#i found some cold sore cream that went out of date 7 years ago

[mumintroll]

organised the kitchen junk drawers its annoying bc i know most of it needs to go in the bin but i cant throw anything away w/o my mother checking it first just in case it is something she needs </3 but still its so much neater now i dont have to spend 5 minutes sifting through stuff looking for paracetamol

[chaoticgirl-writing]

Shut up, Dumbass

Alrighty so here is another lil peek of a book im writing. Idk where im gonna post the finished product but that isnt gonna be for a long while. Anyway I hope you all enjoy this lil bit!!

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugo x Oc

Word count: 1905

Warnings: maybe some mild language, mentions of depression, mentions of su!cide attempt

“Alright, you two. Get some sleep. You both did great today.” The short haired woman smiled softly, lightly kissing her son’s head.

“Get off me, you hag.” The blonde groaned, lightly shoving his mother off.

“Goodnight, Mrs. Bakugo.” The two toned girl said almost inaudibly, laughing when the male lightly shoved her in order to draw her attention from the screen. 

“Katsuki, be nice.” Mitsuki teased. “Kick his ass, Aki.” 

The small girl grinned, shifting to her knees as her fingers moved quickly on the controller. The character she controlled, Sheik, landed a hit on Link, sending him off the platform. “Dammit!” Katsuki cursed, making the girl next to him laugh, earning another shove in response. Link respawned at the top of the screen and hopped back into battle against the female. She easily kicked the male, sending him over the edge once again.

“Quit it!” The blonde growled, attacking the female character once more. Akari simply giggled, easily evading his attack and sending him off the platform once more.

Game Over

“Damnit!”

“Ha! 8th time!”

“You’re not supposed to be talking!”

“Give me my prize, bitch!”

“Stop talking, dumbass!” 

“Make me-” The blonde covered her mouth, silencing her.

“You’ll get ice cream if you shut up-Ew! Did you just lick me?” Snatching his hand back with a look of disgust, Katsuki wiped his hand on the multicolored girl’s sleeve. “You’re gross.”

“And you’re a sore loser. Pay up.” Akari signed, making the blonde grumble with a small smile.

“Tomorrow. We’ll go wherever you want and get ice cream.” He yawned, arms stretching above his head before laying on the girl’s lap.

“You’re a dork.” She whispered, playing with Katsuki’s hair as he put on a movie.

“Shut up.” She rolled her eyes, placing a hand behind her back and leaning back on it, continuing to play with the blonde stands.

The male relaxed on her lap, closing his eyes as soft music played in the background. The small girl silently studied the male’s face, losing herself in her thoughts.

Just months ago he had hardly even taken note of her existence, not even acknowledging the fact that she sat next to him in class. Simply staring blankly when his friends and classmates made nasty comments about her, or shoved her around. Even despite that fact, she decided to confess to him, not caring what happened. 

Maybe he would say he liked her too. Maybe something would come out of nothing, ending the torment that plagued her everyday life.

Instead, he rejected her, saying he could never be with her and walking away. No one seemed to have found out though, and she was grateful that he seemed to have enough, if not respect, then something close to it, for her to keep him from telling the entire school about it.

Then, a mere week or so later, he found her on that rooftop and saved her life. When the school year started and Bakugo realized they were in the same class, he became more protective of her suddenly. He was always taking care of her and doing all he could to keep her safe.

Meanwhile, Katsuki was stuck in his own thoughts.

When Akari confessed to him, he was startled. He had never talked to the once dark haired girl before that, and hearing that she admired him despite that fact made him feel something that he didn't quite like. Guilt? Doubt? He didn’t quite know, and he wasn’t used to it. Sure, he was quite used to girls walking up to him and trying to flirt with him, or ask him on a date, but he always declined, they never piqued his interest. This girl however, did all that and more. 

When she confessed to him, she began by stating the little things she had grown to find charming about him. Things he didn’t even seem to notice, let alone the other girls that had tried catching his attention. 

“The way you furrow your eyebrows when you get lost in thought, or the way you gently chew on your lip before raising your hand to answer a question. The little nervous tic you have where you tap your middle finger and thumb together and bounce your knee, or the way you twirl your pencil while reading through a question on a test. Your eyes soften, you get this warm smile and the tension in your shoulders relax when you talk about becoming a hero. You act all tough, but it’s obvious that there’s a part of you that’s scared. Everything about you is quite.. poetic in a way, Bakugo, and I’m sorry for laying all of this on you, but I couldn’t just let it go without saying. I couldn’t let something like this just disappear into the void without even giving you a chance to hear it.”

His chest tightened as her words replayed in his head.

She had already made her choice when she told me.

Red eyes flickered to the bright green ones above him, clouded with emotion as she stared at the television.

Could I have changed her mind?

A lump formed in the blonde’s throat.

