: 6K+

Warnings: Mentions of abusive relationship, abuse, sexual innuendos

Pairing: Loki x reader

Summary: Nat and Wanda keep setting you up for dates. You need to figure out how to avoid them.

~~~

“You did what?!” You glare angrily at Natasha and Wanda.

They don’t even bother hiding their looks of amusement.

“We set you up on a blind date,” Nat tells you with a smirk.

“You said you wouldn’t do that anymore!” Last year, after they discovered you hadn't been on a date since you broke up with your abusive ex a few years ago, they felt obligated to find you a suitable boyfriend. Blind date after blind date. The dates were all just okay. Nat and Wanda made sure not to let you go out with anyone creepy, which helped, but none of the dates sparked your interest. After a few weeks of repeated fails, you asked—no begged them to stop. They only agreed when you swore you would find your own partner.

“Honey,” Nat begins, “did you ever end up finding a date for yourself?”

You glare at her in response.

“You promised us you would! You didn’t and it’s been months,” Wanda scolds you.

“I’m just too busy to be emotionally invested in someone right now, okay?” At least that was true. What with helping out on missions and working in the lab, you were always exhausted by the end of the day. You never saw anyone anymore, besides your team, and sometimes you would even go days without seeing them. You would be holed up in the lab or out in the field—you just didn’t have time to throw your emotions into the mix.

“Well not tonight,” Nat says triumphantly.

“Tonight?!” you squeak.

They both give you a wicked smile and drag you back to Nat’s room to get you ready for the evening.

You argue with your so-called friends about the date. You plead with them.

“I’ll find my own date, you guys! Just please don’t make me do this!”

Wanda laughs and shakes her head while Nat reprimands you.

“Are you seriously gonna stand him up? That is so not like you.”

You sigh. Nat is right. Of course. So you begrudgingly slip into the soft, dark green dress they laid out for you. The halter neck and deep V decolletage lead to the cinched waist showcasing your figure and the skirt reaching just above your knees. You put on some light makeup and pull your hair back into two cute buns with a few pieces framing your face. Nat and Wanda sit fussing over you, before they finally let you out of the room.

They walk you past the living room to the elevator, but you stop in your tracks when Tony calls your name. You turn to see the rest of the team lounging around. This is the first Friday in weeks where everyone’s at the Tower, not having to rush off to missions or save the world.

“Where are you guys going?” Tony asks. He gives you a double-take. “What’s with the dress?”

When he asks that, the rest of the team turns to look at you. You immediately feel the heat rising to your face.

“Nat and Wanda thought it would be a good idea if I went out for a bit,” you mumble.

“Did you two set her up for another date?” Steve questions them knowingly.

Nat smirks and Wanda nods happily.

“Well, you look wonderful,” Thor beams at you and you return the smile. “Would you not say so, brother?”

The God of Mischief sitting next to Thor gave you a once over.

He gives a single shoulder shrug and says, “Unsightly.”

You smile sweetly at him. “Oh, thank goodness! I was worried you were going to say I look as grotesque as you.”

“Alright boys, you can give your fashion critique later,” Nat says, putting a hand on your shoulder. “We have a date to get to.”

~~~

His name is Michael. He was very sweet, albeit nervous when the two of you sat down for dinner. You learn he works in the IT department for Stark Industries, he runs a hand through his short, brown hair when he’s nervous, and his deep blue eyes sparkle when he tells you about his interests.

“So, you’re part of the Avengers, right?” he asks, carding a hand through his locks.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” you tell him with a laugh.

“What made you decide to start dating again?”

You shake your head in amusement. “My friends are very convincing.”

The rest of the night goes along smoothly with the conversation stuttering only a few times.

When he walks you to your car, he runs a hand through his hair before placing a soft kiss on your cheek. He tells you good night and hurries back to his car.

You sigh, slightly exasperated, before sliding into your car.

~~~

“So, how’d it go?”

You release your hair from its hold and it cascades around you. “It wasn’t bad. He was nice.”

Nat smiles. “So are you gonna see him again?”

You contemplate her question. Were you going to see him again? Sure he was nice and not bad looking, but just like all your previously failed dates, there was… nothing. You didn’t feel a connection when you spoke, the both of you kept the conversation basic. You didn’t feel a spark when he kissed you. It was no different than the friendly kisses Thor would give you as greetings.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m sorry, Nat.”

“Don’t worry about it, babe. Wanda and I will just keep looking for you.”

“It’s okay, Nat. You really don’t have to do this.”

She waves you off. “What kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t help you?”

“That’s just it, Nat! You don’t have to help me. It’s not a big deal.”

But she isn’t listening.

~~~

A week goes by and so do five other dates. You had to cut the last one short because you were just too exhausted. You couldn’t keep doing this. It was too much. But you knew Nat and Wanda were relentless. Nothing would make them stop until you had a boyfriend.

You pace around your room, coming up with excuse after excuse to try to skip the impending date they have planned for you. You come to the conclusion that the only way they would leave you alone is if you were in a relationship. You abruptly stop pacing. Maybe if you had someone fill the position. Maybe… maybe someone could pretend to be your boyfriend—at least for a short time. Just to get the girls off your back. You start formulating a plan. But for this plan to work, you needed someone cunning, someone who could keep a secret, someone who was stealthy, and preferably, someone already on the team.

A name comes to you and you immediately head to the library with a smirk on your face, but the whole time your mind is screaming that THIS IS A BAD IDEA!!!

You find the God in his usual seat, his legs spread wide, and a book in hand. He sits in the far corner of the library, which also happened to be your spot too.

“Loki! I need you.”

He smirks and looks up from his book, “In your bed or mine?”

“I don’t have time for your smart mouth right now! This is serious!”

He quirks a brow.

“I need you to go on a ‘date’ with me,” you say, putting up air quotes.

He stares at you for a good thirty seconds before he gives you an eloquent response.

“What?”

You feel yourself turn bright pink. “Please, Loki! I can’t take Nat and Wanda setting me up on blind dates anymore, it’s just too much. Please? If I find my own date, they’ll leave me alone,” you explain to him, internally begging him to agree to your plan.

“I’m not sure I follow,” he tells you slowly. “You wish for me to court you, but not as a real courtship?”

You nod hastily. “Exactly.”

He squints at you. “No.”

You’re shocked. “What? Why not?”

He smirks at you. “Firstly, your team will not take lightly to the matter of us courting. Secondly, there is not a chance they would believe you have fallen for me, even with my good looks and charm,” he continues to tick off. “Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, how long would you allow this to drag out? One week? A month? A year? So no, I do not think I wish to partake in your foolish endeavor.”

“But you wouldn’t need to worry about any of that!” You continue adamantly. “I’ve already thought it out!”

He gives you an amused look. “Alright, I’ll listen to your hairbrained scheme.”

You glower at him. Maybe you should’ve picked someone else for this, but it’s too late now. He already knows what you’re planning.

“One, I won’t tell the team who I’m seeing, we can just meet up somewhere outside the building. And if I act like I’m in love with someone, and we stay… y’know, mean to each other, they won’t get suspicious. Your second point is irrelevant, because they won’t know it’s you that I’m ‘dating.’” His nostrils flare and his jaw ticks but you plow ahead. “And lastly, we won’t have to keep this charade up for long. I’ll just say you ‘broke up with me’ and I’ll be too ‘heartbroken’ to consider dating for a while.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs deeply. “Out of the goodness of my own heart, and the desire to only create mischief… fine.”

Your eyes widen, “You’ll do it?”

“I suppose I have nothing more exciting to attend to. And besides,” he looks up to give you a smirk. “I am eager to see this come crashing down around you.”

~~~

“I was thinking for your next date, you should go to the park,” Nat tells you a few days later.

You smile at her. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

She glares at you. “You’re not getting out of this. How many times do I have to tell you? I’m going to keep finding you dates until we find the right one.”

You shake your head and laugh. “It’s not necessary because I found my own date.”

Her spoon falls with a clatter into her bowl of cereal. “I’m sorry, I thought I heard you say you found your own date?!”

“I don’t understand why that’s so unbelievable, Nat.” You place a hand on your heart. “I’m hurt.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she apologizes with a laugh, but her eyes sparkle with glee. “So what’s his name?”

“It’s a secret.”

“What?! You can’t not tell me!”

“Well, this is our first date. So what’s the point of putting a name to a face if I’m not sure if this’ll work out?”

“Okay fine,” she pauses. “Well, where’d you two meet?”

“Oh, you know,” you say with a small smile and a shrug. “Around.”

She folds her arms. “I need info so I can run tests on him,” she chides. “Need to make sure he’s not a threat.”

“Don’t worry, he’s no threat.”

She sighs and throws her hands in the air. “Fine, I get it. You don’t want to talk about him yet. But if anything sketchy happens, you need to tell me immediately.”

“I promise.”

She takes her bowl to the sink and starts washing her dishes.

“And no stalking us!”

She sends you a smirk over her shoulder.

~~~

Early afternoon, the next day, you wait for Loki at a nearby cafe for your ‘date,’ but he’s nowhere to be seen. Sure, the two of you didn’t exactly get along, with his snark and your sarcasm, you would usually wage verbal wars against each other. But you didn’t think he would just leave you, he said he wanted to see your plan fail, so you thought for sure he would be waiting for you. Your smile falters a bit, but you shake your head. You don’t need him. You’ll just do this on your own. You decide to leave and head to the park instead, since it’s a pretty day out.

“Considering this was your plan, I did not assume you would leave without me,” you hear a silky voice behind you say.

You turn around to see Loki walking behind you with a smirk.

You huff. “For your information, I thought you left without me.”

“Why would I do that?”

You fold your arms. “Well, you weren’t down here. I figured you agreed to this just to make me look like a fool.”

His smirk only grows. “I would not do that, especially not when you are so desperate.”

“Are you sure you didn’t show up late just for kicks and giggles?”

“If you must know, since you’re so adamant on believing that I would just leave you, I went to purchase these for you.” He conjures a bouquet of flowers and hands them to you. You thank him sheepishly.

He nods. “I felt like it would seem strange if you returned home without a gift, as you usually returned carrying a gift from your possible suitors.”

“That’s... thoughtful of you.”

He gives you another curt nod.

“Well, let’s get this over with, shall we?”

“So, what do you wanna do?” you ask him. “You’ve never had a chance to explore when you came back from Asgard, we could see whatever you want.”

“I could not care less where we venture to, as long as we hurry up. I have reading to get back to.”

You roll your eyes. Just when you thought he was starting to be friendly, he goes and says something like that.

“Well, if you really don’t want to be here, I'll just go on a walk on my own. You’ve done your part.” You gesture to the flowers. “And you gave me evidence, so I guess I’ll see you later.”

He stares at you, emotionless.

“Enjoy your book.” You clutch your flowers, trying to reel your emotions back in and start walking in the direction towards the park.

He catches up to you and releases an audible sigh. “I suppose I could spend some time out of that helhole. It has become rather monotonous. Perhaps you would be suitable entertainment.”

You just shrug, not trusting yourself to not retort back with a scathing comment.

“So, where are we headed?”

“Preferably somewhere I won’t have to pay attention to your existence,” you snap.

His green eyes flash dangerously and he grabs you by the arm, forcing you to face him. “Listen here, mortal,” he seethes. “It may have slipped your notice, but I have done not one, but two favors for you.”

Your cool demeanor snaps in a fiery explosion. “Oh really? Is the favor you being rude to me? Or is it the fact that you can’t find it in yourself to say one, just one, polite thing to me. Oh, I know! It’s probably your side remarks that you love to make, or the fact that you say the most hurtful things to me, because apparently, you seem to think I don’t have emotions. Have you ever considered the weight of your words, even once?!” Tears begin to prick the corner of your eyes, but you refuse to cry in front of him, you refuse to give him something else to hold against you. “Have you ever thought twice about calling me ugly, or useless, or slow, or weak. Well, guess what.”

He releases his hold on you and takes a step back.

“I get it, okay?! I get it! I’m ugly? Great! You’re not the first person to tell me that! I’m useless? People who were close to me, would tell me that constantly. That’s old news to me! I’m slow? At least I stay alive during our missions! I’m weak? Okay then! I don’t know what else to tell ya buddy! I’m sorry I’m no super soldier!” Your chest is heaving from your outburst and Loki opens his mouth to speak, but you cut him off. “You know what?” You begin quietly. “I’m absolutely not as strong as the rest of the team, but I’ve been through stuff that’s made me a stronger person. I’ve learned things the hard way, and I’ve learned that I don’t need hurtful people like you in my life.”

Loki stares at you, mouth slightly agape. You spin around and toss the flowers in the trash. “Have fun reading.” You don’t look back as you continue to walk through the streets.

~~~

You return to the Tower later that evening. After your temper, you spend the most of the day in the park. You wander through the city and stumble upon a quaint little bookstore, sandwiched between a diner and a clothing store. You buy several books before heading home.

The elevator gets closer to the common floor and you take a deep breath. The elevator dings and you force a smile on your face.

“Hey beautiful!” Nat calls to you from the couch.

The entire team, sprawled around, looks up.

“How’d it go?” Steve asks you.

You internally breathe a sigh of relief. So Lo—so he didn’t blow your story. Good. The man in question was currently paying no attention to you.

“It was great!” you fib. “We went to the park, and we found a cute bookstore not far from here,” you say with a nod to the stack of books in your arms.

Wanda’s face splits into a grin. “Will you be seeing him again?” she asks eagerly.

You see Thor’s brother, in your peripheral vision, subtly turn to look at you, but you refuse to acknowledge him.

“Yeah I am! I’ll be going out for breakfast tomorrow, at the cafe. ”

“The one with the chocolate pastries?” Nat asks you.

“Yup. And no following me, Nat! I know what you’re thinking!”

She huffs and crosses her arms.

“Well, I’ve had a long day and I’m exhausted. I’ll see you guys tomorrow, yeah?”

The team bids you good night and you head down the hall to your room. You can feel the God of Mischief watching you.

