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xpeachesncream · 4 years ago

Text

acquainted | four

> series masterlist <

summary: the biggest goal of a grad student is to get through school in one piece - no petty drama involved, no sweating over the little things. however, that plan almost always never follows through. sometimes, you can’t help but fall into the most unthinkable, unexpected traps and learn the hard way. like, exhibit a: being unable to resist your engaged, substitute teacher, kim seokjin.

pairing: (2nd bts member to be revealed) x reader x engaged!teacher!seokjin

genre: grad school au, student life au | fluff, angst, smut (to come)

words: 4.2k

warnings: implied sexual content, your friends are still extra, cussing / mature language, relationship issues, angst, making out, slight dry humping, you actually act on your hoe-ish thoughts because seokjinnie keeps testing you??

notes: 2nd member involved in this love triangle will be revealed next chapter and it’s actually gonna start getting messy. are you with me? 😈

tags: @laurynne5 @yiyi4657 @miinoongi @teamtardis-notdead @bluesharksandfish @photographic-girl (pls msg me if you would like to be added to the taglist!)

A couple of days have passed and you were only getting more giddy as time passes. It sounds stupid as hell, and sometimes you can't help but curse yourself for having a crush on someone so unattainable. The thrill, though, is what excites you, and knowing that there's a possibility Jin may reciprocate the same feelings. Since he had placed his number in your phone, he had sent you random, occasional 'have a good day!' texts and smiley faces. Maybe it didn't help that he was only fueling the fire by sending you texts like this. You couldn't help but ponder on the thought that you had crossed his mind from time to time, and that my friends, was fucking attractive.

"Her head game was on point." Taehyung smirked and leaned back in his chair, making Ryujin roll her eyes at him.

"You're sick, no one asked about your night."

"Why do you sound so mad, sweetie?" He leaned closer to her.

"I'm not mad." She scooted her chair away from him. "Can you believe this right now?" She shot you a look, but you were too busy texting on your phone, responding to the messages you couldn't get to earlier.

[jin] 3:05pm: I hope your day has been treating you well. See you soon?

[y/n] 5:37pm: Been a little busy, but hasn't been bad. :) Excited for class!

You laughed at yourself because who even says 'Excited for class' like that? You were really playing yourself right now.

"Earth to Mr. Kim's mistress?" You shot Taehyung a look and immediately shoved his face away.

"Jeez, you've been glued to your phone so much lately. Did you find new dick, or something?" Ryujin asked as she rested her chin on the palm of her hand.

"No, god. I've just been trying to keep myself occupied." She shrugs and doesn't press any further. Thank god, because you hadn't told any of your friends how Jin comforted you that evening and how he had given you his personal number just to check in every now and then. You didn't plan on telling them anytime soon, only because they'd be dramatic about it and you didn't have the energy to calm the chaos that would ensue.

"Speaking of - have you guys started the assignment due next week for Mr. Kim's class?" Jimin kept his eyes on the work in front of him.

"No. I'll probably do that the day of." Taehyung says as he texts on his phone.

"I was going to ask him for help later."

"Were you now?" Jimin rose his eyebrow, shooting you a look.

"Yes, and it's only because I can't choose which topic to write about."

"Why don't you ask us?"

"Because this always ends up being an open-ended debate and the conversation ultimately ends with no decision made." Jimin nodded in agreement.

"Touché."

"Bat your eyelashes while you're at it, kay?" Ryujin giggles.

"You guys are free to join me."

"Mmm no thanks, I don't think I need any help right now." Jimin responds.

"Same. Besides, I'd rather not cockblock."

"Honestly so sick of you guys." You all end up packing your things to head to Jin's classroom, all four of you entering one by one and taking your seats near the front. Class goes by rather quickly, you and Jin stealing glances from time to time. Ryujin, Jimin and Taehyung offer to wait up for you near the library and you simply nod, letting them know you'll only take a quick minute to talk about the assignment. Once they've disappeared from the hallway corridor, you turn on your heels to make your way over to Jin at the front desk, where he's arranging his things and getting them together.

"Y/N, hey." He smiles at you, tilting his head to look at you from his stance. "What's up?"

"I uh, just wanted to ask for your opinion about the assignment. If.. you aren't busy?" He chuckled and shook his head.

"No, not at all. What's going on?"

"Well, I've just been having trouble deciding on a topic." You placed your things down.

"Alright, try me." He nods towards the whiteboard, signaling for you to scribble your ideas onto the board so he could help you map out your thoughts. You quietly walk over, grabbing the only black whiteboard marker available and start talking through your thoughts. He sits on the desk, arms crossed, watching you scribble on the board. He chimes in every now and then, either agreeing or disagreeing, and providing his honest opinion as to what might work best for the assignment.

"Mm, okay. I think that makes better sense." You step back and take a look at the things you've crossed out and circled, leaving you to finalize the topic for your assignment.

"Yeah, I think so." He stands and nods in agreement. You turn to look at him, only to realize how close in proximity your body was to his. His hands are tucked into his pockets while he looks down at you. Both of you don't move, regardless of how close you two are at the moment. You feel stuck, and the only option that crosses your mind is something you shouldn't even be thinking about. Yet, you still act on it. You find yourself on your tippy-toes laying a kiss on his plump lips, but you quickly pull away and gasp, realizing what you had done.

"I-I'm so sorry, I-" You stutter as you step back to try and quickly grab your things. "I gotta go." You dash out of the room, your heart beating through your chest. As soon as you were far as possible from his room, you slowed your pace to gather your breathing. You facepalmed so hard because what the fuck! You felt dumb as hell for acting the way you did, let alone for thinking his texts and all the attention even meant anything.

Way to fucking go, Y/N. You could feel how embarrassing next class will be already.

As soon as you spot your friends, you try to put on a smile and brush the thoughts out of your head when you see them waving you over. Jimin instantly throws his arm around your shoulder, helping you feel at ease as you momentarily forget about the events that just transpired.

"Ready? We're gonna go grab some pizza before heading home." You smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'm down."

Jin grabbed his things, feeling a little conflicted about what just happened. He knew this was something that shouldn't have happened, nor should it ever happen again. Yet, he wanted more of this feeling you gave him. He longed for it. He couldn't explain the feeling he got when he felt your lips against his, he just knew he was interested in more. It was bad as fuck, but it was the same thrill you felt that peeked his interest.

Jin pulled into the lot of him and Grace's house, seeing he was the first one home yet again. It wasn't a surprise to him anymore, and quite frankly, he was used to being home first all the time. It would have been a surprise if Grace was here before he was. Not gonna lie, after what happened, it makes him feel a little empty inside. He's starting to feel like he wanted more of you and to see you outside of campus grounds. He wanted your company and enjoyed your presence, inside of the classroom and even through simple things like text. It just made him happy, and like he was appreciated. Wanted.

Yeah, that quick. He was starting to crave you.

He kicked off his shoes by the door and changed into comfier clothes. He took some time to work out at their home gym before eating whatever leftovers were left in the fridge. He happily warms up his food and quickly gobbles it up, leaving the dishes in the sink for him to get to later. He hops into a hot, relaxing shower, letting the heat hit his back and relax him from all the stress he had been experiencing lately. It was so relaxing that he didn't even hear Grace shut their front door. He only found out he wasn't alone when he heard dishes being washed and slammed onto the dish rack and cabinet doors being slammed shut. He dried himself off a bit, before wrapping the towel around his waist and heading into the kitchen to see what the commotion was.

"Hey, you're home." He says with a smile on his face, but she continued to place dishes on the rack without looking at him.

"Yeah, and you couldn't even think to wash your dishes and clean up the kitchen?" His smile immediately turned into a frown when he realized Grace was far from being in a good mood. Over what? Dishes that he was eventually going to wash anyways?

"I was going to get to them."

"Jeez, Jin. I've had such a long day, the least you could do is help out and clean up after yourself." She glared at him.

"Woah, hey. I do my part around here. Just because I didn't do my dishes right away doesn't mean I don't do anything at all under this house."

"Hasn't seemed like it." She walked away, brushing him off completely. If it's one thing Jin could point out about his fiancé, it was the fact that she liked to project when she was upset. It was the one thing that drove him crazy, and the one thing he felt like couldn't be fixed. It was just in her nature, no matter how many times they've fought and argued about it. He tries to be patient and understanding. He tries to relate. Yes, I'm sorry you had a bad day. But just because you had a bad day, doesn't mean you bring the negative energy into this house.

"That's not fair, Grace."

"Grow up, Jin." She snapped as she headed upstairs. "I'm going up to pack and head to bed." He continued to watch her, appalled at the attitude she was throwing tonight. He really couldn't understand why this was happening over some dishes. He didn't wanna be here right now, and he wasn't going to deal with this shit. To be honest, he was feeling a little relieved knowing he'd get some space from her when she flies to New York for a week. She had some work to do for the opening of her restaurant down there, plus some related projects for her book.

He heads upstairs to throw on some jeans, a hoodie and a hat before passing Grace in their walk-in closet.

"Off for a drive again, huh?" She says as she keeps her eyes on the luggage laid out in front of her. It's sad that Grace knows what Jin does whenever he doesn't wanna deal with her attitude. But, no matter how many times he's tried to communicate and talk it out, it never mattered to her.

"Yeah, because it doesn't seem like you can communicate properly tonight."

"And how is a drive supposed to help?" She turns to look at him, but he doesn't say anything. She scoffs before returning her attention back to the clothes she was packing into her luggage. "Perfect. Run away from our issues, Jin. It's what you do best." He shook his head and sighed.

"I'm not doing this with you tonight, Grace. Not over some dishes that were eventually going to get washed and fixed." He walked out, but turned back on his heel to finish off his thoughts. "You know, I really wanted to have a nice night with you. Pop some wine and put on a movie, just to enjoy being in each other's presence since it feels like we haven't done that in a really long time. But, so be it." He threw his hands up in defeat and continued to walk out. He really did want to try, though. Part of him felt like he needed to because he was probably just longing for that attention from his fiancé, which is why he had been feeling the way he had been about you. Maybe it would have helped him brush it off like it was a silly, little crush. However, tonight just amplified those feelings he had for you and he wanted nothing more but to just see you and hear your voice.

He lowers the brim of his cap as he walks to his car, instantly starting it up and driving off. At first, he was conflicted. He wasn't sure if he was making the right decision or not, or if his judgment was cloudy. But something in him tweaked and made him say, fuck it. He was tired, and for once, he just wanted to feel wanted.

You sat on your living room floor, putting together a vision board for yourself. A ton of magazine cut outs and printouts laid alongside of you, waiting to be organized onto the small white board. You had been rearranging the layout for quite some time, feeling a little frustrated at the perfectionist in you. This definitely could have been quicker if you hadn't picked at the fine details too much. It was nearing 10:30pm; after you and your friends had ate pizza together, you all went your separate ways, tired from this week's events already. You especially didn't want to linger around, the thought of you kissing Jin in the classroom still haunting you. You felt your phone vibrating off to the side, signaling a call coming in.

Speak of the devil.

You hesitate, afraid that this had to do with what happened earlier and to be frank, you weren't sure if you were ready to deal with the repercussions just yet. The call ends, but a text notification pops up at the top of your screen.

[jin] 10:27pm: Are you free right now?

[y/n] 10:28pm: Sorry, yeah I am. What's up?

[jin] 10:29pm: Can we meet up?

You stare at your phone, unsure if you should take the opportunity to see him. It could mean a lot of things, or it could mean nothing. It could be about the kiss, or it couldn't be. But, you can't help but feel a little guilty that he had been there for you when you needed someone and here you were, contemplating if you should blow him off.

[y/n] 10:32pm: Sure. Is everything okay?

[jin] 10:32pm: I think, kind of just need some good company.

[y/n] 10:33pm: Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll come. Just let me know where.

You watch as he drops his location into the message, and it's not too far from where you live. You actually are quite familiar with the area to know that he's sending you up to a view that overlooks the Bay Bridge. You and your friends used to go there often during undergrad, just to eat edibles and eat hella junk food. Those were the days. You all quickly outgrew it though.

The drive up is a little scary, with only a few street lights posted as you drive up the hill. You catch a glimpse of Jin's car, being that he's already leaning against it, facing the view. You pull up into the empty spot next it, taking a deep breath and recollecting your thoughts before stepping out. Whatever it is, just be honest. That kiss was because you wanted to kiss him, but perhaps you misread the vibe about everything.

Not perhaps. You for sure misread the vibe about everything. He's fucking engaged. There was no way.

"I brought you brownie." Is the first thing you say as you hand him a ziploc with a huge brownie square. "There's no weed in it or anything, I promise it's clean." He chuckles as he takes it from you. "I just figured you could use a picker upper since you seemed like you might've need it."

"Thank you." His trunk had been open, so he takes a seat and invites you to sit next to him. You leave a bit of space just to be sure, since you already crossed your boundaries earlier and you weren't even sure how that was gonna play in to tonight.

"So, what's on your mind?" You dread asking him the question but you knew there was a reason he brought you out here.

"I, uh. Just had a pretty tough day and wanted to surround myself around good company." He turned to look at you.

"Oh, so I made the good company list?" You chuckle.

"Yeah, you did." He looks back out at the view. You examine him, his body language still a little tense from whatever he had just experienced.

"Was it Grace?" You ask softly and he nods in return.

"We've just been having issues. It's no biggie."

"No biggie, huh? Then why are we out here looking at the bay bridge?" He chuckles again. You think it's cute the way his dimples under his eyes pop out when he smiles and laughs.

"Touché. I mean, what if I just wanted to hang out with someone who could cheer me up?"

"Wow, then that's a lot of pressure on me." You laugh. "I can already tell something's wrong. You were there for me, so I just want you to know that I'm all ears." He sighed.

"It's kind of dumb? Maybe not? Me and Grace just haven't been the same for awhile now."

"How so?"

"We're just distant. We haven't done things together like we used to because we're both busy and so wrapped up with work."

"Jin." You smile shyly because this couldn't be a serious excuse. You always need to try and make things work! "You know being busy shouldn't be an excuse, right?"

"I know, I know." He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, it's difficult to explain. I question if we're still in love with each other or if we're just sticking to this because we're comfortable."

"Deep down, I know you still love and care for her."

"I do. It's been hard to show that these past months. I guess.. what I'm trying to say is that it's been easy to focus more on the negatives than the positives. There have been more negatives than positives."

"Why don't you sit her down and talk about this?"

"I can't. I try, but I really can't. She's always coming home in a nasty mood all the time."

"Well, she might have a lot to balance on her plate. Not everyone approaches things the same way and if you know Grace easily shuts people out when she's overwhelmed or stressed, then I think you just need to continue supporting her by simply being there for her."

"I know." He looks down at his hands.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just thinking. I hear you loud and clear though." He smiles at you toothlessly.

"Try talking to her. Work it out. I know she's important to you."

"She is but," He shakes his head once more. "I can't shake off this feeling."

"What feeling?"

"It's going to sound stupid."

"Nothing is ever stupid." He simply looked at you before responding.

"Earlier, in the classroom—" Fuck, you thought. You thought you had just gotten lucky tonight and that you both had put it past you so that you could move on without ever mentioning it. But half of you knew you'd still have to confront your mistake either way. Nothing was ever that easy.

"Jin, I'm so sorry, I didn't think about—"

"I didn't want you to stop." He spits out, causing you to stop mid-sentence. Your eyes widened after you had just registered what he had said. Was he fucking playing with you right now? This shit really couldn't be real.

"W-what?"

"I can't shake off this feeling because of you and as bad as it sounds, I really don't want that to go away."

"Jin." You say softly. "You should really work this out with Grace. This feeling is just temporary and you know it is because she's your fiancé. What happened earlier was a mistake and it shouldn't have happened." It kind of sucks, but it's true. You don't really know why you did what you did and what you wanted out of it. You knew what this would entail and it would be too messy. People would just end up getting hurt left and right. It would be a domino effect.

"Was it though?"

"I'm not trying to get in between you two." You beat around the bush with your response.

"Then, what did you want out of that earlier?" He stares at you. You can't help but feel yourself melt at the way he's eyeing you and the way he's actually teasing the fuck out of you with his piercing eyes.

"I don't know." He continues to stare, but this time his face is edging closer to yours.

"You can't even tell me straight up that it was nothing." He says, almost at a whisper. Your knees are starting to buckle beneath you and although you knew you needed to stop this, you couldn't see yourself doing it right at this moment.

"We shouldn't be doing this." You whisper, his lips inches away from yours at this point.

"Then why aren't you stopping me, Y/N?" No response. Before you knew it, your eyes were shut as your lips pressed against his. The feeling of his lips sent chills down your spine, his hand now tugging you closer to his body. You waste no time straddling his lap, deepening the kiss as your hands rest on his face and your hips grind against his. God, he was so fucking attractive and everything about him drove your ass crazy. You wanted him.

But you couldn't have him.

"Stop, stop." You edged your head back, reality settling in once his hands start to dip inside your sweats. "We really shouldn't be doing this." You climb off of him and gather your things.

"Y/N, wait."

"Jin." You turn to look at him. "Listen to me. We would never work."

"I wouldn't say never—"

"Look, this is already difficult as is and I'm trying really hard not to make this even more complicated for anyone. At the end of the day, you're still with Grace. You're still engaged to Grace." You emphasized. "I can't get in between you two, and I don't want to hurt her." How in the fuck did things escalate so quickly? How did we get here?

"I know that, and I know you don't. But you can't tell me that you didn't feel anything just now."

"I'm not saying that I didn't. I did, I-I do." You stuttered on your own words. "But I shouldn't be acting on it and neither should you. You should really focus on working things out in your relationship. I know deep down you love her and want to make this work."

"That's the thing, Y/N. I don't know how else I can make this work with her. I've ran out of options."

"Jin, you planned to marry her! You do understand that you can't just give up on someone like that, especially your future wife."

"As much as I appreciate this and understand where you're coming from, you don't know our relationship."

"I just don't want you to give up on her. I want you to try for her, not just because I told you so." He can see how serious things have turned, and he knew you were right. This would be complicated. But damn, was he undeniably attracted to you and he loved the feeling he got from all of this.

"I-" He sighs. "You make me feel things that I haven't felt in a long time."

"You have your life planned out already, and so does Grace. You obviously saw a life and a future with her, and that's what you should continue building. I don't even know how to get from point A to point B in life and I still have shit to learn. Like-like changing car lights or how to do a fucking oil change by myself! I'm a mess. I'm not the one you should be thinking about."

"I don't care about that." He spits out as he gently grabs your wrist and turns you to face him.

"Don't make this harder than it already is." With all this shit going on, you still found yourself wanting him the same way you did earlier. Looking at him made you want to do unspeakable things and it didn't help that he gave you the green light to do so.

The temptations.

"I'm not trying to."

"We should really keep our distance from each other, okay? You need to work things out and I'm going to give you the space to do so."

"Fuck, Y/N. I really don't want that."

"I'm sorry." You whisper as you break free from his grip and get back into your car. You hear him groan, causing you to cry to yourself as you drive off and get back home. One mistake turned everything upside down, and now everything was suddenly 10x more complicated than it ever was in the beginning. You couldn't help but curse yourself and blame yourself for letting this happen the way it did.

But shit is done. The mistake happened. There was no taking it back.

You just needed to give him space to get over it, and that would be the end of it. Easy.

Or so you assume.

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seokiloquy · 4 years ago

Text

Game Cartridges - Kenma Kozume

Au: Regular/Gaming

Requested

Tags/Warnings: GN! Reader, short and fluffy, Time Skip spoilers

Word Count: 2.1k+

"Lev, are you almost done?"

A deep raspy voice echoed into the gym, loud and authoritative, startling the volleyball players. Once all eyes turned your way, you laughed, letting your natural voice still the silent atmosphere. Your hand smacked the metal door as you hunched over, gasping for air between each series of laughs.

Lev, who had just landed from a spike, opened his mouth in a loud cheer at the sight of your slumped form in the door. “(Y/N)!”

You straightened your spine, sighing as you watched Lev’s nose get caught on the mesh net as he tried to limbo under it. He looked like a pig for a moment, before the bottom of the net snapped and Lev ungracefully fell on his face.

“Ow.”

As he laid flatly on the gym floor, Kuroo —who you managed to identify based on Lev’s description (though you did expect a comical beak to be attached to his muzzle)— walked over, thumbs playing with the waistband of his shorts. Before he started to talk, you leaned over, looking behind him to see a partially blond boy dig the toe of his shoe into your tall friend’s side. Kozume Kenma.

The rooster in front of you started to speak. “You sure gave us all a shock. Thought you were a janitor coming to kick us out,” he chuckled, lifting a hand off his hip to scratch the back of his head.

“Ya sorry, Lev just finds that voice creepy so I use it every now and then to scare him.”

Kuroo sidestepped as his hand moved to gesture you inside. “So, you’re a voice actor?”

“That’s the plan at least.” You bowed and walked to the bench that was pressed against the wall, a small bag swinging over your shoulder. The old man, Nekomata, gave you a wrinkly grin as you sat next to him, watching your hands as you pulled out a DS from your small bag.

Kuroo smiled, snapping his head to the clock before looking over his teammates.“Nekomata, should we start cleaning up?”

The couch hummed thoughtfully, turning his attention away from you and onto the team captain. “We still have a half-hour before our practice is officially over. How about we do 3 vs 3, to, ah, 7 points?” He then turned his attention to Lev, who was rubbing his nose as he got to his feet. “Pair up evenly for the beginning, the odd player out will be keeping track of scores and rotate into the next team. Got it?”

Lev raised his hand. “Can you explain the rotation again?”

You looked up from your handheld console to give your friend a deadpan look. Nekomata laughed before answering, “The odd player will take out a player of the next team and so on to keep teams fresh. Got it?”

The Silver hair boy hummed, standing to his full height. “Got it.”

As players dispersed randomly, not selecting any teammates, in particular, to play with, you were vaguely aware of the new bodies that came to sit alongside you on the bench. Instead of looking up to whichever boy had chosen to take the spot next to you, you kept your head down as you played on your DS.

“Ah.” Quiet

“Um.” Again.

Sighing you turned your head on a swivel to the blond boy who sat next to you. His head was downcast but through the dyed strands, you could see his eyes flicker from his fidgeting fingers to the device in your hands. His eyes shot up to meet yours before quickly turning away.

You wore a kind smirk. “Need something?”

Kozume turned his head slowly, pointing to your small bag that was laid open, exposing the variety of games you owned. In a calm voice, “You have lots of games, why are you playing Nintendogs?”

You laughed looking back down at your small virtual pet. “Well, a lot of those I haven’t started yet, Lev gave them to me yesterday as a gift. And well, I’m only going to be waiting for about 30 minutes for you guys to finish before we leave, so I don’t really want to start something new.”

You heard the clicking of the plastic game cartridges as Kozume riffled through them. He pulled out one, a Pokemon game you had yet to touch. “Play this.”

“But my dogs.”

“They aren’t real. Play this, it’s fun.”

Nekoma called for the teams to switch. Kozume stood up but waited for you to take the game out of his hand before he left for the court.

You sighed, pulling Nintendogs out of the DS and putting the Pokemon game in, Pearl, apparently.

“Your name is (Y/N), right?”

“(L/N) (Y/N), ya.”

Kozume hummed, before stepping onto the court, letting a sweaty Lev fall into the spot he had previously occupied.

Another day, another practice and you were back to sitting next to Nekomata, waiting. Occasionally, you looked up from your DS to see the two setters toss a ball up for the players to hit, watching as the players ducked under the net to collect their balls.

Once their final water break came around, Kozume, who had been eyeing your DS since you sat down, shuffled to sit beside you. “Ah, use the water attack.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, head tilting as you showed him your progress.

“Hmm, gym battles are mostly element-based, you want to use mostly water attacks for this one.”

Nodding, you clicked the option Kozume had so helpfully pointed out. “I know nothing about how to play this.” The battle ended, giving you a pretty badge, to which you realized there were more empty slots to fill. “Damn it.” You turned to see partially bleached blond chugging back his water. “Kozume, could you help me with the other gyms?”

“Kenma is fine. And I could, but you’d probably have to be here for that, you have to find the other gyms after all.”

The wince you wore caught his attention. Hissing you dropped your hands into your lap, still holding the sides of your plastic game. “I’m not sure how possible that would be. My luck is just running out isn’t it.” He kept watching, half-listening to Nekomata as he explained the cooldown drill before practice ended. You pulled out your little red flip phone from the side pocket of your back. “Put in your email. I’ll message you and give you my contact.”

Taking the device from your hand he quickly typed out his address before dropping it unceremoniously into your bag and running onto the court with his teammates. You smiled at the sight of his hair bouncing before your smile dropped and your head lowered to look back down at the game in your lap. The colours on the screen seemed a bit dimmer.

Where did the Pokemon go?

Kenma had quickly become your go-to Pokemon consultant. Always there in your time of need.

Which one?

He responded quickly, which helped.

Uh, one of the three ones? I was trying to catch it but it’s not there anymore. I tried dropping revival items and stuff but it’s not there.

(Y/N) did you kill it?

….Maybe?

Reload the game.

I’ve done that.

Did you save after you defeated it?

Messages with Kenma typically surrounded classes and videogames, more so the latter. With that though, came a sense of consistency with messages outside of active school hours and giving your mind a constant timeline to follow throughout the chaos that surrounded you.

Ya, I had to save my progress.

It took a minute for him to respond, but you could feel the sorrow radiating off him through the screen.

You’re going to need to restart the game if you want to continue.

Shit. Well then, got any other recommended games? Ideally RPGs.

Plenty.

After many practices with your presence sitting silently against the wall, Kenma was surprised when the end of practice came around, and you were nowhere in sight. Kenma pushed the rolling basket of volleyballs up next to Lev as they gathered up all the equipment.

“Where’s (Y/N)?” he asked, crouching down to pick up a stray ball.

Lev lowered his chin to see the setter clearly. He hummed, “Ah, I think it was called, New York?”

Kenma paused, dropping the volleyball into the basket with cold hands. “What?”

“They moved to the USA. I don’t think that they’re going to be there forever though. But Mr. (L/N) got a job there from what I remember. They were staying with my family before they moved.”

Kenma’s nose scrunched. “Why did I have to make friends with someone who was moving away? You’re terrible, Lev.” He gripped the blue fabric of the basket a bit tighter and began pushing it into the storage closet, grumbling.

“What did I do?”

After practice, Kenma quickly got to his phone, typing away as he walked home alongside Kuroo.

Your response, despite being in a different time zone, was quick.

IM SO SORRY I TOTALLY FORGOT!!! I just liked talking to you and it slipped my mind whenever you were around

Kenma sighed, washing away the anxious feeling in his chest.

Another email came through.

I’m only going to be here for a couple years, then I’m going to come back. Messages may be slow because of time and all, but I’ll always respond.

You didn’t lie that day. You were always quick to send a message back, but over time those messages stopped coming and you didn’t have the heart to send anything in return.

You’d ponder on it occasionally, hoping that all it was, was forgetfulness, or a changed contact. But after a couple years, it was easier not to think about it, and go on with life and pursuing your passion.

“Stop spamming the chat guys, please,” Kenma grumbled, wincing at the repetitive notifications that rang in his ear. Turning to look at the live responses, he paused the stream of messages to read over a few. “You’ll stop once I start playing? Fine, fine. Let me get it booted up.”

As he pulled up the Japan-made open-world RPG that had been released for Beta earlier that week, the chat went into a flurry of excitement, with various images and repetitive cheers rolling by.

Kenma turned to face his main screen as The main intro to the game played with a flurry of colour. The chat increased in speed as the two-player options appeared on screen, ready to be selected. When his mouth moved over one of the characters they moved, reciting a line.

“Oh they’re voices are nice.”

The chat exploded again.

(Y/N)

(Y/N)’s voice is great!

They do both of the MCs voices

All the talent

Selecting the male character, Kenma listened to the boyish tone, furrowing his boy as he caught sight of the name being repeated over and over again in the chat.

“(Y/N)? That sounds familiar, are they in an anime?”

The chat responded with a list.

Tilting his head, Kenma pulled out his phone as the game began to load, talking out loud for the viewers of his stream.

“(Y/N). that sounds familiar.” He entered the search for the game’s voice cast. Immediately seeing a familiar portrait at the top of the list.

The chat quickly caught on to Kenma’s look of surprise and started spamming again.

“(Y/N)?! Ah! I know them! It’s been years!”

