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awrkive · 8 months ago

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NEIGHBOR BLUNDER, pt. 3 — JJK

in hindsight, you should have seen it coming. had always known your luck – or lack of it, thereof – and the universe's meticulous plan of your downfall made it easy for you to get tangled up in a series of unfortunate events, which presents itself as the neighbor that lives across from you, jeon jungkook.

PAIRING jungkook x (fem) reader

GENRE r18+ (fluff, angst, smut) MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

CHAPTER WORD COUNT 18.7k

CHAPTER WARNINGS/MISC neighbor!jk, bsf!jimin, accountant!oc software engineer!jk, jk and jimin are chaebols lol, minjoon boyfriends <<<<3, mature language, lots of screaming into your pillow moments, litol bit of #domesticity, FLUFFY FLUFF FLUFFFFFFFFFFFFF, angst if you squint??????????, the x file spoiler lol, suits cameo (me inserting my niche interests into conversations), the biggest warning of this part is: naked jungkook 💀

NOTES sorry for being almost 3 hours late efhkjdhfd i overestimated my abilities a bit mb mb anyway, AGAIN, i want to thank you guys for the overwhelming support! i want to take this opportunity to announce that i'll be taking a break from nb for around 2 weeks to work on my new jungkook one-shot fic that i will be posting for his birthday ❤️ if you are interested, i have posted the teaser on my tumblr page. LASTLY pls let me know your thoughts!! i LOVE LOOOVEEE reading every single one of your replies/reblogs/asks. i hope you enjoy this one and have a good weekend ahead!!!!!!

NB!JK VISUALS | TAGLIST OPEN (REPLY IN THE COMMENT SECTION. PLS DO NOT SEND AN ASK ABOUT IT)

READ ON WATTPAD | AO3

PART ONE | TWO | THREE

You always wonder how a company this big seems to not have any budget lent for a copier that actually works – something that one doesn’t need to violently slap just for it to function perfectly.

You’ve been a victim not just once but five times to its inefficiency, the recent mishap being a month ago when the ink blots jumped right over the cuff of your shirt.

With the way that you’ve been harassing the copier at the very moment, you’ll say it’s about to do you wrong for the sixth time and you absolutely can’t let it happen anymore – not when you’re currently wearing a white polo shirt that stupidly costs a little too much more than anything in your wardrobe (you decided to spend a little more than usual last New Year’s).

So, with a last unnecessary kick to the bottom of the machine (out of pure spite) you left the copier room of your floor and think, fuck it – go to the IT department and ask Taemu to back you up from his supervisor so you can use their copier instead – which is something you’re not so sure of.

It’s embarrassing to go there just to ask him for help. Not with your history. But admittedly not that much of a history. After all, he seems to be cool with you and everything seems to be pretty chill. You can just go there; ask a little favor from a friend, and then hurry down to your floor.

There are some other options, though. Like, you can always ask the intern to do it for you. But the thing is, you kind of feel bad for those three. Your co-workers are doing a lot already; asking to fetch them things all around the building, buy them snacks, stuff like that. There’s another one but she’s way too quiet and didn’t really take shit from any of her seniors… which is kind of intimidating – but she's someone you wish you were when you were also an intern. You personally don’t want to help cultivate a somewhat toxic journey for the other three because you also started the same way as them. Beyond that, it would also be too rude to ask favors from Taemu indirectly.

You’re ultimately left with little and only one choice.

The elevator dings and the doors open after it does so.

One of the people in it is a woman you’ve never met around before. Long, black hair; tailored suit, slender figure, and a posture that screams she’s never hunched her back in her entire life.

Other people that entered at the same time as you start to bow their heads down slightly and greet a polite, “Good afternoon.”

You mirror their gesture as well.

As you step inside and settle on a spot, you wonder who she is.

An executive, maybe? She looks very put-together, and there’s authority that hangs over her frame… but exceptionally young in the physical aspect. Jungkook is also young, though – and he’s an executive, so that’s entirely possible. Additionally, others seem to know her. Or they're just pretending to know her like you did. Did you miss a ceremony? A meeting? Or did you gloss over some HR email again? You’ll have to check later to find out if that’s the case.

Anyway, your curiosity doesn’t last long when the elevator doors open once again, indicating the IT department floor.

You already texted Taemu awhile ago that you were on your way so he should meet you on-time.

As you walk down the hallway with your phone in your hand, your attention is caught by a familiar voice.

“Hey,”

You look up from your phone and see Taemu waving not too far away, heading towards your direction. It doesn’t take him long to get near you. When he does, you give him a smile.

“Taemu, hi.” You say as a small greeting. Taemu lifts his hand and you thought he was going for a high-five, so you lift your hand as well to meet the gesture. But then he leans in closer, one arm about to enclose your waist, and that’s when you realize he was actually gearing up for a hug.

Taemu seems to register that you weren’t exactly going for the same thing, so he steps back. He seems shy when you look at him in confusion.

“Oh, okay, sorry,” He offers his hand again, but just when you’re already thinking about hugging him because that was what he originally meant to do, he speaks just as you lean in closer to hug him. “I thought we were high-five-ing?”

Embarrassed, your hands retreat to yourself.

“I thought... you wanted to hug?” You chuckle.

“Okay, let’s just—” Taemu steps closer again and this time, it’s more than clear to you what he wants to do.

You reciprocate the hug he gives.

“This is so stupid.” You say, chuckling against his neck. The contact is quick as you two simultaneously break apart.

Taemu laughs at your remark, nodding his head. Then he gestures ahead, pointing to the direction of the copy room.

“Your copier not working again?” He asks as you walk down the hallway together.

You heave a sigh. “Yeah, they really need to change that one. Anyway, have you told Mr. Lee?” You ask, referring to his supervisor.

Teamu nods his head, opening the door to the copy room for you.

“Yeah, it’s fine with him. Just sign the logbook and stuff.”

“Thanks, Taemu.” You say, quickly getting to work, feeling slightly delighted at how their machine smoothly does its job and not like the one at all in your department. “Hey, I’m really sorry for bothering you with this.” You lament as you wait for the paper to slide out.

Taemu waves his hand, shaking his head at you. “It’s fine.”

You purse your lips into a thin line, giving him a somewhat apprehensive smile. The paper comes out and you get your thing. After a quick scan to see if the copier got everything right, you look back at Taemu to say, “Thanks again, Taemu. I really appreciate this.”

“No worries. Anytime.”

When you announce that you’re done, Taemu calls your name.

“Hm?” You hum, looking at him and wait for his next words.

He looks coy when he rubs a hand on the back of his head.

“Can I take you out for lunch?” He says, and you still in your position. Taemu seems like he surprised himself with his own words. You open your mouth to speak but then he beats you to it quickly, “It’s not a date. I phrased that as a date – but it’s not – ah, this is all coming out wrong,” Taemu chuckles, interrupting himself. With his hands in his slacks' pockets, he leans to a random table inside the room and looks at you with a more confident stance this time, as if he just gave himself a quick internal pep talk after jumbling his words. “What I meant to say is, if we can go out for lunch together today?”

You chuckle. You were just about to say yes. Contrary to his assumption, you didn’t really take his first question as an invitation for a date. Besides, he helped you with the copier today.

Nodding your head, you offer him a grin as you say, “Yeah. I’ll go to lunch with you.”

Taemu walks you to the elevator even though you said he doesn’t need to. He's insistent but you let it, anyway.

Taemu puts his hands on both sides of the door before it closes. The ride is pretty much empty except for yourself.

“When are you off?” He asks.

You think about it for a moment. “Is 12:15 okay?”

Taemu nods. “Sure. See you at 12:15?”

“Yeah. Later.”

The elevator closes and you laugh to yourself when you catch Taemu awkwardly waving his hand at you goodbye.

“No, you didn’t, I kicked your ass at mini golf!” You say, laughing as Taemu looks at you with squinted eyes, obviously saying that was absolutely not what happened on your date a few months ago.

“Uh, you disregarded all the rules.”

You roll your eyes. “Okay, fine. Rules do not matter, though. It’s just some stick and a ball and… fake grass.”

Taemu laughs, surrendering his hands to the air, nodding when he says, “Fair, fair.”

You’re currently at a restaurant not too far away from your company building. It took Taemu and you about five minutes to get here; just a quick waiting time to cross the pedestrian lane to get from one street to the other.

Looking around, you can actually see some people inside wearing your company lace. The restaurant’s sort of like a famous spot around the company, though, so it doesn't necessarily surprise you. You’ve also had a few company dinners here some time ago.

Safe to say, lunch with Taemu is going… okay so far.

No – actually, it’s way better than you thought it would be.

You could have never, ever predicted that you’ll be out with him alone again after… you know, ghosting him. Your whole assessment of his character has also changed a bit after the whole fiasco.

See, some guys start feeling entitled over your permission and consent when you entertain them even just for a bit. When you go on dates and you break it to them that it’s just not working out between you two, they start to act weird. Like you’ve hurt them. Or that you lead them on – even though it’s absolutely not the case.

But Taemu’s proving himself to be different. You honestly expected him to act like that guy because he seems the type after your first date. But he surprises you by acting the total, complete opposite.

He’s so… nice. So casual. Like nothing happened. You feel bad because right now, you've officially confirmed to yourself that you totally misjudged him.

You can’t believe you’ll say this, but Taemu is not an asshole. Like at all.

Even now, you’re recalling what happened to your date and laughing about some of the memories of it, and it feels so long ago you’re starting to remember it differently.

“Anyway, this milkshake’s really good,” you say, taking your glass and looking at it curiously.

“Yeah? I told you,” Taemu grins, eating from his own plate.

“You always come here?” You ask out of curiosity since he seems to be familiar with the menu.

“Sort of? I mean, I try to take in the city as much as I can.” You nod, recalling what he told you before. He came from Daegu, and it’s his first time in Seoul.

Before you can say anything to that, the waiter comes to your table and gives you your bill.

Taemu and you simultaneously take out your wallets. When he sees you do it, though, he’s quick to shake his head, gesturing for you to not bother.

“No, no, it’s fine. I got it.”

“I got it, too,” You say, smiling at him, already picking out your card, ready to put it inside the check presenter.

“__,” Taemu says your name while chuckling. “I swear, it’s fine. I was the one who invited you for lunch.”

“Taemu,” You call him, using the same tone he used. Taemu grins at that. “I think we should split the bill.”

It’s only fair, you think. You ate pretty much the same thing.

You hold what felt like a minute staring competition until Taemu gives in and lets you stack your card on top of his in the booklet.

You’re about to resume eating – pick up on the conversation you left a few minutes ago – when your phone dings on the table, a message popping out on the notification center.

When you read the contact name, your eyes widen but you relax your face real quick lest Taemu asks questions.

“Sorry,” you say, pointing to your phone. Taemu nods, understanding. You pick the device in your hands, turn to your other side to not be rude, and read the text from Jungkook.

Jungkook (Unit 446) [12:47pm]: hey I bought you lunch Jungkook (Unit 446) [12:48pm]: i was gonnna ask you to go with me earlier but I got busy with some papers

Shoot.

You’ve done a pretty good job of not thinking about Jungkook at all for the entirety of the day. You woke up so early this morning that you waited for twenty whole minutes for your bus just so you can avoid seeing Jungkook because everytime his name pops up in your thoughts, you remember what you did the night before and it just messes with your head so much.

Listen, you aren’t embarrassed about trying to get yourself off. It’s just masturbation. It’s a carnal need and it’s totally normal. What you are not proud of is the way you thought about him – out of all people – and how it actually made you feel… a little more motivated to get yourself there.

But it’s a slip-up. A big mistake.

How are you supposed to look him in the eyes after that and act like you didn’t do what you did? Granted, you did stop before it escalated. But still, the point is that you thought about him while you were pleasuring yourself. Even if it was for a tiny bit second, it still counts!

Stupid fucking ovulation, you think to yourself with bitterness. You’re a much better person without it, you swear. You don’t go around thinking about men when you try to get yourself off, not at all! Personally, your head is mostly blank when you go through it.

But Jungkook left two texts. And he’s probably seen the read tag on his end already.

You [12:49pm]: I just got lunch ): thank you for buying me one tho that’s really nice ofu

You turn your phone off after sending your reply, placing it on the empty space of your table. When you look at Taemu, he’s eyeing something behind you. With furrowed brows, the question about what he’s looking at is on the tip of your tongue when he suddenly says,

“Isn’t that Mr. Jeon?”

“W-what?” You stammer, not sure if you heard him right.

The knots on Taemu’s forehead fades, and then he nods to himself. “I’m pretty sure that’s Mr. Jeon. He’s going this way.”

“Wha—”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Jeon.” Taemu stands up from his seat and does a slight bow for greeting.

Without thinking about it, you mirror Taemu’s action, bowing your head longer than necessary.

“Good afternoon, M-mr. Jeon,”

It’s no use to avoid his gaze, though.

When you look at Jungkook, he seems pretty much just as surprised to see you. You look away, but your eyes fall to his hand, and you see that it carries a take-out paper bag from the restaurant. You think about his text.

“Good afternoon.” Jungkook says with an easy-going smile. He goes from surprised to casual real quick and glosses over you as if he doesn’t know you.

You don’t really know how that makes you feel.

“I was just going, have fun with your lunch.” He says and politely bids his goodbye, going straight to the direction of the restaurant’s door.

“He’s really cool, you know?” Taemu brings up when you both sit down again.

“I— huh?”

“You must have heard about the new project they’re starting at the end of this month, right?” He asks curiously.

You sit there stunned. Stunned from earlier’s interaction with Jungkook but also because you don’t really know what the hell Taemu’s talking about.

“No… I didn’t get any memo…?” You say instead, trying not to act way too oblivious lest he thinks you’re lazy or something. Not that it matters! You’re not trying to impress him or anything.

Taemu nods. “Well, you’ll probably know about it soon.”

But your head's too far gone now, still stuck on what happened a minute ago.

You look over at your phone while Taemu speaks, hoping for it to light up with a new notification from the messaging app.

A few minutes passed by and it doesn’t, even when you leave the restaurant.

You don’t really know why you’re here.

It’s been three days since that night in Jungkook’s place where you tried to bake in his kitchen, so it’s also been three days since you started practicing during the nights after work to perfect your cookies. Tonight, it just so happens that the cookies finally taste edible and honestly, it’s more than okay.

So, maybe that’s why you find yourself in front of Jungkook’s door with a plastic container in your hands, decently-baked cookies prettily arranged inside.

Jungkook was with you when you made those pathetic excuses for cookies, so you thought it’s only fair for him to try these ones and tell you what he thinks. Brag a little. Maybe have a little chitchat if he’s free or whatever.

It’s also… sort of like a peace offering for something he doesn’t need to know about. You can’t tell him you’re sorry for thinking about him when you did the deed because that’s just plain weird.

Speaking of weird, though, the interaction from yesterday left you feeling a little empty. There’s this gnawing feeling inside of you that something went wrong – but you can’t exactly point out why. Jungkook also hasn’t texted you after that – which isn’t out of the ordinary. You don’t text everyday and you don’t meet every single day, either – for the record. You’re both busy people. You can only imagine Jungkook’s schedule.

Anyway, if there’s anything that you learned about your friendship with Jungkook, it’s that you don’t need to lie to him. You just have to knock on his door and he’ll unintentionally clear your doubts by being the voice of reason because he’s nice like that.

You do hope though that tonight clears any weird air between you. Maybe you’ll find out later on that there’s nothing weird going on at all and you’re just overthinking stuff as usual.

You’re about to ring the doorbell twice when the door finally opens, showing you Jungkook still wearing his polo shirt. He looks like he’s just gotten home from work, red tie undone around his neckline and a few buttons popped open.

“Hi.” You smile.

“Hey,” Jungkook looks at you, obviously wondering what brought you to his door.

“I wanted to give you this,” you hand him the plastic container which he takes with a confused look. “Those are cookies. I baked them. I didn’t give you anything when I baked two nights ago because they were bad.”

“Ah,” Jungkook nods, looking down at the plastic. He smiles, then leans on his doorway. “So it’s good now?”

You gesture a so-so with your hand. “Don’t set your expectations too high. It’s not exactly Poilâne. But it tastes like matcha cookies, I swear.” When Jungkook doesn’t say anything for a while, you decide to add, “You also won’t get food poisoning, if you’re worried about that.”

Jungkook gives you an amused look. “I wasn’t… worried about that.”

“It’s a simple disclaimer. Just in case, you know, you suddenly feel weird in the stomach…” Jungkook arches his brow while you trail off. You roll your eyes lightheartedly. “I’m kidding.”

He lets out a chuckle and then stands upright. “Thank you for this.”

“No worries,” you say. You shift your weight from one foot to another. “Uh, do you wanna grab dinner? Right now?”

Jungkook looks at you apologetically.

“I really wish we could, but I have to finish something tonight. Work stuff.”

“Oh,” You nod immediately. “Okay. Uhm, good luck with that.”

He smiles at you. Lifting the container up, he arches his brows, saying, “Thank you, again. It looks good.”

“Yeah, I hope you like it,” You say. Realizing that there’s nothing more left to say, you turn on your heel ready to go. But before that, you look back at him one last time. “Bye.”

Jungkook grins.

“I’ll text you what I think about them.” He says, pointing to the cookies.

“Okay, Anton Ego.”

You both laugh at that, and you enter your apartment with a small smile on your face.

You don’t want to admit it even to yourself, but you might have taken Jungkook’s words about reviewing your baked goods too seriously that you waited for it last night longer than necessary. Even when the night ended and you go to work the next day, which is today, none of his texts come, and you don’t think anything’s coming anytime soon.

You try not to think about it too much because he did say he’s busy with work. You’re sure that’s the case, so you feel slightly bad for him.

Right now, you’re looking for Ms. Seo to get her signature on a document. So you head to the elevator, rushing a bit to get inside the one that’s about to close. It’s a little urgent, so you cannot waste any more time.

As soon as you enter though, you notice who’s in it.

It’s Jungkook and the woman you saw in the elevator two days ago.

You’re starting to think you need to start using the stairs from now on because your elevator trips are getting too ridiculous.

It feels like you’re running on auto-pilot when you greet them both, walking to the side to make space for the other people entering.

You wish you went beside the woman instead and not Jungkook’s side because you then have to try real hard not to look at him.

It proves to be an uneasy task when more people squeeze in as the elevator takes a few stops in between floors. You had to taut all the muscles in your body just to not get into any contact with Jungkook, but even with all the effort, it goes unsuccessful, as you brush his arm when you step back to move a little.

Jungkook looks at you the same time you do.

“I’m sorry.” You utter, low enough to not cause any unnecessary attention.

A few do turn to stare, anyway. And you can’t help but notice the way the woman’s hand moves towards Jungkook’s to hold it as she takes a look at you.

Jungkook, meanwhile, gives you that same professional smile he seems to have reserved for every employee that greets him around the building, warm voice saying, “It’s okay.”

You’re thankful that the next floor is where your stop is.

As you go back to your cubicle, you wonder who the woman is. Again.

There's something about her that feels familiar. She looks familiar. Like you’ve seen her before. You can’t just figure out where exactly.

“__,” Sol calls beside you.

“Huh?”

“You’re not having lunch?” She asks.

“Oh…” Right. It’s currently your break time. “Are you guys going out?” You say, looking at Joonhwi who’s two cubicles away from you.

Sol shakes her head, taking her coat from the back of her chair. “No, just at the cafeteria.”

You nod your head. “Okay, I’ll follow in a few minutes, just need to look over some stuff here,” You point to your computer.

“Okay. Just text me.”

You give Sol a smile and watch as she and Joonhwi head out of the office.

Your gaze falls to the time on your computer.

12:10pm.

Is Jungkook possibly having lunch right now? You remember him buying you one two days ago and feel a little sense of regret about not taking it even though it isn’t your fault and he should’ve told you first to give you a little heads-up.

You never really talked about it. You never really talked for the past three days.

But then again, he seems to be busy.

With a little hope in your heart, though, you pick up your phone and decide to send him a text.

You [12:12pm]: hey do u want to go out for lunch?

Or should you just buy him one like he did for you? It’s not like you’re trying to up him in a kindness competition. It can just be a small, thoughtful gesture from a friend to a friend.

You receive a reply a few seconds after.

Jungkook (Unit 446) [12:13pm]: hey __ I’d love to

Your lips curl down when you read the next one that comes in a second.

Jungkook (Unit 446) [12:13pm]: but I have a work meeting in 5mins

Oh. Okay. That tracks.

You [12:14pm]: okii!! That’s totally cool! good luck with work 😊

You stand up from your chair and take out your wallet from your bag, going out of your office and sending a quick text to Sol that you’re coming to the cafeteria.

When you get there, your peripheral vision catches a familiar figure.

