#i slipped one day saying i only eat a granola bar all day when i'm working when we went for a dinner date and since then he's been cooking

[previoustags]

First day we haven't spent time together in 4 days I need him...........

[sugamamacustard]

Feed Me

Pairing: Alpha! Keiji Akaashi X Omega! Reader, Alpha! Wakatoshi Ushijima x Omega! Reader, Alpha! Rintaro Suna x Omega! Reader

Genre: Fluff

Request: Ooooo what about when Alphas 🐘 ( maybe akaashi, ushijima, rin and kuroo) find out that their omega has not been eating enough like (their only eating little things like granola bars or fruit) so their upset that they had to find out through someone else and they scold them for that but then their told that they have gain some weight and that gets them even more upset because they think their perfect etc.

Summary: Some times, people do things because it’s what they think is best. You don’t tell your alpha about some weight gain you’ve noticed, and try taking care of it yourself because of this.

Author’s Note: Hey, you. Yeah you. The beautiful person reading this? You are perfect. You are worth it. Your feelings are valid and you shouldn’t feel bad about having them. You are so amazing, and even if I don’t know you, I am so proud of you. You are so strong for making it so far. Keep going. Never change. :) Also your nice comments? Literally my dose of serotonin

did I mention my OC one or twice? Yes. Am I sorry? No. Also, idk if anyone is curious, but Yuka doesn't actually go to Shiritorizawa but whatever.

Requests: Closed!

Buy me a coffee?

Trigger Warning: Mentions of (Semi?) Starvation.

Keiji Akaashi

➵Now, Keiji is pretty on top of omega and significant other care.

➵ Like, weirdly so. It's honestly kind of creepy?

➵ In an endearing way.

➵ He always says 'Bokuto-Kun prepared me in a way.'

➵ Honestly, he loves doing this for you too!

➵He loves caring for you so much.

➵ Like I firmly believe Akaashi's love language is acts of service.

➵ So things like bringing you food, leaving sweet notes in your locker, helping you with your homework.

➵ He lives for doing these things.

➵ Especially feeding you snacks and things.

➵ It made his inner alpha purr because that meant he was caring for you. Providing for you.

➵ Being the very thing that made him worthy of an alpha.

➵ Prove that he could continue being the alpha you needed and wanted.

➵ Unfortunately, there were downsides.

➵ Your hips had the beginnings of small love handles, a little more chub on you tummy, thighs a little squishier.

➵ Let's not lie, Keiji absolutely adored this, by the way.

➵ I also think one of his biggest kinks is praise

➵ He makes sure you know how loved and how perfect you are.

➵ It's sometimes hard to believe him though.

___

"Y/N?"

You hummed an acknowledgment at Keiji's call, typing the final words to your essay before turning to look at your beautiful alpha- Sometimes you questioned how you hooked him. His gorgeous emerald eyes shining with love and adoration.

"I'm gonna go run and pick up some supper, what would you like beloved?" He came up to squeeze and massage your shoulders, leaning down as he pressed a small peck to your temple, your purr a sweet melody to his ears.

You swallowed behind your purr, trying to hide the small panic in your eyes. Your mind instantly flashed to your reflection this morning, how you pinched your hips with a frown. You already had been slowing down on the snacks, and fast food made you shiver.

"I-I'm okay for now, Keiji. Thank you though." You smiled, nonetheless, holding Keiji's cheek in your hand. He quirked a brow, frowning slightly before nodding lowly. Another peck was pressed to your cheek before he left, ordering your favorite from the diner he took you to for your first date.

-

"Beloved, I'm back." Keiji called, once more tearing you away from your essay; you were always thankful for the distraction though. He set down the take out bag, taking out the top box and handing it to you before shrugging off his jacket.

"Keiji? I said I was okay-"

"I didn't believe you. Now come on, you need to take a break and I'm touch starved." The raven didn't even look behind at you before pulling out his own box, dragging your rolley-chair to the bed. He pulled his sweater over his head, handing that to you as well before giving you a sweet peck.

His eyes locked with yours. Your breath hitched. So many silent words swam in his eyes, asking you, demanding you, to tell you what was wrong.

"I just- I've gained a little weight lately and-"

"And? My love, you are just as gorgeous as the day I met you. Nothing is wrong with a little weight, even if I think you're foolish to think you've gained weight. Never think otherwise. Even if you do, let me know, my job as your alpha and boyfriend is to make sure you feel as good as possible no matter what."

He slipped the sweater over your head, rehanding you your meal that he took from you momentarily, running a hand through your hair.

"Your my beautiful omega. Nothing should keep you from your happiness."

Wakatoshi Ushijima

➵Unlike Akaashi, Wakatoshi is little more...Hesitant (In a way) when it comes to omegan care.

➵ He never really learned how to? Ya know?

➵ Both his parents were alphas, and he was never around omegas consistently enough to learn.

➵and it's not like you were a volleyball that he could use the same techniques to up-keep.

➵ He also couldn't ask his team.

➵ Well, he could, but only one other person on his team had an omega. (It was Satori and his advice, though helpful, could only go so far.)

➵ He was doing good though, especially with you holding his hand through the entire thing.

➵ The first time he noticed something was up was when you didn't show up to lunch-- texting him a picture of you in the library, tongue poking out as you held up a peace sign to assure him you were okay.

➵ When he brought it up to Satori, who had his own omega (A small, but fiery brunette named Yuka) leaning on his side as she played some sort of phone game on his phone (Mama's slusheria? He thinks?) .

➵He explained he didn't know what was going on with you while Satori listened with a hum before giving him a sad smile. "Sorry I can't help you further Ushi-waka, but as you can see-" He slid his unfinished lunch towards Yuka, who popped one of the Dango skewers into her mouth without looking up. "I'm not very familiar with the problem."

➵ He offered his help as much as he could nonetheless.

➵ He slowly began to pick up on smaller things, locking them in his steel trap.

➵ Like a good boy :)

➵ He put hours of research into omegas after this (not that he hadn't previously). Keeping strenuous notes beside him.

➵ They were colorful and highlighted :)

➵ And he followed the advice that 'Mommy Luna-boo' posted on the blog he found like a goddamn Mantra. ('Sometimes Omegas need a little more love! Their bodies, especially during high school years, will change a lot! They may feel a little down! As an alpha, make sure you remind them how beautiful they are!')

➵She was mother Theresa and he was her follower.

➵ Well after he followed you.

➵and after he made sure you were feeling better

___

"Omega?"

"Toshi."

Walking into your dorm room, Wakatoshi set down a small bag filled with goodies. He set it down on your bed as he sat down as well, watching you carefully.

When you gave him a small smile with a quirked brow, he took a deep breath, remembering everything Tendou had coached him through.

"Have you been eating enough lately?"

You sucked your tongue at the question, shuffling your shoulders. Truth be told you had been missing out on a few lunches after noting a few extra pounds you hadn't noticed earlier. You never meant to worry him, that was never your intention, but it seemed the world was working against you. You had no clue where to go from here. If you told him the truth that would do nothing but worry him, but lying was never good in any form of relationship.

Your hesitance to tell him was more than enough though, as his larger lands encased your own, holding them tightly.

"Why?" His tone wasn't accusatory nor was it angry in the slightest. Genuine curious if anything. If he could get to the bottom of the root of the problem, he could prevent it from happening in the future. Right?

"I- I just...Noticed a few extra pounds and-"

"That's it?"

