#i hate being caught off guard with Salt or X Amount of Water and all this stuff when it wasn't written in the ingredients 😔😔

[jjpogue]

TRUCE pt.2 — jj.m

Pairing: jj maybank x kook! reader

Summary: bored, you pay jj a visit a visit on a whim. He’s not the only pogue you end up seeing.

Length: 1.4k

Warnings: canon typical swearing, slow burn, romantic tension

A/N: the amount of love this series has gotten already is really encouraging and while the series is still early on and slowly building I hope you guys like this part!

Midsummers came and went and things seemed to be normal once again. Your incident with a particular handsome pogue was just that- an incident. A fluke. A one-time out of the ordinary experience. But you couldn’t help but to wish it wasn’t.

Since that day you had noticed Sarah at her home less and her father turning you away more often: ‘Sorry kiddo, she’s not here’. You were exasperated, each time you tried to reach out to her she seemed to be conveniently missing. Maybe she was avoiding you on purpose? Or maybe you were just making up an excise to feel sorry for yourself. It was probably just a coincidence. 

You walked along the coastline of figure 8. Mansion after mansion the whole way down. You came upon your own house, just as gaudy as the rest with custom trimmed topiary and a fountain in the backyard. Your mother was an interior designer and figured herself a landscaper as well, so your house looked like HGTV threw up all over it. 

You swung through the kitchen with its white marble countertops and inspiration blackboard and came out to the driveway through the front door. You  had wanted to get your license as soon as you turned 16. To have a grasp at real freedom as any kid’s dream, wasn’t it? So you did your part to earn your card and were gifted a brand new Lexus by your parents. Swinging the key ring around your finger, you slipped into the comfortable front seat. It was plush leather and still had that new-car-smell clinging on. 

It wasn’t hard to figure out where the infamous Maybank homestead was located. A few awkward conversations with some locals on The Cut later you were cruising down the road, your eyes looking back to your GPS map every so often to keep you on track. This wasn’t something you had thought about too hard, coming here. But you had nothing to do and nothing to lose. 

Pulling off onto the side of the road, you stepped out of your car and walked the last few feet to the dirt driveway and dilapidated house JJ called home. The paint was chipped and flaking and the floorboards of the porch creaked as you approached the front door. Maybe this was going to be a bad idea after all, you weren’t sure now.

Ignoring your second thoughts, you took the plunge and knocked on the door. Nothing. 

You furrowed your brows and knocked again, a little firmer this time, a little louder, and this time seemed to work. An older man, JJ’s father assumed, opened the door and looked down at you with a harsh, weathered gaze. A gaze that told you he’d seen many things in his life and you weren’t one of them. 

“Wrong residence.” Was all he muttered in his gravely tone before going to shut the door. You jumped forward and put your hand on the door, “Sir, wait!”

He paused and raised a brow at you, looking more impatient by the second. “I- I’m here to see your son. Is he home?” 

He leaned back and appraised you before turning his head and yelling, “Hey! There’s some rich bitch at the door! The fuck are you up to boy!?” He sent you one last nasty look before slamming the door in your face. 

You stewed a few seconds in your own stunned silence before the door creaked back open and JJ was peering at you. His expression was a mix of so many things it was impossible to gleam even one. “(y/n)? What are you doing here? How did you even find me?”

“I asked around. It wasn’t hard.” You looked up to JJ nervously, wringing your hands together, “Look this was a bad idea I should leave-”

“No.” JJ grabbed your wrist in his hand before you could take so much as one step. He looked back inside his home for a second before fully joking you on the porch. His hair was unruly and sticking out all which ways, but somehow it looked good on him. He was wearing a T-shirt he’d cut the sleeves off on, board shorts, a bandana sticking out one of the pockets.

 “Don’t regret coming, sweetheart.” Your brows raised a the nickname but it went unspoken. JJ still held your wrist and pulled you off the porch and out into the yard. He admired the water in front of the pair of you before looking back at you. His blue eyes as clear as crystalline waters. “I bet you’ve been thinking about me.” 

You scoffed at his shit-eating grin. “You wish! Actually, I’m just really bored.”

“Nothing exciting to do in your mansion?”

“Believe it or not I’m not as spoiled as you think I am.” You crossed your arms. 

JJ gesture to your Lexus parked not far away.

“Okay- well, that was special. Doesn’t count!” 

The pogue shook his head with a smile, “There’s a party happening at the boneyard if you’re interested.”

“Pass. I don’t feel like being your white knight again.”

“Fair. How about-”

“Hey JJ!!” 

You both whipped your heads around to see none other than John B in his beat-up van. He had his himself leaning out the window, “Who’s your friend!?” 

JJ grinned and waved at John B, walking up to the window of the van. “Dude, I met this hot kook girl at the party.” You scowled and hit his shoulder. 

“I’m not a piece of meat, douchebag.”

JJ smirked at you and leaned over you, wrapping one finely muscled arm around you dramatically. “Okay, so I met this cool chick who saved my ass from some kooks at the party.”

John B looked between the pair of you and smiled, “Wanna hang?”

“Really? I thought you guys all hated my kind.” You raised a brow, pulling JJ’s arm off of you; no matter tempting it may have been to let it stay right where it was.

“Hey, if you helped out my best friend then you’re alright in my book. Hop in.”

JJ pulled the side door open and walked right in, sliding into the passenger seat with John B. You hesitated but followed suit, picking out a seat behind them. You pulled the door shut after and felt the van purr back to life, pulling back onto the road. 

The wind slipped through your hair and the sound of the pogue’s in the front talking was a buzz in the back of your head. The van was big but cozy and surprisingly comfortable for being a fixer-upper to your standards. There were stickers and labeled stuck randomly across all the walls and the ceiling. Pillows, blankets and cushions all placed to create plenty of seating and places to relax. 

The hula girls bobbled on the dash and you could smell the salt of the sea and the sweat after a session surfing, the image of John B and JJ riding the waves in your mind. Washboard abs and glistening tanned skin. That devilishly handsome smile turne-

“(y/n)? Hey, earth to (y/n).” You blinked and turned your head to see JJ’s blue eyes. 

“What? Sorry.” You mumbled, feeling silly for having spaced out.

“We’re going out on our boat. You still feel up to it? It’s alright if you don’t wanna.” John B offered and you were surprised by how civil he was. He looked at you and you didn’t see any malice, any hatred, in his eyes. 

“Oh- yeah, uhm, sure.” You floundered, utterly caught off guard by these boys. You were completely out of your element all of a sudden and it had smacked you in the face. 

The three of you got out of the van and walked through another yard, John B’s you presumed, and out to the connected dock. A little boat with ‘HMS POGUE’ painted in thick, blocky white letters on the side was resting there. 

The boys were quick to hop aboard and get the vessel ready and you simply, watched, standing awkwardly on the dock. Truthfully, you didn’t know the first thing about boats. And despite living in the outer banks you could count on one hand the times you’d been on a ship smaller than a ferry. 

“I’m not too heavy right?” Images of the boat sinking under your weight were conjured in your brain and you shuddered. The boys only paused before laughing at you. 

JJ reached his hand out to you from the edge of the boat, “You’re alright (y/n), do you trust me?”

MASTERLIST

Part 1 — Part 3?