If I had realized my feelings towards her sooner-

He struggled to swallow the lump as he sat up slowly, eyes the color of peacock feathers on a sunny day flickered to him.

If I had actually waited before walking away, if I had actually put thought into it there and not after I had caught her from falling off of that building would things be different-

“Katsuki?” The soft sound of her raspy voice pulled him from the thoughts plaguing his head.

Ruby eyes remained unreadable as they searched her face for some sort of answer, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Katsuki?” She tried once more, a soft hand gently resting on his cheek making his eyes soften. “Is everything alright?” He stayed silent, continuing to search her face as his larger calloused hand rested on top of hers. They stayed there for a moment, silently studying the other’s features, oblivious to the fact the gap between them was slowly decreasing by the second.

It was only when their faces were millimetres from meeting that the blonde’s ruby orbs glanced down at the girl’s slightly parted lips in a silent ask for permission. She didn’t respond, senses on overdrive as she allowed her eyes to close and the space between them to shrink even more. His lips gently brushed against hers, and-

Snapping her eyes open, Akari practically leaped from the mattress, the pillow on her lap toppling to the floor as she stood.

“I need to..” Her feet moved before she could think of a proper end to her sentence, leading her out the door to his bedroom and down the stairs.

“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.” Their voices rang into the empty air around them in unison.

“Damnit, Katsuki, why did you try to kiss her?”

“Akari, why didn’t you kiss him?” 

Their hands trembled as they each muttered curses to themselves. Him for doing something to, what he assumed was making her uncomfortable, and her for chickening out last second.

“He was right there you could’ve-” A growl escaped her lips as she held her hands out and attempted to strangle the air in frustration.

“Why the hell would she kiss you? She already told you how she felt and you being the dumbass you are told her no.” Bakugo groaned in irritation as he ran his fingers through his hair and glanced at the clock.

7:54pm

“I probably stink from the sports festival.” He stood, pushing his irritation to the back of his mind as he turned off the movie and gathered his things for a shower before making  his way to the bathroom.

The multicolored girl sluggishly made her way back upstairs, hating the thought of being alone in such a big house without a voice if she were to need to use her quirk or call out for help. 

You’re such an idiot. You’ve liked him for how long? And yet you still chickened out when given the chance to kiss him? You’re such a coward.

She paused for a moment at the door, mustering up the courage to go back in and face him, to apologize for freaking out over nothing, and maybe asking for a redo.

Opening the door, what was left of her voice caught in her throat and her hands stilled as she came face to face with an empty room. The remote Katsuki had been using was placed on the shelf with the gaming console below the television, the one she had been using on the bed where she had left it. The sound of the shower turning on across the hall answered the silent question of where the blonde had gone.

Moving over to her bag, Aki pulled out a worn hardcover black notebook and a pen, before settling down on the mattress and beginning to write.

It was moments like these where she would write down one of those “letters” that she usually had no intention of giving to the person it was directed to. Oftentimes, those “letters” turned into songs, ones that she would hope to be able to perform for someone, anyone, even the person she wrote it for.

This would be a lot easier if I had my guitar or something. 

She sighed, writing down the rhythm in a mix of Morse code like symbols and music notes.

Katsuki’s shower finished sooner than he would’ve normally liked, often standing under the hot water until it turned cold, thus being the reason why he showered after his parents went to sleep. He was nervous to go back to his room in fear of what Aki might say, but he knew he had to at some point.

Steam filled the hallway as he opened the door, taking note of the slightly cracked door of his bedroom.

Why are you acting like this? It’s just Aki.

Opening the door, his heart fluttered at the sight before him. The small girl sat with a leg laid out straight, the other bent as she wrote in a notebook placed on her knee. The soft sound of her humming filled the bedroom as he stood in the doorway. 

Gently twirling the pen in her hand, she tilted her head back, resting it on the wall as she thought of what to write next.

“My luck couldn’t get any worse.” She chuckled lightly, twirling the pen once more before sitting back up and writing something down, not seeming to notice the blonde standing at the door.

“Hey.” He called softly making the two toned haired girl jump and clutch the notebook to her chest as her face heated up in embarrassment. She opened her mouth to speak before opting for a simple wave. “Listen I-” Fists clenched at his sides as he sighed, looking towards the ceiling, searching for the right words to say.

Quietly setting her notebook down on the bed, Akari stood and moved towards him, her heart fluttering at the thought of what she was about to do.

“I’m sorry-” A small hand tilted his chin down, the small girl placing her free hand on the back of his neck and gently pulling him towards her as she stood on her toes to help close the distance between them.

“Shut up, Dumbass.” 