You looked up to him with a tilted head, like a lost puppy. "What do you mean that's it?"

Pulling you closer, Wakatoshi effortlessly pulled you onto his lap, using one hand to dig through the bag beside him while the other wrapped around your hips. He pulled out a few of your favorite snacks laying them out in front of you.

"That's, in my opinion, a silly thing to worry about. If you feel that's a big problem, I can offer my services to you in any way you wish-- whether it be support or as help, it is my job to be there for you." He nuzzled your scent gland, voice rumbling against your shoulders.

You purred in response, leaning back onto your alpha.

Rintaro Suna

➵ Suna is a lot like Akaashi in the sense that he has incredible observational skills as an alpha.

➵ His eyes are like sniper scopes.

➵ The minute something is wrong, he's on it.

➵ Like he looks aloof but he's not.

➵ He had notes.

➵ So hiding something from him is not easy at all.

➵ But you two most likely ended up together because you gave him a run for his money.

➵ You made him work at being an alpha.

➵ And he loved you for that.

➵ It did come back to bite him in the ass though.

➵ The only reason he heard about this was because the betas at Inarizaki were loud mouths.

➵ Honestly he learned so much tea from them.

➵ Like this third year was sleeping with a first year because she planned on baby trapping him and-

➵ It was wild.

➵Though most times it was nothing more than a source of entertainment for you and him to laugh about.

➵This time the gossip was actually useful.

➵ He wasn't thrilled they were talking about you, but provided some very useful information.

➵ And he was set into action.

➵ typing a few things onto his phone he set out to find you.

___

"Rin, I said I'm not hungry-"

"I know and I'm making the executive decision to ignore you."

He squinted his eyes at the carefully written instructions in front of him, sending a silent thanks to Atsumu's mate Haruka. (;)) She had written a step by step instruction sheet to making Onigiri while also dropping off all the ingredients (Pre-prepped). The only reason she didn't make it was because Suna's alpha, no matter how much he trusted her, wouldn't have let it near you.

"Rintato-"

"Look, Y/N. I love you, you know that. You know a lot of things, you're my smart little omega. So you must also know this isn't good, right?" Sliding a plate of, albeit mediocre, onigiri towards you, Rintaro focused his gaze on you.

"You know this, eh?"

You swallowed before grabbing one of the triangles, nibbling on the top in an attempt to appease your alpha. His sharp gaze still focused on you, making you shiver as he rounded around the counter. He turned you around so you were facing him, his hands holding your hips.

"You know this."

You wilted under his expectant gaze, knowing what he wanted from you. "I know this."

He smirked, leaning to take bite from your snack, licking his lips as he did. "Good omega."

"Rintaro that's mine!"

[limenysnocket]

Attention and Company

I couldn't help myself. @honorarytenenbaum

Summary: Sometimes you need someone to chill with, and that's okay. Maybe that person is your boyfriend who also gets a little roughed up at work sometimes. Pubs can sustain you both for only so long, but what you really need is to curb yourselves in the mall parking lot, right next to a shaved ice food truck.

Warnings: Just some light swearing, a bit of angst, a lot of fluff, and some brief mentions to "raunchy" behavior. This is a soft fic for y'all tonight, out here needin' some gentle lovin'.

A/N: Got some lonely feelings right now. I just wanna hug someone, dude. Yo, we could totally watch a movie over discord sometime... maybe.

○●□○●□○●□○●□○

Today sucked. Flat out. The bags under your eyes didn't lie, and now here you were, outside of your studio, sitting on the hood of your car, eating a granola bar to stave off hunger for a few more hours. Hopefully.

You pull your phone from your pocket, looking at the time for a moment, then looking at your screensaver. It was the only thing that could make you smile. You had your arm wrapped around one of your closets friends, Taika, and the phone didn't capture it, but he had his arm wrapped around your waist. His curls were all messed up, and the picture perfectly showed how drunk you both were by the fuzzy pink on your cheeks. It was 99 cent beer night at one of the local pubs, and unlike the first one held at a baseball game, all went well.

Of course, there was a limit to how much the two of you were allowed to drink, but that didn't stop the many failed attempts at stealing other people's drinks while they were looking away, just to get a taste more. Didn't matter that you guys were eventually thrown out of the bar for breaking rules and coming close to breaking a few faces, you had a great night.

That night also lead to a few other places, including his hotel room, but that end of the story has to be saved for another time.

Instead of staring at your phone for another century, you decide to unlock it and dial the man up. You knew he was somewhere around here, either charming his way onto another movie set to mess with his rich friends, or getting his tired ass kicked by daylight savings.

His number was saved to your favorites, so dialing him was quick and easy. The wait for him to pick up didn't last long either.

"Talk to me..."

God, his voice sounds like one big yawn. Looks like he needs a bit of perking up too.

"I've got two curbside tickets to eat a snow cone and watch kids do loops on their bikes in the parking lot. One of those tickets has your name on them," you grin, despite sounding exhausted too. The day really made you strain your voice.

His musical laughter really makes the sun look brighter from its low position in the sky.

"That's oddly specific... where would these magical tickets take me afterwards?" He had cocked his eyebrows up and leaned against his office door while he spoke to you.

"If this were a booty call, I would have told you already, Taik," you snort and tease him. "So, it's either make yourself fat on some weirdly flavored snow cone, or take your horny-ass home."

"Okay, okay... I'd like to make myself fat for a night, as long as your there," his voice is dreamy, desperate and warm. "You there already?"

"Nope," your lips pop the p, "but I'm nearby."

"I swear to God, if you're talking and driving, I'm gonna whoop your ass," Taika stood up, acting serious when he was just really worried about your safety in general.

"I'm not, I'm fine," you laugh again. "Not even in the car. Sitting on it though, trying to convince the world's sexiest man to go out with me again."

"And you said this wasn't a booty call," he retorts over the phone, making you playfully glare at the asphalt on the road. It's like he's in front of you.

"You coming or not?" you change the subject and you hear him laugh again, but softer.

"Yeah... I'll be there in a few minutes, gorgeous."

He always made goodbyes so easy. Maybe it was because you both knew you would be seeing each other again, no matter what circumstances you were thrown into. But the dial tone still had its effects.

You slip off the hood of your car, and take a seat in the driver's seat. The warm summer air makes your skin glow, and your brain went fuzzy only imagining it doing the same to Taika.

The drive feels so quiet. For a moment, you actually thought about calling him again, but you knew for a fact that he wouldn't pick up if he was driving.

As predicted, kids are zooming around on their bikes, showing off to their friends or trying to be cool, even though they all were obviously teary-eyed each time they scraped a knee. It was amusing to you and Taika, especially when some of the older boys would try to catch your attention and zip past you and Taika. It ended up being a heckle fest in the end, and some kid always went home with his butt hurt.

Keys and wallet in hand, you trek to the small, blue trailer tucked in the corner of the parking lot.

"Damn, you must have beat me here by just a few seconds," Taika calls, rustling his way through the small spaces between a couple of cars.

"Well, you've never been a speed demon type, so last place is your calling when it comes to racing," you guwaf and grin at him. He rolls his eyes and comes to walk right next to you.

"I pride myself on road safety," he hums, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

You glance at him from the side, just to silently check up on him. His hair was tousled and his eyes were resteless. It looks like he had it rough from the start. He had struggled to get dressed this morning, but picked the most eccentric clothes in his closet to make up from his lack of sleep.

