#i love the dynamic jungkook and mc have

[reenlogs]

hello i have a lot to say about this because UGH ilove your mind so much and i would marry ur writing if i could tbh

i love mc's friend group btw like plz the beginning bit with them made me giggleeee i miss high school so much

GEEKED OR LOCKED IN? the fact that he's holding her back ohhh imagining this in my head got me real good. like what do you MEANNNNN they're literally black cat x black cat. mc is so silly like that's pookie right there. also the fact that jake won were also defending her???? (the fact that the entire lacrosse team defended her LAWL)

BABY 😭😭😭😭😭😭 why am i dying. the way he just calms her down.. sigh.. they just get me

THE FACT THAT HES BEEN PLOTTING TOO HELLAURRRR can we talk ab the current social economic political state of the world (busy woman mcki teasing each other) . also i love riki's mom in this

PRETTY GIRL 😭😭😭 and jungkook bai i love him

these two scenes will jinjja kill u. IM SOOOO THEYRE SO CUTE 😭😭 like pls he is HER cheerleader haiii. they're so cute together seriously im weak in the knees. she's so sassy and they just compliment each other so well

I USED TO PRAY FOR TIMES LIKE THESEEEEEE PLEQSE RIKI AND MC 😭😭😭😭 i love seeing them happy. the fact that he's so considerate and willing to wait for her (am i bare minimum) SIGH intimate scenes got me weak..

i js fell to my knees in the middle of a target . the pet names man i love them sooooooooo much

okay that is all ❤️❤️ this was 11100000% well worth the wait (but i'd honestly wait an eternity idc!!) u cooked too hard oj this and i will definitely be back for a weekly read AGAIN!!! i just loved this so much. again, your world building is CRAZY!!!! the scenes are so descriptive and i seriously could picture it like a movie😭 each scene blended together so ell and i think the pacing was perfect. keep up the amazing work <33 i ate this up seriously

𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 | 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨.

•°. *࿐ PAIRING ― riki nishimura x fem!reader •°. *࿐ SYNOPSIS ― in which riki is smitten with you and your sharp tongue. •°. *࿐ GENRE ― one-shot, ????-to-lovers, fake dating, angst, fluff, crack, rich kid au, highschool lacrosse au •°. *࿐ WORD COUNT ― 22k •°. *࿐ CONTENT WARNING(S) ― violence(one fight) and threats of it, lots of tension, mc is a horndog what's new, i meant to make this slow like the first part but im a weak woman, weed, mc is her own worst enemy, mc is stupid before she is smart <3, attempted unwanted touching, riki is the jealous type but in a green flag way, don’t ask where the teachers are, riki has bigger hands than mc, kissing(many a time), once i got the angst out of the way it turned into crack js •°. *࿐ EXTRA NOTES ― thank you all for being so kind and giving me such helpful feedback and love! shoutout to my hg @1ntaks for once again holding my hand and basically beta reading this for me, you're the best queen. •°. *࿐ SOUNDTRACK ― busy woman by sabrina carpenter, don’t smile by sabrina carpenter, big girls don’t cry by fergie, better than me by doja cat, diet pepsi by addison rae, what a girl wants by christina aguilera, positions by ariana grande, he could be the one by hannah montana, bmf by sza

part one.

AT THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY you realized how easy it was to get over Eunseok at the same moment that it sinks in that you can’t get over Riki.

Maybe it's the fact that he’s still friendly despite the ‘breakup’, or that he still makes sweet comments that feel too genuine to be taken as flirting anymore. He hasn’t changed much of his behavior at all since the end of January, actually.

The news of the short-lived relationship spread around school. Though it was clear that you both were still friends, most of the rumors were dispelled. However, some were still infuriatingly present.

Now, you’re not the type of person who gives a shit about what other people think of you—especially not a bunch of pubescent teenagers with so little going on in their own lives that they find entertainment in yours. But your patience is wearing thin. If you hear another freshman whisper about you not being over your cheating ex, you are going to go insane. (Despite your reputation, you are above throwing hands with 14 year-olds.)

“So you want something like this, right?” Julie taps on her phone screen from across from you, showing the nail inspiration photo you had sent her just last week. When you only nod, she tilts her head with a curious raise of her brows, “We can do something different, hon’.”

Quickly, you shake your head and straighten your posture in the chair across from her, “No, sorry. I just—I’m just thinking about shit. I still want a set like that.” You force a soft laugh, and she nods with a soft ‘okay’.

“So? Anything new?” She asks with a pretty smile as she plugs in her nail drill and turns on the dust collector.

You lay your hands onto the rest between the two of you, humming and then sighing, “I’m still single.”

Julie begins working at removing her work from three weeks ago with the drill, though the pink mask keeping her from inhaling the dust doesn’t hide her face of baffled confusion, “I thought you were dating that lacrosse guy, though.”

The sound of the drill and fan are like white noise to the both of you as you sigh and drop your head forward, “Didn’t work out.”

Julie gasps softly, clearly upset for you, “What’d he do?”

While you love that her first instinct was to ask what he did and not what you did, the latter is more fitting for the situation. “He was too perfect and I got scared?” You admit softly with a guilty shrug.

Julie pauses in her work and deadpans at you, “Ho.”

“I know!” You whine softly as she resumes, using your free hand to grab the chilled can of Dr Pepper she’d grabbed for you before your appointment started, sipping from the pink straw before you continue to whine, “I fucked up.”

“I never got to see a photo last time, either.” Julie recalls as she progresses to removing the hard-gel off your other hand, “You hadn’t picked anyone for your little plan, yet.”

Julie knowing about your genius plan to ruin Eunseok and Nayeon’s day, everyday, with your tall, hot, and sweet ‘boyfriend’ was inevitable. She had dropped the traitorous bitch as a client the moment you and Belle told her about it, equally as disgusted by Nayeon as the both of you. Not to mention, Belle always yapped her pretty head off during her appointments, so as previously stated, it was inevitable.

“You’re gonna hate me,” You say, grabbing your phone with your now dusty and bare fingers to quickly tap to a photo of Riki that Jake had sent you. He’s got his helmet tucked under his arm and seemed to be captured in a heated argument with another boy on the team. The first thing you noticed was his hands, though.

When she pauses to look at your screen, she looks at you again and sighs like a disappointed mother, shaking her head and turning the drill back on. You whine, “Don’t sigh at me, I’m in mourning.”

“I thought you said you weren’t worried about catching feelings.” She reminds you, and you roll your eyes.

“Bitch, look at him.” You sass, picking up your phone to show the still-lit screen before placing it facedown in your lap again, “and he was just so—sweet. And he liked when I was mean to him.”

“As he should.”

“—and his smile made me want to stick my head in an oven Sylvia Plath style.” You say with a soft pout on your lips, “It was so much so suddenly, and I freaked out.”

Julie turns off the drill and grabs the brush to clean off the dust from your hands as she nods slightly to what you’re saying, “And Eunseok was so recent.”

“—And Eunseok was so recent!” You repeat in vehement agreement, groaning up at the ceiling as you slump slightly, “Why do boys ruin everything?”

You spend the next few hours of your nail appointment ranting about everything. Riki, your ex, your ex best friend, your dad (who had texted you a long message after you left him that you promptly responded to with a ‘that doesn’t look like an apology so im not reading that’).

mommy dearest 🩷: can you pick up some groceries for me? just a few things

The text from your mom as you swipe your card on Julie’s reader is paired with a chime you recognize as your bank app. Your new nails tap on your screen as you open the notification, grinning at the sight of a hefty transfer of funds into your account. 

The small list your mother sends doesn’t come close to costing the amount she sent you to pay for it, so you decide to stop at Sephora while you’re out too.

You choose the highest percentage to tip and sign her phone screen with your knuckle before bidding her a happy farewell and exiting the salon. The drive to the strip center is barely ten minutes long, your BMW filled with Christina Aguilera and the trip slightly delayed by your admiration of your new nails at every red light. 

When you get into the Sephora, which you decided to visit first since your mom’s list included produce, you b-line to the skincare section. 

You’re debating between oil cleansers when you’re tapped on the shoulder. 

The woman before you looks around your mother’s age, a bit shorter than you but with a beautiful smile on her face. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but are you Y/n?”

You blink, caught off guard, but nod.

Her grin widens. “I’m Riki’s mom!”

Your stomach drops. Every instinct screams at you to panic, but instead, you paint a pretty smile on your face, the kind your mother taught you to perfect at charity galas. “Oh my god, hi!”

Before you can react, she pulls you into a hug, warm and tight, smelling faintly of lavender and vanilla. You reciprocate, though your arms are stiff and hesitant.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” she gushes, pulling back to hold you at arm’s length. Her eyes, as sharp and bright as Riki’s, scan you with something between approval and curiosity. “You’re just as lovely as he said.”

“Thank you,” you manage, your voice light despite the whirlwind in your chest at the sudden and  information that Riki talks about you at home. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

“I can’t believe I ran into you like this!” she says, her excitement bubbling over. “You’re like a doll, honey. The photos he’s shown me don’t do you justice.”

Your brain short-circuits at the word photos. Plural.

“Oh?” you manage, keeping your smile intact even as your heart feels like it’s trying to escape the confines of your chest.

“Of course! He’s always talking about you,” she continues, as if she didn’t just drop a bomb on you in the middle of Sephora. “He showed me the cutest one of you two at the bowling alley—said it was his favorite night in a long time.”

Your breath catches, but you quickly cover it with a soft laugh, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “That’s so sweet of him.”

“It is, isn’t it?” She beams like she’s talking about a national treasure instead of her son. “He’s always been so shy when it comes to girls, but with you, it’s different. I can tell you mean a lot to him.”

The words land like a stone in your chest, heavy and impossible to ignore. You can’t tell if she’s trying to hint at something or if she’s just being a proud mom, but either way, you suddenly feel very out of your depth.

“That’s nice to hear,” you say lightly, though your throat feels tight. “He’s a great guy.”

She places a hand on your arm, her touch gentle but firm. “You’re good for him, you know. He’s happier these days, more confident.”

Your mind flashes to Riki’s easy smiles, the way he leans into you during conversations, the soft look in his eyes when he thinks you’re not paying attention. You swallow hard.

“Thank you, Mrs. Nishimura,” you say, your voice steadier than you feel . “That really means a lot.”

Her smile softens, and she gives your arm a little squeeze. “Oh, call me Rin, honey. And if you ever want to come over for dinner, just let me know. I’d love to have you.”

“Dinner sounds lovely,” you say with a polite smile, already running on autopilot. “I’ll have to check with Riki, but I’m sure he’d love that too.”

“Oh, good! I’ll talk to him about it tonight,” Rin says brightly, her excitement only adding to the internal chaos brewing in your chest. “You two are so sweet together—I can’t believe he didn’t tell me you were this gorgeous in person.”

You blink, momentarily stunned, and force out a soft laugh. “That’s really kind of you to say.”

“I mean it.” She gives you an approving once-over before leaning in conspiratorially. “You know, he’s usually so tight-lipped about his personal life. I had to drag it out of him that you two were dating in the first place.”

The air leaves your lungs like you’ve been punched. He hadn’t told her.

“He—uh—didn’t mention that we’re…” you start, the words catching in your throat.

“Together?” she finishes for you with a knowing smile. “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t embarrass him too much about it. I just want him to be happy, and it’s so obvious you make him happy.”

You feel your face flush, your carefully constructed composure threatening to crack. But instead of correcting her, you nod, your smile tighter now. “That’s really sweet of you to say.”

She reaches out and pats your arm warmly. “It was so nice meeting you, sweetheart. I’ll let you get back to your shopping. Tell Riki I said hi, okay?”

“I will,” you promise, your voice light despite the storm in your head.

As soon as she disappears down another aisle, you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Reaching for the oil cleansers again, you try to steady yourself, replaying her words over and over.

He didn’t tell her.

A part of you is…warm with the information. The other part wants to puke your guts out. 

You stare blankly at the oil cleansers in front of you, your grip tightening around the bottle in your hand. The woman’s words replay in your mind like a broken record, each one sharper than the last.

“He’s happier these days, more confident.”

“It’s so obvious you make him happy.”

“He didn’t tell me you were this gorgeous in person.”

Your chest tightens, a mix of guilt and something softer—but no less overwhelming—clawing its way up your throat. The whole point of fake dating was to not make things messy. Yet here you are, feeling like a lead character in a rom-com whose life is falling apart. Right now would be an amazing time for Matthew McConaughey to come out and sweep you off your feet. 

(You realize with borderline humiliating speed that you would much prefer if Riki swept you off your feet. Seriously, there must be something wrong with you.)

The bottle trembles slightly in your hand, and you force yourself to set it back on the shelf with a shaky exhale. You’re not the kind of girl who lets this sort of thing get to her. You’re confident, decisive, in control. Except when it comes to him.

The thought makes you pause, your fingers brushing absently over your nails as the memory of his smile creeps in—the one he reserved just for you, warm and easy and dangerous.

“Shit,” you mutter under your breath, grabbing the Sulwhasoo cleanser you were debating spending so much on and beginning to mindlessly fill the black Sephora tote as you walk through the aisles. Real therapy has nothing on retail therapy considering you know what your problems are and how to fix them. Paying someone to tell you those things seems counterproductive when you can make yourself feel better by treating yourself.

By all accounts, it’s been a good day for you. Getting out of the school parking lot was exceptionally easy despite the traffic you encounter more often than not. You got your nails done and love how they turned out. You’re currently splurging at Sephora. And now you have reason to believe Riki doesn’t secretly hate you for breaking his heart.

riki 🙈: just got out of practice

riki 🙈: are you coming to the game tomorrow?

You look at your phone as you tap your card on the reader and accept the large black and white striped bag from the girl at the counter.  Thanking her with a smile before beginning to make your way out to your car again. When you settle into the driver’s seat, the heat turns on as you place the bag into the passenger seat.

Your thumbs hover over the keyboard, nails tapping against your case as your phone automatically hooks up to the bluetooth, ‘After Hours’ by The Weeknd beginning to play. “Oh, shut up.” You sigh as you pause the music and finally muster up the right response.

pretty girl 🪩: depends on how nice you are to me tomorrow

riki 🙈: i’ll bring you a gift rn

pretty girl 🪩: im not home

As soon as the text is marked as Read, your screen is replaced by his caller ID, a photo of him at age ten in a Michael Jackson costume lighting up your screen. You can’t help but chuckle before pressing the green button, reaching to turn the volume up as you ask with a playfully suspicious tone, “Can I help you?”

“Mhm, where are you?” His deep voice and hum makes you bite your fist.

You begin pulling out of the parking lot to make it across the street to the grocery store, “Getting groceries, why?”

“I wanna see you.” 

Lord have mercy—

“You sure you don’t just miss Gus?“ You hesitate to mention the revelations made by his very kind mother in Sephora, but decide to hold off.

“Oh, I do miss Gus, but I miss his mom more.”

Oh, you hate the soft laughter that leaves your mouth the moment you hear it, “I won’t be long at the store, it’s just a few things.”

There’s a shuffle on the other side, then he says, “What store?”

“Riki, it’s literally like four things.” You laugh at his shameless eagerness, “I’ll text you when I’m home.”

He chuckles softly before humming again, “Okay, bye pretty.”

“Bye.” A beat passes and ‘What a Girl Wants’ by Christina Aguilera blares through the speakers so loud you jump, “Jesus Christ.”

By the time you pull into the grocery store parking lot, you’ve replayed his voice in your head at least five times. I wanna see you. It wasn’t just what he said, but the way he said it—soft, easy, like he wasn’t asking for anything out of the ordinary. Like it was natural for him to want to be around you, and for you to want the same. You’re...friends. 

You curse the thought away as you grab your keys and step into the cold evening air, adjusting the strap of your bag over your shoulder. You don’t need to be thinking about Riki Nishimura and his stupid, perfect face and voice the whole time.

The grocery run is quick—milk, eggs, a few vegetables, and a bag of Gus’s favorite treats because you can’t resist—and you’re back in your car in record time. You text Riki that you're on the way home and find yourself smiling when he loves the message. It drops a second later when you realize what you’re doing and curse again, tossing your phone into the cup holder like it’s on fire and covering your face to self-reflect.

When you pull into the driveway of your home, it isn’t hard to spot Riki’s black Jeep parked at the curb. What is hard is hiding the grin that forms on your lips as you park your car and get out to grab the groceries in your trunk. The lacrosse player is already exiting his own vehicle and jogging over to help you.

“You didn’t have to come,” you say as he reaches for the bag of vegetables in your hands, but there’s no bite to your words.

“You said you’d text me when you were home,” he replies, his voice light and teasing as he takes the other bags with ease. “I figured I’d save you the trouble.”

You shake your head, grabbing your Sephora bag and locking your car. “So damn impatient.”

“Only when it comes to you.” His response is so casual, so effortless, it knocks the air from your lungs. You glance at him, but he’s already halfway up the path, waiting for you at the door like he hadn’t just said something that made your knees weak.

When you catch up, you unlock the door with the code and nudge it open with your foot, paising once you’re inside to shut it behind him. You kick off your shoes and pass Riki to get to the kitchen, placing your Sephora bag on one of the island’s chairs and watching him place the few grocery bags on the counter. 

“Gus~” You call out as you begin to unpack the paper bags, and there’s a soft warbled meow in response in the direction of your room. The plump tuxedo cat appears around the corner, rubbing his body against the wall with another soft cry for attention that has Riki cooing and lowering himself to the ground to oblige him.

Once you’ve got groceries put away, you watch the 6’ something lacrosse player pet your cat with gentle scratches under his chin that he leans into with slow blinks, “Are you happy?”

Your softly giggled question has Riki smiling up at you, “So happy.”

With a soft huff of amusement, you grab your Sephora bag and walk in the direction of your room, choosing not to glance behind you to see if he’s following. Just act natural, bitch.

You leave your door open as you enter your room, thanking the lord that the cleaning lady had visited while you were out and your room isn’t as dirty as you left it this morning. Walking into your bathroom to start putting away your new skincare, you ignore the sound of him entering your room. 

“You have a lot of perfume.” You hear him comment, glancing over your shoulder to see him admiring the organized collection on your open vanity.

“Yeah, I...have a problem” You say with a soft laugh of slight embarrassment at your habit of buying yourself anything pretty or relatively cutesy. “I have more in my closet.”

Riki whistles lowly, seemingly a bit impressed, “Which one’s your favorite?”

With a hum of thought, you step out of your bathroom to walk to your closet. You don’t mind the open door as you enter, reaching the island in the center working double as storage and where you keep your perfumes. Riki follows just to the doorway, leaning against it as his eyes move from you to the expanse of your walk-in closet. The floor-to-ceiling shelves in the back displaying heels and boots of different luxury brands, the pretty runner rug beneath your feet, it all screams you.

You’re plucking your favorite bottle from the display when his eyes land on the corner of something flat and white hidden behind a woven hamper. The easy smile on your face drops the moment you see him pull it out from its hiding spot, a boyish grin on his face. “You sneaky fuck.” 

He laughs at your immediate cursing, holding the white board out of your reach as you hasten towards him to take it from him, “Pros and Cons?”

“Oh my god.” You give up on taking it from him, hands moving to try and cover his eyes, “Riki!”

“It’s about me, pretty girl.” he argues playfully, still laughing while trying to dodge your hands, “C’mon, just a peek!”

“Boys aren’t allowed to peek—Riki!” You fight laughter as his arm hooks around your head, his hand covering your face as he begins to read out the words you wish you had erased when you had the chance.

“‘Nickname kinda dumb’, you think my nicknames dumb?” He asks in an offended tone, laughter seeping into his words.

“That wasn’t me, that was Jongseob—“

“Cut his hair—Why is cutting my hair a con?” He asks incredulously, finally letting you push his hand away from your face to look down at you. Your back is still half-pressed to his chest, and the moment you can look up at him your heart skips like it’s playing hopscotch in your chest.

You catch the glance his eyes take down below your nose and find yourself pulling away quickly, grabbing the whiteboard from him to haphazardly use your sleeve to wipe the marker off, ignoring his laughed ‘hey!’ and sighing in relief when you erase enough for the rest of its contents to look like random pink lines across its surface.

When you spin around with a playfully pointed finger to curse him out, your words catch in your throat at the look in his eyes. 

How a look could be both heavy and so soft, you do not know, but it's the best way you can describe Riki’s gaze.

“Wh—“ You stammer with hesitation, face heating up as his soft smile turns into a smirk of amusement, “Stop looking at me like that.”

“How am I looking at you?” He questions in a light tone, almost soft. If you didn’t know better you’d think him genuine in his innocence, but the slight twitch of the corner of his lips and the way his eyes flit to yours gives it away.

“Riki.”

His name leaving your lips draws his gaze away from them, and his smirk turns into one more wry. “I left your gift in my car.” 

Your chest clenches painfully as he turns to exit your closet, your lips parting yet no words leaving them as he walks out. You follow after him, abandoning your perfume on the closest surface, “Riki, wait—“

“It’s okay—” he starts, turning just in time to stop you from crashing into him. His hands find your forearms instinctively, steadying you, but the sudden proximity freezes you both in place.

You blink up at him, startled, your breath hitching at the closeness. His fingers are warm through the fabric of your sweater, his touch gentle, like he’s afraid to hold on too tight.

“I—” You start to say something, anything, but your voice falters when you meet his gaze. There’s something there, something unspoken and unbearably soft that makes your chest ache. 

Your words catch in your throat when he gently steps back, his hands slipping away as though he’s suddenly aware of the space—or lack thereof—between you. “It’s fine,” he says, a faint smile tugging at his lips, though it doesn’t reach his eyes. His voice is soft, but there’s a distance in it that wasn’t there before, and it only makes the knot in your chest tighten. “I’ll go grab it.” 

You take a step forward before you can stop yourself, “Riki, I didn’t mean—”

“Really, don’t worry about it.” His voice is light, too light, as he cuts you off with a small wave of his hand. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

You hesitate, watching as he turns toward the hallway, his movements just a little too deliberate. His usual ease is gone, replaced by something quieter, more careful.

Your heart sinks. Is he upset with you? He doesn’t seem angry, but there’s a tension in the way he carries himself that wasn’t there before.

“I wasn’t trying to make things weird,” you blurt out, desperate to bridge the gap forming between you.

He pauses mid-step, his back still to you. For a moment, it seems like he might say something, but instead, he exhales quietly and turns just enough to glance over his shoulder.

“You didn’t,” he says, his tone softer now, but there’s a flicker of something in his expression—regret? Frustration? “It’s not you. I just… I need a second. That’s all.”

His mother’s words ring in your head again, “It’s so obvious you make him happy.”

Yet, you feel like the opposite is all you can see. You ask him to be your fake boyfriend to make your ex mad, not even considering his feelings. You tell him you can’t date him despite him treating you with more respect and care than Eunseok ever did. You let him kiss you. You kissed back.

Clearly, you have royally fucked up a few times now.

Confronting him about not telling his mother felt like it would only make things worse between the two of you. Maybe, it’d be better for him to hear it from his mother instead of you.

Your stomach twists, guilt gnawing at you even though his words tell you otherwise. You nod, unsure what else to say, and he offers a faint, almost apologetic smile before disappearing down the hall.

“And then what?” Belle questions with a vehemence that startles you slightly. Eunchae, Hiyyih, and Jongseob are all listening intently from their normal spots in your room, your oldest friend of the four standing with her hands on her hips.

When you had informed the group chat you were staying home the next day, you definitely did not expect the four to show up to your house after piling into an Uber. One look at your tear-streaked face was enough for them to ask the questions that brought you to now.

You stammer slightly, “He—He came back with the gift and made up an excuse to leave.”

“You let him leave?” Belle asks incredulously, and you shrink under her gaze, “Bitch.”

“I don’t know, okay!” You say with your face in your hands, frustrated tears burning your eyes again as you groan, “It’s all so complicated.”

Jongseob raises his hand, waiting for Belle to motion for him to speak before he asks, “Do you like him? Also, is this a bad time to say I have a joint in my bag?”

Eunchae punches his arm, and your hands slide off your face, mind too preoccupied by your current dilemma to even insult the only boy in the friend group for his lack of ability to read the room as usual. Hiyyih leans forward to let the youngest reach over her to get to him, “That was a good question until you ruined it.” 

”Do you like him, though?” Eunchae asks once Jongseob’s arm is surely to bruise and his hands are up in surrender.

You look up from your hands, “I don’t know—“

“You’re pissing me off.” Belle sighs, palm moving to her forehead, and while you know she means well. “You like him.”

“I can’t.” You argue, voice shaking as you fight tears. Eunchae moves from her bean bag to sit next to you. “All that shit with Eunseok was barely a month ago—“

“Who gives a shit about Eunseok anymore?” Belle snaps, throwing her hands up in frustration, “Just because you dated that asshole for two years doesn’t mean it’ll take that long for you to move on.”

“It still feels like I’m using him.” You finally let the tears fall, and her frustration seems to dissipate. She sighs softly, kneeling in front of your sitting form at the edge of your bed.

Her hands move to cover yours, “Do you still have feelings for Eunseok?” The face you make answers her question and she adds, “Do you still think of Riki as a way to get back at him?”

“Of course not.“

“Then you aren’t using him.” She finishes. “He went into this knowing your plan, and you said he even told you it wasn’t you that was the problem.”

You shake your head, tears falling as you blink them away, “He looked upset—“

“Then that’s his problem.” She argues again, “It’s his job to communicate how he feels if he likes you.”

“He does communicate. I’m the issue!” You cry pitifully, “I don’t want him to think I’m not over Eunseok because—I’m still so angry.”

“He cheated on you with your best friend, you don’t have to forgive him to be able to move on to a healthy relationship.” She states.

“But it feels—“ You can’t find words for why it feels wrong to want to date Riki, because the thought of it makes your heart race, “I don’t know! I’ve known him for barely a month and I just—“

“You like him and feel like it’s not real because it happened too fast?” She reads you like a damn book, but you’re almost thankful for it.

“Yes!” You cry, “And he deserves better than that.”

“So, you like Riki?” She repeats her question, her tone matching yours.

You find yourself answering before you can even think, “Yes!”

Your stomach drops as Belle stands like her work here is done. 

It isn’t you realizing you like Riki that has your stomach filling with dread and guilt, it's the fact that you like him more than you have ever liked anyone. 

You liked Eunseok, even told him you loved him, but that seed hadn’t grown in your chest no matter how many times it left your mouth in the form of ‘I love you.’

Yet, you imagine yourself with Riki—loving him—and it all sounds so…easy. The mundanity you dreaded having to live with Eunseok sounded like a dream with Riki. Falling in love with him sounded like something you wouldn’t mind experiencing. 

Which, all things considered, is fucking terrifying to you.

Hiyyih, who had been silently watching the interaction, pats the shoulder of the boy beside her, “I think she’s gonna need that joint now, Seob.”

The shaggy-haired producer straightens up, nodding and quickly reaching for his bag to pull the baggy from the front pocket.

Belle moves toward your closet, “Manchae, Hiyyih, help her wipe her face while I find her an outfit for the game tonight.”

Your eyes widen, and you shake your head in a panicked way that makes Belle grab your face in her hands, uncaring of the fact she’s squishing your cheeks, “Do you want Riki to be your boyfriend, yes or no?”

“Yes.”

“Then you are going to this game, and you are going to look hot.” She walks you through it like she’s talking to a child, “And when he scores the winning home run, you’re going to run onto that field and jump him, got it?”

Jongseob raises his hand again, though doesn't wait to be called on as he interjects, “Home runs are baseball—“

“That isn't the point, dipshit.” Eunchae sasses before turning her attention back to you, “Can I ask what the gift he got you was?”

You nod as Belle releases your face, sniffling softly as you hold up your hand to showcase the charm bracelet on your wrist. Two charms hang from it, your birthstone and a tiny lacrosse stick. “He said he got it before…everything happened.”

“He bought you a charm bracelet after a week of knowing you?” Jongseob asks in a suspicious tone, and when the three girls besides you shoot him a dirty look, he holds his hands up in surrender, “Sorry—it’s just I think I’ve…connected some dots.”

“You haven’t connected shit.” Eunchae says, before promptly adding, “I just wanted to say that, you can continue.”

Jongseob shoots her an annoyed look, before looking at you and beginning, “Well, I was talking to Soul the other day—y’know the one that goes to music club with me— and he said he and Riki were friends in Freshman year.”

His hesitant pause has you looking at him and saying, “What does that mean to me?”

He continues, “He mentioned him having a huge crush on a girl then—“

“Why would I want to know this, Seob?” You question with exasperation.

“Let me finish!” He insists, and you sigh, motioning for him to land the damn plane, “I did some digging—aka asking his teammates about it—and while most of them didn’t know or wouldn’t tell me, Jake kind of insinuated it was you.”

You blink, “How did he insinuate it was me?”

“Well, I asked him what he thought about your breakup and he got all weepy about it. Said he was rooting for you guys to be endgame.” Typical Jake. “Then, I mentioned you guys not knowing each other for long and it sounded like he almost said that Riki’s been into you for years.”

The four of you blink at the boy’s retelling of events, and Belle is the first to snap out of her surprise, “And why didn’t you tell us this when you found out?”

“You guys never let me talk. Plus, that seemed like the last thing she wanted to hear.” He argues, then motions to you, and none of the girls in the room can really argue back. He doesn’t seem all that bothered about the truth of his own statement, though, as he holds up the bagged joint once more. “Now, are we smoking this or not?”