You look back, trying to see if it’s someone you know.

Turns out it is. Because it’s Jungkook.

You’ve seen him in the elevator this morning and he wore a grey pair of suit. You’d also recognize his stature anywhere, but just like how it was inside the elevator, he’s with the woman again; long hair down like it was yesterday, this time adorning a suit dress that hugs her figure really well, her stilettos making her legs look longer but somehow Jungkook still stands a little taller.

For the very brief moment that you laid your eyes on them, you saw how Jungkook had his hand placed on the low of her back, how she laughed at something he said, and how they looked good together from your point of view. It seemed like they were on their way somewhere.

You realize that was what Jungkook meant when he said he’s busy.

They say a silver lining comes in every worst situation possible, and you’re more of an optimist rather than a pessimist so usually, you believe in the concept of silver linings even though right now – it looks like it’s going to be winning the jackpot in the lottery or… free education for everybody across the world.

“The contractor estimates it would be a week-long repair.”

“One week?” Is your immediate response, disbelief coloring your tone. “I’m sorry—” You try to fix your tone, salvaging yourself from being seen as outright rude in front of your building manager. “You mean seven whole days?”

The building manager, Mr. Han, nods his head. He looks genuinely apologetic as he delivers the news, for the record.

“That’s… really long.” You say, albeit calmer now. But you still can’t imagine it.

“It’s just an estimate. Contractor said it might be faster than that, but they still need to do a full assessment of your unit tomorrow, together with the water damage restoration company. We’re doing all we can to respond to the situation. We’re also talking to your upstairs neighbor about the stipulation of his negligence.”

You nod along to his words.

Obviously, it’s his job to ensure everything’s taken care of, but still, you’re appreciative of the way they are going about the current situation. You’ve heard horror stories about tenants getting into arguments with their building managers or landlords when their apartments experience accidents.

“Can I ask about relocation?” You ask. You have to read your lease again to make sure.

“Unfortunately, it’s not indicated in your lease policy, but your renter’s insurance should cover it. You can also talk to your landlord about reducing your rent for this month due to the inconvenience.”

You nod, giving him a small smile. “Okay. Thank you.”

The plumber and some of the help the building manager employed to dry up your place from the accidental flood had already left a while ago, and soon, Mr. Han’s figure disappears entirely after a few seconds as you watch him walk down the flight of stairs and away from the building.

You can hear the loud whirring of the air movers placed inside your unit from where you stood on your porch. Your hair’s damp, including some spots on your work clothes from the water that trickled down your ceiling as you panicked earlier to pack some of your belongings in a medium-sized luggage you managed to grab in the timeframe.

It’s the state that Jungkook catches you in when you see him emerging from the stairs, looking like he also just got back from work.

“Hey, what happened?” Jungkook, with his brows furrowed, looks at you with worried eyes, sounding equally concerned.

You sigh. “Hey,” you greet weakly. “My apartment got flooded.”

“What?”

“It’s the upstairs neighbor. He apparently left his tub running while he went to work this afternoon,” You take a sharp breath, getting pissed again at the negligence. So goddamn stupid, really. “He flooded his own place and the water leaked to my ceiling, and when I got back home from work I was welcomed with two inches of water on my floor.”

“What the hell?” Jungkook says in disbelief. You nod at his reaction. That is exactly what you said when you heard the story from the property manager. “Are you okay?” He asks, and you appreciate it.

“Not sure about that.” You answer honestly.

Jungkook furrows his brows. “You called your landlord immediately?”

Letting out a sigh again, you nod and move to sit on your suitcase – the lonesome bag that you’re planning to bring with you to wherever the hell you’re going to stay tonight. You don’t even think you have enough clothes in it.

“My place is a complete wreck. Most of the water’s drained, though, and the building manager brought some help inside and they put air movers inside to dry the place right now.” You blow air to the strand of hair that escapes from your ponytail out of frustration. “It’s a shitshow, I know.”

“Good that they responded fast,” Jungkook comments, but concern is still etched on his face as he asks you, “Have you called your insurance company yet?”

“Yeah, we’re emailing right now.” You tell him, showing your phone. You hate sending email through such a small device but you left your laptop back at the office – which is kind of a good thing, now that you think about it – because it would’ve gotten flooded had you left it in your place.

“Did you document everything?”

Your response comes in a little curt.

“Yes, Jungkook. I did.” The onslaught questions just somehow seemed to prompt irritation in you, and you can’t help but add, “I know everything I have to do. I’m an adult.”

Predictably, you render Jungkook surprised.

“I— I didn’t mean it like that. I apologize.”

When you look up at him, you see his expression softening – and you feel bad for what you just did.

Chill, __. He’s just asking logical questions.

“No, I’m sorry,” You shake your head, feeling a little ashamed for bursting like that. You shouldn’t have talked to him like that, anyway. “I don’t know why I snapped, you’re just asking the important questions.”

Jungkook hesitantly hovers his hand on your shoulder, and the look he gives you seems to be asking for permission to touch you. You don’t even know if that’s his intention, but you give him a nod.

He smiles, tapping your shoulder for a brief second, saying, “It’s okay. You must be really stressed right now.”

“You think I can’t be calm in this situation?” You look at him with a blank expression. Jungkook’s taken aback and you witness the very split second his smile drops form his face, probably thinking he said something wrong. Then you can’t help it, you break. “I’m just fucking with you.”

Jungkook’s brows furrow as he sees you bursting into a gentle laugh, breaking your serious demeanor.

He shakes his head slowly, seemingly incredulous of the stunt you just pulled.

“You and your jokes…”

“You should’ve seen your face.”

“You got me.” Jungkook chuckles.

“I’m sorry… it’s just me trying to ignore the fact that my apartment literally got flooded and those loud and big ass fans they placed inside are about to tear my ears off.”

You see the way Jungkook’s face winces.

“Where are you staying for the night, then?” He asks.

“I don’t know,” you shrug, genuinely not sure about your options. “Probably gonna book a hotel or something.”

Of course you’ve thought about Jimin. He can probably easily help you find a place for the meantime but it’d probably be hard with him not being physically in the country just yet. Sol also crossed your mind, but you remember she has a roommate.

Getting a hotel to temporarily stay at is the most obvious option there is. It would be too much of a hassle, not to mention expensive, but—

“You can stay at mine for the night.”

You think you’re getting around to Jungkook offering you help without you even asking – but it doesn’t mean you still don’t get a little taken aback when he gives it so willingly and so quickly like this.

“No.” You shake your head.

“Seriously.” Jungkook stares at you.

You stare at him right back.

“I can’t.”

“Why?” He raised his brow.

“I can’t think of reasons right now.”

“You don’t need to think at all.”

You squint your eyes at him, he does the same.

Soon enough, Jungkook breaks first and laughs.

“Come on! You’re gonna freeze in here.”

Hesitantly, you say, “… Are you sure?”

“What are you worried about?” He cocks his head to the side, awaiting your response.

Well. There’s a lot to be worried about.

There’s the thing where you always just seem to be caught into some shit and then he catches you right exactly in it. It’s starting to get embarrassing.

But Jungkook just doesn’t really seem to mind it.

“Nothing, really.” Is what you weakly settled for.

“Okay…” He trails off, raising a brow, obviously a bit confused. “Then what’s the big deal? Do you really want to go through the hassle of picking out hotels and booking a room at this hour? You have to go to work tomorrow.”

You visibly wince at the mention of work.

He’s right and you kind of hate it.

“You’re right…” you say after a while.

“You’re staying at mine?” Jungkook asks again, in which you nod your head in confirmation.

You stand up from your suitcase and pull up the handle. Then you look at him sincerely to give him a smile. “Thank you. I think this is like the five hundredth time this kind of thing happened between you and I.”

“Not counting.” Jungkook shrugs. “Have you had dinner yet?”

You nod your head. “I went with a friend— a co-worker.”

Jungkook visibly stills.

“The guy from a few days ago at the restaurant around work?”

You perk up at that, surprised he still recalls that day.

“Yeah, that’s him. Taemu. From the IT dep.”

He nods. You don’t know if he’s interested or not.

You think it’s a bit random that he brought that up, though, but you shake the thoughts away and call his name.

Jungkook looks at you.

“Thank you.” You say, hoping he hears the sincerity in your voice.

He chuckles. “You’re welcome,” Jungkook then gestures to the luggage you’re holding. “Let me.”

Jungkook doesn’t wait for you to say yes before he takes the handle from you and carries the luggage with him to the direction of his place just across from yours.

You consciously try to make your steps lighter as you walk out of the shower box, making your way towards your suitcase to check on the clothes you packed.

When you open it, you thank the heavens that there are underwear – and a lot of them, for the record – but as you rummage around some more, you find that other than your work clothes, you only have nightwear inside. And when you say nightwear, not the comfortable cotton pajama kind but the nightie one – and that basically means the baby blue silky set of tiny camisole and shorts that can pass as a pair of panties.

I can’t possibly wear these, you think to yourself, hastily burying the pieces of clothing in the bottom of your luggage.

It shouldn’t mean anything – those are nightwear after all! But it was already embarrassing to ask Jungkook earlier if you could use his shower and his towel. You can’t come out of the bathroom wearing clothes that Jimin once tagged as “slutty pjs”. Not when you’re in Jungkook’s place.

“__?”

You look over to the door when you hear Jungkook’s voice, a knock following.

“Yes?” You answer.

“Do you have clothes in there?”

At the question, your gaze automatically falls to the suitcase where the thin strap of the camisole peeks out in between some other clothes that are completely useless for the night.

With hesitance, you say, “Uhm… do you possibly have a shirt I can borrow? I promise to clean it and return it to you tomorrow, ASAP.”

You hear him chuckle from the other side. “I brought you some. There’s also a pair of sweatpants but I’m not sure if they’ll fit you.”

It’s hard to not celebrate silently when Jungkook says that – but you might have jumped a little at his words.

When you walk towards the door and open it, you give Jungkook a huge smile as you tell him, “Thanks!”

He stops. And then you stop.

You realize you’re only in your towel – his towel, to be exact.

You feel the blood rushing to your cheeks the moment it registers.

Before you can do or say anything, Jungkook moves on quickly and stretches his arm, thrusting the clothes he’s mentioned into your way.

“There.” He says simply, smiling at you.

You take them from his hand, giving him a smile too, albeit a bit awkward.

“T-thanks.”

Jungkook turns on his heel to leave, and you lock the door to the bathroom as soon as he walks away.

You settle his clothes on top of the flat surface of the lavatory, physically shaking your head as you look at yourself in the mirror to shake your thoughts away.

Thoughts of his slightly parted lips when you opened the door while you’re only in a towel.

But it happened in such a split second that you’re not sure if it even happened.

When you take his white shirt, it feels soft to the touch and there’s a scent of fresh laundry that wafts through your nose when you wear it on yourself.

It’s loose on you, the sleeves almost covering your whole arms and the hem stopping mid-thigh. But because of that, it feels comfortable – like the oversized shirts you wear to bed that you, unfortunately, weren’t able to pack with you in the heap of panic.

But the pants show a different case. It’s so big that it drags on the floor as you wear it.

You made do, though; drawing the strings tightly and and knotting them together, pulling up the gartered hems up to your calf.

When you come out of the bathroom, Jungkook welcomes you with nothing but a towel wrapped around his lower half.

“H-hey,” You stammer, eyes meeting his own to avoid looking at his naked torso.

“I was just going in. You done?” He casually says, as if he doesn’t mind being naked in front of you.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m done. Thanks for the clothes.” You say, gesturing across your body.

“Looks good.” Jungkook comments before entering the bathroom.

You think your cheeks just got impossibly hotter.

The sound of water running is heard before you scramble to the living room.

Why was he naked?!

Okay, he wasn’t actually naked naked but still, he had no clothes on. Why did he have no clothes on? You’re trying to erase the image of his torso, the lines that draw an obvious four-pack, his firm-looking chest, and the way the tattoos over his right arm apparently go way above his shoulder. It’s obvious that he goes to the gym and works out from the way those polo sleeves of his always hug his biceps a little too tight – and with a body like that, you completely understand why he wouldn’t mind parading it around.

The AC in his unit is turned on, but it suddenly feels way too hot from where you currently sit on his couch.

Shut up. Ugh. You tell yourself internally.

Completely wanting out of that headspace, you decide to take out your iPad to get in contact with your insurance company to discuss your current situation, and it does a good job of keeping your mind off Jungkook for a while.

You’re so deep in the activity that you don’t even notice a few minutes has already gone by, and with that, you don’t notice Jungkook coming out of the shower.

When you see him in your periphery, he’s now thankfully dressed in a shirt and some basketball shorts. He’s drying his hair as he walks over to your direction in the living room.

You look at him in surprise when you notice the pillow and comforter he has in his hands.

“Sorry. You should’ve called me, I could’ve helped,” you say, standing up from the couch, ready to help him with it, assuming that you’ll be on the couch tonight.

Jungkook looks at you with furrowed brows. “I’m taking the couch.”

You stare at him, ready to hear him say he’s kidding or something but he doesn’t look like he’s joking.

You shake your head vigorously.

“No, that’s ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous about it?” Jungkook says, putting the pillows on the couch, starting to make it all the while looking at you through the process to engage.

“It’s your place.” You reason.

“And you’re my guest.” He says as a matter of fact.

“But—”

Jungkook cuts you off before you can even finish your sentence.

“__, it’s fine, really. You can take my bed. I insist.”

“Jungkook…” you trail off, sounding more like a whine.

He laughs and then looks at you with a playful smile. “Okay, should we compromise? Like, what, share the bed or the couch?”

You ignore the way your cheeks heat up at the suggestion.

You honestly don’t know why Jungkook says these kinds of things. You know it’s just his usual teasing, but he’s about to confuse you one of these days…

“God, no.” You respond with a shake of your head.

He chuckles. “Oh, is sleeping with me that repulsive to you?”

You push a little at his shoulder and roll your eyes.

When Jungkook’s done fixing the couch, he gestures to the door by the far end of the room. “Come on, I'll take you to the bedroom.”

You both walk towards that direction and as much as you’ve been over his place for more than once now, you’ve actually never seen his room – and for the record, why would you?

But it looks nice. Just like the rest of his apartment’s interior, his room is also almost the same. Kind of bare, but there are some sleek furniture that add character to the whole place.

“Too cold?” Jungkook asks, and you look at him to see him holding the remote of his AC.

“The temp’s fine.”

He hums and puts down the remote.

“Alright, then. Just call me if you need something.” Jungkook says, gesturing to the door. He’s about to leave when you call him again.

“Good night, Jungkook. Thank you for your bed.”

“Good night, __. Uh… sweet dreams?”

You roll your eyes. Jungkook laughs.

When he leaves, you sit on his mattress covered by black duvets and sheets. It’s soft, and you let yourself bounce on the fluffy surface, delighting at the feel.

It’s about the same size as yours, and when you lay on it, you smell that usual scent that Jungkook always emanates. Clean, crisp, a little sweet. Like fresh apples. Or fresh laundry. He just always smells so… clean.

You feel a little sense of strangeness at the different environment you’re in, but the bed is too soft that you feel like you’re almost floating – and maybe it’s because you are tired from work and drained from the whole fiasco at your apartment, but you fall asleep fast and heavy within just a few minutes.

You almost jump from the bed when you open your eyes and see a different type of bedding, only to realize that you’re actually not in your apartment and in Jungkook’s instead.

After processing that, you begin to do a little stretching, finding that you slept quite well. As you do so, your eyes catch the digital clock on the bedside table, and you read 4:30 am.

It’s a bit too early to start getting ready for work, but maybe if you start prepping now, you’ll be ready to go out just as when Jungkook is waking up.

When you stand from the bed, you discover the absence of pants around your waist, the cold air sending goosebumps over your bare legs – and as expected, you see the sweats getting caught in between the heaps of dark sheets on the bed.

You must have taken it off in the middle of the night. It’s why you usually forgo pants when you sleep.

You decide against wearing it again, though, assuming that Jungkook is still sound asleep by now so he can’t possibly see you walking around his place naked from the waist down. Besides, the shirt’s big and almost serves as a dress.

Carrying the pants with you, you silently open the door to his bedroom to tiptoe on your way to the bathroom.

“Hey,”

“Jesus christ!” You clutch your heart at the sudden sound of Jungkook’s voice booming across the unit.

When you look at him, he’s… working out. Apparently.

Jungkook takes out the airpods from his ears and drink from his tumbler.

“What are you tiptoeing for?” He asks, brows furrowed.

From where you stand, you see droplets of sweat on the side of his forehead, his chest heaving from the push-ups you catch him doing a few seconds ago on the mat that he laid on the floor. There are small weights on the side, and Jungkook is still wearing his clothes from last night.

Did he possibly just… wake up and then choose to exercise? Is this his everyday routine?

“I didn’t want to wake you,” you make up an excuse that’s kind of partly true. He slept on the couch in the living room, after all. And from the sala, everything is pretty much visible to the eye as the unit has an open layout. So one single noise could’ve awakened him.

“Too late for that,” Jungkook chuckles. He looks at you longer than a second and you’re just about to get conscious when he asks, “You get ready for work at four?”

You purse your lips into a thin line. “Sort of. I also have to check my place.” Jungkook nods, understanding. “Uh, Jungkook?” He hums to acknowledge you. “Can I use your shower? Again?”

He laughs at the way you smile at him awkwardly. “Sure. Your towel’s just over the rack.”

“Thanks.” You smile at him and go straight to the bathroom.

You make quick work of washing yourself, and the shower, just like last night, isn’t your usual routine because of course, most of your stuff are still over at your place. Though Jungkook is kind enough to lend you some of his unused products – even giving you a spare toothbrush which now sits beside his own on the bathroom sink.

When you finish showering, you wear his shirt and his pants once again. As you go out of the bathroom, the sound of oil popping from the kitchen doesn’t escape your ears.

“I made breakfast.” Jungkook says as you make your way towards the kitchen island. He’s a few steps away, working around the stove, frying up some sausage. He takes some eggs and then turns to you. “How do you like your eggs?”

You’re sure he doesn’t mean anything by that, but then you both laugh at the realization anyway.

“Sunny side up.” You say after a while, seating yourself on one of the high stools. “Can I help you?”

“It’s okay, just sit there.”

You put your elbow on the island as you watch him work. “Wow, do you really treat all your guests like this?” You tease, deciding to poke a joke.

Jungkook laughs as he starts breaking eggs into the frying pan.

“You’re the first one.” He raises a brow your way, lips tilted into a playful smile.

“Awe.” You pretend to curtsy which makes Jungkook laugh.

It doesn’t take long before Jungkook serves you a plate of sausage and perfectly-made sunny side up. You say a delighted “thank you!” in which Jungkook returns an adorable smile for.

You thought he was going to eat with you, but he only ate the sausage and began to work on cutting up some bananas while you continued to eat.

“What did they say about your apartment? How long is the repair?” Jungkook asks while he takes out a mixer.

“Week-long,” He visibly winces at your answer. You purse your lips. “I’m trying to look for a place to stay for the remaining days.”

Jungkook furrows his brows. “Lease doesn’t cover relocation?”

“Talked to the building manager and the landlord last night and they said it doesn’t. I also read the policy again myself last night, though, just to be sure. Anyway, landlord’s cutting my rent this month for up to thirty, so that’s something.”

“Okay… how about your stuff?”

As you watch Jungkook during the whole conversation, you realize that he’s apparently making a protein shake, and when he finishes shaking the bottle, he gestures it towards you, silently asking if you want to try it.

You shake your head, also answering his question. “I already filed a claim on it with my insurance company, so they’re handling it for me. They’re probably going to seek reimbursement from my upstairs neighbor’s insurance if he has one,” You shrug. “And I’m also gonna have to ask him to pay for the deductible.”

Jungkook nods, consuming his drink. You watch as he leans back on the kitchen sink, putting his protein shake down and crossing his arms, looking right at you.

“Why don’t you stay here for a while?”

You look right back at him weird.

“You’re not serious.”

“When am I not serious?”

You hold a staring competition after that, but Jungkook’s eyes are way too intense so you break away first.

“I just can’t.” You say, interrupting the silence.

“It’s friend to a friend. I bet you’d do this for me too.” Jungkook shrugs.

He doesn’t understand, though. Staying at his place for the remaining six days would mean that you’d be both living under the same roof together, and while it’s true that you would probably do this for him if he was in your shoes, it’s just not the same.

But you don’t want to get into all that. It’s too complicated to explain, even to yourself.

So you decide to joke a little.

“Probably not.” You tease.

Jungkook chuckles. “Mean.” He comments, shaking his head at you and playfully clicking his tongue.

“I’m joking,” you smile apologetically. “It’s just for six more days, though. The manager told me it might take faster.”