"Dare you to try the dill pickle flavor this time," his cocky tone wakes you up.

"Like hell I will," you snort as you finally reach the trailer, where a teen boy happily greets the both of you.

"Oh come on, it'll be funny," he eggs you on, his bottom lip pouting.

"Keep trying to make me get dill pickle, and the next time we have a movie night together, I'm getting the pizza," you sniff and he rolls his eyes. He thinks it is an odd threat. "And I'm making it all Hawaiian pizza." That got his attention.

"Bull shit, you would never. Not on a perfectly good pizza!" He gasps.

"Oh, just watch me, pineapple boy," you snicker and point to his pineapple print shorts. You break conversation to order two piña colada flavored snow cones. Taika usually took for-fucking-ever when it came to picking a single flavor, so ever since the second time you've been out here with him, he assigned you to choose for him. He usually got what you got.

Now, you wait.

You plop yourself down on the curb, as you promised, and he joined you with a long, loud groan. You give him a bewildered stare, wondering if his age had really gotten him this much. He smiles at you through a wince.

"Sat on my keys," he wheezes and chuckles at his own stupidity under his breath.

Your eyes float down to where he pulls out his keys and you start giggling quietly.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure you've done the same thing," Taika says, not handling the fact that you have new material to mess with him, and also trying to get some stories out of you.

"Well yeah, but I don't sit down as violently as you do," you prod his bicep, and he laughs.

"Such a lady. Must sit down gracefully and slowly," he says, mocking an English accent, but he was horrible at accents so of course it was bad. You smack his bicep this time, and he playfully flinches, like it hurt.

"I really need to get you into some accent classes or some shit, before you get your teeth knocked out," you shake your head with a smile.

"What? I think I'm great at accents. My American accent is the best one yet, don't you think?" He smirks at you, and proceeds to demonstrate. "All you have to do is put an 'er' at the end of everything, right? That's totally how they speak around here."

"I would be careful, Mr. Waititi. Could get in some trouble if you say that too loudly," you roll your eyes, and he sighs. Yeah. Things were going to shit in LA. It was clear to everyone, but what could two hollywood producers do to stop things like that? Keep making films, you guess.

"Two, large piña coladas!"

You look up, and so does he.

"I'll get them," you volunteer, but he places his hand on your shoulder before you could get up.

"Let me," he speaks softly, in a damn near whisper.

He stands up and strides right over to the trailer with so much confidence, you're envious. He comes back with two large styrofoam cups in hand, spoons, and a warm smile. His smile was always warm. It set fire in your belly.

He sits down a bit more carefully this time, even though his car keys were sitting in the grass, far away from his landing zone. He hands you your cup and a spoon.

"Do these have alcohol in them?" He nudges you with your elbow and you shake your head.

"As if they would let a seventeen-year-old serve alcoholic beverages," you throw in logic.

"I dunno... ever been to a ballpark before? Pretty sure some of those kids are way too young to be peddling there too, but that doesn't stop people from hiring them," he says while pointing his spoon at you.

"Fair point," you finish, then look at your snow cone. You decide to start eating before it melts.

Silence swarms the air, but comfortably. There's the occasional murmur of cicadas or humming cars drowning them out. Birds would land on the scorching asphalt to pick at whatever crumbs were left by other patrons, before fluttering away at the sight of a zooming bike getting too close for comfort.

Taika will point out a few of the kids doing tricks. He picks his favorites for the night, and he keeps himself busy by watching them. You, on the other hand, are occupied with him. You examine him from the tips of his dirty white chucks, to his frazzled hairdo.

"You look like shit," you mutter. He barely pays you mind and that comment was hardly acknowledged. It was like the air had gone a bit stiffer. He was hiding something from you.

"What's going on, Taik?" you worry. He never kept things from you, unless they were hard to bear.

He sets his cup down and holds his hands together. He looks so tired. So solemn.

"Today was total shit," he whispers and runs a hand through his hair.

"Well, yeah, I get that. I wouldn't have known if you had looked a little spiffier," you say, reaching out and gently tucking a curl on his forehead back in place with all the rest of its friends.

"Look, I--..." he says, turning to you, lips parted slightly, and a yearning sensation bubbling from the tips of his fingers as he rests a single hand on you.

There were tough times with the occupancy you both, willingly, chose. The hardest part about it was making friends, or making love, then finding out you have to leave it behind for a new location the next morning.

"I have to leave... for Sydney..." he says, reaching to gently take your cheek into the palm of his hand.

"When?" you manage, though you were clearly becoming upset.

"In a few weeks. Thor is waiting for me," he sighs, barely able to look at you while his thumb rubbed your ample cheek.

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"I don't want to leave you," he says, tilting your head up just the slightest bit. "And I don't want to stop loving you."

Your eyes search his for a moment, wide and a bit confused.

"I thought you said we were just a fling with--"

He cuts you off, "A fling with benefits. I know..." he sighs again, "but every time I find myself waiting for you to call on a shitty day, each time you rest your head on my shoulder, all the times you smile at me and tease me, I find myself falling... more in love with you." He has to pause to breathe.

It's so quiet. Dangerously quiet.

"What happens if I love you too...?" you muster your courage, and look right into his expressive, brown eyes.

"I don't know," he says to you, thumb still rubbing circles.

"Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?" you breathe, and he nods.

Still as statues, you wait for words to touch the air. It's only when his foot makes a wrong move and knocks over his snow cone, does the tension break.

His bottom lip pouts for him again and you quietly pick his spoon up off the ground. You clean it on your shirt and hand it to him, all before taking your cup, and holding it out to share. He smiles down at you, taking his spoon from your hand and sticking it into the shaved ice.

Your head leans against his shoulder when the sun disappears behind the mall building.

"I love you too," you whisper.

"I know," he says back, sucking at the tip of his spoon.

"Think we can keep this up over the phone?" you ask, wondering about a brief virtual relationship, just until one of you catches a break.

"Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?" he says, lowering his spoon, wrapping his arm around you, and giving you his full attention.

[mischi3f-manag3d]

In and Out of Love

George Weasley x Reader x Fred Weasley

Summary: You and George had made a silent agreement, a silent promise, the minute you stepped into the twins shared bedroom after Fred had passed. You both knew how intense and unforgiving the grieving process could be. It would be relentless and terrifying, but you both couldn't bare to talk to the other, to share in your feelings of loss. It was all too much. So, the room stayed silent. For weeks. Neither of you daring to glance in the other direction unless absolutely necessary. Unable to bare witness to what the grief had done to the other.

But, promises were meant to be broken, and the realization comes quicker than expected that you would have to face each other in order to heal.

Chapter One| A Silent Agreement

Warnings: lots of angst and some fluff?

A/N: yikes, sorry if this sucks but this idea has been on my mind FOREVER. And I needed to get it out. Sorry if George's character isn't great so please let me know if there's anything I can improve on!!

The first step into what was once George and Fred's shared room was terrifying. His clothes were still left scattered around on what was "his" side of the room. His scent, his personality, lingered on everything. A sob caught in your throat as you entered, making your way to sit on the bed you shared with Fred many nights before.

//

"Shhh Darling, they'll only find out that you're in here if you keep giggling." Fred chuckled quietly as you held back a laugh threatening to escape from your lips.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it Freddy." You whispered back as you snuggled closer to his side. He had snuck you out of Ginny's bedroom and into his for what seemed like the millionth time, but each time felt like the first time.