Ignoring the chat and fully loaded game for a moment, Kenma smiled at the image of an older you on his phone screen. Putting down his phone and sitting straighter, he looked at the camera that was focused on his face.

“Hmm, this makes me want to play Pokemon. Maybe later. Time to start this.”

I was going to write a full-length fic with this au but…. You know how it goes.

Short and fluffy cause I have to get back into the groove of writing after 2 months. Ahaha. I finished all of One Piece this week (when I wrote this), 966(now 971) episodes thus far and all the movies. Makes me want to write for it. Maybe If Kiwi watches it I will.

….If I do, it’ll probably go on Ao3… but if you’re reading this and want me to…. Let me know… I’m tempted.

Kiwi. Watch One Piece so you can edit One Piece fanfiction that I’ll probably never write…. Unless. - Bacon

Maybeeee I can still edit without watching it thoughhhh. I’d edit whatever you’d me too - Kiwi

Unless!- Bacon

Posted: 25/04/2021

#Kozume Kenma #Kenma Kozume #kenma x reader #kenma kozume x reader #Haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #x reader #oneshot #oneshots #haikyuu oneshots #haikyuu reader insert #reader insert #aus #haikyuu aus #fluff #haikyu #haikyu x reader #anime x reader #anime

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varric-tethras-editor · 3 years ago

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HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE BAND!AU MOTHERFUCKERS. This story is the feral brainchild of me and @little-lightning-lavellan imagining our OCs as punk rock babies that play music and sing sad songs loudly and get mad about stuff while living in a modern day Thedas. So far it has been (affectionately) titled "Pure of Heart, Dumb of Ass" which is based off of this meme that I tagged Kissi in which then resulted in this art that Kissi drew for me.

Silvhen Mahariel (my Warden) will eventually be joining in on the drums and they are currently taking suggestions for a band name as Kissi and I have our priorities all backwards.

(Oh also there's a playlist because we are garbage humans.)

I was tagged by @little-lightning-lavellan, @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold, and @emerald-amidst-gold. I would like to tag (with no expectations or pressure) @kantrips, @ellenembee, @pikapeppa, @a-shakespearean-in-paris, @jentrevellan, @kemvee, @dreadfutures, @a11sha11fade, @cciarants, @drag-on-age, @fernaee, @the-dreadful-canine, and ALL THE PEOPLE MY LIL BRAIN IS FORGETTING *MWAH*

✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮

Varric shrugged and half smiled. “Alright then, Hawke, how do you plan on making enough money to afford that nice place I hooked you and Melon up in, then?”

“Easy! I’ll just keep being my charming self until someone finally realizes and compensates me heartily!” Liora laughed as she spoke, but silently she was wondering the same thing herself.

Varric had been generous enough to cover the first few two months of rent for her and Mellan while they settled in the city but she couldn’t just mooch off him and his generosity forever. She would have to start contributing, and soon.

“Well I looked into working at Maryden’s Instruments but even the floor supervisor position paid shit wages. Nothing I could ever afford to live on. I get it’s a small family business, but it’s too expensive to live in Denerim these days. And I mean, Mellan and I have been playing again a little lately, so I went over to Skyhold to ask about performing, cause y’know they got new owners and they’re planning to reopen and they’ve been advertising they need performers for like… ever. So I figured maybe they’d be willing to chat. But like the second I walked in, this old bald elf just got all cranky and told me I couldn’t understand the building’s significant history being “who I was.”

Liora said the last sentence mockingly and added some air quotes for good effect.

“What bullshit, right? I mean, yeah, he had no way to know my dad ran their soundboard for years on years but still. I grew up with stories of Skyhold and to just be shunned out of the building automatically…” Liora trailed off in despondence. She understood exactly why the elvhen man had dismissed her on sight.

It seemed Varric had caught on as well.

“Bald man, eh? Chuckles is still all ‘Elvhen Glory’, then?”

“Chuckles? Varric this man couldn’t have smiled if he’d won the lottery. He just glared at me until I couldn’t speak. It was awful. I can usually talk to anyone, but I guess I just got intimidated. I’d never actually been inside Skyhold before so I was a little shaken.”

“It’s ironic, Hawke.” Varric pondered for a second, stroking his thick fingers over his golden-red stubble. “And maybe try sending Melon through. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to get in there, if you can. You just need a foot in the door. Or in this case, a pointed ear.”

“You’ve met Mel, right? I love her but she gets so fucking nervous talking to people! That’s why she told me to handle all of our PR things if we ever wanted to play gigs.”

Liora didn’t mind the agreement she made with Mellan. Liora was social, well spoken, and usually more than happy to network and make new friends, especially in the music scene, whereas Mellan could occasionally be skittish and easily overwhelmed. But maybe for this venue, and for ‘Chuckles’ who seemed like he definitely would not be giving her the time of day, sending sweet, stumbling, beautiful Mellan over would be the better approach.

Maker’s breath, Mellan wasn’t going to look forward to that experience. Liora released a heavy sigh and quickly knocked back the rest of her rum and coke.

“Alright, it’s time to bribe some elves.”

#wip wednesday #dragon age #dragon age 2 #dai #dragon age inquisition #liora hawke #mellan lavellan #varric tethras #dragon age fan fiction #wip #my writing #fanfiction #fanfic #da fanfic

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sakuatsu · 4 years ago

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YELL 2 ME ABT SAKUATSU FIC RECS PLS

oh boy. oh boy do i have much to talk about

here’s a list of my sakuatsu must-reads under the cut! complete with links, word count, ratings, and occasional commentary because i’m incapable of shutting up. this isn’t in any particular order either

(keeping this sfw and organized into canonverse/AUs. a * means i am on my hands and knees begging for you to read this)

i’ll try to update this somewhat regularly :]

most recently updated august 25, 2020!

canonverse:

*your highs and lows (series) by astroeulogy

a post-time skip canonverse series born from these two questions:

1. what if sakusa kiyoomi, known too-blunt jerk, is equally straightforward about his soft, tender feelings?

2. what if miya atsumu, resident big fat jerk who doesn't care if his teammates hate him, is too emotionally stunted to notice when his one of his teammates actually likes him?

this is like the sakuatsu series but it’s blasphemous to not recommend. the first fic in the series is all that you were (4.6k, T). mind the ratings on a few of the fics, but my personal favorite is #3: a masterpiece of domesticity called you have tamed me (5.7k, T). these make me ACHE

*sakuatsu domesticity simulator by pseudoanalytics (T)

a vaguely interactive mixture of fic, art, and html, where you too can experience the inherent romance of a big fat jerk and a too-blunt jerk attempting intimacy

this fic...this fic...op is literally one of my favorite artists of all time but Did You Know that their writing is also off the charts. what a wonderful use of second person and the pacing is so good. too much skill in one person

*The MSBY Black Jackals Read Thirst Tweets by isaksara (11.4k, M)

Sakusa’s eyes are very dark naturally, sucking in all surrounding rays of light and crushing them in his pupils. For an athlete, he is rather pale. His lips look very pink in comparison. Atsumu is suddenly catastrophically aware that in this instance, ‘accent’ is a euphemism. “Good enough for your Olympic-size ego, Miya?”

(In which Atsumu realizes that he is attracted to Sakusa Kiyoomi in the most inconvenient way possible.)

i think this is the fic that got me into sakuatsu in the first place lol i was looking very specifically for msby socmed fics and now here we are. this fic is unbelievably funny

*liminal spaces by hhatsuna (25.9k, T)

Fuck you, Atsumu thinks, pointing at the pixelated Sakusa in the grainy team photo on his bedside table.

It’s easier than you’d think to ignore loving your teammate.

*Better For Us Both by abrandnewheart (15.7k, M)

Where “You already make me the happiest guy alive, babe," gives way to, “I’ve not been happy for a while now.”

Alternatively known as the ‘mug fic’.

yes this is a breakup fic. yes im going to recommend it anyway. breakup fics usually scare me a lot but this one is too good for me to not say anything about. nuanced and delicious. i look at the mug on my desk and feel pain

dog eat dog eat dog world by perennials (8.4k, T)

You are your first and only line of defense against the universe.

Koi no Yokan; 恋の予感 by ymra (15.3k, unrated)

Wherein Sakusa dreams of his future selves and discovers a little something along the way.

autumn ends, but we remain by wolfsbvne (5.3k, T)

atsumu stares at his ceiling at 2am. he stares until he can make out designs in his popcorn ceiling. a cat there, an onigiri here, and then something that suspiciously looks like a mop of hair, triangle eyebrows, and oh those two bumps are moles right above what atsumu just mapped out as an eye.

(or, atsumu is in kind of in love. sakusa is maybe in like.)

your fingertips, branding irons by Ceryna (5.8k, T)

Between the accidental touches he's reconciled, the deliberate ones he's endured, and, from those he's built years of trust with, obliged– Kiyoomi has never wanted to let someone indulge.

Never, until Atsumu.

take what’s yours and make it mine by claudusdiei (5.9k, T)

atsumu falls in love four times in his life

(or: in which atsumu gets his heart broken twice, has the self-awareness of a sober mule and really likes yellow tulips)

every action has an equal and opposite reaction by akanemnida (10.4k, T)

Miya Atsumu gets a modeling contract with Calvin Klein, which sets Kiyoomi's heart in motion.

(Or: Sakusa Kiyoomi realizes that the rules governing the universe are absolute rubbish at explaining matters of the heart.)

*where i want to be by tookumade (8.8k, G)

In the time they’ve been teammates at the MSBY Black Jackals, Sakusa has never been to Atsumu’s place, and Atsumu has only been to Sakusa’s a few times. There’s an unspoken understanding here: that Atsumu knows him well enough to know that nobody’s house or apartment would ever really meet his ridiculously high standards, and he is most comfortable in the home he’s made for himself.

That, and, Atsumu being over at Sakusa’s means that he has to host him and do the cleaning afterwards, while Atsumu can just flit off back to his own place. So. There’s that.

Tonight. Tonight is not business as usual. Tonight is not familiar.

*san'yō expressway, 6:17 pm by yamabato (8.1k, T)

Atsumu tilts his head to watch a slice of orange light bend over the impassive planes of Sakusa’s face. He is absolutely, ruthlessly beautiful. It makes Atsumu want to punch something—put his foot through the windshield—scream, maybe.

Kiss him again, maybe.

They have 344 kilometers to figure this one out.

parallax error: angle of inclination by min_mintobe (10.8k, T)

But now there's the one person Atsumu'd promised himself never to touch. His eyes leave Atsumu breathless with guilt at seventeen, and he spends the next six years safe in the satisfaction of making things right.

Feelings, of the physical kind, and one kiss.

ft. competitive spirit, childishness, and late night conversations.

Atsumu POV.

four leaf clover by vicari_us (5.9k, T)

Once, Ushijima claimed that they ‘got lucky’. If properly honed, their body types could become near invincible weapons.

However, unlike Ushijima, Kiyoomi’s weapon required a bit more care over the years to reach the condition it had become. He was born iron, not yet forged into steel.

Exploring what it might have taken to turn a genetic mistake into an athletic miracle.

*the 28 postcards you left me by wheelspokes (8.3k, T)

Atsumu takes texting your ex to a new level by sending Sakusa postcards in Animal Crossing instead.

such a unique premise & this is so beautifully structured. stunning flow and who knew animal crossing could convey so much longing...

AUs:

Pas De Deux by hhatsuna (dancer!sakusa au: 19.0k, T)

The mystery athlete gives Kiyoomi a once over in the mirror. “Yer pretty tall,” he observes, and the twang of an accent rasps low in his throat. His brazen eyes drift to Kiyoomi’s legs, and something like exhilaration glints gold in his gaze. “Good quads, too. Ya ever played volleyball?” Ah. So it’s volleyball.

“I’m a dancer. Ballet and contemporary, mostly.”

*my love, take your time by bastigod (archaeologist!sakusa au: 9.0k, T)

There was something sublime about wandering around an empty museum. Nothing could compare to the sound of his shoes clacking against the marble floor, the morning sunlight gently streaming through the lofty windows and the peaceful solitude of ancient stone kings overseeing their silent kingdoms.

A day in the life of Doctor Kiyoomi Sakusa, Archaeologist.

i’ve literally been thinking about this fic every day since it came out. you will not find a story like this anywhere else, i guarantee you. what a clear labor of love this fic is it’s truly something so special

three roses and a smile by strawberrycitrus (surgeon!sakusa & microbiologist!atsumu au: 19.7k, T)

“I just got this job, I’m not givin’ it up for some moral boost ‘cause I actually need to pay my rent, ya insensitive -” Atsumu waves his hands around, trying and failing to come up with the right word to convey the amount of injustice that this gaunt motherfucker has brought into his relatively simple life thus far.

“If you can’t pay your rent, go get a job at the McDonald’s over by 8th Street,” Sakusa growls, “it’ll pay more than your researcher position.”

If you even attempt assault on a coworker, forget teaching about cells - you’ll fucking be in one, Atsumu.

*Dance of the Parallax by astroeulogy (ogre spirit!sakusa au: 6.7k, T)

For the last twenty years, Atsumu’s done all that he can to break his betrothal to the ogre spirit Sakusa. If he can just make it through one more night, he’ll be free.

honestly, just read everything by astroeulogy. i’m recommending this fic in particular because it has such an ethereal voice to it. magical

across oceans, across centuries by starstrikes (pacific rim au: 20.0k, T)

Six days ago, Osamu died and left Atsumu with this: Atsumu, you have to—

(Namikira rises with the tides and rips Osamu and Vulpis Empress away in one fell swoop. Six days later, Atsumu wakes up alone in a hospital bed and learns how to swim.)

you don’t actually need to know pacrim to appreciate this. a wonderful exploration of grief and recovery. also it’s exactly 20k words which is both satisfying and terrifying

*Notte Stellata by awkwardedgeworth (ice skating/dancing au: 20.8k, T)

"Your partner doesn't need to hold anyone's hand other than yours," Sakusa's father crouches, "And you can wear gloves."

Sakusa ponders. He hears the other skaters of rink two whiz past as they launch themselves into lifts.

"Alright," He looks up from the ice, not knowing how he'll dedicate the next couple of decades to this sport, this partnership, this boy.

what a stunning fic. a beautiful progression of sakusa & atsumu’s relationship, rife with references to real skating programs, beautifully written and structured. so full of longing i’m in mild physical pain

#if anyone else has recs feel free to drop them in the replies mwah #sakuatsu fic is SO high quality you can literally just look at the tag and blindly press and find something stunning #these are just my personal favorites #basically just my ao3 bookmarks and then some #sakuatsu #sakusa kiyoomi #miya atsumu #sakuatsu fic #haikyuu fic #ask #reynegades #thank you for asking.....ive been dying to make a fic rec post i just needed a push lol #fic

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joontopia · 4 years ago

Text

Summer in December | KTH

pairing: kim taehyung x reader ↳ hufflepuff!taehyung x slytherin!reader

rating: nsfw, 18+

genre: hogwarts!au, friends to lovers!au, fluff

warnings: mild angst (?), reader is a little whiny about the weather (im so sorry idk why i did that), mentions of alcohol consumption, some cute hand holding, sweet kisses

word count: 4.7k

a/n: this is my secret santa gift to the lovely @sly-merlin for @kafenetwork Holiday Treat event! I hope you enjoy this! It’s been so fun getting to know you the past weeks! ♥️🐧 penguin

Also, thank you to my lovely soul-twin-mate @escapingreality4now for reading over this and editing it for me. you the bestest and i love you so much *smoochies*. And thank you to @kimtaehyunq for helping me fix my banner issue last minute, i appreciate you and love you!

Rain. That is what has been falling from the grey, cloudy sky for the last three days. Cold, pelting droplets of evaporated water are what you have shared your days with during this cold winter. Not the beautiful, white fluff that was promised in the forecast. Not the very weather that you stayed at school for over winter break instead of going somewhere summer-y with your family. No, that would just have been too perfect. Sitting at your table at the Three Broomsticks, you let out a sigh as you stare out the window, elbow perched on the table as your chin rests in your hand. It was nearly four in the afternoon, though you couldn’t tell by the vacancy left from the sun in the sky hidden behind darkened storm clouds. When you agreed to stay as one of the prefects on duty, you were hoping it would come with days spent playing in the snow. Building snow people, and having the occasional snowball fight. Not trudging through mud puddles and slipping on hidden ice patches. You nearly slip into another day dream when you’re interrupted by the barmaid approaching your table.

“What’ll it be, dear?” The barmaid asks, a bright smile painted across her face despite the dreary atmosphere set by the disappointing weather.

“Oh um, two butterbeers, please,” you order as you sit up in your seat, trying your best to return a cheery smile as bright as hers. She lifts her brow at you with twinkling curiosity and a hint of laughter in her eyes.

“Terms that bad this year?” She asks with a teasing smile.

You giggle, appreciating the light lift of the mood as you join in on the jest, “No, just the temperament of the weather.” You both let out a soft chuckle, your smile matching hers slightly more realistically with the slight change in mood. “I’m actually meeting someone, they should be here soon. They’re not both for me.” As if on cue, you both turn to the entrance at the bell chime of the door, signaling a new customer. Standing there was your friend and fellow Slytherin prefect, Ohria, searching the bar for where you sat. Once she spots you in the corner by the window, she waves and smiles, walking toward you with her cheeks rosy pink from the cold outside.

“No judgement here, dear. Just poking fun. I’ll have those right out for you two,” the barmaid says as she turns back to you. She gives you a light pat on your shoulder and a wink before walking back towards the bar, nodding her head in greeting to Ohria as she makes it to the table, sitting in the vacant seat across from you. You sit back in your chair, smiling at your friend as she starts removing her scarf in coat.

“Sorry, I’m late! Had to make sure Joonie had everything he needed for the next two weeks packed and ready to go. For how smart that man is, he sure can be forgetful,” Ohria rolls her eyes in feign annoyance, the shy smile and blush of her cheeks giving away her true feelings of adoration for her boyfriend. “He’s meeting me here when he’s done if that’s okay. We’ll be leaving in the next hour or so.”

“No worries, it’s fine. I can’t believe you’re going to be visiting Korea. Leaving me here with the sleet and rain while you get to go build your snow creations of your future children with Namjoon.” Your bottom lip pushes out in a pout just a little as Ohria sticks her tongue out at you. You were happy for her, really. At least one of you will get to enjoy some snowy fun during the holiday break.

“Oh come on, cheer up. I’ll be back before you know it and so will the snow. Besides, Joonie told me a certain Hufflepuff prefect is staying during the break as well. Maybe that can preoccupy your time before I get back, hmm?” Ohria teases you as she wriggles her eyebrows.

You feel your cheeks warm, knowing the exact Hufflepuff prefect she was referring to. A one very handsome and tall Kim Taehyung, your classmate and longtime crush. You spent the better half of this school year innocently flirting with one another, enough to make you wonder if he felt and cared for you the same way you do him. You smile as you look away from Ohria, watching as the barmaid approaches with your drinks, placing them in front of you. You thank her before turning and continuing your conversation with, “As wonderful as that would be, I highly doubt Taehyung would want to spend the majority of his winter break with me.”

“Oh, please. He practically can’t keep his eyes off of you when you’re near each other. The both of you really. Just ask him. Besides, what else would there be for the two of you to do here but hangout with each other?” Ohria says before taking a drink, her last words more of statement rather than a question.

You let out a little sigh, knowing there was no sense in arguing her point. You grab your drink, taking a sip as you ponder her words for a moment. “I suppose you’re right. But how do you suggest I even ask him? I wouldn’t even know where to start to find him. Just show up at his common room door and wait until he leaves?”

Ohria hums in contemplation before turning to look out the window, smiling slyly at whatever caught her eye. “Looks like you won’t have to,” she says nodding her head towards the window causing you to turn and take a look yourself.

There walking past the window and towards the front door was Namjoon and Taehyung, the former holding his wand up as a clear light emits from the tip, forming into a makeshift umbrella for the two men. You feel your cheeks flush again as Ohria turns in her seat, waving the two boys over to your booth. You look up as they make it to the table, smiling as you make eye contact with Taehyung. You notice his cheeks are colored with a rosy hint as he returns a smile to you. You try to not think much of it, using the cold weather outside to be the cause. Ohria stands up from her seat, greeting her boyfriend with a kiss before sliding into the empty seat next to you, the two boys taking up the seats across. The barmaid approaches again, taking the boys order and returning again shortly with two more mugs of butter beer.

“Dreary weather, isn’t it?” Namjoon asks, breaking the silence before taking a big drink from his glass. Everyone nods as you hum in response, finding it suddenly hard to form words with Taehyung sitting across from you. You’re not sure why you find it hard to speak to him this time, always joking and conversing during the school year. Maybe the possibility of some possible time alone has you feeling slightly off your game.

“How are you, YN? I hear you’re also staying here during the break,” Taehyung asks, softly smiling as he waits for your response. You smile back, lips beginning to part in response when Ohria jumps in and answers for you instead.

“Yes, she is! Sadly, I’m leaving her all by her lonesome for a while,” she says with a pout, wrapping her hands around your arm and laying her head on your shoulder. “You’ll take good care of her for me, Taetae, won’t you?”

You give Ohria a little pinch on her thigh and she lets out a tiny squeak, letting go of your arm. She lightly swats your arm before scooting away from you, Namjoon looking at her curiously as Tae shoots up an eyebrow and chuckles.

“It would be my pleasure. What do you say, YN? Mind keeping me company during the break?” He gives you another boxy smile and you smile big in return.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” you manage to squeak out, nudging Ohria with your elbow as she starts to giggle again next to you.

Namjoon jumps in, talking about the plans he’s made for him and Ohria once they get to Korea. Taehyung throws out his own suggestions and you add your own commentary here and there, easing you and your friends into easy conversation. Before long, another hour has passed. Namjoon looks down at his watch before announcing his and Ohria’s time to go. Everyone stands up from the table, leaving tips and payment on the table for the barmaid before walking towards the door.

Ohria turns to give you a hug before Namjoon begins helping her back into her winter coat. “If you need me, I’m only an owl away. I’ll be back before you know it. Promise me you’ll enjoy yourself?”

“I promise,” you tell her. Waving to her as she follows Namjoon out the door, blowing you a kiss before it closes.

“Mind if I walk you back to the castle?” Taehyung asks you, wrapping his scarf around his neck as he looks down at you.

You nod your head and smile, grabbing your winter coat off the hook on the wall. Taehyung reaches and grabs it from you, catching you by surprise. “Let me help you with that,” he says as he holds it open for you. You give him a shy thanks as you slip it on. He rubs his hands down your arm once it’s secure, his hand slightly brushing yours as he moves around you and opens the door. You were happy to see a break in the rain fall, allowing for the walk back be a little less treacherous in the cold.

“So what would you like to do this break?” You ask, looking up at the tall man walking next to you.

“Hmm,” he hums, puffs off transparent smoke coming from his mouth as he breathes out into the cold air. “I got a few ideas. I can run some by you now and we can discuss it over breakfast in the morning?”

“Sounds good,” you say with a smile. Taehyung smiles back at you as you both fall into another easy conversation on your way back up to the castle.

Rain, again. You can’t see it, the sleeping quarters of the Slytherin dungeons lacking windows, but you can hear it hitting the ground above. And it’s coming down hard. You roll out of bed, your movements sluggish as you get ready for the day. You make your way into the common room, stretching your arms in the air as a yawn overtakes you. The room is nearly vacant. Only a pair of 2nd years hanging out on the couch sharing their collection of wizarding cards with each other. The door swings open, Yuta walks into the common room, looking around the room until he spots you and smiles. “Ah, Y/L/N. Perfect timing. You got a visitor outside.”

You tilt your head to the side, wondering who would be coming to see you when your memory hits you. Your promised breakfast with Taehyung. Your eyes go wide as your cheeks heat up and you quickly make your way to the door. “Ah, yes. Thank you,” you say as you give a quick smile and wave to Yuta. He lets out a snicker walking past you further into the common room.

Once outside, you see Taehyung leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, head tilted down towards the floor. When he hears the wall covering the door to the common room open, he looks up, blinking the tiredness out of his eyes. His boxy smile takes over his face when he sees you.

“Good morning,” he says, his low baritone dripping from his mouth like honey as he walks over to you. He gives you a quick hug, a kiss landing on your check right before he pulls away. You feel your cheeks warm again, a big smile forming on your face as you begin to walk side by side towards the dining hall.

“Good morning,” you squeak out. You clear your throat, your voice still hidden behind your own sleepiness. “How did you sleep?”

“Not bad. Rain helped lull me to sleep. The smell of breakfast from the kitchen woke me up. How about --”

“Watch out!”

You both stop quickly in your tracks from the shout coming from a sideroom to your right. A white wisp in the shape of a dolphin zooms in front of you, dissipating into nothing as it crashes into the wall on the other side.

“Sorry about that!” You turn to the doorway of the sideroom. Your classmate, Jimin, stands there rubbing the back of his head with one of his hands. A sheepish smile on his face as he looks at you and Taehyung.

You let out a giggle as you smile back. “It’s alright, it looked harmless. What were you doing with that dolphin though?”

“Ah, I’ll show you. But you gotta keep it a secret, okay?” Jimin waves you two into the sideroom and you both follow him. There in the empty room, you see an oversized snow globe. Colorful wisps of smoke inside swapping from shapes of hearts into waves of water.

“I was trying to get that dolphin into here. It’s a Christmas gift for my girlfriend, Tina. I’ve been struggling with Charms class this year and she’s been helping me out. Her patronus is a dolphin, so I figured this would be something she’d enjoy.” Jimin waves his wand in the air, a new cloud of wisps spout from the tip, once again forming into a dolphin. He flicks his wrist, the dolphin successfully jumping into the water of the snow globe this time as he turns to you and Taehyung and smiles. You both clap your hands in applause as he bows, his eyes disappearing from the wide smile on his face when he stands straight.

“That looks awesome! I’m sure she’ll love it!” Tae praises.

“It’s really cute, Jimin. You did great!” You smile at him as you start to turn back out of the room. “We were just on our way to breakfast if you wanted to join us.”

Jimin shakes his head, smiling the whole time from your praises. “I’m going to work on this a bit more, but I’ll see you guys up there. Thanks!” He gives you a wave goodbye as you and Tae walk back out of the room, continuing your way towards the great hall.

Your first full day spent with Taehyung was wonderful. Something you needed to help take your mind off the mundaneness that has been the winter weather. It’s the next morning. You once again find yourself in the great hall, sitting across from Tae and Jimin as they are both talking animatedly about the last quidditch match that took place before the break. Your eyes are on Tae, watching the way his adam’s apple bobs up and down as he speaks. The way the soft curls of his hair bounce just slightly when he laughs. He flashes his boxy smile, the sight of it taking you back to the day before.

After breakfast, you had both played a few rounds of wizard’s chess. You won every game but the last, finding the pout Tae gave you every time he lost was too cute for you to go easy on him. After each loss, he would jut out his bottom lip, begging you with matching puppy dog eyes for one more rematch. Only stopping once he finally came out the victor.

You spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the courtyards of the school grounds. The rain seemingly subsided for the day, leaving little puddles of water scattered on the ground. Finding a dry bench, you sit down next to Tae. He took the chance to entertain the two of you by charming the puddles, using droplets of water to create figure skaters that would glide across the surface or little fish and dolphins hopping back and forth across the puddles. You couldn’t help your giggles, how your eyes lit up in fascination as the figures danced across the water. You remember looking over at Taehyung, how your breath caught in your throat at the way he was watching you. His eyes warm with adoration as his signature boxy smile graced his face. You wonder if it was your hopeful thoughts playing tricks on you, the way it seemed like he was leaning in towards you. The moment being interrupted by the sky once again falling out. You were remembering how the warmth of his hand felt in yours as he pulled you to run for cover when the sound of your name pulled you from the daydream.

Back in the present, you notice Tae and Jimin looking at you expectantly. You blink owlishly at them, slight embarrassment creeping in as you realize you have no idea what they asked you. “S-sorry, what was that?” you stammer, looking down at your plate to hide your blush as Jimin snickers at you.

“Lunch at The Three Broomsticks and then afterwards we do a little walking or shopping. What do you think?” Tae repeats, a hopeful expression on his face.

You go to respond when you’re interrupted by excited gasps that fill the great hall. “It’s starting to snow!” you hear someone shout. You look up at the enchanted ceiling, the previously dark clouds now turning a light shade of grey as little snow flurries start to fall. A wide smile grows on your face as you look back down at Taehyung who's already watching you with a smile of his own.