~~~

Early the next morning you drag yourself out of bed and start getting ready. The reward? Pastries. You shower then hop, wiggle, and shimmie into some jeans and pull on a dark blue blouse before making your way to the elevator.

You make it outside without running into anyone. You walk a few blocks to the cafe with your favorite chocolate sweets. You discovered it a while back and later introduced it to the team. As soon as you step in, you inhale the heavenly goodness of coffee roasting, bread baking, and chocolate melting. The little old lady behind the counter recognizes you and prepares your order for you before you have a chance to say anything. You thank her and pay before you find a table in the corner of the store to sit at. You watch the world pass by through the large glass windows. It was still quiet out—or at least quiet for New York—and you close your eyes, relishing in the peace that was sorely lacking while you were in the Tower.

“You do realize it is rude to leave your date behind, yes?” Someone asks you.

You snap your eyes open to see the raven-haired god sitting across from you, the smirk as present as always.

You glare at him. “Why the hell are you here? I don’t recall inviting you.”

He conjures a dagger and splits your pastry in two. He takes a piece and sinks his teeth into it. His eyes flutter close, lashing splaying out across his sharp cheekbones and he moans slightly at the warm confection. You feel a heat rise to your cheeks and your stomach flips. This is the first time you’ve heard him make such an obscene sound. You didn’t expect it to make you press your thighs together.

“On the contrary, you did invite me.” He pauses to open his eyes, only to be met with your flushed face. He gives you a smirk. “Is something the matter?”

“No,” you scowl at him, quickly composing yourself. “And like I said, I don’t remember inviting you.”

“Oh dear, have you forgotten about your own scheme?”

“No, I haven’t,” you bristle. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be here.”

He chuckles. “Yes I do. I am fulfilling my promise I made you.”

“How gentlemanly of you,” you reply, rolling your eyes. “You made it quite clear you didn’t want to do this.”

He leans forward and folds his hands. “Listen, in light of recent events, I have taken into consideration our previous conversation. And although we do not have the, ah, best attitude towards one another, I agreed to assist you in your time of need. And I will see to it that your plan continues along accordingly.”

“Well, you’re wasting your time, ‘cause I don’t need you.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “At least allow me to attempt to be your faux suitor. To make up for my ghastly behavior towards you.”

You continue to glare at him with your arms crossed. You wait to see a glint of mischief in his emerald eyes, or the tell-tale sign of a smirk, but his face remains solemn.

You let out a sigh of defeat. You knew you wouldn’t be able to keep this guise up for long if you did it alone.

“Fine,” you agree reluctantly.

He sits up straight and snatches the second half of your pastry. “Excellent.”

“Hey!”

“What?” he asks innocently, already biting into your breakfast. “I am absolutely famished.”

You just grumble as he licks his fingers clean. Again, your stomach decides to flutter, without your permission.

“Hello, dear.” You look up to see the older lady has approached you and Loki. “Can I get anything else for you?”

You smile back at her. “No thank you.”

She gives a questioning look to Loki. “And who is this? I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you, young man.”

Loki flashes her a charming smile. “Greetings madame.” He stands, gently takes her hand and places a soft kiss on her knuckles.

“This... is my boyfriend,” you tell her through clenched teeth.

She turns to look at you. You detect the slightest tinge of pink to her cheeks.

“Well, you certainly are lucky to have such a gentleman.”

You barely restrain rolling your eyes, while Loki chuckles and gives a slight shake of his head.

“I hate to contradict madame, but it is I who is the lucky one.” He sits back down and takes your hands in his. He looks at you softly. You look back at him, confused.

“The first moment I set eyes on her, my heart nearly stopped. And her smile… her smile sent me straight to Valhalla. I never believed the Fates would allow me to meet someone so kind, so gentle, so beautiful. I am grateful to have the honor to call her my beloved. She means more to me than any riches imaginable.”

You blush as the old lady places a hand to her heart and sighs.

“He’s a keeper,” she tells you. “Much better than the last one. This one won’t lay a hand on you.”

You feel Loki staring hard at you, his grip on your hands tighten ever so slightly.

You stand abruptly, Loki still refusing to let go. “Well, we really should be going. We have a few plans today.”

“Yes, of course,” Loki says.

Both of you thank the old lady. You can’t get out of there fast enough.

The sunlight hits your face as you step outside, but you can’t help the shiver that courses through you. Your past hits you in flashes. Bruised and bloodied skin. Hands raised, only to be brought down against your body with rage. Long sleeves and concealer were a must if you went out. Nights spent huddled in bed, silently crying from pain.

You dimly realize someone is shaking you by your shoulders, calling your name.

You look up to see Loki watching you intently, his brow furrowed.

“What did she mean?” he asks you, his voice a deadly calm.

“It’s nothing,” you brush him off. “It’s not like you’d care anyways,” you mumble under your breath.

Whether he heard you or not, he didn’t show.

He gives you a hard stare for another second before dropping his hands.

“What would you like to do?”

“Huh?”

He sighs. “For our outing. Where would you wish to go?”

“Oh. Yeah, right. Um. Maybe we could go to the bookstore I found?”

“Done.” He holds out his arm for you and you tentatively slip your hand in. “Lead the way.”

A smile pulls at your lips and you tug him in the direction of the bookstore.

After you both buy several books, you spend the rest of your day taking Loki to your favorite spots around the city. You take him to a garden in Central Park and he tells you about his mother’s garden. He buys you ice cream because ‘I suppose you deserve it after I took your breakfast.’

~~~

The next few weeks, you and Loki alternate taking the other places. Loki takes you for lunch, you take him to the movies. He takes you to a museum and you take him to dinner. The two of you begin bonding and slowly the animosity begins to fade. After the second month, you realize that you actually like being in his company. You made each other laugh and were able to discuss things to great lengths that you couldn’t do with anyone else on the team. The two of you would always be careful, leaving the Tower separately, coming home separately. You both also agreed to continue your banter at home, lest anyone become suspicious. But there were days when Nat would have to snap you out of your daydreams—er thoughts, and she would give you a little smirk. She never asked what you were thinking about, but the pink staining your cheeks would give her the answer she needed.

The nights you spend tossing and turning in bed become more frequent.

I’ll tell him tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s the day.

I’ll end this tomorrow.

You kept postponing the termination of this… relationship you had with Loki. Sure it would’ve been easier to do after the first week you put your plan in motion, but that would have only spurred Nat further. You didn’t need that. So you simply kept putting it off and chose to ignore it as days became weeks. Surprisingly enough, you found a kindred spirit in Loki. He wasn’t as bad as you had originally believed. He made you laugh and think critically and roll your eyes at his dramatic flair and antics. You can’t help but feel as though you and Loki connected. You can’t help but feel as though you’re falling for him. With his sparkling eyes, mischievous smile, and surprisingly, his kind heart. It shocked you at first. You always saw him as Thor’s maniacal and evil younger brother. But now that you’ve spent more time with him, you discover that it was just a facade that he put up. He didn’t want people to get close to him, he knew what they thought of him, so that’s what he showed them. It broke your heart when you found out how hurt and abused he was. Just because he never told you outright, doesn’t mean you didn’t see it. You felt awful though, for only barely realizing this. You should have paid more attention to the way he sometimes flinched or the way his eyes would slightly widen with fear at the mention of fire, or when someone on the team would mention abuse.

If only he knew about your past relationship. You never brought it up after the slip in the bakery and Loki didn’t pry, which you were extremely grateful for. You weren’t sure you could discuss it, it was too harrowing and you wanted to leave your past there. In the past. But you should have known it would rear its ugly head one of these days.

~~~

You had promised Loki you’d take him back to the little slice of Valhalla that he so fondly nicknamed the bakery.

“Please!” he practically begs you as the two of you walk down the street, hand in hand. “How else do you expect me to survive in your company? I require payment!”

“Payment?!” you repeat incredulously. “Payment for what?”

He sighs dramatically. “For having to endure your nonsense.”

You laugh. “I should be the one getting paid for having to put up with you!”

He gives you a smirk. “Come now darling, you know you love me.”

Your heart gets caught in your throat at those words. You give Loki a shaky laugh, hoping he doesn’t realize how close to the truth he was.

“Fine,” you sigh exasperatedly. “We’re heading in that direction anyways.”

He gives you another smirk and your heart flutters again. You really need to get your emotions under control. You didn’t have it in you to deal with a heartbreak, it was obvious Loki hadn’t fallen for you.

“How about you wait out here, darling?” he asks when you two reach the bakery. “I’ll be just a few moments.”

You nod and he gives you a small smile before making his way inside.

You groan slightly and rub your temple. You are not supposed to be falling for him! This shouldn’t be happening. You need to get your emotions in check, otherwise… well, you didn’t want to think about what would happen if you didn’t.

You’re lost in thought when you hear your name being called. Before you have a chance to turn around, arms wrap themselves around your waist, pulling you into a hug from behind.

Your heart drops. You knew that voice, that hug that used to give you butterflies, but now made you nauseous. When he releases you, you hurriedly take a few steps away and turn to face your ex.

“Chase.”

“Hey, baby!” he said with a cheerful grin. “How ya been?”

“Fine,” you say, even though you’re feeling far from it.

His eyes rake over you, and you physically had to hold down your vomit. “Well, you look good, baby.”

“Please don't call me that.”

“Listen,” he says solemnly. “I’m sorry for everything that happened between us, but I miss you. I need you back. C’mon, baby. We can be together again, don’t you want that?” he places his hands on your waist, making you tense.

You try taking a steadying breath. “No, Chase. I already told you before. I don’t want to be with you.”

His grip on your waist tightens and bites into you, and he gives you a look you were all too familiar with.

“C’mon, babe,” he says, a slight growl in his voice. “I know you’re not stupid. You already broke my heart once. Don’t do this to me again.”

Tears begin to well up. “I-I already told you. I don’t want to be with you anymore.”

He glares down at you and you feel yourself shaking despite the warm day.

“You really don’t have a choice, do you?” he grabs a hold of your wrist and yanks you, not hard enough to fall, but a reminder of what he was capable of doing.

“Chase, let me go!” you try to free yourself, but he yanks you again, making you stumble.

“Don’t make a scene,” he hisses. “I know we both remember how that turned out for you last time.”

You flinch. That day… that was one of the more violent days. He pulls you along with him.

“Chase stop!” you sob desperately.

That’s when he decides to backhand you. You fall to your knees, cheek stinging fiercely as hot tears stream down your face. A rough hand is placed on your shoulder, but it’s quickly pulled back. You cradle your head between your hands, trying to protect yourself. You hear Chase yelling behind you, which is soon replaced by moans, and then the sound of someone running unsteadily across the pavement.

A gentler hand is placed on your shoulder, but you can’t help but wince away. They retreat their hand and crouch in front of you. You hear a familiar, more soothing voice, calling your name softly. You release your grasp on your face and slowly look up. It was Loki. He was watching you with such sorrow and concern, his lips tight and his brows creasing.

“That’s what she meant, wasn’t it?” he asks quietly.

You nod minutely. He offers his hands out to you and you shakily take them. He helps you to your feet, his worried face never faltering. He pulls you into a tight embrace and that’s when you completely lose it. You fist his shirt as sobs wrack through you. He doesn’t say anything to you, he just lets you release your tears.

~~~

Loki walks you back to the Tower with a protective arm around your shoulder. Miraculously you don’t run into anyone. He leads you to your room. You don’t even think to question how he knows where your room is. The burning in your cheek receded, but there’s still an intense stinging.

“Wait here, darling,” Loki says, giving you a reassuring squeeze.

You sit on your bed, eyes downcast, as he heads to your bathroom. You hear the faucet running and then shut off as he returns and sits next to you. He places a finger under your chin, tilting your face up, making you look at him. He starts tending to your abused cheek, wiping it with a cool washcloth.

He growls. “That halfwit left marks on your face.”

You try for a watery smile. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

He stops his task to look in your eyes. “I swear this will be the last.” He looks down for a moment before looking at you again, his eyes holding something different. “I… I would never hurt you.”

He looks at you so softly you nearly start crying again. You’ve never had anyone look at you with such a heartfelt gaze; it takes your breath away.

He clears his throat. “Listen darling… I realize that your plan was to keep you from having to court anyone, but… I fear I have fallen for you.”

Your eyes widen at his confession and he quickly looks away.

“I understand if you do not feel the same… no one can love a monster.”

You take his face in your hands and force him to look at you.

“Do you mean it?” you whisper, not daring to believe it.

He stares at you long and hard. You nearly drop your hands because the silence is too overwhelming.

“I do.”

A smile splits across your face and you crash your lips to his, taking in the feel of his soft lips, his steady arms, his comforting scent of lavender and bergamot. He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you into his lap, holding you close.

You pull away to rest your forehead against his. “Well I guess that’s a good thing because I’ve fallen for you, too.”

His eyes sparkle before pulling you into another, more passionate kiss.

~~~

Later that evening, during dinner, Nat and Tony nearly lose their minds at the bruise on your face.

“WHO THE HELL DID THAT?!”

“ARE THOSE FINGERPRINTS?!”

You tell them what happened. You explain what your ex did, which only caused the rest of the team to blow up too.

“It’s okay!” You reassure them. “My boyfriend took care of him.”

Your eyes flicker to Loki, and even though he’s paying close attention to his food, you don’t miss the slight smirk on his face.

That seems to calm them down.

“At least he seems like he’s a good guy,” Wanda says thoughtfully.

“Yeah, he’s great,” you say with a small smile.

An idea occurs to you. You stand and walk around the table to Loki. You take his face in your hands, brushing your thumbs across his jaw. He looks at you, mouth slightly open in shock, unsure of what was happening.

“He’s amazing,” you whisper, before capturing his lips with yours.