“Where do plan to stay, anyway? A hotel would be really inconvenient. The nearest one around here is too far from work, not to mention it’d be expensive as well.”

“There’s loss of use coverage,” You say, even though you know the stipulation, and your apartment flooding because of your neighbor’s negligence might probably not be in the clauses.

It’s just to reason with Jungkook, but he’s quick to present another point.

“It’s gonna take a long while, no?”

You pout. Sighing, you say, “You’re right.”

“Okay, so why not stay here?” Jungkook asks curiously. “You know I don’t mind. I won’t mind.” He says and it sounds so convincing and genuine.

You decide to deflect a little because you feel like giving in any seconds now.

“You say that but wait until you find that I’m not very likeable as a roommate.”

Jungkook raises a brow. “Shoot. Hit me.”

Pursing your lips into a thin line, you try to think of your bad habits.

“I…” you trail off, but it stretches into seconds way longer than necessary.

Jungkook chuckles. “See, you can’t even list one.”

“I don’t cook.” You point out.

“I already know that.”

You frown. “So we can’t take turns cooking while I stay here.”

Jungkook only shrugs. “There’s take-out.”

“You’re gonna eat take-out for a week?”

“I can cook.” He chuckles.

“Okay… but sometimes, I get super cranky.”

He nods. “I’ll be out of your way, then. You won’t even notice I’m here.”

You sigh, out of reasons now.

“I’ll try to be helpful with you in the kitchen for the next six days. And I’ll also be nice.”

Jungkook’s brows perk up. “You’re saying you want to stay here?”

“Yeah,” you nod. “But… I wan to pay you.”

“__, the whole reason why I’m offering is because a hotel is gonna cost you,” Jungkook laughs.

That prompts you to put a frown on your face.

“Fair point. But I’m going to take your couch the entire time, okay? And that’s final.”

It takes a little longer for Jungkook to agree to that. But he nods his head, anyway, saying, “Sure.”

It sounds so non-committal. You think he's going to still try insisting taking the couch.

“Okay.” You say, ignoring that thought, smiling at him. “Thank you.”

“You know you’re always welcome, right?” Jungkook says.

You’re thankful he turns around after he says that to tend to the stuff he used a while ago in the sink, giving you a perfect leeway to avoid his gaze lest he takes notice of the way you can’t help a big smile.

“I’m gonna take a shower. Finish your breakfast.” He says, pointing to your unfinished plate.

You give him a small salute.

Before he goes to the direction of the bathroom, Jungkook turns around to ask. "Do you want to go to work together?" He raises a brow, but then a second after his question, he puts a hand up, effectively stopping you from answering. "You're gonna say no. But I insist. Say yes, I made you breakfast."

You laugh at his squinted eyes.

"I was going to say yes, anyway."

"No, you weren't." Jungkook fires back.

You shoo him away playfully before he finally leave for the shower.

All you can think about is that maybe silver linings are indeed true.

Sharing a space with somebody has always felt… weird.

You had a roommate back in college for the whole four years, and while it wasn’t the worst thing that ever happened to you – it was just an experience that didn’t really strike you as something memorable or fun. Min Heeji was a Bio major who was an extreme introvert, and past the casual hi’s and hello’s, you both just never hit it off.

After moving out of your dorm, you rented around Itaewon. You found the unit through a listing you saw on Facebook – some woman who was finding a roommate to split the rent with. You found out later that the reason why the previous people before you left was because she was quite an interesting lady… let’s just say – she was a person who dabbled on the arts of illegal drug trading. Jimin jokingly told you he wondered about how her weed tasted like. Sometimes, you want to smack him on the head.

You pretty much decided on being against roommates for the entirety of your life after that.

But Jeon Jungkook is thankfully not a total hermit, nor does he sell weed.

It’s been long since you lived with somebody, and being under the same roof as him is different – the good kind of different, to be clear.

He’s somewhat a clean freak so it’s almost embarrassing to do anything in his place because it’s always so spot clean.

One thing that you learned though is that he’s a busy man. You had an idea about a packed schedule and non-existent free time for an executive person like him – but the idea feels more real now that you’ve witnessed it.

On the first day of your stay, after your apartment got flooded, he drove you both to work just like he offered. During the night, though, he seemed to have come home late. You slept at around 10pm and never saw him entering the door, and when you woke up the next day, he’s gone, only a note on the fridge telling you that he’s prepared some breakfast you can heat up to eat.

Nonetheless, you feel into quite an easy routine with him.

After a great deal of insistence from your side, Jungkook is rightfully assigned in his bedroom while you lay on the couch. It’s a bit bigger than the one you have on your own, so there’s space for moving around. Even when you wake up with shitty back pains in the mornings, sleeping on his couch is better than sleeping in your current wreck of an apartment as the contractor is already repairing your place.

As of the third day since the incident, they’ve already changed your ceiling, the flooring coming next. It was starting to look good as per your visit.

That made it clearer to you, though, that you’re indeed staying at Jungkook’s for another four days.

Jungkook was so busy that he even worked on a Saturday – told you that it was a hectic week for his team over a shared dinner that you thought will happen only once during your stay with his packed schedule. On Sunday, you kind of assumed that Jungkook will still be at the office, but he surprised you when he came barging in the bathroom while you were in it.

You had your leg propped on the edge of the bathtub, squeezing the bottle of lotion in your palm and spreading the cream over the skin of your shin, adjusting the towel up your thighs so you can cover your entire leg with the product.

You did so mindlessly, part of your usual after-shower routine, completely unassuming of the sound of the doorknob clicking and Jungkook suddenly barging inside the room with a hamper in his hand.

Frozen in your position, your eyes locked into his own as he stepped a foot forward on the tiled floor. You realized the hamper is his laundry.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were here,” Jungkook apologized, and he looked genuinely bashful.

“I thought you were at work.” you said, adjusting the towel on the top of your head.

Jungkook raised a brow, but there’s a smile on his lips. “On a Sunday?”

You narrowed your eyes at him which prompted him to laugh. A beat of silence, and then you noticed Jungkook’s gaze. You felt his eyes to the direction of your raised leg on the porcelain tub – and if your own sight didn’t deceive you, you could’ve sworn he’d made a quick glance-over to the expanse of your bare leg before he snapped right back into looking at your face.

“Anyway, I was just gonna do my laundry,” Jungkook twisted himself away from the bathroom’s door. “I’ll wait for you to finish, though. I’m sorry again for barging in.”

At that, you quickly shook your head and planted both your feet on the tiles, standing upright.

“No, it’s fine. I’m done, anyway. Are you in a hurry? I just need to change into some… clothes.” You said, glancing at the heap of some pajama pants and a t-shirt on the bathroom sink.

“Not in a hurry. You can change here.” Jungkook gave you a small smile.

You nodded your head. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I’ll be super quick.”

Your lips curled into an apologetic smile, but Jungkook waved you off.

He took one last look at you before he locked the door – one thing that you forgot to do in the very first place.

You blamed it on your habit of not really being mindful about it since you were used to living alone.

The day after that – one fateful Monday – Jungkook once again was MIA at his own place. You woke around 6 am, and as you got ready for work, you noticed a note on his fridge that he went to work earlier than usual that day, and he’d also be working late so you should lock up at night.

At the company, you did not even catch a single glimpse of him.

You bought some food on your way to his place later that day, thinking that maybe you could share a meal together – nevermind the fact that he had told you he was going to be home late. But you did not expect his “late” would exceed past 11 pm, and since you were also pretty much tired from your own activities for that day, you fell asleep on the couch without making it, lying on the surface with no pillows and comforter over your body.

In your dreams that night, you felt like you were floating.

Somebody has tucked their arms under your knees and neck, taking you off the previous surface you were lying on. The unfamiliar man cradles your body against his, carrying you somewhere and putting you on a much softer place. A mattress. A big, soft, mattress. And you noted that the man smelled of green apples and laundry. An almost familiar scent.

Needless to say, your dream was quite vivid that night.

When you woke up the next morning, you were welcomed with the familiar grey paint of the walls – the white ceiling, and the dark sheets and pillows that surrounded you. A waft of fresh laundry smell. The Iron Man figurine on the top shelf of the cabinet in the corner of the room. The black slippers on the side of the door that are way too big to be yours.

Jungkook.

The strange man in your dreams was Jungkook. And it wasn’t a dream at all.

It was Jeon Jungkook who carried you all the way to his bedroom from the sofa so you could sleep comfortably on it.

When you went out of his room that morning, ready to thank him and tell him he didn’t have to do what he did, feeling bad at the thought of him sleeping on his couch at his own place, Jungkook was nowhere to be found.

But as if it was becoming tradition, there was a note on his fridge that told you: I hope you don’t mind that I brought you to my room. I found you uncomfortable on the couch last night. Didn’t cook us breakfast because I have to go to work early again today, but I’ll have food delivered at around 7. Good morning, __ :)

— Jungkook.

That night, though, Jungkook miraculously came home early.

He arrived an hour after you, just in time as you finished doing the prep for the bibimbap you were planning to eat on your own, assuming Jungkook was going to be late again. When you saw him entering the door, you decided to make the portions of the ingredients bigger, thinking that it was the perfect opportunity to say thank you for the other night.

And you did not forget to say that either.

“Thank you for last night. You didn’t have to…” you trailed off, giving him a sheepish smile across the dining table as you both ate.

Jungkook, with his mouth full of rice – seemingly (thankfully) enjoying the meal you prepared for him – munched on it before he said, “You looked real tired. And uncomfortable, which reminds me, you should sleep in the bedroom as well tonight.”

You shook your head. “It’s fine, Jungkook. Last night was just – uh, I was waiting for you to come home because I didn’t want to just lounge around your living room while you aren’t around, but then I guessed you arrived a little late.”

Out of all the things you’d said, it seemed Jungkook only remembered one thing.

“You were waiting for me to come home?” He said, his hand reaching for the side dish pausing mid-air, eyes trained to you. Curious, his brow piqued in what seemed like genuine intrigue.

You stopped. You went over your words, not realizing those came out of your mouth.

Obviously, you didn’t mean for that to slip out.

So, you shook your head slowly. Hesitantly, you reasoned, “It’s just you’re always in your room first before I fix the couch for bedtime. So.” You shrugged, knowing your explanation didn’t suffice.

Jungkook gave you a nod with small a smile on his lips.

“I’m sorry for making you wait, then. It’s just extra busy at the company these days.”

Your brows furrowed in curiosity, “Yeah, I heard about the collaboration with Kang Tech.”

You found out about it at work that day. It’s in the accounts payable you’ve worked on the past few days, and when you asked Joonhwi and Sol about it, they confirmed the recent moves the company is recently making.

You also realized then that the reason why the mystery woman in the elevator was familiar to you was because you’ve seen pictures of her before.

Of course you’d know her. She’s the woman Jimin’s parents are trying to set him up with. The one and only Kang Heesu. She took over as CEO just very recently at Kang Tech.

Apparently, Blue Nexus and Kang Tech are collaborating on a product that will be announced later during the month – which explains her being at the company oftentimes, Jungkook being busy, drowned with work stuff – them working closely together.

Whatever you felt on that day you saw them together – you’d like to dismiss that as just a blip in the system. Your system, to be exact.

It isn’t any of your business whoever gets around with Jungkook. Whether he’s close with Kang Heesu outside work or not (like what you’ve pondered about ever since finding out about the information of their collaboration) – that’s their thing.

“Yeah, the team’s been working overtime because of it.” Jungkook added to your words from earlier.

“So, you’re more tired than I am,” You pointed out, noting the obvious. He went to work at the ass-crack of dawn, went home late, and whenever he was home – all he faced was his laptop.

You even doubt he was getting enough sleep. There were bags under his eyes that weren’t there the past month you first met him – and even though he carried them with a certain grace, you could still see that some of the shine in his eyes was becoming absent.

You were glad you were able to prepare something for him. Did something for him. You didn’t have to – but you did. Because you wanted to be a helpful roommate.

“Does it show?” Jungkook chuckled, leaning back on the chair, a bashful expression on his face.

You shook your head. “Nope. But yeah, you don’t need to give up your bedroom tonight. I’ll be fine here.”

“I actually bought something. Wait a minute,” Jungkook suddenly said. Your brows furrowed when you watched him saunter over the living room and in towards his bedroom. When he came back to the dining area, he was carrying a huge paper bag. You looked at him, visibly confused. Jungkook cleared his throat as he sat back down on his seat. “I was thinking you could use this. It’s a foldable cushion or whatever so you can sleep more comfortably on the couch.”

You gawked at the paper bag, and then at him.

“What?”

“I went to the mall yesterday and the lady told me this is one of their best sellers… I don’t know. Do you want to have a look at it?” Jungkook said, worry seeping in his tone.

“That’s a… cushion? For the couch?”

He nodded.

“Oh.” Was the only thing you could utter. You didn’t really know what to say. “I… this is really thoughtful. You didn’t have to, you know that, right?”

Jungkook shook his head and gave you a small smile.

“Thank you, Jungkook.” You told him sincerely.

“It’s nothing.” He waved you off. “I got that dry-cleaned already, by the way, so you can use it tonight if you really insist on sleeping on the couch.” Jungkook said with a teasing smile.

“That,” you point to the paper bag, “will single-handedly get me to want to live here for another three months.”

Jungkook raised his brow. “Really?”

You chuckled, leaving the conversation up on the air.

When you both finished your meal, you offered to do the dishes yourself, but Jungkook was insistent to do it, saying you’ve already done a lot for the day. You begged to differ, but you relented, anyway.

After you showered and made the couch, geeking internally at how soft the cushion he bought was, you couldn’t sleep right away, your mind finding it hard to focus on the lull of the crickets. So, at around 11 pm, you opened your laptop to pull up an X-Files episode, thinking it could condition you into being sleepy.

You promised yourself you were just going to finish one more episode, but the next episode button was too tempting and you found yourself binging the show into the wee hours of the night.

“__?” A voice coming from the far end of the room called, followed by the clicking sound of the lights turning on. With that, you found Jungkook standing on his door with his eyes half-lidded, hands rubbing his chest, seemingly having just woken up from his sleep.

“Jungkook,” you acknowledged him, straying your attention from your show. Jungkook started to trot towards the direction of the kitchen, and your eyes followed him as he stopped in front of his fridge, taking some water out and pouring it into a glass.

After he drank it, he looked at you to ask, “Can’t sleep?” You nodded your head. He made his way towards the couch, pointing at it. “Would you mind?”

“No, do you want to?” You adjusted the duvet you put all over your back to make room for him, and Jungkook placed himself beside you, peering over the screen on your laptop.

“What are you watching?” He asked, voice a little groggy.

“The X-Files. You know the show?”

“Heard about it a few times. Never gotten around to watch it, though,” Jungkook said, leaning on the back of the couch, eyes still glued to your laptop.

You smiled. “Maybe you can start it now.”

“What’s it about?”

“Uh… aliens,” you started off, feeling a little silly about it. Gauging his reaction, you waited for him to give you a judgmental look but he seemed to be intrigued when he looked at you, asking for more details. You perked up that, feeling suddenly excited. “Okay, so, the guy here – his name’s Mulder. He’s an FBI agent who’s tasked on cases that have, you know, unexplainable nature. Basically, he believes in aliens, all that ET stuff,” you explained. Right on time, Gillian Anderson appears on frame. Pointing at her, you looked at Jungkook as you introduced her to him, “And the woman – she’s so pretty – that’s Scully. She’s a skeptic. She’s an FBI agent who’s also a scientist and was assigned to be with him to debunk his work.”

“So, they investigate cases together?” Jungkook added.

You nodded your head. “Yeah, and it’s different for each episode. There’s the alien storyline which is like, the main plot of the show, but there’s the fun filler episodes. Monster of the week, they call it. I’m rewatching one of those right now ‘cause they’re fun and don’t have a backstory.”

“It sounds good,” Jungkook looked impressed, training his eyes back on the show.

You weren’t sure if he was just trying to make a conversation, but he seemed genuinely interested as you both watched the show, which tickled your excitement more. You’ve tried to get Jimin into it but he wasn’t really an avid fan of watching long shows, so you’ve given up on trying to convince him to be as obsessive of the show as you.

“Do they kiss?” Jungkook suddenly asked mid-episode, brows furrowed as he watched Mulder wiped something off the side of Scully’s lips. It’s the episode when Scully just got back from being abducted.

Amused, you looked at him and let out a chuckle. Jungkook turned to look at you, confused at the reaction.

“Hm?”

You shook your head. “No, it’s just funny. So, there’s a thing in this show, right? Scully and Mulder are not supposed to be a couple, but they act like one.”

Jungkook let out a seemingly enlightened, “Ah.” Then he looked at your screen again, “I’m watching it right now out of context and I’m assuming they’re a couple.”

“Right? They have such insane chemistry. It’s why I love this show so much.”

“Wait. They never get together? Or kiss, romantically?” Jungkook asked curiously.

“They kiss on the seventh season. We’re on the second one.”

“Wow,” He breathed, genuinely surprised. “That’s a long wait.”

“I know,” you chuckled.

You both sat beside each other as the episode finished. Jungkook would have some questions, and you happily answered each one. It was also fun to share some lore about the show – and you didn’t know if you were coming off too geeky about it – you were just unbelievably excited that he seemed to genuinely like it.

Time passed without you both noticing, and it was 2:23 am when you became hesitant on clicking the next episode button.

“Do you still want to watch another one or…” You trailed off, eyes glued to the screen, waiting to hear Jungkook’s response. But then a few seconds passed, and you didn’t receive one. Turning your head to the side, your eyes widened when you see the state Jungkook was in.

He was leaning far back on the couch with his head resting on the backrest, arms crossed over his chest, lips slightly parted with his eyes shut closed. You could see his chest rising and falling from the way he breathed in and out of sleep, looking quite peaceful regardless of his seemingly uncomfortable position.

You shut your mouth and closed your laptop quietly, trying to be careful with your movements so as to not disturb him and accidentally wake him up. Stretching your back to lean down, your breath hitched as you tried to set the laptop down on the coffee table, not daring to graze any part of Jungkook’s body, especially when his thigh was so closed to your own.

When you successfully put away the device, you went back to sitting beside him, contemplating on your next move.

You ended up staring at him, noting the way his biceps are bulging out of the sleeves of his white shirt with a thin material from their crossed position. Your eyes trailed down to the veins on his forearms, and naturally, you focused in on the one with the swirls of ink around it. It was a body of art on the first look – but looking at it at that moment – close up and free, you took time to identify the drawings on his skin.

There was that snake that trailed down close to his hand, the skeletal rock n’ roll hand, and the script that says “rather be dead than cool”. It was a shame that you couldn’t see from your current view the flower tattoo you were always curious about, nevertheless, the entirety of his inked arm was just… breathtaking, to say the least.

You wanted to ask him what they meant – or if they even meant something. You knew by now he only got them in college – when he moved to the US – and you were just curious about how he decided to get them; about the backstory, anything… Would love to trace down your fingers on his skin as he tells you the exact moment.

And then you realized what you were doing and suddenly looked away.

You felt like a creep. What were you doing, staring at him while he was unaware, unconscious in his sleep? It was not right, and you were supposed to scoot over to the edge to give him plenty of space all for himself.

But as you looked at him again, your eyes stopped at his face, and you couldn’t help but stare at it.

Again.

His nose was something you weirdly have a liking to, and there’s a scar on his cheek that once again bubbled up another layer of curiosity within you.

“Stop it.” You mumbled out loud – not loud enough for Jungkook to hear – but just enough to snap yourself out of the trance you were in.

It was stupid. So stupid. To stare at a sleeping man and have those thoughts inside your head. Jungkook would never do anything like this to you, and at that sentiment, you stood up from the couch to get away.

You caught a sight of the duvet that you used a while ago. As you looked at Jungkook, he seemed to be in dire need of one, so you made quiet steps to put it over him, stopping your breathing in case you did it too loud and he wakes up.

As you carefully laid out the blanket on top of his body, Jungkook stirred, and your breath hitched as you stopped on your tracks.

He mumbled something incoherent, his neck craning to lay on his cheek. Regardless, he stayed on his position, arms still crossed, seemingly going back to his deep sleep instantly.

You stepped out in front of him, letting out a breath of relief.

Standing there for a few seconds, you wondered about where you were going to stay. Jungkook was on the couch and unlike him – you could not carry him to his room without him noticing.

Looking at the direction of said room, you thought about staying there for the night, but decide against it. You didn’t get his permission to do so, it’d be rude—

But the couch is only one, though. And you could feel a yawn ready to come out of your own mouth, sleep lurking at the back of your head.