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TAGLIST

@emmasjulixn​ - @vanessa123-13​ - @treestarrrrrrrr​ - @alwayshopelesss​ - @mileven-reddie​ - @downbytheouterbanks​

[fortheloveoffanfic]

Put Me In a Movie

Keanu Reeves x Reader (A/n- Everyone, me included, has been wondering how the morning after was gonna go, and, well, here it is. Obviously, I had to make it awkward af. Also, please don’t hate the reader, she’s trying her best, kind of.)

Summary  Prologue  1 2 

Warning- the slightest hint of NSFW, Angst.

Chapter 3- Back to Normal, Sort of

When Y/n awoke the next morning, there was throbbing in her head and a soreness between her legs. Groggily, her eyes split open, only for her to shut them after the first traces of light slipped past her lashes. Gasping, she quickly realized that there was someone sleeping behind her, his arm curled over the dip of a waist. It was alarming because she hadn’t remembered Luke coming to Chicago. In fact, he wasn’t due to finish the shoot until the next week.

Then when her eyes snapped open again, it hit her. That wasn’t even her hotel room, unless of course, she’d started wearing worn brown boots and over sized t-shirts from a Los Angeles based motorcycle company.

She didn’t

But Keanu did,

“Fuck!” Y/n hissed, realizing what she’d- or rather, what they’d done. That was hardly just her fault. It took two to cheat, right?

For a minute, Y/n pondered on the best course of action. Waking him would warrant a ‘morning after’ conversation, slipping out would do the same, though, possibly after she’d brushed her teeth and made herself more presentable. That was the one she should go with.

Y/n tried to slink out of his warm embrace, knowing she’d miss it when it was gone but also knowing that she shouldn’t have been in it in the first place. For the briefest of moments, she thought she had it, though, when Keanu stirred, groaning at the bright sunlight that washed the room, Y/n cringed at her lack of stealth. At least she now knew where she stood on the matter of one night stands. 

“Sorry,” she whispered, not really sure who’s favor her softness was in. 

It was decided then and there; she never wanted to see alcohol again.

What a bold faced lie! 

She need a drink just to get through that conversation. 

Keanu swallowed thickly and Y/n turned against him, trying not to smile at how attractively disheveled he looked; raven mane a mess, yellow rays accentuating the salt of his beard and the laugh lines that had started to come in on telling spots on his face. For the first time since they’d met, Y/n noticed that Keanu had freckles too, right round his nose, peppering his skin. “It’s okay,” he moistened his lips and seemed to be taking stock of the situation. 

Y/n was vaguely aware of his morning wood pressing into her thigh, and it was enough to remind her that just the night before, Keanu had managed to stretch her far more than Luke ever had. “This is.....”

Keanu cleared his throat, returning to the seriousness that had been absent just the night before, “Inappropriate,” he finished for her, “I’m sorry Y/n, if I-”

“Don’t say you took advantage of me,” as she sat up against the headboard, Y/n gathered the sheets in her fists, guarding her modesty, “We were drunk and if I remember correctly; I kissed you first.”

Sighing heavily, Keanu propped himself up on the headboard too, the gears turning in his head. Then, more than ever, he could hardly deny the thing in his head that said he and Y/n were just friends. But it wasn’t like he could do something about it; it couldn’t have been anything more than infatuation anyway.

Infatuation

It was definitely that.

It made sense; Y/n was young and beautiful, she was the kind of woman that any sensible man with some semblance of a sex drive would fawn over. So really, it had to be that. Because, logically, Keanu told himself, he and Y/n otherwise had nothing that would make them a stable couple. She was inexperienced and barely older than a child. And Keanu, he was a grown man who had twenty-something years experience on her. So, despite what they’d shared, it was better that they go back to being friends. Friends who didn’t touch each other the way they had the night before.

The silence broke when Keanu cleared his throat, folding his arms across his broad chest, “Look, Y/n, we’re friends.....and this,” he searched for the right words, he didn’t want to hurt her, but he needed to be a responsible adult and put his foot down, “Maybe we should just try to get back to the way things were. I mean, you don’t have to mention anything to Luke, or you can, that’s up to you. But I don’t think we should read too much into this.”

Y/n’s brows knitted as she mulled on his words, though, before long, she was perking up and chortling nervously, “Yeah, yeah of course,” shaking off the sheets, Y/n swung her legs out of the bed, immediately collecting her clothes and getting dressed, “You’re right, this was a mistake Keanu.”

Well that kind of stung.

Reaching for his discarded jeans as he stood, Keanu pulled them on with barely anytime to zip or button them closed before Y/n was scurrying out on the bedroom. “Y/n,” he reasoned, following her out to the living room, where she collected her fallen key-card off the floor, “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No,” Y/n shook her head, pushing down her feelings and mustering up a quaint smile, “I know, but you are right. We’re friends, and friends don’t fuck each other,” the was a harshness lingering in the last bits of her sentence, but Y/n hadn’t really meant for it to be there. Taking a calming breath, Y/n began again, “It’s okay, really. I feel terrible that I did this to Luke, and it would be better for everyone involved if we tried to get things back to the way things were,” smiling, Y/n stood on her toes, pecking Keanu’s cheek, “I’ll see you later Ke.”

“Okay,” he nodded slowly, “Later.”

She’d tried to contain herself, but by the time Y/n had stepped under the hot spray of her shower, trying to wash off her guilt, she was sobbing quietly. She didn’t know what hurt more, the fact that Keanu wanted to dismiss what they’d done so quickly or the fact that she’d set herself up to hurt a sweet man. 

The longer she stayed there, the more she wished she could wash the guilt away. She wasn’t a cheater. She couldn’t be a cheater. It was a mistake.

Said every cheater ever.

Said her-

Nope, Y/n wasn’t like that. It was just one time and it was never, ever going to happen again, especially since Keanu clearly didn’t see her like that. But did she see him like that?

That was a question Y/n preferred to not ask herself.

Grabbing the loofah and her bottle of body wash, Y/n squeezed a generous amount of the fragrant product onto it and started washing her soft skin. The foam felt weightless and the rough material gently raked along her body. Her fragile fingers gripped it tightly, and with blank eyes, Y/n scrubbed so hard it almost hurt. Still, nothing could erase the lingering feeling of Keanu’s calloused touch; they way his fingers graced her skin, the way his lips felt on her neck. 

Again, tears welled up in her eyes, and despite being all lathered up, Y/n had never felt dirtier. When her hand slid lower, the loofah dragging along the inside of her thigh, Y/n blinked slowly, and in an instant, the feeling of Keanu pulsing between her legs came back to her in a rush. 

After a breath, she gave up, rinsing the little white bath aid before once again stepping under the water. With her head down, the persistent stream hit her head and neck; rivulets running down her back and steam continuously building up in the room. By then, Y/n could barely tell the difference between her tears and the water that drenched her.

Time seemed to pass slowly, and only when her fingers became wrinkled and when the glass shower walls were completely fogged over did Y/n even consider shutting the water off. “God,” she breathed, raising her head, scrubbing her hands over her face. Turning, she took the sliver knob in her hand, and as it went clockwise, the flow lessened until it stopped completely. 

Sliding the door open, she grabbed her towel, wrapping it around herself before stepping onto the fluffy mat at the entrance. In front of the mirror, Y/n used her palm to swipe away to some of the fog, only to regard her sullen reflection; cheeks flushed from her extended shower and eyes red from crying. 