Parking your car has never left you with such a dreadful feeling in your gut, which Jongseob swore a hit of his shitty joint would ease, yet all it did was jumble your thoughts more. 

The temperature sensor reads a biting 30°F, and as you zip up the thick teddy puffer jacket you shiver with pure nerves. “Fuck.” 

Flipping down the sun visor, you check your reflection in its mirror. The warm light reflects off the gloss on your lips, which you fuss over with the pad of your finger even though it’s as perfect as it was when you applied it. 

Stalling. You’re stalling.

With a deep breath, you snap the visor shut and cut the engine, grabbing your purse and phone before stepping into the biting cold. The frigid air slashes through the layers of your outfit, your jacket doing little to stop the chill. You already regret picking the cuter option over something more practical, but you’d made your bed. Now you had to lie in it.

Ain't that the truth.

The field is already alive with movement and muted chatter. Teams are warming up, their voices cutting through the chilly air as balls thud against lacrosse sticks and cleats crunch on frosted grass. You can’t see Riki yet, but the sight of the players in their jerseys stirs the knot in your chest.

Decelis Demons v. YG Pirates

As you near the bleachers, a familiar voice calling your name stops you in your tracks. 

“Over here!” 

You turn, spotting Riki’s mom waving at you with a warm smile, flanked by two young girls bundled in matching puffer jackets. His sisters. The younger one is tugging impatiently at her scarf, while the older stands with her arms crossed, looking vaguely unimpressed by the entire ordeal.

“Mrs. Nishimura, hi!” you manage once you’ve climbed the bleachers to join her side, hoping your smile doesn’t betray the whirlwind of emotions brewing beneath the surface.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” she says, her voice as kind as you remember. “Riki didn’t mention anything, but I figured you’d be here for him.”

Your face heats at her words, but you force a nod, gripping the strap of your purse tighter and attempting to ignore the cold nipping at your fingers. “Of course, even if it's colder than a Yeti’s ass out here.” 

You almost regret your colorful language before the older girl snorts softly, “Preach.” 

Mrs. Nishimura chuckles, “It is freezing,” she agrees. “I told Riki he should’ve picked an indoor sport, but you know how stubborn he is.” She jests, and then proceeds to add, “Oh, and these are my daughters, Maki and Runa

You smile at the two of them, Maki’s a bit more subdued but Runa’s bright as she waves. At the mention of Riki, your eyes scan the field for a glimpse of his number. The players are still warming up, running drills and shouting plays back and forth.

And then you see him.

Riki stands near the goalpost, casually balancing his stick across his shoulders as he chats with a teammate. Even in the midst of the pregame chaos, he moves with the same effortless confidence that always draws attention, his tall frame impossible to miss.

The sight of him stirs something unfamiliar and electric in your chest. It’s not the usual comfort you’ve come to associate with him—it’s sharper, more restless, like an itch you can’t quite get to.

You tear your gaze away from him when you hear your name called once again, finding Gaeul quickly climbing the steps of the bleachers to get to you, her free gloved hand catching your arm happily, “I was hoping you’d be here!”

You smile, part of you relieved that she isn’t acting differently despite everything, and your eyes fall on the poster board in her other hand, “Is that for Jay?”

She follows your gaze and nods, unrolling it to reveal ‘Go Jay!’ with a big 19 under it, which you assume is his jersey number. The dark red sweatshirt under her puffer reads the same number as well. “Cute, right?”

“Very cute.” You reply with a soft laugh, smoothing a crease from the corner of the poster board as you add, “I’m sure he’ll love it.”

“He better,” Gaeul huffs in a mock seriousness, “M’freezing my ass off for him.”

Mrs. Nishimura, who seems to have been listening in from her spot beside you, chimes in with a knowing smile, “He still insists you come to every game?”

You momentary confusion is quickly shaken off as you remind yourself that Gaeul and Jay have been dating since sophomore year, of course Riki’s mom knows her, and the girl in question nods fondly, “He says I’m his good luck charm—“ She gasps, and you blink, “—I forgot to kiss him before I left earlier!”

Your brief panic induced by her gasp subsides as you giggle softly, “Oh, no!”

She playfully smacks your arm and grabs it, “You’re coming with me for that.”

Your laughter doesn’t subside, only grows, as she motions to the Nishimura’s that you’ll ‘be right back’ and begins tugging you along down the bleachers, “Where are we going?”

“To kiss my man.” She answers, but pauses in her step to look at you and clarify, “I’m kissing him, you…can kiss Riki.”

“I will not be doing that, but I respect the effort.”

She groans melodramatically as the both of you continue walking down the bleachers, “Aww, c’mon, you guys were so cute together!”

You thank the lord that it’s too loud for Rin and her daughters to hear the girl from this distance, both for your sake and Riki’s, but laugh softly, “I don’t think kissing him a week after breaking his heart is the right move to get him back.”

Gaeul pauses on the last step to look at you with an unhinged jaw as soon as you realize your mistake, opening your mouth to deny before the accusations leave her pink lips, “You want him back?” 

Her words are shrill with excitement and you have the sudden urge to shrink into nothingness as you hover a cold shivering hand over her mouth and avoid the gazes of those around you both, “Bitch, shut up!”

She flattens her lips in an attempt to compose herself but fails to muffle the excited squeal and bounce of her gait as she tugs you down the side steps of the bleachers to get to the field.

The lacrosse field feels bigger up close, the expanse of frosted grass sprawling out under the big lights on either side of it. Gaeul marches ahead with purpose, her poster now tucked under her arm as she scans for Jay. You lag behind slightly, your thoughts still buzzing from the last few minutes.

“Gaeul, slow down,” you mutter, pulling your jacket tighter around yourself as the cold nips at your ears.

She ignores you, her focus locked on a cluster of players by the bench. You spot Jay among them, laughing at something one of his teammates says. Gaeul picks up her pace, her excitement palpable, leaving you to follow at a more hesitant shuffle.

You scan the group of players, not recognizing any of them as Riki. When you do find him, you exhale heavily at the sight of him deep in conversation with Jungkook, the coach clearly getting on his ass for something.

“Hey there,” a voice calls out, smooth and laced with a confidence that plants a murky feeling in your gut. You glance up to see a guy in a YG Pirates jersey standing in front of you, his helmet tucked under his arm and a cocky grin on his face. 32 is bold and dark green on his chest.

“Lost, sweetheart?” he asks, his tone dripping with mock concern.

You take a step back instinctively, your eyes narrowing. “Do I know you?”

He raises a brow, his grin widening as if you’ve said something amusing. “Feisty, huh? Just my type.”

Your stomach twists at his boldness, irritation bubbling under your skin. You glance over his shoulder, hoping to spot Gaeul, but she’s already halfway to Jay, oblivious to your predicament. “Ew,” you blanch curtly, trying to sidestep him, but he shifts to block your path again.

“C’mon, don’t be like that,” he presses, leaning in slightly. “I’m just trying to be friendly. What’s your name?”

Before you can muster a surely bitchy reply—or a curse—a presence appears behind you.

“I don’t think this is your side of the field,” a familiar voice cuts in, light yet edged with authority. You glance up to see Heeseung standing at your side now, his lacrosse stick casually balanced over his shoulder, his expression calm but his gaze sharp. “Can’t you tell by the colors, dude?”

The opposing player stiffens slightly, his grin faltering as he sizes up Heeseung. “Just talkin’, man,” he mutters, his tone defensive now.

Heeseung doesn’t flinch, his smile remaining intact as he tilts his head slightly. “Right. And now you’re done.”

The player hesitates for a moment before shrugging and backing away, muttering something under his breath as he turns and jogs off. Once he’s gone, Heeseung turns to you, his easy smile returning. “You good?”

You refuse to utter ‘that was hot,’ so you settle for a, “Yeah. Thanks for that, though.”

Heeseung shakes his head, “Nah, you had that handled.”

You barely miss a beat with your response, “Yeah, but it was sweet of you.”

He shrugs with his hand up and that same grin, “What can I say?”

You make a face, “Not that.“

He goes to defend himself, but Gaeul appears with smeared lipgloss and a pretty grin to happily say, “Coach is kicking us off the field.”

“Joyful.” You say with a playfully stiff smile that has Heeseung whining. A soft giggle from you has his frown turning into a grin again and he shoots you a salute.

“I’ll tell Riki you wished him good luck, ma’am.”

“Don’t get concussed, say that too.” You call back as Gaeul tugs you back toward the bleachers, poster under her arm creased. She’s beaming, and you giggle at her glowing smile, “I think I know what you and Jay got up to while I was harassed.”

Her smile drops as she gasps with concern, “Harassed? What happened?” 

“It’s not that serious.” You quickly assure her, “Heeseung kinda scared him off, he was a guy on the YG team.”

“Ew.” She makes a face as you both arrive at the bleachers, and you nod.

“That’s what I said.” 

As you both arrive back to your seats, and you gasp and happily accept a hot chocolate Rin had thoughtfully gotten for you with a sweet side hug. God you hope Riki still wants you and you can keep this saint of a woman in your life.

As if on cue, the referee blows a sharp whistle, and the players jog to their respective side of the field. Riki is dismissed by Jungkook and pulls his helmet from under his arm as the other members of the team crowd around the coach, his head turning just enough to scan the bleachers.

Your heart skips as his gaze locks onto yours for a fleeting moment.

He doesn’t smile, not exactly—but his expression softens, his eyes warming like he’s relieved to see you there. The corner of his mouth twitches just enough to feel like a secret, like something meant only for you.

And then he pulls his helmet over his head and focuses on Jungkook’s words, it almost feels like a shock to your system but the lingering warmth in your chest makes it hard to feel the cold anymore.

You watch the team huddle, Jungkook’s game face amusing enough to you that you snicker softly before your attention falls back to Riki. Heeseung, who if your memory serves you right is 01, catches Riki’s shoulder in a brotherly way. 

Your brows furrow as you see Riki’s head tilt slightly at what Heeseung says, glancing in your direction and then the opposing teams, and you assume his eyes search for a jersey that reads 32.

The players move onto the field with another whistle, and you watch with dread as two opposing jerseys approach the center of the field. 10 and 32.

Now, you know very little about lacrosse despite it being your school’s biggest sport and your brother playing it, but you know that Riki is a midfielder. You know this through his excited play-by-plays of practice to you on the phone whenever he was finally out, as well as the basic knowledge of how a lacrosse game starts. Two midfielders wrestling for the ball. 

It couldn’t be called wrestling, however. Riki swipes it barely millisecond after the ref blows his whistle, tossing the ball to 05. 

You gasp softly as his shoulder slams into 32s chest hard enough to send him stumbling back, but his body moves quickly toward the opposing defense and away from the startled enemy. If you didn’t know any better you’d assume he was only doing so to keep him off Jake’s back. “Geez, what did you feed him?”

You ask Rin softly, eyes trained on her son and your brain attempting to wrap itself around the difference in his body language and…aggression on-field, when he had barely risen above a loud speaking volume in your presence. She chuckles, “Would you believe me if I said his diet largely consisted of taiyaki and ramen growing up?”

“No.” You awe at her words, eyes still on him but flitting to meet hers for a brief second, “That’s just unfair.”

“Tell me about it,” The elder of his sisters huffs, “I ate my vegetables and have glasses an inch thick, but he gets to eat sweets all his life and has perfect vision.”

“That’s your fathers genetics, not mine.” Rin clarifies, offering you an explanation like it’s second nature already, “That man can’t see something coming straight at his face until it’s already hit him.”

“My brother has horrible vision, too.” You snicker softly, your eyes rarely leaving Riki but only doing so to look between the three Nishimuras, “Refused to wear contacts, even for lacrosse.” You motion in the general direction of the field, and the older woman seems intrigued.

“Your brother plays?”

You shake your head with a soft laugh at your brother’s expense, “Not since highschool, and he was benched most games because he couldn’t see the ball,” your words have Rin laughing and Maki snorting, “plus he generally sucked. He really only joined because his friend was on the team.”

Jake scores a goal and the crowd around you goes wild with cheers, mainly higher in pitch. You let out a supportive cheer and immediately act like you didn’t when his helmeted head turns your way. You’re almost positive a shit-eating grin has formed behind his helmet.

The game continues, the scoreboard leaning toward Decelis’ victory as the first two quarters come to a close and half-time ensues. 

“No.” You reject Gaeul’s suggestion almost as soon as it leaves her mouth.

“Aww, c’mon!” She whines, tugging your arm closest to her, “His face would be so funny!”

“He’s wearing a helmet, you can’t see his face. And it’s small enough for you to hold up by yourself.” You point at the poster-board in his hands, which she had happily held up for a good portion of the game until her arms got tired.

“But my arms are gonna fall off.” She groans melodramatically, “Please?”

“Buy me another cocoa and I’ll think about it.”

As half-time comes to a close, your right arm is screaming for relief while you hold your side of the poster up and nurse a cup of steaming cocoa in the other hand. Gaeul shamelessly screams in support of her boyfriend, who you see hunch over slightly like he’s holding back laughter of amusement.

Your hand feels like it’s about to fall off, and you curse yourself for refusing the mittens Eunchae had offered in favor of showing off your new nails. ‘They’re too pretty to cover up,’ you had whined, yet now you wouldn’t be surprised if your fingers started breaking off like a vampire’s from Twilight.

The scoreboard reads heavily in the home team’s favor, and you pray to every deity that the game finally ends for your arm’s sake (and your crippling anxiety). Though, watching Riki slice through YG’s defense and score points like they're nothing doesn’t look like it’ll be getting old for you anytime soon. 

“You’re drooling.” Gaeul teases as you suck in a sharp breath at the sight of Riki once again shoulder 32 off balance, hard enough for him to fall onto his ass this time. Tensions are high as the time counts down, though part of you’s hoping this never ends. 

“I don’t drool.” You retort in a soft grumble, yet you rub the side of your wrist over the corners of your mouth self-consciously. “I’m a fucking lady.”

“Right…” Gaeul agrees with playful doubt in her tone that’s punctuated by giggles as you playfully shove her shoulder.

The final whistle slices through the winter air as Riki launches the ball into the goal, accompanied by an uproar of cheers and groans from the crowd. Decelis has won, 12-7, the scoreboard glowing with the decisive win. The players pour onto the field, some celebrating, others trudging off in defeat. Your eyes dart instinctively toward Riki, helmet under his arm, hair damp with sweat as he exchanges fist bumps and quick words with his teammates. The way his expression softens to a grin when Jake slings an arm around his shoulders makes your stomach twist.

You clutch your empty cocoa cup, suddenly desperate to find a reason to approach him. Before you can muster up a plan, the chaos swallows him—players crowding, parents flooding in from the sidelines, and Gaeul’s excited tug on your sleeve pulling you back to the moment.

“Let’s go find Jay!” she beams, and you immediately look toward Rin, Maki, and Runa.

The woman smiles warmly and pats your shoulder, “We always wait in the parking lot for him. You two can have a moment.”

Gaeul is dragging you down the bleachers the moment you softly thank the woman. Your heart thrums as you scan the chaos for Riki, but he’s nowhere to be found. Gaeul bounces ahead, her attention locked on her boyfriend. 

Her hand slips from your arm as you’re both swept into the excitement, and her curls disappear in the crowd. 

The field feels like a warzone, buzzing with shouts, laughter, and the rhythmic stomp of cleats against frozen grass. You’re jostled in every direction, bodies pressing and colliding as parents swarm to congratulate their kids, and the players themselves disappear into the fray. Your fingers curl around the half-empty cocoa cup as if it might ground you, your pulse hammering in your ears.

Where is he?

You catch glimpses of Riki’s teammates—Jake’s unmistakable blonde head bobbing as he jokes with Heeseung, Sunghoon hoisted onto someone’s shoulders—but Riki remains elusive, swallowed by the tide of bodies.

“Riki!” His name slips out, barely audible over the noise, and you feel a flush creep up your neck. What are you even doing? Someone brushes past you, hard enough to make you stumble. “Watch it,” you mutter, turning to see a player in a YG jersey, helmet off and grin too familiar.

32.

He doesn’t say anything at first, just gives you a once-over that makes your skin crawl. His shoulder brushes yours again as he angles toward you, his smirk sharper now. “Didn’t think I’d see you again,” he drawls, voice low enough that it’s almost lost in the noise.

You make a face of disdain, like speaking to him both disgusts you and is beneath you, “Is that supposed to be cute?”

“C’mon,” He says, tone dripping with what you assume is his attempt at charm, “Don’t be like that. You’ve been watchin’ me the whole game.”

“I don’t even know you.” You respond with the same look on your face that reads you’d rather be anywhere else than where you are, listening to him.

He steps closer, undeterred by your tone and clear disgust, “That can be remedied,” His voice is low, and you see his hand move from his side to reach for your waist.

Your anger takes over your motor control, and the half-empty, long chilled cocoa in your hand splatters over the front of his jersey, “Don’t fucking touch me.”

The cocoa splashes onto his jersey in a satisfying arc, the dark liquid seeping into the white fabric. His grin falters for a moment, replaced by a stunned look that quickly twists into irritation. “Are you fucking serious?” he snaps, brushing at the stain, but it’s a futile effort.

“Yeah, I’m fucking serious,” You retort, mirroring his tone, “Who the fuck told you that you could fucking touch me?” 

The players around you have started to notice the commotion, a few stopping to watch as Number 32 bites back, “You’re not even worth half of what that bitch offered me.”

If what boiled within you was anger, then what it morphs into at the player’s statement must be seething fury, “Excuse me?”

“What’s goin’ on here?” A hand clasps over your shoulder but the voice calms any volatile reaction brewing in your gut, Jungkook stepping between you and the YG player.

Jungkook’s presence immediately shifts the energy around you. His broad frame looms between you and Number 32, the way his body blocks out the other player like a wall of stone, calm yet unyielding. The cocky grin fades from the YG player’s face as he holds up his hands in mock surrender, shooting a glare at Jungkook.

Jungkook doesn’t even glance at the YG player, his focus entirely on you as he steps closer, his gaze softening slightly when he sees the tension in your shoulders and the shift in your jaw. “You okay?” he asks, his voice surprisingly gentle in the midst of the chaos.

You nod, even though the heat of anger still lingers in your chest. “I’m fine,” you say, but your voice shakes just enough that Jungkook catches it.

His eyes flick briefly to the YG player, who’s clearly not in the mood to test Jungkook’s patience any further. “Walk with me,” he says, his tone leaving no room for argument. You want to protest, to stay and search for Riki, but something about the way Jungkook stands there—tall, unshakable—tells you it’s not worth resisting.

He guides you through the crowd and off the field with his hands on your shoulders. When the two of you arrive at the edge of the field where the bleachers drop off and the parking lot comes into view, he releases you. “Do I need to go talk to that kid’s coach? Or parents?”

“No, I think the shit-colored stain on his jersey says enough.” You retort swiftly, the implications of his words stick with you, though. ‘You’re not even worth half of what that bitch offered me.’

It isn’t as if you woke up yesterday, you know he’s talking about Nayeon. Whether it be some kind of intuition or you’re just that fucking familiar with her thought process from years of what you had thought was friendship, you know it. 

“Hey.” Jungkook’s gruff but somewhat gentle call snaps you out of your stewing, and you blink at him, “Don’t do anything I’m gonna hear about, okay?”

Your immature response is interrupted by the loud cheers and chatter morphing into shouts and hollers of a more alarmed tone that has the both of you looking in the direction of the field. Jungkook doesn't seem eager to let you involve yourself in whatever it is that’s going down on the field, you know this because he’s shooing you off toward your car in a dismissive but authoritative tone. 

If you cared at all about anything except beating Nayeon’s face in at the moment you would be protesting and following after him as he jogs toward the commotion, but you don’t. Instead, you walk to your car, toss your Prada bag into the passenger seat as it begins to warm up, and plot.

Watching your friend group’s grins fall while learning that you did not, in fact, kiss Riki after the game but left without even speaking to him in a fit of blind rage was not how you wanted to start your weekend. You blame their soured moods for the fact that all four of them were avidly against your plan to beat Nayeon’s face in the next time you see her, but begrudgingly decided to not jump to conclusions.

The only proof you have that Nayeon was the one to sic that cretin on you may be his words, which aren’t worth much, but you refuse to believe anything else.

Monday arrives with not a singular text or call from Riki, and while Belle has already talked you off of the metaphorical ledge about it, you feel the urge to disappear off the face of the Earth every time you imagine seeing him again after leaving the game he asked you to attend without so much as a word.

Part of you figures the silence on his end is payback, or him deciding to finally let his alleged crush on you go. The other part of you really hopes he was just busy.

Jake is…silent in your second period. Not that you’d mind the silence on any other day, but it’s definitely not normal. Well, he’s silent until he catches sight of the charm bracelet on your wrist as it clinks softly on the desk. His grin is back in seconds and he takes his phone out.

“Want a picture?” You offer sarcastically. When Jake eagerly nods and holds his phone up for the picture, you shoot it a mock smile and manicured middle finger as your charm bracelet catches the light above.

With giddy giggles, Jake takes the photo and practically bounces in his seat in joy as he taps his thumbs on his screen hastily. You’re rolling your eyes and looking down at your worksheet when he asks, “Wanna know who I’m texting?”

“If I wanted to know I’d ask.” You respond swiftly, tapping the eraser-end of your pencil on the desk absentmindedly.

“It’s Riki.” He states with a smugness that pisses you off.

Looking up from the paper, you raise your brows, “Okay?”

“He needed proof,” He adds on with his arms crossed as he leans back in his seat, “Wanna know why?”

“I feel like you’re gonna tell me anyway.”

He’s still smirking as he proves you right, “He thinks you hate him.”

You blink, annoyed nonchalance pushed aside by genuine confusion, “Why would he think that?”

Jake shrugs, though his face seems anything but clueless and you hate that he knows more than you do, “Maybe ‘cause you left the game without saying anything to him.”

“Jungkook made me get off the field.” 

“You could’ve waited with his family in the parking lot.”

“Well, I didn’t.” You snap, growing frustrated with the conversation despite it being your own damn fault, “Why are you telling me this, Jake?”

“‘Cause he’s my friend and he’s been miserable.”

“Then he should talk to me.” You retort with a sigh, guilt filling your gut despite your defensive words, and he tilts his head with a nod of agreement, “If I hated him he’d know. I don’t exactly keep that shit a secret.”

Jake, who had bore witness to your fight with Jaclyn Delvacchio in junior year, hums, “Well, can you do us all a favor and talk to him, please?”

“We have fifth period, I’m not gonna ignore him for an hour when he sits next to me.” You roll your eyes and focus back down at your worksheet.

By the time the bell rings, you’re halfway between plotting your own demise and debating if you should actually try to talk to Riki. The idea makes your stomach twist. What if Jake was wrong, and Riki doesn’t want to hear from you? What if your silence solidified something in him—pushed him away for good?

But then you remember how he smiled at you that day in the hallway, the soft tug of his lips like he couldn’t stop himself, and how his eyes lit up when you agreed to come to the bowling date. You remember the way his voice faltered ever-so-slightly when he asked you, like he was bracing himself for rejection but couldn’t bear not to try.

The thought makes your stomach hurt and your chest heavy, and you realize something that makes you want to kick yourself: you don’t want to lose that. You don’t want to lose him.

Yet, you so easily brushed him aside in your list of priorities to stew in your anger about someone who shouldn’t even be a thought in your mind at this point. 

You screwed up. Again. 

At this point, you feel like you’re winning the losing game. Not only do you hate losing, but you hate the feeling in your chest and gut that makes you want to go home and rot until Riki forgets you ever existed. Belle’s voice screams in your head to talk to him, to make the effort to speak to him and throw away your pride.

So, instead of staying in your old Latin teacher’s class for fourth period grading papers, you persuade her to let you spend your fourth period ‘at lunch with your friends’. 

Your friends all share the same lunch period; sixth, when you’ve already gone home. So you lied, yes.

But Riki has fourth period lunch.

You slip through the cafeteria doors, the clang of trays and the murmur of conversation fading as you scan the room for him. The place is packed, and your heart beats louder than the chatter around you. It’s ridiculous—Riki isn’t hard to find. But your anxiety builds anyway, sending a slight tremble through your hands.

You spot him by the window, his profile framed by sunlight, his usual quiet demeanor marking him as an island in the chaos of the cafeteria. His friends surround him, but they’re not your focus. Your eyes zero in on him, his long sleeves pulled up to his elbows, his hair messy and covering his forehead like he didn’t feel like styling it this morning, the rings on his hands that glint in the cafeteria light.

But before you can make your way over, the sound of a voice you loathe cuts through the air, sharper than glass.

“A couple hundred bucks and he was practically my dog.” Nayeon muses at the two girls you barely recognize that sit across from her at a table not far from you, “Sucks that he failed, though. Would have spent my money on someone else.”

“So you…had him hit on her?” The girl on the left asks, a bit confused as she exchanges a look with the girl beside her.

Nayeon seems eager to relay the details, “I told him she liked playing hard to get,” She shrugs disinterested, yet you see a sliver of the smirk on her face from your angle, “made him all the more eager to knock her down a peg.”

The two girls seem peeved by what she says, like any sane person would be, but anything either wants to say dies on their tongue as they catch sight of you. “Girl…”

One trails off as you begin your approach, the same lightness in your gut that has your vision clouded with seething fury.

She looks over her shoulder just enough for you to see her smirk drop into wide-eyed fear.

Your hand catches the back of her head, slamming the side of her face into the table with little care for the eyes that immediately find you, “Sorry, I didn’t hear you, bitch. What was that?” There’s ‘ooo’s and ‘oh shit’s from the wuickly forming crowd as you pull her up by her hair, launching the flailing girl onto the ground. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

She scrambles off the ground, immediately getting in your face as she hisses, “You don’t deserve him.” 

“Oh, fuck you.” You curse as your hand meets her face, and she shrieks as her head snaps to side. 

Nayeon recoils for a moment, eyes wide with shock, but the anger on her face quickly replaces any hesitation. "You think I'm scared of you?" She spits, moving toward you with a snarl. She may not have expected this, but now that it's happening, she seems desperate to prove herself.

Grabbing her by the shoulders, you shove her into one of the metal chairs, the clattering sound of it screeching across the floor as she stumbles backward. The two girls hasten to get out of the way, faces a mix of fear and ‘oh shit’. 

Nayeon picks herself up with blind fury guiding her actions, hands flying out as she lunges forward to shove you back. Your hands grasp her hair again, and the crowd surrounding the scene roars.

Her nails claw at your wrist as you yank her forward. She’s small, but her anger makes her stronger than she has any right to be. The fight is a mess of hair pulling and shoving, curses from you and shrieks from her.

You shove her hard into the table again, the force sending a tray of half-eaten food crashing to the floor, and the crowd goes wild, hooting and cheering. The heat in your chest ignites with every movement. The adrenaline rush is undeniable.

Nayeon's attempts to push you back only seem to fuel your anger further. Her breath is ragged, and you can practically taste the bitterness she's been carrying since the moment you stepped into her world. Every movement of hers is desperate, like she's trying to claw her way back to a victory she's long since lost.

"Get the fuck off me!" she yells, her voice barely audible over the chaos. But you don't listen. You slam her against the chair again, hard enough that she falls onto her ass, eyes wide with disbelief. Nayeon's face contorts in pure anger as you approach again, her hands flying up in a futile attempt to strike you. Her nails scratch at your arms, but the pain barely registers.

But then, someone grabs your waist, lifting you off the ground effortlessly. The world tilts as you're pulled off of Nayeon, feet leaving the ground. For the split second that you’re struggling against them, thinking it’s one of her friends or a teacher, you curse at them too.

Then the cologne hits your nose and the voice hits your ears, “Alright, that’s enough, pretty girl.”

Your heart stutters in your chest as Riki’s voice cuts through the frenzy, low and soft in your ear, but with a sharp edge of firmness that you’ve never heard from him before. His grip on you doesn’t waver, and despite the anger still coursing through your veins, you freeze for a second, thrown off by the ease he had pulling you off of that traitorous bitch—who’s being held back by Jake and Jungwon.

“Skank!” Nayeon shrieks, clawing at Jake and Jungwon’s arms that keep her from lunging at you again.

Any calm that Riki’s presence brought you is washed away, but he pulls you back by the waist as you move to have a go at Nayeon again. His arms wrapping around you to keep your arms at your sides as you bite back,  “Says you, bitch.”

“Easy, easy,” He eases, your back hitting his chest as your jerky and angry movements force him to pick you up again, “Cool it, baby. You got her good.”

“Get her out of here before the teachers get here,” Heeseung orders in a hushed tone as the other members of the lacrosse team grab at phones and shove the crowd back.

“I’m not—hey!” Your defiant statement is interrupted by the arm around your waist tightening and your feet lifting off the floor once more. “Riki!”

“I know, I know.” Riki’s hold is firm as you struggle weakly against him, his voice deep and low like he’s easing a wild animal, his touch warm. You can’t bring yourself to fight back the way you did with Nayeon as he walks you out of the cafeteria building. His presence, the warmth of his chest against your back, it all has your defense mechanisms easing up and your anger softening to a low simmer.

When he finally sets you back down, the cool chill of the air eased only by the sunlight hitting the two of you, you turn to face him with a charged glare, “I can walk.”

He holds his hands up in good faith, or maybe an attempt to calm you down, “I know, baby.”

“And she deserved that.”

“I know, baby.”

The way he repeats himself so softly, how he’s letting you take out the remnants of your anger on him, it only makes the ache in your chest worsen. You exhale sharply, “Stop that.”

“Okay.” He says, voice soft but no pain or hurt to be detected in his voice, only in his eyes.