He watched as you made yourself comfortable, sleep eventually engulfing you.

"I love you Y/n." He spoke, more for himself to hear than anything.

You smiled to yourself, hearing the words neither of you had said yet in your relationship.

"I love you too Freddy." You smiled to yourself as he tensed, making you realize he hadn't noticed you were still awake. His face turned crimson as he chuckled, pulling you impossibly closer to his warm chest. He placed a soft kiss to your forehead as he let sleep take him as well.

//

The memory left as fast as it had came and you were left with nothing. The loneliness hit you like a dump truck, the same way it had hit you when you saw Fred, lying there, unmoving.

A few stray tears escaped, bringing you back to the reality you now had to face. A reality without Fred Weasley.

You hadn't let yourself break down completely, not yet. The feeling of loss too overwhelming. It had only made you feel numb, cold, lost. It hadn't let you succumb to the tears you knew would one day wreak havoc on you. A day you knew was coming sooner rather than later.

Footsteps brought you out of your trance. You looked up to be met with the eyes of the other half of the weasley twins. One you couldn't bare to look at too long as it reminded you far to much of the love you had lost. George knew this too. He knew just looking at him broke you into pieces. He insisted you sleep in Ginny or even Ron's room, to avoid the pain he would inevitably cause you. But, you disagreed, you wanted to sleep in Fred's bed. You hoped that maybe it would help you grieve, help you move past what once was.

If only you had realized how hard it would truly be to wake up every day, met with George sitting across the room from you. It pained you to look George in the eyes. It hurt more than you could've imagined when you agreed to stay in the twins room.

~~

The first week was awful. Neither of you could sleep. Neither of you said a word. George stared up at the ceiling, hoping that maybe this was all a nightmare, and that he'd hear his twin laugh from across the room. That his twin would offer up some ridiculous new thing to add to the store that he of course would agree too.

But that didn't happen. The silence was deafining. It was making him go insane. He looked over to see you curled up into a ball, facing away from him. You were holding on to something but he couldn't quite tell what it was. He let out a sigh, the grief had left him numb too. His body not yet giving in to the cries that would eventually take over in the process of healing. To say he was terrified was an understatement. Terrified of what this world would be like without his brother, without the dynamic duo that was once him and his brother, Fred.

You had felt his eyes on you, but you couldn't bare to roll over and look at him, to say something. The stuffed bear Fred had given you for your second anniversary was tucked tightly underneath your arm. Serving as the tiniest bit of relief to what you had bottled up inside.

Everytime you closed your eyes you saw Fred. But not an image of Fred you wanted to see. It haunted you and kept you from the sleep that oh so wished to take over your body.

You couldn't remember when you finally fell asleep. Had it been an hour? 10 minutes? You were unsure. The light from outside streamed into the room through the faded curtains on the window. Sitting up, you noticed George was awake, but facing away from you.

A knock from the door tore your eyes away from the red headed boy. You swallowed hard, afraid of any social interaction outside of the thoughts you fought with inside your mind. The door creaked open only far enough for the mystery person to set a tray of food down on the floor. You could see a small note left with the tray, assuming it was for the two of you to read.

You waited for them to be gone before you slowly got yourself out of bed to grab the tray. There were two sandwiches, some fruit and some granola bars. What you could only assume was breakfast.. or lunch. You still hadn't looked to see what time it was. The clock on the wall giving you the answer you needed as it read 11:15am.

The note sat on the tray, folded in half with the words "George and Y/n" written in it. You felt bad for opening it without George, but he'd have the chance to read it later. Slowly, you unfolded the note. It was easy to tell Molly's handwriting from the rest of the Wesley's.

"My dearest children George and Y/n.

Please eat something. Just a little for me darlings?

You're not alone in this. We have to be here for each other through this loss. We're stronger as a family.

I love you both, take your time.

Molly"

A few tears escaped as you placed the note down. You realized how selfish you both had been in pushing away the rest of the family. It wasn't just you two who had lost Fred, there was a whole family downstairs who had also lost Fred. Molly and Arthur had lost a son, Ginny and Ron had lost their older brother, someone they looked up to. Bill, Charlie and Percy had lost their younger brother. A brother who they saw themselves in every day he grew.

It felt unfair to hide away from everyone else when they just wanted to help. They wanted to grieve with you and try to make it easier. But it was so hard. It was hard to move, hard to make any sense of the thoughts constantly screaming at you inside your head. You knew eventually you would face the rest of the family.. but it couldn't be now. No, not now.

Picking away at the food, you eventually were able to down the sandwich and an apple, stuffing a granola bar in your pocket for later.

Looking up you saw George was still sat in the same position he was when you first got up. Staring off at the wall away from you. He needed to eat too. Slowly, you got up off the hard ground and carried the tray over to his bed and set it down lightly. It felt wrong to touch him. Like you were invading his personal space. Yet, you didn't stop yourself from gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He jumped at the sudden touch. He didn't want to turn around. Didn't want to face you, knowing the pain he brought you. You knew this too. You had to let his face not haunt you, but heal you.

You tugged on his shoulder lightly, giving him the silent okay that he could turn around. He sighed, knowing that even through your approval that it would hurt you. Eventually, he turned around, looking up at you as you stood next to his bed. His eyes were puffy and red, a quick reminder of the reality you both faced.

You tried to give him a small smile as you gestured to the tray of food in front of you. Gently you pushed Molly's note towards him, to signify he should read it too. Goerge gave you a nod, and looked down at the food in front of him. He gulped, not knowing if he'd be able to stomach the food, given his current state. But, he tried. He got half the sandwich and a granola bar down before he had to push the tray away, afraid he'd throw it all up.

The room had somehow gotten darker. The light that once invaded the room slowly slipping away behind the horizon. The clock now read 7:30pm. You wondered how the time went by so fast, but realized how fast time had gone by lately for the both of you. It was lunch one minute and before you knew it, it was dark out. Time meant nothing to you two. At this point it was simply a way to know when to expect a mystery person at your door.

One time Ron had tried to come in, to say something to the two of you. Needless to say he was immediately met with a shoe inches away from his face. George couldn't handle the rage of his emotions. He just wanted to be left alone. It made him happy that you two had made the silent agreement to not say anything to each other. At least not for now. You had hoped that one day Molly wouldn't try to come in as you were afraid she'd be met with same fate as Ron. A heavy object thrown merely inches from her face. That would be the day he hears it, grieving or not.

~~

A few more weeks went by of the same routine. Sleep barely at all, get up, try to eat whatever food had been left by the door, and then try to go back to sleep. The nights had been silent, neither of you daring to let yourself succumb to anything. It was still too numbing. You felt crazy for not crying. Every muggle movie you had watched where someone died, the main character broke down in tears, sobbing until no air was left in their lungs. You assumed it would be like that if you ever lost someone you loved. However, it was completely different. You had barely cried, same with George. Everything was just numb. Nothing felt like it had life to it. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion. It felt like you were living with 1000 pounds on your chest everyday, constricting everything, making you feel small and helpless.

This night though. This night would be different to what you were used to.

You had been used to quiet nights. Sleepless, but quiet nights. Especially from George. He slept less than you, at least thats what you thought. His eyes were always red with bags under them as if he hadn't slept for months. Sleep had finally granted you some peace, but not for long as a blood curdling scream scared you wide awake into a sitting position. You had no hesitation looking over to George who was now sitting up, sweating buckets, his hair sticking to his face. He had his head buried in his hands, with his knees tucked tight up to his chest. He was shaking slightly, afraid that he was still stuck in the nightmare.