The team collectively blew up for the third time tonight.

~~~

Pastries and Pain Taglist: @what-just-happened-bro @bbarnestan

Main Taglist: @thehumanistsdiary @astheworlddturns

If you would like to be added to my taglist, shoot me an ask or message me!😊💜

#Pastries and Pain #Loki x reader #FanFictionariesClassicTropeChallenge #loki x you #Loki Laufeyson #loki odinson #fake dating #fake dating!au #loki fanfic #loki fic

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fanfictionfansmiction · 4 years ago

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I Said Your Name

It’s been awhile! Here’s a Fred Weasley X Reader that’s a modern AU where you love him and plan to tell him about it but chicken out and the story follows you at a party. I’m not the best at summaries but I hope you guys enjoy! Also PSA if you have any requests feel free to ask!

Word Count: 1885

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“I’m leaving.” I whisper to anyone who can hear me. Large tears run down my face and blur my vision.

Using all the strength left in my shaking arms I push myself off the fabric sofa knocking into Hermione as I do. She doesn’t notice for once, too invested in what Ron was saying. Her nose pink and her large teeth biting down on her lip in anticipation for climax of the story she’s already heard hundreds of times. I hear Neville say goodbye. I don’t bother to respond pushing myself through the crowd that’s gathered around the entryway. Too frustrated and focused on getting out of there I realise I’ve left my coat in the kitchen. I stop in my tracks because I can’t leave without my coat, but I really don’t want to go into the kitchen where he is.

To be fair I’m not sure he knows what he’s doing. I suppose my anger would seem more justified if I told Fred. If he knew that every time he recommends an old film, I go home and watch it. I should tell him. I really did mean to tell him when he picked me up tonight. Hermione and I planned it out. I was going to invite him in because ‘I just wasn’t ready yet’. We’d be alone in my house and then I’d tell him. That it didn’t matter to me if he didn’t feel the same way but if I didn’t tell him it was going to ruin me. A little dramatic in the wording I know but a feeling like this requires dramatics. A man like Fred is someone I want to be dramatic with. But no. I couldn’t tell him. Tonight, when I opened the door and looked up at him hair damp from the rain and face red from the cold. He took my hands and said, “It’s so bloody cold out there! Feel how cold I am.” I rubbed his red hands in mine trying to warm them up. We just stood there, door wide open laughing. So how did the night end up like this?

Before we left, I made sure that all the windows and doors were locked, more focused on the notes stuffed in my coat pocket than whatever Fred was talking about.

“And then she kissed me!” Fred exclaimed breathless.

I turned my head not realising how wide my eyes had gotten. For a moment I thought Fred looked guilty.

“Don’t looked so surprised,” he laughed my name throwing a toned arm over my shoulder, “I really didn’t expect it though. I always thought she was into someone else.” He said looking down at me. Before he could continue, I asked if we were ready to go. A lopsided grin took over his pink face, “Yeah I think we are.”

The house party was only a few streets away, but the walk felt wrong. Too much tension for a walk with my Fred. I think he could feel it too.

“Someone said everyone from the old days were going to be there.” Fred said bumping into me.

“Well, you know Lily and James go all out with these things. It’s so great that Harry still gets to do these things at their house.” I replied.

“Could you imagine if I asked mum to do something like this.” Fred barked with laughter.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought.

When we entered the warmth of the house hit us. Filled with happy faces and the golden light I always associated with the Potters. A wave of ‘heys’ hit us as we entered. Lily and James weaved their way through the crowd to greet us. Hugging us and informing us of all the free booze in the kitchen. Sending us off with a wink.

“I love it here.” Fred spoke leaning down so I could hear him over the steady thud of music.

When we reached the kitchen, Fred told me he’s sort out the drinks, so I leant against the kitchen counter listening to a work story he was telling me when Oliver Wood sauntered into the room and placed himself by me. Fred attention followed Oliver all the way to empty space next he now filled.

“Here, I made you your favourite.” Fred said handing me the glass and snaking his arm around my waist tugging me a little closer toward him. “How’s it going Wood?” Fred asked arching his brow.

“Oh, you know, the Rugby’s worked out for me I actually just signed my new contract. I did however just break up with my girl,” Oliver looked at me, “you know we just wanted different things. I wanted to settle down get serious. She didn’t.” He said, thinking a moment before continuing, “So when did you two finally get together?” He asked cocking his brow. Fred’s arm suddenly retracted from my waist and a gap began to form between us.

Fred’s face a violent red, he cleared his throat before he started “No mate, we aren’t together. Just friends. I’m actually sort of dating this other girl. She’s actually coming here tonight.” He chugged the rest of his drink actively avoiding my glare. “I need a refill what about you two?”

Before I could answer Oliver slid closer to me and asked, “So does that mean you’re single?”

My mouth fell open, “Um, uh, yeah. Yes, I am single. Actually, I haven’t been on a date in forever.” I said ignoring the burning feeling in the back of my head. Oliver smiled at me like he’d just gotten good news. I felt Fred about to interrupt when the kitchen door opened.

“Freddie!” A voice rang.

“Oh, hey there.” Fred said preoccupied.

Oliver cleared his throat, “Let’s leave these two alone, I think they’re playing drinking games in the other room.” He took my hand in his rough ones gently guiding me away into the dining room.

I played drinking games with Oliver with a few hours until he got called away for some emergency. That’s how I ended up a little too drunk sat on that sofa rethinking everything.

I was sat there for about an hour. At first, I was joining in with the conversation laughing with the others but then on my way to the toilet I caught a glimpse of Fred and his sort of girlfriend. Her face buried in his neck, him laughing holding her close. I locked myself in the bathroom. My heart beating a little too loud. I slump down onto the toilet seat trying to catch my breath. This is not how my night was supposed to go.

After staying in the bathroom for twenty minutes I returned to my seat hoping that it wasn’t too obvious that I’d been crying. I think they noticed. No one said anything but I could tell. The worried glances exchanged by those sober enough to care.

So here I am. Standing in the middle of the entryway. Red faced and a little too drunk. Why should I feel weird? He’s the one who was being weird! Why should I cry over him?

“Everything alright love?” Lily asked softly. I turn to look at her intending to answer before I can she says. “Go tell him.”

I nod at her. If I were sober, I’d feel ridiculous but right now it almost feels like an under reaction.

I storm back through the house the crowd parting slightly as I do. Pushing my way through the kitchen door I see Fred leant against the kitchen island his head hanging down covering his face with his hands. I stomp my way through and snatch my coat from the space next to Fred which causes him to look up.

He says my name quietly. The fury in my veins almost disperses at once. I don’t let it.

“Fred, I need to tell you something.” My voice is a little shaky. I try to continue but Fred tries to stop me.

The kitchen door slams open and Fred’s sort of girlfriend is stood there with red eyes fuelled with recognisable rage.

“Is this her?” She spits eyeing me like I’m prey. She then mockingly moans my name which completely throws me. Suddenly I’m confused what I’m still doing here with the feeling that I should leave immediately.

“You are pathetic Fred. I cannot believe you. Don’t try to contact me we are done.” She declares with venom before gracefully exiting the room. I almost follow her wanting to ask her what happened. My feet move before my mind does, I’m only stopped by Fred tugging at my arm.

“I don’t think she’s going to want to talk to you.” He says with his head down still.

“Why not?” I ask looking up at him trying to catch his eye.

“You don’t want to know.”

“If I didn’t want to know I wouldn’t have asked Fred.” The anger re-enters my body as I yank my arm out of his grasp.

“Not you too.” He whines.

“Yes, me too. You have ruined my entire night! And apparently, I’m not the only one. Look I came back here to get my coat and tell you how I feel but quite frankly I don’t think that’s a conversation I want to have with you right now. I’m leaving. Goodnight Fred.” I declare following the exit of the girl before me.

On my way out I quickly thank Lily for hosting as I walk away, I hear them laugh and the words “He’s such an idiot.”

I stomped the entire walk home trying to shake the foul mood out of me. As I reached the top of my road, I hear Fred call after me.

“What Fred?” I shout back pulling my keys out of my pocket.

“Please wait! I just need to talk to you.” He yelled after me sprinting the small distance between us.

“Can we do this tomorrow Fred?” I ask opening my front door.

“No, we need to do this now.” He announces.

“Fine, come inside.” I tell him.

Before he begins, he says my name softly, “Earlier when I was telling you about the kiss I had more to say. You cut me off.” He says closing the gap between us. He brushes a piece of hair out of my face, from this small action I feel a warmth grow inside me “What I was going to say was that it didn’t feel right. When I was kissing her all I could think about was you. About your lips. About the way you smell. And the way she wasn’t you. When Oliver showed up, I acted like an idiot. Then she showed up and I hadn’t gotten a chance to tell her how I felt. Then I drank a little too much and said your name when I was kissing her. Look I have loved you before I really knew what it meant. I still don’t really know what it means but I don’t want to lose you over a dumb mistake like the ones I made tonight. I love you.” He says softly with tears forming in his eyes.

“Fred.” I say, “I love you too.” I touch my hand to his face.

“Your hands are so cold.” He laughs.

#fred weasley x reader #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley #fred imagine #fred x reader #harry potter imagine #harry potter reader insert #fred x y/n #fred weasley reader insert #fred weasley x y/n #reader insert #fred weasley fanfiction

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susssoo · 4 years ago

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Midnight trip to McDonald’s

Pairing: Park Jaehyung and Younghyun Kang

Genre: fluff, college au, late night antics

A/N: I really wanted to write something with just Jae and Brian, so here you go. Enjoy ;)

If Younghyun could ask for anything in the world, right now, it’d be a burger. Specifically from McDonald’s.

It’s an odd request, he knows, but it’s 2 in the morning, he has several deadlines he has to meet before Friday, and he’s freaking the fuck out.

And the only thing that could make him feel better is a burger, from McDonald’s specifically.

And he knows only one person who’d be willing to take him.

Park Jaehyung.

He closes his laptop, and places it to the side. He searches for his phone through a mess of papers spread lazily across his desk, after hours of frustration. But when he finally finds it, he sees it’s only at 12 percent and groans inwardly.

He’ll have to charge it later, because right now he only wants one thing and one thing only.

A burger, and to see his boyfriend.

Okay, so maybe two things.

He goes to his contacts, clicking on Jae’s and pressing call.

After it rings a couple times, someone finally picks up.

“Jaeeeeee~” Younghyun says sweetly over the phone.

“BriBri, It’s 2 in the morning, shouldn’t you be sleeping?” He questions.

“I’m hungry, and I can’t finish this stupid fucking project and I need food and to see you right or I might actually break something.”

There’s silence for a moment, before Jae speaks once again.

“McDonald’s?”

“Please.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in five.” He remarked, Younghyun could hear him over the phone shuffling around, probably searching for his keys and a hoodie.

“Thanks Jae, I love you.”

“I love you too, meet me outside the dormitory.”

After that, the call ended, and Younghyun practically beaming.

He quickly stood up from his chair, nearly falling over as his limbs protested him after being seated for nearly 10 hours.

He ignored it, grabbing his keys and a hoodie and making his way to the front of the campus.

Younghyun had been sitting in front of the campus for half an hour and he was beginning to think that Jae had fallen asleep, but not a moment later, a tall, lengthy blonde could be seen sprinting towards him.

Jae immediately engulfed him in a hug, apologizing profusely for being so late.

“I’m so sorry, as I was walking to the front, I saw security so I was basically running around like a fucking mad man trying not to get caught.” He huffed out, wiping the sweat on his forehead away with the back of his free hand, as his other arm was wrapped comfortably around the younger waste.

Younghyun cackled at the elder and his antics.

“Don’t worry about it, at least he didn’t see you, that could’ve been a shit show.”

“You’re telling me, I nearly had a heart attack!” He exclaimed, making gestures with his hand.

The two stood there for a moment, in comfortable silence just enjoying each other’s presence.

“So, McDonald’s?” Jae said, breaking whatever trance the younger had been in.

“Fucking please.”

The pair had decided they were going to walk, since Jae had forgotten the keys to his car (typical Jae, but he loved him regardless of his forgetfulness) and Younghyun didn’t even have one at the moment.

They spent the walk talking about nothing in particular, hands eloped in the others, enjoying the frigid night.

“God, You’re such an emotional drunk. Clingy too.” Jae provoked.

Younghyun scoffed, hitting the older on this chest playfully.

“I am not!”

“Really? I specifically remember after Youngjae’s party, you cried the entire way back to campus, and then when we got to my room, you were upset because we didn’t get McDonald’s and then you started crying again, so I had to turn on animal planet until you eventually knocked out. You almost threw Youngjae’s espresso machine at Wonpil!” Jae retorted, before breaking out into bouts of laughter.

“Okay, but that’s because he called me a bottom! I’m not a fucking bottom!” He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You in bed the other night moaning my name said-“

Younghyun stopped walking, glaring at the older.

Jae threw is arms up, surrendering.

“I mean, no, of course not.”

The younger broke out into toothy grin, and resumed walking once again.

Nearly 20 minutes later, they finally arrived a McDonald’s. It was empty, besides the cashier behind the counter, wearing a bored expression. They entered the building, and walked towards the counter to place their orders.

“Hi, welcome to McDonald’s, what can I get for you today?” The employee forced a smile onto their face, but their weary tone betrayed them.

“Hm, can we get two large cups, with two Big Macs and 10 piece McNuggets, with a side of fries.” Younghyun replied, digging into the pockets of his sweatpants for his wallet.

“Sure, will that be all for you?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Alright, that will be 15,470 won.”

Younghyun handed her his credit card. She took it, swiping through the machine behind the counter and then handing it back to him, with a receipt, and two large cups.

The two walked towards the drink machines, Younghyun filling his cup with a sprite, while Jae got himself an iced tea. They both made their way to a empty table near the back of the restaurant, and sat down across each other.

“Thanks. Honestly, I really needed this.” Younghyun blurted out, looking at the older thankfully.

“You don’t need to thank me Bri, you know I’d do anything for you.” Jae responded, a smile making its way onto his face.