Your own sting almost automatically with both frustration and anger at yourself and no one else, “No, not—“ Taking a deep breath, your hands move to your face, “This is all wrong.”

“What is?” You try not to notice how he doesn’t attach ‘pretty girl’ or ‘baby’ to the end of his question. You fail.

“Everything.” You mutter, exhaling another soft, “Fuck.”

“You’re bleeding.” He points out, his hands pulling yours from your face to examine the scratches up your arms. 

“Nails are intact, though.” You mumble softly, trying to make yourself feel better. Riki looks at you in slight disapproval, brows furrowing, and you add, “I’m okay.”

He sighs, shaking his head, “There’s a first-aid kit in the locker room, let me clean you up.”

“Ew, I’m not going into the boys locker room.” You reject his offer with an obstinance that would usually amuse him, yet he shows a sliver of frustration in his body language. “And I told you, I’m fine.”

“Okay, you can either walk or I can carry you.”

“As if.” 

Your challenge is met with him raising his eyebrows and lunging for you a second later. You flinch and swat at his hands, “Okay, fine!” He pulls back again with a ‘that’s what i thought’ look, “I’ll walk.” you add with a defiant ‘hmph’ as you walk past him.

He doesn’t press the issue, following you towards the athletics building and holding the door open for you to enter first, to your utter fury of course. Stupid boys. Stupid emotions.

When you find the boys locker room, you pause as he pushes the door open, “I’m not going in there.”

He sighs with a nod like he expected as such, “I’ll be right back, stay here.”   

You sigh and cross your arms, rolling your eyes and leaning back against the wall across the locker room entrance.

Riki returns with a first aid kit and his hoodie, “Let’s go to the bleachers, no one’s got practice today.” You assume the hoodie is for you, and you’re proved correct when he tosses it into your face and snickers when you curse at him. “C’mon.”

You begrudgingly walk with him out of the athletics building to the school field not a far walk from the entrance. 

You hear the bell ring from where you sit on the bleachers minutes later as your chilled fingers are tended to by the lacrosse player, “You’ll be late, you know.”

“We’ll both be. It’s fifth period now.” He states as he delicately cleans the raw skin streaking up your wrist with an alcohol wipe.

“Ow.” You mumble, and he tsks with a growing smile.

“Don’t be a baby.” He teases, and you mock his words in a higher pitched voice back to him.

“Fuck you.”

He snickers softly, gently rotating your hand in his to clean the visible lines tainting the delicate flesh, “Baby.”

His statement isn’t the beckon or fond coo you wish it’d be, but it causes flutters in your gut all the same. You mock him again and he huffs softly in amusement, refraining from continuing the back and forth to focus on your scratched up wrists and forearms. 

As he moves to your right hand, his touch lingers on the charm bracelet hanging off your wrist as he dabs at the skin. The metal chain catches the sunlight, twinkling faintly against your wrist as Riki pauses. His thumb brushes over one of the charms absentmindedly before he speaks, voice softer than you expected. “You’re wearing it.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” you reply, trying to sound casual despite the way your pulse stutters. His touch, even as fleeting as it is, sends a warm shiver through you.

“I just…” he trails off, dark eyes flicking up to meet yours briefly, his gaze filled with something tender. “I wasn’t sure if it was your style.”

“Why’s that?” You ask with a slight furrow of your brows, and he snickers softly.

“I’m sure it’s not the luxury you’re accustomed to.” 

“Everything I wear isn’t expensive. I’m not a snob.” You huff in slight offense, though he finds it amusing.

“Never said you were a snob, princess.” He clarifies, discarding the alcohol wipe to grab the ointment from the kit, “Nothing wrong with being spoiled.”

“I’m not—“ you go to argue, but the amusement on his face has the words dying on your tongue as you look away from him, “You’re such an ass.”

“Aww, I’m wounded.” He pouts softly, before it turns into that pretty smile again and he laughs softly, “It looks good on you.”

It takes a half-second for you to remember he’s talking about the bracelet, and your instinctive reply comes in the form of a weak, “Fuck off.”

His head falls forward as he laughs at your weakly aggressive statement. His touch is still gentle as he continues, hands unbelievably warm around yours. How unfair.

“Your hands are freezing.” He states softly, tube of ointment placed aside in favor of engulfing your hands in his. You watch him rub at them, your nails clicking against his rings with every movement until they catch his attention, “These are nice.”

“I know.”

He huffs in amusement, biting his bottom lip before he says, “‘Course you do.”

The tension between the two of you shifts, delicate and tenuous, like a thread stretched too tight. Riki’s touch is warm and steady, and you hate how easy it would be to let yourself relax into it. His thumbs keep brushing over your knuckles, slow and deliberate, and your chest tightens with every pass.

You clear your throat, trying to focus anywhere but his hands, but when you look up, his gaze is already on you. It’s not intense, exactly. Not piercing or overwhelming. Just…soft. Patient, even. The kind of look that has your fight or flight instincts kicking in to protect the 

“What?” you snap, defensive and unsure, your voice sharper than you mean for it to be. You regret it instantly when his brow furrows slightly, though his hands don’t pull away.

“Nothing,” he replies softly, his voice steady. “Just glad you’re okay.”

The simplicity of it almost knocks the wind out of you. You blink, trying to find a reply that won’t give you away, but the words stick in your throat. All you can manage is a mumbled, “I told you, I’m fine.”

“Yeah,” he says, his tone carrying a gentleness that makes you ache. “But I worry about you anyway.”

You don’t know what to do with that—how to handle the sincerity in his voice or the way his touch lingers like he’s afraid to let go. It feels like too much and not enough all at once.

“You shouldn’t,” you mutter, trying to pull your hands back, but he holds them lightly, just enough to keep you there without forcing you.

“Can’t really help it, pretty girl.” His lips curve into a faint smile, one that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Especially when you’re getting into fights.”

Your stomach twists, a cocktail of guilt and frustration bubbling to the surface. You want to tell him it wasn’t just a fight. That it was Nayeon, that she deserved it, that you were defending yourself in more ways than one. But that isn’t the truth, is it? Not really.

“I—” You start, then stop, swallowing down the lump rising in your throat. “I don’t—” Your voice wavers, and you hate it. “Riki, I can’t—I’m not good at this.”

“At what?” his hands grasp yours tighter as he leans forward with his gaze so…so attentive. 

“This.” You motion vaguely between the two of you, trying to not cry in front of him. You’re failing horribly. “Us. You. Me. God, fuck.”

“Talk to me, pretty girl.” He pleas softly, and your chest feels as warm as your hands are in his.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” You exhale, head dropping back in an attempt to keep your frustrated tears from falling, “And I keep fucking up everything good in my life, and I just—“

His neck cranes slightly to meet your gaze as you avert it to his hands around yours, waiting for you to continue. Listening.

You take a deep breath, “I like you, I really do,” his thumbs slow to a stop against your knuckles, but you don’t look at him, “and you’re so—perfect and I’m not—“

“Don’t say that—“

“I’m not.” You insist, and one of his hands moves to your cheek as you continue, thumb gently wiping away a stray tear, “I’m…messy and mean-“

“I don’t care about that.” He argues gently, but you’re not done.

“-and I can’t even handle my own shit in a mature way so why should I be able to give you anything better—“

You don’t get to finish as his lips press against yours, cutting off your spiraling words with a kiss so sudden and deliberate it steals every thought from your head. 

His hand on your cheek tilts your head up toward him, his other remains holding yours. It’s not a hesitant kiss. There’s nothing unsure or tentative about it, not like the first one he gave you. He isn’t suffocating you, or doing anything more than moving his lips against yours like it’s all he’s wanted to do for years but knows to take his time savoring it instead of rushing in with teeth and tongue.

All you know is that you’re leaning into him, your anger, frustration, and self-doubt melting away under the weight of his touch. It’s a good kiss—better than good. It’s consuming, overwhelming, and entirely too much, yet you feel like more wouldn’t be all that bad.

When he pulls back it isn’t far, his forehead resting against yours. You’re breathless, your lips tingling in the aftermath and brain foggier than you’d like to admit. His nose brushes against your as he says, “I don’t care about any of that,” his voice is low and hoarse, “I just want you.”

You exhale shakily, feeling his words hit you lips, “Riki—“ 

“I’ll wait.” He promises softly, a hint of desperation in his words that has something in your gut fluttering, “However long it takes for you to be ready, I’ll wait.”

Your eyes flutter shut as you shake your head weakly, looking down at your lap. “That’s not fair to you.”

“I don’t care about fair, pretty girl.” He responds with a slight smile, hand moving from your cheek to tilt your chin up and make you look at him. His gaze flits between your eyes and lingers below your nose, a pattern that mirrors your own. “I can wait.”

His words are soft, spoken like an oath as his eyes find your lips again and decide to stay there a while.

“Why?” You ask, barely a whisper.

Riki lifts his gaze to look you in the eyes, a soft smile on his lips as he says, “‘Cause I like you more.”

You roll your eyes, “Is it a competition?”

He hums low, as if apprehensive, “Not much of one.” Your jaw drops slightly as if offended and he laughs softly, “I mean, I have you completely outmatched, pretty girl.”

“Oh, yeah?” You challenge with a slight laugh, “How so?”

He shifts closer as he hums again in thought, “Well, you’ve liked me for how long? A few weeks?” The question is more of a statement, and he seems unbothered by the short time-span with the smile on his face, “Yeah, I’ve got you beat.”

“You didn’t know me until recently, so it doesn’t count.” You argue with defiance, and he raises his brows.

“Are you invalidating my feelings for you right now?” He asks in a mock-offended tone, hand moving to his chest.

You scoff with playful annoyance, looking away from him briefly before your gaze finds him all over again, like a moth to a flame, “How long?”

His smile turns shier, and he chuckles awkwardly, “Nah, it’s not a competition. You’re right.”

“Nuh-uh, you started it,” You laugh, shoving his sturdy chest weakly, “C’mon, I already know. I just wanna hear it.”

Your smug words paired with the shrug you give have his eyes narrowing, “You know?”

You nod, “Jake ratted you out.” 

Riki’s eyes widen slightly and he groans, head dropping forward in embarrassment, “I’m gonna kill him.”

Riki lifts his head, still chuckling under his breath as he finally relents, “Alright, fine.” His eyes meet yours again, warm and steady, even as a blush creeps across his cheeks and ears. “Since freshman year. Happy now?”

Despite you being the one to force it out of him, you hold back the urge to giggle and turn away from him. “Very.” You answer with a slightly blissful grin on your face.

“You gonna hold that over my head?” He asks playfully, leaning closer like he wants to kiss you again.

You fight every impulse telling you to close the distance yourself, but let your eyes move between his eyes and smirking lips freely, “I might.”

“Yeah?” He jests softly. 

You hum, deciding to be a little mean. “I could also hold over your head that your mom still thinks we’re dating.”

His eyes shut and the hand creeping towards yours again freezes. His head falls forward and you panic for a moment thinking you went too far before you realize his shoulders are shaking and you can hear soft wheezing. “You’re mean.”

His muffled whine makes you snicker gleefully, and you add, “She said I’m good for you.”

You don’t realize the joy behind those words until he raises his head with a teasing but genuine (and flirty) grin on his face as he asks, “You’re happy about that, huh baby?”

You find yourself teasing him back instead of getting hostile at his flirty tone, probably due to the boost he gave your ego, “Mmm, not as happy as you seem to be with me as your girlfriend. According to your mom, anyway.”

Before he can reply, a familiar voice cuts through the moment.

“Nishimura.”

Both of you whip your heads toward the source of the sound. Standing at the bottom of the bleachers with his arms crossed and an exasperated expression is Jungkook. He’s wearing a hoodie and joggers, looking like he just came from the gym with his curls in a bun, but his sharp eyes land squarely on Riki first, then shift to you.

“What the hell are you two doing up there?” Jungkook asks, though there’s no real heat in his tone.

Riki straightens up, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Just…taking care of something, Coach.”

Jungkook’s brows rise, and he gestures toward the field. “And why aren’t you in class?”

“I—uh—” Riki stammers before Jungkook waves a hand dismissively.

“Save it. I don’t need the whole story. Just get your ass to class before I have you running suicides until next week.” His gaze softens slightly as it flicks to you. “And you? ”

You shrink a little under his stare, mumbling, “I wasn’t feeling well.”

Jungkook lets out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You—” He shakes his head before gesturing toward the parking lot. “Go home, kid. And no more fights, please—or distracting my team.”

“Alright, alright,” you mumble as you stand. You glance at Riki, who’s already grinning like this whole thing is hilarious, and shoot him a glare. “Stop smiling, you ass.”

Riki just snickers, his grin growing wider as he stands. “I’ll walk you to your car, pretty girl.”

Jungkook shakes his head, muttering something about teenagers and their hormones. “She can walk herself, get to class.” 

Any complaint Riki wants to make is silenced by the pointed finger Jungkook sends him, and he sighs. Your cheeks burn as he leans down to press a kiss to one of them with a soft, “See you later, pretty girl.” 

Riki averts his eyes from Jungkook’s judgmental gaze as his star midfielder jogs down the bleacher steps, offering a respectful bow of his head as he passes.

Jungkook then looks over at you, and you’re already arguing, “I have to get my bag from my locker.” 

He deadpans, clearly unimpressed as he says, “Ask one of your friends to get it for you.” 

Unable to argue with his reasoning, you let out a soft huff and begin patting your pockets for your phone. A relieved sigh escapes your gloss-smudged lips when your fingers brush against the device through a layer of fabric. Silently, you thank whichever of your spirit guides prompted you to button your back pocket before entering the cafeteria.

You suddenly remember another reason to stay a bit longer, “My keys are in my bag!”

Jungkook sighs, “If I see you in the halls in 10 minutes you’re getting banned from my field.”

You grin, bouncing down the steps with a happy, “Thanks, Coach Jeon.”

He makes a face of disgust, hand gently pushing the side of your head as you walk by, “Get out of here.”

It’s almost laughable how quickly the situation disappears, like it never happened. No one snitches—not one person. Even the crowd of students who saw everything miraculously forget when teachers start asking questions. It’s the lacrosse team who spins the story, their collective loyalty so seamless you almost believe they rehearsed it. Nayeon threw the first punch, they all swear. You didn’t fight back. You defended yourself.

The only video evidence of the fight are clips of Nayeon lunging for you and blurry photos, another thing you’re sure the lacrosse team took care of, so the school really have nothing to go off of. By the time the dust settles, it’s like the cafeteria incident is just another school rumor, one of those things everyone knows happened yet every retelling of events sounds skewed in some way.

Your mother hadn’t been informed by the school of the issue, thankfully, but you had endured a scathing voicemail from your father about the ‘stunt’ you pulled with Eunseok’s ‘bright and good’ girlfriend while eating Chinese takeout with Belle Tuesday night. She sat there munching on an eggroll and snatching small pieces of your sweet-fire chicken while your father’s angry ramble drew on and on for a few long minutes before he ended it with a, ‘call me back.’ The laughing fit you and Belle had over that one has become a bit of an inside joke now.

Thursday evening finds you in the kitchen of your home following your Aunt’s slutty brownie recipe with Riki on FaceTime propped up against the egg carton. “Butter, butter, butter…” You mumble to yourself as you reach for the ingredient, making a face as some of the softened dairy gets on your thumb. Riki, who had been silently observing you through the screen, snickers softly. You send a pointed look to the camera, “Don’t laugh at me.”

“M’not, you're just cute.”

“Fuck you.” You lose the fight against the smile forming on your face as you unfold the waxy wrapping of the butter and tip it into the mixing bowl, “I’m always cute.”

He only hums low with that same smirk on his face as he rests his chin on his arm, watching you switch on the mixer and grab a brownie pan from the cabinet beside the stove. A beat passes and he asks, “You don’t have to, you know?”

You glance away from pressing your knuckles into the cookie dough to flatten it along the bottom of the greased pan, “I know, but I don’t want your friends to have anything over me.”

Your joke is received with a soft laugh, “I wouldn’t let them hold it over you.”

“While I would like to see that, this is much easier.” You dismiss as you move to the sink to wash your hands and grab the pack of oreos. “Plus, Jungkook loves slutty brownies so maybe he’ll take the stick out of his ass if he gets one.”

Riki snorts softly on the other end, his bangs messily covering his forehead and eyes, “It’s game day, I don’t think the stick will come out.”

You hum in defeat, shrugging slightly as you begin to place the layer of oreos into the pan, “A sweet treat for good graces then.” 

Once you finish the layer of oreos, pour the brownie batter over it, and stick it in the oven, you sigh loudly. Fanning yourself and pulling your hair off your neck as you move toward your phone to grab it. “Jesus Christ, it’s hot.”

“It’s 30° outside.” 

“I’m not outside, I’m inside.” You sass with a ‘duh’ look on your face as you hold the phone angled up at your face as you walk toward the living room. “And how dare you try to contradict me.”

“Sorry, pretty girl. It won’t happen again.” He responds after a light chuckle.

You feign another roll of your eyes as you fail to fight the smile growing on your lips once again. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” 

The next morning, you arrive at school earlier than you’d like—especially with how fucking cold it is. Still, you look cute and feel it too, with a new lip gloss on your lips and a pair of pearls on your ears to match the ones on your eyes.

Exiting your car, you hasten your trek to the field. The bags rustle at your sides as you chant a soft tune of “I’m so fucking cold” under your breath. Your hands are, once again, not protected by gloves as you so vehemently refuse to cover up Julie’s masterpiece. She was very pleased that her hard work stayed intact during the fight, but recommended you treat your hands with care if you want them to last as long as they usually do. 

Jungkook notices your approach, tipped off by the high-pitched shiver that escapes your lips as you finally arrive on the field—a sound that doesn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the team either. They seem to all slowly get distracted by your figure’s approach, eyes drawn to either the bags at your sides or cute way you’re walking in the cold.

“What are you doing?” Jungkook snaps in annoyance, his tone almost dismissive.

“Jesus Christ, this violates the Geneva Conventions in some way, I'm sure.” You huff softly, holding up the bags as you arrive at his side, “I made slutty brownies.”

Jungkook’s frown softens as the team parrots your words hopefully, and he then barks, “Single file, maggots.”

You’re almost too cold to enjoy the spectacle the team provides racing to get first in line, yet keeping a respectful distance ahead of you. You snicker softly as you set the bags down, bending with a shiver to grab them to pass out before the one in front of the line protests. 

“You’re cold?” Kai asks with worry from the front of the line, and the one behind him, Taehyun, steps out of line with his arms held out.

“I’ll pass them out, you need to warm up.” He fusses with a slight scolding tone, “There are hot-packs over there.” He cocks his head toward the bleachers as he takes your place in front of the bags.

You’re left standing there in confusion as Taehyun takes over your current job, walking towards the bleachers in search of the stated hotpacks before a warm object is pressed to your cheek and you startle. 

Riki snickers softly as you look at him in disgust before realizing it’s him, and your face softens to an eyeroll with a soft ‘fuck off’ muttered under your breath. You move to grab the hotpack from him, but he cheekily holds it out of your reach with a boyish giggle. 

The look you give him has him flattening his lips to hold back a grin as he silently hands the heat pack to you with a muttered apology. 

“Why aren’t you in line?” You question, and he has that same smirk on his face.

He shrugs, “Wanted to talk to my girl first.” You give him a look and he groans, “Can’t you just let me indulge for a second?”

“Patience is a virtue, Riki.” You muse as you cross your arms to tuck your hands away with a hotpack in each hand. “Plus, you said you’d wait.”

“And I will—I am.” He confirms with a shake of his head and a lighthearted grin, “But you could be a little more forgiving, pretty girl.”

“I don’t believe in forgiveness.” You retort with a shrug and a pretty smile.

“Niki!” Jake calls out from the line a few yards away, he’s a few players behind with a grin on his face as he says, “Don’t worry about getting in line, I’ll get you one!”

“Yeah, keep talkin’ to your girlfriend~.” Sunghoon teases, causing most of the team to snicker or whistle.

Riki’s ears go red, but when you point it out with a giggle, his hand immediately shoots to one of the red appendages and he shakes his head, “It’s the cold.”

“Niki, our shy boy!” Heeseung coos from the line, and the rest are all too eager to join in.

“Wow, Niki, you're so cute!”

“Niki, kiss her!”

“It’s giving Romeo!”

Riki groans softly, hands covering his face from your vision as you laugh, a warmth blooming in your chest that eases the chill in your bones. “I’m gonna kill them.”

He’s about to say something else when Taki takes a bite of the brownie in his hand and grunts something sounding like “oh yeah” with his words garbled by the mouthful he’s chewing. 

You watch the scene unfold with amusement, leaning back on your heels as the team collectively loses their minds over a baked good. Taki, still mid-chew, looks like he’s having a near-spiritual experience, while Jungkook shouts something about chewing with his mouth closed.

Riki uses the distraction to lower his hands from his face, a grin breaking through his earlier embarrassment as he watches you watching them. His voice cuts through the chaos, low and teasing: “You seem happy.”

Your gaze moves to him, “Is that an issue?”

“Not at all.” He responds smoothly, “You look good when you’re happy.”

“I always look good.” You retort out of habit. 

He seems to have expected it, nodding along in agreement before he asks, “So, if I asked you to wear my jersey instead of whatever cute shirt you were gonna wear tonight, would you?”

“Look good? Yes.” You answer with a light, teasing tone, “Agree? Mmm, maybe.”

“You’re killing me, baby.”

“Sweet names will get you nowhere.”

“So, you like it when I call you that?” He asks, stepping closer with a cheeky grin.

You remain defiant, arms crossed as you instinctively lean away from him with a laugh, “I never said that.”

“You didn’t deny it either.” He retorts swiftly, his head tilting and his eyes moving over your face with a smugness that pisses you off.

“No, I didn’t.” You agree, and his eyes narrow slightly at the almost flirty smile on your lips as you turn away from him to make your way back to Taehyun. 

You fight the giddy feeling in your chest as you feel his gaze on you, deciding against sparing a glance back as you hear the crunch of his steps following after you.

As always, you’re right. Riki’s spare jersey looks adorable on you.

“He’s gonna die.” Gaeul practically squeals at the sight of you. It’s a bit warmer than the morning had been when you arrive at the opposing school’s stadium, the long sleeved fleece-lined undershirt protecting you from the chilled breeze. “Bitch, your ass looks fantastic.”

A grin brightens your face and laugh leaves your glossy lips as she fawns over your look, “Right?” You turn slightly to give her a better view of your behind purely out of excitement, because yeah, your ass looks good in these jeans. 

“It’s smiling at me,” She gasps, smacking your butt lightly with a laugh before hooking her arm with yours and beginning to tug you along. “I didn’t know if you’d come tonight with everything that happened last game.” 

“Why?” You ask a bit cluelessly, before remembering the event clearer and shaking your head, “Oh, that weird guy? No, I’m fine.”

She hums with a slight frown as the two of you get to the concessions, “I’m so sorry for leaving you in all the chaos, I didn’t realize you weren’t behind me until I got to Jay.”

Sensing the remorse behind her words, you find yourself quickly saying, “Don’t feel bad, I’m okay.”

“Ugh, I need your number! That’s been eating me alive all week!” She huffs softly as the line moves up, “I tried to find you at school but you kept evading me.”

“You couldn’t ask Belle? Don’t you two share a class?” You question with a slight tilt of your head and her jaw slacks.

“Why did I not think of that?” She mutters to herself as you both reach the front of the line and she orders herself a soft pretzel before looking over at you, “My treat, an apology.”

You aren’t one to reject free food when offered, so you look at the concession worker and say, “A Dr Pepper and another soft pretzel, please.” 

Gaeul pays and a worker in the back pulls out two warm pretzels as another grabs the familiar maroon bottle from a cooler. She starts speaking again the moment the food and drinks are in your hands.

“Food isn’t allowed on the field, but I already gave Jay a kiss before he went on the bus.” 

Her smile is suggestive, and you make a face that has her whining, “C’mon, I’ll hold your food while you go—“ She shimmies her shoulders and purses her lips into a kissy face that has you letting out a shrill ‘ew, stop!’

“That’s deplorable.” Your words contradict the laughter seeping into your speech, “I am not going down there.”

“Boring.” She groans, but her face brightens suddenly and she waves ahead. When you follow her gaze and find Mrs Nishimura approaching, you internally freak out until she smiles at you and you remember how lovely of a woman she is. 

A lovely woman who seems to zero in on the jersey you wear the moment she’s within arms reach, “Oh, don’t you look darling!”

She pulls you into a warm hug and you accept it keenly, “Thank you! Are Maki and Runa with you?”

Your question comes as she pulls away, keeping you at arms-length as she shakes her head, “No, they stayed home with their father, neither wanted to make the trip.”

The trip being about an hour long car ride to the other side of town, which is fair. Feels shorter when you’re driving, though. You got through SZA’s new album on the way, too.

The three of you make it to the bleachers, finding a spot to watch the game as the ref whistles and the teams start to huddle. The board reads:

STARSHIP ALIENS v. DECELIS DEMONS

You sporadically tear pieces off of your soft pretzel as your eyes follow Riki the entire game, catching his eye at multiple points and having to act like you don’t see he’s got a shit-eating grin on his face under that face-guard.

The Demon’s win 12-8 long past sunset, a chill nipping your nose and the empty paper your pretzel came in crumbled into a ball in your hand. Rin sends you the same look as the last game before retreating toward the parking lot.

The moment you step foot on the field after releasing Gaeul’s arm, Jake appears in your view with a big grin, “Didja see the weaving I did? I looked cool, right?”

You debate breaking it to the boy that you may have entirely forgotten he was even on the team, too focused on his teammate to even notice him.

“I don’t think she was watching you.” Heeseung appears with his helmet off and his sweat-drenched hair sticking to his forehead. He moves to throw an arm around your shoulder and you quickly dodge with an ‘eugh’.

“You’re sweaty and you stink.” You grumble with a grimace on your face, and Heeseung seems ready to complain before he grins again at something behind you and a second later arms engulf you from behind. 

“You’re cute from the back too, pretty girl.” Riki muses into your ear, lifting you up held against his chest with his arms wrapped around you. 

“Riki, you sweaty bastard, let me go!” You whine, struggling against him as he lets your feet touch the ground again.

He giggles boyishly as he obeys, and as you turn to give him a piece of your mind you find the curses dying on your tongue at the grin on his face.

His smile is wide and unapologetically smug, the kind that crinkles the corners of his eyes and makes your chest feel like your heart is trying to claw its way out. His helmet dangles loosely in his hand now, his hair a damp mess but somehow still looking good.

“You can’t just pick people up like that,” you say, trying to sound annoyed but betraying yourself when your lips twitch upward. “It’s rude.”

He leans forward slightly, closing the gap between you as if he can’t keep himself away. “Oh? You didn’t like it?”

You roll your eyes, stepping back to put some space between you, but Riki matches your movement with an exaggerated pout, clearly enjoying himself. Before you can fire back with something probably aggressive or mean, another voice cuts in.

“Alright, Romeo, stop flirting and help us pack up,” Jungwon calls, dragging the duffel bags of gear toward the bus. He tosses a water bottle at Riki, who catches it without really looking.

“I’ll see you in a minute,” Riki says softly, his grin softening into something warmer that sends an entirely different kind of shiver through you. He leans down and kisses your cheek before jogging off to join his teammates. 

Holy fuck.

Your heart is racing in your chest like an old woman whose heart is about to give out, and your long sleeve undershirt is suddenly too damn hot. 

You barely manage to pull yourself together before Gaeul pops up next to you, a knowing smirk spread across her face as she loops her arm around yours. “He kissed you~,” she sing-songs, her tone just low enough not to draw attention, but her amusement is blatant.

“Fuck off,” you mumble, pressing a hand to your cheek like it’ll somehow stop the warmth there from spreading like the grin in your face. You hope the shadows cast by the stadium lights are enough to hide your flustered state.

Gaeul doesn’t let up as the two of you wander toward the edge of the field, her giggles like little daggers stabbing at your already tattered dignity. “He picked you up. And got touchy.”

“I’m aware,” You huff, “I experienced it.”

“I mean, I don’t think you get how big a deal this is,” she practically rambles, “Riki’s never been this…confident!”

“Oh?” You question with your brows furrowed slightly.

She nods with an eager hum, “Riki’s shy! At least he was when I first met him.” Everything up to this point hadn’t pointed you in that direction regarding Riki’s personality, too familiar with the smug smiles and nonchalance, “I mean, he’s like a different person now that you’re around.”

“That’s…good, right?” You question hesitantly, “I mean, he wasn’t weird or anything, right?”

Your voice must have failed to convey the jesting tone you intended because Gaeul quickly begins to backtrack as you approach the bus. Jungkook is at the driver's seat of the bus while some of the team boards it with their duffles hanging from their shoulders and others are loading the luggage compartment with gear, free of their shoulder pads and helmets. 

Even without the padding, Riki’s back is broad, jersey hanging off muscle. You can barely see Jake past him, who's on the other side of the compartment helping organize it. 

You forget about any questions on your tongue when the shorter male cheekily points out your approach from behind and he looks over his shoulder for you with the prettiest smile you’ve ever seen.

Beautiful bastard.

He wastes no time in loading the equipment bag in his hands into the compartment before stepping away from the bus, jogging toward you with that grin. Gaeul begins to pull away with a grin, but leans in to speak quietly enough for him to not hear, “I’ll give you guys a second.”

She shoots a wink at you as she and Riki pass each other, a soft snicker leaving you as she calls out happily for Jay, who’s just stepped off the bus.