It pained you to see him like this. It hurt to see how badly this nightmare affected him. You waited up with him silently to see if it would pass and he could go back to sleep. Minutes passed that seemed like hours, yet he stayed stuck in the same position, haunted by what he had seen.

Something pulled you out of bed. Something that knew, in this moment, George Weasley needed someone. He needed someone to comfort him, and if that person was you, so be it. As you walked over to his bed, thoughts plagued you of what could happen. You were afraid he'd lash out, not wanting you near him. Afraid he'd want to deal with this on his own. But you knew, you were being drawn over to his bed for a reason. He needed your help.

You slowly made your way to the side of his bed. As you looked down at his shaking figure, you couldn't stop a tear that fell down the side of your face. Thinking he already knew you were there, you gave him a second to look up. Yet, he didn't. The fear incapsulated him, took control of his mind and body in this moment. He hadn't even realized you had gotten out of bed, let alone that you were stood next to him. Realizing that you'd have to do something, you sat down next to him, carefully, afraid he'd snap at any minute. He did however feel the bed sink next to him. Still, he didn't dare to look at who occupied the space.

You knew you'd have to do more. To help him get out of whatever he was stuck in. Looking him up and down, he resembled a young boy. A scared, helpless young boy. Carefully, you lightly grabbed his hand and pulled them away from his face. He tried to hide his face again to no avail. It forced him to look at you, to realize he was indeed here, at home, safe.

He read the sadness in your eyes, but he was too afraid to do anything. So, you did something for him. You gently cupped his cheek with your hand. A way to signify that you were real, you were here. He leaned into your touch, feeling weak and helpless. You wiped a tear away that fell down his cheek and gave him a weak, half-assed smile. The line of the silent agreement had definitely been crossed, but if for just this moment, you felt it was ok, and he did too.

Gesturing to the part of the bed that was unoccupied, he knew what you were asking and he nodded, a silent plea in hopes that you would stay with him. Lifting the covers, you made yourself comfy underneath them, joining the weasley boy in the small twin size bed. In any other scenario you would think this was wrong. Sleeping in the same bed as your late boyfriends brother? Any other time you would've felt ashamed, but you knew that this moment between you two wasn't anything, but platonic. It was a friend trying to comfort another friend who was dealing with the same loss.

George looked down at you, scared that you'd disappear at any second and leave him alone. You knew what he was thinking and for the first time since you had entered the room many weeks ago, you spoke to him.

"I'm here." You spoke, barely above a whisper. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as he slowly laid down next to you. You let him lay his head on your chest as you gently wrapped your arms around him. Letting him know you weren't going anywhere. It was in this moment that he finally let himself release everything he had bottled up. He felt safe in your arms. He felt like he wasn't alone for once.

George turned into a mess in your arms, sobs escaping his lips, as he gripped onto you. You stroked his hair lightly, letting him do what he needed. He was on his way to letting himself move past. Letting himself hurt and feel. Tears stained your shirt as you continued to comfort him. His hair was sticking to his face and in every direction imaginable. But it had flattened down nicely as you ran your hands through it. You wondered why you hadn't felt this way yet. Why you hadn't let yourself break down. Maybe it was the walls you had built up over the last weeks. Unable to let yourself become vulnerable like George had now. You knew it would hit you eventually, not wanting to think about that moment. All you could think about now was helping George.

Eventually he calmed down, your shirt soaked from his tears, but it didn't bother you. He was sound asleep, his head still resting on your chest and his arms wrapped tightly around you. Afraid to let you go. You let out a sigh. You were scared of the day you'd end up like this in George's arms as he held you, your sobs controlling you, making your body shake uncontrollably. Scared of what consequences that would bring the two of you. Scared of the clear line you had both crossed tonight.

[poptod]

Hi I hope ur having a great day! I love ur writing so freaking much! This request is a little different than what I’m sure ur used to but hopefully ur comfortable enough with writing it. Could u write a one shot (or headcanons if it’s easier) where Snafu from the Pacific is crushing big time on the reader (like almost in love) and he’s always hitting on her but she never shown any interest toward him. Then a few days in when the nurses come Snafu walks in on the reader making out with one of the nurses. They see each other and he walks out all like CONFUSED and shook and the reader runs after him to swear him to secrecy. He’s still shook and admits his feelings and she comes out as a lesbian to him. He’s even more SHOOK but he’s rly understanding and accepting even tho he’s incredibly heartbroken. Sorry if it’s not what u usually write, as a bi I’m just always a sucker for “I’m dumb she’s a lesbian”

notes: anon i love you you're literally perfect WC: 1.9k

+

He was used to this sort of behavior when he first met girls – curt and rude, meant to pry his eyes off their figure. Eventually though, after time, he would win their affection through his shining personality (or, at least, that's what he thought happened). Usually it only took about a week or less; he was good at what he did. This was ridiculous, though – he was ranging on the sixth week of knowing you. That's one and a half months, far above his usual score.

But you're beautiful. Even if you won't share a genuine conversation with him, you 'let' him watch you, allowing yourself to become his only source of entertainment on the island. The shine in your hair – always neatly pulled back – is a fantastic distraction from the blisters on his palms and the heat of his sunburnt skin.

You're the last piece of humanity here. It makes sense he would never be able to win you.

Today you're tending to his wounds, an activity he thought he would never love as much as he does. Your fingers are still soft somehow, brushing against the exposed skin of his arms, sliding over the bandages to ensure they won't slip. The concentration evident in your sharp eyes is revealed in the way you bite your lip, gaze never leaving the bloody blisters on his hands.

"Not for nothin' babe, but," he began to speak, voice raspy and dry, "last time someone looked at me like that, I got laid."

You very slowly raise your head, reluctantly meeting his eye with a dead stare.

"Not today, Snafu," you say.

"Tomorrow then?"

You scoff, shake your head, almost laugh, but in the end you say nothing. Instead you return to your work, diligently cleaning the scabs and covering them up. He can't say he minds––whether or not you truly engaged with him, he heard your voice, and felt your touch. That would be enough. For now.

Surprisingly enough, they still get to have movie night sometimes. That doesn't mean the movies are good, but they're generally more entertaining than watching the shore birds. Every now and then, Snafu will even go and join his tent mates, ogling more at the nurses than paying attention to the actual movie. Those are always good nights, and the forest is close enough that it's not a problem if he gets too excited.

Tonight's movie is titled 'Godzilla Goes to College,' and upon hearing the name Snafu knew he would not be able to attend a full hour of it. Instead he wanders around the encampment, watching shadow silhouettes and the movement of the breeze on tent flaps. The sound of shuffling catches his ear, and when he turns, he's pleasantly surprised to find you beside him, drowning in an oversized jacket. He laughs, loud and probably impolite, but the juxtaposition of him being shirtless beside you truly tickles him.

"Evenin', doll," he says through his laughter, stopping you in the middle of the pathway. A soft groan leaves you as you turn to face him.

"And good night," you say in a too-cheery tone, your saccharine smile instantly falling into a dead stare as you go back to walking, a renewed vigor in your step.

"Hey, where y' goin' in such a hurry?" He asks, and begins to trail slowly after you. He allows a decent amount of space to grow between you before he continues with, "stay n' chat a minute, cher!"