You could try to wake Jungkook up to tell him to go to his room so he could sleep more comfortably, but you couldn’t do it. The past few days, he had been so busy with work and seemed like he wasn’t getting enough rest. What if you woke him up and he couldn’t go back to sleep anymore? That would just make you feel bad.

Getting the pillow strewn over the edge, you walked towards the direction and fixed it against the arm rest, sitting on the spot and making yourself comfortable on it. Of course, it wasn’t – you were craning your neck too far to the side to try to lay your head, and your body was sprawled in a weird sitting and lying position.

It was fine, though. Jungkook was about two feet away from you, and you felt like you could sleep in the state.

But it was a few long minutes before it completely overtook you.

There’s a feeling of a hard plane against your back when you feel yourself waking up.

You’re in a curled position, hands tucked under your cheeks. As much as you’re starting to slowly feel conscious, you’re still not a hundred percent aware of your surroundings just yet. It’s why you ignore the blow of hot air against the crook of your neck.

When you blearily open your eyes, you’re welcomed with the sight of the back of the grey couch you’ve accustomed yourself with over the past few days. The white foldable cushion you’re lying on. The familiar scent of Jungkook’s apartment.

It’s another usual morning, as far as you’re concerned.

So, you stretch an arm up as well as your leg, groggily mumbling something as you go back to closing your eyes again to hopefully sneak in a few more minutes of sleep.

“Hmm…”

At the sudden sound, your eyes snap open, surprised at the embodied voice that came out somewhere that’s definitely not from your own mouth. It was close, though – something close to your neck; you felt it so – and at that realization, your eyes trail down to your waist, and your breath catches in your throat when you see an arm wrapped around it.

Under your head is another arm that adorns a familiar sleeve tattoo.

When you crane your neck to look behind you, you’re welcomed by Jungkook’s locks of black and messy hair, his face apparently buried in the crook of your neck.

He must’ve felt you move because he stirs in his position, mumbling something, arm tightening around you.

You feel your heart starting to beat faster than usual as you feel the tips of Jungkook’s fingers resting on the bare skin of your stomach due to your camisole riding up, and your eyes continue to widen when you saw that the shirt he’s worn last night is now lying haphazardly across the coffee table where your laptop is.

When Jungkook pushes himself against you closer, that’s when you feel something hard against the cleft of your ass.

“Oh my god!”

“What the fuck!”

“I’m so sorry!” You immediately say, retreating your hands that just pushed him off the couch once everything registered in your head.

You just… slept with each other! You woke up with Jungkook spooning you! The hard plane against your back that you felt earlier was his chest and the hot air blowing in your ear was his breath! You both fell asleep together on the couch!

Jungkook – the poor man – visibly winces as he cradles the back of his head, adjusting himself on the floor after you forcefully yeeted him off the couch.

He didn’t expect that, of course he didn’t! He still looks like he’s half asleep when you kneel on the floor in front of him, grabbing his shoulders and craning your neck to check if you’ve done damage to his head.

“What the hell was that for?” Jungkook asks, still lost about what just happened.

You grimace as you hesitantly put your palm over the back of his head and rub to soothe the pain you’ve caused him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push you. I was just surprised and shocked when I–”

You stopped speaking when you notice that Jungkook is looking up at you, eyes half-lidded from sleep. Stopping your ministration on the back of his head, you retreat your hands to yourself and look away.

“We slept together.”

“What?” Jungkook asks, his tone incredulous, but more like confused. When you train your eyes to him again, you see him looking down on his body and then yours.

Your cheeks heat up when you realize what you just said.

“Oh my god, no! Not slept slept with each other! I mean, we slept together. Like, literally.” You say, looking at him in panic.

Jungkook furrows his brows. And then after a beat of silence, he lets out a low, “Oh.”

“Oh?” You parrot back.

“Yeah, oh,” He says drily. Jungkook rubs his eyes with his fists and then looks at you again. “I’m sorry, I feel disoriented. I just woke up.”

You wince at that, feeling bad for pushing him again.

It was just a reflex thing, okay! Especially when you felt that certain something in your ass.

When Jungkook stands up from the floor, you notice the strings of his grey shorts getting undone, and your eyes betray you as they pay a look at the noticeable bulge on his crotch.

Jesus H. Fucking Christ.

You stand up quickly, following after him, feeling your heart hammer in your chest.

Okay, boo-fucking-hoo! Men get boners in the mornings. What’s the big deal about it?

“What time is it?” Jungkook asks, brushing his hair back, and you have to physically look away and try to busy yourself by looking for your phone so you can ignore his naked chest on display and his abs and stupid big arms.

You spot your phone nearby and turn it on.

“Six thirty.”

“Shit.” Jungkook hisses.

You’ve never heard him let out so many curses before.

“What? It’s still early.” you say, in case he was referring to work.

Jungkook shakes his head. “Yeah, no. I was supposed to get ready at five am sharp. Need to go there early.”

“Oh.”

He groans, and the sound makes your stomach feel a little weird.

“I have to go shower,” Jungkook says, picking up his shirt from the coffee table. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Huh?” You realize what he’s talking about and is then quick to shake your head. “No, not your fault. I, uh, you fell asleep on the couch last night and I didn’t want to wake you.”

He nods, more like to himself. “How did we…?” Jungkook points between you, eyeing the couch.

“I didn’t want to use your bed without your permission, so I slept on the couch as well,” But then you decide to add, “But I didn’t sleep beside you, I was like –” you point to the edge of the couch, “there.”

“Ah,” Jungkook follows your eyes, and then nods. “Okay.”

“Yeah.” you purse your lips into a thin line. “Sorry about that. I should’ve just woken you up, huh?”

“Nah, it’s fine.” He dismisses you with a wave of his hand. “Well, is it okay if I use the shower first?”

“Of course.”

Jungkook smiles before he saunters towards the bathroom. You try not to stare at the hard lines of his retreating back, taping down to his narrow waist.

You failed to do that, obviously.

Sighing out loud when you’re sure he can’t hear you, you busy yourself in the kitchen to make some toast.

After work, you paid a quick visit to your apartment to see how it’s going, since you’re supposed to be able to come back tomorrow.

Your building manager told you that you can pretty much move back already, but there’s no water yet, so you will still have to stay at Jungkook’s place for the last time. At least for another night.

Speaking of him, when you step out on your porch, you see him in front of his own unit, back turned to you, opening his door.

“Hey,” you call. Jungkook turns on his heel, and he smiles as he sees you.

“Hey,” He greets, his hand pausing on the door. Jungkook gives you his undivided attention as he looks at you. “Your apartment’s fine now?”

You nod happily, grinning widely. “Yeah. But I have no water yet. They’re turning it on tomorrow.” You saunter towards his direction and stop beside him. Pointing to the paper bags in his hands, you ask, “What’s that?”

Jungkook lifts them up. “Soju and Midday Miso take-out.” Then, hesitantly, he looks at you curiously. “Do you drink?”

That prompts you to laugh.

“Of course. Are you drinking tonight?”

He nods his head. “Yeah. I was gonna ask you to drink with me… but if you’re not up for it, I’ll just be in my room.”

You cock your head to the side.

“What’s the occasion?”

Jungkook chuckles. “Nothing. Just thought I could loosen up.”

You nod in understanding.

You think about asking him how work’s been, but decide against it, not wanting to pry in case he doesn’t want to talk about any of it.

As you both enter his apartment, it’s almost so domesticated how you take off your shoes and put them in the rack in the threshold. Jungkook wears his black sliders while you wear your baby blue ones. Following him into the living room, it’s almost wild to see yourself being so familiar with his place already.

“Where can we watch The X-Files?” Jungkook asks suddenly after he set the bags on the table, going for the remote and turning on the TV.

You look at him in surprise, not expecting him to ask that.

You answer nonetheless, and Jungkook clicks on the show once it shows up on the screen.

“Do you really want to start with the pilot episode?” You chuckle when he hovers over it.

Jungkook grins. “I enjoyed it last night. Maybe this could be a new favorite.”

“Woah,” you breathed, shaking your head. “Do you know how much I have to convince Jimin to watch this show?”

“Jimin doesn’t like shows. I wanted him to watch Suits but he said he couldn’t stand Harvey Specter – which is fair.”

“Oh my god, that’s also what he told me when I recommended Suits!” You say. You narrow your eyes at him, excited about the information. “So… you like Suits?”

Jungkook nods. “Sort of like a guilty pleasure? I used to watch it a lot in college. My roommate studied law and started telling me about how inaccurate it was, but it’s fun regardless,” He says with a shrug. “Sue me.”

“I know, right! People always wanna be smart about procedural dramas, but I think it’s just camp they can’t comprehend,” You shake your head, feeling a certain high bubble inside you. You lean your elbows on the coffee table. “Okay, okay, thoughts on Jessica Pearson?”

Jungkook grins. “A dream.”

You breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’m so glad you have the correct opinion.”

Jungkook laughs at that, and you begin to eat the take-out he bought, The X-Files playing on the big screen before you.

“You went home early today,” you comment as you take the shot glass he offers you.

A few minutes has passed already and you’re beginning to open the bottles of soju, Midday Miso take-out boxes all finished.

“Managed to finish early tonight. That’s probably why I wanted to drink,” Jungkook says, tipping his head back to drink from his own bottle. “Also, it’s your last day here.”

You nod. With a teasing smile, you jab, “Are you going to miss me?”

Jungkook looks at you briefly.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” You ask incredulously, feigning hurt.

He chuckles. “I liked your little dance in the kitchen last Sunday.”

Your lips part, recalling that time when you reheated some pizza during the night. As far as you were concerned, Jungkook was in his bedroom at that time!

“You saw that?” You say, embarrassed.

Jungkook must’ve noticed, because he chuckles and begins to sound comforting when he says, “Some part of it, yeah. Megan Thee Stallion would love to perform with you, I think.”

“Oh my god, no,” You giggle, covering your face with your hands because if he caught you during that part, it means he saw you trying to throw it back. “Yeah, I think I’m packing my things right now.”

Jungkook laughs, and his eyes crinkle as he does so, overjoyed at your tactics.

“I thought you wanted to drink with me?”

You squint your eyes. “Just because I feel sorry for pushing you off the couch this morning.”

He shakes his head, still chuckling. “Yeah, that hurt. I think I have a bump on my head right now.”

You stop, eyes widening. “Seriously?”

Jungkook presses his lips together and nods. You grow concerned, ready to lean over the table to check the back of his head, but as you do so, Jungkook makes a sound of stifling his laugh and you realize he’s fucking with you.

“That’s so mean.” you say, going back to your side and pouting at him.

“Not meaner than you pushing me off the couch.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“Ugh, I’m sorry. You just surprised me, 's all!”

Jungkook laughs and nods his head. “I know, I know. I’m sorry about that. I have a habit of being able to sleep anywhere.”

You scrunch your face. “Me too.”

And then a beat of silence.

Jungkook tips his head back for another sip of his alcohol. When he looks at you again, a gentle smile is playing on his lips.

“I had a good night sleep, though. Did you?”

He looks at you with something in his eyes – something soft and gentle – his gaze making the hair on your nape stand and your cheeks burn.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

The night continues to envelope your surroundings and as time passes by, the empty bottles of soju multiply.

You’ve always had a high tolerance for alcohol – and soju, in particular, is generally not too strong for you personally. With one bottle in, you don’t feel hammered just yet. There’s a daze at the back of your head that you’re starting to feel, though. One and a half is your limit, sometimes two – you’ve had that down since college.

Jungkook seems to share the same trait, it seems like. You noticed he’s on his second one, and even though his cheeks are starting to get painted red, he still speaks with you like he’s a hundred percent conscious and not like alcohol’s hit his system already.

“It’s so hot,” you say, popping open the first two buttons of your shirt. Jungkook’s coat has long been disposed on the couch, and his ties are loosened, with the long sleeves of his dress shirt pushed to his elbow, showing his tattoos.

“Should I adjust the AC?” Jungkook asks, looking at you as you gather your hair up in a ponytail.

You manage to secure it even without a tie and answer him, “No, it’s fine.”

When you feel like you can breathe again, you look at Jungkook. As you think about what to say next, you giggle lightly.

“Let’s have some fun with these,” You point to the empty bottle of soju. Jungkook quirks his brow, which prompts you to continue. “Let’s play spin the bottle. When it points at you, you have to answer some questions. If you don’t want to, then you’ll have to drink.”

Jungkook snorts. “Truth or dare? Really?”

You roll your eyes. “No, not truth or dare. Just truth because I’m sophisticated like that. Besides, are you going to entertain me if I dare you to wear a rainbow suit for work tomorrow?”

“This is your idea of fun?” Jungkook says, teasing you. Playful with a boyish grin.

You shrug. “I mean, it’s quite fun, actually. But I know about how thirty-year-olds get. If it’s past your bedtime, then…” you glance at the door to his bedroom.

Jungkook bursts out in laughter.

“You like making it sound like I’m sixty, don’t you?”

“Are you?” You pout.

Jungkook chuckles, although relenting to your game proposition.

“Alright…”

You do a little shoulder dance which makes Jungkook shake his head. As you spin the bottle, it stops and points at him. You let out a little sound of enthusiasm.

“Okay. What’s that mean?” You ask. Jungkook looks confused as he tries to see what you’re looking at. His arm. “That flower tattoo – or if it even has a meaning.”

“Oh,” Jungkook utters, realizing. He lifts up his right arm and twists it so that the flower tattoo is within both your sight. There, you see a full view of the flower drawing tattooed in orange ink. You find yourself staring at it as Jungkook starts to speak, “It’s a tiger lily. My birth flower. It means…” You can see Jungkook hesitate for a little while, and you’re just about to take back your question when he continues to say, “It means please love me.”

“Wow.” You gasp. “That’s… so pretty.”

Jungkook caresses his forearm, staring quite lovingly at the art. “I know. My tattoo artist did a really good job.”

He takes it to himself to spin the bottle again, and this time, it points at you.

“Well… do you have a tattoo?” Jungkook asks, and it’s obvious he meant to tease.

You nod your head. His playful smile drops.

“Are you serious?”

You raise your brow at him. “Sorry. Only one question gets entertained.”

He clicks his tongue playfully but then begins to spin the bottle one more time. When it points at you again, he gives you a smirk.

“Can I see your tattoo if you’re saying you have one?”

You scrunch your face, cocking your head to the side.

“Hm. I don’t think so. It’s under my boob. So.”

Jungkook stills, and you watch as his eyes trail down from your face down to your collar – although he did it quite subtly.

“Oh.”

You grin. “Yeah, “oh”,” you chuckle. When he shakes his head, you tell him, “What?” You look at him weird, regardless of the smile on your lips. He stares right back at you, and you narrow your eyes at him. “Ohh, I see. You think I’m lying.”

“No, I’m not,” he scoffs. “I just thought…”

“You just thought what?”

“I just thought you wouldn’t have one. Or if you did, it’d be a like a small thing on the leg or something. I don’t know.” He shrugs, still smiling.

You grin. “Interesting insight.”

“Nevermind that.” Jungkook rolls his eyes, spinning the bottle again.

When the rotation stills at his direction, you clap a little and put your elbows on the coffee table.

Your next question sounds stupid in your head, but you let it out anyway.

“What’s your ideal type?” You ask.

“Oh, are we doing that?” Jungkook says, sounding intrigued. “Are you going to ask me about my first kiss next?”

You snort. “This feels so high school. But answer my question.”

“Yes, ma’am,” He playfully gives you a salute. You couldn’t help but giggle. “Okay, well, I like women who are smart and… funny,” Jungkook says, and when he looks at you, you move back a little. With a soft smile, he adds, “And pretty.”

You break the eye contact. Raising your brow, you nod your head. “Pretty women. Like Kang Heesu, right?”

Jungkook looks surprised when he hears the name.

“How do you know her?”

“How can I not? Jimin’s mother has been trying to set him up with her for months now.” You shrug.

Jungkook chuckles, as if he knows exactly what you’re talking about.

“Yeah. You’re right – not about the part that she’s my ideal type, though.”

You can’t help but let out a scoff.

“That’s such a cop-out answer, Jungkook.”

He looks at you incredulously, chuckling as he says, “What? It’s not a cop-out, it’s the truth.”

“You’re awfully close with her. I heard from my coworkers you’re both dating.” You raise a brow at him.

It’s true. Words are starting to get around the office that Jungkook and Heesu are more than just collaborators.

Of course, you know to ignore that. Not because you want to be in denial or anything – but because you just don’t think it is actually true.

But maybe poking fun at it will get you the confirmation. Or whatever. It doesn’t matter.

Jungkook laughs at your previous words, though, as if you just told him a big joke.

“God, no,” he shakes his head, as if he couldn’t believe it. “They’re really saying that?” You nod your head, your lips pressed into a thin line. “I ought to make everybody know we’re just working together. You know about the project the company has in collaboration with Kang Tech, right?”

“Yeah.”

“There you go,” Jungkook chuckles. “I’m not dating Kang Heesu.”

The words feel a bit different in your ears. Paired with the way he looked at you as he said it, he sounded as though he was… almost assuring you.

But of what?

You shake off the idea in your head.

“Okay. Next one.” you interrupt the silence to change the subject. You curse in your head when the bottle stops at you.

“Your turn. What’s your ideal type?” Jungkook asks as if his tongue is just itching to ask you that. You know he’s just excited to get back at you.

You think about it for a moment, though, and you find you don’t really know what to say.

It’s not a thought you ponder over a lot. The guys that you’ve been with were so… different from each other.

“I—I’m not sure,” you shake your head, genuine.

Jungkook points at the shot glass. “New rule. I’ll count to ten and if you don’t answer, you drink.”

You glare at him; he just gives you a grin.

“I really don’t know! I mean, my past relationships are so different from each other,” you say, pouting. “But— okay. I guess I like guys who are… confident,” You look at Jungkook and then let your mind float. “And I guess I also like somebody who’s…” You watch as he leans in closer to wait for your next words. Your feel blood rushing to your cheeks as you finish up with, “Attentive. I like good listeners. Yeah.”

“Ah,” Jungkook nods. And then, he adds, “Is Shin Taemu from the IT department a good listener, then?”

Your brows furrow. “Shin Taemu?” He nods. That earns a laugh from you. “No, we’re friends.”

“Friends?” Jungkook asks curiously.

“Well, we – uh – did date. Didn’t work out. So. We’re only friends now.”

“Date, as in, a long relationship?” His eyes are so full of genuine curiosity that you cower away from them.

You shake your head at his question. “No, no – not long relationship, it wasn’t like that. I meant date as in – dinner date. Once.” You look at the shot glass and down it because of the sudden nerves that enter you. “We’re doing this game wrong.”

Jungkoon chuckles at the way you drink another glass. He mirrors your action, though, and ask, “How so? We’re questioning each other.”

“Yeah, but it’s too many questions!” You complain, jutting your lips into a pout.

“You said you only wanted truth, so there goes your questions,” Jungkook says. You roll your eyes, which makes him laugh. “Okay, just so I can amuse you, I’ll do a dare if it points at me, and you’ll do one if it stops at you. Deal?”

When you nod, Jungkook spins the bottle. He did it quite forcefully that the bottle takes a longer time to stop. You both watch keenly as it begins to slow down. Nervous, you pray it doesn’t stop at you, and you let out a sigh of relief when it finally points to Jungkook.

Jungkook shakes his head when you let out a contained, “Yes!”

“I dare you to…” you trail off, watching as he looks at you curiously. “Let me pluck your brows.”

“What?” Jungkook asks incredulously.

“A promise is a promise.” You remind him.

“Like all of them?”

“What? Of course no!” You chuckle, seeing the genuine panic in his eyes.

“Oh.”

“You silly,” You say, laughing at him. “Not right now, though. I actually feel like I’m about to pass out. Oh my god, I have to tend to a hung-over tomorrow.” You let your face fall into your hands and stifle a groan.

“I’ll cook us some porridge or something, don’t worry.” Jungkook says. Curiously, he asks, “Why do you want to pluck my brows?”

You stare at him, and then focus your eyes onto his brows.

Pouting, you let your shoulders deflate as you sigh. “They’re so thick.”

“What?” Jungkook lets out, laughing incredulously. “I’m so confused.”

“You wouldn’t get it.”

“Okay… well, would you let me pluck your brows?”

You try to think about it.

“No,” you shake your head. You add, “Unless you’re flirting with me.”

Jungkook stops. And then raises a brow. “Unless I’m flirting with you…”

You snap your eyes to look at him. Mirroring his brow, you ask, “Are you flirting with me?”

“Maybe,” Jungkook looks at you, lips tilted into a barely-there smirk that suddenly makes your cheeks burn with heat. “Do you like it?”

It takes you a while to answer, processing his words. You don’t know if he’s joking or what. Is this just his usual teasing? It feels different this time.