Her breath caught in her throat as she faced herself; she never wanted to be the kind of person who could betray someone like that. Planting her hands on the sides of the sink, more tears fell as Y/n finally let her mind admit a fact that it could no longer ignore. Not while she was staring herself down in the mirror at least. See, Y/n’s guilt didn’t just come from her betrayal, it came from knowing that from there on out, she’d never be able to lie with Luke without wishing it was Keanu.

Plopping onto the bed, dressed only in a clean pair of sweats, sans t-shirt, Keanu planted his elbows on his thighs. His head was downcast and he held his it in his hands, long fingers tangled in his dark hair. At some point, Keanu had deemed himself immune to making mistakes; he’d had so many experiences, done so much, that somewhere along the line, he’d somehow figured that everything he did was on his own, conscious volition, that he could no longer regret anything. 

But he was clearly wrong, because, he’d made so many in the last twelve hours. He’d fucked his friend, a woman he had respect for. And he’d sent her away after, as if she were a one night stand. Keanu could clearly see the look in her eyes when Y/n had left. Hurt or confusion or something that wasn’t good. Truthfully, he’d never been good at reading women, so it was hard to tell. Everyone always praised him on being sensitive or intuitive, but really, underneath it all, Keanu was just a man. One still capable of making mistakes apparently. 

With a heavy sigh, his fingers ran through his drying hair one last time before Keanu straightened up with a heavy sigh. He wished he didn’t think so much. But it alas, it was a consequence of being who he was. Thinking, thinking, thinking. Thinking that he’d hurt Y/n, that he’d lost any right to her friendship. Thinking that if their friendship had just imploded, their work relationship had too. And finally, thinking about how he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Her body, her sounds and worst of all; what he’d do to experience that sober. 

But he couldn’t, that wouldn’t be right. He couldn’t take advantage of Y/n, or anyone like that. 

Standing from the bed, Keanu inhaled deeply, wishing that there were some way to change the events of the morning. Walking out to the living room, he glanced at his phone on the nearby end table. Maybe he should call her, apologize for his behavior. Keanu didn’t really want them to stand another week toeing around each other any way. 

After another minute’s worth of contemplation, Keanu took hold of the device, pressing the power button, surprised that it still hard charge. Finding her number didn’t take very long as it was among a few others that he frequently used. Hesitantly, he hit call, and put the phone to his ear.

It range three times and Keanu imagined that Y/n had hesitated before finally picking up. “Hello,” her voice rang through, soft and unsure.

At first, Y/n wasn’t gong to pick up, but eventually, she realized that the best way to pretend that nothing had changed between her and Keanu, to pretend that she wasn’t exactly who she didn’t want to be, was to grow up and talk to him. When she answered, Keanu took a couple minutes before he spoke again, “I wasn’t sure if you’d pick up,” he determined weakly. 

“Why wouldn’t I pick up?” Y/n had dried her hair and had just slipped into her fluffy white robe, moving on to rummage through her things for something to wear. When he called, Y/n had climbed onto the bed, one leg crooked under her, the other hanging off the edge as she sat sideways on the bed.

“Because of the way things went this morning,” Keanu offered shortly, no longer willing to dance around the issue. They were adults, they should talk about what they’d done, like adults. “I’m sorry about that, by the way.”

“I told you,” Y/n sighed, “It’s okay, we did something dumb, but we can’t just hold onto to it,” even if it wasn’t exactly logical, Y/n thought that the more she vocalized her regret, as in-existent as it was, the more ‘okay’ it was. Like somehow, it would erase what she had done or at the very least, would give her a reason to not tell Luke, “Look, Ke, we’re pretty good friends, can’t we just agree that this was a lapse in judgement?”

For a couple seconds, Keanu was silent, and Y/n hoped that she didn’t hurt his feelings, she hadn’t really thought about them when she said that. It was selfish, trying to cover her ass like that, without the slightest consideration for him, but sometimes you had to be selfish, right? Right. Eventually, just when Y/n had thought that she’d upset Keanu, he cleared his throat and spoke up, “Uh, yeah.” His words were so few that Y/n wasn’t sure if he was upset and didn’t make any move to fill the silence, leaving the ball in his proverbial court, “So we’re cool?”

“Mhm,” Y/n hummed in agreement. To her, they weren’t ‘cool’, they’d never be just ‘cool’. Not when it would probably take months for her to get his touch out of her mind, not when the next time she spent with Luke, she’d compare him to Keanu, not when pushing Keanu away felt so wrong. But she couldn’t say those things; they were drunk and it was a mistake. Besides, she wasn’t willing to risk their friendship by saying that she might, deep down, want more than that with him. “We’re cool.”

“Great,” Keanu was silent for a while again, probably debating weather or not he wanted to say more, “So.....”

“So...” Y/n mirrored, not sure on where they should go from there. It wasn’t like they could just jump back to way things a day or even a week ago. 

Or could they?

“Maybe we could hang out,” Y/n blurted out, painfully hoping that they could immediately revert to their comfortable, not riddled with strange tension, friendship. 

Keanu hesitated and Y/n could feel disappointment setting in, only perking up a little when he offered up his next words, “Sure, what about brunch, tomorrow? If I remember correctly you said you’d die for the mimosas here.”

“I did,” Y/n laughed, genuinely, “Brunch sounds great,” finally, she could breathe a sigh of relief. That was good; pretending nothing happened, getting back to their friendship. Just as Y/n was going to speak again, a knock on her door had her standing, “Ke, I’ve gotta go, someone’s at the door, talk later?”

“Sure, sounds great,” his own relief that they were returning to some semblance of normalcy was evident in his tone, “I’ll make us a reservation.”

“Great,” Y/n was already at the door, still in her thick robe and barefoot, “Bye,” as she hung up, she pulled the door open, her jaw slackening when she saw who was, wide grin plastered on on his handsome face, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a gorgeous bouquet in his right hand. Smile, she told herself. It hurt to split her lips like that, mostly because it was the least genuine smile that she’d ever offered anyone. Guilt, shame, regret. That was what she felt, all over again, “Luke,” Y/n breathed, no doubt in disbelief.

“Y/n,” he immediately pulled her into a hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her before setting her down. A deep kiss followed, but all Y/n could feel when she forced her eyes shut was how it had felt to kiss Keanu, how soft his lips were, how his hands hand felt sunken into her hips, gripping tightly. “I missed you,” he pulled away, he eyed her curiously, “What’s wrong,” his brows furrowed, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Was that her punishment? Having to look him in the eyes mere hours after waking up in Keanu’s arms.

“I...um,” Y/n stuttered, discarding her phone on the nearby table, running a hand through her hair, her nails gently raking her scalp, “No, I just....” Taking a breath, she steadied herself; there was no use crying over split milk, so why would she even tell Luke? They had a good thing going, he was a good man and mistakes happened, telling him that she’d slept with someone else would just break his heart. And Y/n didn’t want to do that. So really, by not telling him, she was doing him a favor. 

That was it. She was lying to protect him. No one could fault her for that.

“No,” finally, Y/n had a handle on herself, her terrible rationalization doing wonders, “I’m just shocked, I wasn’t expecting you to be done in France until next week.”

“We wrapped up early,” Luke wrapped an arm around her waist and they walked over to the living area, “I know I should have called, but you told me you had the weekend off and I really wanted to surprise you.” When they stopped, he dropped his bag on the sofa and offered her the flowers. The bouquet comprised of a collection of her favorites; light pink roses complimented by blue baby’s breath and a few bright white daisies. “Beautiful flowers for my beautiful lady.”