Younghyun grinned, enveloping the others hand into his own.

10 minutes later, their food is finally ready. Jae gets up from the table, going to the counter to grab their food.

Younghyun’s mouth is practically watering, hungry would be an understatement of words, he’s ravenous.

Jae sits back down, placing the tray on the table.

He immediately grabs his burger off the tray, quickly unwrapping it, and taking a bite.

The younger leans back in his seat, letting out an unintentional moan.

“It’s so fucking good.” He says, mouth still full of food.

Jae stares at him for a moment, amused, before beginning to eat his own food.

They eat their meals in silence, because when Younghyun is really invested in something, there is no breaking his concentration, and he’s really invested in this burger, as he’s already finished with half of it.

Jae smiles to himself, Younghyun looks so adorable, even with a face full of food.

30 minutes later, Younghyun has finally finished his meal and is now sitting in the booth, half asleep, hunched over the table.

Jae still has half his fries left, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be able to eat much more as his stomach is practically bulging from his sweatpants.

He looks up at the younger, and sees his current state.

“Yo Bri, you good?” He asks, putting all the trash onto the tray.

“I’m tired, that was really good. It was so good it took all the energy out of me, and now I want to sleep” He murmurs, still hunched over the table.

Jae cackles, before getting up to throw the thrash away.

He walks back over to the table, carding his fingers through Younghyun’s hair.

“Well, we’re about to leave. You want to sleep with me tonight?”

Younghyun only nods, getting up from the booth and lacing his fingers into the elders.

“Okay.”

They leave the restaurant, and begin walking back to the campus in silence. Although he may not say it all the time, but Younghyun truly does adore his boyfriend. And it’s moments like these, that only makes him adore him more.

#day6 jae #day6 #day6 brian #jaehyungparkian #fluff #mcdonalds

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captainamericasbeard · 5 years ago

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Date Night

Pairing: Bucky x Reader Word Count: 2k Warnings: Smut. Definite smut.

A/N: This is for @jupiterbucky ‘s 1k writing challenge. My trope was Neighbors AU. Thank you darlin’ for letting me join in. I hope you like it!

FRIDAY MORNING

Its 745 and you’re in your bathroom, music blaring and you’re bopping around as you do your hair and makeup. You’re not great at it but you still like to sing along to your favorite band at the top of your lungs. Right on time there comes a bang on the wall over your headboard.

“It’s too fucking early, doll!” Came your neighbor’s groggy voice through your bedroom wall. You pause your music and yell back-

“No it’s not! It's almost 8, you’re going to be late.” A muffled curse and the thump of a body hitting the floor comes from the room next door. You giggle at the thought of your neighbor’s body tangled in bedsheets. Then you blush when you remember he sleeps in his boxer briefs and has the best body you’ve ever seen, a fact you wish you’d never learned. You shake your head free of the mental image and turn your music back on.

You rush around your apartment, searching for a missing shoe, grabbing a half buttered piece of toast, and snatching your keys out of the bowl on the kitchen counter. Right around 8 you fling your door open and turn around to lock it behind you just as your neighbor comes out. You both have toast hanging out of your mouths.

“Mornin’ Buck,” you mumble around your toast as you pull your door closed behind you and lock it.

“Mornin’ doll. How’s it going?” Bucky looks great, as always. He’s dressed simply in jeans and a t-shirt but the sight makes your heart stutter. Bucky has been your neighbor for 2 years now and your crush on him hasn’t faded since the day you met him.

“Can’t complain, it's Friday,” you answer, leaning on your door while Bucky fumbles with his keys.

“Yeah it is! Pizza and a movie tonight?” Bucky asks, confirming your standing Friday night plans.

“Can’t. I’ve got a date,” you say with a slight blush.

“Oh yeah?” Bucky raises his eyebrow. Something flashes in his eyes that you can’t quite place.

“Yeah, just some guy from work.” You shrug your shoulders to let him know you aren’t that invested. Bucky smiles at you as he pockets his keys and there’s a swoop in your stomach. You’d much rather be at pizza night. You both head toward the stairs and start walking down.

Bucky starts walking a little faster than you, glancing at you. Pressing down a smile you speed up to match his pace. Before long you’re both racing down the stairs laughing like the pair of fools you are. Bucky jumps the last 3 steps and declares himself the winner before throwing you a wink and striding out the door. You pause for a second to catch your breath. Bucky often leaves you breathless.

FRIDAY NIGHT

It’s 745 and you storm into your apartment, throwing your bag onto the counter. You stomp off toward your bedroom and whip your heels at the wall. You strip off your dress and actually stomp on the floor and scream loudly. You sit down on your bed to have a good cry when there’s 3 knocks on your bedroom wall. You wipe your face and knock back 3 times. It’s your signal saying come on over.

You get up and put on leggings and an oversized t-shirt. Just as you’re finishing up your front door swings open and Bucky comes in brandishing a half eaten box of pizza and a case of beer.

“That bad, huh?” Bucky asks sympathetically.

“What an unbelievable dick,” you spit out in answer.

“What happened?” Bucky questions.

“He just assumed he was going to get laid. Got real handsy and real pissed off when I ended the date. Just another asshole. It’s all I can manage to attract it seems.” Tears begin to swim in your eyes as you anger begins to subside.

“Hey, none of that,” Bucky says as he drops the pizza and beer on the counter and scoops you up into a big hug. You sigh and lean into his chest as he rests his chin on the top of your head. “He’s not worth the tears, Y/N.”

You pull back and let Bucky wipe the tears from your cheeks. He moves his hands to the top of your arms, drawing light patterns with his thumbs. The look in his eyes is unreadable.

“I’m not crying over him, I just- It just sucks you know. Why can’t any decent guy be interested in me? What’s wrong with me?” Bucky’s thumbs stop moving against your skin and you can feel his hands trembling. He looks like he’s holding back a river.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Y/N, you’re perfect.” You dip your head and blush. Bucky puts his hand under your chin and lifts your face towards his. “I mean it.” His thumb brushes against your bottom lip and your heart trembles. His hand cups your face while the other hand drops to your lower back. He draws you in close and dips his head down to yours but at the last second you pull back.

“Don't Bucky. Don't kiss me unless you mean it. I can’t handle that.” Tears fall fresh from your eyes and your heart feels like it could fly apart from what comes next. Bucky stares you down and you hold your breath.

“Y/N I have been in love with you since the day I met you. It breaks my heart to see you dating these assholes when I want to show you how you should be treated. You are the most important person in my life and I’m going to kiss you now.” With that Bucky swoops down and captures your lips. You slide your hands up and tangle them in his long brown hair as his hands come down to grip your hips.

It’s the kind of kiss that steals all your breath. It turns from tender to passionate and you grip into Bucky’s hair, holding on for the ride. He wordlessly asks to deepen the kiss and you open up to him with no reservations. Bucky loves you and you’ll never stop kissing him.

Now you’re up against the counter and Bucky’s fingers graze the skin just under the hem of your shirt. A moan rises up in your throat at the contact and Bucky’s hands set fire to the skin along your stomach. You break away from kissing him for a moment and you look deep in his eyes. He looks back at you, asking permission and you nod. He lifts your shirt over your head. He gazes down on you in adoration and you drop your head in embarrassment.

“Like I said, perfect.” His voice is low and it rumbles through your body. He slides his hands up your sides and grazes his thumbs over your erect nipples. Heat floods your core at the touch and you grab him and kiss him again. He kisses down your neck to your breast where he teasingly takes each nipple between his teeth. You moan louder this time, spurning him on. Something in you snaps and you grab at his shirt, longing to run your hands over his hot skin. You get his shirt off and its your turn to stare. You ghost your fingers over his abs. He reaches down and pulls you into a tender kiss.

“What do you want, Y/N?” His grey blue eyes are hooded, his pupils blown out. The sight of him wanting you makes you wet. You part your legs and pull him into you as your back presses against the counter.

“You, Bucky. I want you and I want you right now.” Bucky lifts you up onto the counter and works your leggings off while you tug his sweat pants down. His cock springs out of his underwear and you gasp as you take in the sight. Bucky runs his hands up your thighs and swirls his thumb into your folds and up to your clit.

“God you’re so wet. I can’t wait to get my cock in there.” His voice is husky and his chest is heaving.

“Then what are you waiting for?” You ask as you kiss along his neck and collarbone. Without another word Bucky slides into you with one long stroke and stretches you perfectly. You gasp and dig into his shoulders as you adjust to his length.

“Oh god,” you moan, “fuck me Bucky. Fuck me and don’t stop.” It's all the prompting he needs as he pulls out and sharply thrusts into you again. You both find your rhythm as you lift your hips to meet each thrust he pounds into you. You get lost in the moment, drowning in sloppy kisses as you walls begin to flutter around him. He adjusts his angle and you gasp as your dripping pussy clenches him even tighter.

“Right there, don’t stop.” You mumble obscenities and his name as he pulls you apart. Your orgasm spills over and you cry out his name. He follows right behind hips stuttering and a low growl rumbling through his chest. You slump onto each other while he stays inside you. Bucky lazily kisses the side of your neck and you can’t help giggle.

“What’re you laughing at, darlin’?” Bucky asks with a smirk.

“I love you too in case you were wondering.” Bucky answers with a rumbling laugh that makes your heart swoop. You want to be the one to make him laugh like that forever. Bucky peppers you with kisses and presses his forehead to yours.

“How about that movie date now?” He asks.

“That sounds excellent,” You reply. Bucky slides out of you and you already miss the feeling of him filling you up. He hitches up his low slung grey sweatpants and you decide he looks perfect just like that. You hop down and grab his shirt to throw on you.

“Um, what am I supposed to wear, doll?” Bucky says with a quirked eyebrow.

“I think you look fine just like that,” you smirk back. With a mischievous look Bucky bends down and grabs your leggings, holding them up over his head.

“Fine, if I don’t get a top, you don’t get bottoms.”

“Fine by me,” You say as you saunter off to the bedroom for a fresh pair of panties, your bare asscheeks peeking out from the end of Bucky’s t-shirt. You hear him groan at the sight.

You come back to the living room and Bucky is sat on the couch browsing through Netflix.

“Well the pizza is cold and the beer is warm so do you wanna-“ He stops mid sentence as he looks over his shoulder at you standing in the middle of the kitchen munching on your favorite snack. You stop chewing as he stares at you.

“What?” You mumble around your food. Your cheeks flush as he continues to look at you with total adoration.

“Its just, I can’t believe you’re actually wearing my clothes. I’ve actually dreamed about this.” You put your snack down on the counter and walk over to the couch. Sitting down next to Bucky you lean over and lay on his chest, tucking your feet under your body. He wraps his arm around you and you drape your arm over his frame.

“And I’ve dreamed about this,” you say as you nuzzle deeper into him.

#clos1kwritingchallenge #marvel #marvel fanfiction #marvel smut #marvel writing challenge #mcuwriting #Bucky Barnes #bucky #james buchanan barnes #james bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes drabble #bucky reader insert

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imagining-supernatural · 7 years ago

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Chapter 1: The Party

Cracks In The Dam Series -- Reader’s POV

She’s a quiet engineering and physics major trying to forget the demons of her past, and he’s the campus playboy trying to turn over a new leaf. Their friendship is unlikely, but just might be forged to withstand the cracks in the dams they’ve built to protect themselves. (BuckyxReader college au)

Word Count: 1875

A/N: I wasn’t going to post this fic for a while, because I’ve been playing around with it for a while and I didn’t want to get locked into a certain storyline, but I just saw Infinity War and I decided I needed a little denial in my life (not a spoiler, but when the credits started rolling, I turned to my friend and whispered, “What the shit?”) So here’s the beginning of a mostly fluffy Bucky fic!

Why do I let him talk me into these things? If I could choose, I’d be spending my Friday night in my room with my music turned loud, hosting my own dance party for one. I definitely wouldn’t choose to be strolling around one of the biggest underground gambling rings in the city, keeping an eye out for some idiot who stole one of Stark’s designs.

Seriously, why do I let him talk me into these things?

Oh, right. Because he pays me the big bucks.

“How much do you think this place costs?” My boss’s voice comes over the comm system he implanted in a diamond barrette fastened in my hair right next to my ear.

“I don’t doubt that you could afford to buy it, but I strongly suggest you find a bit of self-control, Tony. You’re already walking on thin ice with Pepper.”

He just scoffed and I heard him ordering a drink, so I cast my eyes over to the bar and catch sight of him leaning against the glass counter. He flashes a smile at a woman sitting nearby and I can’t hold in my chuckle at how she nearly swoons. Really. The effect Tony Stark has on women baffles me. But, I guess I’m a little biased. After all, the man is like an Uncle to me. He changed my diapers when I was a baby and never lets anyone forget that fact.

“Canary, you spot anyone yet?” He mumbled that into his glass of whiskey so as to not raise suspicion by talking to himself. I turn around and keep up my perusal of the crowd.

Smoke from cigars mixed with the dim lighting makes it difficult to see everyone, but I make do. “I think one of my professors is over there. But other than that, I’m not seeing anyone suspicious.”

I can practically feel Tony rolling his eyes. “He’s not going to look suspicious.”

“I know that Tony. By the way, when my dad told you to keep an eye on me, I don’t think he meant for you to take me to illegal gambling setups and parties with Russian mobsters.”

“Cannie, you knew what you were getting into when you agreed to be my assistant. Besides, how else am I supposed to keep an eye on you?”

“Yeah. An amazing salary and you paying for all of my school. I’m not complaining. Just sayin’.” There was something niggling in the corner of my mind, so I quieted and tried to focus on that. Tony kept babbling through the comm piece, but I tuned him out. It was a necessary skill I’d learned years earlier.

I thought back to the surveillance video he’d shown me of the bump and grab someone had performed on one of his lackeys to steal the new weapon design. Needless to say, the person who lost the design was fired.

“Tony… how sure are you that it was a dude who stole it?”

From the corner of my eye and through the haze of cigar smoke, I saw his eyes slide over to me and his head cock to the side. “Why?”

“There’s a woman over there. The one in the green dress and pearls. Next time she walks around, watch her. She moves like the person did in the video.”