Riki slows as he reaches you, his smile turning slightly sheepish now that it’s just the two of you. He lifts a hand to scratch the back of his neck, his other hand gripping the hem of his jersey. “You’re not mad about earlier, right?”

You ignore the fact his movements cause the jersey to ride up, revealing a sliver of his abdomen that makes you feel like a Victorian man seeing an ankle for the first time.

“I haven’t decided yet.” You respond with a nonchalant shrug and a thoughtful tilt of your head. 

He chuckles softly, his hand dropping from his nape as he steps closer with the same magnetism as before, like he doesn’t want to be too far, “C’mon, I was happy you’re here.”

“And you just had to pick me up?”

His laugh is warm and full, the sound washing over you and melting away any annoyance you could have pretended to feel. “Yes.” he says with a nod, his eyes crinkling at the corners again as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other. 

This time, you roll your eyes and half-fight the smile naturally growing on your face, “Fine, but that’s your first strike.”

His brows raise in curiosity, his grin turning to a smirk as he asks, “First strike? How many do I get?”

“Three. Duh.” You sass, and he seems to find that just as amusing as your very serious strike system, though you find it kinda hot that he didn’t question the logic behind it. (The answer: if Sheldon Cooper can have a strike system, so can you.)

“And what happens after three?” He asks, leaning closer with intrigue and that stupid smile.

“Let’s hope you never find out.” You retort, having an idea of what to say but not sure if ‘flogging’ is too far. (You know Belle would laugh, though.)

“Nishimura!” Jungkook barks from the open doors of the bus. The last of the team is filing onto the bus, probably eager to get home. “Stop lollygagging and get on the damn bus.”

You snort softly at the word choice, but find that you aren’t safe from the Coach’s annoyance, “You too, go home. Don’t make me tell them about Shadow.” 

The gasp that leaves your lips is one of pure betrayal. The audacity. The nerve. “You—”

He raises his brows in a ‘do it, i dare you’ way and your lips fall shut.

Riki is unable to move past the Shadow thing. “Shadow? Like the Hedgehog?”

“No, like my cat.” You snap sarcastically, “Get on that damn bus.”

Your gaze moves to the vehicle in question, and you find the eyes of the Decelis lacrosse team trained on you and Riki. Through an open window, you hear a voice you think is Kai’s saying, “I thought her cat’s name was Gus.”

“Baby, you have to tell me now.” He laughs breathlessly, like he’s not sure whether to let it out or keep it in for your sake.

“It will never leave my mouth, and I swore him—“ Your words shift from defiant to angry as your finger shoots out to point at the tattooed man impatiently waiting at the bus’ door, “—to secrecy!”

Your words are full of betrayal as you vehemently continue with your manicured finger still pointed, “You took the Unbreakable Vow!

“You were eight.” The Coach retorts. “You used a Crayola marker. It was pink.”

You want to argue, but hold yourself back for everyone’s sake as you look back at a heavily amused Riki and say, “Get on the bus.”

“I’m not letting this go.” He warns with pure joy on his face and a laugh in his voice as he begins to slowly walk back.

You simply shake your head and cross your arms defiantly, “I’m not gonna tell you.”

He only tilts his head with ‘really?’ look, too smug for his own good, the bastard. 

Jay and Gaeul appear, her lipgloss smudged on his lips and messy on her own. Jungkook notices them with a disgusted frown and chilling glare. Jay mutters a ‘sorry Coach’ after kissing Gaeul goodbye, and she happily begins to approach your side.

Riki takes the brief moment of time to circle back and ask you quickly, “Are you free tomorrow? Or tonight?” 

You blink, mindful of Gaeul’s approach but finding his impulsivity endearing, nodding instead of saying something you’ll cringe at later.

His grin stretches wide, lighting up his face like you’ve just made his entire night. “Cool. I’ll text you,” he says casually, though there’s a spark of excitement in his voice that betrays him. Before you can respond, he jogs back toward the bus, shooting you one last look over his shoulder as he climbs the steps.

Gaeul sidles up to you, her arm sliding through yours with practiced ease, the grin on her face telling you she heard the exchange, “Ready to go?”

You’re thankful she doesn’t tease you again, nodding as the both of you begin to walk toward the visitor parking. 

With your back turned, you don’t see one of the slightly ajar windows sliding open more, or the boy that pops his head out of it until he calls out, “Hey!”

You stop mid-step, glancing back over your shoulder to find Riki leaning halfway out the window, his hair messy and damp but looking entirely too perfect for someone who just played an entire game.

You raise a brow in silent question.

“You look good in my jersey!” he calls out, his tone playful but tinged with something softer—something that makes your heart skip.

Your cheeks heat instantly, and you can’t fight the smile breaking across your face. Gaeul snorts next to you, gripping your arm like she’s about to combust.

“I know!” you shout back, doing your best to sound casual, though the warmth in your voice betrays you.

His grin widens, impossibly charming, and he shoots you a two-fingered salute before disappearing back into the bus as the vehicle begins to roll away. Gaeul finally releases her pent-up laughter, practically bouncing on her toes.

“You know?” she echoes, mimicking your response and clutching her stomach. “Girl, you’re gonna kill him one day with that play.”

You start walking toward the parking lot again, tugging her along to keep her from lingering. “I wasn’t playing anything,” you say, though the warmth in your cheeks tells a different story. “I do look good in his jersey. That’s just reality.”

“Sure, sure,” she teases, bumping her shoulder into yours. “But you could’ve just said thank you. Or blushed. Like a normal person.”

“Showing that he affects me is embarrassing.” You grumble softly, “I’ll die before I boost a man’s ego like that.”

(Though, you did cry in front of him about how much you like him, so maybe that argument isn’t valid anymore.)

She cackles at that, nearly stumbling over her own feet as you reach your car. “But, seriously, I’ve never seen him like that. He’s so…” Her voice trails off as she unlocks her own car a few spaces down, but the twinkle in her eye says enough.

“So what?” you press, opening your car door but pausing before you get in.

Gaeul grins knowingly, pointing at you with her keys. “So gone for you.”

You spend the next minute acting like the thought of him being ‘gone’ for you, as Gaeul put it, doesn’t make you want to squeal into a pillow and kick your feet, and when the two of you part ways that feeling remains.

The hour drive home feels longer with Riki on your mind, but maybe it’s the fact you aren’t sure if seeing him again tonight is the best idea. 

Something you’ve realized about yourself since meeting Riki is that you suck at impulse control. You preach self-control yet the moment he’s around you—or even mentioned—you find yourself wanting to act on every impulse the chemicals in your brain fire.

When you get home, pulling into the garage as your parents were once again out of town, you read a text Riki had sent not ten minutes prior.

A beat passes before he responds and you huff in disbelief.

The response comes in the form of a phone call. His contact photo lights up your screen, and you huff softly in amusement before pressing the answer button and bringing it to your ear as you get out of your car, “Yes?”

“Both?” His voice comes through, playful yet tinged with something warmer. You can hear the muffled chatter of his teammates in the background, he must not be home yet. “You’re really not making this easy for me, you know.”

“You asked,” you counter with a soft laugh, locking your car and slinging your bag over your shoulder. “I just gave you the answer.”

“Yeah? Which door should I be knocking on? Front or back?”

“You’re not seriously coming tonight, stupid,” you say, though the idea isn’t unappealing. You reach the door, cursing softly at how loud the garage is as it closes. Your hand wraps around the door handle.

“Why not?”

“Riki,” you start with a laugh, entering your home and flipping on the light.

“What? You said both,” he teases. You can hear the grin in his voice, and you roll your eyes even though he can’t see. “Besides, Coach is gonna drop us off at the field to grab our cars anyway. It’s not like I’m going out of my way or anything.”

You hesitate, caught between the thrill of seeing him tonight and the logic of how tired he must be after the game. “Are you sure you don't wanna go to bed?”

“Not really,” he says softly, a bit more serious now, warm. “I’d rather see you.”

Your stomach flips, the sincerity in his voice knocking the wind out of you. “You’re annoying, you know that?”

“And you love it,” he shoots back, but there’s a gentleness there that makes you smile despite yourself.

“You better shower before you get here,” You say after a beat, and you swear you hear a whispered ‘yes’ before adding, “Don’t need your stench stinking up my house.”

“Yes ma’am.” He chuckles on the other end, a sound that comes through your phone beautifully. “Just don’t fall asleep before I get there.”

“Yeah, yeah, just text me when you’re on the way.” You walk toward the kitchen, dropping your purse on the counter and unzipping it to grab the eyedrops as you say, “Also, do you have a curfew?”

“Why? You tryna keep me for longer, pretty girl?” His teasing words are unfortunately true, but you refuse to admit it.

“Well, it’s already almost 10:00.” You dodge his question as you unscrew the tiny bottle in your hands, “I didn’t know if your mom would want you home sooner rather than later.”

“Nah, she’s fine with it.” He assures you, and then a beat passes and he asks, “What about yours?”

“They’re out of town, so it doesn't really matter.” You shrug, “So to answer your question, the front door is fine.”

You hear shuffling on the other end, a car door opening and closing, “So, you don’t mind if I stay a while?”

You can hear the smile in his words, and with a bite of your nail you say, “I’ll kick you out when I get sick of you.”

He laughs softly on the other end, “I’ll stay till you kick me out, then.”

You exchange a few more words before he hangs up to drive, and you have a window of time to panic(and clean up). 

After a five minute debate with yourself about taking off or keeping on your makeup, you decide the former is the better option with how late it is and your track record of falling asleep without doing so. 

(You also make a promise to yourself that if you fall asleep in front of Riki, death is the only option.)

So, when you get the text that he's arrived and you open the door with a bare face, you half-expect him to comment on it. You had FaceTimed him late enough for the boy to bear witness to your nighttime routine on multiple occasions, but he’d never shown any reaction to it.

The only reaction you get is the same boyish smile as always, the warmth behind his eyes making your heart lurch in your chest.

“Hey,” he greets softly, hands stuffed into the pocket of his hoodie as he steps inside. He smells like some mélange of citrus and musk, his body wash and cologne you assume, and it makes your head feel funny.

“Hey.” You respond with a light huff of amusement as you step aside for him to enter, closing the door behind him, “I see you showered.”

His damp hair covers his forehead, the same messy style he has everytime he takes off his helmet and sweat saturates each lock, yet a bit frizzy like he towel-dried it before he left.

He chuckles, head shaking lightly in amusement as he lets you lead him toward the kitchen, “I listen.”

His words are playfully defensive, the boyish smile on his face and the way he cranes his neck slightly makes you laugh, “You better.” He hums, dropping himself onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island, eyes flickering over the space as you move to grab yourself a drink. “You want anything?” 

“Whatever you have.” He shrugs, so you grab two Dr Pepper cans from the fridge and move back to the island.

Riki watches you pull two straws from the drawer in amusement, his elbows on the counter as you pop open the cans with practiced ease and an unhurried leisure. You catch his eyes with a raise of your brow that has him smirking slightly and saying, “Just watchin’.”

“I’d prefer you didn't stare.”

“Can’t help it.”

You roll your eyes at him, but put the straw in and hold the can out toward him anyway. When he takes it with that almost besotted  look in his eyes and his fingers brush yours, you find yourself turning away from him the moment it’s out of your hand, “Are you hungry?” 

Riki shakes his head, tapping his fingers against the can before taking a sip. “Nah, we stopped for food after the game.”

You nod, opening the pantry to browse and distract yourself, but it does nothing to drown out the weight of his gaze. This was a horrible idea. When you glance at him, he’s still watching you, straw between his lips, eyes holding something unreadable.

“Stop it.”

Riki obediently averts his gaze, turning in his stool until he’s no longer facing you—though he playfully overachieves, turning his back to you completely. You can’t help but poorly conceal a laugh at his actions, which prompts him to look back over his shoulder for your smile.

You act like you don’t catch the way his gaze follows you, ignoring the way it forms a knot in your gut. “C’mon, let’s sit in the living room.”

He follows without hesitation, the soft thud of his socks against the floor trailing after you. You settle into the couch, tucking your legs beneath you, and he drops down beside you like he belongs there.

He does it so easily—makes himself at home in your space, in your presence. It should annoy you. Maybe it does, but not for the reasons you wish it did.

Riki sets his drink on the coffee table, stretching an arm across the back of the couch. He doesn’t touch you, but he could. If you shifted even slightly, if he reached just a little further.

You pretend not to notice.

You scroll through the options absentmindedly, hyperaware of Riki’s presence beside you—the way his fingers drum idly against the couch cushion, the way his head tilts slightly in your direction when you stop on a show.

“This good?” You ask, your voice quieter than intended.

“Yeah,” he says softly. You get the feeling he doesn’t really care what’s on.

You settle into the silence, the soft hum of the TV filling the space between you. For a moment, it’s almost comfortable, normal. But the stillness makes your mind race, and it’s impossible not to notice how close he is. You shift slightly, your side brushing against his as you settle deeper into the cushions, and the air feels thicker somehow, heavier.

You steal a glance at him, his eyes fixed on the screen, but there’s a subtle tension in his posture that wasn’t there before. His shoulders are a little tighter, his jaw a little more set, like he’s holding something back.

Like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day, Gus appears around the corner with a sweet trill and takes the attention of both of you away from the movie(and each other).

Riki perks up immediately, his gaze shifting from the screen to the small ball of fur trotting toward the couch. “Oh, hey, buddy,” he greets softly, leaning forward slightly as Gus hops onto the cushions with practiced ease.

You watch with amusement as he settles in Riki’s lap, loafing contentedly and blinking slowly at you from his spot. Unable to bear it, you shift slightly closer to the boy beside you to reach your cat more comfortably, muttering a soft and fond, “Traitor.”

The midfielder laughs softly, ringed fingers gently scratching the tomcat on his head near your own, “He loves me.”

“He’s a lovey cat.” You retort, and though your words are true, you’ve never seen him lay in anyone’s lap this fast, much less a boy. He was never too fond of Eunseok, and doesn’t really care much for Jongseob, yet seeks out affection from Riki every time he comes over. “He likes warm laps.”

“Maybe he just has good taste.”

“Or maybe he’s a cat.” You retort, shifting again in your seat to make sure you’re not too close. He comments this time.

“Am I making you nervous?” He asks teasingly, voice low. 

“Excuse me?” You ask with a judgemental confusion on your face.

He seems undeterred, only motivated by the tone you give him, “You keep fidgeting, baby.”

“What did I say about calling me that?” You lightly smack his side, and he winces playfully.

“My bad,” he concedes, hands lifting from Gus momentarily in mock-surrender, “it won’t happen again.”

“Don’t lie.”

He chuckles, “It’ll happen again.”

A noise begins to play from the other room, and Gus immediately launches himself from Riki’s lap to run off. You laugh softly at Riki’s slight pout, the boy dramatically reaching after the feline longingly, “That was his automatic feeder.”

“Damn.” He sighs, his hands falling back to his sides on the sofa. The tip of his thumb brushes your knee accidentally, and the tension in the air shifts once more.

Both of you seem to zero in on the simple contact, accidental and barely-there yet electric in a way you’d never experienced such minute touches. The tip of his thumb turns into the pad of it, a gentle tracing of circular patterns on your knee. Then, his knuckles join, as if testing the waters.

When you glance at him he's already looking at you, his eyes dark with something unreadable, something intense that makes your stomach flip and your chest explode with warmth. Like an itch, one you know how to quell but the side of your brain dealing with critical thinking tells you it’s probably a bad idea.

His palm flattening against your knee is enough for you to disregard the advice of your logical brain and act on the only impulse your brain can fire at the moment. 

Riki’s other hand moves to your cheek when you’re close enough, long fingers tangling into the hair behind your ear as his thumb brushes your cheekbone. His head tilts to the side, nose brushing yours as he shakes it lightly. He doesn’t use the hand on your cheek to push you away or tease you further, any playfulness gone and replaced by a warmth and desire that makes your chest fill with butterflies. 

Your breaths mix, the sound of the TV drowned out by the sheer madness of him. He looks like the last thing he wants to do is pull away, like it’s a struggle to not close the short distance between your lips and his—to not cross any lines. Then, his forehead presses to yours gently and he says, “We don’t have to. I can wait.” 

His words are soft, nearly whispered, yet his deep voice makes them heavier on your gut than you’d ever admit. You find yourself speaking in a mirrored tone, “I don’t want you to wait anymore.” 

His eyes widen just slightly, and his lips part, just barely, his gaze dropping to your mouth. His thumb continues its delicate path across your cheekbone, his fingers flexing in your hair as if anchoring himself to this moment. You can feel the warmth of his breath mingling with yours, the proximity making your heart race.

“I want you to know,” he begins, his voice a low rumble, “I’m not going anywhere. I meant what I said about waiting…I won’t rush you.”

You take a deep breath through your nose, his words a tender weight against your chest. But it doesn’t change what you’re feeling now or how close he is. How easy it would be to just close the gap and kiss him, to let all the tension and uncertainty dissolve with the space between your lips.

“I know.” You say with a slight smile.

Before you can second-guess yourself, your lips find his in a soft and brief kiss. 

Riki’s intentions seem to differ from your own as you move to pull away, the hand on your cheek sliding into your hair as his lips chase yours to pull you back in. There’s no hesitation behind it like before, his lips moving against yours with a building urgency that you can’t help but reciprocate.

You gasp softly against his mouth when the hand on your knee glides up your thigh, fingers pressing into skin and pulling you closer almost desperately. He tilts your head just enough to deepen the kiss, a low sound from his chest setting your blood aflame as you maneuver into his lap.

His hands move as your knees settle on either side of his hips, warm palms splaying over the curve of your waist and fingers digging into flesh to feel you as close as possible. It’s too much, yet somehow not enough.

Your fingers thread into his slightly damp hair, another deep sound escaping his intoxicating lips that has your stomach flipping. His breath is warm against your skin, his lips brushing yours again and again, each kiss deeper than the last. You can feel the way his heart beats beneath your palm, just as fast as yours, and it makes something tighten in your chest.

Riki tilts his head slightly, his nose brushing against your cheek as he exhales softly, his grip on your waist shifting as his hands trail up your spine. He pulls you impossibly closer, a restrained urgency in the way he holds you. He's patient—always—but there's something in the way his fingers press into your skin, in the way his lips part just enough for his breath to mix with yours, that tells you he's feeling this just as intensely as you are.

Pulling away feels like the worst idea in the world, but your lungs ache and something in the back of your mind tells you this is all too soon, too fast. The sound that the disconnect of your lips with Riki’s makes sends a thrill up your spine that the look in his eyes only exacerbates.

His forehead is warm against your own as your breaths mix and his hands slide back down to your waist. His lips ghost yours as you pant softly against him, his head tilting and his nose brushing over your cheek as his lips find the skin there, then your jaw, and your pulse point. You can feel the chastity of his kisses, the type that’s so gentle you’re not sure if you actually felt his lips on you or you just want them there enough to trick your mind into believing it.

“God, pretty girl.” He sighs, burying his nose into your neck to stop himself from kissing you more.

“Riki,” you murmur, unsure of what you want to say, only knowing that you don’t want him to move away just yet.

He hums against your skin, his breath warm, sending a shiver down your spine. “Yeah?”

You hesitate, then exhale softly. “Nothing.”

He chuckles, low and knowing, before pulling back just enough to look at you. His eyes are dark, but there’s something tender in the way they study you, like he’s trying to commit this moment to memory.

His thumb brushes absentmindedly over your waist, his touch light, reverent. “You good?”

You nod, though your heart is hammering in your chest. “Are you?”

He tilts his head slightly, as if considering, then grins—small and lopsided. “Yeah.”

His gaze drops to your lips again, lingering for a beat too long before he exhales through his nose, shaking his head. “I should go before I do something stupid.”

The admission has your stomach flipping once more, but you find yourself huffing softly in amusement, “Yeah, you should.”

The moment your hands move to his shoulders and you attempt to dismount his lap, his arms wrap around your waist and his nose returns to its home buried in your neck, “Mmm, in a minute.” 

A laugh escapes you, breathy and light, as your fingers absentmindedly trace the line of his shoulder blades. “You just said you should go.”

“I should,” he murmurs, voice muffled against your skin. “Doesn’t mean I want to.”

You hum softly, deciding against teasing him and instead settling into the security of his embrace. You feel him smile against your skin, slowly pulling his face from the junction between your neck and shoulder.

Then, his hands move, one sliding up your spine while the other lifts to cup your jaw, and he kisses your cheek. Soft. Chaste.

“Okay,” he murmurs, still so close. “Now I’ll go.”

You don’t stop him this time when he loosens his hold, when he gently shifts you off his lap. You don’t say anything as he stands, raking a hand through his already-messy hair(courtesy of your hands, of course), or when he stretches and his hoodie rides up. When he looks down at you, you almost shrink under his gaze before he smiles that warm way you love and he leans forward to grab your hand in his.

You let his fingers slide between your own, your eyes on him as he tugs you gently and prompts you to get off the couch to step closer to him with a soft huff of amusement, “I thought you were going?”

His hand in yours slips out in favor of joining the other on either side of your jaw, thumbs gently brushing your cheeks fondly as he mirthfully smirks down at you. You have no choice but to tilt your head back to look at him at this proximity, and he doesn’t seem all that eager to widen it.

“I am.” His muttered confirmation is contradicted by the way his lips find yours again, soft yet eager, no longer hesitant to join them as often as he’d like with your prior statement. When he pulls away and you chase his kiss, he hums with amusement in his grin, nose nudging yours. “How am I supposed to leave if you keep making me want to kiss you, huh?”

“I didn’t even do anything.” You defend yourself with a soft laugh.

“Mm, you don’t have to.” He groans softly, eyes shutting as he presses his forehead to yours and sighs, “You’re mine now, right?”

The bluntness of his question has your heart skipping but you hum as if apprehensive, “Maybe. You didn’t ask.”

His eyes open and he looks at you with playful disbelief and a whole lot of amusement, “You want me to ask you out, pretty girl?”

“I never said that,” You retort reflexively, ignoring the way his eyebrows quirk up in challenge and entertainment, “But I might be yours if you ask nicely.”

“Nicely. Right….” He nods in mock understanding, and when he leans in to kiss you again, you meet him halfway. “Will you…” He starts with his voice soft and deep in all the best ways as he pulls away between kisses to continue, “be…my girl?”

He pulls away just enough to see your face as you recover from the dizzying way his lips find yours, and your words are softer than you intended as you breathlessly reply, “I’ll have to think about it.”

His shoulders shake with soft laughter as he shakes his head and mutters, “shut up,” under his breath before he closes the distance once more.

𝒇𝒊𝒏.

©heedeungism : do not rewrite, copy, repost, or translate any of my works without my permission.

[pennyellee]

𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 '𝟐𝟒 - 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐬

a/n: welcome to my little reading corner! This post is my love letter to the fics and authors that stole my sleep, left me clutching my heart, or made me shed tears. These are the stories that left their mark on me last year. New or older, re-reads or first times. I hope you’ll find something here that speaks to you as deeply as it did to me. And if you have a recs to share or a favourite trope to gush about, my comment section is always open or jump here to tell me! Let’s keep celebrating the beautiful chaos of what this fandom can bring. Love you fairies. PS: I cannot wait to dive into the projects I have started on my own ♥

𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 @sailoryooons Namjoon x female reader; werewolf au - absolutely astonishing, amazing rendition of the trope, kept me in the world from beginning till the end, an unmissable gem; i've found it difficult to find good namjoon!werewolf content on this app for a long time and this just embodies everything and even more that I was hoping for.

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐲 @personasintro min yoongi x reader; zombie apocalypse au - I actually revisited this fic and it was just as perfect as when I read it the first time, heck, if I wasn't sucker for Min Yoongi then, this made me crush on that man even more.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐲 @solecize jungkook x reader; friends to lovers, inspired by stardew valley - beautiful, beautiful and beautiful, cutest fic ever, i was rooting for them so much and I just might go and re-read this now as this was so touching to read.

𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋 & 𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐛𝐲 @lostberet min yoongi x female reader; racer boyfriend; smut - HOT, HOT, HOT, did I say HOT?

𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍’ 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐊! 𝐛𝐲 @lovieku fuckboy!jungkook x female reader; fwb - I actually re-read this today, or yesterday, whenever, depends on when I post this, and the way the narrative flows is so captivating, and I love me some miss grande inspired content, naturally fell in love with this fic

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐲 @hollyhomburg polyamory bts x reader; omegaverse au, mafia au; dom-sub dynamics - like what do you mean that I cannot marry this fic, tsk, i want to, i need to, so many sleepless night because i just wanted know what happens next; to confess, i did avoid this fic, and now i can tell that this is just the kind that you avoid and avoid and then you're completely soft and fluffy for it. such complex themes being incorporated into the narrative in a way that's going to tight your aorta enough for you to cry and cry and then it will release and you'll feel the dopamine and excitement flowing through your body. bravo.

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 & 𝐋𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 @ktownshizzle dad yoongi x teacher female reader - when i say that this fic slapped me you won't believe why, but it did. Cutest, emotional, and just so captivating to read. ps: capybara capybara capybara capybara capybaraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

𝐚𝐦𝐲𝐠𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐛𝐲 @chaoticpuff17 yandere yoongi x named mc; mafia au - Becca the queen has always a way to characterize the shit out of her yandere male characters and MIN YOONGI is something here! I perceive this masterpiece as a good reinvention of fics with named MCs coz we gradually forgot about that it seems. Becca to the whitehouse pls!

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐲 @angelicyoongie yandere ot7 x female reader; soulmate au - as someone whose academia expertise became the study of narratology, I propose this to be a new submission to the field because this narrative structure is illegally good. Excellently crafted, scenes are gradually built upon from chapter one till the very end, and the end makes your heartbeat faster and in unison the oc (ain't gonna spoil).

𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐲 @97kuu jungkook x reader; smut, friends to lovers au - car sex became underrated trope and we should all learn and f*cking worship this smut area, pleaaaseee, I love car sex smut, I need to read about it more often and this fic is just chef's kiss.

𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐛𝐲 @hueseok jungkook x reader; inspired by purple hearts - since the movie came out I was waiting who will jump to do a fic with the boys inspired by it and this one did not disappoint. Remarkable, amazing rendition, and I wish I could read it again and again for the first time.

𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐲 @chaoticpuff17 yandere namjoon x female reader; mafia au, forced marriage - words will never be enough to talk about how this fic has my brain occupied for years. it holds a special place in my heart, as this was the first ever bts mafia fic i've ever read. hence, i am doing annual re-read. sometimes even several times a read. covid times were rough and i'm glad we all had something to hold space for at the time. this fic it is for me, a sanctuary, albeit its themes, and subsequently its sequel 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧

until we meet again fairies. love, p.

[bonny-kookoo]

For Seven days - is there a chance for a Drabble where Jungkook or MC daydream while looking at the other before their deal? I love their pre-agreement dynamic sm!

A/N: I made a drabble for the moment they both kind of realized they like the other :)

-> Masterlist

It was summer when he realized that you could be more than just a fleeting friend of a friend.

He remembers that yes, your very well-fitting bathing suit was one thing that caught his attention, delicate strings cris-crossing over your sides just begging to be untied by his hands. But it was your interactions that grew more and more playful and most of all relaxed the longer you'd spent at the beach together that made you infiltrate his mind on a deeper level.

"You need to be careful with tattoos I've heard." You told him as he'd sat down on his towel next to yours. "Did you put on sunscreen?" You'd asked, no underlying intentions beneath your words, just pure interest in his wellbeing.

He'd denied, told you sheepishly that he forgot to bring any. And without hesitation, you dug up a small bottle from inside your handbag, offering to help applying it since his hands were probably sandy.

You'd been so careful. Soft. Focused on making sure to massage the sweet smelling sunscreen into his skin, covering his tattooed arm a bit more thoroughly. There was no hesitation or lust in the way you'd ran your hands over his back and front, just pure care and nothing else. You probably don't even remember that day.

He does.

That was when his interest began. The day it blossomed into something more was a few weeks after, when you'd been at his apartment alone for the first time, spent time with him one-to-one. He can't pin-point what it was about you that caught his eye. Maybe it was the simple combination of all the things that made you you.

And you?

You're not sure when he became such a comfort person, the whole process so smooth you didn't even notice it happening. There's a lot of things you did that in hindsight should've made you shy- but they didn't, because in that moment, you didn't think of anything other than the pure situation itself, and not what it could've potentially been taken as. When you applied the sunscreen for him, it was just help. When you offered to help him build that ikea-bed it was just an offer. When you accepted his sweater because you were cold at the camping site you all went to, you took it as just that.

You're not hiding anything. You don't have any ill intentions. You've just become scared to lose him- and he's realizing that now, as he thinks about the past with you next to him, watching the TV alongside him on the couch. He's not he one making you uncomfortable.

But the potential failure of it all is. The risk of him no longer having any interest in you.

That's what you fear most.

And he shares that fear too, deep down.

[voyter]

Heyy, this isn't a hate comment as I really enjoyed reading staged for the season, but there was something which wasn't clear enough to me. Jungkook loved misa a lot, even after 9 years of breakup he was still missing her and hoping that they could get back together but it didn't happen and THEN only he decided to move on, which was absolutely fine! but for some reason it felt like the mc was his backup option (because there wasn't enough backstory about their dynamic) and i feel he never would have thought of that option if misa would have accepted him again. I think he never really liked her in that way before and idk if he'll even love her as much as he loved Misa because there wasn't enough chemistry shown between them. Also, him saying mc isn't that bad as a future option to Misa after literally everything was really not satisfying to read as a reader(sorry). I was hoping for some mature conversation between them after the smut which also didn't happen.