Y/n blushed a little, smiling softly, “Thank you,” standing on her toes, she pecked his lips, “These are gorgeous.”

“Not half as gorgeous as you baby,” Y/n giggled, pretending to fawn at his cliche compliment. Where did he get those lines? 

“I’m going to put these in water,” desperately, she wanted the moment to be over. Luke followed her into the kitchen, watching as she searched for a containment of some sort, eventually opting to empty a vase of artificial flowers, dumping the plastic flora onto the marble counter before half filling the porcelain catchment with water from the tap, before fitting the flowers into it, gently tugging at the petals until she was satisfied.

Luke stayed on the opposing side of the room, his expression caught between a disappointed frown and the ache of confusion, “Did I do something wrong?”

The hurt in his voice pulled at her heart and Y/n’s head snapped up, “No, of course not. Why would you think that?”

Luke shrugged his shoulders, still not willing to believe her. It always stung that he was constantly trying to please her and Y/n could never sum up the resolve to put in the same effort. It confused Y/n too; why would he want to stay with someone like that, with someone who actively proved that she didn’t care as much as he did? “You’re quiet. I mean,” he forced a half smile, maybe to please her so she wouldn’t worry too much, “You’re always quiet, but not like this.”

Y/n sighed heavily, just make it right, she told herself. It wasn’t that hard, she was an actress for god’s sake. “Nothing’s wrong,” a trained smile made its way to her lips as she sauntered into his arms. Luke couldn't help it when they accepted Y/n readily, bending his head when Y/n circled hers around his neck, the tips of her fingers tangling in his honey-colored hair, “I’m just.....hungover.”

“Oh,” he teased, “Someone got carried away last night,” relived, Luke connected his lips with Y/n’s, “We could get some rest if you want.”

“That sounds nice,” it did, though, she was overwhelmed with the need to prove  to herself that she could be with Luke and enjoy it the way she did before. He was good in bed, unless she was comparing him to Keanu, next to him, Luke was at best ‘pretty okay.’ But just a month before, he could make Y/n see stars; he was the kind of lover that put her needs before his own, sweet and attentive. In their year together, he’d never dared to be rough with her, simply preferring to guide her body to sweet release. Nothing like Keanu, who’d certainly proven that he could take control in the kind of way that shattered her world.

Y/n had like it more that she wanted to admit. She had always been too coy to ask Luke to roughhouse her anyway.

“But we could do something else, I mean, we haven’t seen each other in months,” slowly, she peppered kisses on his neck, teasingly nipping at his pulse point, “What do you think baby?” Her voice was low and husky and as arousal started trickling to her core, Y/n tried to push Keanu out of her mind.

“I think.....” Luke trailed off when one of her hands slid to his crotch, palming him through his jeans, groaning quietly when she started rubbing, “I think we should go to your room.”

“Good choice,” Y/n smirked, pulling away seductively, letting him follow a pace behind her, undoing the knot of her robe and letting the fabric slide down her shoulder and onto the ground just before pushing the door open.

Keanu played around with his phone for a while; responding to texts, reading emails and everything in between as he awaited Y/n at the table he’d gotten for them. His foot tapped impatiently and to say he was nervous wouldn’t be completely wrong, though, he would prefer something along the lines of ‘concerned’. He wasn’t really sure how they were supposed to act around each other given recent events. Sure, they could try to go back to the way things were before, but Keanu was almost certain that that was the reason the had ended up in bed in the first place. Friends shouldn’t be that comfortable with each other; goodbye kisses shouldn't have been that close to their lips, he shouldn’t know what it was like to have her head on his shoulder or what it was like to lay in her lap or have her fingers through his hair. 

That was the problem. Too close, too fast.

But there was no use dwelling, especially when they were trying to move past it. Sighing, Keanu put his phone down, grabbing his iced tea and taking a long sip, hoping to clear his head before Y/n could get there. Speaking of, he briefly glanced at his watch; she was late, which was completely unlike her. Keanu had considered calling or texting, but ended up deciding against it; it was just fifteen minutes anyway.

Just as he replaced his glass though, Y/n came through the open doorway, lighting up at the sight of him. She looked exquisite, though Keanu wished he hadn’t noticed. Her plum dress was short, exposing her smooth legs and the chiffon ruffles falling from the neckline left the slightest bit of her cleavage on display.

Much to Keanu’s surprise, Y/n had brought someone along, a tall man with tousled blond hair and bone structure so sharp that it could probably cut paper. Keanu supposed, that to the female gaze, the man was conventionally attractive and he quickly deduced that he must be the infamous Luke. Thankfully, the hotel’s restaurant only had tables that seated three or more.

As they drew closer, Keanu stood, stepping out to meet them at the table, “Y/n,” he grinned, letting her initiate a hug just after pecking his cheek, “Hey.”

“Hi,” she beamed, though, the expression wavered when they pulled apart and she motioned to her companion, “Keanu, this is Luke. Luke, this is my friend Keanu.”

“Great to meet you,” their hands connected with a friendly smack and Keanu wasn’t sure who was trying to firmer the other’s grip. It shouldn’t have been a competition, that wasn’t a pissing contest. Still, Keanu felt the surge of testosterone, encouraging him to stand straighter, feeling a little triumphant when he found that he was a couple inches taller than Luke. 

“Likewise,” Keanu smiled tightly, “I’ve heard a lot about you,” they gripped each other’s hands for a moment, and out of the corner of his eye, Keanu saw that Y/n was eyeing them skeptically. Keanu was the one to eventually pull away, suggesting that they sit, “You look beautiful, Y/n,” smiling at how she ducked, blushing. 

Luke pulled out her chair first before getting seated next to her, his arm draping over the back of Y/n’s seat, “Thanks,” she seemed uncomfortable, and Keanu knew that he couldn’t begin to imagine how unsettling the situation must be for her; sitting at a table with her boyfriend, who wasn’t really her boyfriend, and the man who she’d cheated on him with. “It was a gift, from Luke’s mother.”

And it just got more awkward.

At that, Luke chuckled, “Yeah, mom’s been dying to get her hands on Y/n as a brand ambassador. Can’t blame her though, Y/n/n looks amazing in everything,” quickly, he pressed a chaste kiss to the top of her head. Y/n’s gaze just held Keanu’s and beneath her pseudo-happiness, he could see the guilt, fighting to break through. 

“You know I try to stay away from that kind of stuff,” Y/n breathed, deciding that it was time to change the subject, “Why don’t we order?”

“Sure,” the rest of brunch went by uneventfully, though riddled with awkward tension; conversations were minimal and tense and the one time that Y/n and Keanu reached for the same thing, they both sprang back when their fingers brushed, apologizing profusely.

When it was over, they both breathed a sigh of relief, though, it was short lived because when the check came, before Y/n could even lean forward to pick it up, both Keanu and Luke scrambled to get it, “I should get it, since I intruded on your plans,” Luke chuckled, though anyone could hear the malicious under tones.

“No, I insist,” Keanu argued, gritting his teeth, his hold on the end nearest to him firm and warning, “You’re our guest, it would be rude me to let you pay.”

Lightly, Luke tugged on the little black, “It would be rude of you to reject my offer to pay.”

“I made the reservation, so I should pay,” Keanu tugged a little harder, his platinum card already in his free hand, “Give me the check,” he warned, a little sterner than warranted.  