“Let’s go get dressed,” he says, standing from the table. You follow him, rushing out of the great hall with the rest of the students. Tae turns towards the direction of the Hufflepuff common room, shouting over his shoulder “I’ll meet you back here!” before disappearing out of sight.

You run with Jimin to the Slytherin common room, racing up the stairs to your dorm to dress in something warmer. Your smile never leaves your face, excitement coursing through your entire body. The snow is here. Finally. The weather you have been waiting to see since you decided to stay at school for the holidays finally made its appearance. Dressed in your thick winter coat, you make your way out of the dungeons, walking back to meet Tae in front of the great hall. Once there, Taehyung’s face lights up with another smile. He offers his gloved hand to you and you take it, speeding up to keep up with his long strides as he pulls you to the doors leading outside.

The moment you step outside, you're met with the disappointed grumbles of other students, passing you as they walk back into the castle. Taking a few more steps outside, you turn the corner to see what has caused everyone to be so upset and your face drops. The snow flurries that fell from the sky not too long ago have turned back into cold, icy rain. Washing away any evidence of the snow that had barely stuck to the ground.

“Dang, I knew it was too good to be true,” Tae mumbles as he lets out a sigh, still holding your hand as he stands next to you. You shared his disappointment. Maybe a little too much with how quickly you could feel your mood turning south. You watch the rain, suddenly feeling the desire to be alone. The dreary weather sucking all the motivation for fun out of you. Dropping your hand from Tae’s, you turn back towards the castle to walk back inside.

Feeling the loss of your hand, Tae turns around and follows you. “I’m sorry, YN. I know you’ve been looking forward to the snow.”

You give Tae a soft smile, looking back down at your feet as you continue to walk back inside. “It’s okay, Tae. It’s not like you can control the weather.” Your attempt at a joke at the end is delivered poorly due to your mood. You can tell by the forced smile Tae gives you as he watches you with a sorrowful expression. Once back inside, Tae places his hand on your shoulder to stop you and you turn to face him. “We can still have a good time in Hogsmeade. You still want to go?”

You give him another soft smile, trying your best to make it look genuine. You want to go, you really do. But just the mere thought of spending anymore time out in the miserable, cold rain sinks your mood even lower. You know you would be no fun to be around like this. “I’m actually not feeling too well. Could’ve been something I ate. I’m just gonna take it easy for the day. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

You turn and start to walk away, barely hearing Tae’s “yeah, see ya” as you wave him goodbye over your shoulder. You make your way back to the Slytherin common room and towards your bed, planning on curling up in the warm sheets and hope tomorrow is a better day.

It’s been two days since you’ve seen Taehyung. Only catching him in brief passing at breakfast the morning after the teased snow day. You had every intention to apologize to him for your attitude, feeling guilty for having felt like you took your bad day out on him. Only he didn't give you the chance with how quickly he ran out of the great hall, saying something about needing to speak with Professor Flitwick and that he’ll catch you later. You didn’t see him for the rest of the day. The next day, you didn’t even see him at breakfast, only being made aware of his absence from an owl he sent explaining how he was going to be busy in the library the whole day. You couldn’t help but feel like he was avoiding you.

Making your way into the dining, you see Jimin waving you over, handing you a letter as you sit across from him. You open it, half expecting another letter of avoidance from Taehyung. You were happy to see that it was from Ohria, gushing about her trip with Namjoon to Korea. Wishing you a happy holiday and how she can’t wait to hear how your week has been going. You fold the letter and place it in your back pocket before filling your plate with food. You’re near down with your food when you spot a familiar figure running up to you from the corner of your eye. You turn towards him, standing from your seat as he reaches you.

“Oh, great! You’re here,” he says, grabbing your hand as he starts to pull you towards the entrance. “Come on, I have something to show you!” You stumble a little as you try to keep up with him. As you step into the hallway outside of the great hall, you decide now is as good as time as any to finally apologize.

“Tae, wait,” you say, tugging on his hand to stop him. He looks back at you, eyes wide as he looks at you, waiting for whatever you're about to say. “I want to apologize.”

He furrows his brow, turning to face you completely as he takes your other hand in his. “What? What do you have to apologize for?”

“The other day. I wasn’t in the best mood, and I was kinda rude to you. I just… I didn’t know if that’s why you were avoiding me the last two days.”

Tae smiles at you. He lets go of one of your hands, lifting his now free hand to push a loose strand of hair behind your ear, causing your cheeks to warm from the sudden touch. “I didn’t mean for you to think I was avoiding you. My absence does have to do with that day, but not because you were rude. Which you weren’t, by the way,” he reassures you, tapping the tip of your nose. Your lips turning up into a smile from the cuteness. “Just follow me, yeah? That’s what I want to show you.” You nod your head, following Tae as he continues to lead you through the hall and out the doors into the castle grounds.

“Tae, wait! I don’t have my coat,” you whine. Tae pulls you closer to him, wrapping his arm around you as he continues to lead you to your destination.

“I know, I got it covered. Just trust me.”

You go to argue, your words cut short when you see a large dome in the middle of the courtyard. In the dome, you see a cute little forest setting. Snow littering the ground and the tops of the evergreen trees. You’re at a loss for words, only a subtle whisper of a “wow” leaves your lips as you look at the enchanted globe in awe.

Tae watches you carefully, drinking in the sight of your amazement. He grabs your hand again, pulling you closer to the dome and inside. He smiles at the giggles you let out while you step onto the snow. He commits to memory the beautiful smile that adorns your face with each crunch of your step across the snowy surface. He walks you to the middle of the dome, turning to face you once you reach it. “This is what I’ve been up to the last few days. Trying to learn how to control the weather.”

You let out a snort at his joke, how he parroted your words back to you. You lightly push his shoulder, a big smile covering his face as he watches you walk around the globe. He pulls his wand out of his jacket pocket, pointing it up at the top of the globe as he gives a quick flick of his wrist. Suddenly, tiny snowflakes start falling from the top of the dome. You look up and close your eyes, smiling when you can feel the coolness of the fluffy ice land on your cheeks. Opening your eyes as you look down, you look back over at Taehyung as you continue to walk around the tiny winter wonderland. “You did this all for me?”

He nods his head, his eyes never leaving you as he watches you explore. “I wanted to see you smile. I love seeing you smile.”

You feel your own cheeks warm at his confession. Suddenly, you feel a little shiver run through your body from the chilly air. “This still doesn’t cover the fact that I don’t have my coat,” you tease as you walk back over to him.

Tae laughs, shrugging off his coat and placing it around your shoulders. He points his wand back up to the top and flicks his wrist again. The top of the dome turns into the image of a shining sun and you can immediately feel the warming rays as if it was the actual sun in the sky. “Told you I got it covered,” he says as he winks at you.

You look around, happy to see that the enchanted snow is still intact and not melting, the warming temperature from the charm not having any effect. You hear Taehyung clear his throat and you look back at him, noticing the light blush that now adorns his cheeks. “I learned one other thing,” he says nervously, once again flicking his wand, this time towards the nearest tree.

You watch as a branch extends out above you, small leaves blooming until a big group of green leaves hangs over the two of you. You examine it, noticing the tiny white and red berries that are scattered through the cluster of green. “Mistletoe,” you breathe out in a whisper.

You feel Taehyung's hand on your cheek, pulling your face back to look at him. His eyes twinkle with mirth as they meet yours, his lips turning up into a soft smile as he starts to lean in. “I know this wasn’t exactly what you had in mind, but I hope it at least made you happy.”

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you pull him down, closing the distance between you as you catch his lips in a soft, quick kiss. Breaking apart, Tae leans his forehead against yours as you both smile. “It’s absolutely perfect,” you reassure him, watching as his beautiful boxy smile once again graces his features just before he leans back in locking your lips in another kiss.

#kafeholiday20 #bangtanarmynet #bangtanhq #btsbookclub #bangtanuniversity #kwritersworldnet #btswriterscollective #btswritingcafe #kim taehyung #taehyung #taehyung fanfic #taehyung fluff #bts fanfic #bts fluff #fic ; SID #sly-merlin

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arieswonjin · 4 years ago

Text

my go-to (barista/cafe au)

pairings: goo jungmo x reader

genre: fluff, enemies(?) to lovers if you squint

summary: dealing with customers has never been your favorite part of being a barista. especially customers like goo jungmo. and now you have to train him to become one? that’s just great.

word count: 3.2k

warnings: none

song inspo: 커피를 마시고 coffee - reprise

masterlist | request here! | how to request |

"sir, may i ask if you’re going to order or not? you can step aside first if-"

"wait, wait. how different is the iced latte from the iced caramel latte?" says the man while still looking up at the menu overhead, lips parted, eyes squinted, and hands on the side of his neck, mid-scratch. you tapped the cash register impatiently and took note of how his sharp jaw moved as he scrutinized the menu. was it possible to hate someone at first sight? he was only your first customer of the day yet your blood was already boiling. either finals season was getting to you or this guy had a knack for testing your patience.

you walked to your part-time job every day at the break of dawn just in time for you to see most of the commercial establishments opening. people were going about their own mornings preferring to be undisturbed, you included. earphones in, you savored the few peaceful moments you had to yourself before the chaos of a morning shift.

more often than not, your shifts were totally and utterly uninteresting: you would be prepping ingredients to be used for the rest of the day and office employees or the occasional student running late for a 7 am class would be walking in and out to get their morning fix. there was also a bunch of cleaning left for you. the night-shift employee was simply not thorough enough to distinguish which mop to use for the spills. to this, you did your first of many eye-rolls for the day.

that being said, you weren’t exactly the most patient among your colleagues; however, the laid-back atmosphere this friendly neighborhood cafe had when it was not teeming with customers around the early afternoon almost made you forget about your subtle hatred for human interaction.

but today, as you started your shift at 6 am in the morning with your eyes barely open and a man who has been standing in front of you for more than three minutes, you remembered just why.

"well, sir, obviously, the caramel latte...has caramel." you had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes at the stupid question, whispering the better part of your sentence to mask your tone. but as they all say, the customer is always right. what a nonsensical saying.

"give me a second. i’ll just call a friend to ask what to order here.”

to your distaste, the older male leisurely took his phone out from his brown coat and scrolled through his contacts like he had all the time in the world. oh, if he could only hear your inner thoughts.

“wait-” he flashed you a friendly smile while fumbling with the gadget. “hey, serim-hyung-"

the man flinched, almost too dramatically, when you placed both your palms on the counter with just the right amount of force to shake its contents. he expected to see you fuming but instead saw the softest expression on your face which, frankly, was scarier.

"one caramel latte, hot, with an extra shot of espresso and a pump of dark chocolate for?"

"goo jungmo." he replied, suddenly alert, phone still pressed to his ear. the dull sounds of a confused friend on the other line now went unnoticed.

"...goo jeonmo. coming right up," you punched in the order while holding a fake smile that started to hurt your cheeks and exhaled a breath you didn't know you’ve been holding. breathe, y/n, this will be a fine morning. he’ll be out of here in just a few minutes.

“it's actually goo jung-"

"5,000 won, please." you extended your palm to him without making eye-contact.

jungmo just stared at your hand for a few seconds, still dazed with your outburst. could that even be considered an outburst? how strange. "oh. here." and it just started to sink in that you practically made his order for him.

"hey, i didn't ask for a-" he leaned in to take a peek at the monitor, ready to protest against the sudden turn of events. all he wanted was to get a new kind of morning coffee at this new place before walking to the university, yet it seemed like the way you two met was enough to shake the morning drowsiness out of the both of you.

"it's good. it’s my go-to. consider it a secret special," you said nonchalantly and turned the monitor away from him. you handed him the receipt and gestured him towards the claiming counter. "next customer, please."

jungmo slowly slid to the side as he placed his hands inside his pockets. he just shook his head, trying to wipe away the amused smile he now unconsciously had on his face while thinking about the humor in this encounter.

“oh shoot. sorry, hyung. did i wake you? my bad... but i guess you have to get up now, huh?” he laughed mischievously, getting back to the phone call left unattended a few moments ago. “oh, it was nothing! i’ll tell you about it later. it’s funny, really.”

with a quick glance at your nameplate, he started to think about what other interesting encounters would take place in this cafe in the following mornings. maybe he just found his new pre-class route.

the rest of the week was uneventful to say the least. your encounter with the unrealistically good-looking yet annoyingly slow customer was now far forgotten. as per usual, university kept you busy outside of work.

you’ve always thought your part-time job jived well with your college degree. after all, there’s nothing like the scent and taste of coffee to keep a pre-med student awake in front of their brick-like pathophysiology books. all those extra shots of espresso and doses of dark chocolate are enough to keep your eyes open and your mind running for countless all-nighters.

and that was exactly what you were planning to do tonight. clad in your most comfortable sweater which replaced your coffee-stained apron, a cold drink in hand, you made your way to the haneul university library.

seoul started and ended its day just like any other famous metropolis. jungmo observed this everyday as his feet took him to where he needed to be like it's second nature. but that one wednesday when he broke his routine and entered a new side-street cafe, his morning became unlike any other stroll to the university and he was sure to go back.

for two very unexpected reasons.

first, because he was surprisingly offered a part-time job (a funny coincidence. who would’ve thought the cafe owner was his father’s high school bandmate?) and second, well, because he found himself craving your go-to drink. that genius mix really got to him. and to think that he didn’t even order it himself.

he pondered dropping by the cafe before his first day of barista training tomorrow as he stood up to exit the university library. jungmo just spent most of the evening finishing a 10-page world history paper, his last agenda for the day.

“agh… my back hurts.” he stretched before grabbing his jacket and the last of his things from the study table.

“y/n? the book you were looking for was just returned here,”

jungmo involuntarily snapped his head towards the front desk, reacting to the name called out by the resident librarian. he scratched his neck in confusion as he looked for the source of the voice.

“ah, thank you. i’ll take this,”

so it’s really that y/n from the cafe? he followed you with his eyes as you walked back to the library table that you were occupying alone. jungmo, his mouth frozen in a small ‘o’ at yet another coincidence, might just have a change of evening plans. haneul university was truly full of surprises. and good ones.

“long night?”

you abruptly looked up from the stack of notes you were studying intently, unable to properly respond to jungmo’s small talk. nonetheless, the look of recognition on your face was enough to urge him to continue.

“one caramel latte, with an extra shot of espresso and a pump dark chocolate for y/n. but you seem to be having it iced now?” he looked over at the drink on top of your desk, trying to use his wide smile to start a conversation. it’s how people almost always immediately warmed up to the charming and childlike goo jungmo. he silently hoped you were not an exception, even if he straight up just mocked your lines.

“you study here?” you asked when you recovered from the sudden greeting, if you could even call it that.

“well, obviously, i do.” jungmo mocked you again, all in good fun. he successfully replicated the tone you used with him during your not-so-pleasant cafe encounter.

you sighed in defeat. you really did feel sorry for the way you acted. it was a good thing you still even had your job. “i’m sorry for how i acted that morning. i guess it was the stress getting to me. jeonmo, right?”

“goo jungmo, actually.” he laughed, finally succeeding in correcting the mistaken name at which you just facepalmed in embarrassment. “no worries. i was really slow, wasn’t i?” he scratched the back of his head, a tinge of realization crossing his facial expression. you nodded with pursed lips.

“but hey, at least i got three good things out of that morning in bt cafe.” he casually sat on the chair next to you and pulled up three fingers, counting down while he spoke. “the drink was good, and i got a new job there, and...”

“wait, you’re the new recruit i have to teach?! you know i have to work nights now, right?”

maybe it was the way he sat down beside you so comfortably or how adorably foolish he looked with that habitual scratch to the neck, but holding a casual conversation with this jungmo wasn’t hard at all. the first impressions my 6 am-self created are really unreliable.

“you make it sound so sketchy. it’s a cafe job, not some underground cult.”

you rolled your eyes at his joke and scoffed, internally thanking the heavens for his humor that’s making this sudden interaction so light-hearted. he waved the previous statement off and continued. “turns out bt cafe stands for boys in trouble, my father’s band back in high school.”

“your father is mr. kim’s bandmate?! he talks endlessly about his band phase!”

“shhh!” both of you bowed to the librarian who was peering at you through the shelves on your far-left.

“best bandmate, mind you. it’s the reason why i picked up some guitar skills growing up.” jungmo gets immersed in your now-hushed conversation, making himself lean back on the library chair despite not having any work to do. you did the same, unconsciously leaning in to hear more about your boss.

your pending tasks were left undone for the meantime and you and jungmo were subjected to about three more glares from the librarian that night.

night 1: bt cafe

the training starts.

“coffee beans. they all look the same.” now wearing an apron identical to the one you had, jungmo stood in front of the cafe pantry trying to decipher the coffee beans you’ve been introducing to him without their respective labels.

“that’s what amateurs always say,” you teased. from the previous night, you already established how fun it was to see his reactions to even the smallest attempts to irritate him. it was a good thing trainings took place in the early evenings when you actually had the energy for a bit of fun.

“well, i am an amateur. that’s why you’re teaching me, sunbae.” jungmo jabbed back and followed you around the main counter, hands clasped together as he tried to act like a cute and enthusiastic junior.

you pretended to cringe and broke in laughter when he whined. “back to the coffee beans…”

night 7: bt cafe

within a week, jungmo got the hang of working the bulky and stubborn espresso machine. he has yet to produce a perfectly good batch without burning himself, though.

“i’m surprised you even have the time for a part-time job, pre-med.”

“i could say the same to you, mr. pilot. don’t you have plane diagrams to memorize--ow! that’s hot!” you retreated from the hot cup he was handing to you.

“shit, did I burn you?” jungmo instinctively took your hand and started to look for any redness and swelling, turning your hand over in his. “where does it hurt?”

“.....i’m okay.” you looked up at the much taller male and slowly slid away, finding the sudden proximity quite foreign.

“a baristas hands are precious. let me get a cold towel,”

you followed his retreating figure with your eyes, noting how easily he blended in with the rest of the cafe, apron and all. with a shake of your head and a repressed smile, you might have just thought about calling him cute.

night 10: bt cafe

“....then, after that you just let the coffee drip by itself for about 15-20 minutes- yah.”

“hmm?” jungmo straightened up from having his head on his palm, elbows against the counter. “sorry. you kinda looked...cute...when you were focused.” he said softly without making eye-contact as he mimicked the coffee drip set-up you just made. he realized that it was a weird feeling, suddenly being timid like this.

“tch. focus.” you turned your back to place some ingredients back on their shelves, taking this opportunity to smile and recollect yourself before going back to watching jungmo’s progress.

night 14: university grounds

"you really don't have to bring me these to track your progress..." you saw jungmo waiting outside the biology laboratory for the third time this week, thermos clutched in hand. a few days ago, he insisted on buying his own coffee drip set to get some practice at home. talk about being thoughtfully extra.

"i mean, yeah, we're together every night but you have to see how i do it on my own!"

"shh! people will take that out of context, idiot!" you looked around at the waves of people piling out of the laboratory, worried someone might overhear. jungmo just teased you by wiggling his eyebrows, earning him a smack to the shoulder.

night 20: bt cafe

“yes, y/n, to what do i owe this pleasure of a phone call from you?” jungmo answered his phone after several rings. you were beginning to worry that he got into an accident. why was he so late to his training tonight?

“where are you?”

“i might not come tonight. important presentation tomorrow and we might have to pull an all-nighter. don’t worry! i already told our boss. wait, you’re actually looking for me.”

“i mean, you’ve been coming every night so…”

“y/n misses me.” you almost hear his teasing face through the phone lines. jungmo heard your eyes roll in turn.

“uhm, no, thank you. i’m hanging up.” you put your phone back inside your pocket only to retrieve it after a few seconds when you received a message notification.

don’t worry! i miss you too!

night 30: haneul university library

“agh. how am i ever going to save lives like this?” the sound of resignation in your voice made jungmo look up from his laptop. aside from the regular trainings, you and jungmo have arranged regular study sessions. it’s safe to say that you’ve been spending a good fraction of your week with your fellow haneul student, workmate, and, as it now seems, a special friend.

“you’re keeping me alive just fine, though, doc.” jungmo walked over to your side of the library table and ruffled your hair while your face was still buried in your textbooks. his previous statement went unnoticed. “you should go home early tonight. i’ll take you.” he pulled you up by the arm, shaking you to encourage you to stand up as you grunted.

“thanks, mogu.”

he just nodded at you with a smile and held out his arm to drape around you while you walked. “let’s go.”

night 40: university garden

“hey, you never told me about the third thing.” you sat on the garden bench, stopping jungmo’s strides and pulling him to sit too.

"hmm?"

“the third good thing you got from that day at the cafe. you got a good drink, got a job and….?” you urged him to continue, expecting the answer to be something trivial. after all, it was something he told you on the first day you properly met. would he even remember what the third thing was?

“that? the third thing is that..." jungmo took his time and pretended to fix his jacket, intentionally stalling until you glared at him.

"....i met you.” the casual tone in his voice and the giggle that accompanied it made it seem like it was something he said everyday.

"liars go to hell. and you're full of cheese."

"but you love cheese." he shrugged. knowing you couldn’t deny this, jungmo stood up and pulled you by the hand, ready to walk you home like what the both of you have gotten used to.

night 50: bt cafe

“so you sold your coffee drip set to wonjin because…?” you were fixing up the last of today’s orders with jungmo waiting beside you to place them on their cup holders.

“i don’t need to make coffee for myself anymore. you speed up my heart just fine throughout the day now.” he secured the cups and held them out to the waiting customer. “come again!”

“goo jungmo.” you turned bright red and hid your embarrassment by slapping jungmo’s arm. “don’t fool around like that.”

“ey. i just confessed, can’t you be a little more accommodating?” jungmo ran to the door and flipped the cafe sign from open to closed. “should i have written it in latte art or something? i like you. would 8 letters fit in that tiny cup?”

“you call that a confession?” this earned the iconic whine from goo jungmo. "hey, idiot!" you called to him from across the empty cafe and scratched your neck like he always did, for effect. "i like you, too."

night 77: bt cafe

“shift’s over. what are you doing?” you leaned on the counter to take a peek at what jungmo was doing. there were no customers anymore so you were wondering what was keeping him so busy.

“one caramel latte, iced, with-“

“—an extra shot of espresso and a pump of dark chocolate...” you continued his sentence, nodding your head in time with the words.

“...for my y/n,” jungmo finished and handed you a cup with both hands. you took it with a playful squint of your eyes.

you took a sip, keeping your eyes on the expectant jungmo. a moment of silence ensued.

“jungmo. i love you….but-”

“i love you too.” he hurriedly replied without hesitation.

“…but i still make the best version of this.” you smiled victoriously, sticking your tongue out at him before drinking the rest of the latte which you admitted tasted pretty close to your specialty. jungmo just raised his hands up in defeat and proceeded to watch you drink his version of the go-to drink that brought you two together in the first place.

“if i get to see you smile like that, do i really want to get it right?”

#cravitywriters #cravity scenarios #cravity imagines #cravity fluff #jungmo scenarios #jungmo imagines #jungmo fluff #cravity #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop fluff #goo jungmo

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bang-to-the-tan · 4 years ago

Text

Stray Cat Strut

Chapter 8

Reader x OT7

► Faerie!AU

Fluff, Comfort

Warnings: Mention of Death, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Faerie Mischievous Bullshit

↳ Summary: When your grandmother passes away, she leaves her countryside house in your name. The longer you stay, the harder and harder it becomes to explain away the odd happenings. What kind of secrets does this sleepy town hold? And why do the local animals act so strangely around you?…

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Water. Rushing water, in your ears, in your eyes, in your nose, and you can’t even tell which way is up. You can’t breathe, the river—it’s too fast. Warmth, strength, snakes around your midsection despite your flailing, and pulls.

You wake, disoriented, just as you breach the surface, still gasping. Sunlight sneaks through your curtains and paints the ceiling in bands of yellow above you. Your blankets, tossed in your restless, fitful sleep, circle your legs, and you have to shake them off to sit up. Your nightmare spins in your head as you sit and ground yourself to reality. It’s been a very long time since you dreamed of drowning...You shake your head. Best not to think about it any more than necessary. An old childhood fear, brought about by sleeping in your old childhood home. That’s all.

You stretch, yawning. You’re listening absently to the distant birdsong outside, and that’s when you realize the birds aren’t the only ones making noise. A distinct voice is holding a one-sided conversation just outside your house. It occasionally breaks into a loud laugh or some odd sound effect, halting here and there for some answer that you can’t hear. You pause. Maybe whoever it is is only passing by? But no, the voice doesn’t move anywhere. The wood beneath your feet creaks traitorously when you slide to the window, sneaking a peek out the corner of it, to around the front where the voice is. From here, you can see very little, but for a shape that moves out of sight just as you spot it.

Confused, you get dressed, and check your appearance in a nearby mirror. You aren’t going to be winning any awards, but you’d like to at least know what they’re doing out there. You make sure to slip the cat’s totem around your neck and check for the bracelet around your wrist.

Moving to open your door, you brace yourself to put on a brave face. Maybe the locals are themselves getting ‘squirrely’ around Spirit Lights. It is tomorrow, after all. Your facade proves to be wholly unnecessary once you actually swing the front door open. Hoseok turns to beam at you cheerfully, pink and gray hair ruffled, his hands and knees covered in dirt. He’s cradling an uprooted tulip in his palms. For a moment, you go to protest, heart sinking at his demolition, but you pull up short once you realize he’s not destroying it. He’s replanting it; settling it at a more comfortable distance from its brethren, judging by the hole at his feet. Much of the garden has been likewise tended, the color seeping back into the plants and the dirt turning a dark, rich brown. It smells like fresh greenery, roots, and clean soil out here, the wafts of breeze bringing with them that distinct scent of blossoming lavender. You wonder that he was able to accomplish this much just in the time that you were sleeping in.

Behind the gardener, sitting atop your fence like it had been born on it, is the cat from the first night you spent here. You would recognize those eyes anywhere. It’s black pelt glimmers in the sunlight, turning almost blue in the warmth of its rays. Even as it lounges, watching Hoseok work with its paws tucked beneath itself, you are again given the impression that it knows and observes plenty.

“Good morning!” Hoseok crows, his grin pushing dimples into his cheeks. “Did we wake you?”

“Um…” you look to the cat, a faint smile curving your lips at the familiar animal. You wave a little at it, wiggling your fingers. It blinks slow at you, turning its luminous eyes elsewhere. “Kind of. What are you doing here?”

“Gardening,” is Hoseok’s cheerful reply.

“...right.” You aren’t sure you want to look the gift horse in the mouth, but is it odd that he just...showed up? Then again, that’s how you met him in the first place.

“Yoongi wanted to apologize.”

You blink at him, amused and baffled at once. Yoongi? Ah, you recall the brown-haired youth calling the cat by that name. Absently, your hand drifts to the bag around your neck, inhaling the faint smell of cinnamon. You level a stare at Hoseok. Has he been talking to...the cat? This whole time? If the cat really is Yoongi, and Namjoon and the young man are both right, then the cat is definitely a kepry—really, it’s not that surprising, then, that a local tradesman would be holding a conversation with him. He probably has to deal a lot with them. You wonder briefly if he’s ever met the kepry under your house.

Probably, if they both are working on the garden. Considering the bright, sunny nature of the two of them, they probably would get along.

You pull out of your distant musings. “...The cat wants to apologize? What for?”

“He says he scared you on accident. Something about his totem? And Taehyung?” Hoseok shakes his head, laughing a little. “It’s always something between him and Tae, though, so I don’t know about that much.”

Right. The dog and the cat have a rivalry. That tracks. You raise your eyebrows. “Scared me?” you echo. You wrack your brain, throwing back to the last time you saw the cat. Scared you by disappearing, maybe. You really were concerned for its safety to begin with. But what does that have to do with Taehyung?

Hoseok shrugs, bending to place the tulip in its rightful place, patting the dirt around it with the ease of someone well-practiced in gardening, his face soothed into a gentle expression of focus.

“He chickened out when he got here.” He throws a sly grin at the cat, who beholds him with incredible disdain. “I’m not apologizing for you.”

Uh-huh. You watch Hoseok dig around in the dirt for a moment longer before realization careens about your head and crashes into the opposite side with almost an audible sound.

“Payment!” you say, aloud. He blinks at you but you’re already turning to dash back inside, scrambling through the cupboards for the candy you had left. You rush back outside before either of them has even moved, presenting the half-empty bag of sweets to him.