But why are you denying it again to yourself, though? You may be stupid sometimes, but you know his teasing gets a little… borderline flirty. You’re scared to ask him about it outright, though – afraid to be faced with the possible truth that it’s just your head playing mind-tricks for you; that Jungkook, with his teasing, is not flirty at all and you’re just flattering yourself to think about it that way.

But right now, his question feels real.

If he is flirting with you… do you like it?

You pour a drink into the shotglass and down it quickly. You feel your vision starting to get a little hazy as you put it down the table.

Jungkook realizes what you just did, and then throw his head back to laugh.

“Now, that was a cop-out.” He says, pointing to the trick that you just did.

You give him a smirk. “No rules about not answering except down a drink.”

Jungkook chuckles. “Smart girl.”

He watches as you stand up, but when you trip over the carpet, he’s quick to follow and go over to your direction to hold your wrist, his arm going around your waist to guide you to stand upright.

“You okay?” He asks. When you look up, your faces are just a hair's breadth away.

“Hm.” You hum, blinking your eyes up at him. You find it’s because your lids are starting to get heavy.

“Be careful.” Jungkook says, but he doesn’t let go of your waist, nor your wrist.

You stand there in the middle of the living room with that position, and weirdly enough, you feel like you’re both glued on it.

You can’t move – or don’t want to. You wish you want to. But you don’t, and it’s why you let Jungkook’s fingers trail softly to your waist.

“You look real sleepy,” he comments – whispers, more like, his bated breath hitting your skin.

“I am a bit dazy.” You say, finding yourself indulging in his touch.

Somehow, Jungkook never makes a move to get away even when you’re already steady on both feet. You feel that fading away so soon though, your knees starting to feel like they’re about to buckle at the way Jungkook’s eyes bore deep into your own. You feel a sort of heightened sense within your body, his hand on your back making something in you tingle.

It’s so intimate – the position. Jungkook looms over you with his much bigger frame and with his support on your back, you can just let yourself fall back.

Can you, though? Are you sure he’s going to catch you?

“You do look a little dazy,” Jungkook comments, but his eyes have traveled down to your face, and you can see them stop at your lips.

That makes them part.

You see Jungkook’s adam’s apple bobbing at the action.

“I do feel dazy,” you say, parroting back his words. Maybe they’re coming off slurred. You don’t know. You find you don’t care.

Jungkook’s lips tilt into a gentle smile. Soft like his demeanor. Soft like his arm that somehow found a way to tighten its hold around you even though you don’t need it. But it’s Jungkook though, and as much as you deny it even to yourself – you do like his touch.

“Yeah, you told me so.” His voice becomes an octave lower. His hands start to rub your clothed waist, and the ministrations of his thumb distract you a bit.

You roam your eyes around his face – noting the scar on his cheek which story you want to know so bad. When you trail you eyes down to his lips, you see the mole under it. You don’t think you were being subtle at all – it’s quite obvious that you’re just staring.

And you know Jungkook notices.

“Jungkook,” you breathed out, calling him about nothing in particular.

His only response is a small, gentle hum.

A beat of silence, and you feel Jungkook’s face leaning closer to yours.

You don’t make a move away from him, just let your legs stay where they are, letting Jungkook slowly pull you to him. You can tell his movements are slower than usual – like he’s testing the waters, searching for something in your eyes, quietly asking if it’s okay – if what he’s about to do is okay.

It makes your heart hammer against your chest – his breathing becoming more audible in your own ears. His mouth reeks of the soju you both drank earlier, but you’ve always liked the smell of it, especially when it comes with a man as breathtaking as him.

You feel the tip of his nose touching yours, your chest pressing against his own, his hand travelling from your waist to the back of your head.

When Jungkook leans down to close the gap, you swerve your face just in time to have his lips press against your hair instead.

“I’m sleepy.” You say quietly, a nervous lilt to your voice. You duck your head a little lower, laying your face on his chest and bury it with his scent.

You can feel Jungkook freeze in his position, taken aback by the sudden turn of events. You hope he doesn’t feel the way your heart goes abnormal in your chest with such proximity – but right now, all you want to do is hide. Hide your face away from him because if he sees you, he’ll know exactly what you’re thinking.

He’ll know exactly the effect he has on you.

It takes a few seconds of silence before Jungkook comes back to you.

“Hm,” He hums, and you feel his hand letting go of your wrist to wrap around your waist, squeezing for a brief moment. Jungkook’s other hand cradles your head to his chest, swiping his hand against your hair in a repeated manner, and with the way he rests his chin on the crown of your head, you feel comfort in the whole thing. “We should sleep.”

“Yeah…” you trail off, and you can just feel your lids getting heavier at the remark.

“Yeah?”

“Hm.”

“I’ll take the couch. Do you want to shower first?” You shake your head against his chest. You feel it vibrating when he chuckles. “Okay.”

“My body feels like jelly.” You say, and you feel that to be actually true.

“Is that code for “carry me to your bed, Jungkook”?”

You’re thankful your face is buried in his chest as you smile widely.

“Do you want it to be?”

“I don’t mind.”

You nod. “Good. I think I’ll get alcohol poisoning tomorrow.”

You feel Jungkook lifting his chin off your head as he sounds scold-y when he says, “Don’t joke like that.”

You giggle against his chest.

“Carry me before I pass out.”

Jungkook snorts. “Ohh. Bossy.”

“It’s my last day here. I deserve some slack.” You grumble.

“Fine.”

TAGLIST: @mortal-body-timelesssoul @variety-is-the-joy-of-life @lachimolalajeon @miniesjams32 @parkinglot-nights @peterstarkchrishiddleston @aznstoner @chuberry22 @tae-hibiscus @jungkooksmytype

note: pls check your account settings if you are enabling ur profile to be tagged.

#fic: nb #jungkook fluff #jungkook smut #jungkook angst #jungkook imagines #jungkook scenarios #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #bts smut #bts fluff #bts imagines #bts scenarios #jungkook fanfic #jeon jungkook #jeon jungkook x reader

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luveline · 2 years ago

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could we get more bombshell!reader and spencer please?

for you lovely ♡ fem!reader

"Hi, gorgeous."

Spencer should've known it was you from the soft, sweet-hinted smell of your perfume, but he was distracted by the book in his hands. "Hey, Y/N," he says.

"You realise you've stopped walking? And that we're both quite late?"

Spencer blows out a confused breath, looking over his shoulders. He'd known where he was when he started but obviously overestimated his ability to walk and read at the same time. "I do now. Thank you."

"Oh, you're welcome," you say, voice like angora silk. "Let's walk together, yeah? That way you won't get lost again."

Spencer stammers at your fingers slotting between his, your palm as soft as your voice. Your touch, even, is soft. You curl your fingers around his like he's something precious and the two of you set off together toward the elevator for the BAU floor. "I'm sorry I didn't text you back last night, I was catching up on my beauty sleep, something you clearly don't need to do, and when I saw it this morning I thought I'd rather hear it in person."

"No, don't be sorry, I knew it was a long shot," he says, momentarily distracted by the (frankly insane) feeling of your hands swinging in tandem. You're probably the last person alive he wants a sorry from. You're beautiful, and you're always sweet, always interested in what he has to say.

You prove it. "I was sorry I missed it, Spence, I thought the whole lactic acid theory sounded interesting. Think you can squeeze it in before the round table?"

Spencer gives it a try. It's impressive how he manages to focus on two things at once, freaking out about your hand in his —so casual and so unreal— while explaining the twisting science of muscle soreness and fatigue. He nearly doesn't notice you pulling him from the elevator and into the office, but then he gets that sixth sense feeling like there are eyes on him, and he pulls his gaze from your (again, frankly insanely) pretty face to investigate.

Working with his team, the agents in the BAU office have gotten good at subtlety, but half don't even try to pretend they aren't looking at you. You, in your fancy coat with your cute handbag, and Spencer, ragged in a cardigan and shoes with worn soles, holding hands. You rub the back of his hand with your thumb, your usual sunny smile flickering.

"Sorry," Spencer says. "Uh, sorry, I didn't… People are looking."

"I know." You take your hand from his. "It's not professional, huh?" You force a smile, trying to seem unbothered, as though this whole holding hands thing doesn't mean more to you.

Spencer hates to play the profiler card, but it's what he is. He knows you genuinely wanted to hold his hand from the twitch of your index finger alone.

You've always had a way about you. You're confident and fun no matter how many knocks you take, but you're serious when you need to be and a brilliant agent. Spencer can count on one hand the amount of times he's seen that confidence knocked. He hates that it's because of something he did.

"I mean, it's not hurting anyone," he says unsurely, trying hard to keep his attention solely on you.

Your eyes widen, your perfectly powdered face alight. It knocks the air out of him. "Until Hotch tells me off."

"I'll defend you," he says. It's supposed to be a joke but his words come out honey thick, practically sticky with promise.

Spencer offers you his hand again. As soon as you take it, he starts pulling you with more confidence than he feels across the office and up to the conference room.

"Oh, come on, Y/N," Morgan says with a grin when he sees you both, tethered and smiling as you make your way to your adjacent seats. "You're torturing my boy."

Hotch raises his eyebrows just a touch.

"It's fine," Spencer says. "I asked her to."

Hotch's eyebrows rise higher. He stares for a moment before glancing back to the case file. "Well, fraternisation between employees isn't permitted. But I'm more worried that you're both late. Let's get back to the case details, please, JJ."

As much permission as you're going to get, Spencer squeezes your fingers under the desk. You can't hold in a laugh. The team shares a moment of disbelief at the disruption.

"Spencer Reid," Emily drawls, breaking the short silence with a smirk, "you rake."

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid oneshot #spencer reid scenario #spencer reid drabble #spencer reid fic #spencer reid fanfiction #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds #criminal minds fic #criminal minds x reader

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bonelyheartsclub · 2 months ago

Text

♡ Boss - Valentine's One-Shot ♡

Written by @/Duskyskye

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

It was 6:30 in the morning when you stepped outside your house.

You thought that you had prepared everything that you needed; you dressed warmly but not too warmly, you had your refillable thermos, and you had done 30 minutes worth of stretches before you even considered meeting up with Boss.

Exercising with him wouldn’t take too much effort, surely. You’d alleviated his worries for nearly a week now, and this was the final moment. You were ready!

Boss met you in your yard, sporting a black tracksuit with hot rod flames to match. His smile widened as he came into view, though his sockets were knit slightly with worry.

“Good morning, dear. I see that you’ve come equipped.”

“Morning, Boss!” You cheerily replied. “I’m all set. Anything I need to know before we head out?”

Boss averted his gaze, and spoke directly.

“Yes. I’ve prepared a full route for the two of us. We’ll go to the park, through it, and then end at a lovely coffee shop I found for some rest afterwards. Does that sound… acceptable?”

So, he was bracing for impact. You heaved a sigh.

“Boss…I thought we were going to take the route you usually did with Papyrus?”

“Yes, I’m aware, dear, but that route is relatively long. I feel that if we were to take the usual path, you may wear out. I thought maybe a shorter path would be a good start, and we could work up to the long path.”

As much as you loved how Boss worried for you, it did feel a little sour to have plans change so suddenly. Well, at least he was thinking of you.

“Ok, Boss.”

Boss must have read the expression on your face and the tone in your voice, as his expression dropped almost in sync with yours. He heaved a sigh of his own.

“I’m sorry I tried to change things last minute. I just worry for you. We can take my usual path, if you wish. Just be sure to tell me if you’re too tired to keep going.”

You nodded, offering him a large smile. You were ready to keep the pace going all day!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You were tired.

You were tired and could hardly breathe.

Those were the only two things you could think about as you followed Boss’ trail down his usual jogging path. You supposed that it was through practice that he was able to keep this up every morning. That, and sheer endurance. Maybe the lack of muscles to wear out as well.

Either way, your legs felt like jelly – which felt pathetic, as you’d only been going for half an hour, albeit at Boss’ pace.

Speaking of… contrary to you, it seemed that your jogging partner was still pushing to keep things going. Even if he refused to say it, and even when he had notably slowed down his pace for you, you could tell he was itching to rocket off through the rest of his walk. If only by the energy of his movement.

Yeah, this wasn’t working out for either of you.

You were the first to speak.

“Ok… time out. I’m ready to stop.”

Boss stopped in place, taking a moment to inspect you in all your exhausted glory.

“I see. This was what I was worried about. I appreciate your ambition on my account, but also…” he hesitated to finish.

You spoke up as he remained silent.

“Boss, I really appreciate that you prepared so much for this. I’ll admit, I overestimated my ability, too. I just thought that by taking the normal route, I could get to know you a little better. The things you like to do or see on your usual jog, y’know?”

Boss gripped his chest tightly.

“You need to not be so sweet, I don’t think my Soul can take it.” Boss picked you up, noticeably cringing a little at just how damp you were, but still he held you regardless. “Do you wish to head home?”

You shook your head.

“Not really. I don’t want to cut my time with you short. You don’t get a lot of free time as it is.”

“Do you have the energy to walk?”

“…Nope.”

“Then I will make do.”

Boss set you on the ground. You barely had time to wince before he lifted you back up, this time taking you by the knees as you were scooped up into a piggyback ride. You swiftly wrapped your arms around Boss’ shoulders, not wanting to lose your balance.

“Is this comfortable for you?” Boss asked, helping you situate yourself.

“Uh… I’m… I’m ok. Are you? I know I’m kind of sweaty right now–”

“If I cared, I wouldn’t have lifted you. Your ability to make it the rest of the way is more important than my intolerance of filth. If it is any degree of comfort, I’ve had to carry my brother in much the same way, and you could never match his lack of cleanliness.”

“…Fair.”

Boss continued down the path, moving at a quick pace, but slow enough to not jostle you. You used this time to take in your surroundings. He had chosen a relatively nice neighborhood for his walk. Trees just starting to regrow their leaves for spring lined the path, with freshly manicured lawns on either side. The houses, still cast in the shadow of the early morning light, stood in pristine lines. It appeared to be new construction, with how fresh everything about the buildings looked. A few walkers passed the two of you by, human and monster alike, with some offering a wave or a brief, “Morning!” Boss reciprocated the gesture as best he could while still holding you.

You spoke up after a little while.

“This is a nice place you found. Did you just find it at random?”

Boss answered directly.

“It was already Papyrus’ route, before I’d… erm…” He paused for a moment. “Before I joined him on his jogging route. We used to live nearby, actually.”

“Oh really?”

“Indeed. Monsters settled relatively close to here after they first emerged from Mt. Ebott. Most of what you see around you was built by them. Have you never been to this area?”

“I’ve never really had a reason to. Though I think I’ve driven past once or twice.”

“Would you care to see the old house?”

“Sure!”

Boss’ snicker was the only warning you had before he took off. It was about 4 blocks of being tossed around before he skidded to a stop right outside a quaint little house nestled right in the heart of the neighborhood.

“Do you think you can stand for a bit?”

“Yeah, would be good to stretch my legs anyway.”

Boss carefully lowered you to the ground, letting you take in the house. It was no wonder that they’d had to move; this was the perfect size for a small family. Emphasis on “small.”

“How on Earth did all 10 of you manage to squeeze in there?”

“We didn’t. That’s why we moved.”

You nodded. Suddenly, a lot of things began to click into place. You had thought the size of their house wasn’t enough before… now you couldn’t find the words.

Boss stretched his back, his spine popping slightly after the exertion of carrying you for at least 2 miles.

“It was certainly a time,” he began, “I had to share a room with both Papyrus and Poplar, as they were the only two that bothered to maintain a decently clean and organized space. Even between the three of us trying our best, though, there was barely room. It took quite a bit of work, but I thank the stars every day that we saved up enough to move out.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you. I think I would have been driven stir crazy within a week.”

“Most of us were. Though there are some things that I miss about the old place. The location, for one.”

“Oh really? What’s so special about it?”

Boss smiled, taking your hand in his. He led you down the street, just beyond the boundary of the neighborhood – past the houses you couldn’t see before.

What you were eventually greeted with was an elementary school… and right in front of it, an enormous hedge in the shape of a familiar face. You couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

“Wait, wait, is that Papyrus?”

“Indeed. He requested it from the king specifically. Every time we go jogging, he always stops to pose and take pictures in front of it. It’s always amusing, though he doesn’t do it with as much frequency anymore, as it’s a bit out of the way.”

“Oh, I would PAY to see him do that.”

Boss laughed at your comment.

“It is certainly a sight. I’ll be sure to let you know when he’s in the area. Assuming you don’t wish to accompany us on our NEXT jog?”

Boss offered you a sly smile. You shook your head.

“Nope. If I can’t keep up with you, I DEFINITELY can’t keep up with him.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

Boss led you further down the road, away from the houses and into what seemed to be a business district. This was somewhere you were more familiar with; a lot of monsters had set up shop in this place.

You’d been to the odd store here and there, though it had been a while since you visited. It wasn’t quite bustling yet in the early morning hours, but you could tell it had become much livelier. Paintings adorned the building walls, the once small shrubs had sprouted into trees… clearly the area had received a lot of TLC.

“Would you like to make one last stop before we head home?” Boss asked with a wide smile on his face.

“Sure, I’m game. Where are we headed?”

“You’ll see.” Boss led you down the street, passing window display after window display with all sorts of unique decorations. It was near the end of the street when Boss finally stopped.

“A bookstore?” You asked.

“Indeed. This was where I first learned to cook.”

You paused.

“… In a bookstore?”

“No, no. You see, when I was in the Underground, I didn’t have much time to prepare food, and not much in the way of literature on the subject either. What I did learn was from a friend, who was more focused on pummeling her food than preparing it properly. Monsters made a point to gain all kinds of knowledge once they surfaced and had access to all the books this world had to offer. So, this is where I obtained my first cookbook.”

“They didn’t have them Underground?”

“Well, they did. Sort of. Most of them were waterlogged or hard to interpret without having a monster equivalent. It was interesting, learning just what foods existed and what I could make with them. One of the many reasons I’m glad I’m here now.”

Boss looked at the store wistfully, his gaze just barely clouded over. You smiled, taking his hand in yours.

“I’m glad you’re here too.”

Boss grinned, turning his gaze to you. His smile was wide, crinkling his sockets.

“Perhaps you were right. I’m glad I was able to take this route with you. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

“No, no, you were right to. I am going to be SORE in the morning.”

Boss chuckled, kneeling down to your level and nuzzling his teeth against your forehead.

“Perhaps we both were a little bit right and a little bit wrong. Regardless, I am happy you’re with me.”

“I’m just as happy to be with you, Boss.”

You wrapped your arms around Boss, who returned the hug tenfold. It was there, in the middle of that sidewalk, that you could feel just how much this skeleton loved you – how your love for him was just as present, and just as intense.

Yeah.

You were happy right where you were.

#bonely hearts club #valentines day #bhcmyvalentine25

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pondanimal · 5 months ago

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hi im sick and the fever is cooking my braincells so here's some insane mclennon analysis from the infirmed:

they're doomed yaoi to me because their natures made it impossible for them to be together. paul's number 1 driving force is his pursuit of "success." he needed to meet every societal milestone to feel successful, having a wife and kids was important to him for that projection of success (among other reasons I'm sure, but this was one he couldn't ever get from john). paul undoubtedly loved john and reciprocated in some capacity. i say this with confidence because while john is naturally obsessive and jealous, i don't think he would've had as hard of a time moving on from paul for so long (up until he died practically) if his relationship with paul was purely unrequited yearning. there's just no way. paul curates his image so thoroughly that even he struggles to find the "real" paul underneath it all. it's much easier for him to hide this part of himself than it is for john, and that's the simple reason we have more evidence from him than we do paul. for paul, whatever relationship he had with john was one he always knew would be sidelined. if the sexual side was something that he did expect to continue long term, i think he would've been okay having his wife and kids and john on the side at the same time. (i do fully believe he liked jane, but she was definitely a very convenient beard, and i think she knew that on some level. hence the sudden break up that she swore to never talk about?) that was always how they did it. im sure they had some unspoken understanding between the two of them that the other was always the most important one in their heart despite the girls and wives they kept around.

i say unspoken because i don't think john really saw it the same way. he needed paul and he needed the other beatles desperately. he was the one to suggest they live together on that greek island. cynthia saw this in him and tried to make him realize he needed them more than they needed him. i think he wanted paul all to himself, and the rational side of him probably knew it was a delusional dream, but it meant that whatever way he could actually get paul was never going to be enough for him. his life probably had an insistent undercurrent of disappointment and frustration. somewhere along the line i think they finally tried to talk about the future of their relationship and paul probably didn't give john the answer that he wanted. john needed paul so much that not having him at all was better than only having part of him. he's the type that needs a unfailingly loyal soul mate who's just as obsessed as he is, and i think he found that desire satisfied in yoko who was willing to play along. i think paul's answer probably made john vindictive and spiteful, but i think a part of him still believed that things would continue the way they were between them. maybe he still overestimated how much paul needed him, or underestimated paul's ability to move on from him. (a bit of projection happening there probably) but his surprise when paul married linda, who he thought (hoped?) was another short term girlfriend, and his belief that they wouldn't last very long tells me that he still was clinging on to the chance that paul would come running back and prove his loyalty and love to him. everything john did around this time reads like an act of spite as well as a kind of impossible test for paul. paul never passed them and i think that's where much of john's resentment that yoko talks about came from. paul could never give him what he wanted and john kind of set him up for failure in that way, but still blamed him for the aftermath.

anyways, moral of the story is, paul's rigid need to chase perfection doomed his relationship with john, and john's need for all or nothing love doomed his relationship with paul.