It was a war of glares and Y/n’s worry continuously grew as she watched it unfolded. Worrying on her lower lip, she hoped that it wouldn’t escalate, quickly deciding that it wouldn’t be wise to wait it out. Discreetly, she reached into her little handbag, getting out her own card, before reaching out and wrestling the leather envelope from their hands, “I’ll get it,” she smiled tightly, and when they went to argue she stopped them, already taking it and signing the bottom of the bill and sending it off with her card, “I insist.”

Keanu had made up some excuse of having an errand to run, just so he wouldn’t have to ride up in the elevator with them. Y/n couldn’t blame him and she was actually grateful; you could cut the tension between the three with a knife. Luke and Keanu clearly didn’t like each other and worse yet, Luke could readily see that things between Keanu weren’t as platonic as she’d led him to believe. 

The minute the were in the room, Y/n kicked off her heels and before he made a move to do anything else, Luke confronted her, “Is there something going on between you two?”

Not knowing how else to deflect, Y/n feigned ignorance. Frowning, she furrowed her brows, “Me and who?”

Luke folded his arms, leaning against the wall that brought the foyer out to the living room. Sighing, Y/n backed into the back of the sofa, planting her hands on either side of herself as she half-sat , “You know I’m talking about Keanu. I saw you two, you still want to go with the ‘just friends’ excuse?”

Rolling her eyes, Y/n scoffed, “It’s not an excuse,” she moistened her lips, knowing full and well that she was probably about to start a fight. Luke wasn’t wrong when he noticed something between her and Keanu, but she was far from willing to admit it. “Keanu is a friend, why are you making such a big deal of this?”

“I’m not making-” Luke cut himself off, hitting his fist with his thigh, “I know what you’re doing,” he accused, “And it’s not gonna work this time.”

“What am I doing Luke?” She raised her brows questioningly, continuing calmly, “Cause I’m not the one throwing around accusations.”

Exasperated, he pushed off the wall, walking to the other side of the room. They didn’t fight often; Y/n was always willing to apologize just to avoid a spat and Luke was always excusing her behavior. “But you’re the one in Chicago with a fucking movie star, having dinner with him almost every night, hanging out with him on weekends. God, said you fell asleep in his room,” he scrubbed his hands over his face, raking his short nails over his five o’clock shadow. Y/n could see the tension in his shoulders, the bulging veins in his arms and on his forehead. It was like he already knew and was just waiting for her to admit the truth, “Just tell me the truth.”

Just tell him the truth.

Y/n knew she should have, he already suspected it anyway. But she couldn’t do it, maybe it was stubbornness, maybe it was cowardice. Y/n couldn’t hurt him like that and she couldn’t admit that she was the kind of person who would destroy a good thing because she couldn’t keep her pants on. Blinking slowly, Y/n approached Luke, tentatively resting her hands on his biceps, “There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Keanu. He’s just a friend. You know how it is,” she reassured, lifting one hand to cup his cheek, “We’re working together almost everyday, and he’s helped me a lot with Jackson, he’s just a really good friend.”

Inhaling deeply, Luke closed his eyes for a minute, his hands finding her waist. When he reopened them, his hazel orbs were glassy and Y/n anticipated what was coming next, “I saw the way he looked at you, the way you looked at him, and Y/n, you,” his voice broke, “You’ve been my world for the past year, and you won’t even call me your boyfriend.”

“Luke,” Y/n reasoned, “You know-”

“Labels don’t matter to you, I know,” he bowed his head, “But they matter to me. I want people to know that we’re a couple, cause I’m proud of you, cause I’m in love with you, even though I’m pretty sure you don’t feel the same.”

“You know that’s not true,” she frowned, sullen;  Y/n had done the one thing she’d been avoiding.

“Then why haven’t you said it back?” Luke pulled away, putting some space between them and Y/n scoffed, defeated. With slumped shoulders and teary eyes, she watched as he picked up his bag, throwing it over his shoulder, “Maybe we should take a break.”

Y/n wasn’t sure what she was feeling; relief because it was over or dismay because the last year of her life was crumbling. She cared about Luke, she really did, maybe she wasn’t in love with him, but she did care. And now he was leaving, because he’d given her his best and she couldn’t even call him her boyfriend. Seeing him like that hurt, the way he fought tears and avoided her gaze, the way he was headed towards the door, without another word. “Luke,” she followed him hurriedly, “Don’t go.”

“Why?” His voice rose as he wretched his hand out of Y/n’s grasp. Sniffling, he blinked quickly, “Say it back, or something, anything that’ll convince me that I’m as important to you as you are to me.”

“I.....” what could she say? What was there to say? 

Nodding slowly when she couldn’t offer up anything else, Luke turned the knob, pulling the door open.

“You’re breaking up with me?” It sounded like a question, but Y/n hadn’t meant it to be. It was more of a realization, a painful one. The scene was reminiscent of one she could recall from her childhood, when her father had left their family’s home the same way Luke was leaving then. Back then ache the was tripled, watching her father, her idol, walk away from her mother was one of the most painful things she’d ever witnessed, and from then on, Y/n had vowed that she’d never hurt someone like that. But there she was, doing it. 

As always, he put her feelings before his, though, it was different that day. It was like he was trying to let her down easy, “I’m leaving,” he corrected, “Because I think we both need some time apart to think, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about you Y/n.”

With that, he was walking towards the elevator, hand in his pocket and head down. When Luke was out of sight, Y/n closed the door, turning to lean against it, planting her face in her hands, sobbing quietly.

There was only one person that Y/n wanted to talk to after that. Maybe she’d call him later. 

*****

Tagging- @harrisongslimited  @paanchu786  @babygirltaina @fanficsrusz  @ladyreapermc  @fickensteinn  @thesadvampire  @septimaseverina​

[koala-soap]

Content In Your Presence

Chapter Two

Pairing Foreign Reader X Japanese Shouto Todoroki

Summary Moving to Japan seemed like the only option left open to you, to escape your rapidly increasing problems that latched themselves onto your life back in Australia. As if to cut it off, wipe everything off the table, and have some sort of a new start for yourself, despite the guilt that stuck to you like rust.

Through getting lost at airports, loosing luggage and being surrounded by a foreign language, moving to Japan managed to weasel it’s way into being the best decision of your life, thanks to someone you met on the balcony next to you: a sweetheart called Shouto Todoroki.

A lovely story about a foreigner falling in love with a Japanese sweet heart, and all your adventures and mishaps together.

。。。。

For the first few seconds after opening your mucky eyes against the sun, you had expected to see a different sight. The sight of a cup of water your mother had placed on your wooden side table that was worn with age, the ceiling fan busy whirring away above your head, photo frames with smiling faces behind the glass, or even just your own quilt and cookie crumb stained pillow. Instead you are met with an empty room sealed in with bleach white walls, and a shiny wooden floor covered in the very few amount of belongings you had. The mattress you had layed awake staring at the roof at on and the thin sheet had shifted in your horrible sleep.

Those first few seconds of feeling at peace in your own bed were heaven, but were quickly obliterated to pieces. Sticky sweat that had sunk into your skin made you groan when you sat upwards, eyelids still reluctant to open up to your new life. Through the blurry slits, there was your digital clock reading the time with its horrendously dim light. "Holy hell... Ten?"

The tired legs that struggled to pick you up out of bed were now carelessly stumbling into crinkled jeans, and the sweaty top you woke up in was now forgotten in the corner of the room, balled up and lonely. A few small jumps were able to get the tight pants fully over your waist, and you swiftly grabbed the sheer yellow top you had seen laying on the floor to fling it over your head. The messy head of hair that decided to get all fluffy in your sleep was none of your concern as of now, and instead just the painful growl that cried from your guts.