“I had to,” you start babbling, as he flicks his eyes comically between you and the bag, a surprised smirk creeping across his face, “I had to, use the rest for something else, someone else, there’s—” you quickly abandon the thought of trying to explain the kepry. If he knows, he knows, and if he doesn’t, you’ll only confuse him or make him think you’re crazy. “—but the—for the gardening, I can’t pay you much—”

“You already—” he starts, bemused, but you’ve already started and its very difficult to stop even as you’re becoming breathless, plowing forward.

“—But I hope we can be friends anyways and I just wanted to say thank you for not ruining the garden,” you finish, having to draw in an embarrassingly deep inhale at the end.

He breaks out into a full smile, teeth bared, and laughs, bending with the motion. He takes the bag from your hands gingerly and sets it on a clear patch of grass beside him without looking directly at it.

“Thank you,” he chuckles. “I’ll put it with the rest.”

“The garden looks beautiful, by the way.”

Hoseok glances back up at you, obvious pride crossing his fine features as he stands, dusting his hands off on his pants leg.

He practically glows, posing with his hands on his hips and surveying his hard work. “Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”

“Between you and the spirits, this place is going to be the loveliest garden this side of Eden,” you add, half-joking, reaching to caress a nearby daisy, feeling the soft petals between your fingers like the kiss of sunshine across silk.

He pauses thoughtfully for a minute before shaking his head and giggling.

“Jin wasn’t kidding. You really are clueless, huh.”

Jin. You start with a gasp, turning to lock the front door and rushing past the gardener to the gate, swinging it open and throwing yourself through it. You almost forgot! How could you forget?? You’ve got to go and help Jin finish cleaning the pond today! You hope he isn’t too upset with your probable lateness... Your steps hesitate. You throw a quick glance over your shoulder.

“...Are we...are we okay?” you ask after a moment, directing the question at the gardener. “Is the candy okay?”

“It’s all I wanted,” he replies, nodding reassuringly, eyes glinting with humor. “Thank you.”

“Good. And…”

The cat, Yoongi, cranes to watch the ground a little ways from you, only momentarily looking up to meet your gaze. The gesture is definitely as close to repentant as you think you’ve ever seen a cat manage. You pause again, reaching to curl your fingers around the totem around your neck faintly.

“...I...I forgive you. For scaring me. Thank you,” you add. “For the totem. I promise I’ll use it well.”

His head dips, pretending suddenly to be incredibly engrossed in stretching, bending to deftly clean his paw, but the cock of his ears tells you he isn’t not paying attention, nor is he entirely discontented. Hoseok bursts into another bright peal of laughter.

You peer at him, a smile crossing your face. You wonder if keprys can purr. But even as you ponder that idea, now that you’re aware of your tardiness, it’s like there’s a clock counting down in your head, and every second passing is more disappointment from Jin.

You start moving down the path, keeping an eye on the strange man tending your garden and the strange cat pretending not to watch you go before you turn and start to run. Maybe if you finish up with Jin fast enough, you can continue your search for the elusive little dog.

You’re reminded of the youth you met yesterday when the wind hits your hair, fresh and clean from the morning. The pound of your feet against gravel and stone and dirt. The quickening of your heartbeat in your throat, assuring that you are alive and well. The sunlight ahead bathes the trees in gold, dapples the ground beneath as you continue along, turning across the pathway and emerging at the bridge. You scour the clearing for your companion, catching your breath in heady gulps of sweet air that tastes like springtime. There, beneath the willow, on the opposite bank. He’s sitting against the trunk, head bowed and eyes closed. Guilt sinks into your chest at the thought that he fell asleep waiting for you.

The bridge carries you over to his side of the water, and you gingerly navigate a way down the steep incline towards him. You have to brush the long, trailing tresses of the tree out of your face as you approach, peeling it apart like the lifting of a veil. Not for the first time, you’re struck both by his beauty and his timelessness. He looks like if you left him, he could sleep forever. A statue, carved out of the moon. But you reach forward, quickly wiping your sweaty palm against your trouser leg, and touch his shoulder.

His dark eyelashes flutter and he blinks sleepily, casting a look up at you.

“Hey, Jin.” You admit, “I don’t know what time it is. I’m sorry if I’m late.”

The smile he gives you is radiant, warm, creases his eyes and softens his lips.

“Not at all,” he returns. “You’re just in time.”

You grin back, moving to crouch by him. “Good. Thanks. So where do we start today?”

Jin’s mouth purses and his eyes flit to the bridge, hesitating. “Start?” he murmurs. “I don’t know...Maybe today we take a break?”

“A break?”

“Yes.” He shuffles, patting the dirt beside himself with another gentle smile. “Yes, why don’t you join me here? How was your day yesterday? Tell me about it.”

You pause, considering. It sounds nice, just to hang out with Jin all day. And admittedly, you’ve been wanting for some real companionship. What with everyone around you disappearing into smoke. But on the other hand...you kind of want to find Taehyung. It’s not just a matter of the librarian anymore, really. You’re legitimately becoming concerned about the small dog’s wellbeing.

“Maybe later,” you reply. “I’ve got other stuff to do today.”

Jin frowns, and for a beat, you can sense a strange energy from him. You’re reminded of when you caught him talking to Taehyung over your fence. That same coldness. It dissipates when he turns away from you, casting a melancholic look over at the pond.

“Other stuff to do today?” he echoes. “Other...people to be with?”

You aren’t sure where he’s going with this train of thought. “...Yes? Kind of? I’m going to go looking for Taehyung after.”

He goes silent, watching the surface of the water with a distant gaze, his mouth briefly quirking. An uncomfortable quiet settles between you, broken only by the sound of the wind through trees and the occasional distant birdsong. You straighten, looking for something else to say, maybe you can sit for just a little while after all, but he sits up before you have the chance, moving to stand with one fluid motion.

“You want to finish quickly so you can look for Taehyung,” he says, his expression faraway.

It’s your turn to frown, staring at him incredulously. “I don’t get what you’re so upset about.”

He shakes his head, turning back to you with a long sigh drawn through his nose and a bitter smile curling the edges of his lips.

“Never mind.”

You eye the man. What’s up with him? “Let’s finish the pond, then.”

He blinks, hard, gaze briefly casting to the side before meeting yours again. He takes the space between you with a step, his expression turning earnest, his hands rising to his sides as if to placate you.

“I meant what I said yesterday,” he puts in, low. “I don’t want to stop seeing you. I like you.”

“I like you too.” You add, “When you aren’t being weird. What is this about?”

“I miss you when you’re gone. It gets so lonely up here. Nobody comes to the pond anymore—no one tends the pond, or visits me, or prays at the shrine. It’s been so long…” He hesitates. “If we complete our deal...you’ll leave, too.”

“I won’t, Jin. I said I’d come and visit, and I meant it.”

His short laugh is humorless. “This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that.”

He interrupts before you can reply, shocked at how bitter he sounds. How sad.

“Taehyung is happy with you. He adores you. You take care of him. And he protects you. And now that you’re here...now that you’re back...he hasn’t left your side, has he?”

You pause. “He...he disappeared yesterday,” you confess. “I’ve been looking for him since. But I don’t get what—”

“ You’re searching for him .” He sounds heartbroken. “You miss him.”

“...of course I do. He’s my…” You catch yourself in your confusion, unsure of what you were going to say and finishing lamely with, “...my dog.”

Another beat of silence falls between you that feels significant. You don’t understand why. The wind that cards through the air, entices your hair with it, brings with it the cool of the water’s surface. It soothes the touch of the sun shining above you, filtered through the willow tree into spots of sweet gold and dappled shadows that encase the two of you.

When Jin reaches for your hand, his expression soft, his movements gentle, you let him. You jolt in surprise when you feel something press into your palm. Wasn’t his hand empty just a moment ago? Looking down, you watch as he curls your fingers faintly around a small charm. About the size of a walnut, it looks like it used to be a brooch of some kind, but the fastener is long gone. A lily, fashioned out of clouded glass so thin and delicate that despite its size, it’s incredibly light. The edges are gilded, though the gold has rubbed away in places. It’s beautiful. Fragile, and old, but beautiful. Your confusion only heightens when, as he bends your fingers to wrap around it, you can feel electricity course through you. Like a wildfire, but warm and soothing instead of burning, crackling down your neck and hands, centered around his peculiar offering, and suddenly you’re hyper-aware of his cologne. Lilies. As clearly as if you were the one wearing it. All around you, the world has ceased making noise—allowing you your own private world in itself. All that is, all that matters, is you, the radiant man in front of you, and the tiny sun blazing heat into your palm. The wind holds its breath.

“Would you miss me?” Jin murmurs. Even his voice seems to have changed, almost sonorous in tone.

You look up. He looks different. He looks vulnerable, strangely tired, even as he seems to shine, the sun outlining his frame and lighting up fireflies behind his eyes, through the strands of his hair.

You’re taken aback, but you’ve misunderstood the question.

“Please?” he adds, earnest, pressing on your fingers again.

“Secret club.” A voice suddenly weaves through the spell that had fallen across the two of you and you jump faintly, turning to spy the pink-haired boy craning past the willow’s tresses with a wide, playful smirk. “Can I come in?”

Jin immediately breaks the silence with an offended scoff. When he speaks again, he’s gone back to normal, sounding at once both harried and annoyed. “Jimin, go away.”

All around you, the world has returned as if it never left. The birds calling far away, the gentle sound of the air through the trees. Why is that surprising? It’s hard to recall what, exactly, that moment felt like, even though it was only a second ago.

‘Jimin’ throws his eyes skyward and sags exaggeratedly against the willow leaves, swinging. “Ah, but I’m bored ,” he complains. Even his whine is musical, pitching into a huff at the end.

“We are involved in something,” is Jin’s deadpan reply. “Leave.”

Jimin squints at him, pausing. “No,” he says finally, brattish. “I want to play.”

“I am busy.”

Jimin swings gracefully one last time, disentangling himself from the willow and ghosting nearer to you, his smile growing until it pushes his eyes into crescents, his cheeks buxom.

“I don’t want to play with you ,” he snipes at Jin. He reaches forward to grip the edge of your shirtsleeve with his small, delicate fingers, childish. He bounces slightly when he tugs at your sleeve. “You and me! Let’s go!”

“She’s busy, too,” Jin tugs on your hand a little, turning his body towards the other boy as if to physically block him out.

Are they...arguing over you ? Like schoolchildren? There’s no way of defining the cross between humor and disbelief that washes over you at the realization. Grown men. Grown strangers.

Jimin’s pink hair waves when his head snaps upwards, a sharp look crossing his face suddenly. His grasp on your shirt tightens, fingers spidering upwards for a firmer grip, though still avoiding touching the meat of your arm.

“She’s in my debt,” he says, low, warning. “And I just decided on my payment.”

“Whoah,” you interrupt, eyes wide, brow cocked. “Wait, debt? Payment?”

“Go play with Taehyung,” Jin ignores your questions.

“He doesn’t want to!” Jimin protests. “He’s really upset for some reason.”

“You know where Taehyung is?” This time, your outburst catches both of their attentions. Though Jin looks dismayed, frowning, Jimin only looks curious.

“Yeah,” he says after a moment.

“Could you take me to him?” Hope, excitement rises in your chest. Could it really be that easy? Maybe this whole time he’s been hanging out with someone else? That hope turns a little questionable when Jimin’s face smoothes into something sweetly conniving.

“I could,” he replies, light. He tugs on your shirt again, pointedly. “But you have to play with me first,” he adds in a singsong.

Jin huffs.

But you quirk your mouth and nod, moving to step away from Jin. “Alright. What are we playing?”

Wait, is your hand empty again? Did you drop the brooch? Shocked, you turn to look for it, already forming apologies in your head, but you can’t see it anywhere near your feet, and when Jin speaks up again, he sounds more annoyed with the newcomer than concerned for the delicate item.

“You’re being rude, Jimin.”

Jimin sticks his tongue out at the other man, scrunching his nose in the process, while he turns to you and starts excitedly half-pulling you back up the incline, towards the bridge.

“I wanna play Red Jay!”

“You would!” Jin calls, trudging after you sullenly. He brushes off a spot on the bridge’s wide railing and seats himself on it, watching the two of you like someone jilted.

“Isn’t it blue jay?” you ask. You aren’t exactly an expert on bird types, but you rifle through your limited knowledge anyway. Blue jay? Red robin?

“No.” Maybe this far out in the stix they have their own versions of games and/or birds.

Your pink-haired consort leads you to the mouth of the bridge and circles around until he’s facing you, holding his hands out, palms forward. He waits expectantly.

You blink at him.

“I...I don’t know what red jay is,” you confess after an awkward beat.

He snorts, rolling his eyes. “You used to,” he says, and before you can comment on that, he reaches for your hands, holding them up in the position his had been in. “You’ll want to know how to play it for tomorrow, at least.”

His eyes sparkle. “Kids love Red Jay during Spirit Lights.”

“Like this,” he directs. “First, you’re the red jay.”

He presses his palms to yours, crossing his arms over one another, then moving in a circular direction until his are straight and yours are crossed.

“‘Red jay,’” he begins, “‘O, red jay, when will the spring come?’

And then you turn your hands like this,”

You obligingly switch your palms to face you. He taps the backs of your hands with his.

He nods at you.

“Your line is ‘When snow has stopped falling / and winter is done’.”

You hesitate, watching him, but repeat it back slowly.

The two of you continue in this manner, him feeding you your lines and teaching you to move your palms up, over, sideways—like a slow game of patty-cake.

“Red jay, O red jay, when will you come home?”

“When tears have stopped falling / and I cease to roam.”

Curiously, you think, you might actually remember doing this. Your body tenses with excitement without really knowing why.

“Red jay, O red jay, again, shall you run?”

Jimin’s eyes glint and his smile grows wide.

“When lights have stopped glowing,” you reply, seized by a rush of giddiness. “and my work here is done.”

“And now, we run —” Jimin barks, turning, beginning a game of tag. You’re the red jay, adrenaline courses through your veins and you remember this, suddenly kicking a leg out, obeying the laws of the child’s game by keeping your hands folded to mimic wings, but filled with triumph when you hook your ankle under Jimin’s and he trips with a scandalized yelp, falling to the ground beneath you. Unmatched glee washes over you. The red jay, victorious, spreading its wings above him and squatting to cradle him in your arms, laughing.

“And now I take you with me!” you shout, enthused. “Across the river and through the forest we’ll go!!” He whines, struggling out of your grasp.

“You cheated!” he complains, but even though he’s trying to pout, frowning away from you, he’s obviously still pleased that you played along.

You’re still giggling, allowing him to clamber upwards, your arms dropping to your sides. “I win. Take me to Taehyung.”

“I want to keep playing,” Jimin protests.

“No. I won.”

“One more game,” he wheedles. “One more game. Something easy. If you win, I’ll take you to where I saw Taehyung.”

“Jimin—”

He ducks his head, lips pursing into a perfect pout, searching your eyes through bubblegum strands of his hair, his own wide and glittering in the sun. “Please? Just one more game.”

He looks at you like his heart is breaking. Like he’s never known loneliness so terrible. For sure, some of it is an act, but there has to be something there for someone to pester a stranger so much...Besides, he’s sweet enough, you think.

You hesitate, feeling pity for him despite yourself. “...What game?”

The smile that bursts across his face is brilliant. “Hide and seek! See? Easy.”

“You live here,” you point out with a wry smile. “You probably know this town better than I ever could.”

“I’ll give you a huge head start.”

You consider it. But there’s no real reason to deny him this last game, and eventually you cave.

“Alright, one more—”

“Yay!”

“—and then you take me to where you saw Taehyung, no matter who wins .”

He immediately pulls up short, voice pitching into a whine. “But that wasn’t—”

“Those are my terms. Take them or leave them.”

Jimin pouts again, throwing his arms across his chest, but he nods anyway, looking put-upon and deeply upset. “Okay, fine.” You don’t worry about him for too long, because he almost immediately sneaks back into a grin, mischief raising his brows. “Ready? One…” He spins on his heel and starts counting.

Suddenly at a loss for what to do, you flounder, spinning around wildly to look for a good hiding spot. Under the bridge, maybe? Up in the willow tree? Neither of those will do at all. You’ll be found so quickly….Why do you care? The sooner the game is over, the sooner you can get your side of the deal.

You jolt when a hand winds around your arm, tugging you gently to the side. Jin, standing just to your right, his expression unreadable but for the grim, strangely serious, curling one side of his mouth.

“This way,” he urges in a hush. “I’ll hide you.”

You aren’t sure why you nod, but the minute you do, he starts into a run. He’s fast, footsteps sure as he leads you back over the bridge, past the trees, swift and almost silent. Behind you, Jimin’s voice softens and fades until you can’t hear him anymore. Tugged along ungracefully, you struggle to keep up, but Jin never yanks too hard, and never slows. Beneath your feet, the path peters out, yet still leads faintly through the foliage as it grows denser, less tame. The wind whips at your hair, soothing over your face, sunlight turning to filtered rays and dollops of sun warming the green leaves ahead and the soft grass below.

Jin takes you around a corner, his pace finally, finally slowing, and you’re treated to a small clearing edged with tall trees and old, climbing foliage. He lets go of your hand. You bend at the middle to reclaim what breath you can manage, thankful for the breeze that cools the sweat at your neck. When you can, you straighten to survey your surroundings, casting a doubtful look behind you. Could you find your way back out of here? Probably not. Even now you aren’t sure between which copse of trees you burst through to get here. Hopefully Jin doesn’t disappear before he can lead you back. Now you can hear the river that rings around the back of the town, but there’s no hint of the road that must surely be just as far away.

Before you, ringed by light, is a shrine made of stone. It reminds you of the one behind your house; a boulder about knee-height set in front of a lantern carved of the same type of rock. Ontop rests a shrine about the size of a birdhouse. The entire thing is cracked, covered in moss, vines threatening to overtake one side of the lantern and snaking into the walls of the shrine.

“I’ve seen these before,” you manage to wheeze to Jin, gesturing. You straighten with a steadying breath. “There’s one in the forest down the road.”

“They used to be everywhere,” he replies quietly. He doesn’t seem out of breath at all as he steps forward to caress the tip of the lantern with a familiar touch. Something in his eyes gleams.

“Kinda seems a little out in the open for a hiding place,” you add, throwing another look around. This time, you’re certain you don’t know the way back. The thought makes your skin crawl a little, but if you just keep an eye on Jin, he won’t be allowed to vanish into nothing—as apparently everyone in this town can do at will. So much for a quick game, you guess.

His hum is wry. “I’ll keep him turned around for a minute. I still wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t mean to frighten you at all.” When Jin turns towards you, his face is earnest again. “I...I just…” he hesitates. “I get lonely.” He ducks his head, picking absently at the vines crossing the lantern. “People used to come up here all the time. And now...”

It's the second time he’s mentioned people visiting the pond. Admittedly, you’re curious. “Why? What are those for?”

“To pray. They used to pray.”

You watch him remove a tendril creeping inside the shrine with a delicate hand, and as he does, you recognize a shape hidden inside. A tiny bronze swan, with its head curled back towards its wings. The shapes carved into its back tell you it might have been an incense burner, though by now much of it has turned green and mottled. How long has it slept here?

“The swans? People prayed to the swans at the pond?...” You pause. “Miss Eunju and Mr. Sungmin did say that people don’t believe in the older stuff anymore. I guess they stopped coming when they stopped believing.”

“I never needed the faith,” Jin adds. “That was never the point. But reverence turned to fear, turned to….forgetting.”

“People think the pond is haunted, you said.”

“Yes.” His frown deepens, his eyes desperately sad, aching with some ancient scar.

“An old god, shunned by its people...”

Jin’s laugh is a sudden one, hiding bitterness. “Was never a god. Didn’t mind being treated like one, though.”

You think of the swan, with all its enchanting, ethereal beauty, and can’t help but smile at the thought of it lounging on silk pillows, being fed fanciful scraps of expensive bread. “I bet.” Was that Jin’s job, you wonder. A caretaker for the godlike swans? But surely not—not for how old this shrine must be. Why does he take the town’s crisis of faith so personally?

There is a moment of silence, punctuated only by the rush of nearby water and the distant calls of birds. The shifting of tree branches in the wind. The man standing before you looks like he belongs here, in the strangest of ways. A perfect addition to a painting depicting the ancient shrine, the greenery growing up around it, and a tall man with years beyond his time in his stare.

Maybe he’s like you, you think. His family must have ties to this place, considering the man in Granny’s photograph. Years and years of history. He must feel an obligation to the pond, the shrine, the bridge...But the locals avoiding it must make him something of an outcast...yeah.

Yeah, you can understand that.

“You don’t have to bribe me with antique jewellry,” you say finally. “To come and see you.”

He snorts, still not meeting your eye. “Bribe...?”

“Yeah. I...you know, I like it here. This town. I haven’t made any real decision yet,” your hands raise in premature defense, “but...for as long as I’m staying...I don’t mind just. Coming to see you. To hang out.”

“You don’t?” His voice is quiet.

“Of course not. We’re friends.”

“We are?...”

“I’d like to be.”

Seokjin turns to blink at you, like he’s in awe. At first, he seems unsure. Unconvinced, but the longer you watch him patiently, the more he appears to understand. His eyes catch the light, pushing into glittering crescents when he smiles broadly, without some of that bone-deep sadness you’re so used to seeing from him. He looks hopeful. Hesitantly so, but eager enough to try. “Friends. Yes...I-I’d like that, too. I really would.”

“Maybe once we’re done with the pond, we can come back here and clean this up, even?” you suggest, stepping to place your hand on the shrine, feeling the sun-warmed stone under your palm. “Get some foot traffic back here?”

“It’s okay.” He’s still grinning, brushing absently at the moss, his hand hovering. A beat, two, before he finally touches down, his long fingers curling faintly over yours. “It was a long time ago, anyway.”

There’s a moment that you take, there, in that clearing, standing by this tall man as the mild breeze dances around you both, smiling softly and feeling warm where your hands meet. You seem to have banished whatever cloud was casting its darkness over him for the time being, his entire frame lit by the sun and brightened still further by the legitimate, excited smile he’s wearing.

“Yes,” he murmurs. “I think I see now.”

To your shock, he leans forward, craning closer. Heat rises in your face. You back up, balking, but before you can react properly, Jimin’s voice once again shatters through the clearing, ruining the mood threatening to descend upon you.

“You’re such a cheater!” The pink haired man complains loudly as he clambers through a thicket, popping into view just to your right. That’s...now, that’s strange. You could have sworn the path was the opposite direction….? “Both of you! Cheaters!”

Jin halts, his entire frame sagging with an exasperated look that almost makes you laugh with all the nervous energy now buzzing in your skull. “Distracted for two seconds,” he grumbles, raising a brow at you. “And that’s all it took for him to worm through.”

“Distracted from doing...what?” you return, edging backward and sliding your hand out from under him. He lets you go easily, turning to survey Jimin instead of replying.

“I won’t count this, you know,” Jimin continues in a whine. “It doesn’t count.”

“Yes, it does,” Jin replies, scoffing.

...Was Jin going to kiss you?

“It doesn’t , you interfered—”

“—the terms that you laid out—”

Would you have stopped him? Of course. Of course you would. You shake your head at yourself, more engaged in recovering from your slight shock than their argument. Your cheeks are still on fire, heart pounding just at the memory of the handsome man’s proximity just then.

“—between me and her —”

“—explicitly said—”

Maybe he took it the wrong way. You said you’d be friends, he said he was lonely...How likely is it that he’s just gotten the wrong idea? How long has been alone for, exactly?...But you did mean it. You don’t want—can’t, with a clean conscience—to leave him by himself. And you do like him. As a friend. When he isn’t being weird.

“—for your own ends, you always do this—”

“—at my pond—”

“Hey,” you interrupt their bickering when it threatens to turn to yelling, stepping forward, arms raised placatingly. “Alright, enough. I agree with Jimin.”

The shorter man throws a triumphant look to the other, head cocking, eyes wide.

“The game was supposed to be between me and him, and I had help. Those weren’t the terms. I’ll admit to that.”

“ Ha .”

“But—” you add, hesitating. You don’t want to promise Jin you won’t leave and then leave. You also don’t want to leave him with whatever... that was supposed to be. If you run off with Jimin now, he might keep the wrong idea. “But...I think Taehyung will be okay without me for a little while longer. So long as he’s doing alright.”

“ What ?” Jimin sounds devastated. When Jin looks over his shoulder to recapture your gaze, he’s practically glowing.

“I think I should keep up my first bargain.”

“You were —”

“Fixing the pond. With Jin.” you continue, interrupting Jimin’s scowl. “And maybe hang out. As friends.” You make sure to put extra emphasis on ‘friends’, but if it has any particular effect, Jin doesn’t show it. He still beams like you’ve gifted him the stars.

“But….but you…” Jimin’s face crumples into a familiarly distraught look, plump lips parted beseechingly. “But you said…”

“You can always help,” you point out. “And you said so yourself, kids love playing during Spirit Lights. So why can’t we play tomorrow?”

“Not with me, they don’t,” he harrumphs, glaring at a branch as he reaches to tug at it absentmindedly. “Not anymore.”

“I wonder whose fault that is.” Jin’s voice has gone surprisingly cold, enough so that Jimin physically flinches at it, rolling his shoulder to deflect the words themselves. He pouts at the tree beside him as if it could rise up and defend him.

“ Hey ,” you recapture their attention, shifting your weight to the opposite foot. “Look, I came here to help Jin clean the pond, and that’s what I’m going to do. Jimin, you’re more than welcome to join. I’m sure we could use an extra pair of hands.”

There’s a beat of silence, but eventually, all parties agree. Some more enthusiastically than others. Jin practically nods his head off his neck, while Jimin mumbles something incoherent at the tree he’s pulling at.

To his credit, Jin does lead your merry little band back out of the clearing and towards the pond. (In a third different direction from where either you or Jimin had entered the clearing—which you quickly decide not to ponder too deeply. Obviously, you don’t have as good a sense of direction as you might have originally suspected.)

And to his credit, Jimin does help. Somewhat. Kind of. Mostly he complains, refusing to wade through the muck and instead tugging petulantly at weeds by the banks. You come to enjoy the banter between them, Jimin’s high whine and Jin’s playful nagging. It feels like an old friendship, and it leaves you wondering why, if they’re so comfortable with each other, Jin doesn’t have him for company.

Sooner than you would have thought the sun is threatening to go down, the air cooling around you, and you begin to think of calling it a night. How long were you in that clearing anyway? It’s hard to remember. Coming back it didn’t seem like it was too far away. You frown at the weeds you’ve plucked from the pathway, as if they could answer your questions.

“So,” you begin, directed at Jimin, who’s squatting by the bridge, distracted from weeds by a stray dandelion. “Could you just tell me where you saw Taehyung? Maybe I can look for him after Spirit Lights?”

Jimin shakes his head, pulling his hands into the sleeves of his fluffy sweater absently. “The festival lasts until sundown,” he replies in a faraway pout, resuming his fiddling with the fluff-headed flower.

“Yeah, but—”

“You can’t be out after dark,” Jin puts in, firm, from his position waist-deep in the water, tugging at the growths on the underside of the bridge. “Not on Spirit Lights.”

“But—”

“Not without a mask,” Jimin adds.

“Still not a good idea to go looking for Taehyung, though.”

“That’s true.”

“What about before?” you try again.

“He’ll be at the festival, maybe.”

“He isn’t usually.”

“No.”

You roll your eyes. “Okay. So. What you’re saying is that I just need to give up.”

Jimin cranes to grin at you, his cheeks going round at the corners when he does. “Maybe after,” he says. “The day after. We’ll play again, and I’ll take you to where he was today.”

“What good does that do me if he isn’t there?”

He shrugs, but his smirk doesn’t abate.

Jin starts to walk towards you through the water, sloshing through the muck as he goes, clambering up the bank past Jimin. He flicks his fingers at the smaller man who shrinks with a scandalized noise. “You could always come back here.”

For a brief moment, you think of that half second in the clearing, where you were almost sure he was trying to kiss you. But you think next of after, of the cleaning, the banter, the laughter. Surely the strange mood that had snapped him up then has dissipated to something more...friendly? Acceptable?

“I might do that.”

His answering smile is like the sun.

When you bid them goodbye, Jin is for once the more vibrant of the two, waving and smiling.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he promises. “At the festival.”

“But not after dark,” Jimin adds quickly.

“Not after dark,” you agree, chuckling inwardly at how adamant they are about the old superstitions. “But tomorrow.”