You don't even bother to respond once you turn the corner, where Snafu loses his trail on you. He curses to himself, turns back around, and finds several of his mates coming back from the movie rather tipsy. How long have they been there?

"Reeaaaall lucky with the girls, aren't'ya, Snaf?" Burgie asks, and the four of them fall into teasing laughter.

"I'll get her, you'll see," he promises, turning back to see if he can glimpse you between all the tents. "One a' these days, she's mine."

Later that evening he sees you again, through the sheer fabric of your tent, where you've been burning a candle. It casts your shadow clearly against the wall, allowing him to see you perfectly.

Snafu likes to claim he isn't a pervert, but most who know him in any way know that's not really true. Sure, he can be a gentleman, but if no one's looking he doesn't especially care. No one but him will know, not even you. Even if he wasn't a pervert, he still wouldn't be able to tear himself away––you're undressing, peeling the clothes off your skin and he can see the whole of your body. In outline, of course, but there nonetheless.

Fucking creep, he tells himself, calls himself, but he doesn't cease his staring till you've put out your candle. At that point he can no longer see you, and he returns to his own tent with fantasies circling his head like vultures.

It's not that you're particularly rude to him. You just don't engage or indulge any of his bullshit, which is fair enough he thinks. He has a lot of bullshit coming out of his mouth 24/7. Everyone knows that. There's a theory he has, though––a theory he came up with just a little while ago, that you would treat him perfectly normal as long as he didn't come on to you in conversation. If he treated you just like he treated most others, then you might actually be nice to him. You're a good person. You're not going to be needlessly mean.

"Afternoon," he says to you, and he has to physically bite his tongue to stop himself from calling you cher. You quirk one of your brows.

"Afternoon," you repeat back. "Something ailing you?"

"Why'd ya think that?" He asks, slinking into one of the chairs in the aid tent.

"This is a medical tent," you say, and he wants to facepalm himself.

I'm just achin' with love for you, boo, he wants to say, and again, he has to bite his tongue to stop it from coming out. Damn it, he thinks, that's actually a good line.

"So why are you here then?" You ask.

"Better than tryin' ta find somethin' edible in my lunch," he grumbles out, leaning back against the chair and closing his eyes. He lets out a satisfied sigh.

You giggle, you actually laugh from something he did, and say, "understandable. You should still eat, though. Here."

You move from your spot at a nearly-fully stocked tray, instead digging through one of the numerous unlabelled boxes piled like towers in the aid tent. From there you pull out a granola bar, brand name, and throw it at Snafu's face. He nearly falls off balance, but catches it before he loses his cool.

"Thank ya kindly, ma'am," he says with a grin, tipping an imaginary hat your direction. Again you smile; there is nothing better than this, sitting across from you, and being the reason for your happiness.

Eventually he has to leave in order to make room for those who actually do require medical aid, but he leaves singing on a high note. You say good-bye to him this time, for the first time, and a smile tugs at his lips all day. Therein lies the secret to your affection––a blazingly obvious secret that all men should know––that he must treat you as an equal, not size you up to something he can win over, something he can buy with cheap words and undressing eyes.

He thinks it over all day, lets it mull over in his head how he should next approach you. Things get twisted in his mind if he doesn't speak them out loud, and by eveningtime he's convinced that he should meet you tonight, even if it's just him barging into your tent. Politely, of course. A polite barging in.

For a moment he stops, his hand poised above the handle of your tent flap. You're definitely in there––or someone is––as there's shuffling behind the material, a sound he can barely process over the rushing of his heart.

Fuck it, he finally says, and without giving himself a chance to doubt, he pulls open the flap.

You don't even notice him. To be fair, your eyes are closed. And you're a bit preoccupied. Your tongue is pretty far down that nurse's throat.

His mouth falls open as every muscle in his body freezes. It's the other nurse that actually sees him, and she taps you harshly with her wide eyes set on Snafu. You tear yourself away from her touch, turn to the marine, and all the air in the tent goes stagnant.

He leaves. Throws the flap back into place and all but sprints away, wide eyes burning in the cool night air. It's only a second or two of running before he hears the flap open and close again, followed by you yelling something, and ultimately your chasing footsteps.

You end up being surprisingly fast, and you easily catch up to him. Once you do you grab his wrist, tugging him back, and forcing him to face you. Both of your hearts are racing a hundred miles a minute, both of your eyes wide with shock.

"Merriel I am begging you, you cannot tell anyone about this, please, please, you can't, I’ll do anything," you beg him, and it's then he notices there's tears on the edge of your eyes. "Please do this for me, you can't tell anyone. Don't even think about it––just, pretend it never happened?"

He's panting, unable to formulate any response, only able to stare into your panic and sink in the fear pouring out of your desperate eyes.

"(Y/N), I'm––no, I won't," he says at last, and you practically collapse with relief, falling into him with your forehead on his shoulder. He continues in a murmur, awkwardly holding you, "I just... I'm.. I'm in love with you. I––I couldn't do that to you."

"Fuck, I know," you say in a breath, removing yourself to look him in the eye. "But I can't be with you."

You pause, and he waits a moment for you to continue, his brow quirked in curiosity.

"I'm a lesbian, Snafu."

"Oh," he says, but it doesn't process. Not for a minute, anyway. "Oh. Ohh. OHHHH."

"Yeah," you say with a vigorous nod.

"Okay, I thought – I thought I jus’ lost my touch, you're just.. a lesbian, okay," he says, sparking a laugh from you.

"You're not angry?"

"Shit cher, you can't control who you wanna get freaky with jus' as much as I can't," he says, smiling, and the tears in your eyes finally fall. They aren't sad, though––birthed from fear, yes, but falling from happiness.

"You're a lifesaver, Snaf."

As heartbroken as he truly is, none of it really shows in his face. At least now he knows it wasn't really his fault that you didn't show interest in him. Still, disappointment fills up his chest, until you tell him that he makes a good friend. It's then he realizes he can still keep you in his life, a version of modesty and stature and innocence that he can't achieve alone.

He won't ever be able to kiss you, which he does mourn––your lips are painfully soft, and every time he catches sight of them he yearns to press his own against them. Your statement on him works in reverse, though; you're a good friend, and that would be enough for Snafu. But Merriel hides within the bravado, within the suaveness of his voice and actions, and Merriel weeps childish tears that Snafu doesn't know how to wipe away and comfort. Snafu understands the reality of the world, but Merriel will always lament the unfairness of life.

You're the last piece of humanity here. It makes sense Merriel would never be able to win you.

[thesoftsoobin]

➳ pairing: soobin x reader

➳ genre: proposal au, tooth-rotting fluff, angst if you squint

➳ warnings: soobin is so cute you might cry, also this is my first time writing a member x reader fic

➳ word count: 3.4k

➳ author’s notes: soobin is aged up in this and is in grad school, so about 24. also yes the title is the same as that satiric piece about eating babies, it was fitting for the story but also I thought it was funny hehe. happy valentines day!

Soobin has been distant lately, and you’re almost sure he’s getting ready to breakup with you. But little do you know, he has something much, much better planned.

An all too familiar electric blue Volkswagen Beetle sits outside the doors of your office building, engine still running. It’s parked in the spot where your boyfriend Soobin’s red SUV should be, and his best friend Yeonjun, hair the same color blue as his car, pokes his head out of the driver’s side window.