Now thinking of it, the last time you'd eaten was on the plane ride, over twenty hours ago.

Your feet barely lift off the ground when you tiredly trudge down the hallway, and stop in front of the pantry. It creaks when it's opened, revealing absolutely nothing to you since you hadn't gone shopping yet. Just a lonesome, half eaten bag of stale chips laid in the bin, greasy finger prints still all over it from the Japan airport. It read ' しお ばくだん！[ Salt Bomb ! ] ' in huge bold letters from where it poked out the trash can.

Having that less that appetizing option the only thing left to eat in the house, you decided that maybe it was time you left the apartment to get some fresh air in your lungs, and not just Luke-warm air produced by your teeny plastic fan.

You had realized the small bakery was much more cuter in person than the pictures on your phone when you finally finished walking there, and you stood in front of it, one hand gripped onto your backpack's strap. Around you were a significant amount of people casually walking by, each minding their own business in the huge city of Tokyo. There were small cars that smoothly zoomed across the clean roads, and tall buildings that sat against the footpaths lined with bright plants and trees. When you first stepped out into the street without your four suitcases and a bunch of fatigue, you took it in properly and realized it really was beautiful.

" すみません。。[ Excuse me.. ] " The polite voice of a young woman fiddling with her apron's strings caused you to flinch your eyes to your side, and she smiled and shifted past you before you had the chance to speak. So far, even the people were different to the ones back home in Australia. Quiet and extremely polite: both things you hadn't seen out of someone in a long-ass time.

The lady managed to tie her apron's ropes behind her back and swiftly swung around the bakery's long counter with glass cases full of adorable baked goods and sweets. Some of the rolls were shaped like a small bear, matching their small, cheery mascot cartoon on the signs hung up around the place.

When you walked inside, the smell of sugar and custard got even stronger. " おはよ。。。あ、その クロワッサン、 ください。 [ Morning.. Uh, that croissant, please .] "

Another woman appeared from behind the small door guarding the kitchen, flour prints all over her apron. She nodded at your friendly smile, as you watch her gently pick one up with tongs and hoped you didn't sound rude with your curt sentence. While you knew quite a little bit of Japanese, nerves where still present since you were surrounded by native speakers.

" ここ に！ ぜんぶです か？ [ Here! Is that all? ] " A brown paper bag with a cheerful bear printed onto it was handed to you, and taking it, you nodded.

" うん、ありがとうございます。[ Mhm, thank you . ] "

The detailed metal chair sat coldly under your butt, and clanged against the concrete when you scooted yourself into the glass table. You had chosen a seat outside the bakery, to get a look at the bright blue sky and have the sun hug your skin for once, and to be frank, the breeze was just perfect. So was the croissant that you got, and it was borderline divine. For a good two minutes, you sat marveling in the breakfast in your hands, and the wonderful city around you. It really was surreal sitting in the middle of the bustling streets of Japan, like a tiny fish in a big, big pond.

Once the treat was reduced to crumbs and it sat comfortably in your full belly, you scrunched your paper bag up and placed it in the bakery's bin.

Behind the windows, there was an elderly woman with jet black hair pulled into an un-bothered bun, creased hands reaching up over the pin board hung to the wall. Once her piece of paper was successfully pinned to the board, her arms sunk back down and shakily picked up a mug set on a nearby table. Absentmindedly wiping your greasy hands against the shirt on your torso, your eyes caught the friendly nod and smile that she cast up at you, hobbling out with a pikachu mug in her hand full of bird seed.

Once the curiosity took over, you wandered over to the piece of paper, and let it slide between your hands.

' ていき-てきな しょくぶつ の きゅうすい-き を さがしています！

わたし は りょこう に いきますが、 わたし の しょくぶつ に みず を やる ひと が ひつようです 。 1-にち 20-どる を ていきょう する ひと に しはらいます。

いんたあねtと が きらいなので、-し を つかっています 👍 でんわ して ください！'

[ Looking for a regular person to water my plants !

I'm going on a trip, so I need someone to water my plants. I will pay whoever offers 20 dollars each day.

I hate the internet so I'm using paper 👍 Please call ! ]

。。。。

Once again the sun shone it's last minutes of golden orange rays over the city, until the sky darkened and the moon covered it in black ink. The air had a certain warmness drifting throughout that massaged Shouto's skin and he melted further into his outdoor couch's bouncy cushions. The usual mug of steaming tea sat loosely in his hands, eyes swaying between the sky's beautiful shining stars in countless intricate patterns. Soon enough, the smooth silence was interrupted by the sound of a glass door sliding open, and shoes shuffling down onto the paving. His head softly turned, an old lady sighing and stretching past the two lines of balcony railings.

She's greeted by the young man, bends over with her pikachu cup, one hand supporting her on a wrinkly knee. " ばけつ を すすりなき はじめた かた が いい よ��りょこう に いきます。 [ You'd better start crying buckets, my boy ! I'm going on a trip. ] "

" りょこう ? [ Trip ? ] "

" うん。 まご お ほうもん する ひつよう が あります。[ Yeah, I need to go visit my grandson . ] " Bird seed fell from the bright mug, and clinked against the bottom of the old metal bird feeder.

"ああ、どれくらい いく の？ [ Oh, I see. How long are you gonna be gone for ? ] "

" お、ただ の しゅうまつ。だれか に しょくぶつ の みずやり お して もらいました。[ Oh, just a weekend. I got someone to water my plants ] "

。。。。

Somewhere a few streets away, artificial light was cast out from your phone and lit up the bottom half of your already glowing face. A quaint smile greeted your phone that was held tightly in excited hands, mind buzzing like that of a puppy's when the new message popped up below the others. A message from the sweet old woman you talked to stared back at you, telling you that you now had a temporary job to busy yourself with.

[theboyz-engup]

Fireproof - Haknyeon Birthday One Shot

Summary: time travel isn’t real; it’s something Haknyeon knows for a fact. Although, I guess, meeting you does change things slightly. 

Pairing: Haknyeon x Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Haknyeon turned the stone in his hand over and over, feeling the rounded edges slide over the cracks in his hands and the calluses on his palms. It was the only thing he felt against his skin, the wind nipping at his cheeks and filling his jacket with air just a passing thought. It felt helpless to be back here, knowing you could never come back. Yet, here he was. The sea water rushed salt through the air, so far that he could even smell it from here, a cliff that lined the highway and separated the city from the ocean. To his back, there were skyscrapers and streetcars that scuttled downtown, taking people to and from their homes. As far as Hak could see though, right in front of him, dripping in pink and blue pastels, the whole world unfolded in front of him. He wondered where you were right then, if you were looking at the water moving so carefully even though night was coming and thinking of him too. He couldn’t dream of a time where he wouldn’t be thinking of you.

“Hey, you!”

You shouted at him just as a large yellow frisbee came to rest at Haknyeon’s feet. He was just finished checking the time, standing there, hands in his jeans and looking over the sea. It was weird that he just turned eighteen and the only thing he wanted to do was be alone. There weren’t many people that dared to go here, not in the beginning of March when snow still fell in the colder parts of the earth. It was the perfect place to just think, grab the car keys and just fly somewhere else where he could spend the closing hours of his day listening to nothing but the shore.