I'm sorry if my opinion is sounding rude or anything like that because i dont mean anything negative at all, I'm just super curious to know more about their characters!

hi, so i TOTALLY get it actually 😭😭😭 the pacing and the lack of chemistry is why i initially didnt want to post this fic in the first place. but do understand this was completely rushed, and i didnt want to let anyone down by not posting anything for christmas — which i had promised months ago.

you do not sound rude at all, trust me !! i actually do appreciate constructive feedback, so im glad you could voice out your opinion !!

so yes, jungkook wasnt over misa. but when he finally saw misa after all those years, she wasnt the same person he had fallen in love with. she grew and matured like everyone does. after all those years of wanting her back, he realized that was out the door because she wasnt the person he had known. then, she reveals that shes engaged and now he really doesnt want to pursue her anymore.

as for jungkook and oc, its implied that they are attracted to each other and fake dating only made that fire stronger for them. now, him telling misa that being with oc wasnt that bad to be with was not supposed to be taken in the context that you took it (although i do understand) !! it was more of a joking way, and how being in a relationship (remember this is his first relationship since misa) wasnt as bad as he thought it would be — since misa broke his heart — and he thought hed never be able to love anyone again.

so i did want to write jungkook and oc having a conversation after the smut, but im going to be so honest, i had been writing that fic for months and i was over it 😭😭😭 just know they didnt immediately fall in love .. but they definitely were always attracted to each other and grew feelings throughout their time as a fake couple. since the fic ended so abruptly, its totally expected for everyone to grow their own opinion on jungkook and ocs relationship. but do consider jungkook fell in love with misa when he was young, and she was his first love — they had no idea what they were doing. with oc, hes a grown adult who has had that experience, and he knows what he wants. i think oc has absolutely nothing to worry about.

i really wish i did write more about them after misa but i also didnt want the word count to be damn near 30k .. please do consider i can get lazy. i write for fun and i dont get paid, so i dont think my fics should be perfect.

but thank you so so much for letting me know your opinion anon, hope this helps !! have a good day !!

[violetsiren90]

Blame Me: Chapter 1 | Jungkook/Reader

Pairing: artist!freespirit!Jungkook/noona!f!Reader

Genre: Best friend's younger brother; slow burn; friends to lovers; eventual romance; eventual smut; neighbors/childhood friends au; forbidden(ish) love; summer love.

Summary: Upon returning to your hometown after breaking off your engagement to your boyfriend of three years, you reconnect with your childhood bestfriend as you attempt to put the pieces of your life back togethe r. It seems like nothing has changed in the sleepy little town until your bestie's younger brother returns home from college - very, very grown. As the summer stretches on, the stakes get higher - can you play with fire without getting burned, or have you ignited a flame that won't be extinguished?

Chapter Warnings: All my fics are 18+ (minors, dni); allusions to an unhappy home environment/neglect; descriptive scenes of shared meals (the characters will eat together a lot in this fic, as it is part of a family dynamic); mentions of promiscuity made in jest; the accidentally-in-bed-together trope; brief panic attack symptoms; MC has some issues with guilt and feeling like a burden

Updates: When I can! Life has been crazy lately.

Author's note: This is so incredibly late in coming, and I really struggled with it for whatever reason (the initial inspo was there and then it just wasn't coming) but I am still excited to tell this story and thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to read it!

*Inspired by "Blame Me" by Monsta X 💕

In case no one has told you yet today, you are loved and worthy of love! 🧜‍♀️ 💜

Tag list: @papijiminfeed @oopscoop @violeata @fancycollectormoon @fandomtales @booboobutt @jlee97 @lifeless-firefly @lovemepie67 @shaybtsforever @woomyteez @smutbangtan @raiu54288

If you want to be added to the tag list, comment or send me an ask to let me know!

You watched the shiny white Tesla that had been your Uber grow smaller and smaller down the long shady stretch of Tiger Lily Lane. You stood on the sidewalk, behind you the warm asphalt of the road and long shadows of the tall, sprawling elms, and before you your childhood home. It was a little grey house with a blue door and white trim, kitchen windows like jovial eyes, curved at the top, staring out over a lawn overrun with crabgrass and lined with bushes of pale pink roses that grew flush with the unpainted picket fence. The porch swing was beginning to show signs of rust, but the two little hanging pots of azaleas that flanked it on either side were blooming and bright. The windows and flowers seemed to loudly stare out into the street,  assuring neighbors and passersby of a happy home, but you knew better. 

You shifted your duffel bag on your shoulder and sighed. You weren't ready to go in. The house into which your family had moved when you were in the third grade had never really been a home to you. In fact, it had been a place you had left. By choice. Granted you had paid the occasional visit, by choice. Because visits were temporary. This wasn't a visit - and the moment you walked through those doors, you would be shutting forever a chapter of your life in which, as stormy as it had been in recent days, had rescued you from the one before it.

An ugly feeling that had been brewing in the pit of your stomach since the pilot had announced that your plane was starting its decent was making itself well known as you stood outside the gate of house number 9195.

A voice snapped you out of your nauseated reverie, and as you turned to see its owner, new feelings washed over you. Better ones. In the lawn of 9197 Tiger Lily Lane stood a pretty, slim young woman with a sharply cut, silky black bob. Her catlike dark eyes were bright and intense, her face bare but lovely, and her clothes simple but strikingly presentable.

    "Y/n!" she called again, her arms extended with open palms in a gesture of embrace and inquisition.

    "Jiah!" you shouted, dropping your duffel with a thud and jogging into the ungated yard where she stood.

    No sooner were you within arm's reach than she pulled you into a tight hug, swaying you from side to side as she pressed out of you, along with all the air in your lungs, a muffled laugh. Suddenly grasping you by the shoulders, she jerked you back so she could look at you. You grabbed her arms to steady yourself, continuing to gasp out bursts of laughter as you protested.

"Jiah, hold on! Woah! I'm gonna fall!"

    "Who cares about that! I haven't seen you since...oh my god, since the summer we finished undergrad, I think? How are you? Are you going to be in town for a few days?"

You looked back over your shoulder to where two bulging suitcases stood beside your abandoned duffel, then back to Jiah's inquisitive gaze.

    "It's gonna be more than a few days, Ji."

    She squeezed your shoulder as she cocked her head to the side.

    "Wait, are you moving back?"

    You mustered a weary, uncertain smile.

    "Surprise!" you offered weakly. Her smile faded, lips drawing into a pensive purse.

    "You haven't even been in there yet, have you?" she asked gravely, her eyes searching yours, hand still on your shoulder. You shook your head, lowering your gaze groundward. She sighed.

    "Alright, c'mon," she said suddenly, marching toward your pile of luggage.

    She grabbed the duffel and tossed it at you, wheeling the other two bags up the driveway behind her.

    "You're coming with me for now. We have some catching up to do."

You didn't protest as you followed her over the threshold of the Jeon household for the first time in a long while.

    Linen. Every house has its very own unique scent - one that draws you into its aura, for good or ill, and wraps you in all of the memories and feelings it has afforded you; it can take you back to a moment in time, and who you were in that moment, unmistakable and fleeting - a smoke ring of a portal to a previous reality. Jiah's house smelled like linen. And lilacs? Something floral, but even more delicate.

You inhaled deeply, closing your eyes as you stood just inside the door. The sick feeling in your stomach began to shrink. Every muscle in your body began to soften. You could hear the laughter of years ago. You could feel the bubbly schoolgirl giddiness of slumber parties under forts of sheets. Movie nights with cartons of takeout. Summer afternoons laying in the grass and tossing lazy wishes up at puffy white clouds. 

    "Y/n? Have you even been listening to me?"

You opened your eyes and blinked at Jiah, who was standing in front of you with two bottles of grapefruit IPA and a look of mild annoyance.

    "Sorry," you offered with a sheepish smile, slipping off your shoes, and traded the duffel in your right hand for one of the beers in answer to the question you had missed.

You followed her into the living room and plopped down next to her on a pretty white couch you didn't recognize, taking a long, wheaty swig from your bottle. She folded her legs up under herself and turned toward you, fixing you with earnest, expectant eyes. You raised an eyebrow quizzically.

    "Well, aren't you gonna tell me?" she pressed.

You smiled to yourself. Always so direct, Jeon Jiah. Even with half a decade stretching between this moment and the last you spent together, things were the very same. You were the Libra - the dramatic, messy one. The one with a heart full of dreams and a head in the clouds. She was the Capricorn with the strong sense of direction and the practical perspective. You always seemed to be in a quandary and she never failed to have a hard take on the situation. You sighed, taking another long sip of beer.

    "Have we really talked at all since freshman year of undergrad?" Jiah shook her head.

    While you had fought like hell to get out of Bellpond - even if it meant chasing your father's dreams of law school instead of your own - Jiah, who desperately wanted to join you in New York, had set aside her own longings to attend a local college while helping the family store survive the recession. Telling her the truth of what happened was going to be painful. You chewed on the inside of your cheek, trying to transcend the assumption that what you were about to say would let her down.

    "It was a guy, wasn't it?"

You shot wide eyes up at her, mouth agape at her sudden interjection. 

"What?" she pressed with a shrug as she sipped her own beverage,

"That's always what it is with you."

    You blinked, trying to form some sort of protest while failing to find any evidence in memory to counter her claims. You settled for a rueful smile and a huff. 

    "I guess I always have had pretty terrible taste in men," you conceded.

    "Pretty terrible?" she pushed, her face pinching into a comically overt censoriousness. "It's like your number one turn-on is red flags!"

    "Hey!" you rebutted, launching yourself at her shoulder in a playful shove, and sloshing her beer in the process.

You froze in panic as she glanced down at her dampened cardigan, and then at you.

    "Oh, shit! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

You jumped up and backed away, holding your hands outstretched in front of you as she stood up and slowly and menacingly advanced toward you. 

    "This is my favorite sweater," she hissed in a whisper.

    "Jiah, I didn't mean too, I'm sorry!" you whined, manic laughter punctuating your words as you backed around the coffee table.

    "It has lady bugs on the bottom," she hissed again, eyes narrowing as she raised the right hem to gesticulate at the embroidered insects in question.

    "And they're very cute," you placated, hands still raised in self defense. "Look, I said I was - Aaahh!!"

    She lunged at you mid-sentence, and you shrieked, tripping over your own feet in an attempt to flee and you toppled, one after the other, in a heap on the plush carpet. Before you could find out if your friend was in fact as strong as she had been in high school, the front door swung open and a familiar voice filled the room.

    "Jeon Jiah, get up off the floor and help your imo with all these damn groceries! I had to - AHHHH!"

    You looked up at the figure in the door as she let out a high-pitched squeal of delight. She was a petite bombshell of a woman in her early fifties, who, had you not known otherwise, you wouldn't have pegged for a day over forty. Bright and expertly executed makeup adorned her features - softer and rounder than Jiah's. Her permed dark hair was pulled up in a colorful bohemian wrap, and she wore compression pants, neon orange Nike's, and a crop top with a print of Joan Jett flipping the bird. She had dropped the bags of citrus and apples she had been carrying, sending the fruits rolling across the floor.

    "Aebeolle!" She shrieked, running forward, and bending down to pull you up by your armpits into a half-stand so she could crush you in a hug. 

    "Rosie!" You propped yourself up on your knees so that you could wrap your arms around the tiny woman's middle.

    Imo to her niece and nephew, she was Rosie to everyone else. While Jiah's mother had been the responsible one, staying out of trouble, and working in the family store after school, Rosie had been the wild child. Smart as a whip but with no patience for the system, Rosie had dropped out of high school at seventeen and jumped on a tour bus the following summer as the groupie of a grunge band. She hadn't looked back until Christmas Eve of 1999, when her whole world was shattered by a phone call.

She had taken the next flight back to the hometown she had promised to never set foot in again so that by Christmas morning she could have her niece and nephew in wrapped her arms. She left behind her life in the fast lane to take over running the Jeon's store and raise her sister's kids in their family home. 

She had been there for you, too. On those nights you climbed out of your window, a backpack slung over your shoulder stuffed with clothes and a toothbrush, to tap softly on their front door. On the following mornings she had filled your stomach with warm, hearty dakjuk and fluffy slices of milk bread, and let you watch cartoons as she worked out the knots clinging to your neglected hair. She offered the warmest hugs, the softest words of direction, and the loudest cheers of praise. She had always called you "aebeolle" which was Korean for "caterpillar", and she had always given you the nurture you needed to survive. If she hadn't, you weren't sure where you would have come by it.

    "What are you doing here? You finally paying us a visit?" she asked, clapping her hands to your cheeks.

    "She was about to tell me about how some guy wrecked her life. Again."

Jiah interjected, earning herself a smack on the shoulder.

    "Jiah, you brat!" Rosie chided, as she helped you to your feet.

She glanced up at you through fake lashes.

"You really do have the worst taste in men, though."

    You sighed in defeat.

    "Ugh, you two," you blustered, "Where is Jungkook when I need backup?"

    "Headed this way, for the summer, actually," Rosie remarked as she collected the fruit strewn across the floor.

    "So he decided to slum it, huh?" Jiah huffed, "I thought he was going to Ontario, or wherever the heck that last girl he met at that festival was from."

    Rosie shrugged, shaking her head with a smile.

    "I've lost track," she chuckled.

    You blinked.

    "Wait, wait, wait...are we talking about the same person?" You asked, holding a hand up in disbelief. "Jungkook. Your little brother. Tiny. Shy as hell. Looks like the weight of his head is gonna topple him over. Bunny rabbit teeth....is a lady's man?"

    "Well, not strictly," Rosie hummed, hoisting a bag of produce onto the counter. "His sophomore year in Paris there was that one guy...what was his name?"

    "Taehyung," Jiah offered, shedding her sweater and draining her beer.

    "Right, right," Rosie nodded. "I liked him. Too bad."

    Your mouth hung open. Jiah wrinkled her nose.

    "You're gonna catch flies that way," she remarked sardonically. 

    "I...I just cannot believe what I'm hearing. Jungkook. In my mind he will forever be the tiny gremlin I have to keep bailing out of trouble."

    Rosie smiled. Jiah scoffed.

    "Well, he's still a gremlin, if you ask me," she sniffed, chucking the beer bottles in the recycling bin.

    "When does he get back?" You asked.

Rosie shook her head as she divided the groceries between the cupboards and the fridge.

    "He's on his bike so, barring any unexpected stops - which are definitely not out of the picture - he should be here in the next couple of days. Probably by the weekend."

    You nodded, still trying to wrap your head around the newly acquired image of you and Jiah's childhood tag-a-long. Rosie approached you with a picture pulled up on her phone.

    "Look at him," she said with a smile, sliding the device into your hand.

    You blinked at the picture on the screen. There he stood - much taller than you remembered - a girl under each arm, filling out a pair of ripped jeans, a black tank, and an ascot. A fringe brushed the tops of his eyes, while the top half of his dark waves were bound back in a little bun. His right arm was covered in tattoos. He was grinning from ear to ear, with that same toothy smile you had committed to memory.

   "That's just crazy," you murmured, shaking your head, before handing Rosie's phone back to her. 

    "He's going to be thrilled to see you. I think he has a lot of happy memories from when you three were kids just banging around town together," Rosie remarked as she continued to sort the groceries.

    You smiled to yourself. You certainly did. You glanced at your bags by the door.

    "I guess I should get going," you murmured without conviction.

    "Not yet, not until I've fed you," Rosie responded, not skipping a beat as she began to pile the ingredients for bibimbap on the kitchen island.

You smiled to yourself. Rosie to the rescue, as always.

    "Okay, if you're gonna twist my arm," you sighed dramatically as you pulled up a stool on the other side of the kitchen island, followed by Jiah who grabbed the carrots and a peeler.

    You reached for a huge zucchini squash and knife. Jiah shot you some side-eye.

    "You're not getting out of telling us about the big debacle, you know. Time to 'fess up."

    "Yep, spill," Rosie concurred as she prepped the rice cooker.

    You heaved another sigh. Might as well get it over with, you thought. But for some reason, the words stuck in your throat, unable to come out. You looked at your hands, shaking as they tried to steady the knife over the squash. You couldn't do this. Not right now. Not yet.

    You let the knife clatter to the cutting board and scrubbed your hands over your face. 

    "Y/n?" Jiah asked, leaning over to look at you, "Are you okay?"

    You drew your hands from your face and looked up at her with tired eyes. She and Rosie had traded their teasing glances for expressions of concern. You gripped the edge of the counter to stop your stupid hands from trembling.

    "It's really not a fun story, you guys," you said slowly, trying your best to sound casual, "You're not missing out."

    Rosie reached over the kitchen island to clasp your hands.

    "No worries, aebeolle. We can talk about it some other time. For now, just stick to slicing up this zucchini and forget about that other one!"

    She shot you a wink as she cracked open a tupperware of marinated beef.

    "Imo! My god!" Jiah protested with a grimace as you and Rosie burst into a fit of giggles.

    It was all laughter and shots of soju and teasing Jiah about being a prude until you were gathered around the table with steaming bowls of goodness in front of you. Rosie closed her eyes and threw up rock-on signs with both hands.

    "May Stevie Nicks bless this food," she murmured before snapping up her chopsticks to snag a mandu and pop it into her mouth.

    You took a heaping bite of bibimbap, your whole body relaxing as the flavors and warmth returned you to a simpler time. Another wave of nostalgia washed over you as images of three little hungry kids fighting over the last piece of fried chicken replaced the scene before you. Your eyes wandered to the empty chair beside Rosie. There was a missing piece in the picture of comfort you had always found in the Jeon residence - a missing piece in the shape of round head bearing a pair of giant doe eyes that would light up when he'd win and water-up when he'd lose, and little short legs that ran faster than the longer ones, and a bright smile that was all innocence and central incisors.

You smiled fondly as long-dormant memories continued to appear like little spring flowers of the mind. Jungkook had perfectly completed your little trio, because though Jiah was your best friend, you and he had always understood each other in a way that came so easily. You didn't mind that everything brought him to tears, or that he invested himself so earnestly in even the smallest of his joys. You also didn't find it annoying that he wanted to tag along with the big kids, or that he hated being called a baby despite practically demanding to be treated as one. You knew in a way Jiah would only later realize that he was caught between wanting to grow up too quickly and not at all. It was the same battle between longings that waged war in your own heart, along with so many others who in some way had to raise themselves.

    "How's the oi muchim?" Rosie's question roused you from your reverie.

    "Amazing, like everything," you answered, waving your chopsticks over the spread of banchan.

    "I made it a little spicier this time," the older woman said, sampling the cucumbers again herself. "Trying to get these staples just right before the new place opens."

    "New place? Another store?" You asked, helping yourself to more sukju namul. 

    Rosie's eyes shone, a proud smile tugging at her lips as she gave her answer.

    "A restaurant, actually."

    Your jaw dropped.

    "You're finally doing it!?"

    Rosie leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, nodding at her niece.

    "It's all Jiah's doing. She's taking care of all the logistics, I'm just figuring out the menu."

    "Well, if you need help, I'm in between gigs at the moment," you added eagerly.

    Rosie clapped her hands and wiggled in her chair.

    "We would love the help! We've only just started hiring some staff. So far there's one person to wait tables and someone running the kitchen."

    Jiah let out a huff. You quirked an eyebrow in her direction, and she appraised you with a look of wistful discouragement.

    "Too bad you can't cook, or I'd boot him out tomorrow."

    "Who?"

    "The chef," she sneered.

    "Speaking of, Jiah-ie," Rosie remarked over the food in her cheek, "How is Seokjin doing these days?"

The older woman chewed back a poorly concealed smirk as she glanced up at her niece, whose lips curled scornfully.

    "One day, I'll kill him, I swear," she grumbled, shoveling rice into her mouth as if she was punishing it with every bite.

You glanced over at your friend, then at Rosie, who wiggled her eyebrows as she took a sip from her glass.

    "Seokjin...not Kim Seokjin?" you asked. 

    "Yeeeeep," Jiah affirmed bitterly.

    "He's a cook?"

    Rosie nodded.

    "And darn good at it. The only thing he's better at is pissing off this one right here," she remarked with a smirk as she gestured toward her glowering niece.

  You smiled to yourself as Jiah started off on what would likely be a lengthy rant at the young man's expense. Seokjin, or Jin, as he was more commonly known, had attended the same small high school as you and Jiah. In a body of four-hundred students, everyone had played a well-known role - and while she had been the straight-laced valedictorian, he was the class clown. Natural enemies who found the other beyond comprehension, the bulk of the ire had always been on Jiah's side, while Jin had seemed to find her as amusing as he did inexplicable. The concept of the two of them attempting to run a business together was the stuff of sitcoms.

His ongoing feud with Jiah notwithstanding, it didn't really surprise you that he had tucked himself into the Jeons' life. His father owned most of the agricultural land in the surrounding area, and with his older brother having been slated since birth to take over the family empire, Jin had enjoyed a freedom of direction that found him often seeking out the phenomenon of being needed...and people always needed a laugh. But laughter is momentary, and Rosie, having the heart for strays that she did, always provided something more permanent.

    "So now we're probably going to have to keep Jungkook at the store, because you know how they get when they're together," Jiah tiraded on.

    "They don't get along anymore?" you asked, a bit crestfallen at the thought. 

    "The opposite," Rosie chuckled, "You put them in the same room and those dorks turn into a couple of puppies. They broke the back screen door roughhousing last Chuseok. Plowed right through it."

    You snickered at the thought.

    "But Jungkook is darn well gonna contribute while he's here," your friend asserted as she stood to clear the table, still on her agenda about the restaurant launch, "Not just cruise around finding pretty people to sketch between make-out sessions."

    Rosie waved a hand dismissively.

    "He's always willing to pitch in. But it's summer, and he's young, so don't you go all drill sergeant on him." 

     Jiah scoffed.

    "Sure, it's summer, but there's a lot to get done between now and opening, and -"

    "AND," Rosie interrupted, "I expect you to have some fun as well, young lady! Especially now that Y/n is back. You two better do a decent amount of carousing."

    "Carousing?" Jiah asked with a grimace, directing horrified eyes in your direction.

    You let out another laugh.

    "She's got a point, Rosie. I don't think anyone has caroused in quite some time."

    Rosie rolled her eyes, crossing to the sink and running the tap.

    "Well," she rejoined, undeterred, "Whatever it is they're calling it these days, you two better be doing plenty of it! Give your imo some fun to live through vicariously, why don't you?"

    Jiah shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.

    "And, you," she said, pointing a sudsy wooden spoon in your direction, "Should just stay here for the night. Take Jungkook's room. Then you can rest and be ready for...you know. Tomorrow."

    You accepted the invitation with very little hesitation. It was a relief, and Rosie knew. She had always known. You shot a text to excuse your absence that you doubted was actually necessary and lugged your things down the hall and into the last bedroom on the left.

    The rest of the night was spent stuffed onto the little couch with bowls of ice cream while the three of you shrieked and slapped each other's arms and kick your feet watching reruns of The Golden Girls. It was nearly midnight by the time you slipped under the sheets of the full-sized mattress in the smallest bedroom.

    Though your eyes were heavy with exhaustion, you couldn't help but glance around at the walls and shelves, filled with scented candles, and action figures, Polaroids, and an incredible number of charcoal and graphite sketches. There were drawings of buildings, trees, cars, and people. And though there was little variation in color, the vitality and emotion that sparked along each line drew you from piece to piece. Your eyes drifted over a particular drawing - a girl's lower face - the tip of a nose, lips slightly parted, and her chin tilting upward. It might have been the delirium of your tired mind, but something about it seemed familiar. You stretched for a recollection just out of reach as you slipped past memory and into slumber.

    Weight. The first thing you registered as your mind began to again become aware of its physical trappings was a heaviness. At first your hazy consciousness likened it to blankets, then to the heaviness of a sleep without dreams...safety...security...

    And then something brushed the skin of your stomach under your shirt, drawing a hum out of you as your eyes fluttered open, and what they saw had you frozen in place. An arm. A large, muscular arm covered in dark ink was snaked around your waist, hand slipped under the hem of your sleep tee.

    Fight or flight mode suddenly triggered, you snapped up and pushed yourself away from the body attached to the limb, letting out a shout as you kicked your legs, and only catching a glimpse of dark hair and grey sweatpants as the intruder rolled off the bed and hit the carpet with a loud thud. You jumped off the other side of the bed before you could think, tangling your legs in sheets that brought you tumbling down onto your ass. Before you could thrash free of the bedding, a groaning figure peered with large, dark eyes from the other side of the bed. Dark, wild waves framing his sleepy head like a halo, and wide, round eyes still bleary with sleep, the young man passed tattooed hand over his mouth to wipe the remnants of drool away as he blinked at you from across the room.

    "J...Jungkook?!" you choked out in surprise and confusion, struggling to your feet.

    "You kicked me..." he groaned, his features taking on an injured look as he stooped to rub his thigh.

    "Why...when..."

    "Imo told me to wake you up for breakfast," he pouted.

You scrubbed your hands over your eyes. Same damn baby-faced expression. Huge, bulky man. With tattoos...and a lip ring? This Pokémon had leveled up. Maybe twice. And that was all your brain could register as your heart rate descended from two hundred beats per minute and the heavy fog of an interrupted sleep cycle began to dissipate. You tossed the sheet back onto the bed, and as your eyes flicked back to his face you noticed his had dropped a little lower. Registering with horror that you were in a thin cotton nightshirt with nothing underneath, you snatched up the sheet again, clutching it to your chest. What the fuck was happening?

    "Rosie told you to wake me up, so you decided to spoon me?" You asked incredulously as your embarrassment quickly morphed into agitation.

    Jungkook's eyes widened as they flew up to yours, seemingly caught off guard by the edge in your tone.

    "No, noona...it wasn't like that!" he said, standing to his full height, his brow creasing defensively.

    He was pretty fucking tall. His white tee and grey sweats did little to hide the fact that he was also pretty fucking big. Exasperated by these unbidden acknowledgements that had your brain buffering, you snapped a little again.

    "Then what was it like? You had your hand up my shirt, Kook!" 

    Your voice had unintentionally softened at his nickname, and he caught it, biting back a grin as you hugged the sheet over you just a little more snugly. 

    "It was kind of your fault, noona," he smirked, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. 

    You shot him a quizzical and unamused look.

    "I came in here to wake you up and you pulled me into bed. You kept calling me someone else's name...and..." he giggled, "'Baby', and you kept insisting we sleep for just five more minutes."

    You gaped at him in horror.

     "You pulled my arm over you," he continued, now a bit smugly, "And I had literally just woken up, so...being so comfy...well, I guess I fell back to sleep with you."

    You could feel the heat in your face. You had a history of pretty intense sleep talking, but you hadn't experienced it to that extent in years. You considered that you must have slept deeply as you stammered your apology.

    "Oh my god, Jungkook...I'm so sorry - that's horrifying - I didn't mean to..." 

    The younger man just laughed in response, breaking into his signature luminous smile. His eyes glimmered.

    "Didn't mean to steal my bed, demand cuddles, and then beat the heck out of me?"

    You let out a sigh.

    "Sorry."

He nodded, a little smile still tugging at his lips.

    "I accept your apology for the bruises...but not the cuddles. Those were nice."

    He threw a wink over his shoulder as he headed for the door, and you tossed a pillow and a string of expletives after him as he jogged, giggling, toward the kitchen. Still flustered and a bit thrown, you changed into real clothes before joining the others in the breakfast table. Rosie was placing mayak eggs alongside the piles of bacon and pancakes as you pulled out a chair next to Jiah.

    "You slept well! You must have been exhausted," Rosie remarked, handing you a mug of coffee.

    "Yeah, must have," Jungkook quipped with a smirk as he snagged three strips of bacon.

    You shot him a warning look as you stabbed demonstratively into a stack of pancakes, but his grin only deepened.

    "I thought you weren't supposed to be back until the weekend," you addressed him coolly.

    "Mm," he took a sip of orange juice. "I actually wasn't really supposed to be back until next week. I expected to head north to see a friend but she ended up being out of town, so I just came straight back."

    "A friend, huh?" Jiah crooned patronizingly, as she twirled a fork in his direction.

    Her brother nodded.

    "The same one you were talking to on the phone very loudly when you came in last night?"          

Jungkook scrunched his nose, sticking out the tip of his tongue in her direction.

    "Wow," she drawled, "How very adult of you. And for the record, friends don't call each other 'baby'."

    Jungkook snickered, glancing at you again before he mumbled, "Some friends do..."

    "So, Jiah - " you practically shouted, as you turned toward her in a desperate bid to change the topic of conversation, "You gonna show me the new place today, or what?"

    "The restaurant? If you let her drag you out there, she'll put you to work and you'll never be seen again," Jungkook hummed over an entire egg that he had pocketed in his cheek, casting teasing eyes up at his sister, who smiled back wickedly.

    "You know, Kookie, it's just so good to have you home! We needed someone who puts in those gym hours to do a bit of the heavy lifting." 

    Jungkook flashed another smile, puffing his chest and massaging his pectorals as Jiah feigned a gag.

    You chuckled, and Jungkook grinned as he tucked into his pancakes.

    Watching the two of them bicker and catch up, you realized that things felt a bit more whole again - familiar, if different. You considered that maybe the three of you could all fall back into stride. Maybe this summer wouldn't be so bad after all.

    After breakfast you gathered your things to head next door. You tried to slip out quietly, to avoid Rosie stalling you any further, but Jungkook caught you as he was coming around from the garage, an oil towel in his grease-stained hands.