“Hey!” he waves to you with a wide grin as your eyebrows knit together. Slowly, you near his car and the band and skate shop stickers on his bumper come into focus. “What took you so long? I thought you were done at 5.”

“Sorry, I was…finishing something up…” you say, and you take a few more steps to the passenger’s side and open the door to slide in. “Is Soobin okay?”

It’s his turn to be confused now as he shifts the car into drive. “Yeah, he’s fine. Didn’t he text you? He asked me to come get you.”

While he waits at the light to pull out of the parking lot, you scramble for your bag and take out your phone. Surely enough, you have two missed texts from your boyfriend.

You frown at the words, a frustration you’re not proud of building up inside your chest. Your car broke down yesterday and is in the shop, and Soobin had promised to drive you to and from work. He’d dropped you off this morning and you texted him on your lunch, just to remind him he had to pick you up too. But apparently something much more pressing came up only 15 minutes before he was set to be there.

To be fair, this wasn’t such a big deal. You could have even walked home if you needed to. The apartment you share with Soobin and Yeonjun isn’t far from your work at all.

But it’s still winter. The sidewalks are slicked with ice, the wind chill is below freezing, and today is one of many days you’d forgotten your gloves when rushing out the door in the morning. So it was nice of him, at least, to ask Yeonjun to come.

Normally, you wouldn't be upset with him at all, for that very reason. But for the past few weeks, Soobin has been acting weird, on edge and distracted. He's been half-heartedly listening to you, always seemingly somewhere else when you'd talk, and he’s started stress-filled arguments whenever you'd ask him a simple question like what he wanted from the store.

Just this morning, you’d asked what his plans for the day were. When he simply shrugged, you pressed a bit more, sure he had something planned for his first day off in a while.

“Nothing?” You’d asked teasingly, leaning against the counter as you chewed your granola bar. “Isn’t Jun off too? You guys normally have entire, intricate plans when you get to hang out by yourselves.”

“I don’t know, babe,” he’d tensed up in response. He’d squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just...leave it, okay?”

With all of that adding up, of course you were frustrated. It felt like he was pulling away, and any time you brought it up, he would just laugh and brush it off with a simple "I'm fine."

"What's wrong?" Yeonjun asks. You hadn’t noticed your eyes were still on your phone, mouth still set in a frown.

"Be honest," you turn to him suddenly, "is Soobin going to break up with me?"

He glances from the road to you and then back to the road again, barely meeting your eye before bursting out in laughter.

"What?" you whine. "He's been acting so weird. And what's so important that he couldn't wait five minutes to pick me up first? On his day off?"

He's still stifling a laugh. "You're hilarious, Y/N. You know that?"

"I'm serious! He would've told you, right? If he was going to break up with me? Just be honest so I can prepare for it."

"He's not breaking up with you," he says, letting out another giggle, and that stills your nerves. Your shoulders fall and you sit back against the seat. "He loves you. Like, too much. It's disgusting."

You try not to smile to yourself, already feeling ridiculous for thinking he would be ending things. Choi Soobin, the man who still wakes you up with coffee and a kiss every morning and who, just yesterday, brought flowers home from the store. He saw them, yellow and pink, your two favorite colors, and thought of you.

But that brings you back to everything else about him lately. Distracted, irritable, and closed off. Of course, you had every reason to be confused. You still do.

"So why is he acting so weird then?" You ask Yeonjun as he pulls into the apartment complex. He sits up to look for a parking spot, still not meeting your eye.

"You'll just have to—" he stops himself and clears his throat. As he rounds a corner, he starts again, voice easy. "It's just his thesis. He's all stressed and everything."

"Right," you say, nodding.

That still doesn't explain why he refuses to tell you about it. He's complained to you throughout this entire process since he started the gigantic paper last year. But…you guess it makes sense. He's nearing the end of it, probably too focused on polishing it to complain.

"Right," you repeat, trying to reassure yourself as Yeonjun pulls into a free space. Trying not to entertain the thoughts that maybe he just hasn't told his best friend, and he really is planning on breaking up with you. "What were you going to say? I'll just have to what?"

"Oh, uh," he turns the key and the ignition sputters to a stop, "I was just going to say you'll have to be patient with him. Really, everything's fine. Seriously."

"Okay…"

With that, Yeonjun gives a curt nod and opens his door. He fumbles with his keys in the apartment entryway, which is a regular occurrence for him, and he lets you both in. You make your way up the carpeted stairs to the second floor and pull out your own keys to get into the apartment, worry still clawing at your heart.

The absolute disaster in the kitchen when you walk in does nothing to quell your fears. Bowls, pots, and pans are scattered around the countertops. There's splotches of flour all over the table cloth, and a pot of water is bubbling over on the stove. The stove hisses every time another drop of water splatters onto the burner.

"Shit," Yeonjun takes two steps at a time into the kitchen and turns the dial to shut it off. "I was supposed to — I think he told me to turn it off."

"Jun, what—" you take another glance around, back over the flour and the stove, and notice the lump of dough sitting in a bread pan beside the pot of water. "Was he stress baking again or something?"

But what would Soobin need to boil water for? Gnocchi?

"Ah, well, he—" Yeonjun scratches the back of his neck, pulling on a tuft of his hair. "You know, I'm not very good at— He shouldn't have—"

Another jingle of keys outside the door interrupts Yeonjun, and before he can make anything of his stammering, Soobin walks in. He looks completely normal, if not a bit disheveled, in his earmuffs and brown suede jacket.

But Yeonjun breathes out an, "Oh, thank god," and you see Soobin's eyes widen just slightly as he shuts the door behind him. He doesn't even take his boots off before stepping over to you, which you know for a fact he's made a habit of doing every winter since he could walk.

"Hi baby," he says just before giving you a small, quick kiss. Normal, fine. But you still look between him and Yeonjun with narrowed eyes. Yeonjun's staring down at his feet now, and Soobin gives a tight smile that turns into the cutest pout he can muster. "I'm sorry I broke my promise about picking you up."

"It's fine, but what exactly came up?" You ask before jutting your thumb toward Yeonjun. "And why's he acting just as weird as you now, too? A-and," you gesture around you at the mess. "And what's with all of this?"

Soobin pulls his earmuffs down and hooks them around his neck. He bites his bottom lip, and you know that his next few words are going to be a lie. You've been together long enough to know that that's his tell.

"It completely slipped my mind that I had a meeting with my advisor scheduled," he says. "He read over my most recent draft of my thesis."

"It took you only a half hour to drive to campus, have the meeting, and drive back?" you ask, and he opens his mouth to respond, but he can't seem to come up with anything to say. "Soob, why are you lying to me?"

"Babe—" he slips his hands into his pockets, taking in a breath.

"Ah, I'm gonna…go play Crazy Taxi," you hear Yeonjun say behind you.

You look back, watching Yeonjun scurry to his room and shut the door behind him. He's clearly aware of what's about to happen and must have lied to you before. Soobin is humming under his breath when you return your gaze to him, trying to come up with something to say.

"Soob, you're my best friend," you say. "If you're not—If this isn't working for you anymore, you can tell me. I'm—"

"What?" His eyebrows shoot up and he takes a step forward, cupping your face in his hands and shaking his head. "No. No, no no. That's not it! Why would you think that?"

"You've been acting so strange, and-and," you gesture back to Yeonjun's door. "And he's acting weird now too, like he knows why you're acting weird and can't say. And if it were good, he'd—"

"Y/N, no," Soobin says, leaning down to kiss you again. This time he lingers, his way of reassuring you and quelling your fears for good. "I'm not breaking up with you," he says, and then he laughs just like Yeonjun had. He’s smiling so wide his dimples show.