Your house is still so strangely empty when you turn in for bed. Hoseok and Yoongi are of course, long gone, and Taehyung is still missing. (Though, according to Jimin, alive and well—which soothes your worry for the small dog greatly.) But the sheets are cozy, the bed is soft, and there’s something exciting, exciting about the thought of the upcoming festival that has you asleep in moments, drifting off the moment you land on the pillow.

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#bts x reader #bts faerie au #bts fairy au #bts fanfic #bts fluff #stray cat strut #this is a long 'un #nearly 7k this one #i never get that far for stray!#had to do a still image for the header bc the gif one wont. load?#i dont pretend to know but who tf reads my shit for the frankly awful headers LMAO

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msmarvelouswinchester · 4 years ago

Text

Love In Sin

Chapter 2

Summary - Special Agent Winchester is forced to go undercover with his frenemy Special Agent L/N when they try to track down a notorious drug dealer. How will Y/N and Dean complete their task? Will their relationship worsen or will new feelings emerge between them?

Pairing - AU Detective!Dean x Reader

Series Warning - Fluff, Angst, Slow burn, Implied Smut, Violence, Swearing

Chapter Warning - None

A/N - Beta'd by the amazing @deanwanddamons (she is an amazing writer, go check out her blog)

Spn divider by @talesmaniac89 (she makes such amazing edits)

Early update because Tumblr is a shitshow and I think I managed to add the "keep reading" feature somehow (Hopefully it works)

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

“Oh my God, Y/N! Did I just see Dean Winchester, the hottest detective of the entire bureau, go down on one knee in front of you?” Charlie squealed when you approached her.

“Charlie,” you said in an annoyed voice.

“What? You are going to be married to Dean. Y/N I don't even like boys, but damn that boy is a total hottie. You will be sharing a house with him. Oh my God! You will even share a bed with him-”

“Charlie! First of all it's a fake marriage. Second, we are on an undercover mission. Yes, we will share a house to keep our cover intact, but we will sleep in different rooms. We will be maintaining total professionalism,” you said cutting of Charlie's incessant talking.

“Whatever you say Y/N. I bet he knows how to take good care of his ladies in bed,” Charlie gave you a smirk and strutted off to God knows where.

“This week's gonna be a long one,” you muttered and let out a deep sigh. Suddenly, you felt a pair of arms around your waist and out of force of habit you lifted your legs and backward kicked the person in the crotch.

“Son of a bitch! What the fuck Y/N?” You looked down to see Dean lying on the ground, holding his crotch, writhing in pain.

“Oh! I'm so sorry! Well you shouldn't have wrapped your arms around me like that,” you said and bent down to check Dean, but he swatted your hands away.

“I can’t even hug my wife? What if it was Mr. Singer?” Dean winced while he tried to sit up straight.

“Keep your hands to yourself, Winchester and why would Bobby wrap his hands around my waist?” You rolled your eyes at him, “now answer me what led you to sneak up on me like that?”

“Well, I was going to ask if you got the text Mr. Singer sent to us, but then you kicked me in the nuts,” Dean said as he stood up, brushing off his clothes.

“Uh-no. I was talking to Charlie.”

“Ah Y/N, always the Chatty Cathy. You know you should focus, this is an important case.”

“Shut up, or I will kick you in the nuts again,” you warned and took out your phone to check the text.

“He sent us the address of the house we will be staying in. It's actually a beautiful house. It's so big,” you exclaimed.

“That's what she said,” Dean gave you a cocky smile.

“What are you, five?”

“No, actually I'm thirty-five. How can you forget your husband's age?” Dean shook his head in fake disbelief.

“Why did I agree to this case, again?”

“Because you were competing with me,” Dean chuckled.

“Ugh! You're terrible,” you said.

“Agent L/N and Winchester - I hope you both have received my texts - I will be receiving and sending texts from this number. No phone calls unless absolutely necessary. Remember to erase the text messages after you read them. I will allow you to go back to your houses because I know you have to pack. Your undercover names will be Mr. Dean Campbell and Mrs. Y/N Campbell. Good luck on your mission,” Mr. Singer said and disappeared into his office.

“So what say, wifey? Let's go back to our houses?” Dean asked.

“Stop calling me wifey. I'll meet you tomorrow at the given address. Don't run away,” you said and went to your desk to gather your belongings.

“Hey, want to hitch a ride with me?” Dean asked with a smile on his face.

“Sure, but what's your ulterior motive, Dean? You never ask me to ride with you,” you asked.

“Nothing. I just thought since we will start living together from tomorrow, why not ask you to hitch a ride with me?,” Dean shrugged. You looked at Dean, there was something different about him - was his eyes always that shade of gorgeous green?

“Fine,” you smiled softly.

“We should get to know each other a little bit, so that you can fall head over heels with me,” Dean smirked.

“That's never gonna happen, smartass.”

The car ride back to your house was filled with comfortable silence with some exceptions of small talk and you giving directions to your house to Dean.

“You should attach a GPS,” you said.

“Nope. No tampering with Baby. She is a classic,” Dean said his eyes focused on the road.

“I can see that. Dude? You seriously have cassette tapes! You are ancient, Winchester,” you said causing Dean to glare at you. You loved to rile him up.

“Stop here,” Dean pulled up on the side of the road.

“Is this your house?”

“What? Do you have any suspicions?” You said and opened the car door to get out but stopped.

“Hey, you want to come inside, grab a drink?” youasked.

“Sure, why not but what is your ulterior motive, Y/N? You never invite me over for drinks,” Dean smirked.

“Haha very funny. I thought you would have more originality.”

Dean shrugging, shut off Baby's engine after he was convinced he had stopped her at a safe parking spot.

You opened the door to your house and invited Dean inside.

“It's a nice house,” Dean commented and plopped down on the couch.

“Thanks. You want-I have beer, wine and sparkling water, what do you want?” You asked,opening up your fridge.

“Beer will be fine.”

You handed a bottle of beer to your colleague and sat down on the couch beside him.

“We should hang out more often. You are fun when you are not competing with me,” Dean said.

You hit him in the arm. “Shut up! I am not always competing and I am fun. It's you who is always making smartass comments. I hate those.”

“Yeah right you are fun,” Dean gave you a sarcastic laugh, “And FYI, ladies love my smartass comments.”

You enjoyed your drink for a while in silence which wasn't uncomfortable at all. You turned to look at Dean and saw him gazing intently at you, but quickly averted his eyes. You started to blush under his strong gaze. What was happening? It definitely had to be the drink.

Dean got up from the couch abruptly.

“I-I think I should go. You have to pack and..well I have to pack too. I-I'll see you tomorrow,” before you could even acknowledge what happened, Dean was out of the door.

You closed the door behind Dean, still pondering over what happened. Finishing your drink, you went up to your room to pack your stuff but your mind occasionally wandered, reminding you of the freckled face with gorgeous green eyes. You shouldn't think about your work colleague like that, should you?

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non-nu · 4 years ago

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you’re my answer [1] | wonwoo

↠ pairing: actor!wonwoo x manager!reader

↠ genre: secret relationship, actor au

↠ word count: 1.8k

↠ warnings: mild cursing

↠ synopsis: y/n is living out a peaceful existence as the manager of top actor seo jisoo. but all of that changes when jisoo is forced into a fake relationship with her costar jeon wonwoo. thrown together in this bizarre situation, y/n quickly discovers wonwoo isn’t what he portrays himself to be. things get even more complicated when y/n starts to fall for wonwoo.

↠ character profiles ↞

↠ masterlist ↞

“We never should have gone to that hot pot restaurant,” you sigh as you place your phone down in your lap.

“I didn’t think their food was that bad,” Jaebum replies from beside you. You turn to him with a disapproving expression that quickly shatters into a grin when you make eye contact.

“You know what I’m talking about,” you nudge his arm at his widening smile. You let out a short chuckle but fall silent as your mind returns to what you had just been reading. Seeing the worry on your face, Jaebum grows serious.

“More articles are coming out, huh?”

“People are going crazy,” you show him the latest comments on your phone, “Jisoo and Wonwoo have been trending for the whole afternoon. All because of these rumors.”

“You know how it goes,” Jaebum offers some encouragement, “Everyone will forget about it by tomorrow morning.”

“Tell that to Ms. Kim. She’s already asked us to come in for a ‘chat’. I’m going to get an earful and then some.”

Before Jaebum can reply, the door the two of you are sitting next to opens. Jisoo steps out of the practice room followed by her vocal coach, a slightly older woman who is speaking enthusiastically.

“Jihoon is one of the biggest producers right now. You’re so lucky to be working with him,” she gushes.

“Oh really?” Jisoo attempts to inject a modicum of interest in her voice, but you can tell by her expression that she’s losing her will to be polite, “I don’t follow the music industry so I don’t know his work.”

The other woman clucks her tongue and a wistful expression comes over her face.

“The opportunity is wasted on you. I should have gone into acting, then maybe I’d have a shot at a singing career,” she pushes out a harsh laugh and motions in your direction, “Better yet, I should have become a manager. Then I’d get to meet all kinds of celebrities just by driving someone around a couple hours a day.”

Yeah, it’s so great my film degree didn’t work out. The words almost tumble out of your mouth, but you catch yourself.

“It’s a pretty sweet deal,” you reply instead with an awkward laugh.

“Yup, she’s my glorified chauffeur,” the sarcasm behind Jisoo’s comment does not register with the older woman as she lets out another round of laughter. You, Jisoo, and Jaebum all exchange glances as her outburst goes on for a bit too long.

“But you know,” her tone becomes serious as she regains her composure, “would it be too much trouble to pass him my demo when you’re in the studio?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Jisoo places a hand on the woman’s shoulder as a farewell and begins to walk down the hall swiftly. You and Jaebum bid her goodbye as you follow close behind.

“By the way, Jisoo!” she calls from down the hall as you wait in front of the elevator, “Why don’t you bring Wonwoo around next time?”

“Isn’t there another vocal coach in this city?” Jisoo mumbles as the elevator doors open.

Jisoo has already started her tirade as you put the keys in the ignition.

“In the first place, why am I even featuring on this track? Whose idea was it to put that in my contract? And second of all, how much free time does the company think I have anyway? Making me spend two hours a week with that horrible gossip. All she has me do is run scales half the time and the other half she’s asking for an autograph from this actor or that singer. Wasting my time. It’s not that hard to string a couple notes together in the studio.”

“Oh, is it not? Someone should let Park Hyoshin and Sohyang know.”

Your joke breaks Jisoo out of her ranting mode as one corner of her mouth sneaks up.

“I know it’s shitty, but it’s not worth it to get worked up because of that woman,” you reason with her as you merge onto the main road, “If that’s how she copes with the disappointment of never fulfilling her dreams, shouldn’t we let her have that much?”

A brief silence falls over the car and your heart clenches as you realize what you’ve just said.

“Damn. You really said it.” Jisoo says in an appreciative yet slightly shocked tone while Jaebum lets out an extended “ohhh” behind his hand.

At their reactions, you mentally kick yourself for managing to put your foot in your mouth yet again. You quickly back track.

“No, no. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant…Really, I-”

Jisoo stops your floundering with a knowing wave of her hand.

“We know,” she reassures you, “I’m sure you meant it to be empathetic, in your own twisted way.”

“You don’t have to call it ‘twisted’…” you mutter but relief quickly washes over you at her words of understanding.

“I don’t know why you try so hard to be agreeable. I think you’re much better this way.” She makes the comment absently while looking out the window.

“You’re unique in many ways, Jisoo.” you tease.

“Oh, but I wish I could be there the day someone lets her have it. She will literally implode.”

“I don’t know if I’d wish that on her.”

“Always the pacifist.” Jisoo says in mock disapproval.

“Some people would say Y/N knows to pick her battles.” Jaebum chimes in and you wave an approving finger in his direction.

“I’m saving my energy for the lovely conversation we’ve been called in to have.”

“God, don’t tell me we’ve finally been summoned by Ms. Kim,” Jisoo cries out in exasperation, “Why do we have to get dragged out because people can’t keep their minds from going crazy with wild fantasies? What’s she going to tell me, anyway? I shouldn’t go out to eat because you never know if you’ll happen to run into another actor?”

You and Jaebum brace for the incoming spew of words and frustration.

“In the first place, what’s the big deal? So we ate at the same restaurant. Who cares? People eat at the same restaurant all the time. There were dozens of other people at the place, too. Am I dating all of them?”

“The rumors started more from the fact it happened three times. Within a month.” Jisoo dismisses Jaebum’s words with a flick of her wrist.

“Also because you’re about to shoot a movie together. Literally tomorrow.”

“Even if we were dating, what’s so interesting about that? It’s my business and it doesn’t belong on the front page of a trashy website that mistakes click bait for journalism.”

“In a way, she should be grateful you and your new movie are getting this much media play already,” you ponder as you pull into a space in the company parking lot.

“Any publicity is good publicity.” Jaebum offers as you unclick your seatbelts.

“Let’s get this over with.” You sigh as you head towards the imposing concrete building.

“She’ll see you now.” Ms. Kim’s assistant walks up to where you had been waiting in the lobby. She motions for you and Jisoo to follow her.

“You can wait here.” She speaks to Jaebum who remains seated.

Her heels click neatly against the perfectly white tiles as she leads you to the main office on the floor. She swings the glass door shut behind you as you enter the pristine room.

Ms. Kim is sitting at her desk with a document in hand. She doesn’t look up, but motions for you two to sit in the metal chairs on the other side of the table. The room is thick with silence aside from the occasional rustling of sheets as she turns a page. You’re examining a twisted glass statue on her bookshelf when Ms. Kim finally places the papers down. She clasps her hands together on the table and slowly turns her gaze up towards you and Jisoo.

“We’ll release an official statement in a few days,” she delivers the edict emotionlessly.

“A few days?” you repeat in confusion, “Don’t we want to stop this before things get out of hand?”

“And why would we want to do that?”

“Because” Jisoo seems shocked she has to clarify this point, “Jeon Wonwoo and I are not dating.”

“Well, now you are.”

You both know the severe woman before you is not the joking type, but Jisoo snorts a disbelieving laugh anyway. You’re met with impassive eyes as the two of you wait several seconds for her to clarify or take it back.

“No.” Jisoo returns the woman’s icy stare, “This is absurd. Do you actually realize what you’re suggesting?”

“I do. And it’s not a suggestion.”

You sense Jisoo bristle at that statement.

“Just what makes you think I’ll go along with this insanely unethical plan of yours?”

“Don’t be naïve, Jisoo. You’ve been in the business long enough to know this is hardly uncommon.”

The two continue to lock stares across the table for several heated seconds. With a sickeningly fake smile contorting her face, Ms. Kim continues to speak.

“If you don’t like it, of course you have the right to break your contract. But I’m sure we’d all hate to see you tangled up in court for the next five, six years.”

You’re well aware her threats are not unfounded. Everyone had read the stories. An endless legal battle and a couple vicious rumors could end anyone’s career. And it would be all business as usual for Ms. Kim and the company.

At this point, you can practically feel Jisoo vibrating in the chair next to you, her temper about to boil over. You had seen her mad, but never like this.

She had trekked a long path to get to where she is now, but you sense she could be capable of turning her back on it all just to throw it in the publicist’s face. When she inhales sharply, you jump to cut her off.

“What do we need to do?”

Ms. Kim keeps her gaze fixed on Jisoo a moment longer before giving you a quick glance. Her eyes linger less than a second before she begins shuffling through the papers on her desk.

“We’ll be in touch with more information. You may go.”

“Ok. Thank you.” You stand up in a hurry but Jisoo stays put, fists clenched tight in her lap.

“Jisoo,” you whisper tentatively, “let’s go.”

Her eyes are daring the woman seated across the table to acknowledge her. Having said her piece and gotten the desired response, it’s like the two of you no longer exist to Ms. Kim who continues to review the documents before her.

“Jisoo,” you place a hand on her shoulder, “There’s nothing we can do right now. We need to leave.”

Jisoo could probably sit there all night, she’s stubborn enough. But instead she slowly releases the tension in her body with a shaky exhale before rising to her feet. Her mouth remains pulled into a deep frown as she stomps out of the room in silence.

↠ a/n: wow. i meant to post this sooner but got super busy😖anyway, the next part is underway and our main man will finally make an appearance! i’ll post it as quickly as i can. in the meantime, lmk what you think so far😊thank you for reading 🌻

#wonwoo fic #wonwoo scenarios #svt fic #svt scenarios #seventeen fic #seventeen scenarios #jeon wonwoo #wonwoo #svt #kpop fic

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talk1about7seventeen · 4 years ago

Text

ღ Saw You In A Dream ღ

Summary: Virgil keeps dreaming about a mysterious boy he has yet to meet. Turns out it’s his soulmate.

Warning: Mild cursing, anxious Virgil, happy Patton, sleep Janus, chaotic Remus, low self esteem, mentions of caffeine, mentions of sex.

Characters: Patton, Virgil, Janus, and Remus.

Word Count: 1969

Ship/ Pairing: Janus x Remus (Dukeceit - Romantic.) Virgil x Patton (Moxiety - Romantic.)

AU: Human: You dream about your soulmate until you meet them in person/ realize who they are.

Song Inspiration: Saw You In A Dream - The Japanese House

I hope you enjoy! ☆=(ゝω･)

---

“Hey, don’t worry Virgil! Maybe I’ll see you around or something, if you’d like I could---”

The alarm rang at the worst possible time waking Virgil up from the angelic voice of the boy he couldn’t ever quite remember the face of. His voice however, he couldn’t forget it. Smooth like buttermilk and warm like a Summer’s day. Virgil didn’t recall it exactly, but he was certain he had a gorgeous smile. Anyone who treated him so.....nicely....must.

Pushing his bangs out of his face, he sat up and pulled on his purple stitched jacket which laid on top of his messy bed. One of his pillows was hanging off the side of his bed and his favorite stuffie laid lonely on the floor. His anxiety spiked as he saw his comfort item left there untouched. Quickly, he scooped the old teddy bear from the creaky wooden floor boards and sat him on the innermost corner of the bed on the remaining pillow that touched the mauve walls.

The alarm on his phone blared on, seemingly getting louder and louder as each precious second passed by. Virgil turned, shoulders rising parallel to his jawline. “Too....early....for this...” He groaned, slamming his finger on the button to turn off the ungodly noise. In the atmosphere now drifted silence. Virgil let out a sigh and began to gather his things for the day.

“Not so fast, emo boy!” Remus grabbed the back of the boy’s shirt as he tried to pass by the kitchen. “Ugh, put me down you neon disaster.” Virgil fought back, swatting the air around him, attempting to hit the taller being behind him. He could never move fast enough to catch Remus though. “Boys,” A voice called out from down the hall. They both turned, Remus’ wide eyed with Virgil still in his rather strong grip. Janus, their other roommate sauntered out of the darkness into the small glow of the kitchen light with it’s faint green hues. Janus pressed a mug to his lips and took a long gulp of his cold coffee. “If you’re going to kill each other, keep the house and I out of it.” He motioned to the counter and placed the cup into the microwave.

“Up late again, Snakey?” Remus dropped Virgil and walked up behind Janus, wrapping his arms around the even taller boy’s waist. “When am I not...?” Virgil looked away as they chatted, intertwined with each other like two pieces of red string that connected at the fingertips. This was no real surprise for him, he was use to seeing the two so affectionate. That’s how it always was when you found your soulmate....

Virgil couldn’t really understand how. Maybe it was his lack of experience with romance, or maybe he just refused to believe in something that he was convinced would never apply to him. Love....now that was something he could laugh at. Who on Earth could love him? Besides Janus and that dumpster fire of a person he was tied to, no one else really stuck with him. He was convinced it was how easily he could push other people away or his unfriendly nature. No matter which one it was exactly, the only thing close to love he would ever get was inanimate objects that never spoke back and those two drooling all over each other. The love that he did get, wasn’t the kind he was searching for. Virgil appreciated what he got immensely, without Janus and Remus, he probably would feel more alone than he already does. But they didn’t look at him how they looked at each other; no one looked at him that way.

“I should head out.” Virgil announced as Janus pulled his warmed up coffee cup out of the kitchen appliance and set it back down in front of him. “See ya!” Remus stuck out his tongue to Virgil and went back to embracing his lover. “Stay safe.” Janus told him without looking up, exhaustion closing in on him similarly like how one would imagine Remus’ embraces to be like; noticeable and slightly aggressive.

Leaving the house, he popped in his headphones and pressed shuffle on his Spotify playlist named: Drowning out the fucking from the next room. This playlist included and not limiting to, Evanescence, Fall Out Boy, and MCR (Obviously.) Why he made this playlist started off as a joke and then transformed into him successfully being able to block out even the most unholy sounds, like people talking to him, or Remus being Remus.

As he walked down the street with his hood up, the words of the mystery boy played in his head. Who was he? Why was he so often in his dreams? Maybe it was pure coincidence. That he was so low that his brain felt the need to create a love interest out of thin air for the lonely boy. Wouldn’t that be something? Ridiculous....Virgil thought to himself. On autopilot, he went through the motions of walking up to his local coffee shop and ordering something for Remus, Janus, and himself. The barista who knew him by face at this point asked him what he wanted. He answered the same most every time, only occasionally switching up the order. It was easy to stick with what he knew, and it never disappointed, not when it’s a hot cup of coffee with caffeine you could practically taste just from the scent.

“Have a great day, sir!” She smiled handing Virgil his hot coffee as well as a baked good for Janus and an espresso drink for Remus. Not that the borderline chaotic evil idiot needed so much coffee, because he surely did not. But Virgil would rather just go along with it to avoid conflict. “You too.” Virgil tried to push a smile since she was always nice to him. As Virgil began to walk out the door, he noticed the sky was particularly blue today. I’ll take a little detour...He thought to himself, nodding once.

Passing Virgil by were children with parents smiling and giggling as the warm breeze blew through their hair, people walking their dogs, and teens making their way to the skate park which was about a ten minute walk from where he was. The buildings lined in a row opened up to a park with a large water fountain in the midst of the area. Why not..He shrugged making his way into the park. Butterflies fluttered and children’s laughter could be heard. The overall feeling of this place gave Virgil a feeling of contentment that he hadn’t felt in some time. Breathing in and out, he took advantage of this feel-good opportunity. He sat down on a nearby bench, leaning until his spine touched the back of the seat. “Excuse me?” Virgil’s eyes shot open and he pulled the earbuds out of his ears. In front of him was a golden haired boy with freckles planted on his cheeks and nose.

Virgil felt his chest began to explode with so many emotions. “Oh! Did I disrupt you? My bad!” He apologized. The boy’s voice was so recognizable but for some reason, Virgil couldn’t figure out exactly where from. It hurt his brain as he fished for answers but came up empty handed. “No! It’s uh....it’s okay...” Virgil’s voice quieted as he began to speak on. The boy gave a wide smile. “I just wanted to say I really like your hoodie. I’m Patton.” He held out a hand. “Thanks,” He swallowed a lump in his throat as he looked at Patton, now feeling a new kind of anxious. “I’m Virgil.” Patton shook his hand gently. “Did you make it yourself?” Virgil looked down at his purple and black stitched hoodie. “Yea, I did.” Patton’s face lit up. “That’s so cool!”

“I hope this isn’t too weird but, do I know you from somewhere?” Virgil couldn’t seem to place the familiar feeling he felt when looking at Patton. It was like being engulfed in your childhood blanket for the first time in years. It felt....right...

“Uh, I don’t know but, I was thinking the same thing.” Patton pressed a finger to his lip and pondered for a moment. They stood there for a moment, their surroundings making up for the lack of words. The boy in front of him brushed it off with a shrug and looked back into Virgil’s eyes. “Well, anyhow, I should probably be on my way.” Patton giggled. Virgil felt his heart sink into his stomach. The golden haired boy placed a hand on Virgil’s shoulder, looking into his eyes as if he could read how the dark boy felt.

“Hey, don’t worry Virgil! Maybe I’ll see you around or something, if you’d like I could give you my phone number!” Virgil nearly spit out his coffee at the words he said. “What did you say!?” He exclaimed. As Patton repeated his words, he covered his mouth instantly. Everything in that moment clicked. The boy’s smile, his gentle and kind demeanor, he was Virgil’s dream boy....

How did this simultaneously make so much sense, but also not at all? What would he say? What could he say? Was there any real approach that wouldn’t make him look like an idiot? “Do you believe in soulmates, Patton?” He asked breathless. Shock ran through Patton. “You....” Patton tried to speak. “I think....” They both stared at each other for a long moment, taking in the awe and wonder that had for each other. In that moment, they were no longer strangers, but a story yet to be written. “Patton, I think you’re my soulmate.” The boy’s eyes widened and then softened as his lips curled up into such a dazzling smile. He pulled out a blue colored sharpie from his bag. “May I?” He pointed to the coffee cup. “Oh!” He handed it to him and Patton began to write something on the white part of the cup. He handed it back a very star struck Virgil. “Please call me.” After that he gave a little wave and left, disappearing behind the water fountain and out of sight completely.

Virgil sat there, brain full of questions racing at a million miles an hour. I need to get home. Without wasting anymore time, he quickly made his way home, practically running. “Welcome back, Vi---” Janus tried to say but stopped as he took a glance at the expression on his good friend’s face as he walked through the door. “I think I just met my soulmate.”

“Well, God damn, My Little Paranoid!” Remus answered. “He gave me his number and---” Remus cut him off. “GO CALL HIM NOW!” His voice boomed in he small house. “Remus, give him a bit he’s probably overwhelmed.” Janus turned from the couch, looking over the side at Virgil. “How do you feel, Virgie?” He asked. “I---I think I forgot how to breathe.” Virgil stared at his own shaking hands. “HAHAHAHAHAHAH!” Remus cackled. He ran up to the shaken boy and took the drink and baked good for Janus. “Try to calm down and when you’re ready, go call him.” Janus eyed Remus, emphasizing his words. Remus began to chug his drink. “What?” He asked after a large gulp. “Okay! Thank you!” Virgil ran up stairs into his room.

Jumping onto the bed he examined the cup and very slowly punched the numbers in. He stared at his phone for a minute. Is this really happening? Or is this just a dream I’m living in? Virgil shook his head. “I’m gonna do it...” He with great hesitation pressed the call button, the ringing making him jump. It rang once, then twice, and finally....click!

“Hello?” Patton asked, cheery like a Summer’s day.

“Hey.”

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #fanfiction #fanfic #sanders sides fanfic #janus sanders #remus sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #soulmates au

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umbry-fic · 3 years ago

Text

Just a Sunny Day for You

Summary: On the final day of Summer Break, Hikari and Tairitsu spend a completely normal day together.

Fandom: Arcaea Characters: Hikari, Tairitsu Relationships: Hikari/Tairitsu, Hikari & Tairitsu Rating: T Word Count: 5218 Mirror Link: AO3 Original Post Date: 15/03/2021

Notes+Warnings: Brief mentions of blood. Spoiler warning for the main story up until Black Fate. May deviate from any story packs released after Black Fate.