It seemed other people had the idea as well though, seeing as being alone was proving to be genuinely difficult at this spot. People stopped and asked him directions, or honked because his car was in the way- which it was not, Haknyeon would like to say. Now, there was you and this stupidly bright yellow frisbee.

“Can you throw it back to me?” You looked so tired, panting a bit as you slowed your run down the side of the road. Coming to a slight stop, you bent over to rest your hands on your knees and take a breath. Haknyeon nearly smiled, watching you struggle with what must’ve been a short run. The wind was carrying towards the sea.

Bending to pick it up, Haknyeon shook his head, only outstretching his arm. You looked entirely upset, sighing and jogging down to meet him. Your nails, which were also painted a bright yellow, were chipped but long enough to make a sound as you gripped at the plastic, saying a brief thank you.

“You’re lucky it landed here,” Haknyeon murmured just above the sounds of water and wind, turning back to watch the sun set slowly. It rested like a cloth atop water, not yet damp enough to sink but barely staying afloat. “It could’ve been carried out to the beach or the water.”

“That would’ve been a long run,” you stated plainly, either unsure of what to say or seriously meaning to be so flat. Haknyeon thought it was funny, smiling slightly as his hair got pushed closer and closer to his eyes.

He expected you to walk away, which you started to do. Your feet crunched in the gravel beside the road, growing further away before stopping. Then, they came back and you stood beside him.

“Can I ask a weird question?”

Haknyeon nodded, desperately wanting to steal a glance at you but not risking it. Not yet, at least.

“What’s your name?”

He blinked hard, head flipping to meet your eyes. They were so warm. “What?”

“Nice to meet you, What,” you grinned, extending your hand, “I’m y/n.”

It was the first birthday you spent with him. After correcting himself about his name, he slid into conversations so easily with you. You made him play with the frisbee until the sun fell away and then, you fell away. He looked back as he went running to get the frisbee off the ground, laughing about something stupid you said only to realize he didn’t hear you laughing with him. It was a sound he grew accustomed to in such a short time that not hearing it made his heart stop. Not seeing you made his blood turn cold. Had he just imagined you?

The thought did pass by his mind over and over for the next few days, which were filled with his friends and all the dumb things they liked to say. Jaehyun tilted his chin from his phone one night in their dorm, coming oddly close and narrowing his eyes.

“Why are you so mopey?”

Haknyeon just gave his friend a light push, not feeling in the mood to talk about it but not wanting to be mean. “I’m not.”

Rubbing at the place where Hak’s hands fell teasingly, Jae pouted. “So mean.”

He hardly caught a break from work until the following weekend and so, he went back to his spot with your frisbee in hand in hopes of seeing you again. As he rounded the bend, he saw you sitting with your knees against your chest and arms wrapped around your legs. Your head rested between the pillars of your legs, eyes focusing to intently on the water that he hated to pull up his car beside you.

“Hey, Haknyeon.” You didn’t even have to look, keeping your gaze on the setting sun. Your hair looked wild like this and the wind was blowing harder than the night you first met. How you were only wearing a thin coat was beyond him, seeing as he was wearing three layers and a windbreaker on top and still shivering. Yet, he sat down beside you on the gravel and copied the way you were sitting. Only, in one hand, he held your frisbee.

“How’d you know it was me?”

Your eyes seemed to twinkle, like you had a million secrets hidden in them. Face turning to look at him, you fixed him so well to his place. Unsurprisingly, you brought your index to your lips, pressed them out, and whispered, “secret.”

Haknyeon simply made sound, smiling in return. You enthralled him, pulling him in with every look you gave. Your skin under the burning sun was deep, different shades coming through to make up you.

“I kept this for you,” he said, trying to think of other things to say so he didn’t start talking about something embarrassing, as he tended to do around people like you. He extended his hand, letting the plastic tap against your leg. With a slight smile, you took it lightly.

“How’d you know you’d see me again?” The question wasn’t meant to be mean but Haknyeon felt as if it was a test. You unfolded your legs, wincing the slightest bit as you extended your left leg and rubbed at your knee.

“I didn’t, I just thought…” and he trailed off, distracted by the way you were scrunching your face up as you massaged the spot around both your knees now. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just fell from really freaking high this time,” you mumbled, frowning a bit before urging him on with, “you just thought?”

“What? O-oh, I don’t know,” Haknyeon thought, turning his gaze to the setting sun to find an answer. Funnily enough, something that can’t talk can’t provide answers either, even if it will burn your eyes to look at for a while.

“I just wanted to see you again,” he admitted softly and, as if in time, the wind slowed down so the air was so still, “it didn’t matter if you never showed up because at least I tried.”

A car drove by behind you, rounding the bend slowly to mind for Haknyeon’s car. He turned his head to keep an eye on it, the rusting old tin can meaning a lot to him. Your eyes were on him the second he turned his face from you and he thought that was funny. Both of you were too scared to really be with each other.

“What are you smiling at?” you asked carefully, like you were holding something back.

“What are you staring at?”

The pink sun hit your cheeks then, forcing your eyes open wide. The second your gazes met, you turned your head back out to the sea and held your lips in from smiling. Your legs were brought back in, knees pressed up against your cheeks now.

“Can I tell you a secret, Haknyeon?” This was asked with even more care. He could see inside your head that you were walking on eggshells- that you were scared. With his eyebrows furrowed, he nodded and moved, turning to face you.

“I can move through time,” you whispered, “but I can’t control when or where. All I can do is just feel it coming. I feel it coming now.”

Haknyeon stayed silent for a beat before chuckling a bit and shaking his head. “You’re kidding, right?” More laughs slipped passed his parted lips, somehow thinking this was just a ridiculous joke you’d get around to finishing.

Your face was rather somber though, eyes now searching his face for something but not being able to find it. Giving in, you managed, “please close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Please,” you begged, raising your voice a bit. It caught him off guard but he agreed. Your hand slipped into his and you held it tighter than he expected. He nearly opened his eyes again but you protested, your other hand coming forwards and pressing over his face.

“Please just don’t- don’t open them again until you can’t feel my hand in yours again. Please.”

There was something so urgent in your voice that he was scared now too. What were you saying? He couldn’t begin to wrap his head around your thoughts and your little joke until he felt your grip loosening. Or was it-?

A panic set into his bones when he realized it wasn’t your grip loosening that he was feeling but more so a lack of your skin. He could close his hand around the same amount of space and feel something resisting but it just felt like air, like a bubble he couldn’t pop. Then nothing. He squeezed his hand again and he was just touching his own hand.

Blinking his eyes open, he couldn’t see a trace of you. Not even a strand of your hair on his clothes or your frisbee even. You’d taken everything with you. How did you run away like that? How did you do any of that?

Haknyeon got up from his seat in a rush, turning around in his spot to try and look for you. Surely you were just behind a tree or his car. You were going to come out and say boo and laugh. It was going to be a joke. He thought that until it wasn’t. The sun dipped so far down that he couldn’t see his own feet as they walked towards his car to rest inside, away from the cold. He sat at the head of the car just staring at nothing, his lights turned on and illuminating the road only. It felt like a daze; he wanted it to be a joke but you never reappeared and your hands. Why did they feel like that? Why did it feel like you were coming apart like flakes?

His heart in his throat, Haknyeon drove all the way home. He couldn’t sleep that night.