[glowingjunmyeon]

Lost and Found (an EXO fanfic) - ch.20

Idol!AU

Pairing: Xiumin x Reader

Warning: Language

Status: Ongoing

Summary: Marion’s life was going perfectly well before it had fell apart. She had moved out from her family’s house to New York City almost a year ago to attend her dream college. She had gotten a small job and had a great group of friends to keep her happy. Then everything went downhill the moment she found out that her father had died. What made it worse was the fact that her father’s bank account was mysteriously empty, leaving her and her family completely broke. Marion suddenly didn’t have any time to go to college anymore or even grieve her father’s death as she thrown into working multiple jobs to support her family. Her happy college days were gone, instead replaced with working at a Chicken restaurant during the day and serving people drinks at a bar by night. It wasn’t until a rather handsome man walks through the Bar doors that lightens things up in her life. He’s attractive, charming and likable-everything a girl would want in a man-until he does something that leaves her never wanting to see him again…but he still wants to see her.

Sometimes you live with memories that you wish you could forget, but not always regret.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23

“Why are you walking so…carefully?” Jasmine asked, while looking at Marion from behind the front counter of The Chirping Chicken.

Marion ignored her question and continued sweeping the floor slowly.

“You still haven’t told me why you took a day off yesterday.” Jasmine said, with a raised brow.

Marion sighed, looking over at Jasmine, “You really want to know?”

“Hell yeah, girl.”

“Minseok and I did it.”

“You have to tell me everything.” Baekhyun said, with a glimmer in his eyes as he grinned.

Minseok shook his head, “I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“How was it?” Baekhyun inquired, his eyes watching Minseok with great preciseness.

“It was…really…good.” Marion admitted slowly, as ran a hand through her hair. “It hurt in the beginning but…I get it now.”

“I knew you would, girl! It always hurts in the beginning but then it fades into the juicy stuff later.” Jasmine said, while wriggling her eyebrows.

Marion face palmed herself.

“Did she like it?” Baekhyun asked.

Minseok looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding, “Yeah…she’s not the type of person to keep continuing something she doesn’t like.” He frowned slightly, “She was kind of sore this morning though.”

“That means you did well, Minseok!” Baekhyun laughed, shaking his head as Minseok glared at him.

“The real question is if you think you would wanna do it again? Hmm?” Jasmine pressed.

Marion held her hand up although she was smiling, “I don’t want to think about that right now. Thank you, I’m sore enough.”

“Girl, you know you want it.” Jasmine said, while laughing.

“So now you’re going to have to wait til next week then!” Baekhyun said, with a cheeky grin.

Minseok stopped spinning on his spinning chair to look at him. Baekhyun held up the peace sign while tilting his head, “Ya know-for round 2! Don’t forget to give me weekly updates!”

Minseok pointed at the door, “Get out.”

Jasmine shrugged casually, “You know I actually wanted to ask you bout something.”

Marion looked over at her, “Sure, what?”

“What do you think about Kyungsoo?”

Marion was stunned, “Woa-you actually said his name right this time.” She shook her head, “Oh-I told you already, he’s a great guy. Yeah-maybe in the beginning he’s a little closed off but once you get to know em-he’s real sweet.”

Jasmine looked at Marion curiously, “If he’s so chill then why didn’t you fall for him?”

Marion shifted, chewing the question in her mind as she looked at Jasmine curiously, “I don’t know, actually. It just never came to that, I guess. I never really thought of him as my partner in that way-he always just seemed like a…a friend. I’m sure he would say the same too because all I ever got were friend vibes from him.”

“But if you hadn’t…if he hadn’t given you friend vibes do you think you would’ve dated him?” Jasmine asked.

Marion shrugged, “Don’t know since I’m happily dating one of his friends right now.”

Jasmine chuckled, “Right.”

Marion was sitting down at one of the tables in the Chirping Chicken. Her woolen hat, cream colored trench coat and plaid scarf on. She leaned back in her seat, sighing, before continuing to scroll down her phone. Her shift had ended and she waiting for Minseok to pick her up. Jasmine stood behind the counter, watching her even though she could’ve been assisting the other chefs in the back. Jasmine was about to say something to Marion until the bell chimed as someone had just opened the door.

Jasmine’s hand instinctively went over to the laminated menus but then removed her hand when she realized it was Minseok. Minseok smiled at her and she returned it. He turned his head to look at Marion, the smile still on his face as he brushed his hand through his hair to try dust off the snowflakes.

Marion stood up, raising a brow, “Did you forget your hat?”

Minseok took a step, standing directly in front of her, “I thought I lost it but-“ He reached his hand out and plucked her hat from her head. “Apparently not.”

Marion smiled, slyly, placing her hand over her head to try fix her own hair, “Hey-you gave that to me, remember?”

He made a thoughtful expression before slipping on his hat, “Nope, sorry-“

She punched him playfully on the chest and he grinned. Minseok glanced at Jasmine-who quickly looked down and pretended to be writing something on one of the menus. He looked back at Marion before slipping his hand around her chin and pulling her up to make her lips meet his. Marion placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled into the kiss before pulling away.