AU fic that has fluffy moments and... other stuff. Title from Yorushika's song.

~~~

The heat caused the air to shimmer before Tairitsu’s eyes, the cawing of crows echoing in her ears. She sighed from where she was kneeling on the sidewalk and pulled out yet another corner of the slice of bread she had gripped in her hand, throwing the crumb down at the feet of the crows that gathered around her. If someone walked by now, they’d surely give her weird looks. A girl dressed to the nines feeding crows alone was a strange sight. But the air was devoid of the slap of shoes against pavement or the rumbling of wheels against asphalt.

Sweat ran down her face as the heat pressed oppressively down on her. Not even the parasol that she had propped open above her head did much to shield her from the angry afternoon sun, hanging high up in the sky.

How long more was Hikari going to take? Tairitsu felt like she would melt if she remained in the open any longer. Not to mention how icky her hair felt now, matted with sweat and clinging to her scalp, a few stray strands sticking to her brow that she had to keep tucking away. The hair she had neatly combed and tied her black ribbons through, adorned with light blue roses, was surely ruined now.

The thought itself made her scowl. She’d put in so much effort, and the weather was ruining everything.

“Tai!”

The familiar peppy voice and sound of footsteps from behind her caused the murder of crows to take off, blotting out the sun for a split second with a cloud of black feathers. Staring up into the sky with a sense of loss she couldn’t explain, Tairitsu stood up, brushing any remaining crumbs off the ruffles of her dress.

“You’re late,” she muttered, picking up the parasol and twirling the wooden handle as she turned to face Hikari. Inexplicably, the crows had all disappeared. She couldn’t spot a single one anymore - not on the rooftops of the shops that lined the street, not on the curb, not on the street lamps. They were just all gone.

Hikari looked quite different from the last time she’d seen her. The white sleeveless T-shirt with a bear print on the front, blue denim shorts, flip-flops and low pigtails presented quite a different picture from the pure white school blouse and skirt, pink jacket, covered shoes and ponytail. It was a complete transformation from formal student to casual teenager.

Tairitsu found both… What was the right word to describe it? Adorable, in the same way a silly hamster would be.

“I know you’re late for every committee meeting, but I thought you’d make it on time today,” Tairitsu continued, hoping her immense disappointment was being expressed. Honestly, if she wasn’t meeting up with Hikari, she would have left long ago for having wasted her time.

“I’m so sorry, Tai. I didn’t forget! I just underestimated the amount of time the bus would take on the expressway…” Hikari apologised, bowing her head.

“You forgot to account for the traffic jams, didn’t you?” Typical Hikari.

“Yeah. Sorry. But I only made you wait for fifteen minutes! That’s not bad.” Hikari retorted, pumping her arms in the air.

“Any extra time spent in the sun is enough to kill me,” she replied drily. Gah, the fabric of her multi-layered dress was sticking to her skin. It felt disgusting.

“Don’t you think that’s your fault?” Hikari joked, moving closer and touching the pleated capelet covering Tairitsu’s shoulders, which was on the same level as Hikari’s nose. “I know you like dolls, but wearing a dress with this many ruffles and wearing tights for a summer’s day out is suicide, even if I will admit you look very pretty. Though you’re always pretty. But the umbrella is just overkill.”

“F - funny that you would say that when you’re still wearing that same stupid hat,” Tairitsu bit back. “And it’s a parasol, not an umbrella. Learn the difference.” She willed herself not to blush as she fixated on the word “pretty”. Did Hikari truly think that? She’d dressed up in this outfit she’d hand-made to get rid of the drab school uniform, but did Hikari think she was pretty in that too…?

How did Hikari say something like that so absent-mindedly? She looked like she’d already forgotten the words had ever left her mouth, smiling in a carefree manner, pink eyes sparkling with merriment.

“Hey!” Hikari put her hands on the top of her red beret protectively, shooting Tairitsu a glare with no heat behind it at all. “I will let you know I like this hat.”

“Hard to tell when you wear it every second of every day.”

“Let’s get going. Alright?” Hikari grabbed her hand, tugging her along and causing her to stumble a few steps forward. Had she not picked up on the sarcasm at all? “We’re never going to get to the beach at this rate.”

“I hate sand,” Tairitsu sniffed, resisting the urge to grip Hikari’s hand tighter. Her palm was so soft, and her fingers so agile. “It gets everywhere, and it’s going to ruin this dress.”

“But you still agreed to come.” Hikari grinned mischievously, shielding her eyes with her free hand. “The sun really is glaring today, huh?”

Wordlessly, Tairitsu adjusted her grip on the parasol so it cast its shadow mostly over Hikari. All she was doing was preventing the complaints that would surely leave Hikari’s mouth. Yes, that was all.

“Let’s end summer break with a bang!” Hikari yelled, waving her arm in the air with that undying enthusiasm she always held.

Today promised to be… interesting.

~~~

The soft, elegant tap of Tairitsu’s boots against the concrete as she walked with slow, deliberate strides of the same length clashed with the loud, erratic slap of Hikari’s flip-flops. Hikari didn’t have the same qualms about keeping a regular step, skipping down the pavement and humming under her breath. Occasionally, she’d return to the shade of Tairitsu’ parasol before jumping out into the open again, twirling with careless abandon.

Tairitsu would normally have been annoyed. The sun had only gotten more intense, and she hated unnecessarily loud people. They broke her bubble of concentration, shattered the peace she valued.

But she was too occupied noting the way the stray strands of Hikari’s hair fluttered through the air as she danced down the street. Their numbers were increasing by the second as her pigtails fell apart from the sheer force of her movement.

The joyful smile on Hikari’s face was too distracting. Tairitsu couldn’t get angry right now, too busy soaking in the warmth Hikari exuded. She was like a tiny starburst of energy, but the light she emitted wasn’t overpowering or destructive like a supernova. It was uplifting, for Tairitsu could never feel tired when Hikari was nearby, but it was also soothing, like any wound could be healed in her presence…

“Ooh! Look at it, Tai! It’s so pretty!”

Hikari paused in the middle of posing like a crane, arms raised to form a straight line level with her shoulder and right leg lifted for balance. Her face lit up as she caught sight of something in a nearby display case, and she ran down the sidewalk to press her face up against it.

Taking advantage of Hikari’s momentary pause to finally catch up to her, Tairitsu did a cursory once-over of the contents of the display case. Standing inside were various mannequins displaying the shop’s wares, which consisted of every style of outfit imaginable. There was a cute dress adorned with ribbons and a bow tie, accompanied by an asymmetrical jacket that flowed out behind it. There was a crop top not unlike the designer shirt Hikari wore now, paired with a pink skirt and belt. There was also a simple but elegant pink dress, patterned with flowers at the bottom.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tairitsu spotted a white, tiered dress with light pink carnations attached with a jacket thrown over it. Swallowing in her suddenly dry mouth, she turned to see the outfit that Hikari was busy ogling.

It was one of the shop’s summer wear - a white shirt with short, frilled sleeves with a ribbon attached to it, a blue, pleated skirt and a white overskirt.

“I think it’d look cute on you,” Tairitsu commented, closing her eyes and imagining the outfit on Hikari. She would look like a short princess. “All outfits would, with your lack of dedication to proper posture.”

Hikari giggled, spinning in another circle. How she wasn’t dizzy by now, Tairitsu would never know. “It’d be so fun to twirl in! Could you imagine the skirts just spinning around you? It’d be such a pretty sight!”

“Would it? I feel like you’d just become an indistinguishable blur of blue and white.”

“Oh.” Hikari stopped mid-spin, pondering. “I guess I would. But still, I’d like to try it at least once.”

“Well, would you like to go in and buy it?”

“Ah, no, it’s fine. I’m not going to make you go in. I know you hate mirrors, and they’re all over clothes shops.”

Focussing on her reflection in the display case, all Tairitsu could see was her pale face, scrunched brow and blue eyes holding just a hint of fear.

The surface of the display case shimmered, and she looked away.

“I doubt there’s an attendant in there anyway,” Hikari muttered. “There’s no one around.”

Tairitsu blinked, scanning the street to verify Hikari’s words. She was right. All the shopfronts appeared to be shuttered - even the display case they were currently in front of was dark. Behind the row of roofs she could see, there was nothing but a cloudless blue sky, a single shade of blue that spanned her entire view. There were no high-rise buildings to be seen looming impressively over the shops, nor was there any sign of life apart from two crows perched on a street lamp. Not a single soul, apart from them, populated the streets.

There was an almost unnerving silence. Not even cicadas could be heard chirping.

How had she not noticed this before?

“It’s the last day of summer break. All the students must be preparing for school, so the shops decided not to open.” That was a reasonable explanation, right?

“That makes sense! Whatever Tai says is always right!”

“I’m not an omniscient God, Hikari,” Tairitsu scoffed, happy that Hikari had affirmed her guess. “And how did you know I don’t like mirrors?” It’s not like she declared that fact to the world or made it super obvious. She didn’t run screaming from every reflective surface, that wasn’t practical and was far too dramatic for her tastes. She just actively avoided looking into them for longer than necessary.

“You tell me.”

“Huh?” Tairitsu turned to look at Hikari, confused as to whether she had heard correctly. That had seemed almost hostile.

But Hikari only smiled sheepishly, knocking herself on the head with her fist. “Sorry, messed up the words there. I meant to say that you were the one who told me! How else would I know?”

“Right,” Tairitsu muttered, the knot that had formed in her chest loosening just a little. It was simply a silly mistake Hikari had made. But she had no memory of ever telling her this. Searching back yielded nothing.

“I wonder why. Maybe you’re a vampire, Tai!” Hikari said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

“Vampires don’t exist, stupid. It would be nice if I was one. Then I could just sit around every night in elegant outfits,” Tairitsu replied, taking another step forward and hoping Hikari would follow. She didn’t want to spend another second in front of the display case. She couldn’t explain why apart from the growing sense of unease in her heart.

“That would be very much like you!” Hikari laughed, falling into step next to Tairitsu, thankfully. Instead of rushing ahead as she had before, Hikari instead hung by Tairitsu’s side, staring up at her with wide eyes.

“Is there something you want? If it’s the dress, I can make one that’s as close as possible for you. But it won’t be ready by the end of today.”

“No, that’s not it, though it would be nice if you did that for me.” Hikari grinned, a sight that warmed her heart every time she saw it. “I was going to ask you what homework we have.”

Tairitsu sighed. “You haven’t done it, right? Even though today’s the last day of summer break. When were you planning on doing it? On your way to school tomorrow?”

Hikari grimaced, shrugging. “Maybe? So, uh, would you mind telling me what we owe the teachers? I didn’t note it down.”

Tairitsu searched through her mind, clinging on to the notion of “homework”. But instead of alighting upon the memories, she reached only a plain of blankness. “I… I don’t remember.”

“But you’ve always had the homework perfectly memorised!”

“I finished it in the first week, so it probably slipped my mind since I didn’t need to remember it anymore.”

“Aw, you’re too model of a student! Ah, but it means I can’t rely on you now! That’s terrible, Tai! Why would you do this to me?”

Tairitsu let out a breath she didn’t even realise she was holding. Things still made sense. But the words “why would you do this to me” echoed in her head, refusing to disappear. What was this vice gripped around her heart? “It’s your fault for being so absent-minded in the first place, Hikari. Don’t blame me.”

It wasn’t her fault.

As they continued their trek towards the beach, Tairitsu sneaked a glance back at the shopfront. The two crows she had spotted earlier had landed before the display case, staring back at her with beady black eyes. Somehow, the dress that had been tucked away into a corner was now front and centre, illuminated by a red spotlight. It turned the white of the dress to a bloody red, giving the illusion of a garish wound and dripping blood.

Dread settled in the pit of Tairitsu’s stomach and she deflected her gaze back to Hikari’s bright face. She was aimlessly chattering on about the most mundane of topics, a much-needed bout of normalcy after the strangeness of the last few minutes.

She needed to stop imagining things and get her head back in the game. Today was a day to be enjoyed, not soured by the dreadful terrors her mind was conjuring up.

It wouldn’t be fair to Hikari.

It wouldn’t…

~~~

“Here’s yours, Tai!” Hikari handed over one of the two popsicles she had bought from the nearby vending machine. It was wrapped in pastel pink packaging with the word “cherry” emblazoned across it in capital letters and the company’s font.

The two of them had finally made it past the shopping street and emerged onto the bridge that overlooked the ocean. It was low tide right now, the azure waves lazily lapping onto the cheerful yellow sand and leaving behind trails of playful foam. The gentle breeze brushed through Tairitsu’s hair, tickling her neck and refreshing her spirits. She was perfectly content to just lean against the railing and watch the diamonds of light that the sun’s rays left on the ocean, licking the blood-red cherry popsicle in her hand and relishing the strong aftertaste on her tongue. She’d seen this very sight countless times, but she would never get tired of the ocean’s beauty.

Hikari would drag her down to the beach at some point. That’s just something her fun-loving friend would do. Maybe they’d even get down to building sandcastles or something inane like that.

Sand would get everywhere. She’d never manage to get it out of her clothes.

If it was Hikari, she’d be willing to do it.

For now, though, she could just relax and avoid dripping melted ice-cream on her clothes.

“Cherry’s boring, don’t you think?” Hikari spoke up, waving her yet unopened popsicle in the air. Hers had forest green packaging, and Tairitsu could barely make out the words “bamboo” as the letters blurred in the air.

“I’m not going to listen to someone who bought bamboo-flavoured ice cream. Why do the vending machines even stock them? It’s a disgusting flavour!”

“Don’t mock bamboo! It’s amazing!” Hikari scowled, ripping open her package at the top and giving the popsicle a good lick. “As you can see from the contents of the dustbin, people clearly agree with me!”

The dustbin Hikari was pointing at was overflowing with empty popsicle packages. All of them were either forest green or pastel pink, matching the crumpled packages in their hands.

Did everyone here only eat cherry and bamboo flavour? How… how odd.

The frown on Tairitsu’s face only deepened as she noticed the bamboo packages were ripped open at the top, while the cherry packages were ripped open at the sides. It was the exact same way Hikari and Tairitsu had opened theirs.

There was a niggling thought at the back of her mind that Tairitsu couldn’t quite pin down. She didn't know if she wanted to.

Wrestling the packages from Tairitsu’s clenched fist, Hikari threw the empty packages into the endless pile in the dustbin. Tairitsu stood motionless, melted ice-cream dripping onto the floor, stuck in a trance until Hikari grabbed her hand.

“Come on! Let’s go down to the beach.”

“Ah, yes, let’s.” Tairitsu let herself be led, telling herself to stop worrying so much. There was nothing wrong. Maybe the vending machine only sold two flavours. Yes, that had to be it. There were only two ways to open popsicle packages anyway. It wasn’t that strange.

Everything was fine.

Hikari kicked off her flip-flops, both flying through the air and one landing nearly a metre from her original position, before running across the sand barefoot, screaming in joy.

Tairitsu slowly sat down on the sand, crossing her legs and watching Hikari with a tired smile as she finished her popsicle. That childish, carefree energy was being radiated in full force now. Hopefully, it would be enough to make her forget about everything else.

There were faint footprints in the sand, going round and round in wild circles, much like Hikari was doing right now. Tairitsu wondered who else had been here.

It didn’t take long for Hikari to lose steam, stumbling over to Tairitsu with a grin on her face. She plopped down next to Tairitsu, panting slightly, a light sheen of sweat shimmering on her forehead. With no warning, Hikari leaned her head on Tairitsu’s shoulder, sighing.

Tairitsu went ramrod-straight, heart skipping a beat at their proximity. The closest she had ever been to Hikari was… when Hikari held her hand. No other part of them had touched for more than a second, and there was always at least a hand’s width between them.

Tairitsu had never been one for physical contact. She wasn’t one to hand out hugs or accept them easily. Being in the embrace of another made her feel vulnerable. Hikari knew that, which was why she limited herself around Tairitsu. She didn’t jump on Tairitsu from behind and wrap her arms around her, or touch her face, or lean on her.

Tairitsu had gotten curious. How would Hikari’s warmth feel, if she could touch it? She had begun to yearn but didn’t know how to tell Hikari such an embarrassing request. She had simply let the desire simmer within her, never to be brought up.

Now… Hikari must be really tired to forget. She was always conscious of Tairitsu’s boundaries.

But it was better than Tairitsu could have ever imagined. Hikari’s ponytails were brushing against her arm, and Hikari’s hair was softer than she’d thought. Hikari’s weight, pressed against her side, was comforting. Tairitsu wouldn’t mind if this continued. Or if it happened more.

An image flashed across her mind, of cradling Hikari in her arms. But that had never happened.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Hikari shifted away, yawning with a wide mouth. “With the extra centimetres you have on me, you’re the perfect height for leaning on. I forgot I wasn’t supposed to.”

“Why are you so tired? You stayed up all night watching dramas again, didn’t you?” Tairitsu teased. How could she tell Hikari that… she, um… wanted her to do that again?

How did people do this?

“Yeah.”

“I… Um, I don’t mind,” Tairitsu muttered, looking down at her lap. “You can sleep… here. I mean. On me.”

“Oh. Oh, really?” Hikari brightened. “It’s fine if you don’t want to.”

“It really is fine. If - um, if you want to sleep, then you can… you can use my lap?” Her cheeks were warm by now, and she’d turned into a stuttering mess. It was more comfortable, right? She just wanted Hikari to feel comfortable.

“Like this?” Hikari slowly lowered her head onto Tairitsu’s lap, shifting until she had found the best position - cheek pillowed against Tairitsu’s dress and facing Tairitsu. “You’re sure you’re OK with this? I don’t mind just going to sit on a bench or something.”

“Perfectly fine!” Damn it, even her ears felt warm now.

“Thanks.” Hikari’s voice was already turning softer, eyes fluttering closed. Within seconds, her breathing had evened out and a dreamy smile had appeared on her face.

Her heart was beating so fast that Tairitsu felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. She was holding herself absolutely still, terrified that if she moved, Hikari was going to be shaken awake. She looked so peaceful like this. Tairitsu couldn’t bear to disrupt her rest.

Gingerly, Tairitsu reached out a hand, only to pause a centimetre away from Hikari’s hair. She really, really wanted to run her hands through it.

Why not? Hikari was asleep. It’s not like she ever needed to know.

Gently, she pulled Hikari’s hair out of its pigtails and pulled her beret off, pushing it into the crook of her arm before beginning to stroke her hair. Delighted at its lack of knots, she continued her arm’s motions, making sure to keep it slow to avoid startling Hikari.

Tairitsu contemplated pressing a kiss onto those curly ringlets, but decided that was a bit too much.

The rhythmic motion, Hikari’s steady breaths, and the wind against her skin made Tairitsu feel like closing her eyes as well. The day and all its strange oddities had stressed her out and drained her energy.

She closed her eyes for just a moment, and when she opened them again, the sun was barely above the horizon. The sky was no longer blue, but a mixture of orange, pinks and purples. Hikari was still sleeping peacefully in her lap, but the wind had gotten stronger. The waves were larger now, having crept up the shore, and were slapping down against the sand with a much more audible crash.

The two crows, who Tairitsu somehow knew were the same ones from before, were now standing on the sand. They were still watching her, almost as if they were waiting. But waiting for what?

How has this much time passed? She didn’t feel like she’d fallen asleep. She didn’t feel anymore well-rested than before. So how…

Under the sunset, Hikari’s hair looked almost red. Just like the dress in the display case, it gave the illusion of blood. Pulling her hand back, Tairitsu stared down at it.

It was drenched in red as well, every finger dripping blood onto the sand below.

No, no, no! It had to be a stupid illusion. She shook her hand, closing her eyes. It would be gone once she opened them again.

But the blood was still there. Her fingers curled as she tried to comprehend what was going on.

“You stopped.” Hikari’s flat, disappointed voice reached Tairitsu’s ears, and she looked down to find that Hikari had shifted so the back of her head rested in Tairitsu’s lap. Her expression was unreadable, a stark contrast from the usually open and cheery face.

“You’re awake?” Tairitsu tried her best to hide the tremor in her voice. Hikari didn’t need to know.

She didn’t need to know anything. It was safe as long as everything remained under control.

Hikari didn’t answer her question, only pushed herself upright and turned to look at the sunset, not facing Tairitsu. “The sun’s setting. That means the day’s over.”

“You know I have to go, right?” Hikari’s voice echoed in her mind despite her having never said those words aloud. But Tairitsu knew. She knew.

“You don’t need to go just yet! Or even if you do, I’ll see you again tomorrow! Summer break will be over, but we’ll still see each other in school again!” Tairitsu’s voice cracked, her desperation spilling through as she did her very best to grasp at the unravelling threads before her. The wind had picked up even more, howling around her ears as day turned to night. She had to scream to be heard, breath quickening as panic infused her heart.

Hikari still wouldn’t face her.

“What do you even know of school, Tairitsu? You’ve never been.”

Not Tai. Tairitsu.

Don’t say it. Don’t say my name. Don’t tell me!

“What are you talking about? Silly little Hikari. We’ve been friends forever! We attend the same school. Are you only half-awake?”

“...”

“Why won’t you look at me?”

“Because I’m not really here, Tairitsu.”

It was at this moment that Hikari finally turned around. Tairitsu stumbled back at the sight of her, struggling to get her breathing under control at the horror that faced her.

Hikari’s image shimmered like the display case had, warping with every second - the familiar property that every piece of Arcaea had. There were what appeared to be fault lines along her front where her features didn’t quite match up, like a broken mirror. The two sides of her face weren’t aligned. The clothes she was wearing and her hairstyle flickered and changed with every second until they became an indistinguishable kaleidoscope of colour. The only thing that stayed constant was Hikari’s face, misaligned as it was, and her lack of a beret, which Tairitsu had dropped onto the sand.

“Don’t you remember? This world you created that’s so fake, you can’t even convince yourself it’s real? Don’t you remember what you did with your very own hand?” With each word, Hikari’s sneer only deepened, as she took step after step towards Tairitsu, who was frozen in place. Her pink eyes seemed to darken until they resembled red - the red of that one shard, the red staining Hikari’s beret on the sand, the red dripping from her hand endlessly.

Images flashed through her mind, quick as flashes of lightning. The Arcaea she had rained down on Hikari without mercy. Hikari pleading for them to stop and come to a peaceful resolution.

The final shard that had pierced through Hikari’s defences, silencing her for good.

“No…” Tairitsu whispered, covering her face with her hands and screwing her eyes shut as she sunk onto her knees. The red smeared onto her face, going everywhere. It was everywhere. She could never escape it. “It’s not… I… I didn’t want to…”

“How many times have you done this, Tairitsu? Hmm? How many times have you gone through this hopeless cycle, hoping to get a different ending?” Hikari was standing in front of her now, continuing to mock her. She pried Tairitsu’s hands away from her face, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Except it didn’t feel like a kiss to Tairitsu. It felt like sharp glass cutting her forehead as pain radiated from the spot Hikari had touched.

How many times had she done this? How many times had she desperately tried to improve on this world, drawing from the memories she saw in the Arcaea while stripping the misery out of them, in the hopes that it would finally be perfect, that she could finally lose herself in this fabricated world and never have to know the truth? How many different outfits had Hikari gone through, how many popsicles had they gone through, how many times had they ended up at this beach?

Only for it to always end in the same way. Why?

It still wasn’t good enough. That had to be why.

“Don’t you think it’s time to wake up?” Hikari whispered in her ear, cradling her face for just a moment before letting go. Even with the stinging pain, Tairitsu could do nothing but yearn for more. More contact. More. More, more, more.

Tairitsu snapped her eyes open, frantically raising her head and reaching out. “Don’t go -”

But there was no one in front of her. There was no beach, no ocean, no sky. Only a vortex of Arcaea surrounded her, the individual pieces counting into the millions.

There was only silence.

She was alone, all alone, again.

There was nothing more terrifying than being alone in this world with nothing but countless memories to keep you company and show you everything you could never have.

Picking up and cradling the blood-stained beret to her chest, Tairitsu sobbed, mourning the latest vibrant mirage that had slipped out of her hands and faded into a monotone grey. As if responding to her grief, the vortex swirled faster, still completely silent. Only the red shard floating before Tairitsu remained motionless.

Except it wasn’t fully red anymore. It had shattered amid their heated battle. She had done her best to put it together, but the pieces just wouldn’t fit. It was like the individual pieces had lost their connection to each other.

She had no choice but to fill in the gaps with her own memories, with pieces of Arcaea that glittered a deep blue. The shard before her now was a hodgepodge of red and blue, stitched together with willpower alone. But it was the best she could do, now that Hikari was gone.

She hadn’t meant to. At that moment, with grief overwhelming her and wavering at the edge of a precipice, her hand had been forced. By the time she came to her senses, it was already too late.

She couldn’t live without the pillar of light that was Hikari. Hikari had been the only thing leading her in this dark world without hope. That was what she had come to realise in the months of aimless wandering that had arisen after Hikari’s death.

She loved Hikari, right? This was what love was? To think about the other, to need them, their soul, their light, their guidance, like a vampire needed blood?

She would bring Hikari back. In any way she could.

Reaching out to touch the shard, Tairitsu smiled. She’d just have to try again. She’d do it, over and over and over, until it was perfect. Then Hikari would stay, right? Hikari would have nothing to complain about.

Hikari would never know anything was wrong. So would she. She’d forget, let go of all of the pain, and live happily ever after. Like all of the people in the Arcaea Hikari had once held dominion over.

This time, she’d add the chirp of cicadas…

~~~

The Arcaea twisted and flitted to-and-fro over the girl in black, observing in amusement.

~fin~

#fanfiction #arcaea #hikari #tairitsu #hikaritsu #one shot

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smolbeandrabbles · 4 years ago

Text

Trade Off - Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody x Reader (Animal Kingdom)

@wltz-bby @happyskywhale

@mandy23b - in advance please forgive this ridiculous little AU.🙈 GIF CREDIT: X

Author’s Note: Look - it’s my favourite scene in the whole movie, OK? Let me have this slight AU! But we all know in the happy universe in my head it all worked out after this right?

Also, for those unaware, yes... you can sing about stock trading! Imagine how happy I was to find fitting lyrics!

Disclaimer: AK has nothing to do with me / I really tried to gloss over/layman's terms stock trading... I don’t know if I did a good job / Lyrics & gifs not mine.

Premise: After Baz pitches to Andrew the idea of stock trading it’s clear his friend is fairly dismissive. Baz enlists your help to follow through...

Words: 4126

Warnings: Swearing / brief mention of drugs / Slight AU

_____

Your gonna break my bank before too long I'm taking out a loan But when you turn your kind of lovin' on Honey I just can't say no, no no no no no no

Your gonna break my bank before too long I'm running out of dough But when you turn your kind of magic on Honey I just can't say no, no no no

Maybe I'll play the stock market Put some money in my pocket Ain't no telling what your gonna need next I need to steal a Sherman tank Just to break into a bank All my buddies think it's funny 'Cause I'm spending all my money On some honey like there's something to prove 'Cause for a little of your lovin' There ain't nothing much that I wouldn't do It's a business doing pleasure, a business doing pleasure with you

---

With the amount of time Andrew and yourself seemed to be spending around each other these days, you weren’t sure why one of you hadn’t taken up permanent residence in the others home. That deduction wasn’t exactly fair – he was with you to hide from the police for yet another thing he’d gone and done (that you didn’t want to know about), and he wasn’t about to leave the house you’d just pulled up at. Maybe Baz would eventually be able to persuade him that living with you was the good idea, but you weren’t sure you’d be able to do it alone. Of course without Baz you wouldn’t be here right now with all your gear – but you understood why this wasn’t a conversation that could come through Andrew. He’d never talk about it, maybe bury it in the back of his mind and forget the discussion ever happened with his friend. Baz had got home and immediately called you, to try and keep the idea on the table. By involving you Baz would create two fronts for the same goal; perhaps you’d be able to collectively persuade something out of Andrew yet – out of this house and out of this life… You weren’t about to hold your breath. But you’d take anything as a start. When you reached the front door and knocked, you were surprised for it not to be opened by your partner (or his partner in crime). Andrew usually headed you off at the sound of your engine, instead you came face to face with a teen you didn’t recognise. He also clearly had no idea who you were, by the fact that he stood there blinking with a blank expression. You took a step back and surveyed the driveway; okay, one car was missing but you doubted that absolutely everyone was out at once. You wouldn’t expect Andrew to venture out under anything but the cover of midnight with the cops probably still out there looking for him… having said that, apparently the lead up conversation had happened in a supermarket, so what did you know. “Uh,” You turned back to him, looking super awkward and not at all a part of the house he was standing in, “hey. Are the guys in?” He straightened a little, “Uhm, some of them are y-yeah, would you like me to get them? I mean I can-” He pointed back, then squinted at you, trying to recall if he had ever seen your face and if there were a name to go with it. Concluding the answer was no, he asked the question; “Uhm, who..?” “Y/N.” Your eyes flicked behind him, “Though you can also hold that thought.” “I’ll take it from here, mate.” The teen turned to Andrew, a few steps behind him up the corridor, and also who you were now staring at. “Oh, sure.” His back up against the wall already let you know what the power play was. “Hey-!” You stopped him before he left, “What’s your name?” “…Jay.” “Jay? Jay… Jay…” You pondered for a second, because Andrew had mentioned this before, “Oh! Julia’s son! Yes! It’s nice to meet you, Jay!” and with a smile on your face, to Jay it was almost startling that anyone to do with this family – Andrew in particular - would give him such a thing. “You too, Y/N.” Andrew shot him a look that seemed to suggest he forget your name in the next 3 seconds or face consequences, before turning those blue eyes on you. “What are you doing here?” You kept your reply level to his blunt question. “You just left. Which I expected, but you left some stuff. Not why I’m here, though.” You indicated to the house, “May I enter?” Andrew took a step back and nodded, beckoning you forward. You looked left and right with an affirming nod that you weren’t followed and hopped inside, arms winding around him immediately. “Oh my god, Andrew, are you okay?” “Fine.” You closed your eyes, burying your face in his shoulder, waiting patiently until he returned your embrace, “I know it’s stupid,” you mumbled, “but every time I hear sirens, I…” “Don’t. Don’t do that to yourself.” He only murmured it, hand to the back of your head, “…Why did you come?” “Oh, well-” You didn’t want to pull away but you wished to explain, moving your laptop case around, “I hear you don’t have a computer – and failing that, I do have every decent stock trading newspaper you could possibly hope for!” Andrew blinked slowly a few times, bemused by your encouraging grin, “Baz.” It wasn’t a question. “Mhm!” “You’re both crazy.” You weren’t about to let him dismiss this, and followed him into the back of the house – by the looks of it only he and Jay were in, “Wait-! I thought it was a good shout! Will you at least hear us out?” “No. It’s ridiculous.” “Andrew…” He paused and turned to your defeated tone, “Humour me.” He sighed heavily at the look on your face, “Okay. Fine…” He held his hand out for yours, and you linked your fingers with a gentle smile, it was a start. Hopefully Andrew would be receptive to the rest of the information you had to impart. ***

You slid your laptop out of its bag and powered it on, Andrew sat tentatively next to you, clearly unsure about the whole thing. You were certain that by the time you’d talked him through this, and made it so easy for him to understand what to do, with Baz’s help you could turn the tables. You didn’t think this was going to be an overnight miracle, but if it did anything at all that would be an achievement.