You reappeared a lot, it seemed. Most of the time, Haknyeon could find you by the water, where he first met you, just staring out. It was like you were waiting for him and you knew exactly when he would come. The same greeting came through your lips as his car parked and he climbed out to ask you so many questions. You were so patient. The first day he saw you, he ran out of his car, groceries in the backseat. He didn’t even lock it, he just came and stood beside you, looking down absolutely incredulous.

“What are you- what- I- who even? I’m-”

Hearing himself, he probably would’ve laughed too. You looked so calm, patting the ground beside you and telling him to sit down. You’d tell him everything, you said, and you promised it too.

“Just calm down, and one question at a time.”

So, he started with the basics.

“Are you human?”

“Yes.”

With a beat, he thought. Then, quickly, “why can you time jump then?”

“I don’t know why exactly,” you admitted, pulling in your bottom lip and chewing on it. Just as he thought you weren’t going to continue, you tugged at the collar of your sweater and showed him what looked like a moving circle. It flowed like waves, just below your collarbone. “I suspect it’s got something to do with this, though.”

He sat down now, dust drifting up from the ground around him and moving out in a light puff. You went to face him, pressing your knees against his once you crossed your legs as well.

“Anything else?”

He nodded, not knowing whether or not to believe you but needing to ask his questions nonetheless. It would make you more human and make him feel less weird- less jumbled up on the inside for wanting someone who drifted away like flower petals picked from the stem.

There were so many question-answer sessions you bore through, so calm and careful. Some questions ended openly, like who your parents were. You admitted you didn’t really remember them or what time you came from, not really, but you wanted to know. He didn’t push you further than that but you did like talking about the colour white.

“I’m sure we lived by the sea,” you mentioned to him one of the other times you came back to him, “because I remember staring out at it a lot when I was younger. I liked the foam because it reminded me of my mom’s hair.”

“Do you want white hair too?” he asked, teasing. You only shoved the street food he’d given you into his mouth and walked off ahead of him into the busy city. He grinned, biting down on the ball and lifting his free hand up to grab the end of the stick. You liked these fried cheese balls a lot, you wouldn’t give them up so easily.

Other questions ended with definitive answers. You were never going to be able to control your power, it was fact. You made the reference that you were like water and that wasn’t going to change.

“I flow like the sea, in and out. When I go out, there’s no knowing how far I’ll go before I come back in.”

“You seem to come back here a lot,” he pointed out, giving you a pointed look from his position in the driver’s seat. You shrugged, feet up on the dashboard and window wide open. The wind blew right in your face but you smiled so deeply when you closed your eyes, just feeling the way the air brushed against your skin enough to make you happy.

“I think I like it here,” you murmured finally, hand resting in the space between his seat and yours. For the first time, he took it and prayed you wouldn’t go away. That night, you didn’t break apart.

“What’s the longest you’ve ever stayed one place?”

“Oh my god,” you exclaimed, suddenly excited, “I was once in Ancient Egypt for a week and that was so freaking cool!”

You were on your hands and knees on his bed, facing him as he played a video game absentmindedly. Sitting up further, Haknyeon narrowed his eyes, having to pause his game as he counted the days you’d been with him.

“But you’ve been here for more than a week,” he noted, fixing you with a curious look. Leaning back and sitting on your legs, your lips pouted outwards.

“Then I guess this is the longest I’ve stayed anywhere.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Excluding the time from when I was born to when I first jumped, this is the longest I’ve been anywhere.”

Haknyeon felt as if what he was hearing wasn’t real. He couldn’t imagine that, how lonely it must be to never feel like you belong or to just make temporary friends. A person without a home isn’t a person. It’s a saying he strongly believed and yet, there you were, sitting in front of him with the softest smile on your lips.

“Y/n, I don’t know why you’re staying for so long but- but please don’t go.” He’d never heard himself sound this desperate; but there he was. He never wanted to let you go. You disappearing again would make his heart so heavy.

But you did. You couldn’t control it and he couldn’t ground you here, no matter how much he tried. Only, this time, you didn’t come back for a very long time. In a way, it was good. He could focus on work. He was becoming a better dancer and all. His vocals were becoming more stable. He was proud of himself but you weren’t there to see it. You didn’t come back until his next birthday, where you showed up looking just the same as you did when you left. Your hands held two bags full of ingredients and you smiled, holding them up.

“I hope you still like chocolate chip muffins because that’s all I planned for.”

The hug he pressed into your skin was enough for him to remember for years to come. Your arms were soft around him, like he was holding a body made of air. He didn’t care though. You were back and it was all he needed.

The members took to you well enough, laughing at you as you pouted at all the burnt muffins.

“But I’ve made them before and… and this didn’t happen.” You looked devastated, staring at all the wasted flour and ingredients. Sunwoo came and patted your back, nodding.

“Are you sure they were good muffins?”

From behind you, Changmin chimed, “hey i found a good one!”

Using it to blow out his candle and cutting it into 13 very small pieces made you happy. It was one of the best birthdays Haknyeon could remember.

As he walked you out, knowing the members would never condone you staying over because of management, he decided to try his luck. Confidently, Haknyeon murmured, “please close your eyes, y/n.”

The request caught you off guard and you looked up at him, eyes wide. Almost immediately, you did as you were told, though you questioned it. He didn’t give much of an answer and suddenly, he was so nervous. This didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like him.

“Okay, I’m sorry, you can open your eyes,” he managed, trying to hold back his tongue from rambling. The touch of your hand against his as you pulled him closer made him loose his lips instantly.

“I- I couldn’t do it. I was doing to do some dumb romantic shit and kiss you and whatever but then I thought like do you even want to kiss me? What if I just kiss you without consent, is that even okay? Then you’d be caught off guard and I don’t want to surprise you or scare you or anything because that would be super awkward.”

The smile that grew on your lips was so irresistible and he could feel himself laughing at you laughing at him. That didn’t stop him from saying all too much at once, mouth working at double speed as he said, “and now I guess I’m making it more awkward, wow, I hate this but you’re smiling and I- I just- hi, my name is Haknyeon, do you want to kiss me?”

“Of course I do,” you hummed, waiting just a split second before finally, your lips touched his. He felt like he’d never felt before. It was something so unexplainable- you were inexplicable. Somewhere between real and unreal, you rested in the space between his arms and held on so tight.

Your fingers left real traces in his hair. He could feel you everywhere now, in the air around him and the skin that pressed against the back of his neck. Like flower petals, you began to fall away all at once. He heard you say his name one last time and he tried so hard. He tried so fucking hard to hold onto you and let you not slip away. Not this time just god, please, don’t take you away from him.

Lips that left the taste of cherries on his were no longer there and, when he opened his eyes, there was nothing left. Your boots were gone, your smile was gone, you were gone; and in that moment, he hated himself. He hated himself for falling in love with someone who was the tide, and could pull away at any moment.

Turning over the rock again, Haknyeon frowned. It had been two years since then and you still hadn’t come back. Why didn’t you come back? Feeling the water that dripped from one side of his eye, he quickly rubbed at his cheeks and huffed. Every year he came back here on his birthday. This was where he went to be alone and now, he never could be. You’d always be here, wouldn’t you? In some way or another, you’d be here. If only he could hear you now or just see you, hold your hands again and give you anything you wanted- anything to make you stay.

Just as he was about to turn away, he heard something and stopped. His heart was in his throat. Was it-?

Then, it came again. You came again.

“Hey, Haknyeon.”

Your smile was the softest it’d ever been.