#mclennon #bug.post

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tsumuus · 9 months ago

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meet cutes | my hero academia

a/n so random make ni sense and not proof read at all. i just love all these characters sm and think they need more appreciation

characters tenya iida, hanta sero, eijiro kirishima, denki kaminari

masterlist

tenya iida

The bustling streets of Musutafu seemed to never quiet, especially during the evening rush hour. You hurried through the crowded sidewalks, clutching a stack of documents to your chest, trying to avoid any collisions. The sky had a gentle orange hue as the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the city.

Just as you rounded the corner near a small, bustling cafe, a gust of wind swept through, snatching one of your papers and sending it fluttering into the air. You gasped, reaching out futilely as it soared higher.

Suddenly, a blur of blue and white darted past you. Tenya Iida, in his hero costume, appeared, deftly catching the paper mid-air. He landed gracefully, adjusting his glasses and holding the document out to you. The sunlight framed him perfectly, making his appearance even more striking. You accepted the paper, your fingers brushing his gloved hand.

With a warm smile, he nodded at you. “Always happy to assist,” he said, before dashing off again, leaving you standing there with a racing heart and a newfound admiration for the hero who had saved your day.

hanta sero

The neighborhood park was your favorite spot for a morning jog. The dew-kissed grass, the chirping of birds, and the occasional rustle of leaves created a tranquil atmosphere. As you rounded the trail's curve, you noticed a commotion near the large oak tree in the center.

Curiosity piqued, you jogged closer, only to see Sero Hanta struggling with a tangled kite. It was a bright red dragon, its tail hopelessly entwined in the branches. Sero, now a seasoned pro hero, was trying his best to free it using his tape quirk, but the kite remained stubbornly stuck.

You couldn’t help but chuckle, the sound catching his attention. He glanced your way, sheepish but grinning. Without a word, you joined him, climbing onto a lower branch to help. The two of you worked in harmony, hands brushing occasionally, the shared effort bringing an unexpected sense of camaraderie.

Finally, with a triumphant tug, the kite was free. Sero’s laughter was infectious, and as you handed the kite back to the grateful child who owned it, he gave you a thumbs up. “Great teamwork,” he said, his smile brightening your morning.

eijiro kirishima

The gym was quieter than usual, the perfect setting for a late-night workout. You focused on your routine, pushing through the last set of weights when a loud crash echoed through the space. Startled, you looked over to see Eijiro Kirishima, now a well-known hero, sheepishly picking up a toppled barbell.

He caught your gaze and grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. The dim lighting highlighted the sharp angles of his face, and you couldn’t help but notice the genuine warmth in his eyes.

You walked over, offering a hand. Together, you righted the barbell, your fingers brushing against his. He chuckled, a deep, hearty sound that reverberated in the empty gym. “Guess I overestimated myself,” he admitted, his laughter contagious.

As you returned to your workout, you felt his gaze linger, a silent promise of future encounters. There was something undeniably endearing about his honest clumsiness, and you found yourself looking forward to the next time fate would bring you together.

denki kaminari

The arcade was buzzing with energy, neon lights reflecting off the polished floors and flashing screens. You weaved through clusters of gamers until you spotted Denki Kaminari, your former classmate and now a hero known for his electrifying abilities, focused intensely on a claw machine. His usual carefree grin was replaced with a determined frown as he tried to snag a plush.

You couldn’t resist joining in. Standing beside him, you both took turns maneuvering the claw. After a few failed attempts, your skillful finesse finally paid off—the claw gripped the plush snugly and dropped it into the prize chute. Denki’s eyes widened in amazement, his grin returning full force. “No way! You did it!”

He offered you the plush toy, a spark of excitement evident in his eyes as your hands briefly touched. As you walked out together, the arcade’s lights painting playful patterns on his face, Denki chattered enthusiastically about his favorite games and hero escapades. His infectious energy made the evening feel like a whirlwind of laughter and camaraderie, leaving you with a smile and a sense of eager anticipation for what could unfold between you.

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glitter-stained · 5 months ago

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As someone who is very much not well-versed in medical things/psychology, I have no idea how to research this efficiently, so, would you say that Jason would in any way benefit from being on some sort of medication, like anti-depressants or something like that? Not in a way of "oooh that would fix him and make him not murderous" or whatever, but to improve some of the very clear mental health issues that affect him in his day-to-day life, first and foremost.

Oh I love that one! Answering quickly for once because I've already dissected it in my head

Fuck yeah he would benefit from medication. Of course, I'm neither a psychiatrist nor a pharmacist, but I did have classes on neuropharmacology and it was one of my favourite things to study, so I'm confident I'm not saying random shit but if someone in there

So- of course, it depends on the era, but there are three molecules I'd consider useful for him :

> Rebirth Jason:

-sertralin

> any and all Jasons:

- lamotrigin

-propanolol

Sertralin

So, the antidepressants. Basically, sertralin is an SSRI, which means it works by altering your brain chemistry to heighten the chances that your neurons will get the possibility to transmit serotonin, a neurotransmitter (brain molecule) that is linked with happiness (very very basically. Please don't misunderstand this as "sertralin/serotonin makes you happy".) I'll admit I haven't read enough of rebirth Jason to establish whether he fits the criteria for a characterized depressive episode rather, but he already displays, at minima, subclinical signs of depression. One reason why I don't need to wait for an established diagnosis to say I think trying out antidepressants would be a good idea is that Jason is suicidal as fuck (has made several attempts on his life + documented suicidal ideation... and at least according to Bruce) has been for a very long time.) This makes it a total emergency.

Now if we're considering post Gotham war Rebirth Jason, this guy has an anxiety disorder (like, I wish Batman #148 had shown Jason abusing benzos so bad.) The thing is, Joker might have made Jason "functional" enough not to be paralyzed by fear in Man Who Stopped Laughing (and hey! Laughter is a good strategy to regulate anxiety. Thanks, Joker.), but that is very much not enough: as Joker says, Jason still feels that anxiety, he's just not having outwards panic attacks about it. The thing with anxiety (aside from the risks of such extreme chronic stress) is that 1) some SSRI, like sertralin, have a positive effect on symptoms and 2) if untreated, it very often leads to depressive symptomatology (kinda like fatigue from all the stress). All of this to say if a patient has anxiety, in my country it's recommended to give them antidepressants, both to soothe the anxiety and to decrease the risk of developing depression. So yeah, I would definitely give him antidepressants!!

Lamotrigin

Listen.

Listen. I know what you're thinking. "Why would you recommend giving Jason an anti-epileptic? He doesn't have epilepsy." He doesn't. Stay with me.

So, lamotrigin is originally an anti-epileptic. However they realized that using smaller doses could make it into a thymoregulator for bipolar disorder (I and II). Now, a thymoregulator is a medicine that people with bipolar take to regulate their emotions. Bipolar disorders are characterized by three phases: mania(or hypomania), depressive phase, and euthymia. Mania (or hypomania) is characterized by elevated mood and/or agressivity (though the most characteristic of mania is still elation/euphoria) that can be associated with overestimation of abilities, augmentation of risk taking, sometimes psychotic symptoms (such as grandiose delusions, etc.) Depressive phases are the symptoms of a characterized depressive episode, but in the context of bipolar (they're often very severe, and can sometimes take on melancholic and/or psychotic characteristics). They're not rapid mood swings: manic and depressive episodes can sometimes last weeks. And then there is euthymia, which is "normal, non-pathologic mood". So basically, your mood is a spectrum from "so high it's harmful and dangerous to you" to "so low it's harmful and dangerous to you", with euthymia in the middle as "neither too high nor too low". The goal of thymoregulators like lamotrigin is to keep the patient in euthymia. That doesn't mean that the person will never feel sad or happy, this isn't a mood dampener: it's just that they won't have to leave with the fear that every stressor or sad moment will send them spiralling in a depressive episode, or that they have to be careful not to feel too much joy in case in tumbles into euphoria. It's just a way to compensate the chemical dysfunction in the brain that makes it so incredibly hard and painful to emotionally regulate.

Now, as we said, mood is a spectrum, and in bipolar, it's like you're swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other. But it's not perfectly symetrical, not for everyone. For example, you can have one patient who has very high mania and severe depressive episodes, but you could also have patients with high mania and less severe depressive symptoms, or patients with severe depressive symptoms and hypomania rather than mania. This is why we need different types of thymoregulators! Each thymoregulator's effect span can be situated on the mood spectrum. For example, lithium works best for patients where there's a symetrical dysregulation (so the mood goes about as high in the maniac phase as it goes low in the depression phase), and lamotrigin works best with patients whose disorder tends more towards the lower end of the mood spectrum (ie patients with very severe depressive episodes and whose high episodes tend more towards hypomania. (That's classically what we get with cohort studies, but of course every patient is unique! This is why it sometimes takes many tries before finding A) the right molecule for the patient and B) the right dosage for the molecule, which requires evaluating and re-evaluating with the psychiatrist as the treatment is established, blood draws to figure out absorption etc... It's a very careful balance to find.)

Now, it's a hc I've seen a bunch, but I don't personally hc Jason as having a bipolar disorder. So why do I think lamo could help him?

As we've seen, lamo's job is basically to help regulate negative emotions. To which, someone had the brilliant idea to realise hey, there are other disorders in which there are major issues with regulating negative emotions because of alterations to brain chemistry, one of the best-known being PTSD! So they conducted studies and it turns out, some thymoregulators (including lamo), in lower doses than those used in treatment for bipolar, are efficient in supporting emotional regulation in PTSD! It's pretty recent, but professionals have started to prescribe those thymoregulators to people with PTSD, and I for one think it's really really cool (partially because research in ptsd is doing amazing rn, and partially because my doctor decided i had enough trauma to qualify for prescribing lamo- i didn't necessarily agree with him, but of all the medication I've been prescribed it's the one that helped the most and I'm really really happy about it.) So with all of that said, I hope it makes sense why Jason, whose brand of complex PTSD (which is imo clearly associated with negative emotional dysregulation) might benefit from lamotrigin or a similar thymoregulator.

#ask #jason todd #red hood #dc #robin ii #jason todd meta #the jason todd psychology analysis meta #dc comics #let's talk meds!!!

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solar-serpent · 11 months ago

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Which one of your gifts can help you to manifest the life you want?🪄

Hello! I haven't posted a PAC in ages, so I am excited to share something different from the fs/so readings you can mostly find in my blog. Let's focus on you✨ and how special you are!🤗

I want my gals to be rich (or at least comfortable) and impediment💅🏻 so pick a witch and get to know the peak of your potential!

Pile I → Pila II

Pile III → Pile IV

🗝️Pile I🗝️

Conviction is your greatest gift. You can manifest any material thing thanks to your steadiness and stubbornness. You don’t need any sort of validation to keep pushing forward, you already believe in yourself and the extent of your power. You have a strong sense of ownership as you are willing to fight and defend what is yours. You are a creative person with clear and solid ideas. The only thing that seems to disturb you at times is your fear of failure or the intrusive thought you have accomplished almost nothing in life. You have the archetypes of the worker and the architect. Your special gift is the one of building, your love for creation will drive you to manifest beautiful and unexpected things.

Hi! I hope this reading was to your liking♡. I'm offering paid readings about this topic here.

🗝️Pile II🗝️

Your intuition is more powerful than you think. You can get in tune with the collective unconscious and predict the next trend that will be born. You started wearing lolita shoes and gothic accessories, and then everyone was wearing them three weeks later? It's not a coincidence, honey. You will walk into a room full of people, pick on the energies steering on the air and quickly deduce what's going on with each present group, right? Nothing escapes that third eye. Be quick and a real pioneer. You have the ability to leave everyone’s jaw dropped! Sometimes you can doubt yourself and overestimate your own gifts. You have the archetypes of the planner and the artist. You are ready to embrace success.

Hi! I hope this reading was to your liking♡. I'm offering paid readings about this topic here.

🗝️Pile III🗝️

Is it a gift or a life mission? You do not and will never lack material resources. Very often you find yourself in a situation where you have to make a decision involving the following questions: “what will you do with your resources? How can you receive more profit from them? Will you manifest something exclusively for you or for your community? Your archetype is the opulent. You can manifest things on a large scale, as well as employment for others. You are born a leader, altruistic in nature, the defender of your people or land. Others need your services, so one position will always open up for you wherever you go.

Hi! I hope this reading was to your liking♡. I'm offering paid readings about this topic here.

🗝️Pile IV🗝️

Your cleverness has led you to countless achievements. You have the soldier archetype! Your outlook on life is very simple and can be summarized like this: challenges, victories and defeats. You are tough, reckless and sometimes you believe yourself invincible. You will rise gracefully from difficult situations and finish the most complicated tasks to everyone’s surprise. You possess great strength, you are willing to ignore the shame of defeat or the pain coming from an injury to embark on your next adventure. When an idea has been set in your mind, you’ll turn restless until you succeed on manifesting it. Passions, love, the wish to impress someone can lead you to manifest with more intensity. Your life purpose is meting victory, you are not necessarily over-ambitious.

Hi! I hope this reading was to your liking♡. I'm offering paid readings about this topic here.

#Free tarot #manifesation #manifesting #law of assumption #master manifestor #free tarot reading #pick a card #pick a pile #pac reading #pick a picture #astro notes #astrology #Spotify

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bullet-prooflove · 4 months ago

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"You can turn me on with just a touch, baby" from the The Bad Decisions Prompt List for Wes Mitchell please 🥺 ❤️

Tagging: @kmc1989

All it takes is a touch, the soft caress of Wes’s hand against yours as he leans in the doorway of your apartment in Budapest and you’re back on that beach in LA, his fingertips skating over the waistband of your bikini, lightly pulling at the ties. You remember his mouth ghosting over your skin, the stubble that lines his jaw leaving marks on your inner thighs that were still there a week later when he got back together with Ella.

“You’re not staying at my place.” You warn him, your arm across the space, barring him from entry. There’s a duffle bag by his feet, no doubt packed full of his essentials. “We were one and done back in LA.”

“It wasn’t really one though was it?” He reminds you, crossing his arms over his chest. “It was more like three…”

“I think you are greatly overestimating your abilities.” You inform him despite the fact you both know it was more like five.

The beach, to his Jeep, to your bed.

You’d woken up the next morning, him gone, your surf board cleaned down and resting neatly against the wall in your hallway. There had been no follow up after that except from a few late night texts from Ella telling you to stay away from her man.

“One night on the couch, I cook.” He barters, using his boot to prod the groceries he’s already bought out of sight. “I really don’t have nowhere else to go.”

There are hotels, hostels, even an Air BnB that may charge him a decent rate but he came to you, you know why too. Wes, he craves a taste of home. Someone who knows him in a city where he’s stranger, someone who can steady him amongst the upheaval and displacement he feels over Brooks’s death.

“One night.” You concede, stepping away from the door and gesturing for him to some inside. “And you stay on the couch.”

But it’s not just one night and Wes, he certainly does not end up sleeping on that couch.

Love Wes? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

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#wes mitchell #wes mitchell x reader #wesley mitchell #wesley mitchell x reader #weasley wes mitchell #fbi international

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harrysmileycostume · 26 days ago

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This Kiss

Part 1

You bit your lip, debating on sending the text.

"You really should come out," Jenny said, sipping her coffee. "We miss you. I can definitely swing by and drive you there, but you know shifts don't end until two."

You stopped working at the dive bar a couple months ago; your university set you up with an internship in town.

You sighed. "Alright," you agreed finally. You straightened your posture and sent the message: "Hey can you do me a favor? My old coworkers invited me to karaoke Thursday at the dive. Would you mind picking me up at eleven and driving me home?" Harry had been distant lately, but he always encouraged you to reach out if you needed anything as you were still new in town.

You frowned a little at the text thread, seeing that your last message was sent a week ago without a reply: "How've you been?"

It was strange. At first, Harry took you out on extravagant dates multiple times a week. He'd send flowers, order you lunch, and ship you gifts. The lengths he went to impress you amazed you.

You were so confused at his silence and honestly desperate for a reason to reach out. Being totally honest, you didn’t even want to go to the dive that much. You thought this could be a nice opportunity for Harry to sleepover and catch up... as friends and as lovers.

"Sure, just as long as you're punctual so I can go home" he replied.

So much for that.

"Yeah of course. Thanks so much! See you soon" you sent back. - Thursday night, you were sitting at the bar, listening to the familiar bartender gossip and outdated music. You got paid way more for less time at your new job, and you didn't have to work late nights anymore. Still, there was something about the vibe of the dive you sort of missed.

Apparently, there was something about the vibe that drew in men, too. One man, in particular, bought you three drinks and asked you to play a game of pool. You glanced at your phone. The time read 10:40. You figured you could play a game.

You overestimated both his and your ability because when Harry texted you "Here" at 10:58, you still had five balls left, and your partner was in the midst of a story.

"Just saying some goodbyes, be out soon" you replied. To be completely honest, you wanted to finish the game. This guy was sweet, and with Harry being so estranged, you appreciated the attention. You wouldn't be going home with your new friend, but you'd happily give him your number.

Harry walked into the bar at 11 o'clock precisely. His face when he saw you talking alone with a man similar in age was priceless. He didn't think before striding over to you and wrapping his arm around you. Out of the corner of your eye, Jenny grinned and got the other bartenders' attention.

"How's your night?" he asked you coolly. Your opponent slinked away to take his turn.

"It's good. Just finishing this game," you replied, nodding casually.

"Y/N, it's your turn," your companion beckoned you after missing his shot.

You began to pull out of Harry's hold when he tightened his grip on you. "Can I play this turn for you?" he asked. Harry was a talented player. You'd watched him play before, and he didn't back down.

You internally sighed. "Yeah, you can," you agreed, hanging back at the high-top table as Harry grabbed a stick from the wall and lined up his shot. He was so sexy, and he knew it too, serious as he walked around the table, eyed his next shot, aimed, and made one after the next. Your heart slammed in your chest--for once, you loathed the effect he had on you.

Your veiled anger only grew as you watched him finish the game. How dare he come in here and act like some sort of hero, meanwhile he'd ignored you for weeks?

He proceeded to finish the game and walked over to the other gentleman to shake his hand. You rolled your eyes. How embarrassing!

You joined them and shook his hand as well. "Good game," you said politely.

"Thanks," he replied. "I didn't have a chance once he stepped in," he commented, nodding at Harry.

"That was sort of the point," Harry replied, and your face flamed as your friend walked away awkwardly. He turned to you. "Home?"

Your nostrils flared. "You know, I think I'll stay," you answered, though you truly only said it to piss him off. You had a morning class tomorrow, hence your 11 o'clock curfew.

He grabbed your hand then, pulling you into him, and speaking lowly, "You mean you genuinely wasted my fuckin' time tonight? Had me come out here just to see that shit?"

Your eyes widened in shock at his tone. "I'm a free person, you know," you said defiantly, ripping your hand from his.

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?" he remarked.

There it was. He just called you a slut. Did you really think he could be so kind?

You flinched, and you noticed his demeanor change at your glare. "I really do not appreciate... any of this," you said unhappily. "I am going to use the restroom, and then we can leave."

"Sounds good," he said evenly. "Have you paid your tab?" he asked.

"I didn't buy any of my drinks," you tried to answer nonchalantly before walking away to the restroom, hoping to piss him off that much more.

Harry blinked at you. "I'll meet you at the car," he called behind you eventually.

When you got in his convertible, the air was tense. He wordlessly started the car, and you looked outside, avoiding his eyes. You really couldn't believe that this would be the last time you'd see him.

And what did it matter anyhow? He was so cruel to you, and for what--playing a game of pool? His audacity to act that way after ignoring you for weeks boiled your blood. You chewed on your cheek, growing repulsed at the thought you were fooled by his love bombing.

"Y/N," he spoke, pulling up to a red light.

"What?" you asked stalely.

"Can you understand why I was upset back there?" he asked gently.