As you waited for your own profile to load, you opened today’s selection of newspapers to the trading pages and lay them out in front of him. Right now they looked like a bunch of funny letters with green, red or black numbers. And occasionally a confusing looking graph. It wouldn’t be long before Andrew Cody was reading these like a pro. “Woah.” Andrew’s eyes flicked from the papers to your screen, and he jabbed the number in the top right, “What is that?!” You supposed to him ‘that’ was an eye watering amount of Australian dollars. “That’s how much my portfolio is worth right now. It’ll fluctuate but it’s always somewhere around there. I always tend to go safe - but that means buying high and usually they stay high. You can buy low and have something grow exponentially, but also risk investments blowing up in your face. As you’re starting, maybe you’d like to invest in a bit of both. It’s all a guessing game Andrew, so there’s no wrong answers. If I set you up a profile and get you started, you can do it at your leisure. If you don’t want the hassle of a computer, then it’s as easy as collecting a paper, I can manage your portfolio for you. Or you can go the other way and pay someone else to do it. And if you trust them, then it’s as simple as giving them your money and they make the trades for you. But that’s maybe not so much fun if you’re looking to make a living out of this, which you certainly can. It’ll give you something to do, at least.” “Yeah, but how does that work? How do you make money?” You supposed you were happy that he had questions, and was cutting straight to it. You’d expect nothing less from this Cody. “Two ways. Your shares pay out dividends to you – i.e. a share of company profits - a few times a year, best to spread your portfolio over companies that pay out in different months to have a steadier income! Or you buy low, sell high as you can, or buy high sell even higher and make money like that. Then you keep the money or invest it, so on and so forth.” Baz had explained to you that he'd put thousands into this and was making good money and that he’d mentioned this to Andrew, met only with confusion. It was your job to untangle that.

You pointed to the number he was still staring at, “If I sell everything I have right now, I can have that in the bank, right? Instead I get paid steadily throughout the year. If you’re gonna make a living out of this,” you made sure to give him a look that would get Andrew’s stare back on you, because you meant it, “you’ll probably want to do a bit of both.” “Where am I getting the money for this, exactly?” You folded your arms, he surely had money of his own but you wanted all this to be as clean as possible, “If you’re prepared to take this seriously, I’m prepared to front you the money. I can make recommendations too if you want that. But I was gonna help you pick a few out for yourself...” “I don’t even know where to start.” Andrew’s voice strained for a second as he ran a hand through his hair, blowing out a breath. “Baby, baby...” The last thing you needed was for him to start winding up on you, you took his hand “that’s why I’m here. We do this together, slow or fast as you like, okay? Let’s see what you like the look of, alright?” “...I- I don’t know...” “Andrew.” You moved your hands to his thighs, face close to his, “This is yours, you’re not expected to be an expert overnight, but you have help now. This is a real chance for you... and I know that counts for something. You can’t want to spend the rest of your life like you have the past few months?” You didn’t want him to either, and as he turned from you again you scraped your nails through his hair, as if to tuck it back behind his ear. Andrew’s blue eyes searched your screen for an answer, hand laying on top of yours, not holding you, but still there. “Hey, maybe you and Baz can go into trading together.” You thought that might have been Baz’s idea and motivation anyway, and if Andrew had someone to do this with, in times that you weren’t around, that might help his desire to be involved. His eyes returned to yours, this look hard and piercing, like you were insane. Andrew instantly began to set you straight: “You really think this is just gonna end?” “No.” And that was the truth. You knew better. “But I’m optimistic that it would wind down and you can change.” “It’s too late for that.” “No. It isn’t. Andrew you can’t write yourself off. No one else has - we’re here and we believe in you.” Baz and yourself, your family… The people that really mattered, the people who would actually support him. This time you linked his fingers with yours, “Baby, I want a future with you... I’m scared that one day someone is going to turn up at my door and tell me you’re dead.” It was obvious how serious you were by the tone of your voice, that little waiver you weren’t holding back. “Y/N...” “Andrew, I will beg you... please just- have a go and think about it, and I just- I don’t want to lose you.” He looked back to your portfolio - as if a bunch of numbers and charts and virtual money was going to give him all the answers. But how could it? How could this be the key to the way out of the life he was living? He didn’t see it - and yet you and Baz so desperately believed in this. Andrew didn’t want to let you both down, and yet maybe he could get a kick out of proving you both wrong. Crime was the only way... but crime isn’t the only way... Heck you already had tried labouring the point that drugs wasn’t going to cut it with you. But there were track marks still in his skin, weren’t there. You couldn’t save him, but you tried so hard... you probably deserved him trying. “Okay.” His voice was quiet, but he looked back to you with a nod, “Show me.” You explained it all in as basic layman’s terms; most important to you was that he didn’t have any excuses for not being able to follow though once you left. You taught him how to read the numbers and exchange names in the paper first, green up, red down, black unchanged. That as long as he had noted what he bought them at he could always make sure to sell at profit. Then you spent a little while setting up his profile on your website and Andrew began trying to figure out where he wanted to invest the money you were saying you’d front him. You had a lot of fun watching him scrunch his face in concentration and try to reason out why he should invest in this particular thing. Some of it was way off, but you guided him - he’d get it, of that you were certain. Andrew was sharp, this was all new. You wouldn’t be surprised if later tonight you got a call: Y/N, I can’t sleep but I’ve been thinking about these investments and... You kept flicking back to your own to show him that he could start with what looked small and yet end up with something like this relatively easily, and you knew Andrew was starting to get it when he could interpret a graph without you telling him what it meant. And there was a hint of enjoyment on his face when you would smile and nod and say, “Yes exactly!”

The next time you heard footsteps, Baz was the one waltzing into the room. “Ahhh! Jay told me you two would be hiding someplace and HOLY SHIT-! Is that an investment portfolio!?!” He jogged his friend’s shoulder, “Oh, so it’s hard if I ask, but when your girlfriend pulls up you can put one together, huh!?” Andrew tipped his head, pushing Baz back, “You’re in this together, don’t give me that bullshit.” Baz cackled and hugged you, “Ah! That’s my girl-! You got him invested in you yet?!” “No, that could go wrong, very wrong. I didn’t even mention my company.” Andrew’s eyes flicked between you, causing Baz to smirk, “There you go Pope, you can get your criminal activity in there instead-! Invest and break the law! And you don’t even have to go outside to do it!” “Don’t encourage him!” You folded your arms, mouth open in disbelief - the goal of this was the complete opposite! This was Baz’s big plan, what was he doing!? “What?” “Insider trading.” You turned to Andrew, “Like, buy shares of my company and, as CIO, I tell you when you buy or sell depending on what we’re up to that will have the stock market value pushed up or down.” “Oh, you can do that?” And then at the look on your face Andrew changed track, “But it would be illegal. I get it. Can I invest in your company though?” “Knock yourself out, but I’m not telling you anything!” “This is your chance to have her never talk about work to you ever again, Pope! I’d take it!” “Shut up!” But there was even a small amused smile on Andrew’s face as Baz laughed this time around. “See all you need is to know some people within companies and you can do insider trading all over your portfolio!!” “I thought we were getting out of crime not getting you in more trouble!” “I’m trying to encourage him!” “Can’t believe I’m about to say it’s better than drugs, but we are not starting with insider trading! Oh my god-!” “Ah! But it is better than pushing drugs! Right Andrew?” Andrew looked to you, and you dare him to say it, “She thinks anything is better than drugs.” “I cannot believe you two.” You turned back to Baz, “Leave right now-! Before he latches onto this...!” “I was only kidding!” But he motioned to leave anyway, grabbing Andrew’s shoulders again, “I know she’s joking but seriously no insider trading, mate, you’ll lose her!” “I’ll lose my job too probably!” “Ah-! Yeah, definitely not-!” Baz waved, “See you later, happy investing!” Then turned back, “Oh yeah! Pope, remember to make sure that portfolio also supports your uptown girls’ lavish lifestyle!” He looked directly at you, tongue in cheek. “WHAT?!” “Gotta cost to run a Lamborghini everywhere in your designer heels and purse, darlin’.” You let Baz know you were not impressed, but that only made him laugh as he started back down the stairs. Andrew watched him go with a shake of his head; “He’s a fucking moron.” “His heart is in the right place.” You mused, turning back to your partner, “Yours is sometimes, too.”

Before long Andrew was leaning on his arms staring at your computer screen with a blank look on his face. You thought that meant that his interested attention on this was just about over. You made sure your movement was slow as you ran your hand up his arm and shoulder, stroking his back gently before sifting your fingers through his hair. Andrew’s eyes remained on your screen as he blinked slow, but the quiet hum you pulled from him was enough; he was content. When you moved to shut everything down, he simply nodded and let you continue to stroke his back for a few minutes; he closed his eyes, moving his head to rest across his arms and you knew Andrew felt safe, he trusted you enough to simply do that. Baz gave you a general call soon after: “Kids! We’re eating if you wanna come grab something.” Andrew was slow off the mark, wanting to stay with just you for a little while longer, but when he followed you downstairs, Baz and Jay were out of the way of the main room and kitchen. You sat yourself up on the counter as you both continued your conversation, sometimes with words and sometimes in silence but fluid, there was no break in communication, not even once. Andrew remained as close to you as possible and you ate in comfortable silence, still content to sit up on the counter. He seemed a little too into touching you today, nearly always keeping a hand on one part of you – you were prepared to call him possessive; it was surely Jay’s presence making him do this. If not you’d welcome a change up, but you highly doubted that after all this time Andrew would do such a thing. You let him if only to revel in the attention, making sure to afford him affection back, hand over his, or touching him in the same place. All very delicate – and yet kissing you was a step too far, no matter how close he got. You’d persuade one out of him eventually, you were sure… You spent a little time after that talking with Jay and Baz, glad that the other three weren’t present. Although not entirely sure why, also not eager to find out. Andrew’s participation in the conversation barely registered, attention on you the whole time. Today not hard to keep, and very much wanted. If only you could guarantee such a thing more regularly… and yet maybe if Baz and yourself managed to achieve something, and start something here, perhaps you really could. Eventually your mobile rudely interrupted you. “What? No! Stay!” Baz protested. “Much as I would love to,” you glanced to Andrew, “and I really would – David’s in town so I gotta go meet him.” “David?” “Brother.” Andrew answered for you. You noticed how it never quite got back to his family that your foster brother also happened to be a cop. Long may it remain that way. “Aw, bring him here!” “Uh. NO.” You waved that one off quickly, “It was lovely to meet you Jay! Baz, a pleasure as always!” “No worries – I’ll call you later this week, yeah?” “You may.” You gave him a wink, as if he needed your permission, and collected your bag before Andrew walked you to the door. “If you need me to get you a computer-” He made a sound of discontent, “Let’s just- see how it goes. Okay?” “Alright, but I’m here for you, you know that, right?” “Of course I do.” He gave a nod, “I said I’d try. I’m not breaking a promise to you.” Try was a big word, Andrew was always trying for you… You just wanted something to stick now. You prayed it would be this. His hand remained in yours until you got to the outside door, where you swivelled back to him, gathering his other hand. “Thank you, for hearing us out on this.” “Save that for more than day one.” “But there’s a day one!” You beamed, “That already means more to me than you can imagine.” Andrew gave a nonchalant shrug, but he could imagine, quite clearly. You pulled yourself into him, brushing your lips gently to his. As he wasn’t being so generous with his kisses today, you were content to leave it as just that. Instead Andrew let your hands go and locked his arms behind your shoulders; keeping you against his lips, Andrew’s kiss became fierce. Oh, you’ll kiss me like this now your nephew isn’t in sight, huh?! But you wanted it; pushing your body up against his you wound your arms around him, fingers tangling back in his hair as he coaxed a gentle groan from you. Of course that was what Andrew wanted, by the way he smirked into the kiss. He pulled back, leaving you a little wide eyed and whiney, automatically craving more than that – and trying to catch your breath without panting too hard. By the way his eyes were studying your face (and liking what he saw), Andrew was clearly going to leave it there and took a step back as if to prove it. “Will I see you later?” It took a moment for what he’d said to register, “Uh, I… We’re having dinner, but as far as I know he’s driving back. Do you want me back… here?” “Call me when you’re done. I’ll see where I’m at.” “O-Okay…” Your head was still swimming from the kiss, and he shook his head slowly at you, granting you a single chaste one for balance, and as a mercy. You almost verbally thanked him. You took Andrew’s hand back in yours to walk those final two steps out of the house and the door, before turning to say your final goodbyes. Probably not for the day, maybe you’d get to see him later on. Hopefully he’d make good on that kiss – there’s no way Andrew didn’t know you didn’t want to leave him now. As you walked towards your car he couldn’t resist calling after you: “Don’t forget to keep me up to date on what you’re doing before you report to the street!” You couldn’t help but burst out laughing as you slid into your car, “Hell no, Andrew Cody! We aren’t doing that!” As you buckled up and started your engine he strolled over, so you wound your window down, “What?” He leant on your car door, “I did want to thank you for coming up. On account of everything else you do. Take care of yourself.” You rubbed his hands affectionately with a small smile, “You don’t have to thank me verbally.” Evidence, that’s what you really wanted. “I will, make sure you do too. No insider trading! I’m serious!” “No promises. Say hi to David.” You rolled your eyes, “Yeah, he’s exactly the kind of person who’d pick you up on it… Stay safe, at least until I call you again.” Andrew gave a nod, but it wouldn’t surprise you if his fingers were crossed behind his back as he stepped away from your car, hand raised. You waved back, taking a deep breath. One step at a time… You could do this, the three of you could do this if you worked together… It would be worth it; the road might be long but the destination was worth getting to. If Andrew could see that. He will, one day he will… You smiled as you pulled from the curb, you had faith, you believed in him. You had a future. There was nothing else worth believing in.

---

Thank you for reading! 😘😘😘

#Animal Kingdom #Ben Mendelsohn #Andrew Cody #Pope Cody #Andrew Pope Cody #186 #Andrew Cody x Reader #Andrew Pope Cody x Reader #Pope Cody x Reader #double-meaning title!#I think he looses the Ben element just once here #and I also realise how much of this is her initiating affection which goes back on nearly everything said previous... but it works for this #Elaiyna #Probably the more realistic way of how Elaiyna would meet Jay for the first time #Oh yeah David is back!#AU because Baz is alive and obvs in my head Andrew does this for real and we get a nice ending #Because honestly this is not a relationship I want to tear apart. But I don't see how they can work out either #Learning with Linzi: Stock Trading

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chimswae · 4 years ago

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BTS Caretaker CH33

Summary: She may think she has Bangtan Sonyeondan wrapped around her fingers. She may think it is easy to love the members equally without hurting any soul. She may think the boys wont fall head over heels for her. She assumes it is okay to show a little love and affection towards the boys, what if she gets it all wrong? What if it only brings more complication to her already complicated life? Can she survive their charms? Will she be able to resist them? What if they just wont let her go?

- Pairing: BTS x Oc ( Yoongi x OC, Jungkook x OC)

- Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst, Romance, Idol!au

- Word Count: 3,595

- Author Note: There is a small text exchange between Seul and Jin in this chapter, so i put the text up.

Previous | Next

Chapter 33

“Seul, what is the matter? Why with the sudden notice?” Wongeun placed the letter down on his lap, expelling a long sigh. Once again hesitation ripped off the confidence that she had earlier. She had given this into a thought, even Jin would give her a call without fail despite not being there physically by her side. Ever since her encounter with Mr Kwon, she had never seen him lingered around the shop. God knows, when he decided to make his appearance again.

Wongeun snapped his fingers to bring back her attention to him “Am I talking to wall? Is there something that I must know? You are a little off these days” Seul smiled meekly adding to his suspicion.

“It is nothing. I think mother needs me by her side. Her health is deteriorating, it is best to pay more attention on her” she lied. It was an established fact that she quit after finding out the truth about Mr Kwon.

She needed to- no, she must stay away from him as far as possible.

“Seul.. if this is about your mother, you know we can help you. You don’t have to resign” he reasoned.

“Oppa, I think it is about time to focus on something that is more important in my life. I have nothing against this place, hell I have been working for two years with you. It is not easy for me too, but I hope you understand” her cold lips emitted a heavy sigh. She looked at him sadly “Please?” Wongeun leaned back in his seat.

He was morose and kept his mouth shut making her anxious for no reason. “It is hard to let you go Seul. You are a good employee and a good friend of mine. Just so you know, the door is opened for you anytime. Hit me up, and you can get that apron of yours back” he lightens up the mood earning a small chuckle from the girl.

“Thank you oppa, I know I can trust you with this. Don’t worry I will come to visit once in awhile to check on you guys” Wongeun said quickly “And to buy a box brownies” she laughed softly.

“Yes, a box of brownies. I will never forget you, for all the things that you did for me. So, thank you again” Wongeun shook his head and eyed the girl closely. “Don’t sound like we are not meeting each other anymore. Seul just don’t-“ a voice spread across the room, pausing the conversation that they had.

“It is stated in the contract; all employee must give two months’ notice before resigning”

That voice again. Seul’s breath hitched when his eyes laid on her, scrutinizing her from head to toes.

Why is he here? She mentally groaned in dissatisfaction.

Surprised by their manager sudden appearance, Wongeun stood up almost immediately and bowed politely “ Sir, I didn’t know you will be coming today” he murmured while giving an eye signal to Seul demanding her to greet the important person in front of them.

She rose from her feet with so much reluctance didn’t want to appear suspicious, so she gave the old man a little bow without sparing any look at him.

Dressed in navy blue suit, he had round dark shades to cover that two pair of evil eyes which she hated the most. Not long after, he took off his shades, keeping it inside his pocket with an unreadable expression “ Miss Ji, your resignation letter is invalid. I will not accept it. Draft a new one as an advance notice, you may leave the job in two months” his voice was mocking her, to flaunt his power that he had on her.

Seul’s jaw tightened, letting the anger sipping in “I don’t remember having that kind of terms in the contract?” she snapped.

A mischievous smirk spread across his face “ Keep the job for two more months or pay the penalty, your call” Wongeun blinked confusedly sensing the tension in the air as though these two were playing with fire, getting ready to throw it at each other.

“I will pay the penalty fees” said Seul confidently.

“I reckon you can afford those fees. It may cost you fortune. I suggest the first option anyway” the tone of his voice was so snobbish making her fuming in anger. She pondered upon this matter again. If she insists on quitting the job and pay the penalties, where to find the money?

As much as she wanted to seek help from Jin, that sounded impossible. This would only make her to appear like a gold digger. She was not that desperate.

She couldn’t believe it with her ears that after so many years, he still had the audacity to pull such threat on her. This simply means she had to put up with him for two more months before freed herself from this evil lair. How was it possible to survive that?

“Miss Ji, I am waiting” he tapped his finger on his branded wrist watch.

“Fine, I will hand in the new notice tomorrow” Wongeun sent her an apologetic glance considering he didn’t have much say in this. He too didn’t understand why Mr Kwon seemed so interested in this business recently. All these years, he never showed up and would contact Wongeun occasionally through phone call.

Something is fishy, he thought.

“Good. Enjoy your last two months here, you never know what awaits you” those last sentences sent chill down her spin. You never know what awaits you, it rung inside her head in loop. She couldn’t simply forget it just because it came from the nastiest human being alive, Evil Kwon.

Without wasting any more seconds to breathe the same dirty air as his, Seul excused herself to tend her job. Wongeun watched her back leaving the scene with a heavy heart. There were unanswered questions inside his head that need to be answered soon.

Satisfied with his successful plan in keeping the girl under his radar, he was ready to leave. “I want her letter by hand and she must submit it to me personally. Tell her to come to my house tomorrow, I will be working from home” he ordered.

Wongeun nodded, trying to be optimist since the older man made Seul to submit her notice all way to his house without any solid reason. How odd was that?

------------------

Two more days till home. Just two freaking days, then he could recharge back the energy in him. He already missed his odeng and eomuk though, for the time being Seul would be keeping those two cuties with her during his absence.

Jin decided to laze around a bit considering the practice for their concert tomorrow had taken almost 13 hours of his time straight without break. He plopped himself on the comfy king-sized hotel bed and expelling a tired sigh. Massaging his aching shoulder, he released another loud grunt not liking the pain that took over his body.

His roommates, Jungkook and Namjoon were out to get food with Jimin. As soon as they reached their hotel, he went straight to his room without wasting more time outside. Jin prioritized his sleeps more than anything. He fished out his phone from his pocket and decided to text Seul again.

He bit his lower lips muffling the small chuckle from his mouth. Nowadays, the mere thought of Seul became the source of strength in him. Even though this feeling that he had for her started way back then, but he’s too afraid to admit it.

Someone needs a love counselling session.

Joyfully, his fingers moved swiftly against the screen and typed a quick hi to Seul.

Damn, why is he like this?

Seul was reading his last message and her eyes flew open in surprised to see his name appeared on the screen. Jin’s quick reflex was no joke, he acted as if Seul was at the brink of death. Giving Seul no time to process, Jin bombarded her with questions which almost knocked her sense out from her body.

“Where are you meeting him? With who??

“Are you by any chance alone?”

“Don’t tell me your best friend refuse to follow you there!”

“Seul don’t go! It is dangerous! The last time you’re breathing in the same room as his, he almost ripped your dress apart. Goodness woman!”

“Geez Kim Seokjin. One at a time. Your words fly faster than bullets. I am alone, no, Hwasa is working. She can’t ditch her job because there’s only her and Sera working this shift. And, about the first question, I am heading to his home” Seul swore to god Jin’s high pitch yell could be heard miles away. This was the exact reason she didn’t want to tell him about her plan meeting the old man alone. Jin would react this way.

“YAH ARE YOU INSANE? DID YOU JUST OFFER YOURSELF TO THE EVIL MAN VOLUNTARILY? ABORT MISSION. RETURN. HOME. NOW!” he yelled angrily through the speaker earning a soft hiss from the latter.

“Are you mad?”

“No. I am so happy that you are now on your way meeting Mr Kwon, what a beautiful reunion!” his sarcastic remark sounded so Min Suga. When she thought about it again, they must be spending too much times together as a roommate.

Seul snorted “I know but like I have a choice. I just need to submit this and once this reach him, I will leave immediately. I will take care of myself Jin” her voice softened at the end. Her heart skipped weirdly at the attention that he showed to her, like when he sounded so protective over her it drove her wild heart to edge.

“I know you can take care of yourself, but I don’t trust him Seul. Think about this again? His threat is empty, about the penalty fees I can help-“ she blurted quickly before Jin could say more.

“I don’t want you to help me. This is an issue that I can solve by my own. I only need your morale support and I don’t need your money. Jin, I can handle him. I will contact you as soon as I am out from his house alright?” for some reason her assurance did not sound tempting to him at all. Jin didn’t feel good about this.

The end of the line fell into dead silence worrying the timid girl. Angry Jin was not pretty, and she knew it would lead to more harm than good. “Jin..” she called him out softly meting his heart.

Aish, how can I stay mad at you, woman. Jin rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“Under one condition, don’t hang up on me until I make sure he won’t do something inappropriate to you” she frowned and stopped in front of the beautiful bungalow house. For a second, the size of the house took her breath away but realizing who’s the owner of this property, she cringed in disgust.

“That is impossible. International call is expensive Kim Seokjin, are you mad?”

“I can afford that, just listen to me, will you?! Stop being so stubborn!” Seul sighed and glanced at her phone screen before pressing it back near her ears.

“Look, my battery barely survives this phone call Jin. I will call you as soon as I am done, it wont take long. If I didn’t get back in 15 minutes, you can reach Hoon and tell him my whereabouts” she suggested to ensure Jin wouldn’t make fuss over this again.

Jin paused for a second before responded “15 minutes is too long! Why do you need 15 minutes when you can just leave the letter at his doorstep and leave immediately?” as expected from Jin, he wouldn’t take things lightly.

“Every step that I take is more than one second you moron. To add to those delay is my hesitation, can you just spare my life for 15 minutes and reconsider my offer. Gosh, you are impossible!” she exclaimed.

“Ji Seul, I don’t like what you are doing” he scowled.

Seul rubbed her head, with a small sigh “Do you trust me?”

“I always trust you but not now. It is not a good idea, you still have time to change your mind and take off from there. I..just that- I am not there for you Seul. I don’t want anything happen to you” low murmurs could be heard clearly and Seul found herself smiling shyly. This different side of Jin always make her looking forward to spend more time with him in the future.

“I promise, I will be back in 15 minutes without scratch, can you wait for me till then?” she bit her lower lips nervously. Did she sound like she’s flirting with him? Why was she worried over her choices of words and tone of voice? This is sickening.

Jin finally gave in and nodded “15 minutes not more. If you don’t give me a call within that time, I am calling cops”

“Hoon” she corrected.

“Hoon has no gun, cops have one”

Seul whined “You are not calling the cops! I forbid you in doing so, just call Hoon” he chuckled softly picturing Seul’s pout in his head.

“Fine, Hoon”

“I have to go, I will be back in 15 minutes max alright?” she hung up without bidding a goodbye and annoyed the hell out of him. He glanced at the clock in fear, 15 minutes from now Seul must be out safely from that home.

Or else, Jin..

--------------------

Entering the luxurious lavish home, her eyes scanned the interior admiring it along her way. The maid brought her to another wing of the house which she assumed where his office would be. Taking a deep breath, she dragged her heavy legs entering the office and not to forget thanking the maid before the woman disappeared from her sight.

“You made it” the old man tore his gaze from the pile of document in front of him to Seul. She wished how earth could just swallow her right now rather than being in the same room as his. Seul mustered her courage and approached the wooden table slowly, “I am here to submit my letter as you requested” placing the letter on the table, she took a step back.

“I will get going now” she mentally screamed to quickly exit the suffocating room and normalize her breathing. Mr Kwon smug, taking his time to say this one thing that could stop her from walking away through that door.

She reached for the door knob and before she could open the door, Seul heard him chucked lowly “I know what you are looking for. It is your biological father, right? What if…” he stood up from his leather swivel chair, walking stealthily towards Seul.

Her brows flinched as he continued “What if, I know who your real father is?” he minimized the gap between them.

Seul’s eyes shot open realizing what this man tried to offer her, “Wh-at… nonsense is that…” her eyes threw daggers as she backed away, pressing her back against the cold door. The older man cackled in delight watching how much power he had on Seul.

“Not nonsense, but I do know where to find your real father”

“I don’t trust you”

“Really? Did your mother ever tell you about your real father?” he brought his face closer to her, teasing the girl in process. Her lower lips quivered in fear “I know… he is one my father’s best friend” she held back her tears from hitting the ground.

He nodded “True, but have you seen any photo of him?”

“Why does it matter?!” she snapped.

“You have such a loud mouth, it could be used for better thing in the future” he rubbed his thumb over her lips only to be slapped away by Seul harshly. “Don’t touch me” she gritted her teeth in anger, feeling offended by his sexual remarks.

“Alright, I won’t touch you. But that won’t change the fact that I know where to find your real father” he tilted his head studying her expression. It was a mixture of pain and anger. “Your dad is closer than you think” he whispered in her ears.