    "You leaving?" he asked with a tinge of disappointment.

    "I can't over-stay my welcome," you shrugged, smiling wryly.

    His face took on a serious expression.

    "You know you're always welcome here, yeah? It's good to have you back," he pressed earnestly.

    You nodded, touched because you knew he meant it and that the other two members of his family shared the same sentiment. Jungkook wiped his hands on the towel casting a look over at the house next door. 

    "You staying there?"

    You nodded. His brow creased and the corners of his mouth turned down.

    "Okay. You can come here whenever."

    "I know," you said softly.

    His eyes looked worried and uncertain. You dropped your bag and pulled him into a hug. 

    "It's so good to see you again, Jungkook-ah," you murmured, dropping your head against his chest.

    His arms squeezed around you in return. He had always preferred to talk with his body instead of his words. Every playful punch, or little shove, or squeeze of his hand carried a message. This one meant it was good to see you too.

    As you waved goodbye you counted the Jeons' welcome among your blessings - not everything you had left behind would be so welcome to recall. But, life hadn't left you with many choices. So you began the long walk to the house next door.

-End Chapter 1-

[jiminiesfavouritecolourisblue]

OLL's new installment is GOATTTT

It's all about surfeit thrill and the adrenaline rushing through my veins reading it LIKE JSJSJSSJSJDJ HELLO A GURL GOTTA LIVE 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I'm so convinced blue has magic in her hands like how tf do you come up with such a powerful storyline and experiment with not 1 not 2 but the POWER DYNAMIC BETWEEN 8 PEOPLE I MEAN HOLD ME BACK CUZ IMMA START GROVELLING ASJSJS

while the unrequited affection from mc's side towards tae made me WEEP it is also veryyy understandable for her to assert the need for space bcuz anyone in her shoes would've felt stifled

Kookie was such a sweetie with his efforts of abiding by her wishes and jiminie was well- jiminie. The restraint yoongi, hobi and jin were exercising (or atleast trying to) was admirable except it seemed they didn't comprehend why the mc was drawing a line in the first place and only conceded to maintain their distance from her so as to not upset her further rather than seeing the situation from her perspective.

BUT THE CONCLUDING PLOT OF THIS CHAP WAS EATING UP MY INSIDES CUZ IM SO SCARED FOR HER DEAR GOD DONT MAKE NAMJOON DO SMTH STUPID

THIS IS SOOOO GOOODDDDDD!!!!!

I'm eagerlyyy waiting for the next chapter!!!! MUCH LOVE BLUE

<3 <3

THANK TOU SO MUCH THIS MADE MY DAY 😎💜

I think the older four understand where she’s coming from but they don’t think that outweighs the relationship, they’re like yes we made a mistake, fine we’ll learn from it, what do you mean you want space?!? So they get it but they really really don’t like it 👀 and I think their hate of it clouds their understanding

The younger three get it on an emotional level, but again they have needs and it’s mean of you to not need them back the same. Do you not love them anymore? I think their insecurity clouds their judgement

Jungkook is the only one with complete clarity, I think he blamed himself for the last time OC left, so this time he wants to make sure he doesn’t make the same mistake

And I would be scared for her lovely, I would be very scared for her 👀

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

https://www.tumblr.com/struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor/737418156167118848/i-remember-a-while-ago-you-answered-a-ask-ranking?source=share

My opinion no one asked but i belive jm is more close to hobi and yg than he's to V. I know ALOT of people love their dynamics and because of that it's hard to tell but i do believe jm is more close to hobi and yg emotionally and otherwise too than he's with V. Yes it was different in their early yrs cause those might be the yrs where these two were attached to the hips and all but that has changed over the yrs. Their dynamics is still same silly goofy but the like what jm has with hobi nd yg..hobi is jm's person.

i agree with RM and jk cause they have that admiration for each other but they simply don't hangout together like other members infact i don't remember a time where these two went out by their like just the two of them. Jk looks upto RM since he was trainee and he still holds RM to that position and all the members including RM respect jk as an artist alot cause of the amount of talent he possess in a single person.

if there's one thing about yg? it's that he wouldn't never shut up about jk. he seems very very endeared by jk and treats jk as his own child. He's proud of jk and just endeared by him alot.

Jinkook are funny together even if they don't hangout together as you said Cause both seems pretty introvert but they just too synch with eachother that those hangouts doens't falter their friendship.

And as you said jk doens't seem the type of person who goes out much unless someone asks him so i believe most those hangouts with tae nd wooga are Pretty much tae including him in his circle cause jk wasn't doing much at that time, just like it was jm with his friends nd jk tagging along Maybe cause jm asked him to. I remember jk saying he don't mind new people joining him at all. In the phone call jk did say that vmin came to his home to that time and dragged him out so this tells he's not much of a outgoing person unless someone asks him and he joins happily.

Now with jikook i believe they didn't hangout much this yr but idt it affects their friendship in any way. When you have spent too much time together and have been the first person to comfort the other for these many yrs some time apart doens't affect it much. I don't know where they stand now but yeah they are one of the closest pair in the grp if not the closest.

I love hearing people's opinions!

Yeah, Hobi's definitely Jimin's person. I think Yoongi's someone Jimin gets along really well with. They both like drinking and bickering. Their personalities fit. They apparently hang out with that MC Armys don't like because of Jungkook. I'm not sure we know enough about Jimin and Suga to say they're closer than, say, Jimin and V. This year, I think Jimin and Yoongi's schedules were really compatible, and they were both going through the same tiring process of recording music, preparing for a comeback, shooting content, etc., so they hung out a lot. I think Jimin and Hobi are also the members that reach out to everyone the most. Jimin's big on socializing. I remember Yoongi saying "someone" felt the need to call him everyday when he had covid, or after surgery?, and Jimin sheepishly said that someone was him haha.

All the members know, more than some Armys want to acknowledge, that Jungkook is vital to BTS. They're all very grateful to him for it. They baby him a lot, but have heavily relied on his role in the group. Jin is actually the member who probably least idolizes JK, and that's so on brand for them.

I think Jinkook are really similar in terms of personalities, while also being opposites. Jungkook's more thoughtful and sentimental while Jin is more impulsive. But they both kind of live in the moment and have very playful and eccentric personalities. They cling to each other a lot on stage and at work because Jungkook is very restless and Jin will always play along with him. Jin said the person who shared his humor the most was JK. I think Jin is kind of the safe, endearing yet annoying, big brother. Their relationship seems more simple than some of the other relationships, maybe because that's how Jin is. He's "simple", consistent, and reliable. Jinkook's dynamic is one of the most stable ones, or one that has changed the least imo, and it's not easily impacted by time apart. But it's unfair to just call them funny together. I think people, not saying you!, sometimes downplay Jinkook's bond and also Jin in general. Jin is not someone who brags about himself, and he downplays his own worth a lot, so he's kind of mysterious. I think there's a lot about Jin and his dynamics with the members that isn't shared.

I agree with you about V and Jungkook.

About Jikook, I don't think they were hanging out tons, and I think they went weeks without seeing each other because Jimin was really busy and focused on work while Jungkook was resting at home in the beginning of the year. And then jungkook became super busy and was flying everywhere, so... But they hung out a lot more than we think. I mean, they shot a documentary together, they were seen in Jeju island - yet that was only confirmed by V and not Jikook. Jikook rarely confirm they hang out. We kind of find out. The fact that they enlisted together is a big bomb they dropped on us. The whole time people thought they weren't close they were planning to spend the next 18 months together. They're the only members who weren't forced apart... That says a lot about them. As for their closeness, is there anyone Jungkook talks about more in his lives than Jimin? Didn't he react to multiple Jimin videos and covered all of his big songs? To me, they'll always be the closest in BTS. Their relationship is so deep we can only see the surface.

Thanks for the ask!

[justoneday-namjoonii]

rip jungkook (and also maybe jin) when he reunites with the mc and realizes what has happened in the meantime... I hope you don’t feel pressured one way or the other on who she should end up with, personally I’ve had fun with all her romance options although I feel that all of them are to some extent using her to “band-aid” other issues in their lives. To jk she’s kinda like a replica of his mother and a person who can’t abandon him like his family, to jm she’s a fix to his insecurities about being used and overshadowed by others, to yg she’s a way to prove to himself that he isn’t exactly like his dad (and maybe even acts as a jin replacement?) and it leads to very selfish behavior from all of them. It’s hard to tell who would have fallen for her if they lived different lives where none of the above are true. I kinda get why jin was so appalled at the idea of her dating anyone from the gangs lol it’d be funny if she was like “I’m sick of everyone’s bullshit!” and moved on from all of them 💀

also idk if you’ve heard about the architect vs gardener types of writers but I’m curious about whether you’ve had an ending set in your head from the start (architect) or if you’ve let the story take its own course and changed your mind while writing (gardener). if it’s the gardener one I’ll be back when the series ends to ask you to talk to us about other ideas you had along the way!

sorry for the rant, I’ve had these thoughts for some time and let them all out rn lol (also rip namjoon you had too much swag they had to kill you 🕊)

*visual representation of me ruining my characters lives**

thank you for this in depth analysis!! omg, I really enjoy this type of dialogue with you beautiful readers💞 your interpretation is sooo good, her romantic adventures have been so interesting to write. The Jk x Y/n is different from the yoongi x Y/n, and the jm x y/n is just a whole hot mess. I think what I like about jk and yn the most is how youthful their attraction is, even though it’s painfully toxic. It’s something that doesn’t get old. There’s still a lot left unsaid there, Jungkook broke it off because Y/n could not grow past where the relationship had ended. And Jin has every reason to not want her with any of them, he grew up with them and knows their bullshit very well. That’s the one area he truly cares about Y/n, he genuinely doesn’t want her to be with them, his heart is there at least.

I won’t even touch on Jimin lol. Yoongi’s though, it took MONTHS for me to bring them together. Like even I was feeling awkward during some of their scenes. But I eventually got a flow the other day!! Things just started to fall into place in my mind and I’m happy with how it come out🥹 I think you said it best, being with her is a way for him to prove that he’s not like his father. It’s a bit ironic. He’s having to revert back to his old ways, similar to his father—but in terms of his love life? Or lack there of, he’s done a 180 and that’s what I really like about their dynamic

I’ve actually never heard about that!! But that’s so cool, I am definitely an architect (with gardener tendencies) 👉👈 from the very beginning, since the prologue, it was always going to be Yoongi falling for her. As I’ve written, there have always been pivotal moments that I plan, and then I just have to write myself there. It’s a bit chaotic but it works😅

NEVE APOLOGIZE FOR THE RANT, I’m a yapper myself so I love to hear different perspectives and share my own. I actually really appreciate it so much💕

😩😂🥹 yes RIP, he was a real chaotic evil, the ultimate OP of my dreams… but in true Namjoon fashion, even in death he’s got his own plan✨

[spookyserenades]

Hi, honey ♥️🥺

I read the new update at a difficult time and when I finished it my anxiety was gone, reading the chapter comforted me 🥺🥺🥺🥺

I thank you for the wonderful chapter you wrote, and I am happy that things with Yoongi are going great 👀

I loved the scenes with Namjoon and Jungkook, they are a great team, and the moment when Joonie told a bit about his past was very sweet, our shy wolf took another step forward 😭♥️

But the final part of the chapter was the one that left me so "😱😱😱😱🎉🎉🎉🎉", I already know the next update will blow my mind!

But how are you now, honey? 🥺♥️

HIII my love how are you doing??? I hope you've been having a nice few months, and are taking it easy 💜

I'm so happy that you found comfort in the latest update, love. Anxiety is the WORST, I struggle with it too, and I'm honored that it helped ease those feelings of anxiousness for you. 😘

Thank YOU for reading the chapter babe! I agree, I'm so pleased that MC and Yoongi are together, in love, and can be outward about it now 🥺💕💕 They sooo deserve it, at this point!!

I've been DYING to give readers a little insight on Namjoon's past, considering he is so slow to hand over personal information and warm up to others. It's adorable that he has gotten close enough to Jeongguk and MC to feel comfortable telling them about his past. The team of the three of them, as well, is a dream team! Love their dynamics together 🥰

OOOO I KNOW another classic spookyserenades cliffhanger!! I'm so pumped to write about MC's reaction to Seokjin's confession, as well as everything else that will follow when they get back home hehe. We shall see!!

I'm doing well, love! Been doing lots of reading, hanging out with my friends, and planning future updates, of course. 😉 Hope you're well 💜💜💜 love to you!

[adonis-koo]

I feel like there'll be a new war and OC will also go fight and use her healing powers,I just hope they both stay alive you have no idea how both have become my comfort characters

My question is if Kimhae will be waging war,where do the rosewoods and whoever wanted OC dead fall in it all? I don't think they're conspiring with Kimhae cause clearly Seokjin didn't want the princess dead,but does that mean Jk and OC will have to deal with two separate sets of OPs? They haven't even dealt with issues at home now they'll have a new problem coming up,when will they know peace 😭😭💔

🌚🌚🌚 we will definitely be seeing some fighting in the near future, now war?? IDK about all of that BUT at this point anything can be on the table so who knows !!

Also great questions!! I love seeing people look at other plots and dynamics in the grand scheme of things!! While it’s possibly that maybe they could be working together and the assassination was a botched job- it’s more likely that these are separate issues as Seokjin was attempting to get MC out of Penumbra- until she ended that of course x) whereas the Rosewood’s are still fighting in-house for the throne.

So definitely different issues aligned there!! And for all we know maybe the Rosewood’s we’re attempting to get Seohyun on the throne as she did have ties with Claudin, obviously if this were the case they made sure to keep any real ties separated.

Back to your question though, as far as we’re aware these are separate issues that will have to be addressed by both MC and Jungkook all I have to say is the heat will be cranking when they get back home 🌚

[deepdarkdelights]

😱😱😱🤩🤩🤩 I read Jin’s Perfection fic. It was so good. How it all tied together from yoongi warning him to Jin warning the mc, so good. Amazing job as per usual. If I didn’t know any better it seems like Namjoon crossed paths with Aphrodite or Cupid, and there was a quarrel that led them to mess with Namjoon considering all his brothers are falling “in love” at the same time. But tbh anyone hit with Cupid’s arrow become obsessed and crazy, they don’t really fall in love like Apollo and Daphne or Dido and Aeneas. Also, the way Jin bonded with the mc makes me want to learn more about Jungkook and his mc, because they were the original predator/pet dynamic. Like you’re telling me Jungkook got attached to her??? Akshahajksjsjw. I can imagine when Namjoon finds out he put his foot down on him and then Jungkook goes ballistic. That would be crazy. Considering that both Jungkook and the mc seem like the quiet types, I wonder how they interact after he took her. But wow you are almost done with the Predator universe :’) it still seems like we have a long way to go but we only need Namjoon’s fic. How do you feel almost being finished???

Hello, I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed Perfection and the rest of the series so far!

So, JK went through something similar to Jin. JK is also bonded with his MC because of the repeated feeding and sharing of one another's blood. But, his yandere tendencies/feelings emerged before he ever tasted a drop of her blood so he is an interesting case.

Namjoon is going to be stressed mainly because of how much attention this is drawing to themselves. They are supposed to lay low and go virtually undetected but it's not really working when you have vampires going on mass murder sprees and kidnapping/turning humans. I am interested to see how he is going to manage all of this 🤔

As for how I feel about the series ending, it's definitely bittersweet! Like I'm relieved because these interconnected fics take a lot of time and work, but I also really enjoyed building this universe. In my opinion, I think I did a much better job with the predator universe than I did with the bouquet series mainly because that was my first time doing something like that! So happy but sad is the answer 😂💜

[threeletterslife]

i have been holding back on this for so long..... i need you to know that twoteo HAUNTS me! forgive me if i've sent an ask about this long ago, my memory has been getting to much worse but i am just filled with this urge to shower you with praise!!!!

initially, twoteo absolutely had me hooked because i had been looking for a good hunger games!au with yoongi, so when i came across your fic and i immediately sat down to read it!

but then i got to delve into your characters and this vibrant world you've created within the hunger games and i just completely fell in love. you have such complex, dynamic, and human characters and i will always be in awe of your writing! i absolutely adore mc and yoongi; they live in my head rent free, and i'm glad they found each other!!!!

on another note, upon finding twoteo i immediately read through your masterlist and i completely Adore the way you handle angst. you do it so artfully that even after you rip my heart out, i find myself rereading your works over and over again!

ignis fatuus makes my heart clench every time i remember it. wow. even now as i'm writing this it hurts so much to remember what happened in the fic but i still love it so much... the boys dying one by one, all for nothing, really got me... i had to take a lil break because damn that hurt lmao but in my heart they are all having fun and hanging out forever while mc and jungkook play baseball :'')))

anyways thats all!! i just saw you on my dashboard and realized i just cannot keep quiet about my appreciation for your works anymore because i might physically burst lol hope ur having a good day!!!

ohmyGOD. this made my entire day!!

thank you so much??? hearing that i have human characters is one of the best compliments that i can ever receive. i love to treat my characters as real people, so to see other people who think the same as i do??? it's an honor! oc and yoongi from twoteo also live in my rent free ngl. although canonically, they never confess to each other or make it noticeable their romantic connection (if it's even romantic in the first place). i've always wanted to write a sequel to twoteo, but i'm never actually gonna do it because i think the original ended at such a perfect moment in their lives

i am in literal tears from your message. ARTFUL??? i don't even know what to say. to have someone read my angst and call it artful is the highest compliment ever, and i'll literally remember that forever

it's been a hot second since i've thought about ignis fatuus. i think i wrote it near the peak of covid, so it was around the time when the days bled into each other. but i do specifically remember writing the scenes where each member would die and cackle because i knew it would be sad 💀

anywho, i'm grateful that you sent me such a kind and long message. i swear i never forget these compliments i receive!! thank you and have a wonderful rest of your week <3

[purpleyoonn]

Which one of the members you would say you have the best time writing interactions with?

to be fair,

My energy has been compared to jin/jungkooks in a chaotic and like, personality wise. So I think I have an easy time writing those interactions with mc but I love the dynamic of writing jimin + mc. Jimin is so multifaceted that like, every interaction with him that any of my mcs have, it’s almost too easy to write. It’s so much fun to try and write fluff with him too! He’s my favorite fluffy character to write❤️

So def jimin + mc 🥰

[harrowreads]

CHELL, GOOD GOLLY, WHERE DO I BEGIN????

at the beginning, probably. let's be real.

THIS FIC IS SO FUN AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i don't read summaries or warnings so i had no idea what to expect, and i had such a fun time. beta reading this took me way too long because i was also typing up my little thoughts and notes for you, which are under the cut because spoilieeeees.

for those who have not read yet, i will say above the cut, that i encourage you to do so!!! this story is just as fun as it is sexy, and you get a rare treat of Chell writing a reader insert hehe. Jungkook is as adorable as he is sexy, and tbh, the whiplash before that one scene is somewhat astounding (and fitting, giving the circumstances.)

ok let's get it!!!

already we have adorable flirting between jungkook and mc. i love it hehe. NOT LITTLE RED TO MY BIG BAD WOLF LMAOOOOO. oh man.

omg i love Wooyoung. i don't write Ateez members enough, but if i did, he would also be the sassy best friend (which works bc i always slot Jimin into that spot haha. iyk,yk.)

omg is she dressing like a wolf or a cat hahahaha. and putting on cute pink lingerie. is she TRYING TO get jk to undress her tonight??? 😈😈😈

AWEEEE TINY BIG CATSSSS. i love mc haha and i love that we're having a pallas cat here for reasons you are fully aware of hehe.

oooh, Dionysus is fun. sounds like the kind of place my Collateral family needs to own. is it for sale???

awe, i had a feeling that poor little Tisha would come dressed as Little Red lolol.

OH GOOD Taehyung is a menace in every universe. i love him so much. if he's a singer, then i am guessing JK is also part of the band hehehe. excitinggg.

"and Jimin is our manager" stop lashfasklfljasf idk why that's so funny.

oh god JK is immediately flirting i might go die. "I'm still pretty big" STOPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OHHHHHHH INTRIGUE!!!!! talk of making mc part of the pack but humans can't join, hmmmmmmmm????? i sense foreshadowingggggg.

ooohhhhh some Tisha pov!!!!!!

"she knows that isn't Jungkook" standing and talking to Taehyung lmao girlie are you sure of that???

"some wannabe rockstar" damnnnn Tisha is rude as hell lmaooo.

ARE YOU GOOD AT BANGING THINGS. TISHA STOP. i'm so embarrassed for her lolololol.

whoa sirens nooo!!! i feel like there has to be laws against someone singing you into their bed lmaoooo. idk how we would regulate for something like that, tho, like....then you're trying to form laws against all species and where does it end??? IT'S A SLIPPERY SLOPE!!!!

omg "are your pack romantically together" i cannot with this girl haha.

ohhhh Tisha is a witch, huh???

OHHHH SHE TURNED EVERYONE INSIDE THE BUILDING INTO THEIR COSTUMES, DIDNT SHE????? would the werewolves still be werewolves tho or are they just humans who know how to play instruments??? lolol.

oh boy, is mc an omega cat hybrid?!!?!? (is she only wearing her cute lingerie set on top or beneath her cat suit??? SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!)(OK YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS THANK YOU HAHAHHAHA.)

man, i love how everyone is able to keep it chill until there are alpha and omega dynamics and they both are like BRAIN EMPTY MUST FUCK.

OK OKOKOKOKOK HOLD ON. why has it never occurred to me before to have an alpha mark a room by PEEING AT THE DOOR. i am just. i love it hahahha. i screamed and then ran to tell you immediately because i could not hold my thoughts in asflajsfjlasfasflafa.

okay well, i assume that the earlier conversation about the pack invite being open means jk has already discussed you with them, because the MATING MARK LOLOL. it's fun how he immediately panics and is like SHIT I AM SORRY bc yeah bro, you just !!!?!!?!!?! dude, come on hahahahhhaaha.

AHHHHHHHH this was so cute. i had no idea what was going on bc you know i never read a summary or warnings to save my life, and i was not sure how the title would come into play until Wooyoung was a literal vampire lmaoooo. this was a blast, and so perfect for Halloween!!!! 😍😍😍 excellent work, my friend!!!

Blessed With A Curse | J.JK

☾ Pairing: Werewolf!Jungkook x Hybrid!Reader

☾ Summary: When your company throws a mandatory Halloween party, you aren’t thrilled. You’re even less thrilled when a delusional coworker ruins the party and places a curse on everyone because her crush, the resident werewolf, Jeon Jungkook, rejected them.

OR

When a coworker gets rejected at the company Halloween party, things get crazy.

☾ Genre/AU: Smut, Werewolf AU, Hybrid AU, Modern Magic AU

☾ Rating: NC-17

☾ Warnings: | alcohol | piss marking (not on a person) | spanking | scenting | shifting | use of magic | cursing | misunderstandings | unrequited love| mating bite | some blood | knotting | a/b/o vibes | licking | spit play | cum eating | fingering | crying | pack!BTS | rockstar!jungkook | semi-public sex | mirror sex | interspecies relationship | open ending

☾ Word Count: 12.7K

☾ 𝖯𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖡𝖳𝖲 𝖥𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗌𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖥𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖳𝗋𝗂𝖼𝗄 𝗈𝗋 𝖳𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝖻, 𝗁𝗈𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 @sailoryooons 𝖺𝗇𝖽 @theharrowing

a/n: for the wonderful @jessikahathaway! i hope you enjoy this bad boy 'cause it had me on my ass a few times. once i was able to get over myself, this wrote itself and i had fun with it. banner/diver made by the wonderful @itaeewon. betaed by the kickass @theharrowing

song credit: werewolf by montionless in white | wolf by woosung

You are typing away on your keyboard, lost in your own little world. It feels like the day is dragging and you would like for it to be over. At least that is what you were thinking until you noticed that the workplace background noise started to fade away. Gazing up from your computer screen, you see your office manager standing near the main door. He clears his throat and claps his hands three times to get everyone’s attention. What could he possibly want at this hour? Two of the other managers step through the door and you squint trying to figure out why the three of them are here. You don’t recall any email about a meeting.

“Okay everyone! Listen up, please?” The office manager looks around to make sure all eyes are on him before he continues. “As you know our Halloween party is tonight. I expect to see you all there, dressed appropriately!” The office manager stands with his back facing the main door with the HR and Marketing managers on either side of him. The three of them together strongly remind you of Ed, Edd, and Eddy, but you keep that thought to yourself. 

“Everyone will receive a text message with the address, as well as an email. Please make sure to give the company name at the door and enjoy yourselves.”

“I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s costumes tonight. See you all later and until then enjoy your time off!”

The three managers all leave with smiles on their faces and you roll your eyes as you turn your attention back to your computer. Honestly, you forgot all about the Halloween party tonight. It’s not like you have much of a choice, it is mandatory fun. You still have a few more emails to finish up, as well as two more documents to review before you can even think of leaving for the day. A shadow looms over your desk and you sigh knowing that shape right away.

“Jungkook, I swear to God if you try a jump scare I will slam your face through this screen.”

A startled whine comes from behind followed by a deep sigh before Jungkook comes to stand in your line of sight by the side of your desk. His chocolate brown doe eyes are even wider than normal as he stares at you with a pout on his lips, making the clear spacers in his piercings more noticeable.

“You’re no fun. You know that, right?”

You suck your teeth and raise an eyebrow as Jungkook parks his ass on the edge of your desk. His black dress pants strain against his thighs and when you glance up, the white button down he is wearing, pulls at the muscles of his flexed biceps. As the resident werewolf in the office, Jungkook’s muscles are a common topic of conversation…and his impeccable sense of smell. Though Jungkook isn’t the only creature that works with you. There are vampires, goblins, fairies, wyrm, dragons and even mermaids in the office. It is a mixing pot of species which always offers some kind of entertainment for yourself.

“Can I help you, wolfie?” 

Jungkook’s eyes flash a bright red before they shift back to their brown color making you smirk.

“One of these days I’m going to bite you,” Jungkook threatens as he curls his upper lip to show off his elongated canines.

“So I can be stuck with you for the rest of my life?” You grimace and shake your head. “No, thanks.”  

“Like you don’t wanna be part of my pack.” Jungkook licks his lips and runs a hand through his dark hair, a few of the curls tangling around his fingers making his bicep flex once again from the sudden snag. His hair is styled out of his eyes, swooped upwards and back; not a single hair out of place…until now. One lone curl hangs from Jungkook’s head and kisses his temple. You resist the urge to tuck it behind his ear.

“Pretty sure it’s Taehyung’s pack and I would only join for Seokjin’s cooking and a good cuddle with Yoongi.”

Jungkook growls and you laugh knowing that you struck a nerve. You have met Jungkook’s pack mates many times and they are all a bunch of chill guys. They all work on different floors, in different departments. Yoongi is the pack alpha and from what you know, Seokjin, Namjoon and Taehyung are the only omegas in the pack. Taehyung, Yoongi, Namjoon and Jungkook are werewolves, Jimin and Hoseok are demons and sweet Seokjin is an oncilla hybrid. Which blew your mind when you found out because Seokjin is not a little guy by any means, the man is massive.

“Jungkook?” 

A voice calls his name, cutting through your laughter and you smile at your coworker, Tisha. She is a cute little thing. Doesn’t have much height on her, maybe five-one or five-two at best with long black hair and doll-like green eyes. 

“What’s up, Tisha?” Jungkook asks and you turn your attention back to your computer screen, happy for the distraction. You really would like to finish this before it’s time to leave. You would settle for a little overtime, but since tonight is the company wide Halloween party, overtime has been banned. 

“My computer is acting up again. Can you take a look at it?” 

“Have you emailed tech?”

You bite your lip to keep from laughing. Clearly Tisha hasn’t called tech or else she wouldn’t be asking for Jungkook’s help. 

“I thought it would be faster with your help. I know they get busy around this time.”

Jungkook sighs and pushes himself off your desk, “See you at the party tonight?”

You glance at Jungkook and frown, “You sound way too excited.”

Jungkook grins and shrugs his shoulders, “Who doesn’t love a Halloween party?” Jungkook’s smile is blinding as he leans towards you, wiggling his eyebrows. “You gonna be the Little Red to my Big Bad Wolf?”

“Isn’t that a little cliche?” Tisha asks and Jungkook waves off her comment.

“I mean, I am a werewolf, so…” 

Jungkook scrunches his nose and you roll your eyes as you mutter, “More like an overgrown lap dog-”

“I heard that,” Jungkook growls and you smile up at him, widening your eyes to seem more innocent. Jungkook glares at you with no real anger and huffs. “Such a fucking brat,” he grumbles and leaves your space with Tisha right behind him chatting his ear off.

You giggle to yourself and shake your head. Jungkook is something else, that’s for sure. He is your workplace bestie and the biggest pain in your ass all at the same time. Little does he know that your Halloween costume is already picked out. You think Jungkook will get a kick out of it and you might be a little excited to show him.

Standing in your bathroom with a towel wrapped tightly around your body, you wipe the steam from the mirror and sigh. You fell asleep when you got home and slept past your alarm, so now you have forty minutes to get ready if you don’t want to be hella late to the party. Music plays from your bluetooth speaker, filling the air with Jackson Wang’s ‘Cheetah’ and it makes you smile. 

The first thing you get started on is your makeup, a nude smokey cat eye with grey accents is the first half of the look. Followed by painting the lower part of your nose a soft pink and upper lip black. Your lower lip is the same grey from your eyes to pull the whole look together. Removing the towel from around your head, you click your tongue. You quickly twist the hair into two braids that go straight back, secure the ends with bobby pins and pull a wig cap on. 