You brushed your hair out of your face and turned toward him. "I can understand why you were upset, Harry. I maintain that I don't appreciate how you treated me tonight." You bit your lip. "I mean, you basically called me a whore for playing a game of pool."

"What are you--"

"'Oh, is that what they're calling it now?'" you mocked him.

He pulled forward as the light turned green. "I didn't... That's not what I--"

"I feel so stupid to think... To think you actually cared about me. I haven't heard from you in how long, and this is how you treat me?" you spoke, tears flowing down your face.

"I'm sorry," he said, sighing. "I'm sorry, Y/N. I just... My daughter Caroline has been having a very hard time."

You paused. "What happened?" you asked.

He took a deep breath. "She just... She actually left her mom's, so she's been staying with me, and... It's not an excuse, it's not. But I've been tired, and I miss you, and... Walking in there and seeing you with someone else just set me off," he confessed. "I would never... I am sorry for what I implied with that comment. I don't know what I thought I was saying, but I would never call you anything like that. I'd never call any woman anything like that," he added quickly.

You frowned. "Is Caroline okay? Where's Ingrid?" you asked curiously, abandoning his apology now that things were making more sense. Harry's daughters were still in school.

He shut his eyes for a second. "Caroline ran away from home two weeks ago. She was having... difficulties before then. She..." he sighed, clearing his throat. "She took her mom's car, which is fantastic because she isn't fuckin’ licensed to drive yet," he uttered, "Thank God for smartphones because I tracked her to the next town over and brought her home with me. She told me she was planning to pick Ingrid up that night. Ingrid's still with her mom."

"I'm sorry," you said softly. "How are they doing now?" you asked.

"They're better, I guess," he replied. "Ingrid's... She's confused and scared. She wants to be with her sister. Caroline is hardly speaking to me. At least I know where she is, and I secured my cars so she can't pull that shit again," he said. He turned the AC down. “She told me yesterday she's sorry and she loves me. "

"Well, that's promising," you said awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Harr--" you began again.

"Don't fucking apologize," he said. "Don't. I love my girls, and I would do anything for them, including losing the best thing that's happened to me in years," he said, looking at you. "But I apparently don't need help with that."

You frowned as he pulled into your apartment complex. "Harry," you said softly. "I know you can't come up, and I don't want to keep you from Caroline any longer. I just..." you trailed.

Harry looked at you forlornly.

You leaned in and kissed him. "I think it's good that you're focusing on them. They need someone like you," you said. "Is there any way I can help?" you asked.

He shook his head. "This is something I need to work out with their mom," he said, shrugging.

"Don't tell me this is goodbye," you whispered, sniffling. "Because that'd be really shitty."

"Fine, I won't," he said, and you sobbed. "Y/N... If I could change the timing of this, I would. But I can't. They need me, and--"

"I'll wait," you told him, and he stopped.

"What?" he asked you.

You held his hand. "I'll wait. I'll wait as long as it takes, really," you said.

He sighed. "I couldn't possibly ask that of you," he said. "I mean... This could be another month or more of bullshit. Caroline could try again, or Ingrid could pull something... I wanna be with you so bad, Y/N, but I..." He broke away from you and put his face in his hands.

"Harry," you said softly. You could tell he was nearing his breaking point. "Can I talk now?"

"Please."

You swallowed, wondering how to begin. "I... I was so confused before tonight. When we first met, it seemed all your attention was on me. I know you still spent time with your daughters, but we saw each other two or three times a week," you said. "And you'd take me to a show or to a fancy restaurant or a museum--"

"--I can't commit to that right now," Harry interjected.

"I didn't know that before tonight," you replied. "I just thought... I thought you lost interest in me," you said plainly.

His face fell, and he shook his head. "No, Y/N, it's been so hectic--"

"I know that now," you told him. "So why don't we just take things slow, then? This is what modern dating is," you explained, nodding your head. "You don't have to impress me. We both have other things going on. We can just... We can just watch TV and eat takeout once or twice a week," you shrugged.

He frowned. "You deserve so much more than that," he said.

You kissed him. "Okay. Then when we're ready, we'll do more," you said. "Don't you think it would be healthy for you and Caroline to spend a night or two a week apart?" you asked. "She's going to go away to college in two years. I know you’re worried, but you have to trust her at some point, or it’ll just worsen things,” you added.

He sighed. "Y/N..."

"If you don't want to, it's okay," you whispered, wiping your tears. "God, I sound so desperate."

He grabbed your hand again and squeezed it. "I didn't lose interest in you," he said quietly. "Believe that, okay? To hear you say that... Don't think that, okay?"

You shook your head, letting out another sob because you didn't want to hear the next words from his mouth.

"If you think... After all this crazy shit tonight, if you think you still would like to try," he began, "then I wanna try, too." He kissed the tears on your cheeks as your face melted into a smile.

"Don't tease me like that," you cried, leaning into him as his arms wrapped around you.

“Oh, baby,” he pouted, pulling you close. He smooched your head. "I'm so sorry, princess," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for everything. I just... I didn't wanna involve you in all this, but I didn't want to end things, so I..." he trailed.

"You fucking ghosted me, you asshole!" you cry-laughed.

"I what?" he asked, confused.

"Ask Caroline what it means," you answered. "You ghosted me, and then you called me a whore," you giggled, looking at him then as tears dissipated.

He kissed your head twice again for good measure. "I would never, never think to call you anything like that," he said again. "I was jealous and upset, and I wasn’t thinking."

"I know. It was really sexy," you whispered, kissing him. "One more thing."

"Hm?"

"The whole point of modern dating," you said, "is to see what's out there. So if you see me with someone, or hear that I'm with someone, then I need you to be cool. And I'll do the same for you. And then when the time comes that we want to be exclusive, we have that conversation."

He shook his head. "This is insane."

"It is. Can you agree to that, though?" you asked.

He sighed. "I can. Although, I will strive to make sure you don't need anyone else."

You raised your eyebrows. "How are you gonna do that, Daddy?" you mumbled.

"I missed that," he smiled at you.

"Can you put your seat back?" you asked.

He nodded, adjusting his seat as you exited the car and climbed back in on his side, eagerly straddling him. You instantly pressed your lips to his neck, your body relaxing against his. "Daddy, you're tense," you observed, massaging his shoulders.

He scoffed. "You think? This is what teenage daughters do to me."

"'sokay, 'cause I'm gonna be your good girl," you whispered against his throat, making him croon.

He quickly removed your shirt and bra. "I missed this body," he muttered, squeezing your breasts. "Sexy bunny."

You kissed his ear, slipping your hand down his pants.

"Fuck, baby!" he exclaimed.

You kissed his jaw, his nose, his lips, his neck, his collarbone. “I… missed… you.”

He met your lips with his then, hands rubbing your thighs. “I don’t… I don’t wanna waste this,” he said quietly.

“What?” you gasped, not understanding.

“‘s not fair, doing this in the car. It’s my fault we were apart so long…” he trailed. “Let me just send a quick text, okay? Can we go up to your apartment?”

You kissed his cheek. “What are you gonna say?” you asked as he dug his phone out. You pulled your shirt back on.

He typed and turned the phone around. “I decided to take a little drive, be back by morning. Please be safe. Call me if you need me. Love u.”

“You’re a good dad,” you said, looking him in the eye. From what you could tell, he was, and he needed to hear it.

He rolled his eyes, turning off the car behind you. “I try.”

“That’s what counts,” you told him.

You followed him, walking up to your apartment.

He held his hand out for you and you took it. You shut your eyes a bit and rested your head on his shoulder. When you got inside, Harry's face was highly amused, smiling with his eyebrows raised. "Look at that," he said.

"What?" you asked, biting your lip.

He shook his head at you. "You don't need to clean for me, Y/N," he said, and looking around, you supposed you could've been less obvious. You even fluffed your pillows in hopes that Harry may come home with you.

You shrugged. "I... I didn't know if my apartment was what turned you off before, or--"

He walked over to you and kissed you. "You turn me on, baby," he mumbled lowly, grabbing your ass. "Don't forget it."

You kissed his top lip, spreading your hands over his clothed chest.

"Lay down on the couch," he said, nodding behind you.

You simply kissed him again, teasing.

"Y/N--" he started.

"Make me," you mumbled, trailing your hands to his waist.

He quickly threw you up over his shoulder, making you squeal. "I thought," he said, placing you down on the couch and looking at you then, "you were gonna be my good girl."

"I always am," you smirked, and he joined you on the couch.

"Just let me enjoy this, I need it," he spoke lowly, peeling your shirt off. "Need you to lay back and take it, okay?" he asked, looking you in the eye. "You can always say stop," he added.

You kissed him gently. "I'm not gonna say stop," you whispered, massaging his shoulders. "I've been thinking about this for weeks."

"Oh, my poor baby," he moped, laying you down on the couch. "My sweet girl..." he trailed, unbuttoning your shorts and shimmying them down before undoing his own pants. "Did you need attention? Was that what tonight was all about?"

“I got what I wanted,” you bragged.

“I wanna be the one who gives you what you want,” he mumbled to you then, spreading your legs open, “all the fuckin’ time.”

You kissed his chest as he finally pushed into you. “Oh,” you moaned, relishing in the feeling.

“Is it that good?” he asked, grunting.

“Yes! Oh Daddy, don’t stop,” you cried, shutting your eyes to focus on the sensation. You clutched onto his shoulders, rocking your hips with his.

He grit his teeth as he kept working. “Perfect for me,” he barely managed, kissing your cheek chastely. "Look at me, bunny."

You opened your eyes to see his pouring into you, telling you everything you needed to know. This moment erased any doubt in your mind--Harry was infatuated with you.

He finished soon after he spoke, collapsing on top of you. He trembled in the aftermath of his orgasm. You pet his hair and soaked in the feeling of being submerged in the couch by his body.

Minutes passed before he started kissing your cheek again, then your neck and your shoulder, and finally your boobs. "Harry," you giggled. "Harry, don't you have to go?" you asked.

He nipped at your nipple then, making you shriek. "Don't interrupt me. This is important," he spoke, pulling out of you and standing up then. He pulled off his pants completely and then lifted you off the couch, carrying you bridal style into your bedroom. You giggled the whole way, exploding in laughter when he threw you on your bed. "Something funny?" he asked, joining you.

You kissed him. "I laugh when I'm surprised," you explained. "Or happy, I guess."

"You're that surprised when I lift you still? Y/N, you know I can," he said, stroking your face.

You shrugged. "I'm surprised you're staying. I thought you'd leave to be with Caroline," you said.

He shook his head. "I said I'd be back by morning. It's only half past twelve," he said, kissing you. "I'll head out around two?"

"Do you have work tomorrow?" you asked.

"I don't think you know what I mean when I say I have my own firm," he said. "I can come in as late as I like. My employees know I work round the clock."

"Oh," you replied. "Just--I have class, and--"

He raised his eyebrows. "I mean, I can go," he said. "Sorry, I wasn't--"

You shook your head and kissed him then.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Nothing, I'm just gonna shut up," you mumbled against his lips. "I wanna be with you. I don't care about class."

He ran his fingers through your hair. "Give me two, and I'll go?" he asked.

"Two--?" you quirked your eyebrow.

He kissed it, lips smooching the hairs. "Ladies always win. You'll find out in a minute." He slipped his hand between your thighs again and started fingering, and you got an idea of what he was talking about. - Two months later, Harry instructed you to meet him at his apartment. He gave you a key a week ago for times like this, he said, when he didn't want you waiting outside for him.

You let yourself in his apartment. "Dad?" you heard a young woman ask.

Your heart slammed against your chest.

"Dad, can you help me with--" Caroline began, walking towards the entryway when she saw you. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I-I'm Y/N," you answered, taking a deep breath. "Your dad and I... We work together," you said, coming up with a lie on the spot.

"And you stole a key to his apartment? I'm calling the police," she said. "Don't touch anything! Hands where I can see them," she continued, getting out her phone.

"Wait, please don't call the police," you blurted, feeling stupid as you raised your hands. "Call him. Call Harry, your dad. He'll... He'll explain."

She gave you an untrusting look, dialing on her phone. “Hello? Babe, what’s up?” Harry asked on speaker phone.

“Dad, do you work with a Y/N?” Caroline asked.

"Hold on a second," he said, pausing. “I’m reading texts from your mom now. Caroline, why aren’t you at your mother’s? She was supposed to pick you up from school.”

“Yeah, I just had Carmen’s mom drop me here,” she replied.

He sighed.

“I texted Ingrid, it’s fine,” she continued, looking at you a little ashamedly now as she no longer feigned confidence. “I didn’t know you had plans,” she added on sheepishly.

“Yeah, you don’t think of others when you do these things,” he said. “Ingrid doesn’t get out of school until later, you know that. Your mom was there to pick you up. You just let her wait there for you?”

Caroline sighed. “Dad, if I get my license—“

“If you get your license, you’d go to your mom’s like you were meant to?” Harry continued. “I doubt it. It’s very immature of you, Caroline, to disregard our plans as a family.”

“Yeah, I can see that I’ve interrupted your family plans,” she snapped. “You give random women keys to this place?”

“She’s not random,” Harry replied. “Y/N and I…” he trailed. “I will be home in fifteen minutes. Behave. I’m calling your mother.”

“Dad—“

He hung up.

She looked at you. “How old are you?” she asked.

“Twenty-five,” you answered. There was no use in lying.

“Oh my God,” she replied. “You could be my older sister!” she exclaimed.

“If you had an elder sister of ten years,” you replied awkwardly. “You and Ingrid are four years apart, right? Your dad had you at my age.”

She growled at you. “Gee, thanks, Einstein.”

You sat on the couch silently.

“Don’t get used to it here. You’ll learn that Ingrid and I come first,” she said.

“That’s to be expected,” you said, shrugging. “Caroline, I know this is a lot to be sprung on you at once, but—“

“It’s really not,” she interrupted you. “Just wait til I tell my mom about his twenty-five year old plaything. You’ll never see him again.”

You bit your cheek, getting out your phone and debating texting him.

“Tattles piss him off. Just ask Rebecca.”

“Sorry, who’s—?”

“His last ex. She was an Olympic qualifier, and she still didn’t cut it, so I’d put your dreams to rest,” she said.

You wish he’d just arrive already. Caroline was just lashing out, and you resented that you were beginning to allow it to affect you. “Please hurry” you texted him.

“I know baby. Five min” he replied.

“I’m going to call Ingrid,” Caroline said, stepping out of the room.

When Harry arrived, he came in through the garage so he saw Caroline first. It was quiet for awhile.

“She’s twenty-five,” you randomly heard Caroline say. “Why can’t you find someone normal, like Mom?”

“Caroline, you don’t even get along with your mother or stepdad,” Harry replied. “Your mom just texted me she pulled up. And I’m not signing you up for that driving class.”

“Dad!” she exclaimed.

“Trust is earned, Caroline. I love you very much, but you pissed me off today. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

You heard the garage door open and shut. Harry walked into the living room, shaking his head. "Jesus... I'm sorry," he said.

"No, don't apologize," you said, standing and striding over to him.

He scoffed, smiling a bit. "I can tell she scared you."

You bit your lip. "I mean..." you trailed. You shrugged. "It's not a big deal. You're here now."

He cupped your face with his hand. You smirked a bit, twisting to kiss his hand. "I'm sorry it happened like this. I panicked. I didn't know if--"

He shook his head. "No, it's not your fault. She shouldn't have been here. It's just another part in a series of her deliberately disobeying her mom and I."

You grabbed his other hand in yours. "... So can we just pretend that never happened?" you asked.

He sighed. "You can, I guess."

You quirked your brow. "What do you mean?"

"I'm gonna have to deal with it later," he said.

"I know, but tonight's about us, right?" you asked, clarifying what you meant. "I haven't seen you in almost a week."

"I thought you said you were fine with that," he said, taking his hand away from your face.

"I am... I mean, it's fine, but..." you trailed, your heart hammering away. Lately, you realized you did want more out of this, and wondered if he did, too. There was your answer.

"But what?"

"Nothing," you replied, taking your hand from his.

"No, what?" he asked you again.

You sighed, rolling your eyes. "I just wanted a night with you. I didn't ask for all this drama. I came in here thinking I'd wait for you to come home, not be verbally assaulted by your daughter," you snapped.

"That's the thing, Y/N," he said. "That's the thing I tried fuckin' explaining to you two months ago. It's not that simple."

"I guess not," you replied.

"So that's it?" he asked. "You're leaving?"

"If you want me to, then yeah," you spoke tearfully, turning around and grabbing your purse from the couch before walking out of his apartment.

"Y/N," he called after you. You kept walking until you got to your car parked outside on the sidewalk. "Y/N, wait," he said just as it started to rain.

"Fuck," you muttered under your breath. You pivoted to face him. "Just leave it, okay? We can agree--I hurt my own fucking feelings, it's fine. It's not the first time, won't be the last either. Now you won't have to worry about Caroline, she'll be happy, and you can just forget about me," you said, turning to open your car door when he gripped your arm and pulled you into him in a kiss.

And this kiss was something Faith Hill sings about. You knew Harry was a good kisser; maybe it was just your emotional state dramatizing the sensation. Either way, this felt different.

It began to sincerely pour, but neither of you minded or even noticed much. When he pulled away, he kept his grip on your arm so you were incredibly close when he spoke: "I don't wanna forget about you." He locked eyes with you, both of you catching your breath for a few seconds before speaking again. "When are you gonna understand," he said, pecking your lips again, "how much I care about you? That you aren't being abandoned or led on or forgotten?" He kissed you once more: "That I'm right here with you, falling in love with you?"

You sobbed, crashing into his chest. Thunder struck. "Sh, let's get inside," he spoke. He wrapped arms around you and walked you back to his apartment, shutting the door behind you.

You cried into your hands. He approached you gently, stroking your hair. "You okay?"

"Need a minute," you told him.

"Okay. Let me put some tea on," he said, pacing to the kitchen. It wasn't that cold outside in the early fall, but the rain definitely chilled you both.

You shivered for a second, your brain doing its best to process the last ten minutes. You needed to get dry.

You crept over to the kitchen and cleared your throat. "Harry?"

"Baby?" he asked back, looking at you.

Your heart warmed. "Um, can I please borrow some dry clothes?" you asked.

"No, only my wet ones. I think I've got some I forgot to put in the dryer, one sec," he replied back with a smile. "Yes, dear. What's mine is yours, you know this."

You nodded, smiling goofily back at him. "Okay, thank you," you said, ducking back into his bedroom and quickly changing into his old pajamas. He'd frequently apologize about how worn they were, but you loved them--they made you feel instantly at home.

You rejoined him in the kitchen to find him setting two cups of tea on the countertop. "I'm gonna go change as well," he told you before disappearing.

You drank your tea slowly, sitting at his kitchen table. You wondered what on earth you'd say when he came back.

The moment came, him quietly taking his seat across from you. You cleared your throat, sitting up. "Thank you," you spoke.

He nodded, signaling for you to continue.

"I..." you trailed. "I guess I should preface this by saying that I'm not used to... this," you said, gesturing at him. "To men, like... understanding me, or even trying to understand. When I bring a concern up, a lot of the times I'm just pushed away. Which is why I think maybe I sometimes can be negative around you, to try to get you to leave me alone, so I don't have to be vulnerable," you rambled.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I've thought about it a lot," you explained, clearing your throat and breaking eye contact momentarily. "Anyway, um... S-So... In the past week or so, I was thinking maybe I do wanna be, like, exclusive with you," you said. "And I think when you kind of... When you said that I was okay with just seeing you once every so often, I remembered that I set those expectations and I realized you didn't want anything more and I felt rejected, and I tried to push you away by saying that about Caroline," you said quietly.

He leaned into you and held your hand.

Tears came to your eyes. "And I just... I just wanted to be with you today," you cried. "And I know you love your daughters, I know they come first. That's fine. But... I just was excited to see you, and I don't want it to be all about your kids right now. I want it to be about us," you blubbered. "Is that awful?" you asked.

"No," he replied immediately. "No, it's not." He squeezed your hand. "Thank you for sharing."

You shrugged.

"No, thank you. I know it's not easy. I appreciate your honesty," he said. "Honestly, Y/N, that was the most emotionally mature thing I've ever heard from a partner's lips," he told you.

A chuckle slipped your lips. "Well, Gen Z is the therapized generation," you half-joked.

He ran his thumb over your hand over and over, clearly thinking. "What if I told you I was afraid to ask you to be exclusive?" he asked.

You squinted, confused, though your heartbeat escalated in excitement. "Afraid?" you asked.

"Yes," he verified. "You were the one talking about taking it slow and seeing other people and exploring."

You bit your cheek. "Yeah, that's, like, apparently, how it works with guys who suck," you said awkwardly.