His uniquely shaped eyes looked intently into hers, “Where do you want to go? It’s cold outside bu-“

She suddenly placed her finger on his lips, “Is Suho still mad at you?” she asked, her voice calm.

His shoulders sagged, “Yeah…he is. He’s not talking to me.”

Marion looked thoughtful for a second, “Wait-what’s that thing he likes? That white tiger stuffed toy?”

Minseok spoke through her finger on his lip, “You mean Suhorang?”

Marion dropped her hand, “Is that what it’s called?”

Minseok shook his head, “Yeah-he loves those things. Didn’t you see how many of them he had stuffed in that one drawer?”

Marion nodded, grinning, “Yeah, but what’s the problem with getting him one more?”

Minseok blinked, “No-“

Marion shook her head, “Why not? You said he loves them-wouldn’t he be happy if we got him another one?”

Minseok made a face before looking out the large glass window at the snow delicately falling as the sky was slowly darkening, “Ah-I don’t know. Where could we even find one here anyway?”

Marion held onto his sleeve, “I saw one at this toy shop nearby-and it reminded me of him but I didn’t pick it up because I knew he had so many already. But this one is different than the other ones he owns.”

Minseok frowned, “How?”

“This one comes with stickers! I saw a sheet of stickers right next to it as a bonus deal or something.” She said, her eyes alive.

Minseok ran a hand over his face, “You know I once told that I would never buy him one of those.”

“That makes it even better-it’ll show that you care enough about him to even go back on your word.” She said, convincingly.

He sighed, “How would I even give it to him? He won’t let me go in his room.”

Marion frowned, “Ah-dammit…then maybe…maybe I could give it to him from you. He’s just mad at you-not me right? He was talking to me just fine when I was there yesterday for lunch.”

“Really?” he said, his eyes wide.

“Yeah-dummy, you were there. Did you forget?” she asked, laughing slightly as she gave his head a firm pat.

His lips formed an O. “Oh yeahhhhh.” He paused, thinking it over, “I guess that’s not so bad.”

“Yeah, my ideas are never bad.” Marion stated.

He squinted, before reaching his hands out to tickle her. “Minseok!” she yelled out between her laughter as she tried to push his arms away. He was laughing as well.

Jasmine’s eyes suddenly flitted to the door of the Chirping Chicken as the bell had just chimed. She froze when she saw Kyungsoo enter, his eyes met hers smiling genuinely before turning his head to hear where the fit of laughter was coming from. His smile suddenly slipped away as he suddenly became rooted to his spot.

Minseok stopped tickling her two seconds after the bell from the door had chimed. Marion punched him on the chest, “Seriously?” she scolded, while smiling slightly but trying to be mad.

Minseok turned to see who had entered and his eyebrows raised in surprise when he saw Kyungsoo. “Hey! Kyungsoo-what are you doing here, man?” He said, genuinely surprised before smiling and walking over to pat his shoulder friendlily.

Kyungsoo stood there straight-faced, “I was just in the mood for some fried chicken.”

Marion walked over to stand beside Minseok, “Hey-it’s good to see you again.” She said, a smile slipping onto her lips as she saw him.

He hesitantly returned her smile.

“What-did you just come back from the studio?” Minseok asked.

Kyungsoo nodded, “Yeah-now all we need is Baekhyun to sing the last lyric and that song will be done.”

Minseok’s eyes lit up, “That’s great!”

Kyungsoo’s eyes went to Marion’s coat, “Are you guys heading out?”

Minseok looked over at Marion with a small smile, “Yeah-we were just going to go where again?”

Marion replied, “The toy store.”

Kyungsoo raised his brows. Minseok whispered in Kyungsoo’s ear, “Don’t ask.”

She squinted as she overheard and smacked Minseok’s arm, “He’s going to be grateful for me later if what I’m planning works out.”

Minseok dropped his hand from Kyungsoo’s shoulder and slipped his hand into Marion’s, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Marion rolled her eyes. Minseok pulled her closer before waving to Kyungsoo, “We’ll get going now. Enjoy your chicken.”

Minseok pushed open the door as Marion turned to say, “Bye, Kyungsoo! Bye, Jas!”

Jasmine waved her goodbye, watching her and Minseok leave the restaurant hand in hand. Jasmine walked over to Kyungsoo who looked stiff and expressionless. Even though Kyungsoo knew that they were together he hadn’t seen them together as often. Jasmine stood in front of Kyungsoo, “Kyungsoo-you okay?” Jasmine asked.

Kyungsoo looked away, “I’m fine.” His voice ever so quiet.

Jasmine shook her head, “You’re not fine. I’ve never heard you talk this quietly.”

“Then why did you ask?!” He snapped.

She blinked, taking a step back.

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut before looking down as he ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry-I didn’t mean that-I-I should go.” He muttered.