A set of stencils are on your countertop and you hold one of them up to your forehead. The shape looks weird and you don’t have faith that you will be able to make it look right. Using black eyeshadow and a little eyeliner, you fill in the stencil slowly. A handful of black spots are now on your forehead, they look out of place and you frown. 

Your phone goes off, cutting off the tunes and you glance over to see that Wooyoung, another work friend is calling. You answer the call and put him on speaker as you continue to get ready.

“Bitch! Where are you??”

“I’m getting ready. Where are you?”

“I just left the house, did you want me to pick you up?”

You think it over. You really would love to be able to drink and not have to worry about driving home.

“Can you drive slow?”

“The fuck kinda question-”

“I’m still getting ready, damn. Just text me when you’re out front.”

You hang up the phone and head into your bedroom. Walking over to your closet, you step inside and look at the grey wig you purchased just for this stupid party. Grabbing the wig and the styrofoam head that came with it, you carry everything to the bathroom and set it on the sink. Pulling out your styling products and a pair of hair scissors, you section the wig into parts while singing along to whatever song is playing. For your costume, you think a wolf cut would look cute and match the overall vibe…so, with the scissors in your hands, you get to work. The final product isn’t bad, a nice mix between a shag and mullet. It is roughly sexy and once you place it on your head, you can’t help but grin.

Grabbing a makeup brush, you spend some time on your eyebrows, making them look fluffy and slightly overgrown before you grab the unopened pack of fake canine teeth. Carefully, you glue them onto your own canines and smile at your reflection. It’s all coming together. The last thing you need are the hazel contacts that sit on the counter. You struggle with them, but after a solid five minutes, you have them both in. You look at yourself in the mirror and blow yourself a kiss, this was a wonderful idea!

Leaving the bathroom for the time being, you look at the outfit that is laid out on your bed. A grey bodysuit with black heels, a set of fluffy grey and beige triangle ears and a matching tail. Your phone chimes with a notification and you know that Wooyoung is outside waiting for you. Dropping your towel, you skip over to your dresser and pull open your underwear drawer. 

Looking at the different colors and material, you settle on a baby pink lingerie set that still has the tags on it. It’s a mesh thong with small and medium sized flowers on the sides with an open underwire bra that has the same flowers covering your nipples in a diagonal line. Looking at the set you smile to yourself because you are sure you have a pink choker from your wild days that matches. 

Putting the set on, you slip into the bodysuit and double check that the flower impressions of the lingerie aren’t visible before you search for the choker. Your phone chimes again and you roll your eyes.

“Yes, yes. I’m coming,” you grumble to yourself as you quickly fasten the pink leather choker around your neck. It even has a tiny silver hoop that hangs from which looks cute as opposed to badass. You clip the tail to your outfit, set the ears on top of your head and look at yourself in the mirror one last time.

“Damn, I look good!”

Grabbing your shoes, phone and purse, you head to the front door and text Wooyoung that you are coming outside now. You shove your feet into your black heels and hurry out of your apartment, more than a little excited to see Jungkook’s reaction to your costume. Taking the elevator, you hum to yourself and wait until you reach the first floor. You wonder what Wooyoung is dressed as. You know for a fact that the man is dressed up, he will never pass up a chance to show off his beauty.

Outside of your apartment complex you look around for Wooyoung’s car and spot it across the street. He spots you at the same time and climbs out of his car, whistling as he does so. Wooyoung is stunning in his white ruffled shirt. The loose sleeves cuff around his wrist, the collar is lined with lace, with a keyhole opening on his chest that he pairs with a black leather corset harness. His black dress pants hug him nicely and his freshly dyed black hair hangs just below his eyebrows. 

“Ooooooooh! Look at this sexy lil kitten. Hello, beautiful!” 

You roll your eyes and grin, stepping into Wooyoung’s arms as he hugs you tightly. Pulling away, you tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear and stare at Wooyoung’s hair.

“You look good. Black might just be your color.”

“Please,” Wooyoung pushes towards the other side of the car as he opens his door. “Any color is my color.” 

Once in the car, you buckle up and fiddle with your phone, “Can I DJ?” Wooyoung gives you permission and you giggle to yourself. You have yet to listen to Mark Tuan’s new EP ‘Fallen’, so what a perfect time to do it now. Syncing with the radio, you hit play and ‘Your World’ starts to play. 

“I don’t recognize the voice,” Wooyoung comments and you shake your head.

“Cause your taste in music is shit. This is Mark Tuan’s new EP.” 

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Would be a real shame if your door just magically opened, huh?”

You laugh and Wooyoung sucks his teeth, coming to a stop at a red light. Looking out the window, you notice that the clouds above are a pale grey color that carries the promise of a light shower later on.

“Who do you think is going to out their office romance this year?” Wooyoung’s voice pulls you from your thoughts and you shrug your shoulders. 

You remember from last year that your office manager and one of the newer interns wore matching Halloween costumes. They were the only workers dressed as Team Rocket from Pokemon. You haven’t really heard any dating rooms going around in your office but that doesn’t mean the rest of the office is innocent. 

“I heard Jungkook was going to be the Big Bad Wolf…not much creativity there.”

“Oh, you think?”

“If I was a fucking werewolf, I would pick something else-”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know…maybe a dog catcher?” 

You whip your head to the side to look at Wooyoung and he glances at you from the corner of his eye. 

“What? That’s pretty fucking clever!”

“I-I can’t believe you just said that.”

There is a small beat of silence before you and Wooyoung both start to laugh.

“Jungkook would rip you a new one if he heard that,” you wheeze, thankful that you used waterproof makeup since your eyes are tearing up.

“I mean, come on. That would be fucking iconic!”

You shake your head in disbelief and Wooyoung giggles. 

“So, I get that you’re a cat, but like, I have no idea what kind.”

“You really can’t tell what breed I am?” 

“I just said that.” Wooyoung shots you an unimpressed look and you sigh.

“Damn, I thought it was obvious. I’m a pallas cat!”

“A what?” 

“Oh come on, Woo! It’s my favorite animal of all time! It’s one of the tiny big cats.”

Wooyoung raises an eyebrow and shrugs his shoulders, “I’ll take your word for it, kitten.” 

Based on the company-wide email, the club is called Dionysus and the music rattles the windows of Wooyoung’s car as he finds a parking space. Outside there is a slight chill in the air, the scent of fried foods and sweat riding the current that creeps from the open door that leads into the club. With Wooyoung by your side, you make your way to the front of the line. People glare at the two of you but Wooyoung grabs your hand and gives it a firm squeeze. 

“Don’t worry about them. We have people inside waiting.” 

At the front of the line, a woman with startling electric blue eyes raises an eyebrow as Wooyoung walks up to her. There are a pair of black rounded ears on top of her head and you know that she is some kind of hybrid, but you aren’t sure what breed. Maybe a rodent of some short, you think she could be an opossum. She is dressed all back, with the club’s name written in silver cursive across her chest.

“You don’t see the line?” Her voice is sharp and Wooyoung shakes his head.

“We’re not trying to be late, our boss is expecting us. Blue & Grey Enterprise.” 

The woman nods her head and looks down at the clipboard in her hands, “Names?”

Wooyoung rattles off your names and she asks for ID before the two of you can enter the club. The club looks more like an opera house. It’s a large glass and iron building with beautiful ash-white archways, spicy grey pepper LVP flooring and an endless supply of natural light. Simple tracking light fixtures are placed through the club, spaced together in groups of two with elegant grey and white pendant lights hanging at tasteful intervals. There are two floors to the club and the moment you step through the doors, you feel like you have been transported to another world. 

It feels like the scene of a high budget movie. All around you, people are dancing with drinks in their hands. The lighting is a mix of blue, purple and red with smoke snaking around on the floor. The walls seemingly reflect the lighting, creating a mirror like effect that shimmers and glows. The air is warm but you can feel that the air conditioning is on somewhere, most likely on the second floor since heat rises. Large floor to ceiling silk curtains hang from up high, sheer and light in soft shades of cream that drink in the colors of the lights. 

“Come on, let’s find our group.” 

Wooyoung moves to the far edge of the dance floor, closer to the wall as he pulls you along behind him. In the corner elevated above the crowd, a large DJ box is suspended with hanging black ivy, fairy lights and a floating staircase. The DJ wears an oversized head piece that resembles a Greek statue with a gold and emerald circlet on top. The place is impressive and you wonder why the company chose such an extravagant place. Many people are dressed in costumes as you walk past and from the amount of skin shown you know that none of the people on the lower level are from your company. 

A set of steps leading to the upper level catch your eye and as you get closer, you notice that there is a guard dressed much like the woman from out front. The security guard stands with his arms crossed over his chest and he looks completely unphased by the strangers around him. Upon seeing you and Wooyoung, he narrows his eyes and Wooyoung shows his work ID. Following his lead, you do the same and the man nods his head before he unlatches the green and gold ivy rope that blocks off the upper floor.

“Enjoy yourselves tonight.”

Wooyoung releases your hand and motions for you to walk up before him. He blocks anyone’s eyes from staring at your butt and you giggle to yourself. Wooyoung is such a gentleman, you love him dearly. 

If you thought the lower level was something out of a movie then the upper level is pulled straight from the dreams of an elite designer. Dark wooden furniture with plush white and black setting, vines of ivy clung to the walls, golden ring lights are pressed into the ceiling with more of the white pendant lights hung in small clusters. A single bar top that runs the entire length of the room, is pressed against the wall. The counter is too far away to see but you wouldn’t doubt if it was marble.

You spot a few familiar faces and point out the coworkers to Wooyoung. The two of you head over to say hello before you search for your friends. 

“Oh my God, you made it!!!” 

Arms wrapped around your waist tightly, squeezing the breath from your lungs and when you look down, a bright red hood is all you see.

“Your costume is so cute! Are you a hybrid?” 

The body pulls away and those striking green eyes spark up at you. You take in the woman’s sultry makeup, the soft curls in her hair and the spillage of boob from the white ruffled blouse that has a black corset pushing everything upwards. 

“Tisha! You look…wait, are you Little Red?” 

You stare down at your coworker and you can feel the pride spilling off her as she grins and nods her head. Her curls bounce around her shoulders and you can’t help but laugh. Of course she would want to match with Jungkook.

“It suits you.” You look around and you don’t see Jungkook at all.

“Right! I just know Jungkook will love it!” Tisha smooths her hands over the red skirt of her dress and cocks an eyebrow. “So, what kind of hybrid are you?”

“A cat.”

“That’s so cute! You and Jungkookie always but heads, so it works too!”

“Huh?” 

Tisha waves her hand around and shrugs her shoulders, “You know what I mean, right? Like the two of you are always bickering.” You hum in agreement and she pulls at your arm as another smile takes over her face. “Let’s get a drink!”

Together, you head over to the bar and sure enough, the bar top is white and black marble. To your left you notice a familiar face, “Taehyung?”

The man turns at the sound of his name and mismatched brown eyes find yours. A boxy smile pulls at a set of lips and you find yourself smiling as well. If Taehyung is here then you know Jungkook isn’t too far behind. Taehyung’s eyes drink you in from head to toe and he nods his head, “A cat hybrid? Cute.”

“You think so?” You twirl around for Taehyung and he chuckles at the sight of your tail.

“You really put some effort into it.”

“Do you like my costume?” Tisha jumps into your conversation with Taehyung and his eyes slide over to her.

He raises an eyebrow and clicks his tongue, “Little Red…how original.”

You bite the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing at Taehyung’s unimpressed tone but Tisha is clueless. 

“I know Jungkook said he needed a Little Red to his Big Bad, so yeah. I thought it would work out.” Tisha gushes and Taehyung’s head tilts in confusion.

“Big Bad…like-like the wolf?” 

“Yeah, duh! What else would he be?”

Taehyung looks down at his outfit and you take the time to figure out what he could be. His usual dark brown hair is dyed a soft honey brown and cut into a mullet. His warm brown eyes are underlined in thick black liner with a black smudged smokey look and there is a tinted balm on his lips. A double chained necklace hugs his throat a little looser than the choker that you wear and it’s paired with a white tank top that hangs loosely around his frame. A leather jacket with silver studded sleeves really pulls the whole look together with simple black leather pants and chunky black boots. 

“Are you in a band?” You question and Taehyung grins.

“I’m the lead singer, pretty.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Tisha pouts and Taehyung takes a sip of his drink before he looks at Tisha.

“Oh really? And why is that?”

“Jungkook is the Big Bad Wolf. Why would you be a singer of a band?”

“I wonder?” Taehyung muses with a knowing look and you roll your eyes. “Can I get you a drink?” Taehyung offers and you laugh.

“It’s a company party, Tae. The drinks are free.”

Taehyung puts his hands up with a laugh, “Worth a shot.” Taehyung raises his hand to get one of the bar tender’s attention and when the young guy comes over, you order a whiskey sour while Tisha orders a tequila sunrise. The three of you chat for a while and Tisha looks bored.

“Where is Jungkook?” She asks for the umpteenth time and Taehyung ignores the question.

“Why don’t you go look for him, hmm? I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,” you offer seeing the way Taehyung’s jaw ticks.

Tisha scans the room and nods her head with a sigh, “Better than being here all night.”

When Tisha is out of sight Taehyung downs the rest of his drink and slams the glass down on the bar top.

“Thank fuck, she’s gone. Holy shit! How can she not take a hint? Damn!” Taehyung curses as he runs a hand through his hair. “Does she really think Jungkook likes her? I’ll kick his ass outta the pack, I swear to Luna!”

You laugh and slap Taehyung’s shoulder, “Shut up, you will not!” You shake your head and sip at your drink. “Besides, I’m sure that Jungkook is reaching his limit…assuming that this band you speak of, is with the whole pack?”

Taehyung ducks his head, trying to hide his smirk but you know him better by now. 

“What’s everyone’s role?”

“I’m the singer, Hoseok is lead guitar, Namjoon is bass, Jungkook is drums, Yoongi is keyboard, Seokjin is rhythm guitar and Jimin is our manager.”

You giggle and try to imagine the pack as full fledged rock stars.

“Can Hoseok even play the guitar?” 

Taehyung laughs as he shakes his head, “Nope, but he looks good holding one.”

“Who looks good?” 

That all too familiar voice creeps up behind you and you feel an arm being thrown around your shoulders. 

“Get off me, wolf boy!” 

Warm musk, with a slightly fresh and clean scent engulfs you as you are pulled into a tight embrace. 

“Oh, cat ears? Cute!” 

You push at the chest that is in front of you and when you can see light again, you glare up at Jungkook as he smirks down at you. You notice right away that Jungkook has two silver hoops in his lower lip and you swallow thickly. Jungkook’s eyes seem to darken as he looks down at you and before you can say anything he boops your nose with his index finger.

“Are you a pallas cat?” He steps closer and you feel his hand slide down the length of your spine, stopping at the small of your back, where your tail is clipped. “You even have a cute little tail. Such a cute little kitten…”

“S-Shut up! What happened to the big bad wolf, huh?” You poke at his chest and Jungkook pretends to be wounded as he backs away and stands by Taehyung’s side. 

At this distance you can take in his full costume, and honestly he looks good. His hair has been dyed black and style messily with wisps and spikes while a fringe hangs in his eyes. You assume that he is wearing clip-in to give himself a little more length in the back for his shorter mullet. Jungkook’s ears are completely adored in many silver hoops that are mismatched in size and style, along with a chunky chain necklace. 

He’s wearing a white graphic t-shirt tucked into a pair of plaid pants that have different shades of blue and red; with fabric straps buckled around each of his thighs. A matching jacket is worn over top and large black boots with five thick buckles complete his outfit. Taehyung said that Jungkook was the supposed drummer and he definitely looks the part.

“What? I’m still pretty big-”

“Shut up!” You snap as heat attacks your face and Jungkook just smirks while Taehyung laughs.

“Have you seen Tisha yet?” Taehyung asks and Jungkook raises an eyebrow.

“No…should I have?”

“For fuck shakes….” You whine and Taehyung chuckles.

“You’ll find out sooner or later.”

Wooyoung emerges from the crowd and throws himself at the bar. Sweat is beading along his forehead and his hair is now sticking to his face as he pants to catch his breath. You look at your friend and pat his back soothingly while raising your hand to order him a glass of water.

“So many people…and it’s not even just our company. There is another one here too.”

“I thought I didn’t recognize a lot of people,” Jungkook sighs and Wooyoung licks his lips.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve been hit on but someone grabbed my ass and I was done.”

“That fucking sucks.”

Everyone stares at Jungkook and his face heats up as he holds up his hands and shakes his head. “Oh my God! N-No, that’s not like…shit! That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t trying to be funny.” Jungkook stammers seeing that Wooyoung is dressed like a vampire.

“You’re so fucking stupid,” You laugh and Jungkook pouts while Taehyung just sips his new drink.

A piano playing a well known beat catches your ears and you perk up.

“I love this song!” You rush off to the dance floor without looking back and Jungkook growls seeing the different set of eyes following after you.

“Down, boy,” Taehyung teases and Wooyoung chokes on his water. “You can go if you want but Jimin and Hoseok are out there. The three of them together will be safe.”

Wooyoung nods in agreement and clears his throat, “When are you gonna drop the invite into the pack?” 

“It’s open-”

“Never.” Jungkook’s voice is flat as he glares at Taehyung and Taehyung just huffs with an eye roll. “A human can’t be in the pack. It isn’t safe.”

Weaving in and out of people, Tisha searches for Jungkook. She has not found a single man dressed as the Big Bad Wolf and she is starting to wonder if maybe Jungkook hasn’t arrived to the party yet. She met Taehyung at the bar and while walking around she sees Jimin and Hoseok on the dance floor. Seokjin, Namjoon and Yoongi are sitting at one of the booths with drinks in front of them, just chatting it up, but no Jungkook. 

Another thing that is bothering her is that the members of Jungkook’s pack are all dressed in a similar fashion. Eyeliner, smokey eyeshadows, leather and chains with black boots. She always thought that packs tended to do group costumes as part of their culture. It is in their blood to want to match or at least coordinate with each other.

Feeling thirsty, Tisha moves through the bodies around her and heads towards the bar. She spots Taehyung in the same spot that she left him but this time he is talking to another man. She cannot tell who it is from the back, but she knows that it isn’t Jungkook. Sighing, Tisha stands in front of the bar and ignores Taehyung and the other man as she orders a double shot of tequila with a long island iced tea as a chaser. 

“You okay, Tisha? You’re looking a little down.” 

Tisha’s eyes slide to the side and she sees Wooyoung looking at her with concern in his brown eyes. 

“I can’t find Jungkook anywhere!” Tisha whines and Taehyung sips his drink. This has nothing to do with him. “His whole pack is here but he is-”

Tisha spots movement in her peripheral coming towards Taehyung and then there is a brief pause. She turns her head and sure enough Jungkook is standing a few feet away looking at the phone in his hand. A smile starts to tug at Tisha’s lips as she takes a step towards Jungkook but she stops and looks at him. He isn’t dressed as the big bad wolf at all. If anything he’s dressed as some wannabe rockstar from the 80’s. 

“Hey…Jungkook?” Tisha calls out to him and Jungkook looks up from his phone. His eyes widen when he sees that Tisha is wearing a Little Red Riding Hood costume. “I-I thought you were gonna be a wolf?” 

“Oh, um…yeah. I was just joking around.”

Tisha bites her bottom lip and tilts her head to the side, “You look good. This is a different look. It’s very…different.”

“Thanks! I’m the drummer in the pack,” Jungkook winks and Tisha giggles.

“Yeah? Are you good at banging things?” 

Jungkook opens his mouth and quickly closes it before he rubs the back of his neck and Tisha’s eyes widen.

“Um, so-sorry, that came out wrong.”

Taehyung and Wooyoung share a look and before Taehyung can take pity on his pack mate, Jimin and Hoseok bust through the crowd of people with you right behind them. Jimin’s face is flushed and his eyes are ink black. Taehyung jumps to his feet and Jungkook is pulling you out of Hoseok’s grasp, pushing you behind himself.

“What happened?” Taehyung demands as he pulls Jimin into his arms. Jimin’s body melts, legs go weak and Taehyung helps him over to the bar. He sits Jimin in his chair and smooths the black hair from Jimin’s face. 

Hoseok runs a hand through his own shaggy brown hair that is also cut into a mullet as well. “Some asshole siren tried to corner her-” Hoseok points in your direction, “into leaving with him.”

“What?” Jungkook whips around to face you and grabs your arms, turning you every which way to make sure you are unharmed. “Are you okay? Did he touch you?”

“I’m fine, Jungkook.” You cup Jungkook’s face in between your hands, seeing that his eyes are now ruby red. “I promise. Jimin defended my honor.”

“I should have ripped that asshole’s head off!” Jimin hisses and Hoseok rubs his back as he nods his head in agreement.

“Why didn’t you?” Jungkook snaps and Hoseok clears his throat.

“We’re at a work event, Kook. Wouldn’t be a good look for our very human bosses to see us covered in blood.”

Jungkook grumbles under his breath and nuzzles into the palm of your hand. You smile and coo at him, scratching right behind his ear.

“Who’s a good boy?”

“Fuck off,” Jungkook laughs as he pushes you away from him and you notice Tisha standing at the bar for the first time.

“I need a drink,” Jimin mutters and Taehyung waves over the bartender.

“Anything you in the mood for?” Taehyung questions and Jimin shakes his head. “Shots for everyone?”

“Yes!”

“Bring it!”

Taehyung orders two rounds of shots and you all gather around Jimin. Holding a glass in your hand you stand beside Jungkook and grin as you all clink your glasses together. Downing your shot you curse as it spills out of your mouth a little and dribbles down your chin.

“Did you fucking miss your mouth?” Jungkook laughs and wipes at the corner of your mouth with his thumb. “Such a messy kitten, huh?” 

“Shut up!” You pout and your whole body shivers as the liquid makes its way through your body and warms your chest.

Jungkook brings his thumb to his mouth and sucks the extra liquor from his finger making your eyes widen, and before you can comment, Tisha speaks up.

“Are you two dating?” She asks, looking between you and Jungkook with narrowed eyes.

“What?”

“Excuse me?” 

You and Jungkook take a step away from each other while shaking your heads.

“Wolfie isn’t my type.” You lie through your teeth. Jungkook is every bit your type, but he doesn’t date humans.

“Yeah, not really feeling the whole easily killed bit,” Jungkook points out and Tisha’s whole face lights up.

“Jungkook?” Tisha calls his name and sets her glass on the bar top. “Can I talk to you for a moment please?”

Jungkook looks at Taehyung for help but he is ordering another round while Hoseok is making sure Jimin is okay. Wooyoung is watching it all unfold and you are ignoring Jungkook now since Tisha’s question. Jungkook sighs and steps to the side, making room for Tisha to walk past. 

“Lead the way,” Jungkook relents and follows Tisha in silence. 

“You think she’s gonna drop the bomb?” Wooyoung wonders as he knocks back a shot and your face scrunches up.

Tisha and Jungkook…yeah that won’t go over well with the pack. The pack is a family and it is hard to leave, so when a member starts to court someone, the pack has a huge say in the matter. None of Jungkook’s packmates like Tisha and Jungkook has voiced his grievances about Tisha to you many times. Overall you think Tisha is okay, but she is a bit spoiled and wants things her way. You glance up at the glass ceiling of the club and the clouds above are a little darker but you can still see some of the stars in the sky.

“I think Jungkook is fucking clueless about her feelings and might break her heart,” Taehyung voices and you suck your teeth. You hope he doesn’t make her cry, that would be embarrassing for everyone.

Outside on a balcony tucked behind large white and gold curtains, Tisha stands with Jungkook hidden in the dark of the night. The air is cool enough for goosebumps to appear on Tisha’s arms and Jungkook frowns. 

“We should get back inside quickly. You could get sick out here.”

Tisha smiles at Jungkook’s thoughtfulness and grabs the end of her cape before she hugs an arm around her body, underneath her breasts; surrounding herself in a little bit of warmth. Her free hand plays with a strand of hair and she looks up at the sky. Inhaling deeply before she lets it out, Tisha thinks of how she can start the conversation.

“It’s beautiful out tonight, right?” Her eyes fall to Jungkook and she watches in silence as Jungkook glances up at the stars, nodding his head in agreement. “I’ve always loved the night time, it’s so much more peaceful.”

Jungkook bites the inside of his lip, nibbling on the back of his lip ring as he listens to Tisha talk. He really doesn’t understand what she is trying to say but he’ll let her ramble if it makes her feel better.

“Jungkook can I…” Tisha sighs and tucks the strand of hair in her hand behind her ear. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

Jungkook’s brows raise and he stares at Tisha unsure if he wants to hear the question.

“Um, yeah…I guess.”

“Your pack. A-Are you together?”

“Huh?”

“Like romantically, are you together?” 

Jungkook’s mouth drops open and his eyes widen, “What? Nooooo! No, no, no-” He laughs and shakes his head, “Luna, no! They are more like my brothers than anything.”

“Really? You guys seem close.”

Jungkook tugs at his earlobe and fiddles with one of the earrings. “I mean that’s what a pack is. They know me better than anyone in the whole world. They look out for me and make sure I’m okay. And I do the same for them. It’s hard to explain to a human, but think of wolves as-” Jungkook hums as he thinks of the right term to use, “Soulmates. That’s pack. We all found each other in this crazy fucking world and we make each other better, as brothers.”

“And if you want to date outside of the pack?”

“Date? Yeah, that’s an option too. Just because we live together doesn’t mean that we can’t date or have a normal love life. Our partners become part of the pack and that’s really it.”

Tisha nods her head at the information and Jungkook rubs the back of his neck, not sure what else to say.

“Jungkook?”

“That’s me!” Jungkook tries to joke and Tisha smiles.

“I um, I-I really like you and I want to…well-” Tisha sighs and shakes her head before she steadies her nerves. “Would you like to go out with me?”

Jungkook stares at Tisha unblinking. He looks down at his shoes, over to the plant in the corner and back to Tisha’s shoes before he looks up into her face. She is staring with wide eyes, her mouth pressed into a weary smile as she waits for an answer.

Jungkook’s mouth opens and closes a few times before he clears his throat and huffs out a dry laugh. “That’s um, well you see-”

“You can pick the time and place. I don’t care where it is as long as I’m with you.” Tisha quickly interrupts and Jungkook licks his lips, fighting to figure out how to break her heart nicely. 

“Yeah, that’s not the issue, Tisha.”

“Do you want me to pick the place?” Tisha’s eyes seem to sparkle in the low lighting of the stars and artificial candle flames that sit in old iron lanterns. 

“You’re not understanding me.” Jungkook sighs and licks his lips before he kicks at the ground with the toe of his boot. “I’m not going to date you…ever.”

“Wh-What? B-But, why? You’re single and I’m single.”

“Yeah, but I’m not attracted to you. I never was and I’m sorry if I ever gave you that impression but-”

“Is it someone at work? Do you like someone else?”

“What?”

Jungkook’s eyes double in size and Tisha laughs something hollow and cold. In the green of her iris, small wisps of smoke start to swirl around in her eyes as the wind around them picks up.

“Who is it, Jungkook? Who can’t let you go? You belong with me!” Tisha shouts above the wind as it starts to moan and groan. Leaves and debris from the street are whisked into the air and thrown about. “Who?!” Tisha demands and Jungkook shakes his head.

“What are you doing, Tisha? Stop it! You’re going to hurt someone!” Jungkook takes a step forward and Tisha shoves her arm out. A strong gust of wind knocks Jungkook back onto his ass and his eyes glow red as he glares at the woman before him.

“If you won’t tell me who it is then everyone shall suffer!”

“What?!” 

Jungkook watches in horror as the clouds above darken into a deep grey, almost black and circle over the club. A sudden bolt of lightning strikes the building and the whole place is plunged into darkness before the clouds start to thicken and drop down into a cyclone with the club being in the eye of the storm.

“I can’t date you, Tisha!” Jungkook yells as he forces himself to half shift, his nails elongating enough to dig into the concrete beneath him. “You’re human. Witch or not, it wouldn’t work!”

“That’s a lie!” Tisha shouts and another bolt of lightning strikes the building, this time a deep emerald green color. Green smoke falls from the cycling and there are sudden screams from inside. Jungkook’s eyes dart towards the doors and his heart pounds in his chest, he can feel his pack mate’s fear through their bond. Suddenly everything inside goes quiet. The screams, the music, everything is deathly still and Jungkook’s eyes shift to red.

“What did you do?” Jungkook demands. He can’t feel his packmates anymore. Tisha grins and it’s wrong. Twisted and crazed as she licks her lips.

“This is your punishment, Jeon Jungkook! Suffer with everyone else!” Tisha hisses and crackles something wicked before she disappears in a green poof of smoke. The clouds lighten and thin out and shortly after like the play button on a remote had been pressed the lights in the club come back on.

“Jungkook?!”

“Kookie!?” 

Namjoon and Seokjin’s voice call his name over the music, closer to the door. Jungkook glances at where Tisha stood, scared that she will harm his packmates even when he cannot smell her. 

“Jungkook?!”

Arms wrap around Jungkook, the scent of pack, his pack floods his senses and his body slowly untenses from the unease that grips his heart. He is stuck staring at the spot where Tisha was standing and Namjoon waves his hand in front of his face.

“Jungkook, what the fuck happened? We felt your fear from inside…are-are you okay?” Seokjin looks over Jungkook’s body while Namjoon searches the balcony for anything unnatural. 