I made my way over to a craps table and pretended to be invested in what was going on. I really hoped that was her. The sooner we got the designs back, the sooner I could get back to my house. It had been a long week with a lot of midterms and homework, and Tony had been especially needy with our big deadline coming up that I needed to help him with, and I just needed two days of pure and utter relaxation.

“You’re right. I’ll get the guys on it. You did good, kid. I’ll meet you out by the car.”

“Oh, thank God,” I breathed, ignoring Tony’s soft laughter. Before heading to the door, I made a stop by the bar and ordered a shot. There was alcohol back at my place, but it wouldn’t hurt to get started on my night right now.

I slowly made my way through the crowd of well-dressed people, sighing heavily with relief once I was out of the sea of diamonds, pearls, and velvet. I may have grown up surrounded by wealth, but I’d learned at a young age that it comes with a high cost. I put up with it for Tony’s sake, but I was anxious to get back to my normal, college life. Or, what I convinced myself was a normal life. Working for Tony Stark, I suppose I would never really know what normal was.

Like a James Bond movie, Tony was leaning against his too-expensive sports car that I honestly didn’t care enough to even know what make it was. He straightened up when I came closer and opened the passenger door for me. I eyed him, crossing my arms over my chest. “You good to drive? You spent a lot of time at the bar tonight.”

He rolled his eyes. “Get in, Cannie. I’m not even close to drunk. You think I’d risk your life like that?”

Point: Tony. Sliding into the sleek leather seat, I waited until Tony was in the driver seat before speaking up again. “Jarvis?”

“Yes, Miss Y/L/N?”

“Add a stop at that liquor store on third, please. Tony owes me a really expensive bottle of good wine for tonight.”

“Will do, Miss Y/L/N. Mr. Stark, take a right at the next intersection.”

“Thank you, Jarvis.”

“Since when do you listen to her orders?” Tony asked, trying to act put-off, but I knew better. He loved me and spoiled me just like a real uncle would.

If Jarvis had a face, he would definitely be smirking. “Since she says please and thank you. Manners are important, Mr. Stark.”

My laughter rang out, nearly covering up the good-natured grumbling that came from the driver’s seat. Out of all of the creations that Tony’s made, Jarvis was my favorite.

After making that stop at the liquor store, Tony made his way to the house he bought for me. Having Tony Stark as a family friend definitely had its perks. No rent, expensive alcohol, free school… what more could a girl ask for?

“Fuck,” I muttered when I noticed all of the cars parked on the street as we got closer. “I forgot Nat and Wanda are throwing a party tonight.”

“It’ll do you good. Get you out of your shell.” The car came to a stop in the middle of the street. Tony twisted in his seat to look at me. “Seriously, have fun tonight, kid. Next week we’ve gotta hit that presentation hard.”

“Oh, is Tony Stark actually going to prepare for something for once in his life?” He just raised an eyebrow at my teasing and I schooled my grin into a serious expression. “Okay. I’ll be on my A-game. We’ll get you back in the good graces of the board.”

I picked up my purse and got out of the car. Before he pulled away, he rolled down the window. “I’m serious, Cannie. Party hard. Make me proud, but don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Right... that’s not a long list.” I had taken one step away when I suddenly twirled around before he could leave. “Wait, Tony!” He watched as I wrestled with the barrette. It took a few seconds, but I finally unclasped it and tugged it free from my hair. Tossing it onto the passenger seat, I leaned down to talk to him. “I only make that mistake once.”

The first time Tony had taken me on a recon mission, as he put it, I’d forgotten to give him back the comm device. The next time I saw him, he gave me all sorts of shit for the things he’d overheard Wanda, Nat, and I talking about.

Even now, he smirked. “I was happy to hear that Wanda finally asked that Sam guy out.”

“Oh, fuck off, Tony.”

At my retreating back, he shouted, “Have fun! Use protection!”

“Drive away, Tony!”

The growl of his engine accelerating gave me all the permission I needed to finally let my smile loose. As odd as he was, I had to admit that my life would be much duller without my boss slash pseudo uncle in it.

But now I had to face a house full of drunk frat boys and sorority girls. Really, all I needed was to make it to my room and change out of this dress. Everyone knew that our bedrooms were off limits during parties, so that was my safe zone. My destination. However, I was dressed like I was going to walk the red carpet, so getting there unnoticed was going to be a struggle.

“Need some help up those stairs, doll?”

Exactly who I wanted to see. With pursed lips, I walked up the stairs to the porch and gave a tight smile to the man sitting on the porch swing with a cigarette hanging from his fingers. “Hi Bucky.”

“Your date didn’t go well? It’s only midnight and you’re already home.” He tsked and shook his head. “Such a shame too. You got all gussied up for him. What a waste.”

“Gussied up? What is this, the 1940s?”

“Obviously not, since your date would have walked you to your door instead of dropping you off in the middle of the street.” He took another drag of his cigarette before standing up and dropping it onto the porch, using his shoe to grind it up. “Where are people’s manners nowadays?”

With my eyes trained purposefully on the destroyed cigarette on my porch, I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Where are people’s manners anymore?”

He laughed and opened the door, using his free arm to motion me in first. “After you, doll. See, I have manners.”

“What a catch,” I respond drily. There are so many people here. How I ended up becoming friends with two of the most social people on campus was a mystery. I was the complete opposite of Wanda and Nat. Somehow, we worked though.

Heat from Bucky’s body right behind me set me on edge. He rested his hand on my waist and leaned forward until his lips were at my ear and he was practically pressed against me. “You’d be damn lucky to catch me, Y/L/N.”

“In your dreams, Barnes.”

That damn carefree smile on that damn gorgeous face with that damn twinkle in his eyes was all that I could take. Of course, just as I was about to come up with a good come back and walk away with the last word, he had to ramp up his charm. His hand stole my fingers as he came around in front of me and brought my knuckles up to brush his lips across the skin in a feathery kiss. “Maybe one day, Y/N. Maybe one day.”

Then he was gone, swallowed up by the crowd of drunken bodies. I huffed and turned towards the stairs, making my way up to my room. What a cocky arrogant bastard.

Chapter 2: History Class

Series Taglist Open. Add Yourself HERE

Bucky Babes: @lavieenlex @hallow-hazel @infinity-dreamchaser @andhiseyesweregreen

#buckyxreader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #marvel oneshot #buckyxreader fluff #tony stark #tonyxplatonic!reader #bucky barnes oneshot #james buchanan barnes #james buchanan barnes x reader

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happy-meo · 7 years ago

Text

Save Me. (Yoongi x Reader) PART 9.

“It swallowed me, this lunatic. Please save me tonight. Within this childish madness, you will save me tonight.” - [“Save Me” - BTS]

Summary: It was an unprecedented love that bloomed within the halls of your high school, until secret words were overheard, and shattered the budding romance. It changed your life forever, leading you down a path you had never thought you would be on– training to become a secret agent. You chose it to escape Yoongi and the results of how things ended between you two, but as fate would have it, that very same choice ended up leading you right back to him. Will you be able to save your clients and solve mysteries together despite your history? Will you be able to save each other? Will you able to save yourself…from yourself?

Yoongi x Reader (ft. Jin & all the other BTS members)

Secret Agent AU

Mystery, Action, Angst, & Fluff (contains some violence, mentions of murder, death, harassment, and bullying)

PARTS: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 (Finale) | Bonus: The Letter

A/N: Wow...I can’t believe this story is ending next part LOL. I was going to dump the entire finale into one massive last part, but I got too antsy and wanted to release what I have now instead of rushing myself to finish everything in one go xD hope you all don’t mind waiting in anxiety one last time (for this series) ~ Enjoy! <3 And thank you so much for the birthday wishes ~ it is my birthday today hehehe

"What’s Forrest Gump’s password?"

"What?"

"1forrest1!" Jin cackled excitedly.

Most of the other students giggled along while others shook their heads, fighting back a smile. Kim Seokjin had always broken the ice with humor, and more or less, it had always worked for him in getting people to begin a friendship.

But that wasn't the case with you.

He first saw you walking with a book attached to your face on the first day of school, freshman year. He had to admit he was curious as to how exactly you were avoiding people so well and concentrating on the words on the page. Coincidentally enough, as he followed you (not because he wanted to), he realized you were heading to the same exact class.

And you irked him.

And Kim Seokjin wasn't one to be irritated easily.

BUT you never reacted to his humor, so he found himself beginning to seek your approval when he'd hit the punch lines to every joke, to every pun. Whenever your face remained emotionless and unfazed, he would find himself annoyed. Kim Seokjin always made people laugh and he wasn't going to ruin his streak so early in his life.

"Hi, I'm Kim Seokjin. You can call me Jin." He finally mustered the courage to introduce himself to you despite your standoffish aura.

Your eyes traveled up to him briefly before returning to your book. "Hi."

He stood there awkwardly with his hand outstretched. "Um and your name?"

"Y/N." You replied curtly, clearly not taking the bait to invest in a conversation.

He pursed his lips. "Hey, you're smart, right?"

You simply raised an eyebrow at him skeptically.

"See if you can answer this."

You closed your book slightly, meaning you were intrigued. He grinned widely, and pulled a chair in front of your desk.

"I travel all over the world, but always stay in my corner. What am I?"

You hummed for a few seconds then replied, "A stamp."

"Crap." he hissed. "You're good. How about... what kind of coat is always wet when you put it on?"

You yawned and opened your book back up, already losing interest. "A coat of paint."

Jin panicked, feeling like he was losing his only chance to gain your approval. "And why did the cow cross the road??"

You exhaled. "To get to the other side."

"No, no, no." Jin wagged his finger confidently.

You gave him a questionable look. "It is."

"No. It's to get to the udder side."

You shook your head, but Jin placed his hand over your book, stopping you from returning your attention there boldly.

"What do you call a cold dog sitting on a bunny?"

You pursed your lips and averted your eyes, in deep thought. "Hmm..."

"Give up?"

"No. Hold on. Let me think."

Jin grinned widely. He had gotten in.

"Um..." You mumbled various answers to yourself, but not satisfied with any of them.

"A chili dog on a bun!!" He bellowed excitedly, not able to bear with waiting any longer.

You looked at him like he had four heads at first, but slowly, as the answer pieced together, your lips curled up and you giggled.

And it was a beautiful sound.

His heartbeat quickened as he gawked at you. Your smile was gorgeous and your shy laughter was like music to his ears. Was it only because he had waited so long to get such a reaction out of you?

As quickly as your smile came, it faded. You hurriedly picked up your book, and covered your face once more, embarrassed.

"Nice to meet you...Jin." You mumbled.

He felt himself grinning from ear to ear, and he determined that he would try to make you laugh at least once every day from now on. Part of him wanted to know what that momentary feeling was, and the other really just enjoyed hearing and seeing you laugh. He felt special, accomplished, since no one else in the class seemed to have done that before.

You were mysterious, and he was intrigued.

And so began your friendship.

"Y/N! Y/N!" Jin was practically glowing the following day.

You appeared surprised that he was speaking to you again, and so candidly at that.

"I have another for you."

"Another?" You questioned.

"Okay, where did the sheep go on vacation?" he asked, slightly breathless. He may have just sprinted into the classroom as soon as he arrived on school grounds to get to you. But you didn't have to know that.

"Um...the farm?"

He clicked his tongue. "So naive, Y/N."

You glared at him a little, and for some reason, even that reaction he found quite adorable. He shook the feeling away to get to the answer.

"The BAAAAAAAAAAHAMAS!" he mimicked a sheep.

Immediately, your hand covered your mouth, trying to suppress your laughter. Jin beamed.

"Was that funny? BAAAAAAAAHAMASS!" he persisted.

You couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"How could someone be so shameless?" You breathed as you wiped your tears, and regained your composure.

"How could someone not have a sense of humor? Come on, Y/N. Laugh longer! Live a little!" he urged.

You furrowed your brows. "You don't know me."

"But I want to." Jin blurted out. Oh? When did his mouth move?

You two stared at each other, in surprise at his confession. He felt his cheeks warm.

"I mean we're friends now! You laughed at my joke, okay? Okay!"

He didn't even wait for your reply before scrambling away. Once back in his seat, he glanced over at you curiously, finding a small smile splayed on your face while reading.

And that's when he knew, he just had to see that every day.

His eyes slowly opened; his mind was hazy, unsure of whether he was dreaming or if he had just traveled back in time to relive the moment when he had fallen in love with you. Obviously back then, he hadn't known, but down the road, he was able to pinpoint that your smile and laughter had stirred something inside of him from the very moment he was graced with it. And to make matters worse, you were witty, beautiful, and bright once you opened up and he got to know you better. It wasn't hard at all to keep slipping further into his emotions for you.

His gaze traveled to a figure sitting by the edge of his bed curiously, praying it was you. But when he recognized the sight of the familiar short black hair, he shifted.

"Well this isn't how I imagined waking up after getting shot..." Jin groaned.

Yoongi smirked as he shut the novel he was reading.

"Believe me, there are ten million other places I'd rather be than here babysitting you." he snorted.

Jin exhaled and attempted to prop himself up weakly. Nonchalantly, Yoongi helped elevate his bed so that he was sitting upright.

"Thanks." Jin sighed, feeling the dull ache in his chest, which he assumed was his healing wound. "So please don't tell me I'm in hell with you right now."

"Ha.Ha." Yoongi rolled his eyes.

"So is Y/N...?" Jin bit his lip nervously.

Yoongi's face softened. "She's fine. The school put her in here too, just to make sure she's well rested and gets the proper check up. I'm only here 'cause she nagged me to keep an eye on you."

"I figured." he shrugged. "She'd probably be here holding my hand if she were allowed out of her room."

Yoongi's eyes snapped towards Jin. "What'd you say?"

"You heard me, Min Yoongi." Jin taunted. "Now take that wig off. Staring at you these past few months in that has been giving me the creeps."

Yoongi's mouth hung open, surprised at Jin's sudden confession. "You knew?"

"Are you kidding me?" Jin shook his head and clutched his chest. "Did you think I'd jump in front of a bullet just for some random student? No offense to my students."

Yoongi chucked his wig off, and ruffled his hair. "Seems like that bullet struck more than part of your chest. Or is your foul mood just for me?"

Jin snorted and rolled his eyes.

Yoongi hesitated, "Did Y/N know...that you knew?"