Jasmine watched him turn around and walk towards the door. But just before he could push it open she ran towards him, placing her hand firmly on his shoulder and spun him around before pulling him into a hug. They stood there, just like that, for a long moment before he returned her hug. He slipped his arms around her waist and held her closer, letting his head fall onto her shoulder. He squeezed her tightly, and let his eyes close. He needed this hug more than she knew.

“What do you think about this?” Baekhyun asked, before walking out of his closet. He held up a black bomber jacket that had thin barely perceptible grey strips running along it.

Marion looked up from her seat on Baekhyun’s desk. There wasn’t much on his desk, other than the mini glasses holder that held up a variety of brand name glasses. She looked at the bomber jacket before saying, “That’s actually pretty nice. I just never really understood how to pull off a bomber jacket.”

Baekhyun ran his fingers over his smooth chin before looking at the bomber jacket again-which he had now thrown down on his bed. “Oh-that’s not hard. I just wore it over a black turtle neck and faded blue ripped jeans. A belt. My monochrome black Nike Air Huaraches. And…,”

He looked thoughtful as he looked over at Marion. “I think I even wore it with those glasses in your hand.”

Marion looked down at her hand before holding up the up the black circle rimmed, clear glasses. “You mean these Harry Potter glasses?”

Baekhyun nodded, “Yeah-or maybe I didn’t wear those…maybe I just wore a black cap.” He mumbled off as he tried to remember.

Chen looked up from his laptop-while sitting criss-crossed on Baekhyun’s bed-at the mention of Harry Potter. His alert eyes landed on the glasses in her hand, “Oh yeah-those. I wore those once to a Halloween Party. Guess who I was trying to be?”

Marion and Chen said it at the same time, “Harry Potter.”

Marion chuckled while Chen just smiled. Chen watched her slip the glasses on before pointing at her and giggling boyishly, “Ha-now you look like Harry Potter too!”

Marion laughed before taking the glasses off. Baekhyun frowned, “Those are not Harry Potter glasses. Those are fashion glasses. From Sunglass’s Hut!”

Before any of them could reply Minseok walked in with Suho’s arm thrown around his shoulder. Minseok’s eyes landed on the pile of clothes that was in the middle of Baekhyun’s closet-he frowned deeply-before his eyes met Marion’s. “Oh there you are!”

Suho patted Minseok’s back before smiling with mischief, “Yea-he was going crazy looking for you.”

Minseok rolled his eyes, “No, I wasn’t.”

Suho smiled playfully before releasing Minseok’s shoulder and began to wander around Baekhyun’s room, pulling open the curtains fully to let more sunlight stream through. Despite today beautiful sunny weather, it was still below 40 degrees Fahrenheit in New York City.

Baekhyun spoke while searching through his closet, “Yeah-I hope you don’t mind me stealing your girl for a minute. Don’t worry-I’ll try not to make her fall in love with me too fast.”

Minseok chuckled before leaning against the door frame, “You wish.”

Suho and Chen grinned at each other from across the room before saying in perfect synchronization, “OOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOO.”

Marion rolled her eyes before placing the glasses back on Baekhyun’s glasses stand. She looked at Baekhyun, “What did you call me here for though?” she asked.

Baekhyun poked his head out his closet, “Did you forget-you were helping me choose out which clothes to give to my brother since he said he wanted me to bring him clothes from New York, and since we’re going back to Kor-“

Minseok suddenly starting coughing. He started coughing so badly that his body racked and he almost fell forward. Marion frowned at the suddenness of it and looked at him with concern, her mouth forming the words that Chen had said, just a millisecond before her, “You okay?” Chen asked.

Minseok patted his chest and nodded.

Marion picked up her water bottle from Baekhyun’s desk. “Do you want some water?” she asked.

He shook his head, raking his hand through his jet black hair, “It’s okay-I’m fine now. I think my throat just got dry for a second.”

Marion walked over to him and handed him her water bottle anyway. “Just drink it. You don’t want it to get worse and get an actual sore throat or something.”

He took the bottle and smiled slightly, wriggling his brows at her, “Concerned for me now?” he murmured, so just she could hear.

She rolled her eyes before he flashed her a smile and opened her water bottle and drank from it. She watched him chug down half of it with a smug but yet astonished smile on her lips until her phone buzzed in her pocket. She looked down at the text and said, “Oh!”

Minseok immediately looked down at her, “What?”

Marion raised her head, hastily tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, “Jasmine just texted me. Remember when I told you that we were planning on having that shopping day? That’s today. I just didn’t know that she would be there already. I gotta go.”

Minseok watched her walk back over to Baekhyun’s desk to retrieve her purse.

Baekhyun walked out from his closet, dumping several pairs of shoes onto a pile in middle of the floor. He raised a brow, “You’re leaving already?”

She nodded at him and Baekhyun frowned. “Whyyyy?”

Chen didn’t remove his eyes from the computer as he spoke, “She’s got a shopping date with her friend.”