There is a scent in the air, heartache, longing and such ire. Namjoon rubs his nose and sneezes, shaking his head as he walks back over to Seokjin who is helping Jungkook stand on his own two feet. 

“What happened?” Seokjin asks once more and Jungkook shakes his head. He doesn’t believe it himself.

“Hyung…Tisha is a witch. I-I think she put a curse on me?”

“What?!” Namjoon and Seokjin both shout and stare at Jungkook in disbelief; he is just as shocked. Witches aren’t rare but they tend to work and live within their coven. To have a lone witch…Tisha must be very powerful.

“We need to contact Hyunwoo and-”

Someone screams from inside the club and the sound of glass shattering fills the air before growls, hisses and more screams pour out into the night air.

The three of them share a look and rush inside, scared for the rest of their packmates. Inside the club, a million different scents assault their noses. Strong scents of fear, confusion and bloodlust are hard to ignore.

“What the fuck is happening?” Seokjin gasps as he sees creatures being held down out all over the place. 

The sharp scent of death catches Namjoon’s attention and he growls low in his chest, “Pack!” 

Seokjin and Jungkook rush after him as Namjoon barrels through the bodies, pushing everyone out of his way. At the bar, Jimin, Taehyung, and Yoongi are acting as a living barricade around Hoseok who is holding your unconscious body as Wooyoung hisses, his eyes are black with red spider veins pulling at his pale skin, and there are razor sharp fangs dripping venom in his mouth.

Jungkook blinks a few times and rubs at his eyes. No, there’s no way. Wooyoung isn’t a vampire, he’s human like you…Jungkook looks past his packmates and his breath catches in his throat. The grey ears on top of your head twitch and flicker in his direction before Hoseok’s red eyes find him.

“What the fuck?!” Jungkook growls under his breath and Hoseok is just as confused.

“We need to get out of here, now!” Yoongi growls as he shoves Wooyoung back, sending the fledgling into the nearest table.

Wooyoung picks himself up and snarls, his teeth dripping venom and before he can attack, another vampire, much older and more powerful (Jungkook thinks his name is San) grabs him and uses his own power to put him under.

“Thank you.” Yoongi gives the vampire a firm nod and they all turn to your unconscious form in Hoseok’s arms.

“We leave now.” Taehyung leaves no room for debate and they all form a barrier around you and Hoseok.

“Oh my God! It’s BTS!!” Someone’s voice shouts over all the chaos and all at once, all eyes in the place are focused on Jungkook and his pack.

“Huh?” Hoseok looks around confused, he isn’t sure what is going on. BTS? Yeah, that’s what they decided to call their little band for the night. It’s short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, something Namjoon and Yoongi came up with on the fly.

“Jungkook, marry me!”

“Yoongi, marry me!”

All over everyone is screaming their names, shouting for their attention and are forcefully restrained by security guards. One guard comes up to them and others clear a path for the group to be led down the steps and onto the first floor.

The pack looks at Taehyung and he nods his head, his face void of any emotion. Hoseok tightens his hold around you and together, BTS walk through the cleared path and down the steps. The DJ from before is completely marble and stands frozen in time. Jungkook’s eyes widen as he follows the group and notices that they are being led to a stage that he didn’t notice in the midst of everyone dancing before.

As Taehyung steps onto the stage, the others follow suit. Hoseok silently hands you over to Jimin and pats his shoulder. 

“Keep her safe…” 

Jimin shifts you in his arms while the rest of the pack go up on stage and his nose wrinkles as lime zest and cane sugar tickle his senses. A faint milky undertone sits at the base of the scent and Jimin growls low. Omega. 

On stage, Taehyung steps up to the mic and clears his throat.

“Uh…yeah. So, we’re BTS and I honestly have no fucking clue what is going on. But, whatever! We’re here and it would be a waste to pass up such a nice stage.”

Jimin snorts at Taehyung’s words. Something has happened and while he isn’t sure what, Jimin can smell the ever subtle trace of magic in the air. The pack all look at each other and take their positions, Jungkook sits behind a drum set, Hoseok and Seokjin grab guitars, Namjoon picks up a bass and Yoongi stands behind a keyboard. 

Taehyung howls into the mic and Jungkook comes behind him on the drums. Namjoon’s fingers pluck at the strings of his bass while Seokjin starts the rhythm and soon the whole band is playing as Taehyung sings.

I can feel you, I can hear you, howling in my bones

There’s an evil lurking in the dark (there’s an evil lurkin’ in the dark)

Ever shifting, skin is ripping, as you take control

I can’t tell where you end and where I start (there’s an evil lurkin’ in the dark)

Namjoon and Jungkook act as the backing vocals, giving the song an added layer of dark mystery.

A ferocious diagnosis, under moonlit hands, will

The man become the monster or the monster become man?

Seokjin sings in a higher register than Taehyung and the crowd is eating it up.

I could be up all night, but I’m paralyzed when the creature comes alive

'Cause it’s fight or fright, in the full moonlight

You can run but you can’t hide

I could be honest, I could be human

I could become the silver bullet in your head

But no one can break my heart like I can

(Werewolf)

As Yoongi howls and the band continues to play, you start to stir in Jimin’s arms. Your eyes open, squinted and blinking rapidly as you try to adjust to the lighting. Jimin coos down at you, nuzzling his nose against yours with a pensive smile on his face.

“Hey, welcome back.”

You groan in response and Jimin carefully lowers you to the floor, keeping an arm around your waist as strength comes back to your legs. Everything is loud, so, very loud. The lighting is making you feel sick as well and the top of your head feels like it’s on fire. You reach up to scratch at your scalp and Jimin quickly grabs your hand.

“Wait…j-just wait a minute.” 

“It itches! This headband needs to go.” You whine and Jimin nods his head in understanding.

“Right…the headband.” 

Jimin lets go of your hand and you eye him weary as you reach up to snatch the headband from your head. You touch something soft and your whole body shivers, your stomach twisting into knots.

Bleed the neon from the bite marks, ever bittersweet

Smile for the camera but don’t flash your teeth (everybody loves a mystery)

Let the bodies hit the dance floor to this heartbreak beat

I feel like somebody’s watchin’ me (feels like everybody’s watchin’ me)

Seductively destructive, we are true romance

Does the man become the monster or the monster become man?

Your head snaps to the side and your eyes widen at the sight of Jungkook and his pack performing on stage. You remember Taehyung telling you that Hoseok could not play the guitar, but you can’t tell from how he is shredding away. Your eyes jump from member to member and they are each playing the instrument that Taehyung has told you about. You never knew that Jungkook could even play the drums.

“What is even going on?” You whisper, feeling like this has to be some kind of dream. 

You look at Jimin to ask a question and gasp, flinching when you feel a sharp pain in your lower back. A hiss spills from your lips and Jimin eyes you critically. Your eyes start to water and you don’t understand why you are in pain. Jimin’s eyes soften in understanding and he moves you to stand in front of him.

“One moment, kitten.” 

Jimin forces his nails to grow and pinches the fabric of your bodysuit between his fingers. Carefully he rips the fabric at the base of your spin and you shiver as his fingers wrap around something that wasn’t there before. You feel Jimin pull something out of your bodysuit and the pain is gone.

“Feel better, kitten?” 

“Um…yeah. W-What did you do? What did you pull-” You jump at the feeling of Jimin’s hands on your…it’s not your butt but it’s pretty close. Turning your head to look over your shoulders, your hazel cat eyes double in size at the sight of a grey tail. “Is that-”

“You’ve got a tail to match your pretty ears…”

“I-I…what is happening to me?”

Jimin wraps his arms around your waist and holds you as you slowly start to fall apart. Your thoughts are running a mile a minute, you don’t understand what has happened. One minute you were joking with Wooyoung and the next everything was pitch black and you suddenly had the worst headache of your life. Wooyoung dropped to the floor unconscious and when you checked for a pulse there wasn’t one. 

Your head still hurts and when you go to rub it once more, you feel soft fur as it tickles your fingertips. Ears…you have real animal ears on top of your head where your headband should be.

Jimin nuzzles his nose into your neck and you purr, your body feeling lax as you lean against his chest. Jimin hums deep in his chest and inhales a lungful of your new scent.

“Mmmmm. You’re a hybrid from the smell of it, kitten…and you smell wonderful.”

“A-A hybrid? But, how? This has to be a dream.”

“That we’re all in and aware of?” Jimin muses and you gulp. He has a point there. Maybe this is more like a nightmare. “Let’s just roll with it for now and we can figure out what the fuck is going on after. Right now no one is trying to kill, attack or fuck anyone, so I’ll take that small victory.”

“What are the guys going to do?”

“What do you think? We’re BTS, the world famous rock band!”

The name rings a small bell deep in your subconscious and slowly, song after song plays in your mind. BTS, Bangtan Sonyeondan. Yes, you remember now. BTS is a band that you work with…no. No, that can’t be right. It doesn’t make sense. Why would BTS work at your company? Your mind is starting to feel hazy, molasses slow as the memories of the pack start to shift into fleeting meetings and longing stares shared through a screen. What are you even doing here by their manager’s side?

The song changes and Namjoon howls. It makes your ears twitch and your eyes focus on the drummer, Jungkook as he starts to move around.

보름달 아래서

허벅지를 꼬집고

참아야 하는 거야 no

옆에 누워있는

살짝 비춰지는

널 어떻게 해야 돼

Taehyung growls the word “wolf” low into the mic and your tail wraps around your waist as Jungkook howls. On the second “wolf” the whole band howls along with the other werewolves in the club. Beside you, Jimin smirks and throws his arm over your shoulder.

“Shall we get a drink? The others will come up when they are done.”

“S-Sure…” You struggle to find your footing as Jimin grabs your hand and pulls you through the mass of bodies with two members of security tagging along. As you walk up the steps to the second floor, you feel the haze of your mind lifting. You shake your head trying to clear the lingering effects of whatever was going on downstairs and Jimin helps you sit at the bar. He keeps a hand on your lower back, just above your tail and tells you to sit forward on the stool, so that your tail isn’t squished. You take his advice and Jimin nods, proud of himself as he sits beside you.

“Water?” Jimin offers and you hum in agreement. Water sounds like the safest choice since you still have no idea what is going on. 

“How long will this-” You motion to your ears and wiggle your tail behind you, “Last? I don’t know if I can take the amount of smells coming at me.”

Jimin coos with a frown and places a hand on your knee, “We’ll figure something out. As a demon, my nose is better attuned to curses and there is magic in the air. It’s faint but there.”

“A curse did this?!” You stare at Jimin in disbelief. “Who would even want to do this?”

“You’d be surprised.” Jimin laughs and runs a hand through his ink black hair. “It has been quite a while since I’ve seen a spell of this caliber. To affect everyone, both human and mystic alike…I hate to say it but I’m impressed.”

“Says the demon that just became the manager of a famous band,” You frown and Jimin chuckles. 

“What can I say? I’m blessed!” 

Jungkook is panting by the time he walks off the stage with the rest of his pack. His hair is plastered to his forehead by sweat and the jacket he had on is now draped over one of his arms. He knows his graphic t-shirt is soaked, he can feel it stick to his chest, abs and back. It’s a gross feeling but the cheering from everyone in the club is worth it. As he heads up the steps that lead to the second floor, Jungkook feels his inner wolf pace around. The animal is uneasy and Jungkook cannot remember why.

Reaching the second floor, Jungkook easily spots Jimin and sees that he is talking to what looks to be a hybrid. Needing a bottle of water, Jungkook makes his way to the bar and the scent of freshly zested limes dusted in cane sugar smacks him in the face. The wolf inside purrs in content and presses at the forefront of his mind. Jungkook’s eyes shift to red and Jimin’s gaze meets his own. The demon grins, his teeth gleaming in the lighten as he licks his lips and says something to the hybrid before him.

The hybrid turns in their seat and piercing hazel cat eyes stare into Jungkook’s very soul. The ears on top of your head twitch and your tail quivers, your chest rumbles with a loud purr and Jungkook is standing in front of you in the blink of an eye. 

“Kitten…wow.” Jungkook’s eyes glance up at your ears and heat creeps up the back of your neck and runs fire hot under your cheeks. 

You duck your head to gather your thoughts, unable to think straight with Jungkook looking right at you but he isn’t having that. Lifting your chin with his index and middle finger, Jungkook growls in warning and narrows his eyes.

“Eyes on me-”

The faintest hint of sweetened milk invades Jungkook’s olfactory and he leans forward, grazing his nose along the pink leather of the choker around your throat. Your breath catches in your throat as Jungkook inhales deeply and you whine, your tail flicking around behind you. 

Jimin slides off his bar stool and disappears into the bodies that are on the second floor. He knows when he isn’t needed. 

A hot dampness, pressed against your neck, the choker in the way, guarding most of the skin as Jungkook samples your new scent gland. You shiver and Jungkook’s inner wolf howls.

“Omega.”

Jungkook’s nose presses against the choker and he inhales again, your scent creating a warmth deep in his stomach that makes all the blood rush to the knot in his pants. 

“A-Alpha?”

The title is a high pitched whine, a mix between a purr and cry. Jungkook growls as your sent spikes, the cane sugar now much sweeter and it makes his mouth water.

“What do you want, Omega?” Jungkook flicks his tongue against your choker and nips at the leather with his teeth. You can feel the warmth of his breath as he breathes against the moist skin. Jungkook hums in question as you remain silent, your scent becoming sweeter and sweeter as the seconds pass. “Tell, Alpha, pretty kitten. Tell Alpha what you want.”

“K-Knot. Want A-Alpha’s knot!”

Jungkook’s wolf claws to the surface, determined to answer his sweet omega’s call as your body trembles in front of him. Jungkook grabs hold of your hand and tugs you towards the restrooms. Kicking the door open to the women, Jungkook shoves you inside and snarls at an older bird hybrid that is coming out of the men’s room. He slams the door shut and clicks the lock in place before unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. 

Your senses are in overdrive, your body feels too hot and you feel a gush of liquid spill from between your legs. You whine at the feeling, not used to the heady scent coming off of Jungkook or the wetness between your legs. 

“I know, ‘mega.” Jungkook huffs with a chuckle as he pulls his dick free from his black Calvin Klein boxer briefs. Keeping his back towards you, Jungkook bites his lip as his groin tingles and he starts to pee on the floor by the door, the liquid seeping under the crack of the door and spilling out into the hallway. Jungkook grumbles as his wolf yips in delight. Now, no one will try to come into the bathroom. He gave them a clear warning that this place is his and soon he will show everyone that the omega is his as well.

“Wolfie!” 

Jungkook tucks himself back into his pants and spins on the heel of his boots. There you are looking like sin. Your chest is heaving, sweat is beaded on your forehead and your hazel cat eyes are blown wide. What a pretty sight, his pretty little kitten. Jungkook walks over to you, his boots landing heavily against the floor before he is standing in front of you. Jungkook’s large hand wraps around your throat and you whimper, widen your legs as he steps closer. You can feel the heat of his body through your clothing, you can feel the stiffness of his dick and it makes your mouth water.

“Messy kitten,” Jungkook coos and licks at the corner of your mouth. You didn’t even realize that you were drooling. You part your lips and turn your head slightly, as best you can with his grip on your throat. You greet his tongue with yours and Jungkook groans at the taste of you. He licks into your mouth, exploring every crevasse as he devores your moans, swallowing them down like a sweet treat. Fingers dig into your hip and you gasp as he pulls you flush against him, his thigh pressing right into your clothed clit. 

Grinding his thigh against you, Jungkook relishes in the soft wet squishing sound your pussy makes as the fabric becomes soaked. The light grey fabric darkens in one spot and Jungkook groans as you nip at his pierced lip with your newly sharpened teeth. 

“Easy, kitten.”

“K-Knot me Alpha! Want your knot!” You beg, your hips starting to jerk against his thick and corded thigh. 

“Make it messy for me, kitten.” Jungkook mummers as he trails his lips up your jaw to the lobe of your ear. “Ruin these pants and I’ll knot your pretty pussy.” Jungkook takes your lobe between his teeth and tugs it lightly. “Can you do that?”

“Y-Yes! Yes, Alpha!” 

You grab at Jungkook’s t-shirt, fisting the material in your hands as you start to grind down on his thigh harder. Jungkook looks down his nose at you, watching you get yourself off with little to nothing but the promise of his knot. The wolf inside is happily wagging its tail and howls. Your scent is maddening, Jungkook wishes he would have told you to ride his face and not his thigh. You start to pant more, soft moans and fevered ‘ah, ah, ahs’ fill the air as you reach closer and closer to your release. 

Jungkook takes pity on you, he reaches between your bodies and presses his thumb right against your clit adding more pressure. Your back bows and you yowl in pleasure as your stomach tightens forcing more liquid to spill from you. Your walls tighten around nothing but that’s okay. The promise of Jungkook’s chock eases the ache and as you shiver from the afterglow of your release, Jungkook removes his thigh and rips your bodysuit right down the middle.

You yelp from sudden display of strength and Jungkook chuckles as your scent grows even sweeter. Grabbing your hips, Jungkook spins you around and pushes your outfit off your shoulders. It gathers at your hips and catches on your tail which makes Jungkook growl as he rips the suit once more. It falls to ribbons at your feet but you don’t care about that. What you care about are the set of red eyes drinking in the baby pink lingerie that does very little to hide your body in the bathroom mirror.

“Fuck…” Jungkook’s hand rakes up your sides and slides forward, cupping your breasts and squeezing them before he licks at the side of your neck. “Look at you, so fucking sexy. So fucking-” Jungkook tweaks your nipples between his fingers and chuckles as your tail swats at his side.

“Fucking perfect for me.” Jungkook pulls the bra down, letting your breasts spill out over the fabric before he slides a hand down the front of your body and teases the apex of your thighs.

“I can smell you from here kitten.” Jungkook slaps your thigh twice and you part your legs, giving him access to your dripping core. Cupping your sex, Jungkook pushes the thong to the side and teases two of his fingers between your lips. You shiver at the warmth and your eyes flutter closed. “Eyes on me!” Jungkook demands with a quick slap to your thigh. 

Opening your eyes, you watch as Jungkook drags his hand from between your legs and lifts it up to eye level. You can see your arousal coating his fingers in a clear fluid that is sticky as he separates his fingers creating a thin spider-like web between them. You watch, mouth dropping open as Jungkook licks his index finger with the flat of his tongue before he sucks his middle finger into his mouth. His eyes never leave yours as he releases his fingers and trails them down the length of your body. It disappears behind you and you can feel Jungkook shifting around before the warmth of his bare thighs grazes your ass and tail.

You lean forward, back arched with your ass poking out, chest nearly spilling into the cool white porcelain of the sink. Biting his lip, Jungkook purrs in approval and grabs your ass in his hands. He squeezes the globes of flesh tightly, his eyes falling to the smooth-looking skin. He glances at your reflection in the mirror to make sure that you are still looking at him. He smirks and delivers a quick slap to your right cheek. You whine at the slight pain, but it makes your walls clench, more of your arousal seeping from between your legs. Jungkook giggles, fucking giggles as he soothes the sore spot with his hand and nibbles on his lip piercing.

“Gonna make sure you’re fucking always full, kitten. Can’t wait to cream this pussy and plug you with my fat knot.”

Before you can even beg, the heat from Jungkook’s cock shuts you up as the tip slides between your folds and kisses your entrance. One single push and Jungkook bottoms out, your walls stretching with a dull pain that makes you whimper in delight.

“Shhhiiiit!” Jungkook groans, his head falling forward as he starts to thrust his hips shallowly. The warmth of your pussy is addicting, the smooth endless glide of your slick is everything and more that Jungkook has ever imagined. Looking at the way your pussy stretches around his cock, Jungkook tightens a hand on your hip; his fingers digging into the flesh as he picks up speed.

Skin on skin, wet and loud. Squashling, squeezing, dripping, and warm, so fucking warm. Jungkook’s eyes zone in on the tail at the small of your back and licks his lips. Running a hand down your spine, he grabs the base of your tail and gives it an experimental tug. Your walls wrap around him in a vice, daring him to move as a full body orgasm is ripped out of you. Your toes curl, your eyes slam shut and you scream, your hazel eyes now a vibrant blue as your canines grow double in size.

“F-fuck!” Jungkook smacks his lips as he continues to fuck into your pussy. “That’s in ‘mega. Make it creamy, baby.” Jungkook’s voice is deeper, more of a hiss as the thin white translucent slick from your pussy circles the base of his dick, covering his half-formed knot.

Jungkook’s eyes shift to red and his words slowly fade away, giving room for more growls and snarls as his wolf takes over. Another wave of pleasure washes over your body. Your back arches and your tail wraps around Jungkook’s wrist as you plead for his knot, begging him to plug your needy hole. 

Slamming into you, Jungkook feels the way your womb opens up to him, the way it craves his seed and that spurs him on. Gripping your hair, Jungkook pulls you upward and groans as your walls pulse around his dick. His teeth ache, feeling too big for his mouth, just the right size for the empty spot over your scent glade.

“Mine!” Jungkook growls as his knot starts to swell to the size of a softball. “Mine…mine!” The round base pushes against your entrance and your legs shake as your pussy is stretched even more to accommodate his size. Licking his lips, Jungkook howls as his knot pops into you with a loud squish and you scream as his teeth sink into the meat of your neck. Wetness sprays from around Jungkook’s knot, your walls squeeze, push and pull, trying to force him out and keep him in. It’s a painful mixture of pleasure that has you seeing stars, and when the hotness of Jungkook’s seed fills your womb, you shiver.

Your neck stings, burns something awful before a cooling numbness spreads and seeps deep into your veins.

Love. 

Want. 

Need. 

Mine. 

Mine. 

Mine. 

Blue eyes meet red ones in the mirror and your inner cat curls into a little ball of soft, soft warmth. Tears blur your vision as Jungkook releases your neck. His tongue is rougher as it licks at the open wound and he shushes you, rubbing his hands up and down your back before he gathers you in his arms as best he can with his knot still locking the two of you together. 

“Shhh, kitten. It’s okay, I got ya. I’m here.” Jungkook tilts your head and licks your tears away, pressing his lips to your cheek and inhaling the scent of you and him. The wound on your neck has closed over, no longer bleeding but it isn’t fully healed. It’s an ugly shade that you know will take some time to go away but you will wear it with pride.

Tears spill over your eyes and Jungkook’s scent changes as he starts to panic. “I’m sorry, fuck! I’m sorry…I didn’t ask!”

You don’t care about that, not really. You have loved Jungkook for so long, and you pray that this isn’t some stick and twisted nightmare. Jungkook always says that he will never date a human because they are too fragile and he cannot always control his wolf. You understood that you had no place beside Jungkook other than as his friend… But now?

“W-What happens now?” You cry, gripping onto Jungkook’s forearm as he holds you up right. “I’m…I’m not a real hybrid-”

“Hey, hey! No, none of that kitten.” Jungkook presses a million kisses to your cheek and hugs you tightly.

“You won’t want me when I change back.”

“I will always want you…” Jungkook drops his forehead to your shoulder and kisses your new mating mark. “I love you.”

“W-what?” 

Hot tears stream down your naked back and Jungkook sniffles.

“I love you. I-I don’t care if this is temporary.” 

Your lower lip wobbles and you shake your head unable to understand. Jungkook loves you…but-

“Jimin and Hoseok will figure it out. They’re demons, this is their shit.”

“And if they can turn me back?” You ponder and Jungkook picks his head to look into your eyes through the mirror.

“It is your call, kitten. I will love you either way. The mating mark will not go away…we can figure it all out.”

Jungkook’s knot starts to deflate and he carefully pulls away from you before he spins you around and tugs you into his arms. His lips are soft as he kisses you breathless. Love, so much love is poured into the kiss and you melt into his body.

“I love you, Jungkook.” You whisper against his lips and Jungkook smiles, his nose scrunching up as he nuzzles against your mating mark.

A knock at the door makes both of you jump and Jungkook growls loudly.

“Are you done yet?” Yoongi’s voice comes from the other side of the door. “The Ward of Magic is here!” He informs you and your eyes widen. The Ward of Magic? They only come when a serious crime has been committed. 

“Do you have my jacket?” Jungkook calls out and Yoongi rolls his eyes.

“Right here, Kookie.”

Jungkook steps away and pulls his shirt off over his head. He eyes your body and looks down at his shirt…Ripping the shirt a few times and making a couple of knots, Jungkook holds out what is now a cute and edgy skirt. You quickly put it on, pull your tail through a rip and keep your back towards the door while Jungkook grabs his jacket from Yoongi.

“For fucksake, Kook! Put your dick away!” The pack alpha scolds and Jungkook slams the door in his face. You giggle upon turning around and seeing that Jungkook’s ears are tinted in embarrassment. 

Jungkook holds out his jacket and you slip your arms into it. Carefully, you remove your shoes and Jungkook snickers as you step out of your destroyed body suit. Shoving your feet back into your shoes, you head into the stall and quickly clean yourself up while Jungkook does the same. 

“Ready?” Jungkook questions, his large boba eyes filled with fierce determination.

“Ready.” 

Hand in hand, you and Jungkook exit the bathroom and Yoongi is waiting against the wall with a small smile on his lips.

“Welcome to the pack, kitten.” He giggles, seeing the mating mark on your neck, and Jungkook licks his lips. He knew that his whole pack would feel it the moment he bit you, but having the pack alpha’s approval makes a weight in his chest lift. Jungkook nudges you to head out first, so that he can speak with Yoongi alone. Yoongi raises an eyebrow and quickly scruffs Jungkook on the neck gently. “Guess you were blessed with a curse huh?”

[wishesunderthestars]

I can’t describe how satisfying it is to read chapter 26.. How the pack tries to take care of the MC the way they can. They are so understanding and I love them for that. I hope them lots of happiness.

Im so glad that about Taehyung’s healing arc. Finding out his love for art and being a lot more open with the pack. Im so happy reading about him and MC talking about going to exhibition. They are so cute!!! MC trying to build some kind of friendship with him. 🥰🥰🥰

I love how Namjoon remained to be her pillar. Her “someone” to talk to. Her trust to Namjoon and vice versa are so real. Yoongi and Mc’s closure are how I imagined it. Forgiveness and trust. Yoongi are trying his hard to show that he was sorry. I felt so bad when he was admitting his wrong doings but I could understand that they really needed that talk to put it all behind. The dynamic between the Mc, Namjoon and Yoongi are my favorite. They are so cute!! They’re like highschool bestfriends talking about somebody they do not like. And I also support the ex shit-talking!! hahaha.

And then we have our sweethearts, Jiminie and Jungkookie. Oh I just love them so much. I love how confident Jungkook telling MC what he wants. And Jiminie still clinging to her since day one!!!! I love that they trust her enough to admit their relationship to her.

Ellie!! I know you probably heard this a lot but I REALLY LOVE EUNOIA AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CREATING THIS!!!! You don’t know how happy I am everytime you update!!! I hope you all the best!!! 🐣🐣🐣

Thank you so much for taking the time to send this! I love getting long asks or comments like this so much, it honestly gives me life. I love all comments and I appreciate even just emojis, I love those too. But these long ones feel like I'm having a conversation about the story and it makes me so happy.

In Chapter 26, we've had quite a bit of progress in the not-so-little family in the Castle. The mc is doing her best but she is progressively burning herself out (she has been doing it for years) and the pack tries hard to be there for her without crossing any boundaries or making her feel bad. Other than work, she's also juggling being there for the pack and trying to form a relationship with Taehyung and get over her fear of making things worse.

Taehyung is slowly healing as he spends more time in the Castle. He is starting to get familiar with the dynamics between the hybrids and the mc but he still doesn't understand how that can be true. He never had the chance to explore who he is and what he likes because he was taken when he was very young so he is discovering himself. He fell in love with art as soon as he saw the gallery in the Castle and being at Eliana's exhibition was like a dream. Although he can't understand why the mc would do something like that for him he is grateful.

The mc and Namjoon have a connection that is unique to them, like all relationships between them are. They put all of their trust into each other and when things get rough, they turn to each other. Yoongi and the mc have come a very long way since the beginning but they needed to talk. Both of them were a little scared of each other in different ways. Namjoon and Yoongi are also trying to build a relationship that isn't based on fear and intimidation. There are things between them that are hard to heal and impossible to forget, including Yoongi's nightmares that affect him as much as he tries not to let them. But they are great at shit-talking together!

Jimin and Jungkook are sweethearts and they love each other and their pack so much. It was a weight off Jimin's shoulders to finally tell her and see for himself that she was happy for him and she still loved him. And Jungkook knows about the trio now...

[theharrowing]

I miss Collateral Yoongi and YN being intimate just the two of them. Idk I just felt like I needed to share my thoughts with you. Don't get me wrong I love her dynamics with the other characters but for some reason I miss the two of them being together alone?? Thank you for sharing your talent with us, I'll continue to read and enjoy your amazing stories!

hi, anon!!! 🌷

no need to apologize. i was actually thinking the same, the other day, when talking to a friend about how different the dynamic has become with Namjoon (and Jungkook) in the mix. i never really intended on any of them falling in love, and planned on there being a lot more one-on-one time.

i'm glad you still enjoy the fic, and i do not blame you for voicing your opinion. 💜💜💜 although the sequel is going to be emotional turmoil and maybe not what you want or expect for a decent chunk, there will be more of just mc with ........ one person at a time, be it Yoongi, or Namjoon, or whomever.

do you have any favorite mc x Yoongi moments, in particular? or do you just miss them, in general?