He raised his eyebrows, smiling. "I don't suck? Is that what you're saying?" he asked.

You smiled back at him. "No, you don't suck."

"Hm..." he trailed jokingly. "Is that how Gen Z says 'I'm falling in love with you, too'?" he asked.

You giggled, covering your face in laughter. "You're awful, Harry," you laughed.

"I don't suck, but I'm awful," he continued, making you laugh more. His dad jokes were a hit with you.

You uncovered your face and looked him in the eye. "You're a good guy. And the more I'm with you, the more I realize I've never been with one before. Or maybe you're just perfect for me," you said. "I'm falling in love with you, Harry, and I don't wanna stop."

"So don't," he replied, earnest. "Be my girlfriend, okay? And it can be about us all the time," he said, nodding. "If we're committed, I know I can take us seriously, and I promise I wanna prioritize you. I'm sorry this happened tonight, but I'm not sorry we had this conversation. I'm serious about you, Y/N. Don't give this away because you don't think you deserve it. And be vulnerable. That's where the good stuff is."

You nodded. "Okay." You nodded some more. "Can we watch a movie, boyfriend?" you asked, smiling gently.

"Yes, girlfriend." He stood up and kissed your hairline before giving you his hands to help you out of your seat.

When the movie was over, you and Harry showered together. He fucked you against the tile, strong yet gentle. "Yeah, baby, just like that. Give it to Daddy," he mumbled in your ear.

When he shut the water off, you surprised him by turning it back on again and wrapping your arms around him, pulling him down to give him a kiss. "I'll have to remember that we can kiss in the rain all the time," you whispered against his lips.

He pressed his hands to the small of your back in order to keep you closer. "Yes, please remember that."

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles au #one direction #songfic

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abihasablog · 6 months ago

Text

A Ticklish Mouse

Fandom: BG3

Characters: Tav, Raphael, Haarlep

You break into the House of Hope to steal the Orphic Hammer, though you find yourself caught in the claws of a tricky incubus instead. They quickly discover something about you that you rather wish they hadn't.

Read on A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60099727

You may have overestimated your ability to sneak around the House of Hope without being caught. Almost immediately you stumble into the Boudoir, coming across a very scantily clad creature resembling the master of the house.

“A lost little mouse is running through the House. A thief in the night, greedy and here to take.” The cambion flashes their teeth as they leans back, legs spread wantonly. “Why are you here, little thief?”

“Raphael?” The words are thick on your tongue, your mouth suddenly dry. The cambion chuckles, shaking his head.

“No, not I. I am Haarlep, Raphael’s incubus. And I would be a poor servant if I let my master’s favourite potential client wander around his House uninvited. Come here, little thief.”

“Why would I do that?” You take a cautious step back. They make no move to approach you, their smile betraying their certainty of your obedience.

“Because if you don’t, I will be forced to do something neither of us want me to do. Now come here, little mouse, and let me help.”

Slowly, you step towards the bed. Once you are within arms reach, Haarlep reaches out and grasps your hand, surprising you enough that you lose balance and fall flat on the bed. Immediately, Haarlep has you on your back, arms pinned above your head.

“Get off of me!” You cry indignantly, trying in vain to dislodge the much larger creature. Haarlep tuts, waving their hand. Soft ropes wrap around your wrists and pull your arms taut above your head.

“My apologies, little mouse. But I must insist you must remain here until Raphael returns.” They slip from the bed, hips swaying as they approach the pack you’d dropped. They bend down to rifle through it, humming to themself. While their back is turned you tug hard at your restraints, but find them totally secure. With a huff you lift your head to watch Haarlep dig through your stash of health potions, assorted keys, and loose bits of food. They turn to you with a quirked brow, and you can’t help your blush. “How in the nine hells have you survived thus far if this is your ‘break into a devil’s home’ pack?”

“I get by.”

“Clearly,” Apparently satisfied, Haarlep approaches the bed again. You get a good look at the incubus in all their glory, and feel your heartbeat quicken. They must sense it, smirking as they sit beside you once more. You suddenly wish you’d worn your armour. You had thought that your camp clothes may be more subtle, though as Haarlep looks over you like he wants to eat you, you feel very exposed. “Raphael will be here soon, little thief. Whatever shall we do in the meantime?”

They drag a fingertip lightly down your chest, halting when he reaches the hem of your shirt. Haarlep’s intentions are clear, and if you had a modicum of sense you may have been afraid. But all you can think about is the feather soft touch threatening to slide against your skin. You take a deep breath.

“Now, why don’t you save yourself some trouble and tell me what you came here for. I know it couldn’t have been to see Raphael, as he has been waiting patiently for you in Baldur’s Gate. So I can only assume…” A manicured claw scratches along the soft swell of your belly. “You have come here to steal.”

You inhale sharply, the feeling making you shiver. “A botched teleportation, that’s all.”

“Do not lie,” Haarlep hisses. Their hand rests against your torso, fingers tapping in a manner that’s clearly meant to be a thinly veiled threat of disembowelment, except the touch is light enough that you feel the start of a grin tugging at your lips. “Little thief, must I coax the truth from you?”

“How?” You ask, then mentally berate yourself for engaging. Haarlep chuckles, leaning in close to press an almost tender kiss to the underside of your jaw.

“How about you and I become better acquainted?” Their hand claws against your skin, and an embarrassingly loud squeak breaks the tension between you.

Haarlep’s eyes widen for a moment, before they laugh outright as they realise your predicament. “Oh, dear! Poor little mouse, so trapped and so very ticklish.”

“Shut up!” You snap, trying to hide your face in your hair. Haarlep tucks a lock behind your ears, catching your chin in their hand to meet your gaze.

“How careless of you to reveal such a thing to me, little thief. Oh, I shall have you all tickled out by the time Raphael gets home. I will have you begging and squirming so prettily, drunk on my touch.”

You can’t help but gasp, toes curling in your shoes. “I don’t think that’s really necessary.”

“Necessary? Oh my dear, of course it is. There is nothing I would like to hear more than your pretty laughter,” They climb on top of you, and scratch their claws into your exposed underarms. You shriek at the unexpected touch and try to yank your arms down, but the bindings hold you tight. Haarlep laughs at your weak attempts to struggle, tickling up your naked arms and down again.

“Nononono!” You kick at them, but find your leg snatched up in their tail.

“Naughty,” they purr.

One hand disappears from your body, and with a quick swipe of a claw opens the fastenings on your bodice, exposing your naked chest. You barely have time to be indignant before they're tracing featherlight spirals up and down your torso. It's not half as intense as the tickly torture you’d already been subjected to, and you were loathe to admit that it actually felt nice. You feel yourself sink down into the bed, your laughter turned to breathless giggles.

“There, that’s better. Poor ticklish little creature, Raphael will just eat you up.” Haarlep continues his torment, watching you arch your back with a smirk. “Naughty little thing. What did you think would happen, breaking into the House of Hope? Did you think you might just slip in, steal from Raphael, and slip away again unnoticed?”

“I hahahahad sort of hoped!” You wiggle like a worm caught on a string. They cock their head at you, bringing both hands down to tickle ruthlessly at your belly. You descend into hysterics as they quickly map out the spots that make your brain turn mushy. As tears swell in your eyes they slow their hands, swirling his fingertips around your belly. You take a few deep breaths, still squirming beneath him.

“Aren't you the most ticklish little mouse,” Haarlep purrs. “Are you enjoying yourself, little one? Do you like it when I tickle you?”

“Nohohohoho!” The teasing settles in your gut and makes your thighs clench. It makes the ticklish so much worse!

“I think you dooooo,” Haarlep singsongs, one hand abandoning your belly to slip behind him and tickle your thigh. You squeal at the touch, squeezing your eyes shut in hopes to alleviate the thrilling feeling. Haarlep is unfairly good at this. “Oh? Just there?”

They slide backwards to perch on your knees. Your outfit does not protect you, and a blush creeps down your chest as they push the fabric out of the way, goosebumps rising on your skin. They wiggle down to sit between your legs, tail still wrapped around an ankle and holding it aloft. Without warning they dip their head and blow a raspberry against the soft skin of your inner thigh, and you swear you black out for a moment as you shriek in laughter. You struggle to form words as hands dig gently into your hips, torturing and holding you down.

“Plehehehehehease!” You manage through your hysterics. “Plehehehease go somewhere else!”

“Now why would I do that?” They press a kiss to the spot, before moving to the other thigh. You barely manage a gasp before the doors to the Boudoir swing open and Raphael swoops in, clad in his usual fineries with a fiery expression on his face.

“My my, what a treat to come back to. Haarlep,” Raphael strides up beside the bed, not even sparing you a glance as he curls his fingers through the Incubus’s hair. He tightens his fist enough that Haarlep draws back with a sigh, fluttering their eyelashes. “What is the meaning of this?”

“A lost little mouse stumbled into the Boudoir, and ended up all caught up in my claws!” Haarlep drags a finger down your naked thigh, grinning as you tense. “You took so very long coming home, I had to entertain myself.”

“So it would seem.” Raphael releases Haarlep as he turns to gaze at you. You must look a state, hair dishevelled from thrashing, arms bound to his bed and covered in sweat. “My my, little mouse. What have we gotten ourselves into?”

“Raphael,” You try to splutter an explanation, but you're caught off guard by the return of Haarlep's mouth to your thigh. “Nonono don't!”

A huff of hot air kisses your skin as Haarlep chuckles. “Oh Raphael, what an absolute treat this one is. May we keep her?”

“The little mouse will remain caged until an answer is provided of why they have come, quite uninvited.” Raphael perches beside you, his gaze hot.

“I wasn't going to take anything!” You stammer quickly before Haarlep gets the chance to interrupt you again. “Would you believe me if I said I was looking for you?”

Raphael stares at you, unimpressed. “Seeing as I have been in the same place I have always been since you arrived at the Gate, I doubt that very much.”

“Well yes, but I needed to see you privately!” You try, but to your credit it's very hard to sound convincing when there's an incubus between your legs. “Could you- could you perhaps call Haarlep off so we may speak?”

“Ha!” Haarlep laughs, as Raphael chuckles himself.

“Oh dear, has my incubus been unkind to you, little thief? You were making an awful racket.”

“Let me show you, Master!” Haarlep exclaims. Their tail yanks your leg further to the side, exposing more of your abused inner thigh. “Oh, what a terrible torture I have invented for this poor little one.”

You barely manage a cry of protest before permission is given and Haarlep is blowing another raspberry, hands scribbling over the sensitive skin underneath your belly button. You throw your head back in hysterical laughter, embarrassment hitting an all time high at the knowledge Raphael is watching you.

“Stoooooop!” You plead, trying to push Haarlep away with your free leg. Raphael rests a hand on Haarlep’s neck as he watches you squirm. “Plehehehehehease I'm sorry!”

“Fascinating,” Raphael hums. “I heard you were whipped by a Priest of Loviator for fun, but a little bit of ticking is what brings you down?”

“You never told me that,” Haarlep pouts. Their fingers curl under your knees as they speak, smirking as you kick and giggle. “Perhaps a creature as ticklish as this one needs a firm touch, perhaps even the gentle caress of a lover has our mouse squirming and giddy.”

“Shut up!” You land a firm kick against the Incubus’s leg. Your ankles are suddenly locked up in soft leather cuffs, and the tail that once held your leg aloft now trails down your calf. You realise a moment too late its destination, as it flicks your slippers off and the pointy tip wiggles between your toes. You break into deep belly laughs, eyes squeezing shut and hands scrambling to grab at the sheets. Your addled brain takes a shot in the dark. “HEHEHEHELP!”

“Help,” Raphael scoffs. A hand curls around your chin and tugs it, forcing you to meet his heated gaze. “Tell me why you're here, little mouse.”

“Nohohohohoho!” You cannot let slip your intentions, he'd kill you. You simply have to endure this torture until the others wonder what's taking you so long and come to search for you.

“Then perhaps we ought to subject you to this torture for a while longer.”

“Wahahahait, nonono plehehehease!”

Haarlep dips for another raspberry against your skin. Raphael hums, and for a brief moment you think there's no way he would participate in such a childish torture, but then he's wiggling his fingertips into the soft skin of your belly.

“NO! Plehehehehehease!”

Your pleas are ignored, both devils working in agonising tandem to torment you.

“Poor little mouse, so helpless.”

You whine through your laughter, squeezing your eyes shut.

“Oooooh dear! I think teasing makes it worse for our little thief, Master.”

“I think you may be right,” Raphael catches your chin in a gentle grip, forcing you to meet his gaze. His other hand trails up your sternum, fingertips curling along your collarbone. “Does it tickle, little mouse? How does it feel to be so very helpless, hmm? Does it feel good?”

He manoeuvres your chin, making you nod.

“It does?” He teases. What a bizarre situation you find yourself in, to hear a devil laugh as he teases you. You almost wish they'd just kill you instead, if only to save the embarrassment. “Hmm, perhaps you deserve the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps you really are here to see me.”

You try to agree, but your words are lost in laughter as Haarlep slips further down your legs to run gentle claws behind your knees.

“If you truly do wish to speak, then by all means.” He leans close to you, his breath hot against your cheek. “Speak.”

“I want to discuss our deal!” Is what you try to say, though it comes put in a jumble of giggles and noises. Raphael must understand you, because he pauses his attack. Haarlep pulls back too, though their hands still rest menacingly against your calves. “I wanted to make amendments, regarding my friends.”

“How predictable,” Raphael sighs. “Let me guess. Replace the orb in the wizard and the engine in the tiefling with their true hearts?”

“Oh. Well, yes.”

“And what could you possibly leverage over me to make such amendments? If I were to accept, I would be angering both Mystra and Zariel.”

“You would have the Crown! Why care what they think?” You say. Raphael taps a finger to his chin, clearly faking consideration. Your stomach drops. “There must be something else you want too?”

Raphael looks down his nose at you, as though you'd said something utterly stupid.

“She has been very cooperative, Master,” Haarlep interjected with a purr. Raphael rolls his eyes.

“Fine. I will consider your proposition, I promise nothing else. I am sure I will think of something to take in return.”

“Thank you,” you say earnestly. It hadn't exactly been what you'd come here hoping to achieve - the Orphic Hammer was still very much beyond your grasp. But a deal to get Gale and Karlach out of their miserable fates was better than nothing. “Will you… could you perhaps let me go now?”

“Oh no, little mouse. I'm not quite through with you yet. We may have gotten an answer from you, though there is still the matter of punishment for breaking in.”

“I thought this was the punishment!” You cry indignantly. Raphael chuckles, gesturing for Haarlep to carry on. You whine and giggle as they resume the tender caress of your legs.

“I'd hardly call this a punishment, I have not once heard you tell us to stop. Haarlep?”

“Quite right, little thief. And I do believe you could have cast one of your little spells to get away any time you wanted. But you don't want to, do you? I think you really are enjoying yourself.”

You shake your head rapidly through your laughter, it was not fun, not at all, and your insides definitely did not flip at the tug of a smirk on the devil’s lips.

“Perhaps we could sweeten the pot of your proposal.” Raphael sweeps a finger across your waist. “You will answer any and all questions honestly, and once we are done we will speak no more about the breaking and entering.”

His gaze turns dark for a moment as his eyes pour into yours.

“And we shall also forget the true reasoning that brought you here, yes?”

“Yes,” You say, cheeks burning. Of course he would know. He chuckles, sitting back.

“First question, and this is an easy one,” he traces a finger slowly down you, starting at your neck and ending with a tap on your thigh, just above Haarlep’s head. “Where are you most ticklish?”

“Oh, that’s mean!” Haarlep grins, resting their cheek against your thigh.

“Really? I thought I was being kind, since the alternative would be finding out ourselves by process of elimination.”

Fortunately, this is an easy question. “I don’t know, this is the first time since I was a child.”

Unfortunately, the answer makes both of them perk up.

“Process of elimination it is.”

“Nonono wait wait wait!” You squeak. “It’s my thighs! My thighs so far, does that count?!”

“Hmm…” Raphael seems to consider it. “I suppose it counts. For now.”

“Spoilsport,” Haarlep sighs. “I hope we will do a thorough evaluation at some point soon though, Master?”

“Naturally,” Raphael pets the incubus. “Perhaps once our business is concluded here, I can arrange for the little mouse to come over and spend some time with you, one to one, as a reward for your selfless and inventive capture of her.”

You’re only half sure he’s just saying that to wind you up, but it works. Your legs squeeze around Haarlep, who smirks up at you in response.

“Oh, I think she likes that idea.”

“Which leads me to my next question, just as easy as the first.” Raphael grips your chin, forcing eye contact. “Are you enjoying yourself, little mouse?”

Just as easy, and yet twice as wicked.

You glare at him, though you know you must look as intimidating as a kitten that’s fallen in a puddle. From between your legs, Haarlep giggles.

“That’s a very sweet pout, little thief, but do remember the terms of this fun little caveat. You must answer truthfully.” They sit back on their haunches and scoot down on the bed to sit between your feet. You curl your toes and yank at your bindings in panic, but it does nothing to stop ten clawed fingers descending and scribbling along your soles.

“NOT THEHEHEHERE PLEHEHEHEASE!” Tears slip down your cheeks as you quickly realise your thighs were not in fact your most ticklish spot. Haarlep shows no mercy, the grin on their face telling you just how much they were enjoying making you laugh and thrash on the bed. Raphael’s thumb wipes a stray tear from your face, his voice barely audible to you over your own hysterics.

“I ask again, are you enjoying yourself?” He purrs. You clench your jaw even as Haarlep finds an extra ticklish spot under your toes, sending you spiralling into giggles. There was no way out of this, you realise. Raphael would be able to tell if you lied to him, and you weren’t stupid enough to intentionally antagonise him… at least to his face. So you grit your teeth, and give him the smallest nod.

At once, Haarlep stops. You gasp for breath as they rub their palms firmly up and down your soles, chasing away the lingering tickles. With your eyes closed, you don’t notice Raphael reaching for you until his fingers brush the hair from your sweaty forehead.

“Look at me, mouse.”

You open your eyes warily. The cambion and the incubus wear matching expressions of glee, and it makes your stomach jump.

“A verbal answer, now that Haarlep has ceased his cruel torment of your poor toes.”

“You’re never going to let this go,” you state with a scowl. Raphael merely grins.

“Never.”

“I’m enjoying myself,” you mutter. Haarlep cups one hand to their ear, and waves the other threateningly over your foot.

“I didn’t quite catch that!”

“I’m enjoying myself!” You squeal and curl your toes protectively. Haarlep crawls back up your body and flops beside you with a content sigh. They gaze up at Raphael sweetly, pointedly hovering his palm over your belly.

“Any more, dear Master?”

“Hmm…” Raphael looks you over appraisingly. You suddenly realise how much of your skin is exposed to him and hurriedly try to cover yourself, which is quite difficult with no use of your limbs. Raphael, in a shocking display of mercy, snaps his fingers to release you. The ropes slither away, and you quickly yank your clothes back into place. You scowl at Haarlep as you tug your ripped bodice back over your chest, but they only bat their eyelids delicately. “You are forgiven, little mouse. We shall speak no more about your breaking and entering.”

“Thank you,” you mumble. You sit up.

“Leaving so soon?” Haarlep pouts. Your gaze flits up to Raphael. You’re going nowhere without his permission. He stands without looking at you, readjusting his sleeves and strolling to the desk by the window. He tugs a small key from his pocket and unlocks a small drawer. From inside he pulls a small silver band. He walks back over to you, holding out his hand. You accept the offered ring without thought.

“Should you ever wish to speak with me and are unable to get to Sharess’s Caress, twirl this ring three times clockwise.” He tells you. Your eyes snap up in surprise.

“Why?”

“One, to avoid you ever feeling the need to come looking for me.” He scowls. You clear your throat. “Two, you have charmed me, little mouse. Naturally I was already quite fond of you, but no client of mine has ever been as bold and… entertaining, as you have been.”

“Uhm… thank you, then.”

“Lastly, the look my incubus is giving you tells me that they would fancy playing with you again. Am I right, dear Haarlep?”

Haarlep sits up, pressing their chest against your arm. The ghost of their breath against your neck makes you shiver.

“Oh yes, sweet little thief. You are more than welcome to return to me anytime you like, in fact I insist upon it. I fear I have the taste of your beautiful laughter now, and would simply starve should you deprive me.” They twist a strand of your hair between red fingers. “It would benefit Raphael to have you back too, for lack of your laughter may influence me to turn my claws on him.”

A laugh bursts from your mouth even as you slap a hand over it at the look on Raphael’s face.

Alright, perhaps you could be tempted.

#bg3 tickling #tickletober 2024 #not really from a prompt though but this is tickling and it is october #this is for the three people who are into this #gods speed fellas

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