Baekhyun’s eyes lit up, “Ooh! Can I go?”

Suho looked at him in utter disbelief before motioning towards the piles of clothes that were spread out through Baekhyun’s room, “What more do you need!?”

Baekhyun pouted his lips, “You always need more!”

Marion furrowed her brows as she looked around the room, “Where’s my coat?”

Chen looked up from his laptop, “You left it in the kitchen-on the chair. I saw it.”

Marion snapped her fingers as she remembered, “Oh yeah-thanks.”

Chen smiled, “No problem.”

Just as she walked through the doorway-past Minseok-he grasped her wrist. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and curious.

Minseok spoke softly, “You need a ride?”

Marion shook her head, “It’s fine. I’ll use a taxi.”

Minseok raised a brow, “You sure?”

She smiled slightly before leaning up to press her lips gently against his. After a couple seconds, She pulled away, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

This time he leaned down and pecked her lips, “Alright. Bye.”

She patted his shoulder, “Bye.” She said, before zipping out the door.

Baekhyun yelled, belatedly, “BYEEE!”

They heard the slight whirr of the elevator doors closing before it stopped-signaling that she had just left. Minseok muttered, “She already left…idiot.”

Baekhyun furrowed his brows, pointing his finger accusingly, “I heard that!”

Suho suddenly strode across the room towards Minseok, “You didn’t tell her?!”

Minseok’s eyes were suddenly wide, “What?”

Suho raised a brow, “I caught that you know-you coughed just when Baekhyun was about to say that we were leaving for Korea in 2 weeks.”

Chen gasped as he realized. “Woa-I didn’t even catch that.” He murmured, amazed.

Baekhyun looked up from the shirt he was holding, “Catch what?”

Minseok flushed, itching the back of his neck, speaking unsurely, “I just-I don’t know how to tell her.”

Baekhyun dropped the shirt in his hand, “Tell her what?!”

Suho folded his arms, “It’s going to be hard but you are going to have to tell her. She needs to know.” He said, calmly.

Minseok closed his eyes before running his hands through his hair, “Yeah…I know.”

Suho patted Minseok’s shoulder, “You got this, bro.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened, “Is anyone going to tell me wh-“

Chen threw his hands up, “YA-He didn’t tell Marion that we’re leaving back to South Korea next week.”

“Two weeks.” Suho corrected.

Chen pouted before frowning, “Same thing.”

Suddenly Baekhyun’s hands were on Minseok’s shoulders, “YA-you didn’t tell her?! I thought you told her already!”

Minseok brushed off Baekhyun’s hands, “Yeah-well-I didn’t.”

Chen shook his head, “Tsk-tsk. That ain’t right, bro. We’ve known about our deadline for too long for you not to have told her already.”

Minseok looked at Chen for a moment before squinting, “Can you all stop making me feel worse for a second?”

“No.” said Suho, Chen and Baekhyun simultaneously.

Minseok sighed before running his hand over his face, “It’s harder than it sounds-okay?”

Suho pulled out Baekhyun’s stool and sat on it, “Does she think that you are going to stay here permanently?”

Minseok itched the back of his head, “Yeah-I think so.”

Baekhyun hit Minseok’s shoulder and Minseok spun around to face him, “What was that for?!”

Baekhyun placed his hands on his hips as he shook his head, “You’re so mean! You should’ve told her the moment we finished our album! What kind of boyfriend are you?” he whined the last question.

Minseok eye’s widened defensively, “If you had a girlfr-“

Baekhyun wriggled his eyebrows, “Who says I don’t?”

Chen’s eyebrows flew up, “Wait-you and Taeyeon are back together?”

Baekhyun sighed, “Do you have to bring her up right now?”

Suho folded his arms as he sat on the stool, “How could they be back together? He hasn’t talked to her in months.”

Chen shook his head, “No! He just talked with her last week!”

Suho’s head turned quickly to look at Baek, “Wait-really?”

Baekhyun looked flustered, “What-no-I mean-“ He placed his hands on his hips before furrowing his brows at Suho, “Look who’s talking about relationships-IRENE!”

Chen frowned, “Irene? Don’t you mean Jisoo?”

Suho suddenly threw his hands up in the air, “OK-OK-Can we please focus on the main problem here?”

Baek squinted, “Oh so now you want to focus.”

Suho folded his arms, “Minseok, how do you plan on telling Marion that your leaving?”

When there was no reply all the boys turned to look at the doorframe that Minseok had been leaning against before, only to find no one there.

“Minseok?” Baekhyun asked, cluelessly.

Chen blinked, “Where’d he go?”

Suho sighed, “Great.”

Minseok ran up the stairs of the rather shabby apartment building. He stopped running when he made it to her floor, slipping his hand in his pocket to get the key.

“She’s not here yet.”