Jin glanced over at him, "I told her a few days ago when I couldn't handle seeing her being bullied roughly again. But she told me to keep it from you since you already didn't see me in a good light. I told her I reciprocated the emotion."

"Well if you could keep your googly eyes to yourself then--"

"No." Jin firmly responded.

"Excuse me?"

"No." Jin shrugged. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Listen." Yoongi stepped closer threateningly, but Jin didn't flinch.

"No, you listen, Yoongi. I stepped aside gracefully last time, and you fucked things up for her irreparably. There is no way I'm letting you ruin her again."

"What do you mean ruin her again?" Yoongi blinked.

Jin shook his head, "Did you really not know?"

"Know what?" Yoongi breathed.

Jin had a pained expression, "How much bullying Y/N put up with just to be with you?"

Yoongi's eyes widened, "What??"

Jin exhaled and glanced outside his window, his mind traveling back in time to recollect the memories he was both fond and ashamed of.

"Get away from Min Yoongi, bitch."

Jin watched you from a distance, getting cornered by a few female students aggressively. He worried his lip, but he couldn't step out to defend you. He was too angry, too hurt. Like the others, he wanted you to stop seeing Yoongi. He wanted them to scare you away from this nonsense. He wanted you to come back to him.

Every time he tried to take a step forward, towards you, he found that he was unable to move. He knew he had to stop it. He couldn't bear to see you getting hurt, but deep down, he wondered: why? Why had it been Yoongi? For three years, he was the one constantly by your side, constantly trying to make you laugh. No matter how much he did, you had never swayed. And before he was fine, because he still felt special; he had hope. You, who never let anyone too close, had allowed him in, and he had gotten to know you. He felt elated at the thought that he had broken through your walls, and he had no problem waiting years to latch onto your heart. He was determined to continue trying to get you to look his way, to see him as more than your friend. But in one fell swoop, Yoongi had come in, and your ever fortified walls had crashed down.

Why should he save you? Why should he defend you? What good would that do? What would change if he did that? So he would be a good friend?

No more.

Jin clenched his fists.

Why was it Min Yoongi? Was it because he was popular? Because he was handsome? Because he was talented? Because he was sharp-tongued? Because he was rebellious? Everything he was not? The rejection was too painfully clear.

He had ruined his perfect attendance streak, because he couldn't bring himself out of bed after you had confessed your relationship with Yoongi to him. He cried the entire time, and to be honest, the gnawing, stabbing pain in his chest was still consistently nagging at him, because you were everywhere.

And frankly, he had felt so idiotic.

He had noticed. He had had a feeling. He had just chosen to ignore it.

He had always been watching you, while you had your nose stuck in a book, while you were taking notes, while you were chatting with the other students, and eventually, while you began stealing glances at Yoongi. He noticed everything. The way your cheeks became tinted pink when Yoongi would greet you; the odd times when you would disappear and he would too.

But he couldn't...he didn't want to believe it.

Even when he had seen you two eating together in the courtyard, he willed himself to believe that it was a coincidence; that you two were talking about classes and nothing more. It wasn't because Yoongi was interested. And you weren't conversing with him, instead of brushing him off for a book, because you were interested as well. There were an infinite amount of reasons other you two having a budding romance right under his nose.

He continually denied the possibility, even when he spotted Yoongi waiting for you after Student Council Meetings, and coincidentally, when you two walked the same direction home. It wouldn't. You wouldn't. Yoongi wouldn't. It just couldn't happen.

But when it did, the unfairness of it all was unbearable. What had he spent years pining after you for? He wanted those years backs. He wanted the giddiness he felt, the nervousness, the anxiousness, the happiness, the sadness, everything related to you. He wished he had never felt them. He wished he had never met you. He wished you had never let him in. He wished that he hadn't fallen in love with you. He wished he had known that he didn't have years to woo you. He wished that he had known everything would end before they even began.

So he stood frozen every single time, watching over you, and running to call a nurse or a teacher, but never stepping forward to protect you himself. It ate him up every day.

But then he remembered that the mere fact you were persisting and tolerating the abuse meant you were serious about Yoongi, and his anger immediately returned. Why wasn't Yoongi doing anything? Where was he to protect you? Why had you chosen someone who couldn't even do that much?

Eventually, he knew he had to stop. He was travelling to a dark place, and everyone grew concerned for him, as he had lost weight, and his usual cheerful persona had disappeared. He felt heavier too, burdened. These emotions were draining.

So he decided to confirm Yoongi's true feelings for you and give himself closure once and for all. As irritated as he was about the entire situation, he eventually came to terms that Yoongi seemed to be just as serious about you to have come forward and announced that you were his girlfriend, despite it being detrimental to his "status". And it provided him some (very minimal) relief that it was highly likely that Yoongi truly loved you and would make you as happy as he had wanted to do himself for years now. If you were loved and happy, that was going to be enough for him.

But he had to hear it from Yoongi himself, so he could finally let go of you. So he could finally be free. So he could gracefully bow out and let someone love you like you deserved, by someone you had chosen to love back.

"So I know it's been a few months, but like...what's up with dating Y/N? Are you serious about her?" Jin's voice echoed in the classroom.

He had stayed behind to chat with Yoongi and the other male students after school. He couldn't prolong his suffering any longer.

"Yeah, man. Like come on, you have so many hott girls lined up and throwing themselves at you." his teammates nudged him. "But Y/N? What? Is she good in bed or something?"

"Hey." Jin scolded. "Let's not go there."

"Oh Jin, you're so old fashioned." the boys chuckled. "So what is it Yoongi? You can't be serious about her, right? She's just temporary? I mean, next year we'll be seniors and you KNOW there's a bunch of hotties coming up from middle school. And if you're basketball captain-- WOW- you'll have your pickings."

Yoongi laughed and nodded, "Yeah, you know. She's just super nice and friendly you know? I'd catch her staring at me from afar. Whenever I needed something, she'd give it to me right away. I didn't have the heart to turn her down when she asked me out. And you know, I didn't really have any interest in anyone so I figured why not? I mean, let's give everyone hope right?"

The guys cackled and hi-fived each other, but Jin felt his blood boil. His fists curled up, wanting to instinctively slam itself across Yoongi's face. But he knew he couldn't do that, so he stood up and began walking away.

"Poor girl. She thinks you're dating her for real, but it was out of sympathy. I bet she waits for you thinking you have basketball practice, but you're actually out with us and the older brothers hitting up clubs to meet college basketball coaches." they snorted.

Jin paused. He just couldn't believe it. So one last time, he gave Yoongi a chance to respond honestly.

"Are you serious, Yoongi?" he breathed. "This is what it was this whole time?"

Everyone stared at Yoongi intently. He glanced around in silence.

"Yeah, of course that was it the whole time. Why would it have been anything else? You can't seriously think I'd be steady with someone like her?"

"You son of a--" Jin hissed, getting ready to lunge forward.

"Well then." All of a sudden, your voice was heard, and you stepped into the classroom, hands curled up in a ball.

"Y/N." Yoongi scrambled out of his chair, stunned.

"Thank you for your precious time, Min Yoongi." You took off his varsity jacket. "But I won't be needing your sympathy anymore. Let's break up."

You threw his jacket on the ground and sprinted away from the classroom.

Jin stood in the middle of the classroom, stunned. Had he just caused your break up? And why didn't he feel as enthusiastic about it as he thought we would?

And if he had felt pathetic before when you two were together, he felt like garbage this time around once word got out that you two had broken up. He knew the truth behind the outrageous rumors, but his mouth would dry up every time he tried to speak up. It wasn't your fault. It was Yoongi's. His mind yelled, but he couldn't say anything. As much as he despised himself for it, he was terrified of getting involved in the cruel beatings and the slander you were receiving. And so, he turned his back on you. He turned a blind eye to the events that he was witnessing.

You had broken your friendship. You should reach out to him if you wanted help. It was all your fault. You had brought this situation upon yourself.

He had wrapped up his shameful actions with these loose lies to quell his guilt.

And then one day, you disappeared without a word.

His world shattered with realization at your absence: he was a despicable person. How could he have claimed to love you if he consciously refused to be there when you needed him most? How could he think he deserved your love if he couldn't even protect you from getting hurt? How could he think he was the better option when he just stood around and watched you suffer?

"She tolerated bullying while she was with you, and even after she broke up with you." Jin looked up at the ceiling, trying to hold back his tears at remembering his stupidity. "I found out later from the homeroom teacher that the bullying eventually followed Y/N home, and that they were forced to move for their safety. No one in the school knew where she moved to, in order to ensure that she was protected. I couldn't even find her even if I wanted. I couldn't even apologize. How could I have? What words could I even have said back then to make up for how horribly I acted?"

Jin sniffled, "Imagine having to uproot your entire life? Imagine having to go to school terrified everyday because you knew what was waiting for you? Imagine having to still go to class? Taking tests? Then to have them follow you home?"

Yoongi felt like he hadn't taken a breath all throughout Jin's recollection. Had you really gone through this in high school? Had you really kept this from him this whole time?

"I was a coward. I couldn't help her, but it seems that now fate wants me to finally put my words and wishes into action. She came back to my life." Jin smiled sadly. "That's why I became a teacher, you see. I wanted the power to stop events like that from happening. I wanted the students to not feel alone, that they couldn't confide in someone when they were having a hard time. Every time I step into these classrooms, every time I teach, every time I help a student, Y/N has always been with me."

"You loved her..." was all Yoongi could whisper, too overwhelmed by the realization of what you had gone through, while he was too proud, too arrogant, too furious to reach out and apologize for what he had said.

"I still do." Jin chuckled as he finally looked at Yoongi straightly. "She shaped me into who I am now, and is shaping me to become someone better even still. I'm not going to lose her again."

Yoongi sat down, his legs wobbling. How in the fuck did you give him a second chance? Now, he understood your apparent disdain towards him when you two reconnected. Why hadn't you yelled at him? Why hadn't you said something? He felt like a complete fool being kept in the dark.

Jin exhaled, seeing Yoongi's genuine reaction. "You really didn't know, did you?"

Yoongi combed his fingers through his hair, exasperated. "No...I had...I had no idea."

He swallowed down his surfacing emotions as he recalled a conversation he had with Jimin about the root of your anxiety attacks.

"Anxiety attacks?"

"Yeah, like she gets shortness of breath and dazed, sometimes covering her ears or running away cause she feels suffocated?" Jimin described.

Yoongi nodded. "So...this isn't new?"

Jimin shook his head. "She's had it ever since me and Tae first met her. She won't tell us exactly what happened, but she said it started at her old high school. When I asked around, they said she got bullied a lot to the point that it got life threatening and so her family had to move and she had to transfer."

"What...??" Yoongi stared at him in disbelief.

"I figured you'd have more information...since you went to high school with her..." Jimin sighed. "But I guess you don't."

"No...I had no idea that's why she transferred." Yoongi whispered.

"It's okay. She never said anything about it, so I still don't know if it's true or not. But she had really bad attacks in social situations when she first came to our school. Me and Tae had a heart attack every time because it seemed like we needed to take her to the hospital, but sooner or later, we found ways to help her. As we became closer friends, she stopped having the attacks altogether."

It was him.

He had been the cause of your transfer. He was the root of your anxiety attacks. He had uprooted your family. He had ruined your life. How was he to face you again?

"Feeling guilty?" Jin smiled, satisfied. "Good."

Yoongi chuckled, relieved that someone was being cruel to him like he deserved.

"You know, I feel refreshed after getting shot." Jin fiddled with his blankets.

"Maybe we should get your head checked too." Yoongi snorted.

Jin laughed, "I don't know. I just kind of feel like I took the first step to redeeming myself with Y/N. And I feel proud and accomplished that finally...finally I was able to protect her without being a coward, without fearing the consequences. It's like 'hey, Kim Seokjin, you finally grew up!'"

Yoongi's lips curled up, understanding what he meant.

"What're you going to do now?" Jin questioned.

Yoongi glanced over at him, "I'm not sure to be honest."

"Well, going to check on her might be a good start. And lay me back down. I can finally catch up on sleep and not have to grade papers when I wake up, so I'm going to milk this." Jin joked lightly.

Yoongi always did appreciate Jin's positive outlook, although he would never say it out loud. He obliged and reclined the bed once again as Jin settled into his pillows.

"And what are you going to do?" Yoongi asked.

"Do my best, of course." Jin grinned. "I'm a lot more popular and handsome than you now. Watch out."

Yoongi shook his head, "I don't deserve her."

Jin studied Yoongi intently. "She can decide that for herself, don't you think?"

Yoongi raised an eyebrow curiously.

Jin shut his eyes and exhaled, "One thing I learned in retrospect is that we spent a lot of time in high school worrying and assuming that we knew what was best for other people without confiding in them. Yes, that person may have needed protecting, but did they want it in the first place? And even more so, did they want protection in the way that you thought was best to give it?"

"So...."

"So just go to her Yoongi." Jin stated. "I know I'm handsome, but you can't just stay here and stare at my face all day."

Yoongi scoffed.

"And this'll be the last time I let you get a head start. Once I'm out of here, I'm telling you honestly now that I'm going to do everything I can to be with her. I'll be chosen this time." Jin declared.

Yoongi nodded curtly before stepping out of the room.

Nervously, he trudged down the hall to your hospital room. Jungkook and Hoseok were guarding your door, and he gestured for them to go to Jin's instead. The two complied without complaints. And of course, Hoseok didn't waste time giving him a gleefully suggestive face before departing.

His hand shook as he reached to pull the door open. His footsteps felt heavy as he entered, but at the sight of you, all his nerves melted away.