Seul shook her head frantically “I will never listen to a bastard like you, stay the hell away from me” Mr Kwon let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Stay the hell away from you? Even blood can’t tear us apart Seul” he snorted. “I will spare you for now but remember, my arms always open for you in case you need me” he twisted the door knob, opening the door for her.

With one final glance, she scurried off the room using the last ounce of strength in her body afraid that the bipolar man might change his mind in the middle and decided to lock her up or kidnap her. Once she felt the cold wind hit her skin, she was relieved to survive the battle with demon inside.

Thinking about his words earlier, could it be true that he knew who’s his father. Hence, there was a chance for her to find him. She realized it was too early to put a trust on his word especially it came from Mr Kwon.

Seul still had her mother, she is the key to every questionable thing in her life.

If she could dig it from her mother, then she didn’t need Mr Kwon’s help. He wouldn’t do it for free, there’s always be an exchange of something every time people seal a deal with him.

Her loud ringtone brought her out of her trance, and she answered without even bother to look at the caller id “Seul! Thank god you are alive. Have you met him? Did he do something? Are you okay?” his panic voice rose from one octave to another.

“Nothing happen so can you calm down? Save your voice for tomorrow’s concert. I delivered the letter and leave before he could say anything” it was not the perfect time to tell Jin about the things in relation to her father. She would tell him when she’s sure Kwon’s words were not a mere bluff.

Jin disagreed “I can’t stay calm knowing you are with him! Don’t do that again. You are scaring me woman. Are you on your way home?” she hummed a soft yes and started walking.

“Then I will give you a company until you reach home” his crazy ideas made her smile.

“Don’t be silly, I am perfectly fine. Go to sleep Jin”

“This woman.. It is 9PM and you are sending me to bed already?”

Her nose scrunched up in annoyance “You have to wake up early tomorrow nevertheless, it is not a bad idea to sleep at this time” she defended her earlier statement.

“I am walking you home, that is my final decision! Now, how’s your day?” her eyes were rolled back digesting his cliché side, though deep down inside she could say this was a romantic gesture. With Jin’s soft voice rang in her ears along her journey back home, she feared nothing in this world.

His voice was gentle and soothing enough that it drove a part of the fear away.

With his voice, it shortens the distance to her home. Not to mention, every time she laughed at Jin’s silly dad jokes, half of her burdened were being lifted from her shoulder. Entering her building, she climbed the stairs tiredly unlocking the door. Kicking her shoes at the corner, she promised to clean it up the first thing when she woke up tomorrow. Seul hurried inside her room with Jin voice nagged in the background urging her to head to bed as soon as she reached home.

“Are you in your room?”

“Yes, Mr Kim. I am in my room” she threw her exhausted body on the bed, throwing arm over her head.

“Good, now get changed and rest. Text me a good night when you are done” Jin let out a soft chuckle.

“You are so demanding. Not even my boyfriend but you are acting like one” murmuring with eyes closed, she stretched a little.

He argued “I just walked you back home so appreciate me” Seul’s soft giggle tickled his heart. He sunk on his bed, laying on the cold mattress with a foolish smile across his face.

“So full of yourself, why I am not surprised”

“Consider this as our first date” he muttered.

“What?” bewildered, Seul sat up trying to brain the meaning behind those shady words. She heard his heavy breathing at the end of the line, as he continued “About, me walking you back home, consider it a date” out of a sudden his voice turned fifty shades darker and romantic, enticing every part of her body.

What the hell Kim Seokjin? That is cringy! Jin facepalmed.

“Don’t say anything, pretend that you misheard that. Oh gosh, I must go. Don’t forget to text me a good night! Bye Seul!” he spat the words out like flying bullets without giving the girl a chance to say anything and hung up.

Jin rolled on his bed, screaming in the pillow blaming his sloppy and foolish action. He was worried if that scare the girl away. Grunting in frustration, he felt like he just screwed up his blooming relationship with Seul.

Just what is wrong with me, Jin was frustrated and feeling a little remorseful over his action.

#btscaretaker #bts fic #bts series #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #yoongi x oc #yoongi fic #jungkook fic #jungkook x oc #jungkook fluff #jin x oc #jin fic #kim seokjin x oc #bts fluff #kpop fanfiction

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cle1024 · 5 years ago

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drunk in love | hjs

member: han jisung

genre: angst

summary: jisung is a lightweight; no matter what kind of alcohol he ingests, he somehow manages to become completely obliterated in minutes. as his best friend, you tend to take on the duty of taking care of him during his inebriated moments, even if it hurts you in the process. friends to lovers!au, college!au

warnings: swearing, alcoholism, brief mention of drug use

a/n: credit to @str9ykids for the gif <3 this is kind of friends to lovers, kind of complicated

Han Jisung was a great guy; he was talented, creative, intelligent, passionate, charismatic, entertaining. There was a genuine care held within his eyes that most orbs missed, even in moments of honesty and loyalty, an underlying message whenever he spoke with someone about their hardships. He always seemed to understand and sympathise with people who ranted to him as a form of therapy, always willing to listen to whatever was on their mind regardless of how minute the issue. The only downfall you’d found in your time knowing him was his inability to know his limits. There had been numerous occasions of overworking himself, as well as breakdowns after trying to bottle up all his problems and emotions until he cracked under the immense pressure. Of course you were always there to pick up the pieces, that’s what friends do, and he was always there to thank you in the long run. Though, there was one particular limit of Jisung’s that even he was conscious of: his inability to hold any form of alcohol. Despite being strong in both mental and physical ways, the boy was an undeniable lightweight. Every morning after a night of drinking he’d wake with a splitting headache, downing a glass of water and painkillers you’d left for him, but he never changed his ways. At first, you’d brushed it off as a bad habit, perhaps an early and worrying sign of alcohol addiction. Over time you’d started to wonder if there was an underlying reason he allowed himself to become absolutely obliterated, his mind seemingly detached from his body as he stumbled around whatever party or club he’d found himself in.

Even if he was mentally strong, he had his moments of weakness―it’s human nature, after all. Those moments where his walls crumbled and he shed tears of stress, anger, raw and unrelenting sadness. You couldn’t help but wonder what kind of secrets lied beneath his emotional shield, only reaching the surface in those rare moments of giving out under immense pressure. As much as you wanted to pry, Jisung was just too damn good at keeping secrets. Everything was brushed off with a laugh and joke about how you’re going soft on him, but he was always thankful for your concern nonetheless. Nothing ever erased your concern; Jisung continued his destructive drinking habits and secretive behaviour. Even when you saw the occasional slip-ups and heard the drunken babbles of “I wish I could tell you the truth” before he knocked out, Jisung was far too good at lying about his feelings to have you take it as anything other than a bad day. So, you moved on from the questions about his emotions and just took on the duty of taking care of him when he was wasted beyond belief. Things would be easier that way, wouldn’t they? You’d put him to bed, stay the night, leave water and painkillers before leaving his dorm. Then you’d see him in one of your classes looking like he crawled from the depths of Hell and tell him all the embarrassing things he did in his drunken state. That’s how things were supposed to go, but some slip-ups just can’t go unacknowledged.

Jisung didn’t think he had a drinking problem, but he also didn’t know how to deal with his problems. Drinking until he was numb and venturing another realm always seemed like a good choice until he made more mistakes in his drunken and gave himself new reasons to abuse his liver. Some mistakes were worse than others; deciding to wear a white shirt when he knew he couldn’t keep a steady hand after drinking, listening to the encouragement of his friends―almost as drunk―and attempting to jump from one side of someone’s pool to the other, as well as other injury-inducing actions. Though one of his worst mistakes was one that came about during a sober mindset. It wasn’t a decision, necessarily, so does it really count as a mistake? Regardless, Jisung found himself tangled up in emotions he shouldn’t be feeling. He shouldn’t want to kiss you, his best friend―that’s all you were, after all, a friend. Yet the urge withstood his relentless berating, his drunken kisses with other people who’d never given him a name to call them by, its persistence drove him to the brink of desperation. Knowing that you would never feel the same way ― or, rather, assuming you would never reciprocate such feelings ― pushed him over the edge, and he found himself tumbling down a dark hole of irreversible mistakes, fabricated feelings and verbal mishaps. Though, in the end, it didn’t matter what Jisung did to forget about his feelings or have them blossom for someone else, it was something he could never get out of his head. He drank to forget but he always remembered, and now he was falling far beyond return.

“Hey, baby,” you rolled your eyes at your friend’s words. That was another habit Jisung had, aside from excessive drinking, he often said things he didn’t mean. He played with words, took their meaning and stripped them down to platonic nouns and adjectives. It bothered you to no end, mainly because you could never figure out when he was being serious and when he was teasing, it all blended into one neutral speech. You hummed in response, eyes remaining focused on the bright screen of the laptop in front of you. A huff escaped Jisung’s lips, slightly unimpressed with your lack of interest, “good to see you too,” he deadpanned. There was always something about you that drew Jisung in. Perhaps your appearance, personality, thought patterns, interests, passion―it was evidently more than one thing. Your presence was a soothing hug in the midst of a ferocious storm, easing worries with a simple smile or comment about the weather, a habit he’d always found endearing. Now that he thought about it, he can’t remember the first time he noticed it. Frankly, he couldn’t even remember the first time he noticed you, but he was always grateful his brown orbs caught sight of you and not someone else. You were the kind of friend anyone would yearn for, loyal, understanding, helpful, appreciative. There was a lot he could praise you for, but there simply isn’t enough time within the average human lifespan. There were many other things Jisung couldn’t remember about you: when did you become his sober caretaker on drunken nights, his closest friend, his favourite design major, his first true love? Many things had happened in Jisung’s life that had simply slipped his memory, he liked to blame it on his over-drinking habit and found it to be bothersome, but nothing ever changed. He still chugged such liquids like the sun wouldn’t rise above the horizon the following day; he knew that one day it wouldn’t. Though, he also knew that one day the alcohol excuse would stop working. At some point he’d have to face the damage he’d done, internally and externally, and the mistakes he’d made under the ‘influence’ of alcohol. Someday it would all come crashing down and he hadn’t a clue how to deal with it. He shook off the depressing thought, it was something he could worry about in time, when that day inevitably comes. That day is not today.

“Plans for tonight?” He questioned eagerly, leaning on his crossed arms as you tapped your keyboard in thought. Your nose scrunched slightly as you pondered the question, a soft smile appearing on Jisung’s pink lips as you did so.

“Study, but I’m assuming that’s going to change to taking care of your drunk ass?” An amused smile graced your features as Jisung narrowed his eyes in your direction.

“I mean, yeah, but what’s wrong with that?” the boy sounded thoroughly insulted, “best friends take care of each other!”

“Yes, but I wasn’t aware they also vomit on each other’s carpet. You’re so lucky I got that out or your ass would be grass, Han,” he held up his hands in surrender with wide eyes. Of course you weren’t holding a grudge against him―not anymore, at least―but you always got a kick out of bringing up one of Jisung’s most embarrassing moments, “where are you headed?”

“Hyunjin’s, his frat is throwing a party at nine,” as per usual. You had nothing against Hyunjin or the frat he was in, in fact you found both to be tolerable and quite welcoming in comparison to cinematic portrayals, but the parties they threw were another story. Loud, rowdy, chaotic, illegal. You weren’t sure how no one had called with noise complaints, or how no one had been carted off to a holding cell for doing cocaine off someone’s ass, but there were some questions you didn’t really want answers to. Another reason you hated their parties specifically was the alcohol. There was so much of it, a never ending fountain of mind-numbing concoctions to go around, and of course that meant dealing with a very, very, wasted Han Jisung.

You huffed slightly, “just don’t drink too much. For once.”

“I won’t, I promise!” Jisung slaps a hand against the table in excitement before picking up his backpack and bidding goodbye, rushing off to his next class. That was another thing that irritated you about Jisung, he was a damn liar.

The bass thumped throughout the house, strobe lights blinding you and energetic partygoers blocking your path. Jisung was amongst them you assumed―you arrived at the party two hours after it started, purely because you were dreading the crowded environment. In all honesty, you weren’t in the mood for a party tonight, but you were here for Jisung’s sake. You found yourself in the midst of drunken parties for said reason quite often. Jisung was a drunken mess, borderline alcoholic, and most of his friends lacked the sobriety or responsibility to take care of him in such a state. Thus, you took on the role of Jisung’s ‘caretaker’, as Seungmin once put it. Your thoughts were broken by a drunk Jisung stumbling in your direction, eyes rolling slightly at the sight. Here we go.

“Y/N!” He cheered, dragging out the last letter of your name before hiccuping slightly. You opened your mouth to respond, only to be shut down by Jisung’s hand around your wrist and voice in your ear, “come on! Let’s dance!”

He attempted to tug on your wrist, weakened by the alcohol in his body. You saw Changbin approaching from the corner of your eye, the male smiling sympathetically and gesturing to Jisung, “he’s already so far gone, party only started an hour ago.”

“Go figure.”

Changbin chuckled lightly, “yeah, he seemed to want to get his mind off something,” he shrugged nonchalantly, “he should probably be getting home. I’ve had a few, will you be alright to get him home?”

You nodded stiffly. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but a feeling in your gut warned you something was going to happen if you did. Something bad―but perhaps that was just the stench of alcohol churning your stomach.

When did Jisung become so damn heavy? Perhaps it was when he stopped using his legs to help you drag him into your apartment. You would’ve taken him back to his apartment―you should have taken him back to his apartment―but his roommate wasn’t exactly the most empathetic when the boy was absolutely obliterated, or painfully hungover. Besides, his apartment block had so many stairs. A breath of relief passed your lips as you dropped Jisung on your bed, moving his legs so his full body was laid out comfortably.

“Sleep on your side, I’ll go get you a bucket,” you advised as Jisung hummed groggily and shifted his position. Your footsteps were gentle along the dark floorboards as you crept towards the cupboard, scavenging for the blue bucket you often used when mopping the floors. After placing the bucket next to the bed, you shuffled towards the kitchen to retrieve a cold glass of water and a headache tablet―Jisung always managed to give himself a sore head before he even reached the hangover stage, you’d give him another in the morning for the inevitable and monstrous hangover. Jisung breathed gently with half-lidded eyes, brown orbs following you as you pulled the blankets up to his chin. The warmth flooded his exhausted body, ensuring his warmth throughout the note. As you shifted the blanket to cover him fully, the words just came spilling out. His voice was soft, almost a murmur when he spoke.

“I love you, Y/N.”

Your body went frigid at the words. Of course he meant it in a platonic sense, he must have meant it in a platonic sense, but he’d never said those three words before―not to you, nor to one of his ex-partners, as far as you knew. Han Jisung wasn’t the type to throw such a word around so flippantly. His brown eyes stared into yours, causing you to shift your gaze intentionally, “y-yeah, love you too, ‘Sung.”

The boy shook his head dramatically, “no, no, no. I love you as more than a friend,” he exclaimed with an emphasis on the ‘more’. A heavy silence fell in the air as you stayed silent. All words escaped you in that moment; what could you say? Was it untruthful, drunken slurs or a genuine confession? Jisung’s borderline whisper sliced through the silence, “I know you don’t feel the same.”

Pushing the hair off his forehead, you offered a small smile, “we can talk about this when you’re sober. Goodnight, Jisung.”

With those words, you flicked the lamp off and exited the room, gently shutting the door behind you. Jisung shifted his legs in search of comfort, eyes lowering as he mulled over your words. Even in his drunken state he could feel his heart tear at the realisation that you didn’t, and would likely never, reciprocate his romantic feelings. By the time morning had come, both of you had decided to pretend the words were never spoken.

Saying that things between you and Jisung had been… off after that night was the epitome of an understatement. For two people who were almost attached at the hip, considered one another family and had an unfathomable amount of loyalty and trust within one another, awkward glances and avoidance were weird. It was as if an unspoken agreement had been made between the two of you ― smile if you have to, then fucking leg it. Don’t talk to one another, don’t make an effort to see one another, and certainly don’t talk about the drunken words that spewed from Jisung’s mouth. To distract yourself from the absence in your life, and heart, you threw yourself into your studies, though that only seemed to be a temporary fix as you swiftly burnt out. The two of you had a mutual friend, Somi, who you’d confided in after it was clear things with Jisung could never go back to normal. She’d helped as much as she could, took you out of your familiar bedroom to cozy cafes and blooming parks in the middle of town you’d somehow never seen. When she suggested a night out, another frat party of a friend’s-friend, a part of you cried in resistance. Everytime you’d gone to a college you ended up hauling Jisung’s wasted ass into a car and sobering him up before he slept, what were you to do now? You didn’t want to see him either, and it seemed to be inevitable considering how Jisung spent his nights―perhaps he would spend that upcoming night at the party, drinking to forget the friction between him and his best friend. You certainly were.

There was a part of you that understood why Jisung allowed himself to be thrown into a night of nonsensical drunken thoughts and gravitationally difficulties. At this point, you weren’t certain how long you had been within the frat house, each pulse of the bass and change in coloured lighting seemed to blur together in an almost nauseating succession. In all honesty, you weren’t even certain if Somi was still on the dance floor or if she had, as did you, found a stray wall to lean against as she recomposed herself and figured out how to stand without wobbling. You hadn’t seen Jisung, but you had seen Changbin, so you assumed the younger was there too―the two had some sort of tradition of getting shitfaced together, probably because they shared the same stress over music production and assignments put aside for far too long. There was a ruckus sounding in the room you stood in ― it wasn’t the main room, where everyone danced far too close for comfort and shared sweat, but it was a mainly empty space near the stairs that gave you a clear view of the partygoers. It sounded as if a drunken scuffle had started on the second floor, probably inebriated douchebags with low anger tolerance and a great sense of entitlement―the kind of people who have the immediate instinct to jump on a foldable table after two drinks. Though as you turned your head, you were met with the sight of people who you knew were far from that―though, they had their moments. Changbin and Jisung, stood near the head of the stairs, in the midst of an apprehensive affray of glares and seething words. They looked tense, yet Changbin still stumbled back when Jisung gave him a harsh shove, and then another, and another. You weren’t in the right sober frame of mind to stick to acknowledge the unspoken deal to not interact with Jisung. Instead, you were tipsy and figured Jisung was too far gone ― you’d never known him to be angry or violent, maybe he truly had been drowning himself in booze to forget his words to you. Maybe that’s why they were arguing, Changbin wanted him to stop drinking. Pushing yourself from the wall with a newly gained sense of sobriety, you made your way to the second floor to intervene before things could blow out of proportion.

“Knock it off, ‘Sung,” you'd spoken, standing in front of Changbin and gently pushing Jisung away.

“It’s no use, Y/N, he’ll never change,” Changbin snided. Jisung scoffed.

“Changbin, stop.”

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you. How far has your advice gotten me, Changbin? Look how fucked up everything got!” What was going on? Your eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. Jisung’s dark eyes, glossed over with either tears or a drunken haze, trailed from Changbin to you, a bitter smile on his face. “And you, I don’t need you to constantly hover around. God, you act like my mother or something, it’s suffocating!” Words couldn’t pass your lips as you struggled to wrap your head around the situation at hand, “you know- you know how often I drink without you babying me? In fact, tonight was going perfectly fine until this fuckwit,” he gestured at Changbin angrily, the older scowling, “came along. It’s not the alcohol you need to keep me away from, it’s you!”

It felt as if everything paused in that moment. The music no longer vibrated in your chest, you couldn’t hear the cars moving around outside as people joined and left the party. All you could hear was Jisung’s words echoing in your ears, and all you could see was every time you had taken him home from a party, every painkiller and glass of water you set out for him. You had wasted so much time on a boy who couldn’t give a shit about you, and for what? Were you even friends? There was a lot you wanted to say, but what was the point? He wouldn’t listen, he’d continue to yell at you for trying to tell him otherwise, trying to talk him into something he’s not. As tears glossed your eyes, you turned away from Jisung and rapidly made your way down the stairs. The two males remained in their spots, the regret settling in Jisung’s chest as the gap between the two of you extended. An even heavier weight tugged on his already cracked heart―as if it had dropped from his chest to his stomach. It was a stupid plan, one he hadn’t thought through in the slightest, and a small part of him hoped that would play in his favour. Everything he spat was a damn lie, everything he pretended to feel was a fabrication. Everything was an excuse to stop himself from being in love with his best friend―you knew him better than anyone else, you knew what he was like when he was drunk and yet it still worked. That overwhelming sensation that came over him when tears glazed your eyes, one that made him want to give up the stupid plan, tell you “hey, it was a stupid dare! I’m sober!” But he couldn’t put this stupidity on anyone else. He won’t have to see you again after causing you so much pain, right? Please God, let him be right.

It was often in the inebriated moments of his life that Jisung worried about whether he was being too candid with what he was saying, consequently saying the wrong thing. And yet, in the most sober mindset in a while, he’d managed to find the perfect words to do exactly that. He couldn’t quelm the guilt in his chest―what a stupid fucking plan.

Somehow, much to his horror, Jisung had managed to tangle himself in an even more intricate web of lies, starting as soon as he caved on his plan of ‘hating you’. Rather than allowing the distance to grow, watch you fizzle into an imperceptible face in the crowd as his heart finally unravelled from around you, his slim body had stood in front of your dorm to pretend he couldn’t remember anything. You believed him with hesitance, as far as he knew, and Jisung spent another night drinking his guilt away. The following week, Jisung started to embrace his unravelling life―it felt as if Yeah Right by Joji was constantly playing as he lived deceptively. His plans to get over you had gone from spouting absolute bull shit in your face to spouting absolute bull shit to someone else; namely, Gaeun. Truthfully, he knew nothing about her beyond her partying habits ― he met her at one of many parties, let her dance all over him as she stared at some other guy who was clearly uninterested, and agreed to have the title of her boyfriend. He had told himself it was under the guise of getting over you, pretending she was the true recipient of the immense love that bloomed for your taking. Though, he still wasn’t sure if he believed that. He didn’t like Gaeun―not in the way a boyfriend would, at least―but it was better than being alone. Jisung was getting sick of being alone, and, for once in his life, no drink could quelm the dissatisfaction of being quite distressingly destitute.

When Jisung had told you of his relationship with Gaeun, you were taken aback. He talked about her with an admiration that you were almost unfamiliar with, one you would never expect to hear from Jisung. Especially considering he’d never mentioned her before, yet seemed to be so desperately infatuated. She shone like the sun, as far as he was concerned, the best thing since sliced bread. You knew of Gaeun―she was nice, that was it. There was an essence of certainty in your soul that she was a lovely person, but something about her and Jisung was just… off. It was a match that would seemingly make sense on paper ― two fun-loving, regular partygoers in a spontaneous and exuberant relationship ― but it was so wrong in person. It wasn’t something you’d been exposed to up close, just in passing and at the occasional get-together Somi had convinced you to attend on a mopey Friday night. There was that part of you that entirely denied the relationship altogether―it was a lie, just like everything else had been telling you recently, right? First he tells you he loves you, then he hates you, then he’s in a relationship with some unmentioned girl he’s been pining after for months? It was off. But people act bizarre when they’re drunk, don’t they? You weren’t so sure anymore.

It wasn’t the break up that surprised you, it was Jisung’s reaction. He’d stumbled over to your place, alcohol wafting off his breath as he slurred something along the lines of “she’s left me, she’s joined them” before making his way into the living room. As far as you could coax from him, between the begs for him to stop drinking and dumping empty bottles in your lounge room, Gaeun had approached Jisung with a revenge plot. When all was said and done, when she had finally got what she wanted, she blurted the plan to Jisung with a promise that it was ‘nothing personal’. Gaeun never truly liked him, sure he was cute, but she just wanted someone to pay attention to her. Someone to fill that void her ex-boyfriend―that guy she always stared at while with Jisung, the one who never seemed interested―had left, before he fell victim to her plot and came back to her. Then everything would be back to normal, right? Jisung didn’t care about that, he was doing the same in a way. They were in ‘love’ for the wrong reasons, and he was almost certain Gaeun knew that when Jisung agreed to date her―he didn’t have to say it, but the way he radiated around you was almost obnoxiously clear. Maybe that’s why she chose him, she knew he wouldn’t take it personal. Jisung didn’t care about her reasoning, honestly, that wasn’t what had him downing alcohol to conceal his stress and sorrows. Instead, it was the crushing feeling he felt from the universe, the one that screamed “now you have to tell the truth” that was haunting him. It left him shit faced on your couch, vision blurring as tears welled up in his eyes. Somehow, despite everything he had done, Jisung knew the worst was yet to come.

“She never loved me, did she?” he chuckled bitterly from his spot on the couch. Uncertain of how to respond, you stared at him pitifully. His soft brown eyes, glistening under the reflection of the flickering lamp rose to meet your own, “do you love me, Y/N?”

“W-what?”

Jisung stumbled to his feet. He had thought this was the right thing to do, to tell the truth, but instead it just made him feel even worse about deceiving you for so damn long, “have you ever loved me?”

“Of course I do, Ji. You’re my best friend.”

“I-I mean as more than that,” a thick silence clouded the air, “please,” he uttered in a broken voice. A sigh was caught in your throat as your lungs constricted; you felt a sense of déjà vu, everything was happening again―everything was going to end up as shitty as last time.

“Jisung, you’re drunk, you’re not thinking straight.”

Gosh, Jisung had never spoken with such anguish in his life, “when you’re drunk you think honestly.”

“No you don’t!” you burst, startling the boy as a cluster of tears covered your eyes, “the last time you were drunk you told me to stay away from you, that I suffocated you. So what the fuck is it, Jisung?” The considerable silence hung heavily in the air, laying against your chest in a way that had you almost struggling to breathe, gasping for breath as you attempted to hold onto some grip of reality. You sniffled gently, “I can’t keep running in circles with you. I can’t keep doing this.”

The two of you had argued before, you’d been friends for a notable period after all, but it had never left you this way. Neither of you had ever been stunned into silence by the stinging reality of the other’s words, nor had you pleaded for the other’s understanding with a sense of almost embarrassing desperation. But your minor squabbles and bickering never had earth-shattering revelations; there were never any consequences until now. That was the difference.

“I love you, Y/N. You know that, don’t you?” he blubbered, almost pleading that you confirm his beliefs.

“No,” it came out softly, uttered with hesitance, “I don’t.”

There was more you needed to say, more about the unrelenting love you had held for such a long time, but you no longer knew how to word it. It felt as if none of it even mattered anymore, as if you waited until you were an adult to fix a toy you had broken as a child―what was the point?

“I love you, Jisung,” there was something in his eyes that changed, almost lit up at the revelation that you truly did feel the same. Yet, at the same time, it seemed as if something shifted in his head. It felt as if he knew there was no salvaging this relationship, he had tugged you beyond the brink of extinction. You struggled to keep looking in his eyes―that look, that bright and almost hopeful look, god it killed you, “but I can’t be with you if you can’t let yourself feel the same.”

If Han Jisung was still pursuing the plan to push you away, he had succeeded. No, he certainly wasn’t over you―truthfully, he never thought he could be―but you had faded significantly. You were a slightly blurred face in some of his best memories, the hesitant suppression of a smile if eyes ever met. You were no longer the one he was in love with, his best friend, the person to take care of him when he was drunk―and Changbin still refused to uphold that position. Instead, you were a has-been. Once, you were his best friend. Once, you were constantly left to take care of him in his inebriated state. Once―no, still―you were the one he fell tempestuously in love with. Now, you faded from him as if you were a reverse polaroid picture. That defectless, perfect image of you by his side with a smile of genuine happiness, radiating with the potential to bloom into something even more beautiful. Even so, the contingency withered. It crumbled at his fingertips, slipping from his grasps as he continued to spiral deeper into his feelings.

When he thought of love prior to his experience, Jisung believed it was something almost indescribable―that belief he continues to maintain―and the heartbreak that often followed was just as puzzling. Questions of what went wrong, what should have been said sooner, why did it end up this way―he didn’t question it one bit. He knew the answers, they lied in his questionable and remorseful actions, the ones he regretted as soon as he formulated a plan to execute them. He was confident he could minimise it to less words than necessary, exclude the pivotal details and self-judgement of every time he overtly fucked up―he knew exactly what went wrong. By the time he felt compelled to re-offer the truth, he had so inexplicably failed to acknowledge the consequences.

As he brought the glass bottle to his lips, the male graciously allowed the alcohol to burn his throat, as if it would override his emotional pain he felt from the aftermath of his bitter-tasting decisions. Han Jisung was just too late.

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