Minseok froze before turning around slowly to see an older man-probably late 40s or so, with brown hair that was greying with age. Through the ragged sweater the man was wearing Minseok noticed the man’s hands and neck were covered in tattoos. It took Minseok a moment-but he finally recognized the guy-it was Marion’s Uncle. Uncle Calvin.

Uncle Calvin waved his hand, “Oh-don’t look at me like that. I’ve been waiting here for bout’ an hour and she still hasn’t shown up yet. Bet ya don’t know where she is either-do ya?”

Minseok didn’t get the chance to reply when Calvin suddenly snapped his fingers, “Oh wait-I remember you? You’re that guy-that asshole that helped Marion kick me out of the hospital.”

Minseok clenched his jaws, “That’s me.”

Uncle Calvin suddenly furrowed his brows and grabbed Minseok’s collar. His breath reeked of alcohol and smoke as he spoke, “You stay away from my niece you fucking bastard. You usin’ my niece for her pretty little looks-I’ll cut you-“

Minseok suddenly grabbed the old man and shoved him off of him straight into the wall. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he yelled, furiously.

Uncle Calvin was heaving heavy breathes as he leaned against the wall before shaking his head, he waved his hand dismissively and spoke as if out of breath, “Oh-man. I’m sorry-I ain’t-I didn’t-“ He shook his head, “I ain’t mean that, son. I just really need to talk to my niece.”

Minseok scowled. He had never gotten the chance to ask Marion in detail why she disliked her uncle but he just knew that he had betrayed her family of some sort. That was more than Minseok needed to already start disliking this man.

“What the hell do you want from Marion?” Minseok asked, sharply.

Uncle Calvin suddenly looked as if an idea passed through his eyes. The man held out his hands and spoke, calmly-suggestively, “Look-ya want me to leave Marion alone?”

Minseok furrowed his brows before nodding slowly.

Uncle Calvin nodded eagerly, “Yeah? Then give me money. Give me a couple thousand dollars and I swear I won’t come a foot near my niece agai-“

Minseok laughed dryly, “Is that what you’re here for-Money?”

Uncle Calvin nodded sadly, “Yes-money.” The man’s eyes suddenly became eager and desperate as he took a step closer to Minseok, “I need money. You don’t understand-I’ll do anything. I’ll even pay you back later if that’s what you want-“ He stepped closer, clasping his hands together.

Minseok held up a hand, interrupting sharply, “SHUT UP-just shut up and get the hell out of my face!”

Uncle Calvin scrambled back.

Minseok furrowed his brows, asking-accusingly, “Hasn’t her family given you enough money already?”

He ignored that and instead spoke more insistently, “Look-you want me to stay away from her don’t you? Why don’t you just ease some of her stress and give me some money now and act like this never happened? You’d be such a good boyfriend if you did that and I’d even give you my blessing to marry her since she ain’t got her father to give you-“

Minseok suddenly pointed down the hallway, “Get the fuck out!”

Her Uncle looked stunned, “What?”

Minseok looked at him with such a sharp intensity that the man couldn’t help but shrink back slightly. “I said…,” Minseok started, quietly. “GET THE FUCK OUT!” Minseok’s voice rang through the hallway.

Her Uncle shuffled back and starting moving down the hallway. Before he disappeared down the stairs her Uncle stopped and looked at Minseok, “You’re going to regret this, just like her Dad did.”

“What?!” Minseok said, sharply.

But her Uncle was gone.

Marion walked into her apartment with a wide smile on her face and shopping bags in her hands. She locked the door close behind herself and froze when she turned and saw Minseok-sitting eerily still on one of the stools by the countertop. From the tenseness of his frame and serious set to his mouth she could tell something was not alright. She saw that he had been zoned out but the moment his eyes went to her smiling face-his gaze softened. Her smile fell, “Minseok-whats wrong?”

Oh-um-you’re Uncle came just came back. I saw him at the door and he was here to visit you just to ask for money and might have just said something that relates him to the cause of your Dad’s death-but he was drunk so we can’t be sure if he meant what he said. Oh, and you know, I’m leaving back to South Korea in two weeks and I don’t know when I’ll be back. Minseok sighed before shaking his head and leaning his elbows on the counter and running his hands through his hair.

Marion placed her bags down gently on the ground before walking over to him. She was still in a light mood from her shopping spree with Jasmine-it was as if she didn’t want to accept the seriousness of his mood just yet. She placed her hands on his shoulders as she stood behind him. “What’s wrong?” she said, quietly.

He shook his head, moving his hands to cover his face. His voice came out muffled behind his hands, “I can’t.”

She sighed, before placing her chin on shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist. She murmured, softly, “Why can’t we just be happy-”

He spun around in his stool to face her and she took a step back. His eyes wide as he looked at her, “You’re not happy?”

She looked down at him, “You’re not happy.”

“But I was.” He said, looking up at her intently, “Before.”

“Then what’s making you sad now?” she asked, softly.