You were watching the sunset from your window with a content smile on your face. The novel in your hand long since neglected it seemed, because a deep crease had formed under the weight of your fingers that were trying to keep the page. Your eyes glistened with wonder and appreciation at the beautiful sight, and he was mesmerized.

Just like when he first saw you freshman year.

He was a fairly quiet person, but due to his talents in basketball, he was inducted into the popular clique. He never really minded. He had a group of friends that were okay with him being quiet 'cause they talked consistently. Besides, he had his childhood best friend Hoseok, so why bother making new friends? Why bother having them get to know him when they were okay with who they thought he was?

It was lunch time, and he was in search of a place to sleep, wanting to get away from the loud voices of the lunch room for a little while. He found himself wandering the school grounds, with his headphones in, at peace. His feet halted as he spotted someone else walking around, and he prayed it wasn't a teacher. He wasn't allowed to have headphones on while school was in session. However, he spotted the uniform and realized it was another student. He recognized you as the bookworm in his class.

What were you doing out in the courtyard?

He was curious so he followed you, wondering why your footsteps were hesitant and cautious. When he turned the corner, he found you feeding birds with a sweet smile on your face.

"What a weirdo." he snorted, and left.

But as the days went on, he began noticing you and your peculiar behaviors more and more. Yes, you walked around with a book almost everywhere, but it never stopped you from keeping the doors open for people, despite not getting a thank you in return. He noticed how you would let those with special needs, stand in front of you in the lunch line so you could help them get their lunch trays. And because you were behind them, they didn't have to be rushed in making their choices by the others. Once they all had their meals, you disappeared. He later realized you didn't even eat lunch in the cafeteria, meaning you solely went there to help them. He found it odd, that you who remained distant, still cared about people so deeply.

And then one day, you helped him.

It was pouring rain that day, and he was walking home from basketball practice. His jacket over his head no longer providing proper coverage as it was soaked thoroughly.

"Shit." he hissed as he ran to the nearest park to hide in the playground until the downpour died down. "This sucks."

He felt movement behind him, and he hurriedly spun around.

It was you, reading a book with an umbrella overhead while teetering back and forth on the swing.

"What the fuck?" he chuckled. "In the middle of the rain too??"

Your eyes glanced up in his direction, and he gasped, retreating instinctively into the tunnel. He mentally cursed at himself. Why had he done that?

Suddenly, your hand appeared and slipped an umbrella to him. He blinked.

"Don't you need it?" he questioned.

"I have a spare." you mumbled.

Before he could stop himself, he asked, "Why are you out here?"

You crouched down and looked at him curiously. "I'm waiting for the sunset."

His face contorted into one of confusion and disbelief. Were you for real?

"Um if you haven't noticed...it's raining?"

Your lips simply curled up and you returned to the swing shortly.

Yoongi grabbed the umbrella and hummed in contemplation. With a sigh, he stepped out, and plopped himself beside you, into the adjacent swing. He panicked internally, trying to think of an excuse to use when you asked him what he was doing, but you never questioned him.

He relaxed as he watched the rain fall, and focused on the pitter patter of the raindrops falling onto the surface of his umbrella. His lips curled up. This was more relaxing than staying at home. And without realizing it, he had dozed off in the midst of his relaxation. He later woke with a start, and surprisingly found you standing beside him, holding up an umbrella over both of you. The one he had been using had long since been discarded on the ground in his slumber. He blushed, embarrassed. But when he looked up at you, he felt himself inhale sharply.

Your eyes were bright and in awe, and an excited, content expression was splayed on your face.

He realized that it was no longer raining, and orange, red, purple, and blue hues were peeking out through the clouds, as they slowly began dispersing. His mouth was agape at the beauty of the sunset after the rain. The playground was located right in front of a lake, so the picturesque vision was beautifully reflected onto the surface of the water.

All these years, he had lived and grew up in this area, on this playground, but not once had he seen this sight. He glanced back up at you, still mesmerized. He wondered if this was your first time seeing it too? Or was it something you had always waited to see?

He remained silent, not wanting to ruin the look of pure joy that was so rare to see from you. He smiled timidly as he studied your face, and began to recollect the kind actions he had continuously seen you do. He hated to admit it, but you consistently intrigued him. His eyes always wandered to you during class, and at times, he caught himself wondering what weird thing you'd be doing next. He often looked forward to the day, even though he despised having to get up early, simply because he found excitement in watching your strange yet meaningful actions from afar. Now you were so close to him, still ever so peculiar...but he realized that what he had been pushing off as mere entertainment from his routine days had somehow turned into something unexpected.

And it hit him.

You had completely captured him without warning, and without notice.

And for once in his life, he really didn't mind this unexpected turn of events.

Staring at your silhouette now in the present, his body moved forward, magnetized to you, until his arms embraced you warmly from behind. He felt you tense in surprise, but he simply buried his head into the crook of your neck.

He was so stupid. He had hurt you so terribly. He knew he shouldn't hope. He knew he shouldn't even try. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't resist it.

"Yoongi? You okay? Is Jin --"

"Don't talk about other guys right now." he cut you off as he tightened his hold around your body. "He's fine."

"What're you--"

"Just." he exhaled. "Let me stay like this for a bit. I feel like I'm going to go crazy."

He felt you relax, permitting him to stay in your proximity. His heart panged with something akin to suffocation, mixed with the tingling of butterflies. Yet, his entire body was electrified by being able to hold you so close like this once again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" You held onto his hand warmly.

Yoongi shook his head, yet the depth of his feelings was dangling at the tip of his tongue.

I love you.

I'm so sorry.

Which did you want to hear from him? Which was he allowed to say to you?

"Min Yoongi. You left your career blank again." His Senior year homeroom teacher sighed. "Don't you want to go to a university for basketball? Or architecture? Music? You used to have a hard time writing down just one in your past years, and now you have none? What's going on?"

Yoongi exhaled. "I don't know. I just don't really wanna do them. I've done basketball my whole life. Architecture is...eh. Music, I'll always have."

"I can't help you if you don't have any sort of idea on where you want to go from here. Where do you see yourself in a few years?"

"To be honest, Teach." Yoongi ruffled his hair. "I don't even know who I am right now. So how is it that I'll be able to know where I'm going?"

His teacher sighed. "Let me get someone who can help you better. Hold on."

Yoongi merely stared out the window, lifelessly. This past year, he had lived as an empty shell. But no one else thought he had acted differently, save Hoseok, who didn't even go to his school. So had he always been empty until you came into his life? Everything felt meaningless, and he knew his parents and Hoseok grew more worried with each passing day. But he, himself, had no idea why he was being like this.

A light knock was heard at the office door.

"Yep." he called.

His Junior year homeroom teacher stepped inside. Yoongi stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Hi, Yoongi." she smiled.

"Hello."

"So it seems you're having some trouble thinking about your future, huh?"

"I just can't seem to get myself together, or find myself."

"Hmm..." she sat down. "Or is it because instead of trying to find yourself, you're trying to find someone else?"

Yoongi blinked. "What?"

"You lost something when someone left." Her lips curled up knowingly. "So you're trying to look for that someone, in hopes of getting it back."

Yoongi nodded, realizing that she was spot on with her explanation. He couldn't ever put into words what it was that he was doing. But now, he felt a little less burdened at the realization.

"So...do you want to do something where you can be anybody and everybody?" she suggested.

"What? There's a job like that?" Yoongi's interest was piqued.

"And ~ it'll help you find what you're looking for."

He squinted, "The person or myself?"

She grinned, "Whoever it is you're looking for. But if I may suggest, you may want to find yourself first before you face that someone else."

Yoongi tilted his head questioningly and she tapped on his forehead. "Don't blame others for your mistakes, and don't believe that other people are your solution. You are in charge of your mistakes, and you are responsible to find a way to fix yourself. No one else."

Yoongi chuckled, "So? What's this exciting job option that lets me find people and myself while being anybody and everybody?"

"Hm, you're physically fit, with a good brain to boot. Always loved a challenge." she murmured to herself. "I think you can fit right in."

"Right in where?"

"Yoongi." His Junior year homeroom teacher smiled as she leaned in close. "Would you like to be trained to become a secret agent?"

"A what??" Hoseok blinked when Yoongi recounted his career talk.

"A secret agent." Yoongi shrugged. "It actually sounds pretty awesome."

"And dangerous." Hoseok shook his head. "Are you sure this isn't a scam?"

"She gave me a pamphlet and everything. They have a top-secret website too and she gave me a virtual tour."

"I don't know..." Hoseok worried his lip. "Sounds a bit sketchy."

"Come with me." Yoongi urged. "You don't know what you want to do with your future either."

Hoseok glared at him, "I said I was going to be a tennis player!"

Yoongi rolled his eyes. "We both know you don't want to do that for the rest of your life. You want to help people. So what better way than to be kick ass?"

Hoseok exhaled, knowing he was going to give in as always to his best friend's shenanigans. "Okay, but let's have a real in-person tour of the school. We need to know if it's legitimate."

"Well that's the thing..."

"What?"

"If we tour the school, and we reject the offer...we have to have our memories erased of the entire experience..." Yoongi scratched his head sheepishly.

"What. the. fuck." Hoseok breathed.

"You found her." Hoseok whispered as you stepped onto the stage during the graduation ceremony.

Yoongi was too stunned to respond back. Was it really you? Standing there, smiling brightly, confidently?

They repeated your name once again and it confirmed that without a doubt, it was you. He would be lying if he didn't pray, chant mantras, and will your chosen partner to be him. He wanted to talk to you. He wanted to see you up close again. His heart raced, but the hurt he felt all those years ago were brought back with your presence as well. He had so many things to ask. He had so much pent up frustrations to take out on you. But he also had so many things he wanted to share, so many things he wanted to fix. His emotions were a mess, but he settled on reacting naturally and seeing how you would respond to him, then go forward from there.

When his name was called up as your compatible partner, he saw your eyes widen in pure shock. Yoongi grinned, in high hopes, at the obvious fact that you still remembered him and that he seemed to still affect you in some way. He made his way towards you, eyes never leaving yours until he positioned himself beside you.

As was custom when receiving your life long agent partner, you both turned to face each other and bowed deeply. Then you extended your hand boldly, and his slotted into yours gently, as it once had many years ago. He smiled warmly and squeezed your hand, trying his best to cover up his nervousness about the future, and how you would react to him in return.

"Long time no see, Y/N."

And when he was met with hostility and disdain on your end, he went on the defensive and put up a wall as well as you two were forced into a room alone together after years of being apart. After all the initial banter and verbal attacks dissipated, he spared a glance in your direction to observe that you were every bit as beautiful as before, if not more. You were now donned with an air of confidence that only added to your attractiveness.

He was both irritated and enthralled by your return into his life. But it seemed that you felt more negatively than he did, as your animosity was quite apparent whenever he entered the room.

And well, the rest was history.

He hadn't expected to fall for you again, but as Hoseok frequently insisted, he probably never really fell out of love with you; he was just too stubborn to admit it. Stubborn with a large mix of fear, terrified that the downhill collision of events of the past would repeat itself again.

Neither of you had known the truth behind your break up, and both of you had given up without knowing. Neither of you had fought for your relationship.

And that hurt the most.

But now that he knew your side-- how much you did for him, what you had to experience---he felt ashamed. What would you do or say if you knew his truth? Would that even change anything? I mean how exactly could he make up for everything he had put you through?

"I'm glad you came back." He settled on whispering against your skin as he continued to embrace you, reveling in the warmth and comfort of your touch on his hand.

You tilted your head back, leaning into him. "I'm glad you found me."

Yoongi's lips curled up sadly, "Always."

But was he allowed to keep you?

"Y/N!" Jin smiled as you stood in front of him with your arms crossed, angrily, a few days later. "Hello."

"Hello? Really? You couldn't have pushed us both out of the way? You had to run IN FRONT of the bullet?" You scolded.

Jin smiled sheepishly. You whipped around to Yoongi who was reading behind you, a satisfied smirk on his face at Jin being yelled at.

"And you! How could you tell a normal person to go ahead?!"

Yoongi pouted.

"I'm not a normal person, Y/N. I'm unique." Jin grinned, tossing his hair back playfully.

You glared at him, and he retreated back into his bed obediently. Exhaling, you sat beside Jin, taking his hand warmly, much to his pleasure and Yoongi's displeasure.

"I'm grateful, Jin. Truly. But please don't throw your life away like that so carelessly. I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if you didn't make it."

Jin reached out and stroked your hair gently. "Don't worry. I've been working out. The bullet basically bounced off my pecs."

You pursed your lips, irritated, and poked his wound, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Yeah? That's the bullet bouncing off of you?"

His eyes watered as he clutched the spot. "Y/N. Owwww, why?"

"I'm serious, Jin." You stared at him intently. "Don't do that again."

Jin nodded, relaxing. "I won't, I won't. Always so serious, Y/N."

"You two." You shook your head, exasperated.

"I mean, you could thank us." Yoongi rolled his eyes and shut his book.

"Hey, Y/N." Jin poked your cheek, earning back your attention before you could argue with Yoongi. "What do you call an elephant in a phone booth?"

You hummed, "A telephant?"

Jin grinned, "Stuck."

You snorted and tried hard to stifle down your smile, "Oh my gosh. That was a bad one."

Jin watched you lovingly as your lips curled, and your body became less tense.

"But thank you, Jin." You grinned widely. "Stay here and heal, okay?"

"What will you two do?" Jin glanced between the you and Yoongi curiously.

You stood up and stretched. "Stop this madness, of course."

Jin chuckled, "I'll be waiting then."

"We'll be back." You ruffled his hair. "Mr. Kim."