You smack his arm playfully, but it only makes him laugh harder. "So why is everything so different, then? And why did you lie about picking me up?"

He holds up his hands, giving up. "I know I've been off lately and starting dumb fights because...I’ve been so caught up with my paper," he says.

"Yeah," you say, urging him to continue.

"So I wanted to make it up to you by making a nice dinner," he stammers out, the apparent stress of this evening filling his voice as he goes on. "I wanted to get it done before I picked you up, but you and I both know I'm only good at baking. And I couldn't find the right pot for the rice and then I thought we were out of kochujang, so I went to the store, but then I remembered it was in the one cabinet I didn't look in."

"Soobin," you frown. "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to."

Now — Now you can wonder how you ever thought this man was going to break up with you. You look up at him, smiling at him and to yourself.

"Well, I can help you now," you say, and you pivot and start toward the kitchen. He grabs you by the waist before you can make it very far, though, spinning you back around.

"No, no, no," he says urgently again. He's still acting kind of weird, but now you chalk it up to his surprise being ruined. "I still want to do it myself."

"Babe, no offense, but it'll take all night if you try to do it yourself," you say, turning around again. He keeps his arms around your waist, following you closely and nearly tripping on your heel as you step onto the kitchen tile.

"Y/N," he whines, wrapping his arms tighter. He rests his chin on top of your head. "Let me do this for you."

You turn around in his arms and stare up at him, and he gives you a peck on the cheek. "Can I at least help do the dishes or something?" you ask.

"No," he says. "You had a long day at work, so go relax and play Crazy Taxi with Jun."

"No," you repeat back to him, and he recoils a bit, his eyebrows coming together. "This is stressing you out more, isn't it?"

"Not at all," he insists unconvincingly, shaking his head again so his bangs swish over his forehead. As you cross your arms over your chest, he keeps trying. "Just call me Chef Choi. I'm gonna make you the best kimchi jjigae and rice and bread you've ever had in your life."

This time you stand up on your tip toes and cup his face in your hands. "Whatever you say," you tell him, and he smiles, tilting his head in your hand. "Now where's the onion and mushroom? I'll cut it up for you."

"Babbbbyyyyy," he draws the word out, but you don't stop yourself from getting the cutting board from the cabinet.

"Come on," you say and you set the board down on the countertop. "This will be more fun, anyway. I'm not letting you stress yourself out on my account."

You expect him to keep pouting, the stubborn boy that he is, but instead his face begins to soften. He stares at you with these puppy dog eyes, so wide and affectionate that you have to do a double take. You haven't seen him look at you like this since the first time he told you he loved you.

“What?” you ask, when instead of saying anything, he takes your hands in his.

“I love you so much,” he says.

“And I love…” you start to say, but he’s sinking down. Down to one knee. “...you. Soobin.”

“I think I’ve always--Do you--” he sighs, shaking his hair out of his eyes. “I had this whole speech planned in my head, but I’m looking at you now and I can’t remember the order of it or even a single word. But this isn’t exactly going as planned anyway.”

“Soob, are you--” you take one hand from his to cover your face, which is quickly heating up. Your cheeks hurt from smiling and blushing and his loving gaze is so intoxicating that you can’t help but try and hide.

“Y/N, will you marry me?” he asks, and there he goes, pulling a ring box from the pocket of the suede jacket he’s still wearing, with his winter boots still on and his earmuffs still around his neck. He’s blushing wildly too, and you notice his hands shaking as he opens the box to reveal the sapphire ring you’d mentioned wanting many times to your best friend.

You take in the entire sight, mouth agape, until you realize you haven’t responded yet and Soobin’s still looking up at you nervously.

“Yes!” you say, and it comes out a lot louder than you meant it to. “Yes, obviously.”

"Wait, really?" Soobin asks, his features still soft. He loses his balance and nearly falls to his side, catching himself with his free hand. You nod, and you hold your hand out for him to put the glimmering ring on.

He almost drops it in the process, looking up at you with eyes filled with tears instead of at what he's doing. But then he springs up, somehow not falling over again, and smiles beneath your lips as he kisses you.

"Did you really think I'd say no?" you ask when the two of you pull away, your noses still only centimeters apart.

"Well," he tilts his head to the side and sinks into himself. "I planned all of this and then started to wonder if you even still liked me."

"Soob!" you smack his arm again — with your left hand, which now has the ring you still think you may be imagining. "That's why you've been acting so weird?"

"Yeah, and I wanted it to be perfect. But now I've just ruined all of it, which is also why I'm surprised you said yes," he chuckles. "I was going to make this whole meal and bake the bread and then put the ring in the bread, but then I was so stressed about the meal that I forgot to pick up the ring from the jewelers. So I had to make Jun get you from work so that I could pick up the ring, but then you guys were here when I got back and I couldn't do what I planned since you're such a wonderful girlfriend who wanted to help me because you thought I was stressed over my thesis, which I haven't thought about for the past month because I've been planning this."

You stare at him for a moment, at the way he sighs and his shoulders sag, and you take his face in your hands again.

"That is so you that this couldn't be any more perfect," you say, and one of the tears that had been building behind his eyes slips down his cheek. "Also this way, neither of us accidentally ate the ring."

He lets out a distressed laugh and falls into you, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder. "That's true. It was really expensive."

"You better not have spent your savings on it," you say, voice muffled with your face in his chest.

"Actually, your dad paid for half of it."

You pull back and look at him with furrowed brows. "My dad?"

"Yeah, I talked to him about all of this. And your mom. Your brother gave me a hard time but I like to believe he was joking," he says. "And Kai, who you probably guessed helped me with the ring. Yeonjun was the first person I told, of course, and he did a good job at distracting you while I did all of that."

"Oh," you say, and you try to think back to the past month and all of the times Yeonjun had invited you to hang out with him. You had thought it was just his way of keeping you company while Soobin allegedly stressed about school. "Yeonjun is still a terrible liar, though."

"Yeah," Sooblin laughs. "He is."

Just then, Yeonjun's door squeaks open and he comes out. He's changed into his pajamas and is in the middle of tossing a handful of chips into his mouth. As he's chewing, he says, "I heard my name. Is the food done?"

But as he swallows, his gaze locks in on the two of you, still tangled in each other. You watch as his eyes search between your flushed face and Soobin's tear-stained cheeks.

"Wait," he says. "Did I miss it?"

Soobin gives him a shy smile.

"I missed it!" he pouts. "Soobin, I was supposed to film it. And, you know, see it."

"You can film the wedding," you say, just as Soobin says to Yeonjun, "Do you want me to do it over? 'Cuz it was kind of sloppy and I forgot my whole speech."

"Ah, I missed that? And the look on her face?" Yeonjun just keeps pouting, padding closer to you two. "Bin, she really thought you were going to break up with her. I was seconds away from giving up your secret." As he steps into the kitchen, he peers over the two of you to get a look at the stove. "You didn't even start the jjigae? Wow, man, you really did drop the ball."

Soobin grins down at his feet, shaking his head. When he looks back up at you, you mouth, "I love you."

"I love you," he mouths back, his smile spreading to show his dimples again, and that's really all you needed.

The night may not have gone according to Soobin's plans, but it was perfect. So utterly perfect.