He looked away and locked his jaws. He was still when he felt her hand touch his neck and fingers slide up in his hair.

“You make me happy.” She said, quietly-as if admitting to something she wasn’t willing to admit until now. He looked up at her as she continued, “You’ve made me the happiest I’ve ever been in a while.”

He stared up at her-something about those words made him want to carve out his heart and just give it to her. He suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his lap and grabbed the back of her head to kiss her fiercely. His kiss was filled with such lust, frustration and passion that it reminded her of how much she was loved-how much she needed. How she drove him crazy, just like he did to her.

He held her tightly in the circle of his arms, winding his arms so tightly around her as if he were planning to never let go. She cupped the sides of his face, letting him slip his tongue through her mouth as he kissed her with such fervor. His mouth pressed into hers harder as if trying to capture more of her than he already was. His hand ran down her back, so gently-despite the hardness of their kiss-that it drove her insane. She shivered-pressing herself closer to him, being in love with him was so intoxicating-each touch of his would only fill her with more desire.

His hand suddenly came to her jaw, tilting her head back so he could kiss down her mouth to her neck. She let out a moan as her legs tightened around him and her hands buried themselves deep into his hair. His lips moved against the soft skin of her neck that met her shoulder before he stopped and let her head fall onto his shoulder and held her legs tightly around himself. He stood up with her in his arms and went to her bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

Jasmine had to tilt her head all the way back to look at the huge, brightly lit tree in front of Rockefeller Plaza. There was no performances going on today-so there was no one but a few other passerby-ers like them. The tree looked huge and phenomenal in against the dark, cold sky of NYC and the bright light of the building behind him made it look as if the tree was glowing. The tree was covered in lights and ornaments that sparkled with color and animation. The tree felt alive.

The sounds of honking and chatter surrounded them while instrumental Christmas music flowed through from a street performance not too far behind. The smell of baked goods, candles and smoke scented the city as a breeze of icy, cold wind dusted through the air. Jasmine pulled her woolen scarf tighter around her neck.

“Here.” Kyungsoo said from beside her as he handed her the cream filled cup of Toffee Nut Latte he had ordered from Starbucks.

She looked over at him and frowned, “Why?”

He shook his head, “I can’t finish it.”

She looked back at the tree, “Why did you order a venti size, I told you to just get a tall or grande.”

“I thought I would be able to finish it.” He stated, still holding the Christmas themed red cup in her face.

She sighed before reaching out and taking the cup, “You should’ve got the Caramel Brulee latte.”

“I wanted to try one of the Christmas specials.” He said, calmly.

“That was one of the Christmas Specials.” She said, before taking a sip of the drink.

He shrugged. “Caramel’s not my favorite.”

She shook her head, “You’re insane.”

He frowned and looked at her, “You have to respect other people’s opinions.”

“That’s hard to do when the opinion is insane.”

“You can’t just call other people’s opinions insane-”

“You’re insane.”

He turned and looked at her beside him for a moment before muttering, “I give up.”

She smiled slightly before taking another sip from her drink. She felt his big eyes staring at her-and she didn’t look at him when she asked-calmly, “What is it?”

He looked down and shrugged, kicking a rock with the tip of his shoe, “I-um-“he mumbled off.

Jasmine turned and looked at him, the straw of the drink still in her mouth as she raised a brow.

His big black eyes met with her dark hazel ones. “I’m leaving to South Korea in a few weeks.”

She stayed silent as she looked at him-something about his eyes made her feel as if he was going to continue.

“And I don’t know when I’ll be back.” He said, quietly.

“So that means…you’re leaving-forever?” Jasmine said, slowly and a bit confused.

He nodded before shaking his head, “Yes-I mean no-I mean…possibly.”

She was silent, her mind churning with thoughts as she locked her jaws. She swallowed before returning her eyes back onto his. His big eyes held such an intensity that she was rendered speechless.

“To make me come back…I need to know if there will be something worthwhile for me to come back to.” He said, his deep voice rumbled as his big eyes still held her gaze.

She sucked in a sharp breath, “Wait-what?” She knew what he had said-but it just didn’t register.

He tilted his head, taking a step closer to her, “Javier is not a good guy. You need to let him go.”

She looked away from him at the tree, “We’re not together.”

Kyungsoo nodded before speaking firmly, “I know-but when he comes knocking on your door next week you really can’t open it for him. Yes, he wants you but he’s not willing to change himself to be with you.”

At her silence he only grew more firm, “I don’t care how long you’ve known him. I don’t care if he was there for you when you needed help once. I don’t care if your family wants you to be with him. If you’re not happy in the relationship then it all doesn’t matter.”

She looked back at him, her jaws tightening as she saw the strength in his big eyes that he truly meant what he said.

“You’re right-” she said, not sure why her voice was rising, “That’s why I broke up with him-but what are you trying to say?”

“What I’m trying to say is...if you wait for me I can make you happy.”