Jin grabbed your arm, suddenly pulling you down and planting a kiss on your cheek sweetly. Yoongi scowled, while you turned red in surprise.

"For good luck." Jin grinned widely, shooting a victorious, smug glance towards Yoongi's direction. "Stay safe, Y/N, and kick ass."

You laughed, gently feeling the side of your cheek he had kissed.

Before stepping out of the room, you paused at the door and asked. "What is easy to get into, but hard to get out of?"

"Swimming trunks before and after they're wet?" Jin answered curiously.

You giggled, "No...trouble."

With that, you disappeared, leaving Jin grinning from ear to ear giddily. He sunk back into his pillows with an elated sigh. "And I'm truly in trouble."

When you and Yoongi returned to your dormitory, neither of you were surprised to find that it was occupied by your team.

"Who's guarding Jin?" You questioned.

"I requested assistance from the agency. They're sending people from the Protector sect to do so. He's in good hands." Namjoon responded.

"So...what's the plan?" You plopped onto your couch.

Namjoon glanced at Yoongi then back to you. "One of you might not quite like the idea."

You sat up, intrigued. "What is it?"

"Y/N. You're officially a target now. And luckily, no one knows 'Yoonji' and anyone else was involved in your escape."

"Then what do they think happened to Jin?"

"He was at the wrong place, at the wrong time." Jimin stated. "We already debriefed him on the situation."

"So, it looks like I escaped on my own, and in the fight, Jin got innocently caught in the crossfire?" You clarified.

"Yes." Namjoon nodded.

"So...am I being used as bait?" You questioned.

Namjoon and Hoseok glanced over at Yoongi, who was sitting calmly before answering. "...yes."

Yoongi stood up. "I refuse."

"I'm fine with it." You grabbed his hand, reassuringly. "It's the most logical course of action."

"You were JUST captured, and we JUST saved you. You want to put yourself there again?" he looked pained at the thought.

"Yoongi." You gazed at him seriously. "If it's not me, it's going to be someone else who's less equipped to stay alive. It has to be me."

He glanced away from you and the others.

"Saving people is our job. Let me do it." You squeezed his hand.

"Like any of you would listen to me." he grumbled, and you smiled weakly.

"We need you on board, Yoongi. We won't be able to pull this off without you." Namjoon pleaded.

Yoongi looked at Jimin, Tae, Hoseok, and Jungkook who were waiting for his approval, with worry and anticipation. Then he glanced at you beside him, and you nodded, knowing he was going to go with the plan in the end anyway.

"We need you at the front lines." You insisted.

He exhaled, "Alright, fine."

Everyone cheered excitedly.

Jimin and Tae placed a hand on his shoulder. "None of us want to lose Y/N as much as you do. We're all going to take every precaution to make sure we have the upper hand in her capture."

"And it's me." You giggled. "I won't let someone do me in easily. Did you not see how many of their henchmen I knocked out in my escape? Let's trust in our teamwork."

"I trust you guys." Yoongi claimed firmly. "So let's get these bastards behind bars already."

Everyone grinned widely with a new wave of determination hanging in the air.

"Alright, for the time being, I'm sure they're regrouping to plan as well. Just like Y/N drew them in in their own game by acting like she betrayed Yoonji, and cheated on Jungkook, we have to set up the cards on our turf. When they capture her, it'll be in our setting, on our time."

"And how do you propose that?" You asked.

Namjoon laughed, "Not sure yet. I'm thinking for the time being, act guiltless. Like you weren't sure what happened, but you weren't scared and you weren't feeling remorse. You have to keep their eyes on you, so they don't switch targets."

"So essentially piss them off by acting non-chalant." You smirked.

"Exactly."

"I can do that." You grinned.

"Also, I've been reading the novel." Yoongi commented off-handedly.

"Oh~" Everyone teased him, earning a glare.

"Shut up." he hissed. "But anyway, we've been looking at the people who are still alive... but what if, like in the book, one of the culprits faked their own death in order to be able to move under the radar better?"

Tae hummed, "But Namjoon and I placed them all in the morgue after investigation..."

"But when was the last time you checked if the bodies were still all there?" Jimin's eyes widened.

Tae's mouth slackened in realization. "I-it's possible..."

Namjoon nodded. "We'll look into it. We would've heard if there was unusual activity there...but I guess we can never be too sure who's on our side."

"Ohh ~ look at how smart you are when you read." You nudged Yoongi.

He rolled his eyes. "I also figured out something else."

"What?" You blinked.

"The numbers." he lifted your book up, and showed off the back of your book. "One of the clusters corresponds to the ISBN# coding the book you've had this entire time."

You gasped as you realized the message VP had written: "Think simply, but look deeply."

"Oh my goodness...."

"You've been looking at the inside the whole time, when it was just on the outside." he glanced at you amused as he handed your book back to you. "There must be something in your book, and I presume another."

"You're a genius." You breathed as you traced the numbers on top of the barcode.

"I know." Yoongi smirked.

"We also found a few things, as per your request Y/N." Namjoon gestured to Jungkook, who handed him his laptop. "We compiled the CCTV footage of the victims prior to their disappearance, with focus on where their bodies were found."

"And?" You glanced at him expectantly.

"You were right." Namjoon smiled. "They each committed a sin there."

"For real?" You breathed.

Namjoon turned his screen around to play back the footage. "Victim #1 - Queen Bee, right before her disappearance, led a public display of bullying right in the middle of the hallway, trampling and stomping one of the students enough to need to be taken to the hospital. It was in the same exact spot her body was found in later. Victim #2 - VP, found gossiping about something in the Gym Locker Room, where she was found later on. This one was a bit odd, considering the severity was rather...less intense. But Victim #3 - Nurse, the footage for this was difficult to find considering the courtyard has very few cameras, but with some tampering of reflections where there were cameras, we were able to discover that the Nurse was in fact having a multiple affairs with various different people. Eerily, the murderer killed her and seemingly also had sex with her corpse...maybe to prove a point...as to why she was a victim. We're not sure."

Everyone shivered at the thought.

"Victim #4 - that male student consistently was found sexually harassing and even going so far as to rape other students by the dumpster where his body was found. The girls were silenced with money, and because his family had the ability to ruin theirs if they ever talked...so for awhile he was able to get away with these things."

"Why is it now...that I don't feel so bad about them being killed off?" Tae exhaled.

Namjoon patted his shoulder, understandably.

"Victim #5 - Baseball Player was found harassing, bullying, and stealing other students' homework assignments at the secluded staircase he was found in. Victim #6 - Braids...well we know what she did. We surmise that our ability to turn their plan awry caused her finding to be an impromptu change. But going along with the pattern, her body was mangled similarly to the tearing of Y/N's dress." Namjoon exhaled, "Now for the next two victims...these sins are more deeply rooted. We had to do a lot of digging for this, but when we discovered the connections..."

Jungkook hugged his body and shivered.

"The Science Teacher, as Jimin had debriefed you on, was part of a team that used to do human experimentation. When we looked into his past further, we found that the daughter he had lost was sick. We tracked his behaviors from work to home to find a connection, and we did. He was bringing a lot of his equipment and sneaking some serums home, which leads us to believe that his sin was human experimentation on his own daughter. He might've been trying to find a way to cure her or slow the process of her sickness in desperation, but in the end, he may have possibly sped up or even caused her death."

"So how exactly did he die?" You questioned.

Jimin stepped forward, "When you had him brought to me, I took blood samples right away and had it examined. We found a high degree of slow enacting poison in his blood stream."

"He was being poisoned..." You breathed.

Jimin nodded. "We think someone probably was giving him sleeping pills laced with traces of poison. It's slow so the effects aren't noticeable outwardly until much later, but inside, his body was deteriorating little by little every day, until it completely stops working all together in his sleep 'all of a sudden'."

"Making it seem like a suicide by overdose." Yoongi commented.

"Wow." You exhaled. "They really thought this through."

Jimin frowned, "Yes, quite intricately."

"Needless to say, finding evidence for the Gym Teacher, is still in the works. All we found is that he did chase after his wife when she left home that night. So unless she was driving above the speed limit or was purposely trying to lose him, his car shouldn't have been too far behind hers to not witness the accident." Namjoon continued. "But during recorded interviews, he was saying he didn't know she had died until he got a call from the hospital, that he was at home waiting for her the whole time. Obviously, there was no evidence to indict him. No one knows if he himself was the one that ran her over or if he witnessed it, but walked away, letting her die. Either way, he was involved, but was able to get away with it guiltlessly."

"Also, we had hoped to find more intel on Prez, but we still come up with nothing." Hoseok sighed. "It's weird. None of his movements seem out of the ordinary, yet something about him isn't so...normal, you know?"

"And not to mention, we don't know if he's truly friend or foe at this point. He may just be trying to get close to you, Y/N, because he knew you would be the last victim. Or keeping you close so he can take care of you when you figure things out." Yoongi added.

You pursed your lips, also unsure. "Didn't you say he participated in my rescue mission?"

"Oddly enough, we didn't run into any of the henchmen. We were all hoping to see how he would get himself out of a situation. He seemed so confident moving about. Most people would act as nervous and confused as Jin did." Hoseok shrugged.

"Hmm..." You hummed.

"Regardless, good job Y/N." Jimin embraced you warmly, diverting the flow of the conversation. "We're a lot closer to figuring things out because of you."

You smiled and hugged him back. "And with Yoongi's new findings about the number hints being ISBN codes of books, I have to go back to where I can get the most information, don't I?"

"Not today." Yoongi firmly stated. "It'll be too obvious if you go back there. Wait a few days."

"Wait a few days for you or for me?" You jeered.

Everyone cackled knowingly.

"Do take time to rest, Y/N." Namjoon patted your head, siding with Yoongi this time. "We're going to need your full focus and you at your full health, for this big, and hopefully last, operation. Make sure you stay where people are. I know you'll have to go to the library eventually, but make sure the Librarian is there and she tells you if someone else arrives or when she has to leave."

"Will do, Boss." You grinned.

"Let's go." Namjoon called the others. "Tae and I will pay a visit to the morgue. Jimin, return to your post and keep an eye on the teachers. They're all particularly frazzled since they are dwindling in numbers. Hoseok, Jungkook, continue your rounds. Yoongi, Y/N." he glanced at the two of you and smirked. "Behave."

Yoongi scowled, while you blinked, confused.

"We'll be in touch." Namjoon nodded, and soon, everyone disappeared from your room through various means except the front door.

Yoongi cleared his throat. Wow, had the room always felt so stuffy when it was just the two of you?

"Why'd you start reading this all the sudden?" You broke the awkwardness he was the only one apparently feeling with ease.

Yoongi turned to you as you held up the book curiously, and he scratched the back of his head shyly. "Well you left it behind when you disappeared. I wasn't sure if there would be some clues as to where you would be if I skimmed through it. Plus I figured fresh eyes on the same pages, may help out."

"Thank you." You smiled. "I've been racking my brain about these numbers, so I feel a lot better now that we have a lead on them."

He nodded.

"Should we train a little for old time's sake?" You grinned. "It seems you're slacking."

He glared at you, his competitiveness triggered. Standing up, he rolled up his sleeves, and kicked your leg dangling from the couch. "Let's go then. It seems like I've been letting your ego inflate a little too much lately."

You laughed as you pulled your hair back into a pony tail. "Game on, partner."

It wasn't until several days later that you found yourself back in the library. You had been going back to class without changing anything, as Namjoon suggested, pretending nothing had happened. The team was in their final works of solidifying the plan to trap the culprits using you as bait, and you had been itching to find out more about the numbers and VP's dying message.

You greeted the Librarian, lying that you were waiting for someone to come get you andd asked if she could let you know when someone entered the place. She, of course, warmly agreed, and stated she wasn't leaving her desk until much later so you can rest assured she would keep an eye out for your friend. Satisfied with her response, you hurried to your usual spot in the library to begin more in-depthly perusing your book, which you knew held something of importance. You had taken out the ISBN code of your book from the string of numbers VP had written. You were still left with a few numbers, which Yoongi felt was another ISBN code for a book, but there were 2 numbers scribbled in front of your book code that bothered you.

Humming to yourself, you flipped to the corresponding page number in your book. The page was clean, no markings, nothing. So you scrutinized through each word, each phrase, each dialogue in hopes that something would connect...but nothing. Exhaling, you lay down, stretching yourself out on the adjacent chair too as you read the page and the one after it for the billionth time. But as soon as you held the book up in front of you in this new position, your breath hitched.

There was something.

Scrambling to afix the book in your hand so that you could hold the page up by the light, you saw the faint markings of letters within the page, not seen on the surface.

Look deeply.

You took note of the scrambled letters: T, H, E, B, R, R, O.

You sat up hurriedly. Brother.

Your palms began to sweat and something akin to fear began crawling up your limbs, the hairs on your body standing on edge. There was only one person who had ever mentioned a brother in their background.

Yoongi's voice echoed in your mind, "...what if, like in the book, one of the culprits faked their own death in order to be able to move under the radar better?"

Shakily, your hands trembled as you typed on a search engine into your phone. Once the results appeared, you dropped your phone immediately.

A twin. A twin brother.

Suddenly, you felt a burdening presence behind you, and for some reason, you knew the inevitable had come, that they had decided to act before your team processed the final touches of the trap.

Your screen lit up, a message from the Librarian: Prez incoming! :)

Hurriedly yet as calmly as possible, you swiped a highlighter across the page, trying to feign that you did not know they were sneaking behind you. A scribble it may seem to the naked eye, but you knew that that was where the scrambled letters were through the light, praying that whoever would find your scattered items would make sense out of it.

As you finished your mark, your mouth was covered with that darn cliche cloth to prevent your screams, and to immobilize you instantaneously. And soon enough, your body grew limp, and the world became dark.

Your last pleading thought being, "Save me...".

PART 10: FINALE

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